Tea Dao, Three Thousand Guests' Hearts Differ

One hundred years after Hongjun's second sermon on the Dao, the once-empty valley outside Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven had undergone a complete transformation.

Following Li Cha's instructions, the head steward Mo Ran personally oversaw the construction, using numerous spiritual materials to build a grand, ancient lecture platform a hundred zhang high. The platform was entirely made of Azure Jade, with only a tea table and a few meditation cushions upon it—simple yet solemn. Surrounding the platform was an extremely spacious plaza, capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of living beings seated in meditation. Considering the vast number of listeners and their varying cultivation levels, no restrictions were set above the plaza, allowing cultivators to float in the air and listen.

On this day, outside Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven, there was a sea of people, a convergence of myriad beings.

Besides the ordinary beings of the Primordial Wilderness who had come drawn by reputation—spirits, demons, the Demon Race, and even some of the Wu Race—what was even more striking was that among the three thousand guests of Purple Firmament Palace, over two thousand great cultivators had arrived! Most of them possessed profound auras, at least at the Great Luo cultivation level, and among them were top-tier greats like Zhen Yuanzi, Old Ancestor Hongyun, Queen Mother of the West, East King Duke, Kunpeng, and Old Ancestor Minghe. In the void, there were also some senior experts concealing their forms.

These great cultivators had come with a clear purpose. None of them had chosen the Three Corpses Method taught by Hongjun, harboring doubts in their hearts. They wanted to hear with their own ears and feel with their own experience just how different the Tea Dao was from the Three Corpses Method, hoping to make the most correct choice for their future path.

"Clang!"

The sound of a gong spread across the land, suppressing all clamor.

A green figure appeared silently on the platform—it was Li Cha. He did not ride auspicious clouds, did not summon myriad rays of light, nor did he employ the grand spectacle of golden lotuses springing from the earth or heavenly flowers raining down. Like the most ordinary of lecturers, he appeared quietly and sat serenely on a meditation cushion.

His gaze swept calmly over the hundreds of thousands of beings below, in the air, and densely packed together. Li Cha slowly began to speak. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every listener, penetrating straight to their hearts and minds.

"Today, I expound on the Tea Dao. The Way of Tea is not the art of combat and killing, nor the strategy of power and intrigue. It is the method of cultivating the self, clearing the mind, and harmonizing with all things..."

He did not quote any obscure ancient scriptures or texts, nor did he engage in mystifying talk of vague and elusive "great principles of the Dao" that left people half-understanding. Instead, he used the simplest, most straightforward language, combining it with things the beings of the Primordial Wilderness encountered and understood in their daily lives, to explain the spiritual core of the Tea Dao.

He spoke of how, through a cup of tea, one could calm an agitated heart and think about problems more clearly—Clear the Mind and See the True Nature.

He spoke of how, through the etiquette of tea ceremonies, one could learn to respect others and harmonize interpersonal relationships—Harmony is Most Precious.

He spoke of the "bitterness giving way to sweetness" contained within the Tea Dao, using it as a metaphor for perseverance and reward on the path of cultivation—Tempering the Dao Heart.

He spoke of the myriad flavors brought by different tea leaves and brewing methods, symbolizing the diversity and tolerance of all things in the Primordial Wilderness—All Rivers Flow into the Sea.

He not only spoke of the benefits the Tea Dao could bring but also frankly pointed out the difficulties one might face in cultivating it: slow progress, lack of proficiency in killing, potential disadvantage in the early Primordial Wilderness where the strong preyed on the weak, and the need for a strong heart to persist on one's own path...

This exposition was like a gentle stream, moistening things silently. There were no earth-shattering anomalies, yet it plunged countless listeners into deep thought. Especially the lower-level beings—for the first time, they realized that the path of cultivation was not only about continuously increasing one's magical power, competing for resources, and fighting and killing. It turned out that the richness of the inner world, harmonious coexistence with all things, and the experience of emotions—such as love, friendship, and developing one's own interests and hobbies—these things that seemed unrelated to "strength" could also become a part of life, and could even be pursued as a "Dao."

Li Cha's Tea Dao injected a clear and warm spring into the blood-colored desert of the Primordial Wilderness. It began to quietly change some things. Conflict still existed, but in some corners, a bit more ease and peace appeared. The law of the jungle did not disappear, but the "harmonizing" concept advocated by the Tea Dao, like a lubricant, made some originally sharp conflicts possible to ease. The Primordial Wilderness was no longer merely a cold and cruel battlefield of slaughter; it began to nurture a warmth unique to itself.

