Chapter 978: Drunken Celebration
John blinked a few times, his vision steadily growing hazier. Exhaustion quickly embraced him, as the effects of all the trials finally caught up to him. Instead of fighting it, he let it take a hold of him. He didn't know who these men were, but he could tell he was not in any danger.
Bang!
John fell sideways, falling asleep before he even hit the ground. The Prime Shadow and Guildmaster looked at him with raised eyebrows for a moment, at which point the Prime Shadow started laughing.
"Gahaha,I guess I forgot this child has been in that trial for over a month without any rest."
"And to think he didn't recover his strength between any of the rounds, and also cultivated during the final trial. The fact that he could last thing long going like that is already a miracle," the Guildmaster added.
"Come, pour the wine. The boy is here, so the celebration can commence." the Prime Shadow said, handing the bottle to the Guildmaster. "And don't spill a single drop. This wine is worth more than you."
...
Rambunctious laughter entered John's ears, stirring him awake from his deep slumber. Cultivators didn't need to sleep to live, but when overworked and overstressed like he had been, it was the best way to fully recover one's mental state. Feeling quite refreshed, he opened his eyes and sat up.
"Ahhhh, you're finallyy awwwake," slightly slurred speech came from his left.
John turned to see the same two men, faces red, indulging in a very potent smelling wine. He wrinkled his nose at the scent, which wasn't unpleasant, but was a bit too strong for his liking.
"Come, come, join us," the elderly man said, patting the ground next to John. The table the two men sat by was low to the ground, and so the two of them were sitting on some mats near the table.
Eyebrows raised at this strange, elderly man's antics, John moved to the table and sat on the mat the man had patted. An invigorating sensation flowed through him as he sat on it, calming his mind, trying to lull him into a pseudo-meditative state.
"Nice mat," John said, pushing the sensation from the mat away. Now was not the time for meditation.
"Here, have a drink," the elderly man said to John, then gave a pointed glance at the other man seated opposite him. That man sighed and poured wine into a cup, then moved it towards John.
"Pouring wine for a youth of my guild," the younger man sighed. "This is beneath me."
"This youth is now my disciple, so if anything, it should be your honor to pour him wine," the elderly man said, while a frown appeared on the others face.
John looked back and forth between the two, not sure what was going on.
"Disciple?" John asked. "What are you talking about? And who are you two?"
"Come now, the elderly man waved his hands in a dismissive manner. "There's time for questions later. Right now, we celebrate your successful completion of the Heavens Shadow trial. It's a momentous occasion after all, one worthy of jubilant celebration."
John eyed the bizarre, elderly man with a strange expression on his face, then sighed and picked up the cup of wine. He could tell there was no danger here, and the wine had started to call out to him for some reason.
He inspected it for a moment, then took a sip. A profound, invigorating, and pleasurable energy surged through his body as the wine hit his stomach, making him feel incredibly relaxed, and also made his mind swirl with new insights and comprehensions. His eyes lit up with delight, realizing this wine had similar properties to his tea leaves, although not nearly as potent.
Still, it was incredibly intoxicating, and he quickly finished his cup, embracing the pleasurable state of body and mind he felt.
"Gahaha, you're quite the drinker," the elderly man said, flicking a gaze to the other man again. The man sighed and refilled John's cup, who took another long sip, saving each and every moment. Compared to the hellish pain trial he had just been in, this was like being in heaven.
...
Several hours later, the Guildmaster held the wine bottle upside down, showing that it was finally empty. As the elderly man had said, they were only going to drink and celebrate, not talk and ask questions. John had eventually accepted this, allowing himself to fall into a rare state of pure relaxation. Belly full of wine, his mind and seemingly the room around him spun, but that altered state of mind gave him insights he never would have considered, making the entire process both pleasurable, as well as beneficial.
The elderly man nodded his head at the sight of the empty bottle, smiling with satisfaction.
"That was a worthy celebration," he said, still slightly slurring his speech. Suddenly, the old man's Qi flared, then faded away.
His reddened face returned to normal, and the hazy look in his eyes cleared up.
"Alright lad," the elderly man said, no longer slurring. "We have celebrated your success, and so now we can talk.
The other man's Qi flared as well, wiping away the effects of the alcohol. John felt hesitant to do so, as he was still receiving insights from the wine, but followed along. His Qi flared and surged through his body, wiping away the lingering effects of the alcohol, mind becoming clear once more.
"You probably want to know who we are?" The old man said, getting straight to the point.
John nodded silently.
"Well, this man here is the current Guildmaster of the guild," the old man said, gesturing to the other man. John nodded respectfully, slightly surprised to have already met the Guildmaster.
He looked towards the old man, who was even more mysterious than the Guildmaster.
"As for me," the old man said, "I'm known as the Prime Shadow, the creator and first Guildmaster of the Shadows of Death Guild."
"So you're not dead?" John blurted out, recalling his discussion with Zuri about the first Guildmaster, and the rumors around his death.
He was slightly surprised to find out the man's identity, and yet at the same time was not surprised at all. The old man was even more powerful than the Guildmaster, and his brief conversation with John during the trial had given a hint into the man's background.
"Gahaha, not yet," the Prime Shadow laughed loudly.
"Now then," the Prime Shadow said after reigning in his laughter, face becoming ever so slightly serious. "You know who we are, so it's time we learned who you are."
"I'm John Fenix," John said, introducing himself. He knew that's not what the Prime Shadow meant, but decided to only answer questions directly, as to not give up too much unneeded information.
"You know that's not what I'm interested in," the Prime Shadow said. "What I really want to know is, what world are you from, and why have you come to this world?"