87: Chapter 87 Enlightenment Tea

Upon hearing this, Ma Hu immediately became displeased. He squinted at the speaker, "What's with those eyes? Can't you see your Lord Ma is a donkey?"

Instantly, everyone in the restaurant nearly spat out their wine.

A donkey acting so righteous? Those who didn't know better would think donkeys were much more Advanced than horses!

The person who spoke earlier had a cold gaze. "Fine! Let me see how much ability you, this donkey, actually possess!"

"Brother Yan!" Someone beside him pulled him back. "Be cautious. I heard from my Imperial Father that recently, a Great Saint of the Holy Donkey Clan who had been missing for a long time actually returned to the clan..."

"Oh?" A look of wariness flashed in the Yan-surnamed youth's eyes, but his words remained unyielding.

"So what? If it weren't for Brother Ming hosting a banquet for the Prodigies here today, I would definitely let this donkey know that this is the Central Region, not their Southern Region!"

At this moment, a black-robed youth among the group spoke with a smile, "In that case, I truly thank Fellow Daoist Yan for giving me this Face!"

Lin Bei's gaze swept over him; this was an Early Stage Dao Integration Realm expert, which was rare among the young Prodigies.

Moreover, he felt a familiar aura from the other party, but he couldn't recall where it was from for a moment.

Noticing his gaze after the three of them sat down, Niu Ren whispered an explanation to him, "Brother Lin, that is Ming Daozi, from the Nether Soul Hall."

"In the Central Region, he has always been suppressed by Wang Teng, and people call him the 'Perpetual Second Place'... This time he successfully made a Breakthrough to the Dao Integration Realm, so it seems he wants to use this opportunity to show off!"

In the Central Region, besides the various Imperial Dynasties, there were three other forces no weaker than them: the Nether Soul Hall, the Tianji Sect, and the Pill Pavilion.

"I see!" Lin Bei understood.

Soon, even more Prodigies arrived at Ming Daozi's side.

Princess Lingyu of the Yuling Imperial Dynasty, Prince Qin Zheng of the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty, Prince Li Shiming of the Great Tang Imperial Dynasty...

One after another, nearly twenty Prodigies from different regions of the Desolate Ancient Continent eventually gathered here.

Of course, most were Central Region Prodigies, likely because many Prodigies from other regions had not yet arrived.

Among them were several of Lin Bei's old acquaintances.

Li Jiuyou and Xia Mang were both present, and what surprised him slightly was that the Twin Stars of the Shi Family had also arrived.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ming Daozi stood up to speak, "It is an honor to have so many Fellow Daoists attend the welcoming banquet I have arranged!"

"Brother Ming is too polite..."

"It is our fortune to receive an invitation from Fellow Daoist Ming..."

"Brother Ming's cultivation progress is so rapid; I'm afraid it's not impossible for you to surpass Fellow Daoist Wang Teng one day!"

...

Prodigies immediately responded with compliments.

After the Golden Great Era officially arrived, these Prodigies' cultivations had made significant progress.

The vast majority were already in the Late Spirit Refinement Stage, with a few having reached the Refining Spirit Peak, but Ming Daozi was still the only Dao Integration Realm Prodigy present.

A smile appeared at the corner of Ming Daozi's mouth, yet he spoke modestly, "Everyone overpraises me. There is still a significant gap between Brother Wang and myself!"

"If Brother Wang hadn't been wholeheartedly pursuing Fairy Yue recently, it wouldn't be my turn to welcome you all here!"

"However, since I, Ming, have taken on this task, I naturally cannot neglect you all..."

Hearing this, the Prodigies present all showed interested expressions, wanting to see what rare treasures this Ming Daozi could bring out to entertain them.

With their status and positions, they wouldn't look twice at ordinary Heaven And Earth Treasures.

Don't be fooled by how polite these people seemed on the surface.

In reality, except for two or three of them, most had only come to the banquet to give Ming Daozi a little Face.

