As Li Cha slowly expounded his understanding of the Great Dao of Tea, explaining the principles of heaven and earth through a single tea leaf and savoring the myriad facets of life from a cup of Pure Tea, Daoist Yang Mei became completely immersed in it. The spatial Dao rhythms around him rose and fell in resonance, at times like a babbling stream, at others as vast as the void. When Li Cha spoke his final word, the Dao rhythms gradually faded. Yang Mei slowly opened his eyes, and within them, a vision of Chaos being sundered and time and space revolving flashed past.
He rose to his full height, his expression solemn, and deeply bowed to Li Cha, a Grand Unity Golden Immortal whose cultivation was far below his own.
Li Cha was startled and hurriedly stepped aside, waving his hand. "Daoist Brother Yang Mei, what are you doing? You are shaming me!"
Yang Mei straightened, his gaze clear and sincere, without the slightest pretense. "Fellow Daoist, that is not right. The accomplished come first. Hearing your true words on the Tea Dao today has suddenly opened the bottleneck that had trapped me for years, and the road ahead is now clear. This is the grace of imparting the Dao. You deserve this bow from me."
His tone was firm, carrying gratitude that brooked no doubt. At his realm, even the slightest improvement was immensely precious. What Li Cha had spoken of today was not a direct transmission of divine abilities or magical power, yet it had opened another window for him to view the Great Dao and understand "space" and "existence." Its value was beyond measure.
Seeing him persist, Li Cha stopped refusing and smiled helplessly. "Daoist Brother, you are too polite. We were discussing the Dao and confirming each other's insights. I am also delighted that it was of help to you. There is truly no need for such a grand gesture."
"It may have been a casual act for you, Fellow Daoist, but it is of utmost importance to me." Yang Mei sighed, then changed the subject. "I have gained much today, and something has stirred within me. I need to find a quiet place for seclusion and carefully digest what I have gained. As you travel the Primordial Wilderness, is there anything you need my help with? Speak freely. I will certainly do my utmost."
Li Cha's heart stirred. This was indeed a good opportunity. As a Primordial Chaos Demon God, Yang Mei had lived for countless years and understood the Primordial Wilderness far better than he did. After a brief pause, he said, "To be honest, Daoist Brother, there are indeed several things I wish to seek. If you know of their whereabouts, I would appreciate your guidance."
"Oh? What do you seek, Fellow Daoist?"
"The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, Three Lights Divine Water, and Five Elements Spirit Stones of superior quality," Li Cha answered truthfully.
Yang Mei's snowy brows lifted slightly, revealing a trace of curiosity. "The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil is divine soil of creation, Three Lights Divine Water is a sacred healing treasure, and Five Elements Spirit Stones are no ordinary objects either. What treasure do you intend to refine from these three?" He could tell that Li Cha was not someone greedy for external possessions. There had to be deeper meaning behind his request.
Li Cha did not hide it and said with a smile, "It is not to refine some earth-shattering magical treasure. To be honest, I possess tea leaves of exceptional quality, which I believe can be called the Primordial First Tea. In order not to waste such a divine treasure, I wish to refine a dedicated tea set. Only by using the Five Elements as its foundation and combining them with the five virtues of the Tea Dao can its wonders be fully displayed. These are precisely the materials I need."
"Better even than the Enlightenment Tea you just served?" Yang Mei was truly astonished this time. That Enlightenment Tea had already benefited him greatly. If there was tea even better than that, what kind of divine treasure would it be?
"That is right." Li Cha nodded, absolute confidence in his tone. "Compared to it, Enlightenment Tea is like a firefly beside the bright moon. They cannot be mentioned in the same breath."
Yang Mei's heart could not help but churn. Countless times better than Enlightenment Tea? Then would that not mean... He silently calculated. He could not say whether drinking such divine tea would truly allow one to become a saint on the spot, but it would likely possess unimaginable allure even for beings at the Saint realm.
Suppressing his inner shock, he looked at Li Cha with a trace of eagerness. "Fellow Daoist, once you refine the tea set and brew that Primordial First Tea someday, might I be so shameless as to visit and ask for a cup?"
Li Cha burst into laughter. He had already intended to befriend Yang Mei. This man suited his temperament, and he was also a supreme expert. Being friends with him would naturally be a good thing. "What are you saying, Daoist Brother? The way of tea values sharing. Without friends who know and understand tea to drink with, would drinking alone not be as tasteless as chewing wax? If Daoist Brother can come, I could not ask for more! When the time comes, I will prepare a seat and brew tea so that we may savor it together!"
"Good! It is settled!" Yang Mei clapped his hands and laughed, feeling greatly pleased. "Since that is so, I cannot drink this tea for nothing. As for the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil you seek, I do happen to know where it is."
He paused before continuing, "It is on Buzhou Mountain. However, Pangu's pressure upon Buzhou Mountain is now as vast as the sea, and its lingering aura forms a domain of its own. Even the Heavenly Dao Will finds it difficult to fully peer into its mysteries. Outsiders already face untold difficulties merely trying to climb the mountain, much less finding and taking the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. In my view, the time for this treasure to emerge has not yet come. It requires fate and cannot be forced."
Hearing Yang Mei's words, Li Cha immediately 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 Preaching the Dao would the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the others have the fate to climb the mountain and obtain the treasures. The time had not yet come, and Pangu's lingering might still remained. Even if he knew the location, he would likely find it difficult to ascend the mountain and obtain it. If he forced his way in and angered Pangu's will, the consequences would be unthinkable.
