Encountering a Stubborn Stone, Taking First Disciple

Successfully escaping the Sha Qi-infused Western lands, Li Cha felt the world open up before him. Looking back, the West, shrouded in dark red demonic clouds, resembled a lurking ferocious beast, oppressive to the heart. He lingered no longer, mounted Mo Ran, and transformed into a streak of light, speeding eastward.

Through this seclusion, Li Cha sensed in the depths of his being that his cultivation realm had become tightly intertwined with the Tea Dao, nearly merging with his path. If he could obtain the Three Lights Divine Water and combine its supreme creative power with his own Tea Dao, he was fully confident of breaking through to Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal in one go! As for Late Da Luo, he had a premonition that once he refined the tea table—the vessel for conducting tea ceremonies and communicating with the source—and comprehended its Dao resonance, the opportunity would naturally arise.

With this in mind, he transmitted his thoughts: "Mo Ran, change course. Head for the East Sea."

"As you command, Master." Mo Ran let out a low roar, turning the auspicious clouds beneath his hooves, carrying Li Cha toward the vast, boundless East Sea. The journey was immense, spanning tens of millions of li; even with Mo Ran's current half-step Da Luo speed, traveling day and night would take over a year.

Li Cha sat cross-legged on Mo Ran's broad back, his mind calm, introspecting within. His Spiritual Sense, like gentle tentacles, carefully brushed over every branch of his original form, the Innate Enlightenment Tea Tree. These branches were all manifestations of his origin, but to select one as material for refining the tea table, he had to consider the Dao resonance it contained, the texture of its growth rings, and its affinity with his own essence. He silently weighed and compared the traits of different branches, striving for perfection so that the future tea table could perfectly resonate with the Shouyang Pot and the Five Elements Furnace, becoming an indispensable part of the Tea Dao system.

Time slipped away amidst travel and quiet cultivation. When they were still about three million li from the East Sea, Li Cha, deeply immersed in deduction, suddenly felt a stir in his heart. He sensed a familiar aura from the very source of his life.

"Hm?" He abruptly opened his eyes, a flicker of surprise and recollection passing through them. This aura... pure and ethereal, carrying a Dao resonance of healing and tranquility, was of the same origin as his own, yet much weaker.

"Mo Ran, stop." Li Cha gave the order, then carefully sensed the direction of that trace of aura. "Head south."

Mo Ran turned south as instructed. After flying for about a quarter of an hour, the sensation became crystal clear, as if it were right beneath them.

"Right here, stop."

Li Cha floated down from the qilin's back, his form like a green leaf, silently landing before an unremarkable small valley below. The valley's size was almost identical to the one where he had been sealed by the Heavenly Dao, but the scene inside was vastly different.

Inside the valley, green trees shaded the area, fragrant grass grew thick, and a clear stream babbled, so transparent the bottom was visible. A few spirit deer drank by the stream, colorful spirit birds sang on the branches, and the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance of flowers and fruits. Various spirit flowers and exotic herbs could be seen everywhere; though not top-grade, they were full of vitality and brimming with Spiritual Energy.

Li Cha paid no heed to all this beauty. His gaze pierced through layers of leaves and branches, locking onto a small tree at the center of the valley.

The tree was no more than half a meter tall, its leaves emerald and lush, its form graceful. It emitted a soft, pure, ethereal aura, with a faint Dao resonance of soothing the soul and cleansing filth.

A low-grade Innate Spiritual Root—the Pure Spirit Tea Tree.

Li Cha stepped forward slowly, reaching out, his fingertip gently touching the cool leaf. A familiar and intimate feeling from the source of life surged into his heart, accompanied by a trace of restraint imposed by the Heavenly Dao.

