"Looks like I'll have to figure out another way to try this later."
After learning about the effects of "A Sip of Dreaming for a Thousand Years" from the Wine Immortal, Daniel Davis immediately gave up on tasting the wine for now. That particular brew, stored in the celestial jars in the sky, might not be a big deal for the Wine Immortal, but for anyone else, it might knock them out in just one sip. Failing the trial due to passing out would definitely mean failure overall.
Although, with Daniel Davis's current strength, "A Sip of Dreaming for a Thousand Years" might not affect him as drastically as others, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks at this stage. After all, he could have secretly stashed some wine into a jar earlier, but in the end, he chose not to.
Risking it for a little wine wasn't worth the potential loss of something as valuable as Qionghua Sect's inheritance. Moreover, there was always the chance that he might obtain something even better later on.
If he ever managed to ascend to the Celestial Realm, the things in the mortal realm would pale in comparison. Of course, Daniel couldn't ascend just yet—he wasn't Jing Tian, the reincarnation of Fei Peng, who could come and go to the Celestial Realm as he pleased. But while it was impossible now, it might not be so in the future.
Once he had enough strength, Daniel was determined to visit the Celestial Realm, meet Fuxi, and possibly change the fate of the Nuwa clan. Their destiny of having only one surviving member in the world was simply too cruel.
While he was at it, he also wanted to see if the Celestial Realm had peaches of immortality. Although the world of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" had its share of deities, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as worlds like "Journey to the West" or "The Investiture of the Gods."
"Not bad, not bad. Quick progress. You've passed my trial. As for the trial of Lust… With two such lovely young ladies here, that one can be skipped," the Wine Immortal said with a smile, nodding approvingly as he glanced at Han Lingsha and Liu Mengli.
Hearing the Wine Immortal's words, Han Lingsha's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. She quickly protested, "Immortal, you've misunderstood! How could I possibly like this blockhead? That's absolutely not the case!"
Liu Mengli's face also turned red. She raised her hand to cover her face but didn't say anything.
"He's pairing me up with Liu Mengli," Daniel thought, shaking his head silently after hearing the Wine Immortal's words.
The Wine Immortal chuckled and replied, "Whether you like him or not, you know that in your heart. I was merely making an observation."
On the other hand, Yun Tianhe, upon hearing Han Lingsha's words, turned his gaze toward her with a puzzled expression. "Lingsha, so you really dislike me that much? I didn't know that. But I actually like you a lot!"
"You blockhead! What nonsense are you spouting? The Immortal wasn't even talking about that!" Han Lingsha's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she struggled to explain but couldn't find the right words.
"Young man, the 'like' you're talking about isn't the same as the one I mean. What you're talking about is the love of friends; what I was referring to is romantic affection," the Wine Immortal said with a laugh.
"Is there really a difference?" Yun Tianhe asked, scratching his head in confusion as he often did when faced with something he didn't understand.
"Haha! You're asking me about this? Unfortunately, I'm just an Immortal and can't answer such questions. Matters of love in this world can only be truly understood by those involved. You only need to figure out who makes you happiest and most at ease when you're with them—that's the person you like," the Wine Immortal said with a chuckle, shaking his head.
"I feel happy and at ease with both Lingsha and Mengli," Yun Tianhe said thoughtfully after hearing the Wine Immortal's explanation.
"Alright, we'll deal with this later. Right now, passing the trial is more important," Han Lingsha quickly interrupted, clearly embarrassed and trying to change the subject.
"That's true. If you can't transcend worldly attachments, how can you pursue the path of Immortality?" The Wine Immortal waved his hand, and a glowing circular portal appeared in front of him.
"If achieving Immortality means becoming an emotionless being, what difference is there from being a stone? Is such an Immortal even worth pursuing?" Daniel couldn't help but think after hearing the Wine Immortal's words.
For him, seeking eternal life was about enjoying life more fully, not becoming as lifeless as a rock. What's the point of living forever if you lose your emotions and desires? Even the wealthy elites of the Marvel world spent fortunes on extending their lives, not just to exist but to enjoy living longer.
