Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

Upon hearing the word "Bureau," the Taoist in the green robe became even more solemn, while the red-haired old man's beard and hair stood on end, his eyes flashing with a red light, clearly showing a mixture of anger and vigilance.

Only the woman in white, whose initial surprise faded, had a hint of understanding flash across her eyes.

She then resumed her aloof and snow-like demeanor, even exuding a hint of leisure.

"Since it's a stalemate, there's no use rushing it."

The woman in white spoke in a cool, clear voice, like an icy spring falling onto a jade plate.

With a gentle wave of her right sleeve, spiritual light gathered in the air in front of her, and a complete tea set appeared out of thin air.

The tea table appears to be carved from a single piece of warm, lustrous jade, with flowing water and cloud patterns of emerald green and cyan flowing along its edges, creating a seamless whole.

The teapot and teacups are all of the same color and material, with an elegant and antique shape, and an air of spiritual energy about them.

She began to arrange the tea set as if no one else was around, her movements slow and focused, as if she were in her own quiet sanctuary, rather than in this perilous place that had just experienced a demonic tribulation, with flashes of lightning and the heavens and earth sealed off.

"Fellow Taoist Hong Lie."

The woman in white raised her eyes and looked at the red-haired old man who was still huffing and puffing.

"Please lend me your Thunderfire True Fire to warm the pot and clean the water."

Hong Lie was taken aback, and the anger on his face froze.

He glanced at the elegant tea set, then at the calm face of the woman in white, his lips twitched, and finally, with a hint of annoyance, he slapped the gourd at his waist.

"Hmph, you're so picky!"

With a flick of the finger, a wisp of pure, refined, and subdued pale purple flame drifted out from the gourd's mouth, landing beneath the teapot and burning silently, its heat evenly penetrating the pot's body.

"Fellow Daoist Xiting".

The woman in white then turned to Xiao Daoyou, the old farmer in the straw hat.

"Give me some Heavenly Essence Water."

Xiao Xiting chuckled, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Fellow Daoist Qingru has refined taste, remains calm in the face of danger, and observes the situation while sipping tea."

He extended his right index finger, and a point of spiritual light gathered at the tip, condensing into a wisp of crystal-clear Heavenly Origin True Water that seemed to contain the faint light of stars, which trickled into the teapot.

When the Heavenly Origin True Water met the Thunder Flame, a soft gurgling sound soon rang out in the pot, and water vapor carrying a faint spiritual energy rose up.

Qingru then opened her personal storage bag and took out a plain white jade jar.

Upon opening the jar, a clear, lingering fragrance, a blend of fresh green grass and bamboo after the rain, wafted out.

With her delicate hands, she picked up a few tea leaves.

The tea leaves had a unique shape, slender and supple like willow leaves, and upright and graceful like tender bamboo buds. They were emerald green all over, but the veins of the leaves had a faint golden hue, exuding a vibrant spirit.

"This tea is called 'Green Willow and Green Leaves'. It is made from three leaves of the heart tip of a ten-thousand-year-old jade willow, refined with the dew of newly born pure green bamboo, and nurtured under the moonlight for a hundred years. It has the effect of calming the mind and clearing away distracting thoughts."

While warming the cups and saucers, Qingru introduced them in a light and graceful manner, her movements fluid and natural, exuding a Taoist charm.

A moment later, the tea was ready.

The emerald green tea liquor ripples in the jade cup, without a trace of impurity, only a refreshing fragrance and vibrant spirit rising up.

With a flick of her sleeve, three cups of tea flew out steadily, landing and hovering in the air in front of Hong Lie, Xi Ting, and Jia Heng.

"Fellow Daoists, please."

"please."

"please."

"please."

Each of the four said "please" and raised their cups.

Jiaheng remained somber, slowly raising his cup to drink; Honglie, more boisterous, downed half a cup in one gulp, smacking his lips; Xiting smiled and savored the drink; Qingru herself sipped slowly and gracefully.

