22: Enlightenment Tea

In the Ten Thousand Mountains, the Azure Sky Python Bull King was preparing today's spirit rice.

"Nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine, one thousand..."

He was still muttering that not a single grain could be missing.

Although Gu Changge hadn't cut his flesh last night, the psychological shadow lingered.

"If I'm prepared, that devil shouldn't torment me, right...?"

He mumbled, his bull eyes filled with melancholy.

Suddenly, a slender hand stretched out from the Void Realm, precisely grabbing his bullhorn.

"Moo?!"

The Azure Sky Python Bull King stiffened, and before he could react, his entire body was pulled into a spatial rift.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing before a spirit garden filled with Spiritual Qi, with a smiling Gu Changge beside him.

"Old Huang, I've found you a new job."

Gu Changge patted the bull's head and pointed at the spirit garden.

"From now on, this spirit field is under your care. Water it daily, loosen the soil, fertilize it, and keep an eye out for anyone trying to steal Medicinal Pills."

The Azure Sky Python Bull King's eyes widened, his gaze sweeping over the enlightenment tea tree and undying medicine in the spirit garden. His bull mouth was open wide enough to fit an ostrich egg.

"Th-this... is an enlightenment tea tree?! And a True Dragon undying medicine?!"

"Yes, just for fun."

Gu Changge casually plucked an enlightenment tea leaf and stuffed it into the bull's mouth.

"Do a good job, and I'll reward you with a leaf every month."

The Azure Sky Python Bull King chewed twice, and immediately his whole body trembled, his internal spiritual power surging wildly, faintly touching the threshold of the Great Saint Realm!

He plopped down on his knees, bull tears streaming down his face: "Master, rest assured! This little bull will guard the Medicinal Pill field as if it were his life!"

Gu Changge nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk towards the bamboo house.

"Oh, and build a shed for yourself by the spirit field. You still need to continue planting purple flame spirit rice, don't delay."

"...Moo?"

The wild joy on the Azure Sky Python Bull King's face instantly froze, as if he had been splashed with a basin of cold water.

He stared blankly at Gu Changge, the excitement in his bull eyes gradually fading, replaced once again by melancholy.

So, even after changing locations, he still had to plant spirit rice?

He had thought that by guarding the enlightenment tea tree and undying medicine, he could escape the fate of farming, but he never expected... this accursed farming fate, he couldn't escape it after all!

—

In front of the bamboo house, the morning light filtered through the bamboo leaves, castingbroken golden rays. Xiao Ruobai sat cross-legged on a bluestone, concentrating on circulating the War Gods Stratagem Mind-Cultivation Technique.

The spiritual power around him flowed like a tide, drawing steady arcs in his Meridians, yet it repeatedly became sluggish when it reached a certain vital point, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps behind him. Xiao Ruobai abruptly stopped and opened his eyes, seeing Gu Changge approaching with a purple clay teapot, steam still rising from its spout.

He quickly stood up and bowed: "Master."

Gu Changge waved his hand, placed the teapot on the stone table, took two celadon cups, and poured out the amber-colored tea.

The tea leaves unfurled and floated in the water, and a fresh aroma instantly spread, mixed with the scent of morning bamboo dew, which surprisingly relaxed Xiao Ruobai's tense nerves of the past few days.

"Try it, freshly picked tea leaves."

Gu Changge pushed one of the cups towards him.

Xiao Ruobai took the teacup with both hands, his fingertips touching the warm cup. As soon as the tea entered his mouth, a strange warm current slid down his throat.

It wasn't as violent as spirit wine, nor as heavy as Medicinal Pills. Instead, it was like countless tiny specks of light, traveling along his Meridians. Wherever it passed, the previously blocked spiritual power dissipated like melting snow.

As he felt surprised, a sudden "buzz" exploded in his Sea of Consciousness—the scriptures of the War Gods Stratagem seemed to come alive. Those obscure and difficult-to-understand phrases from the past surged like a tide, and the originally fragmented diagrams in front of him pieced together into a complete battle formation.

