Chapter 938: Meeting Zhang Zong again

Five months had passed, and Li Qi showed no signs of stopping.

Yao Ji lay sprawled on the ground, utterly bored and looking as if she had lost the will to live, much like a college student who had just endured eight consecutive advanced calculus classes—dazed and listless.

Yet, even in this state, she exuded an air of graceful languor.

Spring light, unheeded, wine by the flowers, deep or shallow, peonies blush, tea fragrance far, with no other demeanor, only sorrow.

There was nothing to be done; Yao Ji's temperament and appearance were such that even her 'Ge You Slouch' could evoke the feeling of a concubine's chair. However, Li Qi was busy researching the specifics of the entire Divine Dao, so he didn't spare her a single glance.

By now, Li Qi's aversion to Yao Ji outweighed other emotions; in fact, he didn't even particularly want to be around her.

Presumably, Yao Ji felt the same way about Li Qi. Their Daos were different, so naturally, they found each other disagreeable.

However, the next moment, Yao Ji suddenly sat up.

"Hey, aren't you guys supposed to hate meddling in the world? Why are you suddenly showing up now?" Yao Ji said to the empty air beside her.

A figure suddenly materialized in the air.

A simple green gauze, a water-colored Daoist robe, a silk sash, clear, refined eyebrows, and a dignified countenance.

The newcomer was none other than the Little Celestial Master, Zhang Zong.

However, he could no longer truly be called 'Little Celestial Master'; that title was outdated.

Because he had already reached First Grade! No longer a Disciple, but capable of standing on his own, becoming one of the new generation's faces of the Dao Sect!

"Hate it or not, what needs to be done still needs to be done. We can't just stand by and do nothing, can we? Besides, Li Qi and I have a good relationship. What's so difficult about coming to help him this time?" Zhang Zong smiled as he walked over to Yao Ji.

Li Qi was busy observing. He merely opened his eyes, indicating that he knew of Zhang Zong's arrival, waved a hand in greeting, and then continued his work.

Zhang Zong also nodded to Li Qi, though he seemed a bit displeased.

He thought he had endured many hardships and finally achieved success, capable of surpassing Li Qi. Yet, in the end, despite all his efforts to Breakthrough to First Grade, he was still one step behind Li Qi.

When he emerged from seclusion, he learned that Li Qi had already Breakthrough to First Grade billions of years ago.

Damn it, how unpleasant.

"Zhang Zong, with how you are now, do you want to join me and beat him up?" Yao Ji suggested, noticing the displeasure in Zhang Zong's expression.

"With you? What would you be doing? Cheering from the sidelines?" Zhang Zong curled his lip.

If they fought, he would still be doing all the work; Yao Ji, a Fifth Grade, wasn't even qualified to watch.

"If we're not fighting, then fine, make tea, make tea, make tea!" Yao Ji urged.

Zhang Zong's fondness for tea was well-known; everyone paid attention to that skill of his.

"For you, brewing tea is like a cow chewing peonies. Can you even taste the difference?" Zhang Zong found a spot and sat down.

"None of your business!" Yao Ji crossed her arms. "Since you're already here, you're not thinking of leaving just like that, are you?"

"When tea is brewed at the right heat, its flavor is sweet and fragrant, making the drinker reluctant to swallow. But common folk who taste tea find it bitter, yet still praise its good taste, merely feigning elegance, ignorant of tea's true flavor. I'm just worried you'll waste my tea leaves," Zhang Zong said, setting out various utensils.

Brewing tea is usually for personal enjoyment. If there is a good day, two or three close friends, with leisure and free hands, and endless pleasant conversation, then one can display their skill to enhance the enjoyment.

If one is unhappy, entangled in mundane affairs, and surrounded by foolish, noisy talk, lacking both elegance and refinement, it's better to just drink water and leave tea brewing for another time.

However—

Since the tea set was laid out, it was clear that Zhang Zong was not as unhappy as he pretended to be.

Yao Ji also realized this, so she pestered Zhang Zong to bring out his good tea.

Unfortunately, good tea was too expensive, and Yao Ji's status wasn't high enough to get it.

Zhang Zong began to brew tea, his movements as swift and clean as ever, almost an art form.

The essence of brewing tea lies entirely in waiting for the water. He subtly formed a hand seal, and a spiritual spring flew through the air, leaping into the kettle. The water was transparent, and its ripples flowed like hooks.

The water was the spiritual water from Kunlun Mountain itself. Zhang Zong must have collected it when he arrived. He enjoyed brewing tea, so naturally, he liked to gather water, fire, and tea leaves from various places.

This water originated from a deep underground current beneath the sea, emerging from the northeast corner of Kunlun, and could be said to be the essence of all mountain veins in the world, originating from Kunlun and corresponding to the Heavenly River, making it a top-tier water source.

