Back at their old rented apartment in the slightly rundown eastern district of Blue River City, Lin Yuan felt unusually refreshed.
His mother, Aunt Zhang, who had been carried into the hospital on a stretcher just hours ago, was now humming a tune while folding clothes. Her face glowed with a healthy pink and she moved with the energy of someone in her twenties. The doctors had wanted to keep her for observation, but she insisted on going home with her son.
"Xiao Yuan, that soup you made was magical. Mom feels like she can run a marathon now!"
Aunt Zhang laughed, her voice full of life.
Lin Yuan scratched the back of his head with his usual clueless grin.
"It's just a random Douyin recipe, Mom. Glad it worked. You rest first. I'll make some tea for us. The weather is a bit dry lately."
He didn't think much of it.
It felt disrespectful to question such a miracle.
From the kitchen cabinet, he pulled out a cheap box of supermarket tea leaves that cost 9.9 yuan for a big pack and had a faded "Premium Longjing" label that everyone knew was just ordinary green tea. He boiled some water in the old electric kettle, tossed in a handful of leaves, and let it steep.
For good measure, he dropped the old jade pendant into the teapot "to add some flavor" just like how some videos said ancient people infused things with jade.
Completely ordinary actions.
But the moment the hot water touched the tea leaves and the jade pendant…
Hum—
The entire apartment trembled faintly!
Invisible golden spiritual qi surged from the jade pendant and merged with the cheap tea leaves. The water in the teapot began to shimmer with a faint golden luster and a fragrance that could make immortals salivate spread out.
This wasn't ordinary tea anymore.
This was Nine Heavens God Tea!
A Sacred-grade immortal tea that in the Bright Shining Era could allow a single sip to grant a hundred years of cultivation, purify the soul, and even slightly comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
One cup could make a mortal step into Qi Refining.
Ten cups could push someone to the Foundation realm.
And for true geniuses… it could trigger heavenly events and massive breakthroughs.
Lin Yuan poured two cups casually.
"Mom, here's your tea. Drink it while it's hot."
Aunt Zhang took a sip and her eyes widened.
"This tea… it's so fragrant! Mom feels warm all over."
She had no idea that with that one sip, her latent talent had been awakened to an unprecedented level. If she started cultivating now, she would progress at a speed that would shock the entire cultivation world.
Lin Yuan took a big gulp himself and sighed happily.
"Yeah, not bad for cheap tea."
He had no clue that as he drank, the Sacred Immortal Body within him passively absorbed the essence, and the heavens themselves seemed to smile upon him.
Meanwhile, outside the apartment building.
The spiritual qi anomaly from the hospital had spread.
The Zhao Clan had mobilized.
They were one of the three major cultivation families controlling Blue River City
Leading the group was Zhao Tianhao, the arrogant young master, 28 years old, early Core Formation stage. Quite tall, handsome in a flashy way, dressed in a custom suit that cost millions, with two beautiful female cultivators at Foundation Establishment 9th layer following him like servants.
Behind him were five Zhao Clan elders.
They were all at Foundation Establishment peak or half-step Core Formation.
Zhao Tianhao sneered as he stepped out of his limited-edition Maserati.
"Some trash treasure appeared in this slum area? Hmph, this young master will take it. Whoever created it will hand it over obediently, or I'll crush their entire family!"
One of the elders frowned slightly.
"Young Master, the qi fluctuation is quite pure… it might be something extraordinary."
"Extraordinary? In this low-qi era? Don't make me laugh. At most a Spiritual-grade pill. Enough to make this young master break through to mid Core Formation!"
Zhao Tianhao laughed arrogantly.
"Go knock on the door. Tell them the great Zhao Clan is here to 'borrow' the treasure."
The group marched up the stairs with their powerful auras suppressed, but it was still enough to make the ordinary residents feel suffocated.
They stopped in front of Lin Yuan's door.
Knock knock knock!
A loud, impatient knock.
Lin Yuan blinked in confusion.
He was just about to sit down and play a few rounds of mobile games.
