Xiao Xiang patted her chest, assuring, "Brother Xi, you still don't trust me with my work?"
The youth smiled, pulled out a Heavenly Spirit Fruit from his embrace, and stuffed it into Xiao Xiang's arms. "Hurry along!"
Xiao Xiang nodded happily and hopped away.
The youth caught up with Zi Linling and the other five, saying, "Esteemed customers, please follow me!"
He led Zi Linling and the other five through twists and turns, arriving at the reception hall behind the ancestral shrine. "Distinguished guests, please rest here for a moment. I will go and invite an elder of my family."
Zi Linling smiled and said, "Young sir, we merely wish to pay respects to Heavenly Venerate. There's no need to trouble your elders, is there?"
The youth smiled, "No trouble, no trouble. You are distinguished guests, and it is only proper! Please have some tea here first. I shall return shortly!"
"Someone, serve tea!"
Before Zi Linling could reply, he withdrew.
Soon, a servant brought tea and placed it on the table before respectfully retreating.
A fragrance of tea wafted into the noses of the six, invigorating their spirits.
Shangguan Yulin picked up a bowl of tea, brought it close to his nose, and inhaled deeply, murmuring enchantedly, "This tea is excellent. Just by smelling it, one can feel all the pores opening up, and potent law energy automatically seeping into the body."
He then plopped onto a chair and took a slow sip.
Rong Guang smiled teasingly, "Brother Shangguan, aren't you afraid this tea might be poisoned?"
Shangguan Yulin rolled his eyes at him, retorting irritably, "How could such fine tea possibly be poisoned? Besides, as a poison master, can't you tell if this tea is poisoned or not?"
Rong Guang shook his head helplessly, laughing, "I was just saying. Must you be so serious? Such excellent tea, if it were poisoned, wouldn't that be a terrible waste?"
Shangguan Yulin gave him a sidelong glance, "I'm just being reasonable! Our host is kindly entertaining us. If they knew their good intentions were doubted, they might be displeased!"
"Alright, alright, I was wrong, okay?"
Rong Guang said with a full smile, then drank the tea in his cup in one go.
Indeed, as Shangguan Yulin had said, after the tea entered his belly, all his pores felt incredibly clear, and the surrounding law energy surged into his pores.
Rong Guang closed his eyes, carefully savored it, and praised, "Good tea!"
Zi Linling said with a hint of annoyance, "Of course it's good tea. Smelling the aroma, it has the rich scent of top-grade Heavenly Spirit Water. It's likely the tea trees have been irrigated with top-grade Heavenly Spirit Water all along, and these tea trees have been growing for about ninety thousand years!"
"Ninety thousand years?"
Du Zihao exclaimed in surprise, "Let me have a taste too! Tea from ninety thousand years is exceedingly rare."
As he spoke, he gulped down the tea in his cup.
"It truly is good tea! So comfortable!"
Du Zihao closed his eyes, carefully savoring the artistic conception within the tea, as if wisps of immortal energy were swirling around him.
"Pop!"
A faint sound echoed, and Du Zihao's aura instantly grew stronger.
"This can even lead to a breakthrough?"
Shangguan Yulin stared with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Yes! It can even lead to a breakthrough!" Rong Guang said with a touch of envy.
A hint of surprise flickered across Xuanyuan Xun's face.
He observed Du Zihao for a moment, then drained the tea beside him.
Then, he closed his eyes.
Shen Liuxing raised his eyebrows, picked up his teacup, and also drank the tea.
Zi Linling smiled, her lips pressed against the teacup, and took a small sip.
A moment later, Xuanyuan Xun and Shen Liuxing opened their eyes, disappointment flashing in their depths.
Zi Linling smiled, "You don't need to be disappointed. The reason Brother Du could break through is because he has been taking Bodhi Enlightenment Pills these past few days, reaching the verge of a breakthrough. Thus, this ninety-thousand-year-old Heavenly Spirit Immortal Tea played its part in a natural progression."
"However, you haven't gained nothing. Carefully sense it. See if the spiritual energy and law energy within your bodies have increased significantly."
At Zi Linling's prompting, Shangguan Yulin, Rong Guang, Xuanyuan Xun, and Shen Liuxing quickly sank their divine senses into their bodies and began to perceive carefully.
Soon, they discovered that their spiritual energy and law energy had indeed increased considerably, and they were steadily approaching the bottleneck of the mid-stage of the Divine King realm.
The four were greatly astonished.
They had only broken through to the early stage of the Divine King realm a little over a month ago, and now they had touched the threshold of the mid-stage. This showed they were indeed individuals of exceptional talent.
Zi Linling smiled, "What you don't know is that the ninety-thousand-year-old Heavenly Spirit Immortal Tea will reach its full effect after twelve hours."
"In other words, by this time tomorrow, its efficacy will be stimulated to its extreme. So, just wait patiently. I guarantee that by this time tomorrow, each of you will achieve a breakthrough."
"Really?"
Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yulin, and Shen Liuxing all asked with delight.
Zi Linling smiled and nodded, "When have I ever lied to you?"
"That's wonderful!" Shangguan Yulin exclaimed happily.
"Of course, it's wonderful! We're all benefiting because of you!" Zi Linling said meaningfully.
"Benefiting because of me?" Shangguan Yulin asked in surprise.
Zi Linling smiled brilliantly, "If not for that, why would they offer us such excellent tea?"
"But why am I the one benefiting?" Shangguan Yulin asked, confused.
Zi Linling replied, "What else could it be? It's naturally because you are the reincarnation of Heavenly Venerate Xi Zhihe! Didn't you see the young man's eyes light up when he saw you just now?"
"Did they?" Shangguan Yulin asked with a touch of vanity.
Zi Linling nodded and said, "Do you remember how the young girl named Xiao Xiang addressed that young man earlier?"
Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yulin, Shen Liuxing, and Du Zihao recalled carefully and blurted out in unison, "Brother Xi!"
Zi Linling smiled and nodded, "Exactly. If I'm not mistaken, the person guarding the Heavenly Venerate's ancestral shrine should be a descendant of Heavenly Venerate Xi Zhihe!"
"Clap, clap, clap..."
As Zi Linling finished speaking, a round of applause came from outside the door.
A handsome middle-aged man walked in, saying, "This young lady has sharp eyes and great wisdom!"
"I am Xi Ning, the twenty-second generation family head of the Xi family. The one who just brought you in was my son, Xi Jingran."
"It is truly regrettable. You are distinguished guests, and I, as the head of the Xi family, have failed to greet you personally. I sincerely apologize. I beg you, distinguished guests, not to blame me!"