He then cast Talismans below, combining Heavenly Fire, Earth Fire, and Human Fire into 'True Fire'. Among these, there were four types of Heavenly Fire, five types of Earth Fire, and three types of Human Fire, totaling eleven. Adding Zhang Zong's own Alchemical Fire, there were twelve different types of exotic fires, each with unique properties, including Dragon Fire, Thunder Fire, Star Essence, and Flying Fire, all capable of stimulating different qualities in the water.

The fire burned in the stove, and a great wind blew from outside, as if a Mortal were constantly fanning. Wind and fire intertwined, the heat pressing. Soon, fine foam began to rise from the boiling water, called 'crab eyes'. A moment later, large bubbles danced like pearls, called 'fish eyes'.

Zhang Zong observed carefully from the side. Occasionally, a faint sound was heard, which was the 'pine wind' murmuring.

From the moment of the 'crab eyes', one or two spoonfuls of water were removed. When the 'pine wind' murmured, they were returned to stop the boiling, and then the tea leaves were added.

Two qian of tea leaves were added to the water to stop the boiling. A moment later, the water boiled again, like a surging torrent, and the tea was made.

However, this was the most difficult moment. Too long, and the tea would be 'old', losing its fragrance and becoming heavy and turbid. Too short, and it would be 'tender', its fragrance not yet released, and the water still weak. Both were failures in preparation, and once failed, the water, fire, wind, and tea were all wasted and beyond saving.

Brewing tea was a delicate matter, its subtleties difficult to convey by word of mouth. If treated lightly, it would never succeed. However, Zhang Zong was a master of this art; his water and fire techniques were incredibly subtle and rarely erred. Soon, the tea poured from the pot.

The tea was like emerald, dew drops gleaming like pearls, with faint rainbows, dim stars, and wisps of smoke, swirling amidst clouds and mist.

Gazing at the stars and observing the Qi, one could see clear mist floating across the fields in the tea, and a refreshing aura permeating.

Yao Ji immediately picked up a cup and took a sip.

After tasting it, she smacked her lips and said, "Tsk, it's just average."

Three veins immediately bulged on Zhang Zong's forehead, and the muscles in the hand holding the teapot became clearly defined.

"This is just average? Your standards are a bit high," a voice suddenly said from the side.

Li Qi had arrived at some unknown point. He seemed to have taken a moment from his data processing to join the tea ceremony.

"Oh, Zhang Zong, you're so amazing! You're already First Grade. You must have suffered a lot, right?" Li Qi said with a smile, taking a sip of tea.

The tea's fragrance was rich, and even Li Qi's First Grade mind felt clearer.

If this cup of tea were poured onto a planet, that planet would probably turn into a gemstone, becoming entirely refined essence. The creatures on it would instantly transcend into energy beings, then turn into some kind of Cultivation treasure land, where every five thousand years, dozens of civilizations would ascend to start a Genius battle royale, and the one who won would get a Golden Finger or something.

Truly wonderful.

"Compared to you, I've certainly suffered a lot, but I suppose it's also thanks to you. Do you know how long it took me to advance to First Grade?" Zhang Zong said.

Li Qi pondered for a moment, then examined Zhang Zong and guessed, "A hundred billion years?"

"More than that. Nineteen Universes. I experienced nineteen cycles of Universal destruction and Rebirth. Calculating the time, it's probably... forty-two trillion years. You were already First Grade back then, so you didn't feel anything, right? I was Fourth Grade at the time, and I truly experienced nineteen Universal reboots..." Zhang Zong rubbed his face, seemingly recalling some unbearable past suffering.

"That truly was a very, very long time. Did all Fourth Grades experience it?" Li Qi asked.

"No, if you stayed in the world, you could avoid such things by relying on the world. Only a very few Fourth Grades chose to enter, and almost all who entered died. About six hundred entered, but only thirty came out alive, and only two people advanced, one of whom was me," Zhang Zong said.

The world was like an ark in a world-ending flood. As long as one stayed in the world, they could avoid the aftermath of the world's destruction and wouldn't need to experience the Universe's reboots or face the aftermath of First Grade battles.

No, First Grade battles themselves were Opportunities.

Many First Grade or Fourth Grade Cultivators would choose to go into the aftermath of First Grade battles to seek possible Opportunities.

But... one wrong move and they could die.

That was truly very dangerous. If one accidentally got involved in a 'critical juncture' of their struggle, they might not even know how they died, and their very existence would be erased.

Because once you left, it wasn't so easy to return. You had to use every method to struggle and survive nineteen reboots, and this was only a summary after the fact.

Once you, as a participant, went out and faced those Universes, you wouldn't know how long the First Grades would fight. It was a marathon with no known end.