"Who could that be? We don't have visitors…"
He opened the door casually.
Standing there was a group of well-dressed people exuding an intimidating presence. The leader, Zhao Tianhao, looked him up and down with disdain.
"Brat, you're Lin Yuan? The one who made that 'miracle medicine' in the hospital?"
Lin Yuan scratched his head.
"Uh… yeah, that was me. But it was just cough syrup for my mom. Is something wrong?"
Zhao Tianhao laughed coldly.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Hand over the recipe and the remaining medicine. This young master from the Zhao Clan will reward you handsomely. Refuse… and you can forget about living peacefully in Blue River City."
The elders behind him strangled the air by unleashing a trace of their spiritual pressure.
Aunt Zhang came over worriedly.
"Xiao Yuan, who are these people?"
Lin Yuan felt a bit nervous… he was just a normie who had never dealt with such aggressive rich people before. But seeing his mom's concerned face, he remembered the tea he had just made.
"Um… I don't have any medicine left, but I just brewed some tea. If you're thirsty after coming all this way, you can have a cup."
He turned and brought out the teapot and a few extra cups to pour for the entire group.
"Here, try it. It's just ordinary Longjing tea, but it actually tastes pretty good."
Zhao Tianhao was about to slap the cup away in anger and next Lin Yuan! How dare this poor brat offer him cheap tea instead of the treasure?
But the fragrance hit him first.
A single whiff made his core tremble!
Before he could react, one of the elders had already taken a greedy sip.
Boom!
The elder's eyes widened. His aura exploded outward!
"Th-, This… this is sacred-grade spiritual tea! One sip and my bottleneck is loosening…"
Golden light burst from the elder's body.
"I'm breaking through!!"
The entire corridor was filled with fragrant mist.
Heavenly phenomena appeared faintly as illusory lotuses bloomed in the air.
The other elders couldn't hold back.
They grabbed cups and drank.
One after another, breakthroughs erupted!
"Finally, half-step Core Formation!"
"My damaged foundation is healed!"
"I… I comprehended a trace of sword intent!"
Zhao Tianhao stood frozen.
His arrogant face turned pale, then red, then purple with shock and greed.
He snatched the last cup and downed it.
BOOM—!!!
His Core Formation aura surged wildly.
Mid Core Formation…
Late Core Formation…
Peak Core Formation in mere seconds!
A faint dragon roar echoed in his mind.
His talent skyrocketed.
The spiritual qi in his dantian became purer than anything he had ever felt.
Zhao Tianhao's legs went soft.
He, the proud young master who looked down on everyone, suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud right in front of Lin Yuan's crappy door.
"Ancestor!!!"
The word came out involuntarily.
The five elders behind him also knelt as their foreheads hit the dirty floor of the apartment hallway.
"Many thanks to Senior Lin for bestowing this immortal tea!"
"We, the Zhao Clan, are willing to serve and honor Senior Lin from now on!"
Zhao Tianhao's face was pressed to the ground with a deep sense of respect but also fear.
This cheap tea… had pushed him from early Core Formation straight to peak!
If he could get more…
Or get the person who made it on his side…
No, he had to offer everything!
"Senior Lin! This junior was blind and rude earlier! Please forgive me! The Zhao Clan has many beautiful daughters — all of them are talented and virgin. If Senior likes any of them, just say the word! We can even arrange dual cultivation chambers with top-grade spiritual arrays!"
The female cultivators who had come with Zhao Tianhao were already blushing. There was intense desire in their eyes as they looked at innocent Lin Yuan.
They could feel it… this young man was special.
Lin Yuan stood there dumbfounded, teapot still in hand.
"Wh-, What? Ancestor? Dual cultivation? Guys… I think there's a misunderstanding."
He chuckled nervously.
"I just brewed some cheap tea…"
But no one listened.
The Zhao Clan group was already kowtowing tirelessly.
Still completely clueless, Lin Yuan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Uh… if you guys like the tea so much, I can brew more tomorrow?"
The kneeling Zhao Clan members trembled excitedly.
More?!
This was going to shake the entire city!