He Broke Through the World Barrier! Now That's Taking Bragging Too Far!

That afternoon, in the Tea Hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

A light breeze drifted through the window and stirred the curtains. The room was quiet and serene, filled with the lingering fragrance of tea.

Ning Rongrong arranged the tea utensils.

Rinsing the leaves, warming the cups, pouring the water, serving the tea—every movement was graceful, precise, and fluid. She sat with perfect posture and a calm bearing, without a trace of the willful Little Witch she used to be.

An amateur saw a performance; an expert saw the skill behind it.

Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong watched quietly, approval in their eyes.

It seemed inviting Tang Yuehua had been the right choice after all.

Even Ning Wen, a complete outsider to the Tea Ceremony, could tell at a glance that Ning Rongrong's movements were elegant and seamless, flowing as naturally as water. She looked as though she had studied it in earnest.

In fact, she had.

Two whole months would have been far more time than she needed to learn etiquette alone.

To win Ning Wen's favor and turn Ning Rongrong into a proper young lady of a distinguished family,

Ning Fengzhi had asked Tang Yuehua to teach her not only court etiquette, but also everything she knew about the Tea Ceremony, Flower Arrangement, and Elegant Music.

Today was essentially her final examination.

She would show Ning Fengzhi, Gu Rong, and Chen Xin what she had learned over the past two months.

Even Ning Wen had been dragged here.

This was also Tang Yuehua's answer to Ning Fengzhi.

Taking in their reactions, Ning Rongrong's lips curved slightly upward.

For the past two months, every day had been torture.

Once today was over, she would finally escape and return to her old carefree life.

Ning Wen, just you wait.

Just then, the Voice Pack sounded again.

[Hmph! What a pretentious show of refinement!]

Ning Wen: "..."

It had only just finished tormenting Qian Renxue, and now it was going after Ning Rongrong!

Come on, could you give it a rest?

Ning Rongrong's face darkened.

Calm down. Calm down. Pretend you didn't hear it.

Damn it, she couldn't stand this!

Pretentious? Just wait until she showed him what she could do!!!

She wasn't pretending to be refined—!!!

Did he think those two months of hell had been for nothing?

Ning Rongrong swallowed her anger and devoted all her attention to brewing the tea.

She was going to make that bastard eat his words!

[What a waste of good tea.]

[The water's too hot, the steeping time's too long, the ratio of leaves to water is off, and her technique is stiff and forced.]

[It looks fluid, but it's riddled with flaws. She's copied the form without grasping the spirit.]

[And there she is, looking so composed. Where does she get the confidence?]

Ning Wen: "..."

He had not noticed anything wrong before, but after hearing the Voice Pack point it out,

Ning Rongrong, who had seemed so composed to him, suddenly looked a little... funny?

The corners of his mouth rose against his will. He nearly burst out laughing.

Hold it in. Hold it in—!!!

Ning Rongrong happened to catch the look on Ning Wen's face, as though he might laugh at any moment.

In an instant, the anger she had forced down erupted.

Her grip tightened around the teapot. Its spout wavered, and a few drops of scalding tea splashed onto the bare wooden table beyond the tea tray, leaving little wet marks.

[Oh? That's all it takes?]

[This Seat's eye for people is as sharp as ever!]

[Someone who truly understands the Tea Ceremony is relaxed in body and mind, with their intent flowing into the tea. They'd never look like her.]

[That woman Tang Yuehua only taught her the motions, not the right frame of mind. In the end, all she learned was an empty performance.]

[For all I know, that's the limit of Tang Yuehua's skill too!]

[Yes, that must be it!]

[The Clear Sky Sect is full of brutes. What the hell would they know about tea?]

[Tang Yuehua only put her energy into this because she couldn't cultivate. Her talent is probably nothing special.]

Now it was Tang Yuehua's turn to darken in expression.

Mocking her for no reason was bad enough, but he had even started disparaging the Clear Sky Sect.

Though, to be fair, he was not entirely wrong about that.

Ning Wen could not hold back any longer. With a snort, he laughed aloud in front of everyone.

"What are you laughing at?"

Ning Rongrong's anger surged. Unable to bear it any longer, she glared at Ning Wen.

"I... remembered something funny."

Ning Wen hurriedly wiped the smile from his face and answered with a straight face.

[Utterly laughable.]

[In This Seat's previous life, my strength surpassed the limits of the Douluo Universe. With the power of the Kunlun Mirror, I broke through the world barrier and took my wives to a new world.]

[There, countless Deities and Great Emperors lined up to invite This Seat to taste tea and discuss the Dao.]

[Apart from the handful who caught This Seat's eye, I could hardly be bothered to give any of them a glance.]

[And she dares put on airs and flaunt her refinement before This Seat with tea-making skills so crude they don't even qualify as beginner level?]

[Hahaha! She's killing me!]

Ning Wen's mind filled with question marks.

Wasn't this Voice Pack taking its bragging a bit too far?

Now it was claiming to have broken through a world barrier?

And those Great Emperors... surely it didn't mean the kind he was thinking of?

A God King from the bottom rung of fantasy worlds like Douluo would be reduced to ash by a single slap from even the weakest Great Emperor.

If you're going to compare yourself to them, at least make it believable!

"What? Do you think my tea-making is bad?"

Ning Rongrong set down the teapot and looked at Ning Wen, defiance in her voice.

"No... not at all..."

Ning Wen shook his head and answered honestly, "I don't understand refined things like this."

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received an additional reward: Transcendent Tea Mastery."

Right then, the system announced his reward.

At the same moment, countless profound insights into the Tea Ceremony flooded Ning Wen's mind.

From the ancient methods of roasting tea, choosing water, and controlling heat to entering a focused state and comprehending the Dao through tea... The essence of the Tea Ceremony and its countless refined subtleties were etched into his mind and his very instincts.

The Tea Ceremony, which had seemed nothing special to him before, was now perfectly clear.

When he thought back over Ning Rongrong's brewing process, every flaw, every stiff or clumsy movement, stood out starkly.

Only then did he realize the Voice Pack had been right. Ning Rongrong's grasp of the Tea Ceremony went no deeper than its outward form.

[Even tea I brew without trying would be a hundred, a thousand times better than yours, you stupid woman.]

"If you don't understand it, why did you laugh just now?"

Ning Rongrong's face flushed with anger as she confronted Ning Wen. "You were clearly making fun of me!"

"I really didn't understand the Tea Ceremony before. I only knew a little about it."

Ning Wen looked utterly innocent, as though he were the victim here.

[Even the little I know about the Tea Ceremony is far beyond what you learned from studying it.]

[Stupid woman, know your limits, will you?]

The taunts that kept sounding in his mind made Ning Wen laugh again.