He Xian stepped onto the floor with its metallic sheen, formally entering the highest region and arriving at the summit of Enlightenment Mountain.
The area resembled a great disk held aloft, with small peaks like wondrous stones thrust into the ground like divine swords. Ancient trees also stood there, their branches towering skyward, rooted in cliffs and stretching beyond the mountainside.
Faint immortal energy flowed through the air, and wisps of white mist curled about, lending the place an otherworldly air.
Most important of all was the immortal tree in the center.
That area was hazy. A group of powerful beings sat cross-legged around it, guarding it, each holding a secret treasure that formed a curtain of light to conceal it from outsiders' prying eyes.
"Crane Son!"
"Crane Son!" The moment He Xian reached the summit, cries of greeting rang out in unison, rumbling like muffled thunder.
Many beings gathered on the summit, all powerful prodigies without a single weakling among them. Most stood at the outermost edge, nowhere near the true peak.
For in the Foreign Realm, the strong truly devoured the weak.
Anyone who wanted to get closer to the Enlightenment Tea Tree had to compete. Contests of strength were unavoidable!
One could say that the innermost area nearest the Enlightenment Tea Tree was the "private preserve" of the very strongest.
For this was an exceptional sacred ground for comprehending the Dao.
Yet now, all of them moved aside to open a path.
With every step He Xian took, voices on both sides addressed him reverently in unison, until he reached the spot closest to the enlightenment tea leaves, with no one else around him.
He Xian opened his Heavenly Eye. A silver cross-shaped mark shone, piercing the curtain of light and revealing the entire Enlightenment Tea Tree!
Its trunk was thick, its old bark cracked and splayed like dragon scales. It was incredibly ancient; there was no telling how many years it had lived.
The Crane Clan was actually renowned for its Heavenly Eye. His father, He Wushuang, had once slain an heir of the Emperor Clan with a single pair of eyes, seizing first place in one stroke.
Of course, the most remarkable thing about the Enlightenment Tea Tree was not its branches or trunk, but its leaves. Each shone brilliantly, radiating light like a river of stars descending and winding around its branches.
Those were the most precious enlightenment tea leaves, their value immeasurable!
Brewed into tea and sipped slowly, they could grant sudden enlightenment, allowing one to comprehend the mysteries of the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
Whenever the tea leaves ripened, a grand occasion was sure to follow!
Rustle!
A gentle breeze brushed past, and the whole tree shimmered and rustled. Every leaf swayed, signaling that the tea leaves were almost ripe. Most were already ready to harvest!
No, they were all ripe already. It was merely customary to wait a few more years and make every possible preparation.
Whoosh!
He Xian reached out and grabbed directly at an enlightenment tea leaf.
With a whoosh, golden light surged upward. The leaf gleamed gold, its shape no different from an Arhat, and now radiated a precious glow.
The Enlightenment Tea Tree's leaves all had such unusual shapes. They were the true forms of the Great Dao.
The instant He Xian stretched out his large hand, the elders guarding the Enlightenment Tea Tree opened their eyes. But once they saw who was acting, they closed them again.
With He Xian's current status and standing in the Foreign Realm, they would indulge him so long as he did not go too far.
It could truly be called the blessing of a "king," with no taboos whatsoever!
The old tree was thick, like a coiled horned dragon lying dormant. Its many branches were gnarled and powerful, but it truly did not have many leaves. At a glance, they were sparse and scattered.
He Xian took one leaf ahead of time.
"Who would be willing to fetch me some snow water?" He looked around.
The summit immediately stirred. Many people rose, took to the air, and flew into the distance, where enormous mountains stood far apart, their peaks disappearing into the clouds, covered in ice and snow year-round.
At that moment, wind and snow filled the sky as numerous powerful cultivators gathered snow for He Xian.
For a time, snowflakes filled the heavens, and divine ice flew toward him, tracing crystalline streaks of light across the sky.
The ice and snow they brought were no ordinary things. They were said to contain mysterious power and provide the ideal water for brewing tea. Rumor had it that an Undying King had once comprehended the Dao there, imbuing even the icy mountains with the aura of the Great Dao. Naturally, their snow water was extraordinary.
"Choose mine, Crane Son!"
"Mine, Crane Son!" From the crowd, He Xian selected a stunning young woman whose arms were as white as lotus roots and whose bearing was simple and dignified. He had her brew his tea, so that this fine leaf would not go to waste.
"What are you hesitating over? You don't have a vessel, do you? Hehe!" Watching the flustered young woman, He Xian suddenly noticed her looking around and laughed heartily.
He turned toward the base of the Enlightenment Tea Tree and said, "I'll fetch one for you right away."
An altar happened to stand there. It was very low, yet sacred, made of earth and radiating a mysterious glow.
Three thousand Jade Jars stood densely packed upon it, glittering with points of light.
The Enlightenment Tea Tree had produced a full three thousand leaves in its finest harvest, and these vessels had all been prepared for them.
Boom!
The next moment, He Xian wielded his immense magical power to forcibly knock one loose and tossed it to the young woman.
"The Supreme Realm? Magical power approaching the Supreme Realm?" Some of the veteran experts present underwent a drastic change in expression. He had only just entered the Escape One Realm, yet already possessed immense magical power rivaling the Supreme Realm.
As expected of this era's foremost figure. What a heaven-blessed genius! A heaven-blessed genius!
The shock on their faces turned to joy.
This Crane Son was far too extraordinary. Given time to grow, he might truly become invincible beneath heaven.
Meanwhile, the young woman helping He Xian brew his tea had already begun.
The ice and snow fell into the Jade Jar along with the tea leaf, and she summoned Dao Fire to brew the tea slowly.
Brewing enlightenment tea did not require an exceptionally powerful flame.
Before long, wisps of fragrance drifted out, refreshing the heart and soul and making one's spirit feel ethereal. Even those watching nearby felt their bodies grow light merely from smelling the tea.
The beautiful young woman brewing the tea swallowed.
After she took the tea leaf in hand, it ceased to look unusual and returned to the shape of an ordinary tea leaf, no longer a golden-bodied Arhat leaf.
Only now, once the tea was ready, did threads of immortal mist emerge, spreading hazily through the Jade Jar.
A wisp of mist rose from the tea leaf, primordial and indistinct, yet seemingly containing an extraordinary power!
"Please, Crane Son." Yuan Qiaolan struggled to maintain her composure, lowering her head as she offered the brewed tea with both hands.
"Good." He Xian accepted the Jade Jar, his fingers inadvertently brushing hers. He seemed not to notice at all as Yuan Qiaolan trembled.
He Xian gently closed his eyes and took a delicate sniff from a short distance away. "Fine tea," he praised.
He drank a mouthful. As fragrance filled his mouth, he experienced a peculiar tranquility. His state of mind grew unexpectedly peaceful, and he forgot everything.
In an instant, heaven and earth grew hazy, and auspicious qi surged in every direction. He forgot all else, immersed in this Dao resonance, experiencing the naturally formed Great Dao within the tea leaf and unlocking the divine treasures of his flesh.
He Xian's body shone, as though bathed in a layer of sacred radiance, dazzling beyond measure.
"Fine tea. It deserves a reward!" He Xian had been absorbed for only a moment before he came to again.