He understood. All spirit tea trees of every grade in the Primordial World were formed when the Heavenly Dao had shattered his foundation and divided his origin! This Pure Spirit Tea Tree was a transformation of one of his former slender branches, carrying part of his Dao resonance of "healing" and "calming the mind." To completely sever the inheritance and growth of his lineage, the Heavenly Dao had placed invisible shackles on all the divided spirit tea trees, forbidding them from awakening intelligence, let alone transforming and cultivating. They could only exist as spiritual plants, living and dying on their own, until their origin was exhausted and they returned to the world.

"Heavenly Dao, you truly are... calculating." A complex emotion surged within Li Cha—anger, pity, and a sorrow for the suffering of his kind. He caressed the branches of the Pure Spirit Tea Tree with tenderness, feeling the faint yet tenacious origin aura within.

"Leaving you here would only waste time. It's better to come with me; there may be a chance for life." Li Cha murmured, then circulated his magic power, carefully moving the entire Pure Spirit Tea Tree, along with a large chunk of spirit soil around its roots, intact. A flash of green light, and the Pure Spirit Tea Tree was stored inside the Chaos Pearl, placed in a location rich in spiritual energy and with a suitable environment. With the Chaos Pearl shielding it from Heavenly secrets and blocking the Heavenly Dao's detection, this Pure Spirit Tea Tree might truly break free from its shackles. Even if it couldn't transform in the future, it could thrive under Li Cha's care, its brilliance no longer hidden.

After moving the tea tree, a stubborn stone that had been covered by its roots was revealed. The stone was about the size of a millstone, grayish-white in color, with a rough surface, looking utterly ordinary. But Li Cha keenly sensed that this stone had already gained sentience.

"Oh?" Curious, Li Cha secretly activated his divine abilities, counting on his fingers to deduce its origin. After a moment, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

This stubborn stone was actually a fragment of a fingernail that had broken off from Great God Pangu during the World Creation! Because it contained a trace of Pangu's indestructible will and was of extraordinary material, it had endured countless kalpas without being destroyed. It had fallen here, coexisting with this Pure Spirit Tea Tree for untold ages, nourished and influenced day and night by the tree's pure ethereal aura, until that dormant will of Pangu slowly nurtured a new intelligence!

"Interesting, truly interesting!" Li Cha clapped his hands and laughed, not expecting such an unexpected gain. A fragment of Pangu's fingernail—its origin was extraordinary, but its intelligence was newborn, ignorant and naive.

He took out his companion spirit treasure, the Spirit Origin Ruler, which contained the divine abilities of enlightenment and awakening wisdom. Li Cha formed hand seals, blending a trace of his own origin Dao resonance into it, and gently tapped the stubborn stone.

"Awaken spirit, enlighten wisdom, aid you in taking form!"

A clear, hazy arcane light shot out from the tip of the Spirit Origin Ruler, sinking into the stubborn stone. Instantly, the stone shook violently, its gray, rough outer shell peeling off inch by inch, revealing a warm, jade-like interior. At the same time, the sky above changed, dark clouds gathering. Though it was a tribulation of transformation, its scale was far smaller than Li Cha's had been—merely the Three-Nine Small Heavenly Thunder.

"Boom!" Twenty-seven ordinary thunderbolts struck in succession, hitting the stubborn stone as if to temper its form, causing little damage. After the thunder tribulation, the stone emitted a soft white light and transformed into a child of seven or eight years old.

The child had rosy lips, white teeth, and delicate features. His hair was tied into two topknots, and he wore a short, light gray jacket. His eyes darted around lively, showing a restless nature. His aura was perfectly rounded, and he already had the cultivation of Early Golden Immortal, a testament to his profound origin and foundation.

The child blinked, looked at Li Cha, and immediately felt the familiar, kind aura that had helped him transform and awakened his intelligence. Without hesitation, he knelt and bowed, his voice clear: "Thank you, Great Master, for the grace of enlightenment!"

Li Cha accepted his bow with a smile and asked warmly, "Good child, rise. Do you have a name?"

The child shook his head blankly: "No, please, Great Master, grant me a name."

