In a secret chamber of Tianren Sect, the painting Calabash Brothers Save Grandpa lay on the table as Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan studied the Dao charm within it.
Qin Yudie was there too, but she had already experienced it once and only needed to slowly digest and comprehend it.
After studying it carefully for a while, Jiang Taiyuan said regretfully, "This painting contains the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. It's a rare treasure, but unfortunately, it doesn't belong to the same path as the cultivation art I practice."
Experiencing this Dao charm firsthand benefited him as well, but he wasn't a cultivator of this path. He couldn't directly break through his realm after comprehending it the way Qin Tian could.
Qin Tian cultivated the Heavenly Human Art, so he understood the painting more deeply than Jiang Taiyuan. He exclaimed, "To infuse the Dao into a painting—the one who created this must be an unfathomably powerful senior expert."
Then he and Jiang Taiyuan both turned to Qin Yudie curiously and asked in unison, "Yudie, how did you get this painting?"
Thinking of the handsome young man, Qin Yudie felt a surge of admiration. "The owner of the painting gave it to me."
That senior had given her such a painting. His generosity was unmatched by anyone she had ever met.
"What? The painter!" Qin Tian exclaimed excitedly. "Where is that senior? Take me to pay him a visit right away!"
In Tianren City, Qin Yudie felt a little uneasy. She turned to Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan and reminded them once more, "Grandpa, Grandpa Jiang, Senior Xu is a reclusive expert. He must be hoping to experience the mortal world as an ordinary person. Be sure not to bring up cultivation, or you might upset him."
She didn't know whether Xu Yan would be happy to see her, but he had treated her kindly that morning and even given her a painting, so she had come anyway.
At that moment, Xu Yan was writing beneath the osmanthus tree in front of his little shop. The verse he was writing read, "Before me, no ancients; behind me, no one to come."
Only after finishing the final stroke did he notice three people standing behind him, gazing at the poem he had just written as if entranced.
What was going on? Wasn't that the young lady from this morning? Why had she brought two old men along?
Xu Yan was puzzled. "Miss Qin, who are these two?"
He already had a pretty good idea. Judging by how much the two old men liked his poem, they were probably calligraphy and painting enthusiasts whom the young lady had brought to visit him, a master of calligraphy and painting.
Hearing Lin Yansheng's voice, Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan hurriedly tore their attention away from the poem, clasped their hands, and bowed to him. "Senior Xu, we've come to pay you a visit, having heard so much about you."
At first, when they saw how young Xu Yan looked, they had wondered if Qin Yudie had made a mistake.
But after seeing the poem he had written, they realized just how badly they had been mistaken. The person before them was unquestionably a true reclusive expert.
Not only could he write such an exquisite poem, he could also infuse it with the Great Dao. He had to be a senior whose cultivation had reached the pinnacle.
His youthful appearance was easy enough to understand. If a powerful expert at the pinnacle couldn't keep his face young forever, then what kind of expert was he?
Xu Yan hadn't expected two old men old enough to be his grandfathers to bow and call him senior. He hurriedly helped Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan to their feet and said with a wry smile, "There's no need for such formalities, gentlemen."
Today was the first time he'd learned just how important talent was. It could win over young women—not to mention old men.
Qin Tian's eyes shifted as he asked, "Senior Xu, do you usually live here?"
The shop was close to Tianren Sect. If Senior Xu lived here, Qin Tian would have plenty of opportunities to visit him.
As the saying went, "The one nearest the water gets the moon first." He would also be the first to receive Senior Xu's guidance.
Xu Yan smiled. "I've always lived here. You two are welcome to stop by whenever you like."
The two old men had rosy complexions and looked nothing like ordinary elderly men. They were probably cultivators.
After winning over two more cultivators with his talents, Xu Yan was already taking it in stride. He felt like saying, with casual confidence:
Having talent really is something!
Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan both looked delighted. Qin Tian's breathing quickened as he said, "Since you welcome me, I'll come visit you often, Senior."
He could already picture Tianren Sect rising to great heights. If they could cling to Senior Xu—a towering tree, no, a colossal tree—how could they fail to prosper?
"All right, gentlemen. Miss Qin, come inside and have a seat," Xu Yan said as he put away his calligraphy.
Guests had arrived, so naturally he had to brew them a pot of tea. They were his admirers, after all.
Qin Yudie, Qin Tian, and Jiang Taiyuan followed Xu Yan into the "What Are You Looking At?" shop.
Then they saw the various calligraphy and paintings hanging in the shop's front room. The boundless will of the Great Dao surged toward them, leaving them rooted to the spot.
Qin Yudie fared better. She had experienced it once before and was prepared this time, so she quickly broke free of the will of the Great Dao. She didn't dare delve any deeper into the Dao charms within the paintings.
Beside her, Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan had already become immersed in the various Dao charms.
Xu Yan cleared a table and brewed a pot of tea. When he saw Qin Yudie and the two old men still standing there in a daze, he called out, "Gentlemen, Miss Qin, please sit down. The tea is ready."
As soon as his voice rang out, the Dao charms in the front room vanished, and everything returned to normal.
Only then did Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan break free of the Dao charms. They exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in the other's eyes.
Then they, along with Qin Yudie, obediently took their seats as Xu Yan had asked.
Lin Yansheng poured a cup of tea for Qin Tian, Jiang Taiyuan, and Qin Yudie. With confident modesty, he said, "The tea is rather ordinary, so please bear with it."
Unable to cultivate, he had mastered everything beyond cultivation, reaching the pinnacle in all of it. He was fairly confident in his tea-making skills.
Qin Tian, Jiang Taiyuan, and Qin Yudie were all overwhelmed by the honor. They hurriedly picked up their cups and took a small sip.
The tea itself was ordinary, but the skill of the person who brewed it was extraordinary. So even ordinary tea tasted extraordinary.
More importantly, this pot of tea also contained the laws of Heaven and Earth and the ultimate truths of the Great Dao.
After a sip, Qin Yudie broke through her realm, going from the peak of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm to the early stage of the Spiritual Roaming Realm!
Her beautiful eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at the tea in her hand. Then she couldn't help drinking the entire cup, a satisfied blush spreading across her cheeks.
Xu Yan drank a cup too. Just as he was marveling at how damn good it tasted, he noticed the strange blush on Qin Yudie's face.
No way, no way. Could drinking tea really make someone...?
Qin Tian finished his tea and slowly set down the cup. He took out a token and offered it to Lin Yansheng, saying respectfully, "Senior Xu, my name is Qin Tian. Please accept this token. You can hang it by your door to deter petty troublemakers."
It was the token of Tianren Sect's Supreme Elder. Cultivators in the area around Tianren Mountain would recognize it, and it could keep minor cultivators from causing trouble.
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