Speaking of this, Aston Lowell couldn't help but glance at the wine gourd at Ryan's waist, and an unmistakable look of envy appeared on his face.
He wanted it!
Even though he had never lacked cultivation resources, he still yearned for this treasure very much.
However, Aston Lowell was a person who knew his limits after all.
He knew that this gourd was the life-bound magic weapon of True Person of Turbid Wine.
Aston Lowell guessed in his heart that the reason why True Person of Turbid Wine let Ryan carry this thing with him was just to prove Ryan's identity.
Not to mention the gourd itself, even just the precious spirit wine inside it was by no means a treasure that he could covet!
Aston Lowell shook his head and finally suppressed his greed.
He stared at Ryan, sneered, and pretended to be carefree as he said: "If you lose, I don't need you to pay anything."
"Just stand at the foot of Drunken Immortal Peak and shout three times, 'I, Ryan, am not as good as Aston Lowell'!"
Just now, he was so impulsive that his rationality was clouded by anger. Now that he thought about it, if he really won, it would be equivalent to using Ryan as a stepping stone to build his own fame.
At the same time, it could also make his master pay more attention to him, teach him more exclusive secret techniques, and even forge a life-bound great cauldron for him to refine spiritual tools, which would make everything twice as effective and ensure success in everything!
As soon as Aston Lowell said this, the guard following him didn't think there was anything wrong and had full confidence in him.
The guard said in a deep voice, prematurely declaring victory: "Our young master took half a year to be promoted to the second level of Spirit Nurturing after entering the sect, so..."
"This person named Ryan will definitely not be able to reach this level within half a year!"
"No one's cultivation talent can be stronger than our young master's!"
However, the inner disciple dressed as a scholar slightly raised his eyebrows, and his gaze towards Ryan became a bit more complicated, with a hint of astonished scrutiny and curiosity: "This young man..."
"He used words as a trap to lure our young master into it. Our young master only saw the benefits but ignored the risks and costs!"
The [Blazing Flame Muscle-Casting Pill] that Aston Lowell used as a bet was extremely special.
In the cultivation world, it was a top-quality pill as famous as the [Ice Muscle Jade Bone Pill] and could permanently enhance the comprehensive abilities of the person who took it.
That pill was refined from the essence of the blazing Flame Mountain and hundreds of kinds of spiritual herbs. Moreover, only by inviting a senior alchemy grandmaster to take action could it be successfully refined.
In Xuanji Cave Heaven, only when the Artifact Refining Hall and the Alchemy Hall occasionally cooperated and exchanged resources with each other would some [Blazing Flame Muscle-Casting Pill] be refined.
It contained the essence of the pure Yang attribute spiritual energy that was easy for cultivators to absorb. Only the true disciples of the two lineages were qualified to enjoy it!
The inner disciple dressed as a scholar opened his mouth but finally didn't say anything to dissuade him.
"Alas..." He sighed in his heart.
Aston Lowell's decision couldn't be questioned.
The scholar knew very well that whenever a Blazing Flame Muscle-Casting Pill leaked out to the outside world, it would definitely cause a stir in the cultivation world.
Cultivators outside would often engage in fierce life-and-death battles to fight for it and wouldn't even hesitate to sacrifice their lives.
A cultivator who could successfully obtain a Blazing Flame Muscle-Casting Pill could also take a step further on the path of cultivation with the miraculous effect of this pill.
Even if he couldn't become a great cultivator admired by others overnight, at least in battles with cultivators of the same realm, he could have an absolute advantage!
His young master's gambling nature was a bit too strong!
Ryan looked at Aston Lowell sideways and said calmly: "Then it's settled."
He had just provoked the other person with a few words, and the other person couldn't hold back his anger and lost his rationality. He took out such a precious thing just to prove a point...
Obviously, Aston Lowell had a strong gambling nature, was too shallow in shrewdness, and lacked experience.
When a gift-giving fairy came to the door, how could there be any reason to turn him away?
Let him teach the other person what it meant by "The danger in people's hearts is greater than that in mountains and rivers"!
Ryan put one hand behind his back, his voice loud and clear, enunciating each word clearly so that everyone could hear him clearly: "It doesn't need half a year."
"Today is fine."
After speaking, the spiritual auras around him intertwined and lingered, and his whole body's momentum kept rising.
Looking at him, he actually seemed to be about to break through to the second level of Spirit Nurturing on the spot?
The outer disciples following Aston Lowell all showed mocking looks on their faces. Even if they didn't directly mock aloud, they were very disdainful in their hearts.