If given the chance, they wouldn't be stingy with their ridicule.

How could Ming Daozi not know what these Prodigies were thinking? He sneered inwardly.

"What a pity. This was originally intended to steal Wang Teng's thunder. I didn't expect him not to come; it's quite a bargain for these fellows!"

After thinking this, he clapped his hands, "Men, bring the tea!"

Immediately, three waitresses from Wangsheng Tower who specialized in the Dao of tea appeared.

"Distinguished guests, this is our tower's finest Azure Cloud Mist Tea!" After the three waitresses finished their introduction, they were about to begin.

"Wait!" Ming Daozi smiled faintly and raised his hand to take out eight leaves. "Ladies, please use my tea leaves!"

The eight leaves were of different shapes, but the only thing they had in common was that they all carried a faint Dao charm.

The gazes of the Prodigies present all narrowed, and someone immediately spoke up.

"Brother Ming is truly generous. enlightenment tea ripens once every hundred years, and only one hundred and eight leaves are produced each time. For Brother Ming to be able to take out eight leaves at once... I am impressed!"

Many Prodigies nodded in agreement. They hadn't expected Ming Daozi to be able to produce such a rare item, and their attitudes immediately softened.

enlightenment tea was something that even in the various Holy Lands and Imperial Dynasties, only a single leaf would be brought out when entertaining figures of the Holy Lord or Emperor level.

Ming Daozi's pride was evident on his Face, yet his words still carried an air of indifference.

"Everyone knows the enlightenment tea tree is located in the Central Region, and our Nether Soul Hall just happens to be relatively close to that place..."

"Haha... Today we are truly in for a treat! Thank you for the hospitality, Brother Ming!" The Yan-surnamed youth who had ridiculed Niu Ren and Ma Hu earlier laughed loudly.

Then, he looked toward Lin Bei and the other two sitting nearby. "Hey! You three hicks, have you ever drunk enlightenment tea?"

His voice caused the group of Prodigies to notice the three of them, and they all cast their gazes over.

Lin Bei's seat happened to be facing away from the group. When Li Jiuyou and the others' gazes swept across his back, they didn't notice anything unusual.

"Prince Yan Ming, who are these three?" someone asked.

Prince Yan Ming of the Great Yan Empire chuckled, "Just a cow and a donkey from the Southern Region. As for that Early Stage Spirit Refining kid, I don't know where he came from..."

Hearing this, everyone stopped paying attention.

They knew this Yan Ming was extremely petty. They assumed there had been some unpleasantness between the two sides earlier, and he was now seizing the chance to mock them.

On this side, Lin Bei and the other two were stunned by Yan Ming's words.

Ma Hu, that unprincipled fellow, had a long Face. "Boss Niu, I've really never drunk enlightenment tea! Do you think if I go over now, they might share a cup with me?"

"What the hell!" Niu Ren directly slapped him on the head. "Can you have some Face? Brother Lin is still watching!"

Lin Bei had a strange smile on his Face. "Brother Niu, Brother Ma, no need to be envious. I have some enlightenment tea here as well..."

The eight leaves of enlightenment tea that Ming Daozi had brought out were soon brewed. Under the attentive service of the three waitresses, they were brought before each of the Prodigies.

In an instant, a singular tea fragrance permeated the entire Wangsheng Tower.

"Hiss... As expected of enlightenment tea. Even the smell makes one feel as if they are floating like an immortal!"

"Indeed, I feel as if my cultivation has loosened slightly..."

"Good tea, truly good tea!"

...

Listening to everyone's amazement, Ming Daozi's pride grew even more. "Everyone, then let us taste the tea together!"

Immediately, all the Prodigies picked up the teacups in front of them and sipped slowly.

Just as they were about to close their eyes and use the enlightenment tea to Cultivate for a bit.

Suddenly, an even more intense tea fragrance wafted over from the side.