The Thrilled Brother Egg! . . .
Now, any lingering doubts Cha Eun Xiao had regarding the origin of this tea vanished without a trace. He looked up at Master Bai, who had also undoubtedly caught a whiff of the enchanting fragrance. Strangely, there was no delight or wonder on Master Bai's visage; instead, it was marred by pain, regret, and sorrow.
Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but grasp the situation.
It was astonishing that a mere leaf from the Heavenly Destined Tree could possess such incredible effects. So, what if someone consumed the Heavenly Destined Fruit? What if they transformed it into the Innate Nature dan bead? And what if they also acquired the book detailing the martial art techniques of the Saint Stage?
Ordinary individuals would not even dare to entertain such grandiose thoughts. Yet, Master Bai had let this unique opportunity slip through his fingers—the kind of opportunity that presented itself once every hundred and thirty thousand years. It was perfectly natural that Master Bai felt a pang of melancholy.
As Cha Eun Xiao mulled over the situation and Master Bai contended with his regrets, inside Cha Eun Xiao's Boundless Space, the mysterious egg that had remained silent for a considerable duration suddenly came to life. The egg leaped several dozen meters into the air, colliding with the wall and generating a resounding crash.
It was palpably agitated.
The overwhelming compulsion, the intense thirst, it made no effort to conceal these desires.
—Bang, bang, bang!—It continuously collided with the wall, exhibiting no intention of ceasing until it cracked and released its contents.
Cha Eun Xiao couldn't ignore such unchecked fervor. The cacophony reverberating within his inner realm was causing his head to pound. While Master Bai remained oblivious to the disturbances, Cha Eun Xiao found them unbearable.
["Could you be any more insistent?"
With a cough, he feigned calmness and commented on the tea. "Excellent tea."
He then lifted his cup and nonchalantly took a sip. Instantly, an indescribable fragrance infused with spiritual qi surged into his mouth. But as he attempted to swallow, something astonishing occurred. Colorful spiritual qi began emanating from his mouth.
Desperate to prevent it from escaping, Cha Eun Xiao clamped his lips shut. Yet, despite his efforts, the vibrant qi surged up to his throat once more. He was left in a perplexing situation. ]
Cha Eun Xiao appeared as though he were a tipsy individual on the verge of vomiting, but inexplicably unable to do so. He grappled with the unbridled rush of energy coursing upward from his belly. It was apparent that his dantian, Jing, and Mai were ill-equipped to handle the sudden influx of spiritual qi. Each time the qi surged, he promptly swallowed it down, maintaining a firm seal on his lips to prevent any escape.
[What an incredible opportunity! It's a precious treasure that most people could never hope to possess in eight lifetimes. The owner doesn't even want it. It feels like an unforgivable waste.]
Master Bai, who had just overcome his own frustrations, observed Cha Eun Xiao's uncomfortable predicament. He couldn't help but cough, inadvertently spewing out the tea he had attempted to drink. Master Bai held the cup, abstaining from further sips, and instead gazed at Cha Eun Xiao with great interest. In his mind, he began a silent countdown.
[One, two, three...
If I reach ten, and you still haven't expelled it, I must admit, you possess an extraordinary level of tenacity. But deep down, I know you're bound to expel it. Given your current condition, cultivation level, and capability, you simply lack the means to digest it effectively. What are you hoping to achieve?
Forcing yourself to retain it will result in severe adverse consequences. A single misstep could lead to a fatal explosion. Do you honestly think the tea brewed from the Heavenly Destined Tree is easy to digest?]
Master Bai peered at Cha Eun Xiao with an air of smug satisfaction, convinced that he had the upper hand in this situation. However, the next turn of events would take him completely by surprise.
After several attempts, Cha Eun Xiao abruptly—
—Gurr!—
His eyes widened to the size of saucers, and his eyeballs appeared on the verge of popping out, held in place only by his eye sockets. He remained in this bizarre state for a few moments, resembling a frog. Then, he parted his lips, and a surge of spiritual qi escaped as he angrily exclaimed, "Fxck!"
Master Bai was aghast as he stared at the spectacle. Cha Eun Xiao expelled the qi, and it landed squarely on Master Bai's face, with an almost impressive precision. For Master Bai, this was nothing short of an affront. While there was no saliva mixed with the qi from Cha Eun Xiao's mouth, it was unmistakably expelled from the mouth. He had unintentionally spat in Master Bai's face, an inadvertent act that necessitated an explanation.
Nevertheless, Master Bai remained unfazed by the unexpected act of disrespect. The recent turn of events had left him in a state of sheer bewilderment. It was so unprecedented, so inexplicable.
To his astonishment, there was no trace of slobber or the usual colorful breath in the qi ejected from Cha Eun Xiao's mouth. In essence, Cha Eun Xiao had successfully retained the tumultuous, vibrant spiritual qi inside his body. Nothing had escaped.
Master Bai, despite being spat upon, could only respond with a profound sense of shock.
[This individual... did he truly manage to swallow it? To digest it? How could someone of his current cultivation level possibly assimilate the colorful spiritual qi derived from the Heavenly Destined Tea?]
In the presence of Master Bai, Cha Eun Xiao sighed and partook in another sip of the tea.
And then another...
Until the cup was drained.
He shook his head in dismay and cursed, "For heaven's sake!"
Then he reached for another sip and emptied the cup yet again.
Master Bai could hardly believe what he was witnessing. For the first time, he felt a profound sense of inadequacy.
[What... is happening?]
In truth, Cha Eun Xiao was similarly bewildered. He was left to ponder, [Isn't this too much?]
It turned out that the egg within the Boundless Space was in an uncontrollable frenzy, jumping up and down incessantly and producing an incessant cacophony. Cha Eun Xiao was left battered and bruised, struggling to contain it. When he initially consumed the first sip of tea, the egg abruptly halted its commotion.
At lightning speed, it shot back to its plate and began rolling. Faster and faster it spun, until it transformed into a luminous streak of white.
During the moments Cha Eun Xiao grappled with the inner turmoil of the colorful spiritual qi, uncertain of whether to expel it or ingest it, the egg seized the opportunity.
—Shoot!—
The massive influx of vibrant spiritual qi vanished from his body.
Remarkably, there was no sign of overloading, no cataclysmic explosion, no dire consequences. The egg had absorbed every last bit of it.
Cha Eun Xiao was left in a state of shock, his anticipation of significant cultivation progress met with bafflement.
[What on earth is happening?]