You son of a-did you come here to fake an injury?!

No cultivator could possibly not know what Golden Pearl Iron was. Even someone who had just started Qi Refining knew about it.

It was one of the best materials for tempering weapons.

That was because Golden Pearl Iron resonated with a cultivator's True Qi. A weapon made from it could bring out a cultivator's strength to its fullest.

But... as good as it was, just how rare was it?

It was exceedingly, exceedingly rare.

And it wasn't just rare; it was incredibly difficult to forge. It was very easy to damage during the process, and even the slightest damage rendered it useless.

Even Ling Jing, an Imperial Prince and the Bei Lan Dynasty's next Emperor, didn't yet own a weapon made of Golden Pearl Iron. Ling Jing's father had only promised to give one to him once he reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Anything earlier would be a waste.

And yet... this incomparably rare and precious material... had been made into a hoe... a shovel...

This...

For a moment, Ling Jing and Lie Chun were both utterly astonished. This senior... truly was no ordinary person...

Ling Jing was especially shocked. Even his own father wouldn't dare be so extravagant as to use Golden Pearl Iron to make a hoe!

Ling Jing looked at Jing Pu's back, feeling a little puzzled. He had the nagging sense that he'd seen this senior somewhere before...

Ling Jing froze, then his eyes suddenly lit up. Looking at Jing Pu walking ahead, he asked:

"Senior... are you Zhao Zilong of Changshan?!"

Without even realizing it, Ling Jing had started addressing Jing Pu with the respectful "you."

At those words, Jing Pu stumbled and nearly fell. So it was this kid.

Back then, Jing Pu had figured they'd never meet again, so he'd just made up some nonsense on the spot.

Jing Pu awkwardly turned to look at Ling Jing beside him and said:

"Well... that was a nickname. My name's Jing Pu."

Ling Jing paused, then suddenly understood. So this senior was indeed the man from that night! He'd thought the senior was at the Spirit Transformation Stage, but now it seemed he was definitely far beyond that!

After they arrived at the little pavilion, Jing Pu brewed another pot of tea for Ling Jing and Lie Chun.

With his peerless Tea Dao, Jing Pu moved with such easy grace that he seemed to blend into the surroundings.

Ling Jing and Lie Chun quietly watched Jing Pu's movements from the side. To their astonishment, simply watching the senior brew tea made the Spiritual Power and True Qi within their bodies surge.

If they cultivated right then, their speed would be several times greater than usual!

For a moment, Ling Jing and Lie Chun couldn't help marveling at the senior's gifts, hidden like jade wrapped in silk and pearls concealed in a shell, impossible for others to easily discern...

Once the tea was ready, Jing Pu poured a cup for each of them. As the tea trickled from the spout, its soul-stirring fragrance drifted into Ling Jing and Lie Chun's noses.

They merely took a light sniff, and in an instant they were like cats whose fur had stood on end in fright!

Just the faint scent of the tea sent the Spiritual Power and True Qi within them rampaging like a torrent!!

If watching the senior's movements had made their Spiritual Power and True Qi flow like a gentle spring, then now they were like a tenth-level gale roaring across the sea!

What?!

The two were completely stunned. In their current state, if they cultivated, their speed would be a hundred times greater than usual!

Th-this was even more potent than the finest Spirit-Gathering Pill!!

And they'd only smelled the tea. They hadn't even drunk it yet... If they actually drank it, wouldn't that mean...

They hardly dared to imagine it. And what terrified them most was that the tea set Senior Jing Pu had used was the most ordinary kind from the Divine Sword Sect, available everywhere.

The tea leaves Senior Jing Pu had used were also the most ordinary kind from the Divine Sword Sect.

The fact that all these ordinary things could produce such a world-shaking effect meant there was only one explanation!

It was all thanks to the senior!!

Only the senior could turn the most ordinary tea leaves into top-grade spirit medicine!!

This senior... perhaps... perhaps he wasn't merely at the Tribulation Crossing Stage... or even the Mahayana Stage... He might even be an immortal from the Upper Realm who had already ascended!!

For a moment, the two hardly dared to drink—or rather... they didn't dare drink it just yet!

Something this potent had to be consumed in seclusion, in tiny sips, refining each little bit at once. Otherwise, merely smelling it had already sent their Spiritual Power and True Qi churning like a storm-tossed sea.

If they gulped down a whole mouthful, who knew what might happen?

Ling Jing and Lie Chun looked at the tea, then at Jing Pu, and swallowed nervously.

"Senior... could we take this back with us and drink it?"

Jing Pu: "???"

Were these two crazy?

More importantly, what had they come here for?

Jing Pu got straight to the point.

"Did the two of you come here for something?"

Jing Pu still had a pile of things to do. He had to till the land today, and the back courtyard alone was about the size of half a soccer field. He had a lot of work ahead of him and didn't have time to spend with these two, especially since he didn't even know them.

Lie Chun had already thought of an answer before they came. He immediately said:

"Senior just moved here, so there must still be many things you're unfamiliar with. I came to help you."

Oh?

Jing Pu was taken aback. That was great! Had Di Chen sent him?

Still, Di Chen certainly knew how to handle things. He'd sent over the chief disciple to help.

But... Jing Pu's task was to hoe the field... Have the chief disciple help him hoe it?

That didn't seem necessary.

Jing Pu smiled slightly and said:

"No need. There's not much to do here, just some odd jobs. I only need to till the land; there's nothing I need help with."

Lie Chun froze, his expression dimming. The senior wouldn't accept his help...

Jing Pu didn't send them away, though. He stood, went over to the pavilion, and picked up a hoe. As he walked toward the corner, he looked back at Lie Chun with a smile.

"Have some tea and chat here. I can handle this myself."

But as soon as Jing Pu said that, Lie Chun's downcast face suddenly lit up!

The senior hadn't told him to leave?!

If the senior didn't want to instruct him, why hadn't he asked him to leave?!

That was it!! It had to be!!! What an idiot he was—he hadn't even understood the senior's meaning!

After his mind raced at lightning speed, Lie Chun dashed forward and ran over to Jing Pu, who had reached the corner and was about to swing his hoe. His face alight with excitement, he cried:

"Senior, let me do it!"

Jing Pu stared at Lie Chun, who had suddenly gone into overdrive, completely baffled. What was wrong with this guy?

Jing Pu blinked, looking confused.

"No need. I can do it myself. Go sit over there and rest."

But Lie Chun was adamant.

"Senior, please let me do it!!"

Jing Pu: "..."

Who the hell would fight to do farm work? Talk about infuriating.

Still, since Lie Chun wanted to do it, Jing Pu didn't say anything. Having someone help was nice.

Jing Pu nodded, handed the hoe to the excited Lie Chun, and said awkwardly:

"Then... thanks..."

After handing the hoe to Lie Chun, Jing Pu turned to get another one so they could work together.

But the moment Jing Pu turned around, Lie Chun suddenly fell flat on the ground with a thud, letting out a tremendous scream!

Jing Pu stared back in confusion for two seconds...

You son of a—did you come here to fake an injury?!