You couldn't slow down. You either ran to the finish line or died on the way.

And even if you successfully survived, you might not necessarily Breakthrough. No one would promise that as long as you persevered, you would Breakthrough to First Grade. It was just an Opportunity, and whether you could seize it ultimately depended on yourself.

But, clearly, Zhang Zong ultimately won. Not only did he survive, but he also successfully achieved his goal.

After experiencing nineteen Universal reboots, totaling forty-two trillion years, he finally advanced to First Grade, allowing him to appear in this place now.

"Ah, it's really difficult. I don't know why you managed to do it so easily," Zhang Zong carefully examined Li Qi, seemingly wanting to understand what had happened to this monster.

"Easy? I don't think it was easy. If someone came to you now and said, 'You just became First Grade after surviving a few Universal reboots, how easy!' Wouldn't you want to hit him?" Li Qi said to Zhang Zong.

"I probably would, but thinking aside, I think I definitely suffered more than you. After all, you scoundrel haven't experienced the suffering of forty-two trillion years..."

"Is that so? Shall we switch? You go play with the Heavenly Demons," Li Qi suggested.

"Haha, I'll respectfully decline that. I'd rather stay in my Universal reboot labor camp. Even looking at Mr. Zhu's face would be better!" Zhang Zong laughed heartily, changing the subject.

At the mention of Mr. Zhu, Li Qi also began to smile.

This reminded him of the time the Little Celestial Master was sulking because Li Qi had Breakthrough to Fourth Grade.

Back then, he was still thinking of playing mind games with Zhu Fengdan and hiding his thoughts.

Thinking back now, it was truly adorable.

Children always liked to say, "Adults don't understand anything."

But in truth, adults knew quite a lot.

It was just a matter of whether they wanted to expose it or not.

After all, adults had basically experienced everything children went through; they were all pretty much the same things.

The two began to reminisce.

Beside them, Yao Ji, bored, began to drink tea.

Zhang Zong secretly switched the tea leaves to a lower quality kind.

Yao Ji didn't notice the difference.

Zhang Zong was very pleased.

Sure enough, he knew it.

Foolish and noisy, lacking both elegance and refinement, it's better to just drink water.

Giving her some tea dregs was good enough; no need to waste good tea leaves.

As for the other side, Li Qi and Zhang Zong's conversation naturally turned to: "Why are you here?"

"Hmm... if you're asking why I'm here, would you believe me if I said I came to help you?" Zhang Zong replied while washing his tea pet.

"Yes, why wouldn't I believe it? Besides that reason, what else could there be?" Li Qi was quite direct. "Is it because of the Human Dao? I have news that the Human Dao will make a move against me, and the Human Dao's current allies include the Dao of Reason and the Dao Sect."

the Manifested Daoist Faction of the Dao Sect, about half of the Dao of Reason, and even a portion of the Martial Dao were all fully supporting the Human Dao. There were even True Immortals among them, which made the Human Dao's combat strength seem quite abundant.

The ability to fight one against three naturally had this underlying reason.

"Regarding this, it actually involves some secrets that I only learned when I reached First Grade. Do you dare to listen?" Zhang Zong asked.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Li Qi immediately replied.

He had also been wondering for a long time why the Manifested Daoist Faction of the Dao Sect would support the Human Dao, so it was best if he could hear about it.

As for the consequences...

He would deal with them later. A dead pig doesn't fear boiling water. The more Karma he stirred up, the more Li Qi would know, which seemed like a good thing for now.

"That's good, then I'll tell you." Zhang Zong prepared to speak.

Yao Ji beside them covered her ears.

As previously stated, knowing too much could easily entangle one in 'critical junctures.' Once a major war erupted, all struggles targeting critical junctures would affect everyone who knew about the matter.

The wars of high-grade Cultivators were truly terrifying.

Secrets were secrets for a reason, and knowing these things was not always a good thing.

"The goal of the Manifested Daoist Faction is actually consistent with ours, which is the pursuit of absolute '逍遥' (Freedom). Do you know what Freedom is?" Zhang Zong continued to ask.

"I know. It's absolute freedom without restraint, transcending everything—whether it's life and death, matter, spirit, morality, or anything else. Absolute freedom that cannot be controlled by anything," Li Qi said.

"To come and go freely through all time and space, unbound by any object or concept, absolute freedom that cannot be interpreted—this is the 'Freedom' that the Dao Sect pursues," Li Qi said.

Zhang Zong said, "Don't you think this goal is quite compatible with 'replacing heaven with humanity'?"

"As long as 'humanity' transcends all things and becomes the 'fundamental essence' of all things, then wouldn't all members of the Manifested Daoist Faction involved also transcend?"