The moment the hot water touched the tea leaves, a rich fragrance wafted into his nose and spread in every direction.
In an instant, it filled the entire house.
"This Enlightenment Tea seems far more fragrant than the previous batches!"
"Is it because it's aged tea?"
Given Enlightenment Tea's unique properties, very little ever survived long enough to age, even though everyone knew its fragrance improved over time.
After all, no matter how fragrant the tea became, how could that compare to sudden enlightenment and increased strength?
Once he confirmed the Enlightenment Tea had steeped, Chen Tianlin poured himself a cup.
He savored its fragrance first, then tasted it.
One cup down, and he attained sudden enlightenment on the spot!
A cultivation technique that had troubled him for over half a year without any progress instantly reached full mastery!
"..." Looking at the pot, still more than half full, Chen Tianlin did not know whether to rejoice or worry.
Wasn't this a little too fast?
One cup, and he attained sudden enlightenment just like that?
"Could my fortune have grown stronger?"
He looked at the remaining Enlightenment Tea. Since he had already brewed it, he certainly could not waste it.
He poured another cup. Simply enjoying its flavor would be nice, too.
Another cup went down.
"How is this possible?!"
To his astonishment, Chen Tianlin discovered that he had attained sudden enlightenment again!
This time, he comprehended an exceptionally unusual cultivation method unlike anything he had ever encountered.
"Isn't Enlightenment Tea only supposed to grant sudden enlightenment once every six months?" For a moment, Chen Tianlin wondered whether something had gone wrong with the Heavenly Dao Order.
Once the Heavenly Dao recovered, would the cultivation method in his mind be erased?
Or could it be...
He lowered his gaze to the empty teacup. "Is there something unusual about this Enlightenment Tea?"
To test his suspicion, Chen Tianlin hurriedly poured another cup.
He drained it in one gulp and attained sudden enlightenment again!
Another cup, another sudden enlightenment!
He kept going! Once again, enlightenment came instantly!
"Is this really... Enlightenment Tea?" Looking at the remaining Enlightenment Tea Cake in his hand, Chen Tianlin was beside himself with excitement.
One enlightenment per cup. Absolutely no one would believe it if he told them.
Even that person in the Heavenly Spirit Mountains would probably drop their jaw upon hearing it.
Now Chen Tianlin finally understood why Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng could summon purple qi from the east and a profusion of auspicious signs merely by drinking tea!
This was Immortal Tea, hundreds or even thousands of times more potent than Enlightenment Tea!
"With this, I might actually be able to break through to Great Emperor!"
After considering it carefully, Chen Tianlin immediately decided to enter secluded cultivation. Taking the cake of Enlightenment Tea with him, he headed to the mountain behind the estate.
He entered a cave dwelling rich in spiritual energy, then summoned a huge boulder to seal its entrance.
Next, he went deep into the cave and sat cross-legged on a large slab of blue stone.
He brewed some tea and began drawing spiritual energy into his body, cultivating and improving his cultivation to lay the groundwork for breaking through to the Great Emperor Realm...
News that Chen Tianlin had entered seclusion to attempt a breakthrough to Great Emperor soon reached Chen Mu through conversations outside the courtyard wall.
He was certain Chen Tianlin had most likely discovered the marvelous effects of the Enlightenment Tea cake he had given him.
"Is my Chen family about to produce another Great Emperor of this age?"
Having a Great Emperor for a father would instantly fill his sense of security to the brim!
Just thinking about it made Chen Mu a little excited.
Upon becoming a Great Emperor, one could receive the Heavenly Dao Blessing and become the strongest person alive!!
Given his place in Chen Tianlin's heart, Chen Mu could say with absolute certainty that his future was secured!
Time to be a slacker. If he did not slack off now, when would he?
"Sure enough, no amount of talent beats having a powerful, wealthy family!" Chen Mu lay on a lounge chair, his body below the neck basking in direct sunlight while his head rested just within the tree's shade.
He was utterly at ease.
Ye Qingcheng?
She had just left for the Trial Tower to continue cultivating and strengthening herself.
[Signing in...] [Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host! You have obtained a Great Emperor Cultivation Experience Pack!]
"..." Chen Mu fell silent.
System, isn't this a little inappropriate?
Only one Great Emperor can exist in this world. If I become a Great Emperor, what will happen to my father?
The system offered an explanation: [Rest assured, host. The system's rewards exist outside the Heavenly Dao Laws. You will not be subject to their restrictions.]
In short, the Heavenly Dao could restrict others, but it could not restrict Chen Mu.
However, once Chen Mu used this Great Emperor Cultivation Experience Pack, it would still affect Chen Tianlin.
He decided to wait until his father finished his secluded cultivation and broke through to Great Emperor before using the Experience Pack to reach Great Emperor in a single step. That would be safer.
With that Enlightenment Tea Cake, Chen Mu believed that, given Chen Tianlin's fortune and strength, his breakthrough to Great Emperor would only take a few days.
After all, among this generation's Quasi-Emperors, he had always been the one most likely to become a Great Emperor.
A Great Emperor father, the Invincible Domain, and his own Great Emperor cultivation.
Secure. This was far too secure!
Suddenly, he felt a sense of... this is actually pretty sweet.
He sighed. "Sure enough, no human can escape the law of 'this is actually pretty sweet.'"