He saw countless ethereal figures in battle armor practicing Moves in his Sea of Consciousness, sometimes like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, powerful and unmatched; other times like a spirit snake coiling a tree, flexible and enduring.

"So that's how it is..."

Xiao Ruobai murmured to himself, and the doubts that had been stuck at the vital point suddenly became clear.

The battle Qi around him suddenly boiled, and the originally light golden Qi now glowed crimson, swirling around him like flames.

The barriers in his Meridians shattered inch by inch under the combined assault of the warm current and battle Qi, and spiritual power surged forward like a breached river.

The Qi vortex in his Dantian spun wildly, growing larger, and in just a moment, it stabilized into the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment Realm.

Xiao Ruobai suddenly opened his eyes, divine light gleaming within them. He could clearly feel that the breathing of the surrounding plants and trees, and the flow of spiritual power in the wind, had all become tangible.

The halberd, which had felt heavy just moments ago, now felt as light as a feather in his Sea of Consciousness, and the various changes in Moves could be effortlessly deduced in his mind.

"Master, this tea..."

He looked up in shock, the teacup in his hand still warm, yet the tea within had already transformed into pure Spiritual Qi, merging into his limbs and bones.

Gu Changge was leisurely sipping his tea, and hearing this, he said indifferently: "It's tea I grew myself, it's right over there. If you want to drink it later, go pick it yourself."

Gu Changge put down his teacup, looked at Xiao Ruobai after his Breakthrough, and said lightly: "Since your Realm is stable, I shall impart the Shadow Step to you."

With that, he flicked his finger and gently tapped Xiao Ruobai's forehead.

Xiao Ruobai felt a sudden clarity in his Sea of Consciousness. Countless methods and key points regarding the Shadow Step surged in like a tide, from techniques for circulating power to footwork transitions, all clear and understandable.

"This footwork emphasizes 'speed' and 'change'."

Gu Changge withdrew his hand, his tone calm, "Speed lies in the frequency of your steps, making it difficult for your opponent to track your movements. Change lies in your direction, allowing you to instantly alter course when obstructed, not adhering to a fixed path."

He didn't demonstrate much, only saying: "The Mind-Cultivation Technique is already in your Sea of Consciousness. The rest is up to you to comprehend. Go practice it until you can Move freely through this bamboo forest without breaking a single bamboo leaf."

Xiao Ruobai closed his eyes to digest the information for a moment, and when he opened them again, there was understanding in his gaze.

He bowed to Gu Changge, then turned and stepped into the bamboo forest, beginning to Cultivate according to the methods in his Sea of Consciousness.

Gu Changge, meanwhile, sat back down on the stone stool, picked up his teacup, and watched the young man's figure, sometimes moving swiftly, sometimes changing direction in the bamboo forest, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Xiao Ruobai's Comprehension Ability was already astonishing, and with the lingering aftertaste of that cup of enlightenment tea, the methods in his Sea of Consciousness quickly merged with his own insights.

Initially, his steps were a bit stiff, and the spiritual power flowing through his legs and feet was slightly sluggish, occasionally causing the bamboo leaves to rustle.

But in less than half an incense stick's time, he found the trick.

His figure gradually quickened, his steps as dense as a sudden downpour, and as he moved through the bamboo forest, his figure became a faint afterimage.

When encountering a thick bamboo stalk, his footwork instantly changed direction, either left or right, forward or backward, always avoiding it at the most ingenious angle, as if he had anticipated all obstacles in advance.

Another hour passed, and Xiao Ruobai's figure in the bamboo forest was already as fluid as flowing clouds and water.

He no longer deliberately pursued speed, but rather allowed his spiritual power and footwork to perfectly synchronize. Each step landed just right, not only without breaking a single bamboo leaf, but even the wind he stirred was so gentle that it only caused the bamboo leaves to sway slightly.

Clearly, he had grasped the essence of the Shadow Step and successfully entered the Realm.

At this moment, his movement technique was agile and elegant, completely different from the young man who previously only knew how to fight head-on.