Fleecing My Senior Brothers and Sisters with Dao Enlightenment Tea

Jade Pillar Mountain lay south of Kunlun Mountain, shrouded year-round in a layer of warm light. Its peak stood like a colossal white jade pillar thrust into the earth, branded with innate cloud patterns that gave off a faint, multicolored glow.

When Yellow Dragon arrived atop a cloud, the vast white jade platform at the mountain's center was already shimmering with immortal light.

South Pole Immortal Elder wore an apricot-yellow Daoist robe. With a coiling-dragon staff in one hand and his snowy beard twirled in the other, he stood at the platform's edge, his baby-fat face beaming as he conversed with the guests. Beside him stood a young attendant clad in white feathered robes—the White Crane Boy of the Jade Pure lineage—watching the arrivals with curious eyes.

Yellow Dragon descended from his cloud and landed on the platform. He cupped his hands toward South Pole Immortal Elder. "Greetings, Senior Brother South Pole. Yellow Dragon arrived late; I hope Senior Brother will forgive me." He swept his gaze over the platform, where several figures had already taken their seats.

South Pole Immortal Elder led Yellow Dragon before the others and introduced them.

"You met Guangchengzi when you first took a master, so there is no need for another introduction."

"This is Duobao, Eldest Disciple of Martial Uncle Tongtian." South Pole Immortal Elder led Yellow Dragon before a sturdy-built Daoist in golden robes. The man wore a smiling face and looked blessed with good fortune.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Duobao." Yellow Dragon bowed to Duobao.

Duobao returned the salute and said, "Greetings, Junior Brother Yellow Dragon. I heard that Jade Pure Martial Uncle had taken in a new disciple, yet I had never met you. Now that I see you today, you truly are anything but ordinary."

"You overpraise me, Senior Brother."

After South Pole Immortal Elder introduced Golden Spirit, Xuandu, and the others to one another, everyone took their seats.

South Pole Immortal Elder spoke. "Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, I have gathered everyone here this time first to verify and discuss our respective cultivation of the Great Dao. My cultivation is the highest, so I shall start us off."

South Pole Immortal Elder's aura abruptly became gentle and profound, radiating boundless vitality. "Heaven and earth have their span, but the Great Dao is endless. My Dao lies in 'life'! Following the seasons of heaven, nurturing the qi of life, extending one's lifespan, and comprehending the ceaseless generation of creation." He spoke of prolonging life and attaining longevity, of understanding the natural growth of all things.

Then Guangchengzi, Duobao, Golden Spirit, Yellow Dragon, and Xuandu each displayed the Great Dao they cultivated.

As the Dao was expounded, they listened with rapt attention at times, clapped and cheered at others, sometimes furrowed their brows in thought, and sometimes suddenly grasped an insight. Even the standing White Crane Boy listened until he spread his wings and soared high. The cloud patterns on the pillar were stirred by the Dao rhythm as well, their glowing paths becoming ever more mysterious, as though answering this rare discussion of the Dao.

As the voices expounding the Dao gradually fell silent, the Dao rhythm suffusing Jade Pillar Peak slowly dispersed.

At this point, South Pole Immortal Elder announced that the first part of the gathering, the discussion of the Dao, had concluded perfectly. They would now begin the second—and most important—part.

South Pole Immortal Elder walked to the center and swept his coiling-dragon staff. His voice carried outward. "Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, please look."

Once he finished speaking, White Crane Boy slowly stepped before the group, both hands holding a foot-long tray of green jade. A thin gauze covered the tray.

Everyone's eyes fixed upon it. Faint sounds of wind and thunder reached their ears, while a peculiar, refreshing fragrance spread from the jade tray.

Seeing the anticipation in their eyes, South Pole Immortal Elder smiled faintly. He extended five fingers and gently lifted the gauze.

Flash!

Dazzling lightning exploded from the tray!

Several strange fruits lay quietly at its center. They were shaped like hearts, plump and full, their azure and violet hues intertwined to form two natural patterns.

"Wind Thunder Immortal Apricots!" Guangchengzi cried out first, his face filled with shock as he stared fixedly at the fruits.

Duobao drew in a sharp breath. His smile froze, turning into an expression both solemn and yearning. "An innate spiritual root! One of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots! It contains the origin of the Dao of wind and thunder... Fellow Daoist South Pole, Martial Uncle Yuanshi...!"