Of course, there was no need to share such thoughts with the Wine Immortal. Based on his nature, Daniel surmised that the Wine Immortal was likely a spirit tied to wine, rather than a human who ascended to Immortality. Theoretically, he would be classified as a "demon turned Immortal."
Not being human, it was natural that the Wine Immortal wouldn't fully understand human emotions.
"Thank you, Immortal."
With that, the group of four stepped into the glowing portal.
"I wonder, after the destruction of Qionghua Sect later on, did this Wine Immortal survive, or did he perish with the sect?" Daniel thought curiously as he glanced back at the Wine Immortal before stepping through the portal.
"Is this... wealth?"
Upon passing through the portal, Daniel and the group found themselves in a resplendent hall filled with gold, treasure, and rare artifacts. The walls and floor gleamed with golden light, and in front of them stood a solemn-looking middle-aged man holding a massive gold ingot in one hand and a golden whip in the other. He sat atop a fierce black tiger.
Even with the vast wealth Daniel had accumulated over his adventures, he had never considered forging such a gigantic gold ingot to hold in his hand. Wouldn't it be heavy?
"May I ask how we can pass this trial?" Liu Mengli stepped forward gracefully, her tone calm as she addressed the man.
Unlike the trial of Wine, which was relatively easy to pass unless one was a complete drunkard, the trial of Wealth was different. Surrounded by so much treasure, gold, and rare artifacts, few would remain unmoved.
Liu Mengli's naturally calm demeanor meant she was unaffected by the wealth around her. Han Lingsha, though less indifferent, prioritized saving her family's people above all else, so she too wasn't tempted. Daniel, of course, remained entirely unbothered. His treasure vault back home was even more lavish than this place. In particular, the gold he acquired from the post-apocalyptic world of "Girls' Last Tour" was enough to build an entire city out of gold.
As for Yun Tianhe, his reaction was the simplest. Having no concept of wealth, he remained completely unfazed. While the others were at least slightly impressed by the sheer opulence around them, Yun Tianhe showed no reaction at all.
"After all these years, a disciple of Qionghua Sect has finally come to face this trial. I am the God of Wealth. It's not difficult to pass—just make me happy," the man declared, his initial surprise quickly giving way to his previous stern expression.
"And how can we make you happy?" Liu Mengli continued to ask calmly.
"Bring me ten gems. But not just any gems—I only want the rare Nine-Eyed Stones. Nothing else interests me," the God of Wealth replied.
"I've never heard of such a thing. What do they look like?" Han Lingsha asked immediately.
"Sigh, such ignorance. It's clear you lack the knack for making money and are destined to remain poor. Nine-Eyed Stones are golden gems with nine facets. Just for wasting my time, I now demand eleven stones," the God of Wealth said, raising his demand without hesitation.
"Wasn't it ten? Why did it increase by one?" Han Lingsha asked in confusion.
"If you question me, of course, there's a price. Now it's twelve," he replied, unfazed.
"Are you serious? Aren't Gods of Wealth supposed to distribute wealth? Why are you so greedy?" Han Lingsha exclaimed, nearly at a loss for words.
"There are plenty of Gods of Wealth in the heavens, but look at my outfit—it's not cheap. If I don't find ways to accumulate wealth, how can I have enough to distribute? Now it's thirteen," he responded, still calm.
Han Lingsha was about to retort when Liu Mengli stopped her.
"Lingsha, say no more. The more we talk, the more he'll demand," Liu Mengli whispered.
"Smart girl. Exactly so. Now it's fourteen," the God of Wealth said with an approving nod toward Liu Mengli.
"You—" Han Lingsha was so frustrated she couldn't even form a response.
"Enough. Learn from this young lady beside you—she's much smarter than you. Because of her, I'll let you pass this time for free."
"Let's go."
His words made Han Lingsha fume, but realizing it was pointless to argue with the God of Wealth, she turned toward the mountains of treasure to search for the Nine-Eyed Stones.