After finishing the cup, Xi Ting put down the teacup and sincerely praised, "Excellent tea! It is full of spiritual energy and has a profound artistic conception. What is even more precious is the calm and composed state of mind that comes with this tea in the face of adversity."

"Fellow Daoist Qingru's tea skills have improved once again."

Hong Lie also felt a cool sensation travel from his throat straight to his dantian, which calmed his restless anger. He hummed, "The tea is quite good."

Jiaheng placed the empty cup back into the void and looked at Xiting again: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, the tea has been finished and the game has been observed. Now, shouldn't you tell us what kind of game this is, and how we should break it?"

Xiao Xiting put down his teacup, the faint smile on his face fading slightly, replaced by a somewhat serious expression.

He stroked the few strands of gray beard under his chin and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Chi, please be patient and let me explain slowly."

He glanced at the three of them: "The reason why we are now trapped here by this young master Tianye is something you all probably already know."

"It's just that we were too quick and snatched away the great tonic that Little Heavenly Lord had painstakingly prepared over countless years—the Chaos Origin Qi refined from the remnant body of that Heavenly Demon."

"This demonic body was sealed here by an ancient predecessor, who used the origin of the plane as a furnace and the passage of time as fire to slowly wear down its chaotic demonic nature and refine the primordial energy from the beginning of chaos. The original intention may have been purification, or it may have been reserved for later use."

"Although the Heavenly Dao of this realm is in a state of ignorance and slumber, it instinctively absorbs this slowly released and purified source energy to nourish itself and accumulate power."

"If no one disturbs it, after several thousand more years, the remnant body of the Heavenly Demon will be completely obliterated, and this pure Chaos Origin Qi will naturally merge into the origin of this world, becoming the key resources for its awakening, the initiation of plane advancement, and the breakthrough of the Lesser Thousand Worlds."

Xi Ting paused, her tone slightly cold: "But now, unfortunately, we intercepted the item halfway and took it. The cooked duck flew away, and the tonic we've been brewing for millennia was stolen."

"So, Little Tian got angry and won't let us leave."

"Although it is ignorant, its most fundamental instinct to benefit itself and advance to the next plane has been violated. It will naturally mobilize all available forces—including the deeper plane laws that are temporarily activated due to the forced advancement—to block the thief."

Hong Lie frowned: "But when we entered, we didn't sense such a strong intention to repel or blockade us!"

"That's because the medicine was still in the pot, but the pot hadn't been removed yet."

Xiting explained, "When we enter, it probably just sees us as a few helpers or passersby. As long as we don't continue to cause damage, it won't bother with us."

"But now that the medicine is gone, it instinctively judges us as the culprits who caused its promotion hopes to be dashed, so it naturally wants to keep the guests."

Jia Heng said in a deep voice, "So, this is a conspiracy? This world itself is a trap? The remnant of the Heavenly Demon, this opportunity for advancement, were all pre-planned?"

Xiao Xiting nodded: "Fellow Daoist Chi is wise."

"This is probably a grand scheme laid out by a senior whose cultivation level far surpasses our imagination in an extremely distant era."

"This situation may not have been about scheming against those who come after, but rather about nurturing or catalyzing this world."

"If everything proceeds naturally and no one interferes, this world, under its own plan, will absorb the source energy step by step, naturally awaken, and steadily advance into a small world with a rich earth attribute source."

"But if there are greedy cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm, like us, who notice the anomalies in this world, seize the opportunity, and break in to seize the treasures..."

Xiao Xiting gave a wry smile.

"That would trigger another layer of design in the situation, which is the situation we are facing now—the Heavenly Dao of this world, which has successfully reaped the benefits, sees it as an obstacle to its advancement and thus forcibly keeps it here."

Qingru put down her teacup and said coldly, "Such an open scheme is quite honorable. So, Fellow Daoist Xiao, in your opinion, is there a solution to this situation?"

"We can't possibly stay in this realm for a thousand years, waiting for it to slowly accumulate enough resources for its next advancement, can we?"

"There is a solution, of course."

Xiao Shan held up two fingers.

"There are only two paths ahead of us."