Where the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil Lies

As Li Cha slowly expounded his understanding of the Great Dao of Tea, elaborating on the principles of heaven and earth from a single tea leaf and savoring the myriad facets of life from a cup of Pure Tea, Daoist Yang Mei became completely immersed. The spatial Dao resonance around him rose and fell in harmony, sometimes like a babbling brook, sometimes like the vast emptiness of the void. When Li Cha's final word fell and the Dao resonance gradually faded, Yang Mei slowly opened his eyes. In his pupils, visions of chaos splitting open and time and space cycling flickered and vanished.

He stood up tall, his expression solemn, and then, facing Li Cha—a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal far beneath him in cultivation—he bowed deeply with utmost gravity.

Li Cha was startled and quickly sidestepped to avoid the bow, waving his hands. "Daoist Brother Yang Mei, what is the meaning of this? You flatter This Humble One too much!"

Yang Mei straightened up, his gaze clear and sincere, without a trace of pretense. "Daoist friend, you are mistaken. The one who attains understanding comes first. Today, hearing your true words on the Dao of Tea has suddenly cleared the bottleneck that has trapped This Humble One for years. The path ahead is now clear. This is the grace of teaching the Dao, and you deserve this bow from me."

His tone was firm, carrying an undeniable gratitude. At his level of cultivation, even the slightest progress was invaluable. What Li Cha had spoken today, though not directly imparting divine powers or techniques, had opened another window for him to view the Great Dao and understand 'space' and 'existence.' Its value was immeasurable.

Seeing his insistence, Li Cha stopped being overly modest and smiled helplessly. "Daoist Brother is too kind. You and I discussed the Dao, mutually verifying our insights. If it has been of any help to you, This Humble One is truly delighted. There is no need for such a grand gesture."

"To you, Daoist friend, it may have been a casual act, but to me, it is of utmost importance." Yang Mei sighed with emotion, then changed the subject. "Today's gains are substantial. I feel a stirring in my heart and need to find a quiet place to go into seclusion and carefully digest what I have obtained. I wonder if you, Daoist friend, while traveling the Primordial World, have any need of my assistance? Speak freely, and I will do my utmost."

Li Cha's heart stirred. This was a good opportunity. As a Primordial Chaos Demon God, Yang Mei had lived for eons and his understanding of the Primordial World far surpassed Li Cha's own. After a moment's thought, he spoke. "To be honest with you, Daoist Brother, there are indeed a few things This Humble One wishes to find. If you know of their whereabouts, please guide me."

"Oh? What does Daoist friend need?"

"They are the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, the Three Lights Divine Water, and high-quality Five Elements Spirit Stones." Li Cha told him truthfully.

Yang Mei's snow-white brows lifted slightly, a hint of curiosity showing. "The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil is a divine creation earth, the Three Lights Divine Water is a sacred healing treasure, and the Five Elements Spirit Stones are no ordinary items either. Daoist friend seeks these three—what treasure do you intend to refine?" He could tell that Li Cha was not someone who coveted external things; his request must have deep meaning.

Li Cha did not hide it and smiled. "It's not to refine some earth-shattering magic artifact. To be honest, This Humble One has a tea leaf of exceptional quality, which I dare claim is the best in the Primordial World. To avoid wasting such a divine thing, I intend to refine a set of exclusive tea utensils, using the Five Elements as a foundation and combining them with the five virtues of the Tea Dao, to fully bring out its wonder. The materials needed are exactly these."

"Better than the Enlightenment Tea you just served?" Yang Mei was genuinely surprised this time. The Enlightenment Tea had already benefited him greatly; if there was an even better tea, what kind of divine thing would that be?

"Exactly." Li Cha nodded, his tone carrying absolute confidence. "Compared to it, the Enlightenment Tea is like a firefly against the bright moon—they are not even in the same league."

Hearing this, Yang Mei's heart stirred with waves of shock. A tea countless times better than Enlightenment Tea? That would mean... He calculated silently. He dared not say whether drinking such divine tea could make one a saint on the spot, but it would likely hold unimaginable allure even for beings at the saint level!

Suppressing his inner turmoil, he looked at Li Cha with a hint of eagerness in his eyes and spoke. "Daoist friend, if one day you finish refining the tea set and brew that number one tea of the Primordial World, I wonder if This Humble One might be shameless enough to come and trouble you for a cup to taste?"

Li Cha laughed heartily upon hearing this. He had already intended to befriend Yang Mei, whose personality suited his taste and who was a top-tier powerhouse. Having him as a friend was naturally a good thing. "Daoist Brother, what are you saying! The way of tea values sharing. If there is no friend who knows and understands tea to share it with, drinking alone would be like chewing wax! If Daoist Brother can come, This Humble One would welcome it! When the time comes, I will sweep the couch and brew the tea, sharing this fine drink with you!"

"Good! It's a deal!" Yang Mei clapped his hands and laughed, his heart joyful. "In that case, I cannot drink this tea for free. As for what you need, I do know the whereabouts of the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil."

He paused, then continued. "That item is on Buzhou Mountain. However, the residual might of Pangu on Buzhou Mountain is now vast as an ocean, with lingering Dao resonance forming its own domain. Even the Heavenly Dao Will finds it difficult to fully probe its mysteries. For outsiders to climb the mountain is already extremely difficult, let alone finding and taking the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. In my view, this item will only appear when the time is right; it cannot be forced."