As for the Three Lights Divine Water, he vaguely remembered that legend placed it on one of the Three Immortals Islands overseas—Penglai, Fangzhang, or Yingzhou—but he had no idea which island it was on or where those islands lay. The overseas lands were vast and boundless, and the secrets of heaven there were shrouded in Chaos. Searching for it would be like looking for a needle in the sea.
"Thank you for telling me, Daoist Brother." Li Cha sighed, a trace of helplessness and discouragement appearing on his face. "It seems this tea set will be difficult to refine anytime soon."
"Haha, why should you be so anxious, Fellow Daoist?" Yang Mei took it in stride and comforted him with a smile. "In the Primordial World, what people like us lack least is time. I can wait, and I believe the day will come when you gather all the materials. As for the Five Elements Spirit Stones..."
With a sweep of his sleeve, the void before them rippled, and three stones gleaming with the radiance of different attributes and brimming with Dao rhythms appeared out of nowhere.
One was jade green throughout and bursting with vitality, as though it contained an entire forest. It was Green Willow Stone, containing pure Jia Wood energy.
One was earthy yellow, heavy and steady, emanating the aura of the earth's origin. It was Kunlun Stone, containing pure Wu Earth energy.
One was deep blue like the sea, shrouded in misty water vapor and cool and moist to the touch. It was Cold Dew Stone, containing pure Ren Water energy.
"These three divine stones are of passable quality. I shall give them to you as advance payment for the tea." Yang Mei smiled. "Unfortunately, I do not possess top-grade divine stones of the metal and fire attributes. Otherwise, the Five Elements could be gathered, sparing you some trouble."
Looking at the three divine stones overflowing with spiritual energy before him, the gloom in Li Cha's heart was swept away, and he was overjoyed. Daoist Yang Mei was truly generous! With these three stones, all he needed was top-grade metal- and fire-attributed divine stones before he could try combining them into acquired Five-Colored Divine Stone and refine a Tea Furnace!
"Daoist Brother, I gratefully accept this generous gift despite my unworthiness! Once the divine tea is brewed, I will certainly notify you first!" Li Cha solemnly put away the three divine stones and made his promise once more.
"Good! Then I shall wait and see." Yang Mei nodded with a smile as the spatial fluctuations around him began to intensify. "Travel with peace of mind, Fellow Daoist. The Primordial Wilderness is vast, with countless opportunities. Divine stones of metal and fire may not be difficult to find. I shall take my leave for now. If fate allows, we shall raise our cups and speak merrily again!"
Before his words had faded, the space beside him rippled like a curtain of water, and his figure blurred. In the next moment, he had completely merged into the void and vanished without leaving the slightest trace. Only the faint spiritual energy left by the three divine stones proved that this great master of space had once stopped here.
Li Cha looked toward the place where Yang Mei had vanished, his heart filled with emotion. This encounter with Yang Mei had been an unexpected delight. Not only had it validated the value of his Tea Dao and gained him a powerful Daoist friend, but he had also obtained three crucial Five Elements Divine Stones.
He turned his gaze toward Mo Ran, who was still asleep and digesting the benefits, though his aura had already become increasingly majestic, and waited patiently.
Another year passed. The spiritual energy in the valley suddenly gathered and surged into Mo Ran's body like a vortex. His enormous body gave off a series of crackling sounds as his bones ground together, the luster of his black-jade scales growing deeper. An overwhelmingly powerful aura far beyond his former strength erupted!
Peak Golden Immortal!
Mo Ran suddenly opened his bell-like eyes, brilliance shooting from them. He was full of vigor and strength. Feeling his own cultivation, he was overjoyed and immediately stood upright, dropped to his rear hooves, and respectfully kowtowed to Li Cha. "Mo Ran thanks Master for his grace in nurturing me! Without Master's spiritual tea and protection, this lowly one would never have received such an opportunity!"
"Rise. This is your own fortune." Li Cha smiled faintly. "Now that you have broken through, you may continue traveling with me. We must make a trip to The West. Watch for places where fire-attributed spiritual energy is abundant along the way. I need to find a fire-attributed divine stone."
"I obey Master's decree!" Mo Ran's voice was resonant, and after his breakthrough, he was full of drive. He transformed again into a riding form several zhang long. Once Li Cha lightly stepped onto his back, clouds formed beneath his four hooves, and he soared into the air, flying toward The West like lightning under Li Cha's guidance.
Seated atop Mo Ran's back, Li Cha spread his Spiritual Sense over the land below like mercury spilling across the ground, carefully sensing the attributes of the spiritual energy within its mountains and earth. He knew well that top-grade Five Elements Divine Stones were often born in places where spiritual energy of the corresponding attribute was exceptionally pure and densely concentrated. This journey west was both a search for divine stones and a journey to deepen his understanding of this Primordial World.
What he did not know was that not long after they left the Shouyang Mountain region, an Old Daoist holding a bamboo staff and carrying an unfathomable aura also passed through that valley. Seemingly sensing something, he paused briefly. His gaze swept over the faint Dao rhythms left behind from Li Cha and Yang Mei's discussion of the Dao, and a thoughtful look flashed through his eyes before he quietly departed as well.
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