"The Celestial Tan and Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl." When the ninth item of the betrothal gifts was announced, the entire assembly gasped in shock.

The Celestial Tan and Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl—wasn't this the ultimate treasure of the Medicine Civilization? It was rumored to be in the hands of the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization.

This Pearl, it was said, could continuously generate all manner of elixirs. More crucially, while elixirs consumed ordinarily often led to unstable cultivation realms and compromised foundations, those produced by the Celestial Tan and Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl carried no such risk of instability.

Hearing the name of the Pearl, many present were startled. Especially the Vice Sovereign from the Medicine Civilization who had come to offer congratulations—his brow twitched sharply.

The reaction stemmed from the widely known fact that Lu Yuan’s first eight gifts were acquired through extreme measures: the second item, the Galaxy Chart, was taken after slaying the Vice Sovereign of the Star River Civilization; the third, the set of Civilization Miao Silver, was obtained after killing the Vice Sovereigns of the Miao Blade and Miao Gu Civilizations; the fourth, the Myriad Treasure Glazed Drop, and the fifth, the Wings of Freedom, were acquired with the aid of artifacts obtained after slaying the Vice Sovereign of the Barren Warmth Civilization; the sixth, the Cloud Without Form, was taken after killing the Son of Immortals; the seventh, the White Fur Fox Cloak, was seized during the pursuit of the White Fox Civilization’s Vice Sovereign; and the eighth, the Morning and Evening Great Dao Flower, was taken through a direct raid on the Flower Civilization.

So, for the ninth item, could it be that he had slain, or perhaps directly robbed, the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization?

The Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization—a Vice Sovereign of a Nine Epoch civilization.

Lu Yuan...?

Impossible.

Yes, absolutely impossible.

He must have been misled by the previous set of assumptions.

The Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Hua Civilization immediately boomed, "This is the joyous occasion of Lu Yuan’s wedding to the Sword Spirit Empress. It is improper to ask, but I must inquire: Lu Yuan, where did you obtain the Celestial Tan and Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl?"

Lu Yuan smiled slightly. "On the journey toward the Ancient Law Civilization, I happened to meet the predecessor Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization. We engaged in an exploration of the Way of Medicine, and in the end, the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization gifted this Celestial Tan and Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl to me." Only after this explanation did the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Hua Civilization slowly sit back down. Lu Yuan had little need to lie; such a matter could not be concealed, and this manner of conduct truly resembled that of the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization.

So that was it.

Though he had long suspected that the possibility of Lu Yuan robbing the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization for the Pearl was slim, he was finally put at ease by the explanation. However, after such an emotional upswing and dip, he couldn't help but sigh with admiration. Lu Yuan was formidable indeed; to engage in a discussion of the Dao of Medicine with the foremost grandmaster of medicine in the world, the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization, and to earn his deep appreciation, resulting in the gifting of his supreme treasure—that was a skill in itself.

Once the others recovered their composure, they finally understood. The ninth betrothal gift was, in fact, comparable in caliber to the previous ones. It was only the initial shock, fueled by the ingrained assumption that Lu Yuan must have slain the Vice Sovereign of the Medicine Civilization, that had caused everyone's hearts to leap and fall so dramatically.

Nine betrothal gifts; all had now been revealed.

Not a single one of these nine gifts was ordinary.

The first, the Myriad Sword Spirit Stones, opened the ceremony with ten sets of civilization-grade sword techniques. The second, the Galaxy Chart, was a mid-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, and these two most romantic Innate Spirit Treasures delivered an overwhelming shock instantly. The third, the set of Civilization Miao Silver, offered a slight moment of respite. The fourth, the Myriad Treasure Glazed Drop, could also be combined into an Innate Spirit Treasure. The fifth, the Wings of Freedom, was boasted to grant cultivation power at the Civilization Realm. These three offered a chance to breathe and catch one's wind.

The sixth, the Cloud Without Form, delivered another surge of awe. The seventh, the White Fur Fox Cloak, could repel inner demons and shatter illusions. The eighth, the Morning and Evening Great Dao Flower, allowed one to comprehend the Great Dao. While offering a pause, these two also created many romantic legends surrounding Lu Yuan. And the ninth, the Celestial Tan and Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl, concluded with a breathtaking finale that stirred emotions.

These nine gifts were linked like one chain reacting to the next, forming a cascading spectacle.

Those who had just witnessed the nine gifts couldn't help but internally declare it magnificent, for it was truly extraordinary, beyond the ordinary.

A sequential presentation of nine such gifts—it was said that very few in this Epoch had ever presented such a format, save for the time the Lord of the Ancient Desolate Civilization wed the Empress. Yet, the Lord of the Ancient Desolate Civilization was the strongest figure born in this Epoch, without exception, having been born bearing the Mandate of Heaven, inherently unparalleled in strength—the mightiest being born in this current Era.

Lu Yuan's presentation this time nearly rivaled the grandeur of the Lord of the Ancient Desolate Civilization’s occasion. What an honor.

Countless starry-eyed maidens cried out about the romance—indeed, it was overwhelmingly romantic. To these young women, Lu Yuan was the epitome of romance. From that day forward, a saying circulated throughout the Central Celestial Dynasty: "If you marry, marry Lu Yuan." Even the venerable Empress Consorts and imperial wives were profoundly moved.

Empress Consort Cang Yun felt an immense surge of pride; her daughter's wedding was truly glorious.

As for Ye Fang and Ye Yuan, this was their first time witnessing such a spectacle. They thought to themselves that although they had known their Sixth Senior Brother for so long, this was the first time they’d seen Lu Yuan actively pursuing a maiden. Lu Yuan’s methods were truly unconventional; they were filled with admiration and felt they needed to learn much from him in this regard.