Hearing Yang Mei's words, Li Cha suddenly understood. Of course! The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil! It was on Buzhou Mountain, nourishing that Innate Gourd Vine! According to the original course of events, it seemed that only after Dao Ancestor Hongjun's first sermon would the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and others have the chance to climb the mountain and obtain treasures. Now, the time had not yet come, and Pangu's residual might remained. Even knowing the location, he probably couldn't ascend the mountain to take it. Forcing his way in would anger Pangu's will, with unimaginable consequences.

As for the Three Lights Divine Water, he vaguely remembered legends saying it was on one of the three overseas immortal islands—Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou—but which one and where it was located, he had no clue. The overseas regions were vast and boundless, with chaotic heavenly secrets; searching for it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Thank you for telling me, Daoist Brother." Li Cha sighed, a hint of helplessness and discouragement on his face. "It seems this tea set will be hard to refine anytime soon."

"Haha, why be impatient, Daoist friend?" Yang Mei was more open-minded and laughed to comfort him. "In the Primordial World, time is what you and I lack the least. I can wait, and I believe the day will come when you gather all the materials. As for the Five Elements Spirit Stones..."

He flicked his sleeve, and the void before him rippled. Three stones, each shimmering with the radiance of different attributes and brimming with Dao resonance, appeared out of thin air.

One was emerald green, full of vitality, as if containing a forest within—a Green Willow Stone, imbued with pure Jia Wood Qi.

One was earthy yellow, thick and steady, exuding the aura of the earth's origin—a Kunlun Stone, imbued with pure Wu Earth Qi.

One was azure like the sea, shrouded in mist, cool and moist to the touch—a Cold Dew Stone, imbued with pure Ren Water Qi.

"These three divine stones are of decent quality. I gift them to you as an advance payment for the 'tea fee,'" Yang Mei said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I do not have top-grade Metal or Fire attribute divine stones on hand, or I could complete the Five Elements and save you some trouble."

Li Cha looked at the three Aura-forcing divine stones before him, and the gloom in his heart cleared instantly, replaced by immense joy. This Daoist Yang Mei was indeed generous! With these three, he only needed to find top-grade Metal and Fire attribute divine stones, and he could attempt to refine a post-heaven Five-Colored Divine Stone and forge the tea furnace!

"Daoist Brother's generous gift, Li Cha accepts with gratitude! When the divine tea is brewed, I will be the first to inform you!" Li Cha solemnly put away the three divine stones and promised again.

"Good! Then I will wait and see." Yang Mei nodded with a smile, and the spatial fluctuations around him began to intensify. "Daoist friend, travel at ease. The Primordial World is vast, with countless opportunities. Metal and Fire divine stones may not be hard to find. I will take my leave for now. When fate allows, we will meet again and enjoy a drink together!"

Before his words faded, the space beside him rippled like a water curtain, and his figure blurred. The next moment, he had completely merged into the void and disappeared without a trace. Only the faint lingering spiritual energy of the three divine stones proved that this spatial powerhouse had once stopped here.

Li Cha gazed at the spot where Yang Mei had vanished, his heart full of emotion. This encounter with Yang Mei was an unexpected joy. Not only had it validated the value of his own Tea Dao and forged a bond with a powerful Daoist friend, but it had also gained him three crucial Five Elements Divine Stones.

He turned his gaze to Mo Ran, who was still sleeping and digesting nearby, but whose aura had grown increasingly robust. He waited patiently.

Another year passed. In the valley, spiritual energy suddenly converged, swirling like a vortex into Mo Ran's body. His massive frame emitted a series of cracking sounds as bones rubbed together. The luster of his ink-jade-like scales deepened, and a fierce aura far surpassing before erupted!

Peak Golden Immortal!

Mo Ran abruptly opened his bell-like eyes, their light sharp and full of power. Feeling his cultivation breakthrough, he was overjoyed. He immediately stood upright, knelt on his hind legs, and bowed respectfully to Li Cha. "Mo Ran thanks the master for the grace of nurturing! Without the master's spirit tea and protection, I would never have had this opportunity!"

"Rise. This is your fortune." Li Cha smiled calmly. "Now that you've broken through, it's time to continue our journey. We need to head west. Keep an eye out for places with dense Fire attribute spiritual energy. I need to find a Fire attribute divine stone."

"Your will is my command, Master!" Mo Ran's voice boomed, full of vigor after his breakthrough. He transformed again into a suitable riding form, several zhang in size. Once Li Cha lightly stepped onto his back, he summoned clouds beneath his hooves, rose into the air, and sped westward like the wind, following Li Cha's guidance.

Li Cha sat on Mo Ran's back, spreading his Spiritual Sense like liquid mercury, carefully sensing the spiritual energy attributes of the mountains and rivers below. He knew well that top-grade Five Elements Divine Stones often formed in places where the corresponding attribute spiritual energy was extremely pure and concentrated. This journey west was not only to find divine stones but also a journey to deeply understand this Primordial World.

What he did not know was that shortly after they left the Shouyang Mountain region, an old Daoist carrying a bamboo staff, with a profound and mysterious aura, passed by that valley. He paused for a moment, as if sensing something, his gaze sweeping over the faint lingering Dao resonance from Li Cha and Yang Mei's discussion. A thoughtful expression flickered in his eyes, and then he too quietly departed.