South Pole Immortal Elder nodded. "Master learned that we disciples were mutually verifying what we had learned, so he instructed me to pluck these immortal apricots and bestow them upon you all."

Yellow Dragon stared intently at the immortal apricots as well, sensing the surging power of wind and thunder laws within them. His heart stirred. These things were indeed far too precious—treasures that even Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals coveted.

Seeing everyone's reaction, South Pole Immortal Elder said nothing further. With a lift of his coiling-dragon staff, the immortal apricots flew one by one before the gathered disciples.

"These immortal apricots were bestowed by Master. May you all forge ever onward, without pause upon the Great Dao." South Pole Immortal Elder's voice seemed to resonate with the apricots' aura. "Accept them for now. Cultivate with all your hearts, and do not disgrace the name of the Three Pure Ones!"

Everyone bowed together in the direction of Supreme Pure Peak. Only then did they put away the immortal apricots, intending to return to their respective Daoist grounds and enter seclusion to refine them through cultivation.

After thinking for a moment, Yellow Dragon spoke. "It is rare for all my senior brothers and sister to gather today. This junior brother has joined Kunlun for over a hundred years, yet never paid visits to you all. Today, taking advantage of Senior Brother South Pole's Dao discussion gathering, I offer my apologies. These are some spiritual teas bestowed upon me by elders of my Dragon Clan. Their flavor is quite good, and I invite my senior brothers and sister to judge them."

As he spoke, Yellow Dragon took out several teacups and placed one Dao Enlightenment Tea leaf into each. He then drew a stream of spiritual spring water from deep within Jade Pillar Mountain. Once it had boiled, he poured it into the cups. Immediately, a rich tea fragrance accompanied by Dao rhythm spread through the air.

With a wave of Yellow Dragon's hand, the teacups slowly floated before Duobao and the others. Yellow Dragon lifted his own cup and said, "Senior Brothers, Senior Sister Golden Spirit, please!"

Xuandu was the first to take a teacup into his hand. "Thank you, Senior Brother Yellow Dragon. I am exceedingly fond of your Dao Enlightenment Tea." With that, he tipped back his head and drained the tea in one gulp. He set down the cup, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

"Dao Enlightenment Tea!"

South Pole Immortal Elder and the others froze at first, then caught their cups and drank in turn. Some contemplated the Great Dao, some deduced formations, some practiced divine abilities...!

For a time, all manner of phenomena illuminated the void over Jade Pillar Peak, several degrees more magnificent than the Dao discussion from earlier that day.

The Golden Immortals, along with South Pole Immortal Elder, a Grand Unity Immortal, all gained immensely. When the final phenomenon faded, everyone finally clasped their hands toward Yellow Dragon in thanks.

Duobao stared straight at Yellow Dragon and said, "Junior Brother Yellow Dragon, how much Dao Enlightenment Tea do you have left? If you have any to spare, could you let me have some? Rest assured, Senior Brother will offer something that satisfies you in exchange."

The others, their hearts stirred, looked at Yellow Dragon and nodded.

Under Duobao and the others' watchful gazes, Yellow Dragon took out three jade boxes and three jade gourds.

Yellow Dragon opened one jade box and one jade gourd. A crisp, refreshing tea fragrance and a violent liquor fragrance instantly spread across Jade Pillar Peak.

They were Dao Enlightenment Tea leaves and Blood Date Wine, brewed from Blood Red Dates combined with many innate spiritual medicines. Yellow Dragon briefly explained the effects of the Blood Date Wine.

Liquor brewed from spiritual-root fruits immediately caught the attention of Duobao and the other Golden Immortals.

Duobao's eyes lit up at once. He immediately fixed his gaze on the Dao Enlightenment Tea and Blood Date Wine on Yellow Dragon's table, and a stone radiating a faint yellow glow appeared in his hand. "Junior Brother, this wine makes one's blood and qi boil. Just smelling it makes my blood and qi surge—good stuff, I like it! I'll trade this piece of 'Mysterious Yellow Stone' for it! This Mysterious Yellow Stone can be refined into several strands of innate Mysterious Yellow qi, which can aid a Golden Immortal in tempering an indestructible golden body!"

As expected of Duobao—he made a grand gesture the moment he acted.