Although they were outer disciples with mediocre talent, they had been in the sect for a long time and had spent a long time in cultivation. With the painstaking efforts accumulated over time, their realm and cultivation base were not low.
The worst among them also had the cultivation base of the second level of Spirit Nurturing.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been qualified to be chosen by Aston Lowell to be his followers.
As experienced people, they knew very well...
The [Xuanji Qi-Nurturing Method] was extremely overbearing. It wasn't an introductory scripture that ordinary casual cultivators could easily obtain.
Any disciple of Xuanji Cave Heaven, regardless of their cultivation level before entering the sect or the amount of spiritual energy gathered in their bodies, as long as they learned the fundamental cultivation method of the immortal cultivation called [Xuanji Qi-Nurturing Method] at the Preaching Stele, their spiritual energy would dissipate and they would have to start cultivating from scratch to consolidate their Dao foundation!
That is to say...
Everyone started from the same starting line when they entered the sect.
"This true disciple of Drunken Immortal Peak, I heard that he has only entered the sect for a little over a month? Breaking through to the second level of Spirit Nurturing today? Impossible!"
"Ryan... He's too arrogant!"
"I've long heard that Ryan has a strange temperament and is aloof and indifferent. I originally thought he was similar to our young master, but now it seems that he's a bit crazy."
Ryan turned a deaf ear to the whispers of these outer disciples from the Artifact Refining Hall.
He just lowered his eyelids, closed his eyes slightly, and said faintly: "My master and the elders all say that I'm a celestial prodigy."
"Before, I didn't understand what [Celestial Prodigy] meant."
"Now, I understand."
"I'm the person you can only look up to but can't reach."
Originally, like the other inner and outer disciples from the Artifact Refining Hall, Aston Lowell thought that Ryan was just talking big.
He was just another person who boasted shamelessly, almost to the point of exaggerating beyond belief.
There was no need to take his words to heart.
In Aston Lowell's perception, he was unique in the world, with top-notch talent.
Someone like himself, deliberately without the assistance of pills, needed half a year to break through to the second level of Spirit Nurturing...
There definitely wouldn't be anyone in the world with stronger talent than himself!
Now, looking at Ryan's firm belief, without any self-doubt, as if he was stating an objective truth, Aston Lowell had to admit that he was a bit shaken.
"Could it be that he can really complete the advancement and reach the second level of Spirit Nurturing within just two months of entering the sect?"
"This is impossible!"
If it was calculated like one realm per month, then wouldn't it mean that Ryan would complete his cultivation and reach the tenth level of Spirit Nurturing in less than a year and could prepare to impact the Transcendent Dust Realm?
Of course, the further along the path of cultivation, the more difficult it became. It couldn't be such a simple accumulation of numbers.
Each minor realm had its own mysteries.
Only by experiencing it personally could one know how much comprehension was needed to complete the promotion.
Crackle!
Spiritual energy lingered around Ryan.
Arc-like electric sparks that were like tiny thunderbolts began to flicker, appearing and disappearing in an instant.
In just a few breaths, Ryan opened his eyes and suddenly took a step forward.
The spiritual energy in his body was restrained and no longer leaked out at all.
In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy swept in and converged, seeping into Ryan's body and being absorbed by his muscles one by one.
Suddenly, spider-web-like cracks appeared on the ground under Ryan's feet.
The soil cracked inch by inch, and the clearly visible cracks slowly spread around.
Seeing this scene, Aston Lowell was completely shocked.
The originally confident and high-spirited him now had an expression of disbelief on his face and stammered: "Spirit... The second level of Spirit Nurturing!"
There could be no mistake!
The aura coming from Ryan was indeed at the same realm level as his own.
Aston Lowell couldn't understand it.
But facts speak louder than words!
Ryan's realm was already the same as his own, and this was indisputable!
The inner and outer disciples following Aston Lowell also gasped in astonishment.
This astonishing scene almost overturned their understanding of cultivation.
In just an instant, their gazes towards Ryan changed drastically from the original ridicule and teasing.
They were full of horror, and their gazes on Ryan even carried a faint sense of admiration!
This was a rather realistic change.
If the difference in talent between each other was just a little bit, they would be envious or jealous.
If the difference was huge, even if they looked up and tried hard to catch up, they couldn't even see the other person's back...
Then they could only be left with the qualifications to admire and look forward to.
The originally high-spirited Aston Lowell no longer had the charming look when they first met.
He stood there, staring blankly at Ryan, and murmured: "The white clouds in the blue sky, within sight but out of reach!"