Li Cha pondered for a moment, then said, "You were originally a stubborn stone formed from a fragment of Pangu's fingernail, nurtured by the Pure Spirit Tea Tree, which nourished your intelligence to this day. 'Stone' is your origin, and 'Pure' corresponds to the Pure Spirit Tea's merit in opening your wisdom. You shall be called Shi Qing. How does that sound?"

"Shi Qing... Shi Qing..." The child murmured the name twice, a joyful light shining in his eyes. He bowed again: "Shi Qing thanks the Great Master for the name!"

Li Cha felt more and more that this child was fated to be with him. With his extraordinary origin and pure heart (a newborn spirit, like a blank slate), he conceived the idea of taking him as a disciple. He spoke: "Shi Qing, your intelligence has just awakened, and the path ahead is vast. Are you willing to worship me as your master and follow me in cultivating the Great Dao?"

Though newborn, Shi Qing understood that taking a master was a major matter. Feeling the gentle yet powerful Dao resonance and sincere goodwill emanating from Li Cha, he knelt again without hesitation, performing the three kneels and nine prostrations: "Disciple Shi Qing is willing!"

"Good, good, good!" Li Cha said three times, joy filling his heart. He extended his hand in a gesture of lifting, and a gentle force raised Shi Qing to his feet. "Since you have entered my sect, I, your master, shall grant you a cultivation method." He pointed his fingertip, and a stream of light containing profound information sank into Shi Qing's brow. "This is the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, a method I created by comprehending Great God Pangu's body-tempering arts and combining them with my own insights. It is most suited to a being with an extraordinary physique like yours, a congenital stone spirit. I hope you will study it diligently and not slack off."

Shi Qing felt countless mysterious techniques flooding into his mind, all supreme secrets for tempering the physical body and unlocking potential. Overjoyed, he said respectfully, "Shi Qing will not disappoint Master's high hopes and will cultivate tirelessly!"

"As for protective treasures..." Li Cha looked at himself. He only had a few life-bound items, none suitable for Shi Qing's current stage. Slightly apologetic, he said, "For now, your master has no suitable magic treasure for you. In the future, when I travel the Primordial World, I will surely find you an excellent weapon or spiritual treasure."

"Master's kindness is already more than this disciple can repay. I dare not covet treasures," Shi Qing said obediently.

Mo Ran, watching from the side, saw Shi Qing taken as a Personal Disciple and granted a profound technique right after transformation, and a strong envy showed in his eyes.

Li Cha sensed Mo Ran's feelings and had an idea. Mo Ran had followed him for a long time, loyal and hardworking. Though his origin was slightly inferior, his heart, tempered by the Tea Dao, had become quite pure. He spoke: "Mo Ran, you have followed me for a long time, diligent and devoted. Today, I formally accept you as a registered disciple and pass on to you the first half of the Primordial Chaos Great Dao True Scripture. This is my main cultivation method. You may use it for reference, but do not copy it rigidly. With your temperament and insight, I believe it won't be long before you can reach the Da Luo realm."

Hearing this, Mo Ran's huge qilin eyes welled up with excitement. He quickly lowered his body and said in a deep voice, "Mo Ran thanks Master... no, thanks Master for the grace! This disciple will surely cultivate diligently and not disappoint Master's expectations!"

Li Cha nodded with a smile and transmitted the technique into Mo Ran's Spiritual Sense. Thus, under his tutelage, he now had a Personal Disciple, Shi Qing, and a registered disciple, Mo Ran. The lineage of the Tea Dao was no longer that of a solitary man.

He looked around the quiet valley, then toward the East Sea, and made up his mind.

"This matter is settled. We continue eastward. Shi Qing, you have just transformed. Enter your master's treasure space to stabilize your cultivation and familiarize yourself with the technique." With that, he also stored Shi Qing inside the Chaos Pearl, placing him near the Pure Spirit Tea Tree.

Then, he mounted Mo Ran's back once more.

"Let's go, Mo Ran. The target remains the same—the East Sea!"

The group once again transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the horizon.