1919 Learning Practical Skills From Tea

The tiny leaves were gently picked, without them being broken or bruised.

This was important as once the leaves were damaged, they would start leaking their essence which would reduce their quality.

But if the leaf was properly plucked, it would stay stable and none of the leaf's essence would leak. Doing this though needed fine control over the Immortal Qi, as any mistake would lead to the leaf being damaged. It was also why one couldn't use their bare fingers to do the same.

The tiny leaves were far too delicate and the fingers would damage them easily too.

The Head Elder watched as Lin Mu continued to pluck the tea leaves. His speed increased in just a few seconds, with each of his fingers picking tens of leaves at once. In just five minutes, he had already plucked a fist full of leaves.

"That's enough for us." The Head Elder spoke, stopping him.

"Oh, okay." Lin Mu replied, continuing to hold the leaves with his immortal Qi.

'Hmm, his focus is maintained… most lose focus, and the leaves get damaged at this point.' This was actually a test by the Head Elder to see if Lin Mu would make a mistake upon being asked to stop. 

It was a test he had very easily passed, as it wasn't a difficult task for him at all.

"Put them in here." The Head Elder took out a small wicker basket. 

The basket was finely woven and had tiny gaps that let in air, but did not let the leaves fall. 

Lin Mu did as told and saw that the Wicker basket managed to keep the tea leaves in without causing any damage to them. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed the faint runes that were present on each strand of the wicker basket.

'The runes were inscribed before the basket was made. The runes in each wicker strand would not make sense, but once they were woven together, they align perfectly and turn into a preserving formation.' Lin Mu noticed a novel method of using runes and combining them with a handicraft.

It was clear that the Serene Glass Valley certainly had its own methods that Lin Mu might not get to see outside as much.

Even this short interaction had been enough to teach Lin Mu a few new things.

"So then, what do you think is the benefit of picking the tea like this?" The Head Elder went back to his original question.

In response, Lin Mu raised his hand and released the threads of Immortal Qi again. 

"Finer control over your Immortal Qi, as well as practice in multitasking. It serves as a good method since the Pixie Leaf Tea has just the right kind of delicateness for it. You would know very easily if the force is too much, even for Immortal Qi. Additionally, even if you do damage some of the tea leaves, the natural properties of the tea leaves allow you to improve your focus. 

As such, even making mistakes would allow you to improve steadily until you won't make them anymore." Lin Mu explained.

"An immaculate answer." The Head Elder was thoroughly impressed. "If not for the fact I know this is your first time here, I would have certainly thought you were an old member of the Serene Glass Valley." The old man chuckled.

Lin Mu simply smiled in answer, while the Head Elder gestured for him to take a seat in the pergola.

Once they sat down, the Head Elder took out a clay teapot. The teapot looked rather simple and mundane, having a brown color. 

It seemed like something anyone could find in a mortal market and did not look special. And yet, Lin Mu knew it was not something ordinary.

~clack~

The Head Elder lifted the lid of the teapot and put the freshly picked Pixie Leaf Tea inside it.

Once that was done, he took out a jar and poured some water into the teapot from it.

"Oh? Refined Gold Streak Water?" Lin Mu quickly recognized it. "You're using it for tea?" 

"Of course, I am making the best tea within my capabilities, after all." The Head Elder said with a smile. "And what other than to use the Refined Gold Streak Water for it, haha." 

Refined Gold Streak Water was something that came as a byproduct of immortal tool refinement. It was produced when one quenched refined gold into water to cool. Most of the water would evaporate, and more water would be added. 

And when this was repeated thousands upon thousands of times, the Refined Gold Streak Water would be produced. 

It was a unique type of material that had both the Water element as well as the Metal element in it. Additionally, it had a somber yellow color to it that shone like gold when under light.

"Now… Can you tell me the flaw here." The Head Elder asked again.

"Hmm… The Refined Gold Streak Water has the metal element, which would suppress the wood element of the Pixie Leaf Tea. This isn't a good combination, as it would harm the tea instead." Lin Mu replied. 

"Correct… and how would one rectify that?" They asked next.

"Simply using fire won't be enough, as the Refined Gold Streak Water's metal element would be too strong. Instead, one would need to use a Qi Flame to oppose it." Lin Mu answered. 

"Correct again." The Head Elder nodded contently. "Now then, can you do that?" he asked.

"I can…" Lin Mu replied but showed some hesitation. "But, I can only use Intermediate ranked Qi flame." He hadn't used the Qi flame in a very long time after all.

"Ah yes, that would not be enough." The Head Elder replied. "It doesn't matter though. One cannot be a master in all things." He said before taking out a small red crystal. 

"Which is why formation masters like us exist." He said before powering the crystal, which lit up with vibrant green flames!

The flames rose from the crystal and wrapped around the teapot.