Chapter 23: Washing the Mortal Eyes! Listening to the Heart!

Ryan was curious: "Could it be a little genius like Aston Lowell?"

Then, why hadn't he heard of her name?

He followed the sound and immediately saw a middle-aged female cultivator with a beautiful appearance and well-maintained.

Although the woman was getting on in years, she still had charm and grace, and it could be seen that she had been a beauty when she was young.

She smiled wryly at a tea tree and said: "Little ancestor, be more cooperative, okay?"

"If you keep moving around, it'll be hard for me to loosen the soil."

"If I accidentally hurt the roots, I'll have to be deducted spirit stones again later!"

Ryan understood.

Obviously, this middle-aged woman had accepted the daily task of the inner disciples and exchanged for the sect's contributions and rewards by taking care of the spiritual plants.

From one of the spiritual plants in front of her, a little girl's childish voice came out: "You want to pick my fruits, and you also want to pluck my flowers!"

"When my leaves are in your hands, they'll all become tea!"

At first, Ryan thought that there was a little child hiding in the bushes and leaves of the spiritual plant, playing a game of hide-and-seek with the adults.

After hearing these words, he suddenly came to his senses.

"At first, I thought the little girl was this spiritual plant? She is... a tea tree!"

This was a plant that had given birth to spirituality!

Essentially, this spiritual tea tree was no different from that flood dragon.

All things that become refined are demons!

The difference was that this tea tree spirit hadn't harmed mortals or slaughtered the common people but had been staying on the mountain obediently.

Not far away, the middle-aged woman cultivator was very patient and said softly: "Be good~"

"I'll go and find the Frost Spirit Ore for you tomorrow, smash it and add it to the spiritual soil to fertilize you and relieve the heat."

The tea tree spirit said coquettishly: "I don't want it!"

"Everyone is already shivering from the cold!"

"Idiot! You're too slow!"

"Now that the weather has turned cold, we need to use the Warm Jade Spirit Ore!"

Ryan walked closer with great interest and saw...

This spiritual tea tree was different from ordinary wood. Its trunk was a warm jade-white color, and a faint cyan glow flowed faintly on the surface, as if it were the marks of the intertwining of time and spiritual power.

The branches stretched gracefully, like a little girl's light arms.

Each leaf was crystal clear and emitted a faint fluorescence, swaying gently in the breeze, like her delicate fingertips dancing.

When Ryan walked up to it, he felt a sense of clarity in his forehead, and a cool faint light flashed in his eyes.

He could see clearly - on the branch of this spiritual tea tree in front of him, there was actually a cute little girl squatting!

She was about seven or eight years old, wearing a green gauze dress made of leaves and morning dew.

The little girl's skirt swayed gently with her light steps, as if she blended in with the surrounding nature.

She looked at Ryan in surprise: "Huh? You're only at the second level of Spirit Nurturing, so low in cultivation. How can you see me?"

"This is..."

"Dragon Soul Essence, Washing the Mortal Eyes?"

The little girl said with certainty: "You're lucky. You've opened the [Spiritual Vision] in advance, and your potential is not bad!"

When the middle-aged woman cultivator saw Ryan coming, she restrained her smile and quickly bowed to him to salute: "Inner disciple Sharon, pays respects to the True Disciple!"

Sharon had joined Xuanji Cave Heaven for many years. She had excellent aptitude and quite good luck. She had cultivated smoothly without encountering any major obstacles until now.

Her current cultivation level was definitely not something that Ryan, who had just entered the sect, could compare with.

If the two had met outside...

A cultivator like her at the fourth level of Spirit Nurturing would basically look down on the young man who was two levels lower than her and wouldn't take him seriously at all.

However...

That was just an assumption after all.

Ryan was the True Disciple of Drunken Immortal Peak, while Sharon was just an inner disciple.

The difference in status made her have to put aside her pride and treat the young man, who was not as good as her in cultivation and was even half a hundred years younger, with courtesy.

