I am the snake demon!

"Your Highness, in swordsmanship, one can die if one is not careful."

Hearing Bai Xuan's words, Ling Ruofeng showed a helpless expression.

"Can you stop him? To prevent a swordsman from challenging a higher level of swordsmanship is tantamount to destroying his Dao heart. Why don't you take advantage of him being intimate with the courtesan tonight and suddenly launch a surprise attack to cripple his martial arts? That way, he won't be able to go," Bai Xuan said.

"Your Highness!"

Ling Ruofeng's eyes widened; this was truly a blood feud.

"Haha, you're right. Brother Ling, we're just drifting duckweed in the martial world, how come we're not as carefree as the Prince? To die in a sword duel is an honor for a swordsman. There are three great swords: the Sword Demon's sword is known for its absoluteness, devouring the sword path, seeing it is like falling into an abyss; the Overturning Sea Sword Immortal's sword is known for its breadth, the sword moves like a vast ocean overturning; and the Taibai Sword Immortal's sword is the purest, a sword is just a sword, the sharpest weapon for killing in the world. To die under such a sword, I, Liu Yi, would be extremely fortunate." Liu Yi laughed loudly upon hearing this.

Ling Ruofeng was annoyed upon hearing this. Although he was cursing Liu Yi, he truly regarded Liu Yi as a friend. How could he feel good seeing his friend go to his death?

"The sword is like the man; if the swordsman's heart is young, then the sword's heart will be young. And what a swordsman cannot lack most is this indomitable youthful spirit. With a cup of wine, I wish Brother Liu to defeat Li Qingcheng and rank among the top three on the martial arts list," Bai Xuan said with a smile.

"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Bai. I will do my best and drink with you again after the battle." Liu Yi picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, showing great boldness.

Lu Zhanqiu nodded inwardly, thinking that he was indeed a promising junior.

"By the way, Brother Bai just said 'I did not waste the words Qinglian,' what does that mean? Could it be that the words Qinglian have a special meaning?" After drinking several more cups of fine wine, Liu Yi recalled Bai Xuan's words and asked in confusion.

"Indeed, there is a senior in my sect named Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai. He once studied under the world's number one swordsman. His swordsmanship is superb, and his literary talent is even more outstanding. People call him a banished immortal, also known as Qinglian. I want to see if you are worthy of the name Qinglian," Bai Xuan said.

"He takes the world's number one sword saint as his master? He learns swordsmanship from others, which is quite remarkable. And he even calls himself a celestial being descended to earth? What literary talent or skill does he possess?" Liu Yi frowned upon hearing this, revealing a questioning expression.

Not everyone can share the same title as him.

When Gao Feng saw Liu Yi questioning Bai Xuan's seniors, he immediately frowned and thought to himself that the outlaws of the martial world were indeed lawless. However, seeing that Bai Xuan was not angry, he did not retaliate.

"Literary talent?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan was not angry but laughed, and finally burst into laughter, unable to contain himself that someone in the world actually questioned Li Bai's literary talent.

"What does Your Highness mean by this?"

Seeing Bai Xuan's appearance, Liu Yi couldn't help but frown.

"It's nothing, I just couldn't stand it anymore. There are people in the world who question his literary talent. Well, since I'm idle anyway, I'll tell you a poem or two about him. Take drinking, for example. You drink, but he drinks—" Bai Xuan paused slightly, then continued, "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return? Have you not seen the bright mirror in the high hall reflecting white hair, like black silk in the morning turning to snow by evening? When life is good, enjoy it to the fullest, don't let the golden goblet face the moon empty. Heaven has endowed me with talent, which will surely be put to use; even if a thousand pieces of gold are spent, they will return..."

"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return?"

The seventeen words struck Liu Yi's mind like a thunderbolt.

Each subsequent line resonated in Liu Yi's mind like a resounding bell. When he heard "All the sages of old are dead, only drinkers leave their names behind," he couldn't help but want to slam his fist on the table and cheer. The last line, "A dappled horse, a thousand pieces of gold, call the boy to exchange them for fine wine, to dispel with you the sorrows of ages past," made Liu Yi's face flush red, and he exclaimed, "What a wonderful poem!"

Before he finished speaking, Liu Yi swept a jar of fine wine in mid-air. Instead of pouring it into a cup, he drank the whole jar, not caring at all about the spilled wine that soaked his clothes.

"Let's drink together."

Lu Zhanqiu, Guo Yuanhao, and Ling Ruofeng were also flushed. Ignoring others, the three of them snatched the wine from the ground from several feet away, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

Even Gao Feng's expression changed slightly. Although he did not drink alcohol, the poem was indeed extraordinary, and for the first time in his life, he felt the urge to drink.

"What a fine poem, what beautiful lines. I was presumptuous and disrespectful to our ancestors just now."

Liu Yi drank a whole jar of wine, then stood up and bowed to Bai Xuan to apologize.

"There's no need for that. Ignorance is no excuse. It's normal for you to have doubts since you don't know your senior." Bai Xuan smiled faintly, not at all surprised by Liu Yi's reaction.

