Primordial Era: Reborn Kong Xuan, Steady Cultivation

He had long heard of this spiritual root and was well aware of its wondrous uses.

The main benefits of this tea lie in nourishing the primordial spirit and stabilizing the foundation of one's Dao. It can also slightly aid in enlightenment, providing a moment of clarity when comprehending the laws of heaven and earth.

The innate fire element contained in tea trees has a remarkable effect on tempering the body and removing impurities.

For ordinary people, taking one pill can extend their lifespan by ten thousand years. However, for Kong Xuan, who has already attained the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit and lived as long as heaven and earth, the effect of extending lifespan is meaningless.

In addition, as the eldest son of Yuan Feng and the number one peacock in the world, his physical body is naturally strong, and the tempering effect is only the icing on the cake.

However, what truly captivated him was the incredibly pure innate Bing Fire energy contained within this tea tree itself!

This is one of the "Five Qi in the Chest" that he needs to refine to cultivate the Five-Colored Divine Light and eventually break through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm!

If used properly, whether directly absorbed and refined to replenish the origin of the Five-Colored Divine Light, or reserved for future breakthroughs to the Taiyi realm as a superior source of fire energy, it would be of immeasurable benefit.

"I searched high and low without finding it, but it came to me effortlessly... no, it took fifty years of painstaking effort." Kong Xuan composed himself, but couldn't help but smile. "I never expected that breaking through this great formation would lead me directly to the Da Hong Pao tea tree. It's truly an unexpected delight."

It seems that this is the main spiritual object protected by this formation.

All this hard work was worth it!

He did not immediately step forward to collect it, but first used his divine sense to carefully scan the entire valley secret realm to confirm that there were no other hidden restrictions or dangers, and at the same time, he searched for whether the treasure-dropping coins he had been longing for were also hidden here.

While the primary target may be tea trees, what if there's an unexpected bonus?

A thorough scan of the entire valley's secret realm revealed that, apart from the Da Hong Pao tea tree, which was considered a treasure, the rest were nothing more than some ancient, spiritually rich common fruits and a pool of high-quality spiritual spring water. No trace of the Fallen Treasure Coin was found.

Kong Xuan felt a slight regret, but quickly felt relieved.

"That's enough. It's already a great opportunity to obtain this Da Hong Pao tea tree. How can we expect to acquire two treasures in the same place? We can't bite off more than we can chew. Opportunities should be seized gradually."

He was at peace with himself and stopped worrying.

Without further hesitation, Kong Xuan gently waved his sleeve, and the wide sleeve containing the great supernatural power of "universe within a sleeve" enveloped the Da Hong Pao tea tree in the center of the valley.

With a flash of inspiration, the ancient and vigorous spiritual root, which exuded the energy of fire, along with the spiritual soil where its roots were located, was completely absorbed into the sleeve space and disappeared.

Just as the tea trees were being harvested, a strange change occurred.

The entire valley's secret realm trembled slightly. The innate grand formation that had enveloped this place for countless millennia seemed to have lost its core target, and the invisible Dao patterns that constituted the formation began to dim and dissipate rapidly.

The surrounding scenery seemed to have shed a hazy veil, and the true boundaries of the valley gradually merged and became revealed with the barren mountains outside.

In a short while, the innate grand formation completely collapsed, and this place was no longer separated from the outside world, becoming part of Wuyi Mountain once again. However, the spiritual energy here was still much denser than the surrounding area.

Outside the great formation, the little fairy was idly burying half of its body in the ground to absorb the earth's energy, looking up at the sky in a daze.

Suddenly, it felt a fluctuation in the space in front of it, and then the figure of the "Immortal" that it both revered and knew appeared out of thin air, and the strange sense of isolation around it disappeared.

It jolted awake, quickly burrowing out of the ground, frantically brushing the dirt off its body, and then respectfully bowing down in the direction of Kong Xuan, its voice filled with excitement and obsequiousness:

"This humble servant greets the Immortal! Congratulations on breaking through the formation and obtaining this precious treasure! Your magical powers will surely reach new heights!"

Huh? This little thing didn't run away?

Kong Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

He left him outside the formation not only to let him lead the way, but also perhaps to let him do as he pleased and settle this karmic debt.

After all, the other party was only at the Xuanxian level, and the plant spirits were of ordinary origin. In addition, they had already awakened their intelligence. If they were to forcibly devour them, it would undoubtedly only increase the karma.

Seeing that this immortal mushroom had not only not fled, but had been waiting here for more than fifty years, and was now being so eagerly congratulated upon their first meeting, it was clear that it had ulterior motives.

Kong Xuan remained calm and said, "Your guidance was indispensable in helping us find this place."

I always keep my word. I have spared your life, and I will not let you go unpunished.

"Tell me, what do you desire as a reward? As long as it's not excessive, I may consider granting it."

He offered a relatively open condition, wanting to hear what the little guy was planning.

Upon hearing this, the little fairy-like creature's face lit up with uncontrollable joy. It didn't ask for any medicinal herbs or treasures, but instead bowed deeply again without hesitation, its voice filled with unprecedented solemnity and longing:

"I humbly request the Immortal! I dare not covet any treasures, but only beg for your mercy, that you take me in as your servant, to serve you, so that I may often hear your teachings, cultivate the Great Dao, and escape this ignorant, weak, and precarious state! I beg you, Immortal, to grant my request!"

It actually wanted to follow Kong Xuan and seek someone to rely on and guide it on its path.

This was unexpected by Kong Xuan, but it also made him think a little more highly of this sensible and discerning little elf.

Moreover, this little thing is quite sensible; it did not take advantage of its merits to demand specific treasures, but instead sought a long-term path, wanting to attach itself to its own sect.

This pragmatic clarity and yearning for the right path resonated with him.

He had planned to find a blessed place in the Southern Continent to open a cave dwelling after his lecture at Zixiao Palace, so that he could cultivate in peace.

At that time, someone will definitely need to take care of the trivial matters such as managing the cave dwelling, looking after the spiritual herbs, and welcoming and seeing off guests.

This fairy mushroom is a plant spirit that has attained enlightenment. It is naturally close to spiritual plants and has a fairly clear mind, making it a suitable candidate to serve as a page.

"Very well. I will grant your request and take you as my page, named Zhitong, to serve by my side."

From now on, you must diligently cultivate yourself and manage all affairs of the cave dwelling, without slacking off.

Upon hearing this, Xianzhi trembled with excitement and immediately prostrated himself before Kong Xuan, bowing respectfully. His voice was filled with utmost piety and joy: "This humble servant greets you, Master! Thank you for accepting me into your service!"

Zhitong will certainly serve you wholeheartedly and diligently, daring not to slacken in the slightest!

"Rise." Kong Xuan accepted the bow, which formally confirmed his status, and then asked, "Now that you have joined my sect, you should know that there is still one thing I have not yet finished."

Besides the innate grand formation we just saw, do you know of any other strange places in Wuyi Mountain, or have you heard any special rumors about them?

Especially...things related to 'money' or 'treasure drops'?

Zhitong quickly stood up, a thoughtful look on his little face. After a moment, he shook his head with some shame and said, "Reporting to Master, since I gained sentience, I have mostly stayed in the vicinity of Zhigu Valley and rarely travel far. My knowledge is shallow... I really don't know about other strange places in the mountains."