A thousand years of preaching passed leisurely.

When Li Cha's voice fell, the entire valley and its surroundings fell into utter silence. Countless beings were still immersed in the new insights and reflections brought by the Tea Dao.

It was a long time before cultivators came back to their senses, respectfully bowing to the platform and asking the question that had lingered in the hearts of many Purple Firmament guests for a long time:

"We are grateful to the Tea Ancestor for expounding the great Dao! This junior has a question that has been on my mind for a long time. In Purple Firmament Palace, the Dao Ancestor said that Saints and Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals of the Origin are both carefree and no different. May I ask, in the Tea Ancestor's view, are the two truly... without any distinction?"

This question instantly drew the attention of all the great cultivators. Even the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and others focused their gazes.

Upon hearing this, Li Cha smiled slightly, a smile carrying a hint of detachment that saw through the essence. He would not be as vague as Hongjun. His Tea Dao sought truth and reality, not allowing him to deceive the beings.

"Of course there is a difference, and it is a fundamental one." Li Cha's voice was clear and firm, echoing between Heaven and Earth.

"What the Dao Ancestor calls a Saint requires entrusting one's Primordial Spirit and merging it under the Three Daos, relying on the power of the Three Daos to achieve immortality. As for the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin, it is the perfection of one's own Dao, the inner landscape forming a universe of its own, independent of the outside. Even if, one day, the Daos of Heaven, Earth, and Man are all destroyed, the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin can still attain great freedom and great ease!"

"Three Daos?" The crowd below immediately erupted in uproar, many great cultivators showing confused expressions. "Tea Ancestor, doesn't the Primordial Wilderness only have the Heavenly Dao? Where do three Daos come from?"

Li Cha's gaze swept over the crowd, knowing that today he needed to dispel some misconceptions. He continued to explain: "The Primordial Wilderness is vast, its origins profound. How could it have only one Dao dominating? The so-called Three Daos are the Heavenly Dao, the Earthly Dao, and the Human Dao! The three should originally stand side by side, equally noble, jointly supporting the operation of the Primordial Wilderness and maintaining the balance of Heaven and Earth. It's just that now, the Heavenly Dao has already manifested, controlling the general trend; while the Earthly Dao is still gestating, and the Human Dao is nascent and ignorant, not yet truly awakened or manifested in the world."

"Earthly Dao... Human Dao..." The beings below murmured to themselves. Li Cha's words had opened a door to a new world for them, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Immediately, an impatient cultivator pressed further: "Tea Ancestor! When will the Earthly Dao and Human Dao manifest? Under the Heavenly Dao, there are Saints. Under the Earthly Dao and Human Dao, will there also be Saints? How many?"

This question had already touched upon the deepest secrets and future structure of the Primordial Wilderness!

"Boom!"

The moment this question was asked, the clear sky above the nine heavens suddenly became covered with dark clouds! A cold, majestic, invisible pressure carrying a strong warning descended with a crash, enveloping the entire valley! Thunder rolled within the clouds, as if the Eye of the Heavenly Dao was angrily glaring at Li Cha, displeased that he had revealed so much "Heavenly Secret"!

Li Cha looked up and glanced at the rolling Tribulation Clouds, his expression unchanged. He simply shook his head slightly and said to the crowd below:

"Alright, everyone. What has been said today is enough. These deeper mysteries of the Heavenly Secret cannot be discussed further. Otherwise..." He pointed at the increasingly gloomy clouds in the sky, where lightning faintly flickered, and gave a helpless smile. "Someone is going to lose their temper. This is not a good thing for you."

Feeling the heart-stopping pressure of the Heavenly Dao, the crowd immediately understood Li Cha's intention. The might of the Heavenly Dao was absolutely not something they, who had not yet become Saints, could contend with. If they asked further, they might face utter destruction. Although their curiosity itched unbearably, they had to suppress their urge to ask further. After bowing to Li Cha once more, they began to quietly reflect and comprehend.

Just as the myriad beings were in silent contemplation, several secret divine thoughts quietly connected with Li Cha on the platform.

They were Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Fuxi, Houtu, and others.

Unlike the other great cultivators who were immersed in their insights, they took advantage of the crowd's inattention to engage in secret telepathic exchanges with Li Cha. Clearly, the secret of the "Three Daos" that Li Cha had revealed today had deeply touched them. Some secrets about future paths, about how to seize the greatest initiative in the coming great upheaval, and even... transcendence, were quietly unfolding in this silent exchange. The future direction of the Primordial Wilderness, because of Li Cha's "public lecture," had become even more unpredictable and full of infinite possibilities.