Eastern Sea.
Shen Clan's headquarters, Purple Sandalwood Myriad Sparrow Island.
Shen Congsheng, the Shen Clan's Supreme Grand Elder, greeted Fang Yuan with effusive hospitality: "Ancestor Qi Hai, this is our Shen Clan's Six Voice Tea. Please do try it."
Fang Yuan nodded and looked at the cups arranged on the table before him.
Six Voice Tea was the Shen Clan's signature tea, extraordinarily renowned. Its fame had spread across the Five Regions, surpassing even Spirit Affinity Lodge's Green Bank Tea, Myriad Dragon Dock's Flood Shadow Tea, the Southern Border Qiao Clan's Servant's Charm Tea, and the Fang Clan's Seven Mile Fragrance Tea.
Six Voice Tea was not a single cup of tea — it was an entire set, comprising six small cups.
The brewing process for each of these six cups, the temperature of the tea, the type of teacup, the order of drinking, and the specific method of consumption all had their own meticulous requirements.
Fang Yuan picked up the first cup. The tea was crystal clear and luminous, like the crisp autumn sky on a cloudless day, untainted by a single speck of dust.
"Autumn Paulownia Tone," Fang Yuan murmured inwardly, taking a small sip.
As the tea slid down his throat, he felt a wave of refreshing coolness wash through him. His mind became perfectly clear and transparent, devoid of the slightest contamination.
He felt as though he had been freed from all worry, transformed into a bird soaring through the autumn sky, or perhaps a gentle breeze drifting through its heights.
After savoring the sensation for a moment, Fang Yuan moved on to the second cup: Cloud Flowing Sound.
This tea had a peculiar texture — soft and yielding, as if it were not tea at all but cotton fluff. Yet it dissolved the instant it touched his tongue, transforming into streams of slightly chilly water that flowed from his throat into his stomach, cascading downward without the slightest resistance.
Once all the tea had settled into his belly, the tongue, throat, and intestines through which it had passed began to emit wisps of tea fog, like clouds drifting through mist. This dense fog filled his chest, seeped outward in all directions, and penetrated deep into every organ.
"Excellent tea." Fang Yuan linger on the taste for a long while before moving to the third cup.
This one was called River Maiden's Lament.
The tea was served in an elongated cup. Its surface was not still but rippled with tiny waves, like a miniature river condensed into a single vessel.
Fang Yuan tipped the entire cup into his mouth. An ineffably profound emotion surged through him, so captivating that he could scarcely pull himself away. He felt as though he had become a river, winding through countless turns, weathering hardship after hardship, before finally flowing broad and open into the Eastern Sea.
Autumn Paulownia Tone.
Cloud Flowing Sound.
River Maiden's Lament.
Jade Sky-Harp.
Phoenix Cry.
Lotus Smile.
Each of these six cups, taken on its own, was an exceptional tea. What made them truly marvelous was that they built upon one another in sequence, each enhancing the last. Having drunk all six in succession, Fang Yuan found himself in a daze, a feeling of indescribable wonder enveloping his five senses and stirring his eight perceptions.
By the time he came back to himself, more than an hour had passed.
"Excellent tea." Fang Yuan savored the aftertaste for a long time before offering his praise. "Even in my seclusion, I had heard of Six Voice Tea's reputation. Having tasted it today, I can confirm it is every bit as celebrated as they say."
Seeing Fang Yuan's satisfaction, Shen Congsheng was overjoyed. He laughed heartily: "To receive such praise from Ancestor Qi Hai — it was well worth having our Gu Immortals spend three days and three nights refining this tea."
Six Voice Tea was a tea brewed from immortal materials, and only Gu Immortals with masterful refinement skills could produce it. To brew an entire complete set of Six Voice Tea, Shen Congsheng had even rolled up his sleeves and gotten involved personally.
Naturally, the tea came in different grades depending on the ingredients used. Since Shen Congsheng had personally taken charge, he had used only the highest-grade materials, consuming vast quantities of Eighth Transformation immortal materials.
Eighth Transformation immortal materials were extraordinarily valuable, and their proper use was in the refinement of Gu — yet here they were being spent on tea. Once Fang Yuan had finished drinking, the set was gone, a truly extravagant expenditure. But it spoke volumes about how warmly Shen Congsheng wished to receive his guest.
After the tea, Shen Congsheng invited Fang Yuan to tour Purple Sandalwood Myriad Sparrow Island.
The island itself was a super-tier resource point. It was not made of earth or stone but was a single Primordial Desolation-grade plant — the Sea-Suppressing Purple Sandalwood.
The purple sandalwood had taken root on the seafloor, growing upward until its canopy broke the surface. Its branches intertwined with one another, forming the island's terrain.
Countless species of living creatures inhabited the island, though birds were by far the most numerous.
Whenever these birds sang, the branches of the purple sandalwood would tremble in response, producing a wondrous harmony. These harmonics radiated outward, calming the surrounding sea.
The ocean here was perfectly still, smooth as a mirror, and overhead there was not the slightest trace of wind.
This was precisely how the Sea-Suppressing Purple Sandalwood had earned its name.
Shen Congsheng played host to Fang Yuan for a full two days, personally escorting him throughout. Occasionally he would summon several female Gu Immortals of the Shen Clan to attend to Fang Yuan's needs.
Fang Yuan and he conversed warmly, and before parting, Shen Congsheng presented a gift with both hands.
The gifts were considerable in weight — not only did they contain a large quantity of immortal materials, but there were also two branches of Sea-Suppressing Purple Sandalwood at the Ancient Desolation-grade level.
The Shen Clan's Sea-Suppressing Purple Sandalwood was a Primordial Desolation plant. It required eight hundred years to produce a single living branch. Transplanting such a branch could yield a fully grown Ancient Desolation-grade Sea-Suppressing Purple Sandalwood.