Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

As Zhao Dong stared as if he had seen a ghost, the young man slowly approached and sat down cross-legged before him.

He grinned as he sized up Zhao Dong, then nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad. You do have some talent. No wonder you claimed victory."

Zhao Dong swallowed hard and retracted his shocked gaze, muttering, "How… how did you blast open the cell door? Is the dungeon's Formation ineffective against you?"

The young man curled his lip in disdain. "Like I said, this place can't hold me. If I want to leave, I can do so at any time. Forget this dungeon; there's nowhere in the entire Qingyun Sect I can't go!"

After he spoke, the young man patted Zhao Dong's shoulder, stood, and looked toward the exit, laughing heartily. "Kid, I've taken a liking to you. Want to come out for a few drinks?"

"Hahaha! Fellow Daoist, you are a man of true style! Forget a few drinks, I'd be happy to drink with you all night!" Zhao Dong was overjoyed and immediately shot to his feet.

The man before him is definitely no simple character. As long as I follow him out, there's a good chance I'll make it out of this alive!

"Hahahaha," the young man laughed, slinging an arm around Zhao Dong's shoulder. "Kid, you're my kind of guy! Let's go, let's go! We won't go home until we're drunk! Hahahahaha… If there's wine today, let's drink today; yesterday's sorrows can be trampled underfoot~"

The young man laughed joyfully, humming a tune of his own making as he led Zhao Dong out.

At the dungeon entrance, the two guarding Disciples were shocked to see Zhao Dong actually emerge. Both were formidable experts at the eighth layer of the Great Grandmaster realm. Without a word, they moved to strike Zhao Dong.

But with just a slight wave from the young man, the two were instantly sent flying by a colossal force, crashing against the stone wall and knocking them unconscious.

Zhao Dong sucked in a sharp breath. I'd never be able to swat away two eighth-layer Great Grandmasters so effortlessly! This man... he's no simple character.

「An hour later.」

On a mountaintop where cranes danced and the air was thick with Spiritual Energy, Zhao Dong followed the young man to a dilapidated little courtyard.

When he pushed the gate, it collapsed with a loud bang.

Irritated, the young man kicked the collapsed gate out of the way, then turned and laughed loudly. "Hahaha… My humble abode is a bit simple. Please excuse the mess!"

"Not at all, not at all," Zhao Dong hurriedly waved his hand. "A free-spirited Fellow Daoist like yourself naturally wouldn't care for such worldly possessions."

"Hahahahaha… You sure have a silver tongue, kid!" The young man laughed heartily as he swept the spoiled leftovers from the stone table, then casually wiped the stone bench. "Come, sit!"

Zhao Dong took a seat.

The young man immediately retrieved two gourds from his Spiritual Ring, tossing one to Zhao Dong. He then took out several platters of meat and wine and placed them on the stone table. "Come on, eat, drink!"

"Alright! Let's drink!" Zhao Dong opened the gourd and took a big gulp along with the young man.

The liquor was incredibly strong. It felt like fire searing his throat, almost like drinking sulfuric acid. But after the fiery sensation subsided, a gentle, fragrant aroma remained, leaving Zhao Dong in a state of bliss.

"Good wine! This is incredible wine!" Zhao Dong set down his gourd, his eyes brimming with delight.

The young man simply glanced at Zhao Dong with a smile, saying nothing as he continued to drink. Compared to Zhao Dong, he drank as if it were water, gulping it down his throat like a bottomless pit. Before Zhao Dong could even finish his first gourd, the young man was already starting on his third.

Zhao Dong was utterly stunned. What kind of constitution does he have to withstand drinking like that?

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Dong picked up the gourd and began to drink again. However, after just one gourd, his head felt heavy, and his body became uncontrollable. He tried to use his Spiritual Energy to dispel the alcohol's effects, but the intoxication was strangely potent. Despite his efforts, he could only disperse a tiny fraction of it.

Just then, the young man took out another gourd and handed it to him.

Zhao Dong hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, this wine is too strong! If I drink any more, I'm afraid I'll pass out."

"Hahaha… passing out is the point," the young man laughed. "This wine of mine is brewed from top-grade Spiritual Medicine. Though it intoxicates, it can help you recover from your injuries, and without any side effects."

"Here, take it and drink," the young man said, tossing the gourd to Zhao Dong before returning to his own.

Not realizing how precious the wine was until now, Zhao Dong immediately bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for this gift."

The young man didn't reply, merely waving his hand indifferently.

Knowing the wine was a treasure, Zhao Dong no longer cared about feeling dizzy. He lifted the gourd and began to drink heartily.

Before long, both of them were tipsy.

In his drunken excitement, the young man grabbed a bamboo pole from the ground and began to swing it. Though he used no Spiritual Energy, he wielded it with a tiger-like might, and each move sent a chill down Zhao Dong's spine.

An expert! An absolute expert!

Zhao Dong exclaimed in admiration, "Fellow Daoist, you're a master of the sword as well! I'm impressed! Truly impressed!"

Hearing the words "master of the sword," the man gave a self-mocking laugh and tossed the bamboo pole to the ground. Sitting back down on the stone bench, he looked out at the distant mountains and heaved a deep sigh.

"Did you know? I'm actually the head senior brother of the Qingyun Sect—the strongest of the current young generation. I was a figure countless Disciples looked up to, the apple of the elders' eyes."

"You're a Disciple?" Zhao Dong exclaimed. "Fellow Daoist, with your incredible strength, I thought you were an elder!"

The young man said proudly, "I'm not an elder. It's said my qualifications weren't sufficient. But even so, what do those elders amount to?" He took a big gulp of wine, his heroic spirit soaring.

He laughed loudly. "I have extremely high talent for cultivation and comprehension. Though only in my twenties, I had already reached the seventh layer of the Martial Saint realm. Across the entire Qingyun Sect, no one could match me! Back then, I was a truly peerless prodigy, the head senior brother admired by tens of thousands!"

Zhao Dong sucked in a sharp breath. Seventh-layer Martial Saint? That level of power is beyond my wildest imagination! Even the Great Elder, Lin Feng, is only a first-layer Martial Saint! This young man is just too strong!

But after the shock came confusion. If this young man was such a peerless genius, how did he end up in such a wretched state, thrown into a dungeon? He even has internal injuries… Who could possibly have wounded him?

Zhao Dong's mind was reeling with questions, but then he caught another clue. He mentioned 'back then'! Could it be that he suffered some misfortune over the years?

Thus, Zhao Dong asked, "If I'm not mistaken, you must have encountered some mishap, right?"

At these words, a bitter smile touched the young man's lips. "You're right." He sighed, a nostalgic look flickering in his eyes.

"At the height of my glory, I… fell in love with a woman.

"This woman was also a Disciple of the Qingyun Sect. Although she was no match for me, she was also a prodigy in her own right—strong and beautiful.

"She once told me that her goal in life was to surpass me!"