"It has been many years. Endless ages have passed, so long that I thought I might die sitting here. Yet now two promising young people have come, one after the other." The man in white sighed softly, sounding deeply moved.
But Shi Yongheng heard something else beneath his voice, as though swords were ringing within it, their clangor loud enough to split the heavens, shatter the Great Dao, and remake the world!
"The other person you mentioned must be my younger clansman, Shi Hao. He is a true prodigy."
"Oh? Two promising young people from the same clan. If I'm not mistaken, you are both disciples of the Ancestor Sacrificial Spirit."
"Yes!"
A young attendant brought tea. Its fragrance filled the air. In the cup, a True Phoenix beat its wings and swam through the liquid, brilliant red and translucent. The rising scent was intoxicating.
"A humble tea from the mountains. I grew it myself," the man in white said.
Shi Yongheng looked down. The crimson tea leaf in his cup gleamed as it swam, trailing rosy light. He could even hear the beat of wings. It looked so much like a living True Phoenix.
The fragrance refreshed his body and mind. Like a rare and precious medicine, it cleansed his flesh and soul. A single breath nearly sent him into a state of spiritual clarity. It was extraordinary.
"I wonder what kind of immortal tea this is. I doubt even the Immortal Domain could easily obtain it," he said softly.
"The Immortal Domain is vast and has many ancient tea trees. One Enlightenment Tea tree is especially prized. These leaves came from an ordinary bitter tea tree. I merely water it each year." The man in white smiled.
Shi Yongheng froze and stared at the tea in his cup.