The successive congratulations from the Star Dou spirit beasts and the Snow Empress of the Extreme North completely dispelled the earlier gloom of "no guests attending."
Within the inner city, across every street and alley, tens of thousands of banquet tables were set.
Everywhere was filled with joy.
Imperial Spirit Masters hurried back and forth, delivering dishes between the banquet rows.
A lively, festive scene.
Li Zhexian, with the little Yazi hanging from the front of his robe, drank merrily with his close friends.
"Brother Zhexian, a year apart and your drinking skill has grown!"
"Come on, help me get Titled Sword Zhexian drunk!"
Feng Xiaotian, Huo Wushuang, Oscar, and the others laughed brightly, challenging him one after another.
"You think I'm afraid of you lot?!" Li Zhexian was overflowing with boldness—he refused none, draining every cup.
Little Yazi widened its pale eyes, watching curiously as Li Zhexian emptied cup after cup.
It couldn't resist leaning in to lick a bit—then recoiled instantly with its tongue out from the burn.
"Hahahahahaha!" The boys burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Li Zhexian!"
"Don't you dare ignore us!"
Just as he was preparing for another round with Feng Xiaotian—
Huo Wu hooked an arm around his neck, dragging him over to the girls' table.
"Drinking with you guys is boring… every one of you has such weak tolerance…" Li Zhexian spoke without thinking, a little tipsy.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he was in trouble.
Sure enough, Huo Wu narrowed her beautiful eyes.
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, and even the usually cool Shui Bing'er glared at him indignantly.
"Hey, hey!"
"We're not trying to stir anything up here!"
Feng Buyu and the others staggered over, fanning the flames.
"Sister Huo Wu! Sister Bing'er! Can you tolerate that?"
"If it were me, I couldn't!"
"Brother Buyu, Brother Tianheng, Brother Oscar—could you tolerate it?!"
"No way!" ×3
PENG—!
Huo Wu slapped open the clay seal of a wine jar.
Amber liquor poured into a bowl.
The girls stepped forward simultaneously, bowls raised, slender brows lifted, shouting in unison:
"Titled Lord Zhexian—drink!"
Li Zhexian looked toward Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing could only give him a helpless look.
He exhaled heavily, the tangle in his brow disappearing.
He lifted his bowl and clinked it firmly:
"Today, I'll knock out all the girls too!"
...
"It's great to be young."
Watching the group of laughing youths—
Feng Bailong, Dugu Bo, Yu Yuanzhen, and the other veteran Titled Douluo felt both envy and relief.
"Stay around Zhexian long enough and even this old man feels a few years younger."
Feng Bailong raised his cup with a smile:
"Wind Sword offers a toast to you all."
The atmosphere was warm and jubilant.
However—
Just then—
A group of three suddenly stood up from a corner table.
Leading them was a hard-faced middle-aged man.
Beside him stood a red-haired woman blazing like flame, and on his other side, an elderly man with square glasses pushing a wheelchair.
In the wheelchair sat a gaunt figure with a broad frame and a deathly pale face.
The three left their seats—
And began walking directly toward Li Zhexian.
The strange trio instantly drew countless stares.
The disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan noticed and their expressions changed drastically—they moved to block them.
But the sudden Spirit Power pressure released by two of the three—both Spirit Saints—forced the disciples back, unable to approach.
"Hm?!"
Li Zhexian and his friends turned toward them, frowning deeply.
Even Feng Bailong and the other Titled Douluo showed displeased expressions.
The banquet was ongoing, the celebration at its peak.
To release Spirit Power pressure and walk forward like this—
It was a blatant breach of decorum.
"Outrageous!" Yu Yuanzhen's drunkenness instantly turned to fury.
"You three return immediately! Wait until after the banquet!"
Under countless watching eyes, he forced down his anger, trying to remain polite.
Liu Erlong and Flender hesitated for a moment.
Only Yu Xiaogang kept moving forward—slow, but unwavering.
Seeing this, the other two could only grit their teeth and follow him.
"Li Zhexian… Your Lordship…"
Yu Xiaogang finally spoke, his face rigid.
Under countless eyes—angry, disdainful, mocking—
He fell silent for a few breaths.