Ryan didn't act arrogantly either and immediately returned the salute: "Senior Sister, hello."

"Please give me more guidance in future cultivation."

Sharon, who had been a little jealous at first, immediately felt the jealousy and annoyance in her heart disappear upon hearing these words.

She even felt a little at a loss and replied hastily: "True Disciple, you're too polite."

"From now on, if True Disciple has any orders, Sharon will do her best!"

This was the effect of the combination of the difference in status and the attitude of dealing with people.

The little girl squatting on the tea tree branch stared at Ryan. Her big, watery eyes rolled around, and then she clapped her hands: "You're the only True Disciple Ryan on our Drunken Immortal Peak?"

"Famous and well-known, like thunder in the ears!"

"Well, we should get closer in the future!"

Looking at the lively and cute little tea spirit, Ryan suppressed the corners of his upturned mouth.

He replied expressionlessly and seriously: "I am indeed Ryan. May I ask how I should address you?"

The little girl put her hands on her hips and said lively and proudly:

"Don't look at me like this. Actually, I came to this Drunken Immortal Peak in the same year as your master, True Person of Turbid Wine!"

"If we count seniority, I'm your elder. But..."

"Just call me 'Sister Tea'!"

"Ryan, you're a nice person! Unlike them, who always treat me like a child!"

The tea spirit opened up the chatterbox and chattered: "I just heard a lot of people talking..."

"Everyone said that slaughtering the flood dragon was to build your foundation for cultivation and strengthen your background and so on!"

Her hair was like the finest silk, with a faint silver light, casually falling on her shoulders.

A blooming spiritual camellia on her forehead added a bit of an otherworldly and refined temperament to her.

The little girl's eyes were as clear as water: "Let me think! What can I give you as a bribe..."

"Sister Astraea is so powerful. Since she has recognized you, you must have many outstanding qualities, right?"

"When you become stronger in the future, remember to arrange a few more people to take care of me and find me some playmates!"

"I'm so lonely here! I don't have any common topics with these fools."

"Everyone is always thinking about cultivation, doing tasks, earning sect contributions, and exchanging for snacks and pills and such things! It's so boring!"

"Sharing the fierceness of the sun, the moisture of the dew, the gentleness of the dawn, the generosity and kindness of the earth with them, they just can't understand. There's no common topic at all!"

Ryan's eyes flickered slightly: "I see."

He finally knew his master's name.

Astraea...

The little tea spirit clapped her hands: "Here, take it! This is my treasured possession!"

Sizzle...

A brilliant blue spiritual light bloomed in the little girl's palm.

When the light dissipated, a round, full, and attractive silver-blue spiritual tea fruit landed in Ryan's hand.

"Eat this Tea Spirit Treasure Fruit, and... eh? You're so fast. You've already swallowed it?"

While the tea spirit was talking, Ryan had already swallowed the silver-blue spiritual tea fruit.

She was stunned for a moment and then let out a crisp laugh like a silver bell: "You're quite an interesting person!"

"This fruit can greatly enhance your hearing and even endow you with the ability to directly hear the mood and thoughts of others by listening to their words."

"It's equivalent to obtaining a part of my [Tea Spirit Power] and being able to listen to the hearts of mortals!"

The little tea spirit pointed at the middle-aged female cultivator and said with a smile: "Sharon was quite jealous of you before."

"However, after you greeted her, her jealousy disappeared."

"Now she sincerely wants to serve you and thinks you're a very promising young talent."

Sharon's face turned red, and she stammered: "Hu... nonsense!"

Ryan smiled gently: "Judge by actions, not by thoughts. If judged by thoughts, no one is a saint."

"Senior Sister, you haven't done anything to harm my interests or hinder my cultivation. Why should you care about those distracting thoughts of the inner demons?"

"Let them go with the wind."

Hearing these words, the somewhat flustered Sharon immediately felt at ease and replied: "You's right. I was being too obsessed!"