Beneath the phoenix coronet and embroidered veil, a flicker of intoxication crossed Yun Xiuxue's eyes. True, Yun Xiuxue was not someone swayed by vanity, but marriage happens only once in a lifetime, and wanting it to be magnificent as a lifelong memory was perfectly natural. And this time, Lu Yuan had given her a dreamlike wedding. Yun Xiuxue thought to herself: Yes, I will remember this wedding for a very, very long time; I will remember it forever.

To marry Lu Yuan was satisfaction enough for Yun Xiuxue.

And to have such a splendid, dreamlike wedding brought her even greater contentment.

......

The matter of the betrothal gifts concluded smoothly. Following the completion of this ceremony, the feasting began. A crowd roared, demanding to ply Lu Yuan and Yun Xiuxue with drink. For this drinking session, Yun Xiuxue naturally substituted plain boiled water, but Lu Yuan accepted every offering without refusal. What a joke—to try and overwhelm him with liquor! He had been drinking since he was ten, nearly inseparable from alcohol ever since. His mastery of the Way of Wine was surely no less profound than his Way of the Sword. The notion that these people could force him into inebriation was laughable.

The liquor they insisted on plying him with wasn't the kind that could be countered by internal energy; they all possessed bottomless reserves for that. Instead, they brought out the "Myriad Year Drunkenness." This spirit was jade-green, impossible to expel with magical power, and possessed a terrifyingly high proof. Usually, elders at the Civilization Vice Sovereign level enjoyed using this to challenge newcomers. Those already married, like Feng Xingxing, dreaded this very liquor. Feng Xingxing, attempting to feign youthfulness, had been brutally forced to drink it back then. Hua Fasheng would weep at the memory, having suffered terribly from such forceful inundation.

Now, elders from various Civilizations—such as Vice Sovereign Fakong, Vice Sovereign Famiao, Vice Sovereign Wusheng, Vice Sovereign Wubo, Vice Sovereign Fengshang, and others—eagerly set upon Lu Yuan. Especially the Vice Sovereign of the Dragon Civilization named Nian Dai, who was particularly enthusiastic about challenging Lu Yuan repeatedly. Even the Vice Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization, Sanshu, usually a figure of rigidity, seized the opportunity to ply Lu Yuan with drink. The Vice Sovereign of the Artifact Civilization, Tian Gong, and several others, who were not easily trifled with, also joined in the assault. It was truly an onslaught from all eight directions.

However, as the spring wind blew and the battle drums sounded, who feared whom in a true fight?

Lu Yuan faced the challenge without trepidation, throwing his neck back to commence the battle.

The outcome of this contest was that the elder Vice Sovereigns were largely defeated, floored by the combined efforts of Lu Yuan and his groomsmen. These elder Vice Sovereigns could only lament that the younger generation truly represented the tide pushing the previous one out—one wave surpassing the last. The juniors possessed remarkable skill in the Way of Wine, but most terrifying was Lu Yuan, who took down so many major figures while remaining utterly unscathed.

Before being entirely submerged in inebriation, these elders finally realized that Lu Yuan’s tolerance for alcohol was unfathomable, matching his swordsmanship. If they had to describe it, it could only be termed a 'Civilization-Grade' tolerance.

Once the Vice Sovereign elders were dealt with, there were still challenges remaining—namely, a massive group of young women who now sought to torment Lu Yuan by demanding 'Poetry of the Marriage Chamber.' This tradition required the groom to compose poetry or lyrics on the spot; only a successful composition would allow him to claim his bride.

This put Lu Yuan in an awkward and stunned predicament. He possessed some cultural knowledge, having read some texts back at Mount Hua, but that was only at the level of reading. Composing poems or lyrics? What a joke! He simply lacked that skill. Lu Yuan immediately looked to the groomsmen. Ye Fang and Ye Yuan immediately shook their heads. Xiao Fengxiong and the others also declined. Wu Zhizi immediately looked toward Fa Zhizi, "Fa Zhizi, I know you are quite learned!"

Fa Zhizi immediately shook his head. "I can research techniques, but when it comes to poetry and lyrics, I heard only the Son of Immortals among the Seven Sons of Fortune possessed this skill, and they say he did it rather well."

Damn it. It turned out Fa Zhizi's talk of 'research' was also false. When it came to composing verses, this whole group of men turned out to be softies.

Thus, led by Lu Yuan, a large contingent of tough men was thoroughly ridiculed by the young women.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan eventually managed to churn out a few doggerels, barely passing the trial. However, once these verses circulated, Lu Yuan’s reputation in literary circles would be utterly ruined. His doggerels were generally on the level of: "Care not which wind blows north or south, one sword strike cuts down all your suave." This made everyone realize that Lu Yuan was not omnipotent; his grasp of poetry was hopelessly shallow, overwhelmingly so.

After considerable effort, they managed to escort Yun Xiuxue out of the Palace of Magic Arts to the groom's side. The same group of people continued their mischief there, with only one addition: Yun Xiuxue paying respects to the two elders of the Lu family. The rest of the proceedings were a repeat of what happened earlier. Lu Yuan realized that this wedding was proving to be unusually arduous.

"Into the bridal chamber!" the melodious call rang out.

Lu Yuan’s eyes streamed with tears of relief. Finally, the word 'wedding' was uttered.

(The second chapter is delivered. Uh, next chapter seals the entrance to the bridal chamber. Should I then switch my career to become an erotic writer? Would you believe it? Taking advantage of Lu Yuan's grand wedding and the 'into the bridal chamber' moment, I beg for monthly passes, tips, and subscriptions.)