Chapter Sixty-Three: Heart-Calming Tea

“As for why Haochen and the others showed that expression on their faces when you asked your question, Chen Yi, the reason is even simpler. Most disciples of the Five Elements Sect already know about the stewards taking a share of disciples’ contribution points.”

“But now, hearing that you, a disciple who has trained in the Five Elements Sect for many years, are unaware of this, they were probably a bit surprised, which is why they looked at you that way. There’s no need for you to be puzzled, Chen Yi.”

After Fu Aoxuan finished speaking, Chen Yi finally resolved the doubts in his heart. He also understood why the steward had looked so ecstatic when he saw the mountain-like pile of ivory in the spatial ring.

Led by a servant, Chen Yi and his companions proceeded to a room within the Mission Hall. The steward, before leaving, had assigned this attendant to guide them and asked that they wait in one of the rooms while he fetched the hall’s overseer.

Inside a resplendent room, the four of them sat on chairs crafted from century-old spiritual wood. Each held a cup of fragrant spirit tea, freshly brewed by the attendant at the steward’s instruction upon their entry.

Fu Aoxuan explained to Chen Yi that this was no ordinary tea. The leaves came from a century-old spiritual tea tree, and not just any leaves, but the finest selection. This exquisite spirit tea possessed wondrous effects—it could calm the mind and prevent cultivators from losing control during their practice.

This tea was known as Heart-Calming Tea. In the open market, just a single tael of these leaves could fetch the exorbitant sum of twenty low-grade spirit stones. While twenty spirit stones might not sound like much, one must remember that this would only purchase enough tea leaves for a single cup. Cultivators seldom bought by the cup; they bought by the jin, and the price soared accordingly.

The four cups of Heart-Calming Tea prepared for them were worth a fortune—indeed, to call them priceless would not be an exaggeration. In the mundane world, a thousand gold pieces might not suffice to buy even a single low-grade spirit stone, yet one cup here cost twenty.

Chen Yi was unaware that these leaves did not belong to the stewards personally; they were property of the Mission Hall. Whenever a disciple brought rare treasures to exchange for contribution points, the stewards would serve them this tea as a mark of respect.

Though the tea was costly, befriending talented disciples with such gestures was well worth it for the Mission Hall. After all, disciples were under no obligation to bring their treasures to the sect; they could easily sell them on the black market, where prices often soared far above what the official market offered.

Therefore, the overseer had instituted a new policy: whenever a disciple came to exchange particularly rare treasures, they must be treated with utmost courtesy—serving Heart-Calming Tea was one such gesture.

Chen Yi lifted his cup and took a gentle sip. As the tea slid down his throat, a pleasant warmth bloomed in his stomach, and his whole body relaxed as though he had become an immortal. The sensation was exquisite, especially in his mind; muddled cultivation puzzles suddenly became crystal clear, filling him with delight.

But as suddenly as the sensation had come, it vanished, leaving Chen Yi somewhat disheartened.

He opened his eyes, which now shone with a keen light, marveling at the tea’s miraculous effect. The Heart-Calming Tea could quiet the mind, allowing cultivators to operate their techniques more efficiently, absorb spiritual energy faster, and guard against losing control in training.

Amazed, Chen Yi drained the cup, and as the tea entered his stomach, he felt a surge of spiritual energy that sent him into a fleeting yet wondrous state of harmony with the world.

Fu Aoxuan and the others, having just experienced the tea’s effects themselves, were startled to see Chen Yi begin to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings at a frantic rate—far faster than even Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Haochen and Yu Ming grew worried. In just that brief moment, Chen Yi had absorbed more spiritual energy than most Foundation Establishment cultivators held within themselves. They feared that his body, still at the Qi Refinement stage, would not withstand such a torrent and might rupture from within.

The two of them flashed to Chen Yi’s side, channeling their own spiritual power into their hands, intent on helping him suppress the raging energy and halt the absorption.

Just as their hands were about to touch Chen Yi, Fu Aoxuan, who had been pondering the cause of Chen Yi’s frenzy, suddenly seemed to realize something and shouted, “Stop!”

Startled, Wang Haochen and Yu Ming halted their hands inches from Chen Yi, confusion etched on their faces. They did not understand why Fu Aoxuan had stopped them. Though they had not known Chen Yi long, after completing the ivory mission together, they already regarded him as a brother.

During that task, Chen Yi had risked his life, venturing alone into the perilous Elephant Valley, and when he emerged with the ivory, he had shared everything with them, holding nothing back. This had moved Wang Haochen and Yu Ming deeply.