If you don't study poetry, seeing Li Bai is just seeing Li Bai; but if you study poetry, seeing Li Bai is like seeing a poetic immortal!

"May I ask, Brother Bai, besides this poem, what other poems did Senior Li leave behind?" Liu Yi asked.

"There are many masterpieces, such as the Jade Palace in the heavens, with its twelve towers and five cities. An immortal touched my head, granting me eternal life..." Bai Xuan smiled lightly, feeling bored and happy to share.

One after another, Li Bai's masterpieces flowed from his lips.

Lu Zhanqiu and Ling Ruofeng were fine, but Liu Yi and Guo Yuanhao, the two scholars, were completely engrossed in the listening.

When Liu Yi heard the lines from "Ode to Gallantry"—"Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles" and "After accomplishing his task, he dusts off his clothes and departs, concealing his merits and fame"—his blood was boiling. And when he heard "Even if he dies, his chivalrous spirit will remain fragrant, and he will not be ashamed to be a hero in the world," he could not contain himself at all.

With a swift grab, he seized another jar of fine wine, lifted it up, and drank it down, spilling large amounts of wine without a care.

Then, Liu Yi suddenly smashed the wine jar with his palm, and the wine splashed everywhere.

Liu Yi became even more mad. He swiftly moved through the air, and a cold light flew out, landing the Azure Lotus Sword in his hand.

Liu Yi soared into the air, flying out from the second floor. His figure was light and graceful, like an immortal strolling on clouds.

With a flick of his longsword, the spilled wine instantly flew over, swirling around him and transforming into exquisite lotus blossoms, beautiful and dreamlike.

"The Zhao guest wears a silk tassel on his hat, his Wu hook sword gleaming like frost and snow!"

Liu Yi, drunk and singing wildly, shouted and swung his long sword. The sword energy surged and shone like stars. The brothel was originally decorated with plants and flowers. At this moment, thousands of petals detached from the plants and moved with the sword, transforming into a vast sea of ​​flowers, colorful and magnificent.

The group of people who were initially unhappy about Liu Yi's sudden appearance immediately swallowed their complaints upon seeing this scene.

Regardless of whether Xuejiao's zither playing is good or not, seeing her sword dance seems to make the ticket price worthwhile.

"A silver saddle shines on a white horse, swift as a shooting star."

Liu Yi's sword energy surged, and he chanted loudly. The primordial energy of heaven and earth surged and moved, surrounded by sword energy. A sea of ​​flowers surged, and phantom images of blue lotuses bloomed out of thin air between heaven and earth, as beautiful as a poem, as beautiful as a painting, as beautiful as a fairy, as beautiful as a dream. Everyone was mesmerized.

Liu Yi, drunk and singing wildly, displayed extraordinary swordsmanship. Every move he made seemed like a stroke of genius, unpredictable yet astonishing. It possessed both deadly power and exquisite beauty, with the sword energy flowing and a sea of ​​flowers surging.

Everyone was amazed.

Inside the Peony Pavilion, all the maids and singers, big and small, stopped what they were doing and stared at Liu Yi, who was practicing his sword dance. If Liu Yi were to say something at this moment, they would all be willing to offer themselves to him.

"The sword energy is accumulating; this kid is about to break through." Lu Zhanqiu sighed as he looked at Liu Yi, who was immersed in sword dancing and had forgotten himself.

Young people these days are really something else.

This kid was originally ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List, close to the level of the Martial List. Now that he has gained some insights, he might be able to enter the top four of the Martial List.

The younger generation is truly formidable.

Back when I was this age, I hadn't even reached the ninth rank.

"Zheng~"

Just then, the sound of a zither suddenly rang out.

The music was initially ethereal, like a clear spring in a valley, soothing the soul. But as Liu Yi's swordsmanship became faster, the music suddenly quickened, like a naked waterfall, like the Milky Way cascading down from the heavens.

At first, their coordination was a bit awkward, but later, it became a perfect match for Liu Yi's swordsmanship.

The sword is fast, the zither is fast; the sword is slow, the zither is slow.

Liu Yi danced with his sword, like an immortal strolling, while the music of his zither was like heavenly music.

The two complement each other perfectly, creating a truly perfect audio-visual feast.

Bai Xuan, who had been nonchalant, now showed a satisfied expression. With this zither music, it was no wonder the venue was packed. Seeing the sword dance and hearing the zither music today made the trip worthwhile.

In particular, the one wielding the sword was a ninth-grade genius at the Tongtian Realm, while the one playing the zither was an eighth-grade genius at the Dongxuan Realm.

Two individuals ranked in the top three of the Hidden Dragon List.

This was a treatment he couldn't even enjoy in the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

However, an eighth-rank Dongxuan, no more than twenty years old, so good-looking, and working in a brothel, must be someone from the Bright Moon Palace.

I'm really lucky; I've gained something wherever I go.

Bai Xuan squinted his eyes with delight, revealing an expression of enjoyment.