At this time, the silver-blue spiritual tea fruit that Ryan had swallowed had begun to take effect.

The taste of that fruit was bitter at first and then sweet. After entering the stomach, it was immediately digested and absorbed, turning into two warm currents and drilling into his ears respectively.

Ryan clearly felt that his hearing seemed to be getting better and better.

The rustling of the wind and the movement of grass in the distance were also clearly audible.

And for the middle-aged female cultivator in front of him, he could also detect a little bit of her panic, embarrassment, and gratitude.

Although he didn't quite understand why she was grateful to him, but...

The benefits proved that it was a wise move to come to the mountainside residence this time!

As soon as he came, he immediately got benefits, enhanced his comprehensive abilities, and improved his skills. Although it wasn't a direct improvement in combat power and realm, hearing was also one of the very important attributes.

This was beyond doubt!

Then, Ryan promised the little tea spirit: "Sister Tea, I'll fulfill my promise of finding you playmates."

"But... not now."

"Now my cultivation is still shallow. Even if I go out for training and am lucky enough to encounter a spiritual plant that has given birth to will, it would be very difficult to bring it back intact."

"Wait a little longer!"

If he wandered around with only the second level of Spirit Nurturing, he would most likely get himself killed.

Ryan wasn't that reckless.

Although he was also curious about the beautiful scenery of the cultivation world and wanted to travel around the world in person, his own life safety was more important!

The tea spirit was very satisfied with his sincerity: "Okay!"

After chatting briefly, Ryan bid farewell to the little tea spirit.

Then, led by the middle-aged female cultivator Sharon, he arrived at the residence of the inner disciples.

The buildings here were really different from those at the foot of the mountain.

In the morning light, an ancient architectural complex based on crimson warm jade was arranged in an orderly manner, row upon row.

The entire architectural complex was carved from rare crimson warm jade, with a warm color and a noble temperament.

They were built against the mountains and by the water, with a scattered layout, integrating with the natural landscape.

The roofs were made of crimson jade carved tiles, and the front stone steps were paved with the same color warm jade.

There were exquisitely carved jade pillars on both sides, with dragon and phoenix patterns on the pillars. A corridor bridge spanned the water, and the bridge deck was made of crimson jade slabs, and the railings were carved with lotus patterns.

Each of these rooms, when looked at alone, was like a palace.

They glowed in the sunlight and showed a deep luster under the illumination of the light, presenting a magnificent and gorgeous appearance.

Ryan commented in his heart: "Compared like this, it's indeed better than where the low-level disciples at the foot of the mountain live."

"And on the top of the mountain, the rooms of my master and I are more inclined to return to simplicity."

"Next, I'll stay here for at least a month, meditate and cultivate quietly, and seriously pay off my debts!"

After bidding farewell to the middle-aged female cultivator, Ryan calmed down in the "palace" assigned to him and began to cultivate.

The face of the registered disciple who had spent his life savings to buy a farming spiritual beast but ended up with the Golden - Headed Bull's leg being broken by a boulder rolling down the hillside appeared in his mind.

Ryan sat cross-legged on the Bodhi cushion, and his thoughts were clear: "I don't want to end up like that..."

"Anyway, I don't want to live a life like that."

But...

If he hadn't pretended to be a celestial prodigy, his life trajectory would probably be no different from that of the registered disciple.

Everyone had the same level of talent.

Those with average talent mostly wasted their lives.

The next moment, Ryan couldn't help but think of the old ancestor of Chu Shaobai's family who had passed away.

What good was excellent talent?

Only by breaking through the cultivation realm and transcending the mortal world was the real deal!

A sense of urgency arose in his heart, and Ryan's eyes became sharp. His wise thoughts were like a sword, cutting off the chaotic thoughts: "Next, focus on paying off the cultivation debts, and then..."

"Quickly advance to the third level of Spirit Nurturing!"

The third level of Spirit Nurturing was the most important stage in the initial stage of cultivation.

Once broken through, it would bring about a qualitative change!