In the original game, these stones would have required defeating enemies to collect. But here, they only needed to search among the piles of treasures and golden artifacts around them.
"Lingsha, there's probably a time limit. We need to be quick," Liu Mengli reminded her softly as they approached the treasure.
"I'll shake the treasure loose for you to search through," Daniel said as he stomped the ground, sending a wave of treasure flying into the air.
"This should be it," Yun Tianhe quickly grabbed a golden gem with nine facets—clearly a Nine-Eyed Stone.
"Fourteen is enough," Liu Mengli announced after they gathered the required number.
"Wait, let's find a few more," Han Lingsha suggested.
"Why?" Liu Mengli asked, curious.
"Maybe we can use the extra stones to negotiate skipping the next trial," Han Lingsha explained. Inspired by how the Wine Immortal had skipped the trial of Lust for them, she decided it was worth a shot, given how much the God of Wealth valued these stones.
"Good idea. Let's do it," Liu Mengli agreed. They eventually collected twenty Nine-Eyed Stones before returning to the God of Wealth.
"God of Wealth, are these the stones you wanted?" Han Lingsha asked, presenting the gems.
"Here are the fourteen stones you asked for. Oh, and there are six extras. Since you seem to value these so much, I suppose they'd fetch a high price back in the mortal world. A great way to make money, wouldn't you say?" Han Lingsha added with a sly smile.
"These stones are no ordinary gems and cannot be taken away," the God of Wealth said, his usually stern face finally showing some unease as he looked at the extra stones.
"And why not? You never mentioned that before. Are you, a God of Wealth, going back on your word? Surely you know that credibility is the cornerstone of commerce. Breaking your word would tarnish your reputation. Open the portal to the next trial, won't you?" Han Lingsha said, pocketing the six extra stones.
"You dare? Don't think the God of Wealth is all about counting money—I can fight too!" he growled, raising his golden whip as the black tiger beneath him roared.
"Want to fight? Fine, I'll take you on," Yun Tianhe said, stepping forward with his Wangshu Sword. Meanwhile, Daniel raised his sword and sent a crescent-shaped energy slash directly toward the God of Wealth—not at him, but at the giant gold ingot in his hand.
Clang!
The God of Wealth blocked the attack with his golden whip, but the sheer force of the blow sent the black tiger beneath him stumbling three steps back.
Though he, the Wine Immortal, and others like the Celestial Maidens were technically Immortals, their actual strength wasn't very high. Not to mention Daniel—any skilled martial artist from the "Legend of Sword and Fairy" world could probably defeat them in combat.
Their Immortality seemed to stem more from longevity than raw power.
"You're truly heroes. My earlier words were just a joke—just a joke! Let's be amicable, shall we?" The God of Wealth's attitude shifted immediately after taking Daniel's attack. His stern demeanor was replaced with an ingratiating smile.
"In all my years overseeing this trial, no one has ever thought to collect extra stones. You're truly brilliant, young lady—exceptionally clever!"
"I recall someone saying earlier that I wasn't very smart," Han Lingsha said, still annoyed.
"Whoever said that was blind. A talent like you is one in a million!"
"Enough with the flattery. If you want the extra stones, we'll need to skip the next trial too," Han Lingsha demanded.
"That's against the rules," the God of Wealth said, hesitating.
"Rules? Fine, then we'll just keep the stones. I rather like them anyway," Han Lingsha said nonchalantly.
"Let's not be hasty! We can work something out. For such exceptional guests, I'll make an exception this time." The God of Wealth waved his whip, and another glowing portal appeared, similar to the one the Wine Immortal had created.
"This portal leads to Qionghua Sect. Now, about those extra stones…"
"Here, take them," Han Lingsha said, tossing the remaining stones to him as soon as the portal appeared.
"Let's go," she said, turning toward the portal.
"Farewell, travelers!" The God of Wealth waved at them, his smile vanishing the moment they disappeared. "Damn brats. Let's hope I never see them again. Amicable… Amicable…"
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