Even without this system that handed him everything for free, Chen Mu could have comfortably lazed around.
Still, who could guarantee that his peaceful life would not be shattered someday?
Even slacking off required something to fall back on!
What was wrong with taking an extra precaution?
He stopped letting his thoughts wander and waved a hand, fading the system's virtual panel out of sight.
"Mmm..." He rolled over.
The sunshine was just right, perfect for an afternoon nap.
He felt languid, carefree, and utterly at ease...
Eastern Pole Holy Land.
Zhao Yuhao disembarked from the Flying Boat alongside Zhao Yueling, who had only just awakened and remained somewhat dazed, and the others.
"Junior sister, you've only just recovered, and you're still very weak. Leave the Holy Lord and the elders to me. Go back and rest first."
"Sorry for the trouble, senior brother." Zhao Yueling did not refuse Zhao Yuhao's kindness.
She truly felt weak. Standing a little longer might make her faint, and all she wanted was to lie down and recuperate.
After watching Zhao Yueling leave, Zhao Yuhao headed to the Holy Land Hall alone.
Seeing Zhao Yuhao return, an elder rose impatiently and asked, "Well, Yu Hao? Are the rumors about the Tianyuan Young Master from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion true or false?"
"Holy Lord, elders, after this visit, I can say with complete confidence that not only are the rumors true, they actually understate the Tianyuan Young Master's abilities," Zhao Yuhao replied.
"Understate them? What do you mean?"
To Zhao Guizhen and the others, the version circulated by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was already outrageously exaggerated. They had never expected Zhao Yuhao to say such a thing.
"Holy Lord, the Tianyuan Young Master has now successfully entered the Grandmaster realm."
Zhao Yuhao's words sent a shock through everyone present.
"The Grandmaster realm? It's only been a few days!"
"It seems his talent truly is terrifying, and the Tianyuan Holy Land's reserves are far greater than we imagined!"
"He broke through to the Grandmaster realm in just a few days. Doesn't that mean he'll soon enter the Quasi-Emperor Realm and attain the Dao as a Great Emperor?"
"That's outrageous! Absolutely absurd!"
Before the others could process this, Zhao Yuhao continued, "I personally witnessed Heavenly Thunder strike the Tianyuan Young Master as though it were merely tickling him. He even absorbed it through his Saint Body and converted it into cultivation, rapidly increasing his strength."
"Absorbing Heavenly Thunder!"
"Absorbing Heavenly Thunder? Is that really something a normal person can do?"
"Wait! Did you just say he also has a Saint Body??"
"That's right!" Zhao Yuhao nodded firmly. "The Tianyuan Young Master awakened the Myriad Thunder Dao Body, ranked twenty-eighth on the Physique Rankings!"
"The Myriad Thunder Dao Body!"
"Twenty-eighth on the Physique Rankings! That's unquestionably a top-tier Saint Body!"
"The Myriad Thunder Dao Body hasn't appeared for tens of thousands of years, has it?"
"A Thunder Attribute Saint Body, together with a Heaven-Rank Supreme Thunder Spirit Root. Heavens! I truly cannot imagine what world-stunning accomplishments this Tianyuan Young Master will achieve in the future!"
"Besides that..."
There was more?!
He felt everyone's astonished gazes converge on him.
Zhao Yuhao steadied his heartbeat.
Even after witnessing it personally, recounting it still left him shaken.
Thus, he was not surprised by the genuine reactions Zhao Guizhen and the others displayed.
He continued, "Besides that, the Tianyuan Young Master discovered an evil entity hiding inside Junior Sister Zhao."
"If my judgment is correct, that Demonic Beast was the core member of the Demon Cult we failed to find during our previous trip to the Longevity Mountain Range."
"What! A member of the Demon Cult actually possessed Yueling!" At those words, Zhao Guizhen grew frantic.
He sprang to his feet in alarm.
"Please rest assured, Holy Lord. The Tianyuan Young Master forced that Demonic Beast out with Heavenly Thunder and slew it with a single sword strike."
"Junior sister has returned safely to the Eastern Pole Holy Land. She is merely a little weak and is recuperating at her residence."
Only after hearing Zhao Yuhao's words did Zhao Guizhen finally calm down.
He sat back down on the Holy Lord's throne.
"To think an evil entity was actually living inside the Saintess."
"No wonder the Saintess has felt so strange to me lately."
"That evil fiend's Concealment Art even fooled us! How hateful!"
"Speaking of which, what ultimately happened to that evil fiend?" the third elder asked.
"Knowing he was no match, the evil fiend tried to flee, but the Tianyuan Young Master slew him with a single sword strike! Not a scrap of his remains survived, and his spiritual consciousness was utterly destroyed!" Zhao Yuhao answered.
"What was the evil fiend's cultivation?" the third elder asked again.
"At least the Martial Saint Realm."
At that, everyone looked as though they had seen a ghost.
"What? The Martial Saint Realm?"
"If that's the case, how could someone only in the Grandmaster realm kill a Martial Saint with one sword strike?"
"Yu Hao, your story contradicts itself!"
Quite a few people suspected that the Tianyuan Holy Land had fed Zhao Yuhao some bewitching potion and deliberately sent him back to spread false information.
All to undermine their plans to attack the Tianyuan Holy Land and restore the Eastern Pole Holy Land's glory.
Before you continue