Then took the wheelchair from Flender.
"Whatever past conflicts there were between us… I can apologize for them."
"But first, you must cure Zhao Wuji."
"He became like this… because of you."
The moment those words fell, the entire venue went silent.
Aside from the furious Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, the rest of Li Zhexian's friends—and even the surrounding guests—looked confused.
None of them believed Li Zhexian would ever harm someone without reason.
"How shameless can you be?!"
Dugu Yan finally couldn't hold back.
She slammed the table and shouted angrily:
"Back then, when Brother Zhexian first arrived in Heaven Dou, he was only a Spirit Grand Master!"
"He crippled a Shrek student at the Spirit Arena—because that idiot dared humiliate Heaven Dou!"
"That very rainy night, Spirit Saint Zhao Wuji ignored his status and tried to assassinate him!"
"If not for Zhexian's extraordinary talent, he would have died long ago!"
Ye Lingling continued coldly:
"After all these years, you still have the face to come?"
"A few vague phrases, dodging the truth—absolutely disgusting."
Their words exposed the past.
Spirit Masters at nearby tables immediately took out pen and paper, scribbling frantically.
This was a secret from Lord Sword Wine's early years—they had to record everything.
Li Zhexian's friends suddenly understood, and their gazes toward Yu Xiaogang's group filled with contempt and anger.
Even the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Wind Sword Sect began mocking:
"Every word from that man twists the truth!"
"A Spirit Saint trying to assassinate a Spirit Grand Master?! How does he even dare stay alive?!"
"Good thing Brother Zhexian is a genius! Otherwise I'd want to avenge him myself—slice you in half!"
"Senior Thunder Douluo is here, but I'll still say it! The Blue Lightning Clan is full of elite Spirit Masters—how did such a disgrace appear among them!"
"I simply cannot imagine having the audacity to demand that Brother Zhexian cure this cripple!"
…
A tongue has no bones—yet it can kill.
The overwhelming barrage of scorn and condemnation made Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong, and Flender tremble uncontrollably.
"Enough!"
Liu Erlong exploded in fury—her red hair blazing like fire as Spirit Power surged.
"You still dare act aggressive?!"
"We were waiting for you to try!"
Feng Buyu, Feng Xiaotian, Huo Wushuang, Oscar—along with Huo Wu, Dugu Yan, and Shui Bing'er—unleashed their Spirit Power simultaneously.
Six years had passed.
Li Zhexian grew as if flying—but his genius friends had not been standing still either.
Multiple fierce Spirit Abilities streaked through the air, striking at the airborne Liu Erlong without even a moment of stalemate.
Her flame barrier shattered instantly, sparks scattering.
Puff—!
Liu Erlong spat blood and crashed heavily to the ground.
"Hmph!"
Feng Xiaotian, Huo Wushuang, and the others stood by Li Zhexian's side, staring coldly at Yu Xiaogang and his companions.
Yu Xiaogang hurriedly supported the fallen Liu Erlong.
His lips had turned pale—he was about to speak—
When Yu Yuanzhen strode over like a dragon and tiger, beard bristling in rage:
"You rebellious son—shut your mouth!"
He knew his son…
It wasn't that he intentionally twisted the truth.
It was simply that his inferiority had rotted so deeply that it turned into warped pride.
A belly full of theories, but not a shred of strength to back them—
Always feeling "unrecognized talent," yet unable to grasp even basic human decency.
Yu Yuanzhen was angry at his son's weakness—
Angrier still at his stupidity!
At a moment when the entire city was celebrating, before all these guests—
He committed such an idiotic act!
Facing his father's fury, Yu Xiaogang still clenched his fists tightly, stubbornly looking at Li Zhexian.
"Please… cure Zhao Wuji…"
SLAP—!
A loud, resounding slap.
The entire banquet froze in silence.
Yu Xiaogang was sent flying several meters.
Yu Yuanzhen stared at him—his raised hand trembling slightly, as if wanting to step forward, but ultimately falling to his side.
His strong, heroic face twitched as he bowed his head to the surrounding guests and said heavily:
"Misfortune begets laughter..."
"I apologize for the spectacle..."
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin