Enlightenment Tea Branch, a Generous Patriarch

The tree branch was as thick as an arm and over ten feet long. At its end, it branched into more than a dozen thin branches that looked like deer antlers. The branches had few leaves, as if they had been plucked bare. The bark was covered with irregular wrinkles like scales, resembling parched earth.

It seemed unremarkable at first glance, but when people looked closely at the patterns on the branches, they felt as if they contained some kind of Dao Resonance, easily attracting people's attention.

"What is this?" Wu Chu looked at the ancestor with some confusion.

The others also turned their curious gazes to the strange branch.

"This is a broken branch of the Enlightenment Tree, which I obtained from the Primordial Chaos. I don't know if it can be saved. Since you like tea, I will give it to you. It's not that I'm entrusting this to the wrong person, but also a way of thanking you for letting me experience these new things."

Wu Chu repeatedly said, "I dare not," "This item is far too valuable; I cannot accept it. Moreover, these things are to express my gratitude for your saving my life. How could I possibly accept such a precious item?"

Although I really wanted this thing... regardless of whether it could save the person, at least it was Primordial Chaos entity! In this Primordial World, anything that could be associated with the word 'Primordial Chaos' couldn't be anything bad. But I still had to be polite.

In fact, in this Primordial World, people generally don't take back what they've prepared as gifts. At this time, those who don't play by the rules are still a minority; everyone has their pride, and there aren't as many set rules yet.

Therefore, Wu Chu knew that his ancestor most likely wouldn't take the item back. So, from that perspective, he had to be polite.

"Young friend, there's no need for you to stand on ceremony with me. I'm planning to stay here for a few days to take a look at the mountains and terrain formations outside. Is that alright?"

"Of course, of course! Senior, you can stay with me for as long as you like! I would be more than happy to accept." Wu Chu hurriedly agreed.

"Then keep it! This humble Daoist also wishes to see if I can revive this creature."

"Hey hey!"

Wu Chu respectfully accepted the branch.

The branch felt surprisingly heavy, not at all as light as Wu Chu had imagined. While not as heavy as a mountain, it certainly felt like a small one. Fortunately, Wu Chu was no longer the same Wu Chu who couldn't even lift a sword.

A gentle tap on its branches produces a sound like the clanging of metal.

"Senior, how can this be cured? Can Merit it?"

"It's worth a try!"

Wu Chu nodded upon hearing this, put it away, and then asked, "If this item can be used to revive the dead, how should it be used? If I process it as I am doing now, will it damage the Dao Resonance of the Enlightenment Tea Leaves?"

"This humble Daoist priest is not entirely sure either, but I suppose it's unlikely! In the past, I simply held the leaves in my mouth, silently sensing the Dao Resonance within..."

Sure enough, you're the one who plucked all the leaves off here, old man!

Of course, Wu Chu dared not say such a thing; the thought was extinguished the moment it crossed his mind.

A moment later, Little Moon Spirit brought up steaming hot food. Looking at the colorful and fragrant dishes, the ancestor's expression flashed with surprise, "This is food?"

It's not that he's never eaten before, but he's never actually eaten food that looks so appealing, smells so delicious, and is steaming hot like this.

The old ancestor seemed to have never expected that this trip would lead to so many completely unexpected things.

Could it be that this was the very place where that sudden impulse was meant to be?

The old ancestor stared at the food in silence.

"This is sweet and sour pork ribs made from the ribs of the Dang Kang beast..." Wu Chu introduced to the ancestor, then gestured for Little Moon Spirit to continue the introduction.

The sugar was naturally extracted from the Sugarcane brought back by Hong Yun, and the vinegar was even simpler: fruit wines that were not stored properly would turn sour and become vinegar.

Little Moon Spirit received a look from Wu Chu and then began explaining the food to the ancestor.

Listening to Little Moon Spirit's introduction, the ancestor tried the food. Although he had never used chopsticks before, it was no problem for him at all.

"So the Dao of Food has such splendor!" the old patriarch exclaimed, then looked up at Wu Chu, "Young friend, you have truly broadened my horizons."

"Senior, you flatter me. These are merely minor techniques, used to relieve the worries of cultivation and to provide some relief on this long path of cultivation. I would never dare to let Yueling and the others become too immersed in these techniques."

The old ancestor nodded slightly, said nothing more, and began to enjoy the delicious food.

From that day on, the ancestor settled down on Purple Jade Mountain.

Occasionally, I would go out to see the Mountain Terrain Formation Array, and after reflecting on them, I would enjoy the delicious food prepared by Little Moon Spirit, the Tea Dao by the Little Fox, and the singing and dancing performances by the Little Flower Fairies.

Wu Chu then planted the withered section of the Enlightenment Tree into the Primordial One-Qi Pure Spirit Spring, and occasionally used his Merit to nurture and stimulate it, hoping to activate it.

This continued for several years, and Wu Chu gradually became familiar with the patriarch. Although he didn't dare to talk to him as an equal or joke with him like he did with Hong Yun and the others, he did gain some superficial understanding of the patriarch's temperament.

Despite his dignified and otherworldly demeanor, the patriarch is actually quite a foodie. He spends most of his time talking to Little Moon Spirit and even helped Little Moon Spirit refine a set of Spirit Treasure kitchen utensils.

The entire set of kitchen utensils is stored in a small toolbox, which together forms a top-grade Upper-Grade Spirit Treasure. Each individual piece is at least Mid-Grade Spirit Treasure.

For knives, there are those specifically for cutting vegetables, chopping bones, deboning, and slicing fruit. For spatulas, there are those for small woks, frying pans, etc.

After getting this set of kitchen utensils, Little Moon Spirit was so happy that she cooked delicious meals for him every day.

Seeing this, the Little Fox also began to fawn over the old ancestor, brewing him tea every day.

Finally, the patriarch seemed a little embarrassed and casually gave the Little Fox an Upper-Grade Spirit Treasure. It was clear that the patriarch preferred food to tea.

In addition, the old ancestor also liked to play Go. After understanding the rules of Go, Wu Chu began to play with him. However, after only two days, Wu Chu had the Little Fox play with him instead.

If it weren't for the Little Fox playing Go with him, he wouldn't have gotten that magical Spirit Treasure!

Then Wu Chu presented this set of Black-and-White Chess, which might be the first of its kind in the world, to the old man. Although it was only a low-grade Merit Spiritual Treasure, the old man was still very happy to accept it and poured a lot of Merit into the Black-and-White Chess pieces, which directly upgraded this low-grade Merit Spiritual Treasure to a high-grade Merit Spiritual Treasure.

Upon seeing this, Wu Chu finally understood what arrogance truly meant.

He thought that he had many ways to accumulate Merit, and none of his friends could match him in terms of the amount of Merit he had accumulated.

But aside from the time he saved the Sacred Tree, he would never dare to use his Merit so extravagantly under normal circumstances.

Faced with such an arrogant patriarch, Wu Chu finally mustered the courage to ask to become his disciple.

If such a lucrative opportunity is presented to you, it would be a waste not to seize it quickly.

The opportunity was given to you, and if you didn't seize it, you can only blame yourself for being useless, right?

Unfortunately, the patriarch refused, saying the time was not yet ripe.

Wu Chu understood what the ancestor meant by "the time has not yet come." He guessed it was because the ancestor had not yet foreseen the path to sainthood and felt that he was not yet worthy to be his teacher.

But Wu Chu couldn't show that he understood what he meant, so he could only ask him with a puzzled look, "Senior, what do you mean by 'the time has not yet come'?"

The old ancestor calculated with his fingers and said, "The secrets of heaven are not yet clear and are difficult to predict. Just wait and see! Your path of cultivation has not yet come to an end. Whether you take a master or not now is not important."

Wu Chu really wanted to say, "Don't worry! With a master like you around, I don't need to be afraid of that old bastard Luohou Hou watching me!"

However, it's naturally inappropriate to openly admit to such blatant attempts to curry favor with powerful figures or find a backer.

Moreover, if one could become his disciple now, one could become the eldest disciple of the Three Thousand Guests of Purple Cloud! Who knows, he might even sit on the throne of the Jade Emperor someday!

Unfortunately, the ancestor did not give him this opportunity, and it is unknown whether the ancestor deduced Wu's treacherous schemes.

Although the patriarch did not accept him as a disciple, he still bestowed upon him a jade pendant.

The jade pendant was milky white, about the size of Little Moon Spirit's palm, and carved with a lifelike lotus flower. Of course, this was only its surface; if that were all, it wouldn't amount to much. In this Primordial World, jade was worthless.

The true value of this jade pendant lies in the countless array formations and restrictions recorded within it, including those used for refining Spirit Treasure and for setting up arrays.

Compared to the array formations and restrictions that Wu Chu obtained from Fuxi, Nuwa, Hong Yun, and Zhen Yuanzi, these formations are not only more comprehensive but also more profound.

Although the ancestor did not bestow upon him Spirit Treasure, this jade slip alone is already priceless.

And so, five years later, the patriarch finally took his leave.

I'll add an extra chapter first! Thank you brothers and sisters for the rewards, subscriptions, and votes. I've been trying to save up some chapters lately, but I haven't been able to. I was thinking of doing a big update next month, but I haven't been able to put it into practice yet. Sigh! Starting today, I'll save one chapter every day, and by next month I'll have ten chapters. Then I'll do a big update! Please cheer me on! Thank you!