Chapter 211: Test

Addressing Teacher Tian, Liu Ling introduced, "This is Zhang Xuan, an outstanding young teacher from Hongtian Academy."

Even though Elder Tian was no longer his teacher, Liu Ling still habitually addressed him as "Teacher."

A teacher for a day is a father for life.

In this world, the reverence for teachers is deeply ingrained and demanding; even famous teachers would not dare to defy it.

"Zhang Xuan?" Elder Tian shook his head, his face unperturbed but with a hint of doubt. "Isn't Lu Xun the outstanding teacher at Hongtian Academy?"

"Teacher Lu is also excellent, but Teacher Zhang is in no way inferior, and may even surpass him." Recalling the scenes he had witnessed at Hongtian Academy over the past two days, Liu Ling couldn't help but praise him.

He had only casually taught his students for about ten days, often showing up intermittently, yet every single student made rapid progress, with their strength greatly increasing.

Such teaching results, not to mention ordinary teachers, would be difficult for even the three of them to achieve.

"May even surpass him?" Elder Tian's eyes glinted. "To receive such praise from you, he must indeed possess true ability and is qualified to sit down. However, to drink my tea is not so easy; he must pass a test."

"A test?"

Zhang Xuan looked over.

"I merely accompanied Master Liu and the others here; I didn't come to drink tea."

"Besides, is your tea some divine brew? Does one need to pass an assessment to drink it?"

Just as he was about to refuse, he saw Liu Ling, not far away, whose eyes lit up as he looked over excitedly.

"This is wonderful, Teacher Zhang Xuan! This is a great opportunity; you must seize it..."

"An opportunity?"

It's just drinking tea. What kind of opportunity is that?

"To be able to drink tea personally brewed by Teacher Tian is something countless cultivators dream of."

Seeing that he didn't understand, Liu Ling explained with a smile, "You might not know, but Teacher Tian's tea is very particular, both in terms of the tea leaves and the brewing method."

"The tea on the table right now is called Spirit-Calming Tea. There are no more than three such tea trees in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, growing on the snowy peaks of White Pearl Mountain, where they receive over eight hours of sunlight daily. Because of this, when brewed, their fragrance is intoxicating and long-lasting."

"The scarcity of the tea trees is one thing, but the leaves picked cannot be too young or too old; they must be from the third two-hour period after the tea trees bloom. Tea leaves from this specific period contain a faint floral fragrance, and when steeped in boiling water, combined with the icy chill of White Pearl Mountain, they offer an even more delightful experience."

"A single tea tree doesn't yield many leaves to begin with, and with such stringent requirements, the output of these tea leaves is naturally very low. To be frank, the total annual yield for the entire Tianxuan Kingdom is only about three liang (approx. 150 grams)."

Zhang Xuan gasped in amazement.

No wonder the other party spoke so earnestly, and that even drinking tea required an assessment. The rarity of the tea leaves alone made it worthwhile.

"Of course, its scarcity merely indicates its preciousness. For cultivators, whether they drink it or not, it isn't considered an opportunity."

Cultivators prioritize their own cultivation. No matter how delicious the tea, not drinking it wouldn't diminish their abilities; there's no need to pay a huge price just for the pleasure of the palate.

"The reason it's important is because of the tea's effects! Spirit-Calming Tea has the effect of calming the mind and soothing the spirit. For ordinary people, consuming it can improve sleep, restore vitality, and significantly boost energy. For martial artists, consuming it can allow them to reach the 'Heart Like Still Water' state in a short time. Although it's only a temporary entry, and they will automatically exit the state after a short period, it allows one to experience the profoundness of this mental state beforehand, which is of great help for future progress."

Master Liu continued, "Of course, the tea alone doesn't have this effect; it requires the combination of Teacher Tian's superb tea ceremony skills to achieve such a result!"

"It can allow one to reach the 'Heart Like Still Water' state in a short time?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes widened.

Only by reaching the 'Heart Like Still Water' state can one focus on anything without being affected by other emotions.

Just like the two alchemists, Meng Yan and Chen Xiao, whom he encountered during the Pill Debate, when refining the Spirit-Calming Pill—a medicinal pill that calms the mind—they were easily swayed by their own emotions and physical state, which led to the mutation of the pill, causing it to lose its original effects.

The reason this occurred was because their mental state hadn't achieved a breakthrough.

As long as one reaches the second stage, 'Heart Like Still Water,' even if burdened by negative matters, one can still maintain inner peace and remain unaffected and refine a perfect Spirit-Calming Pill.

Luo Chong, the President of the Artifact Forgers Guild, had reached this state. However, after eating Dragon Scale Shrimp, he was unable to calm his mind during subsequent artifact forging, ultimately being unable to forge artifacts at all.

"Many cultivators don't pay attention to their mental state, thinking it's useless, but that's not true. For martial artists to break through to Grandmaster and become a Martial Artist Eighth Layer expert, they must reach the second stage of mental state. Otherwise, with an impure mental state, no matter how they strive, it will be difficult to grasp the true essence and profoundness of a Grandmaster. It's not just a requirement for martial artists; many professions also have special requirements. For example, to be assessed as a Master Teacher or a Formation Master, one must reach the 'Heart Like Still Water' state; otherwise, they are not qualified for the assessment."

"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

There were some records about mental states in the kingdom's library. With a thought, he had already reviewed most of them, so he was somewhat knowledgeable about it; it wasn't a secret.

Precisely because he knew this, he understood the difficulty of improving one's mental state. To be able to enter it just by drinking a cup of tea, even if temporarily, was astonishing. Its immense effect was something even the Spirit-Calming Pill couldn't achieve.

No wonder tea ceremony was so popular throughout the kingdom, even surpassing calligraphy and painting; the most important reason lay here.

This meant that if alchemists Meng Yan and Chen Xiao had drunk a cup before refining their pills back then, they could have refined Spirit-Calming Pills without any issues, and Zhang Xuan might not have won the Pill Debate so easily.

"Tea with such an effect, even I might not get to drink it every time I come here. Today, it's thanks to the presence of the three Master Teachers. Since Elder Tian has agreed to give you this opportunity, it's truly priceless." Emperor Shen Zhui also looked over with a smile.

"What kind of test will it be?"

Zhang Xuan was somewhat tempted and couldn't help but look over.

Although he had already reached the 'Heart Like Still Water' state, it was only at the most basic level. If this tea was effective, it might allow him to experience an intermediate or even higher level.

Elder Tian did not reply but instead waved his hand, saying, "Let them come in as well!"

The butler, Tian Gang, nodded and withdrew. Not long after, several people entered.

They were Tian Long, Lu Xun, Wang Chao, as well as Huang Yu, Bai Xun, and others.

"Lu Xun greets Elder Tian!"

Entering the room, Lu Xun stepped forward, cupped his fists, and bowed.

"Mm, please all sit down! You and this Teacher Zhang are both outstanding teachers from Hongtian Academy. Unfortunately, there is only one cup of tea, so a test will be necessary. How about this: I'll give you both a question, and you two will compete. Whoever wins will be qualified to drink the tea. Liu Ling, what do you say?"

After motioning for Lu Xun and the others to sit, Elder Tian looked at Master Liu.

He spoke of drinking tea, but anyone not foolish could understand what was truly happening.

"So this old man's test is a pretense; he wants to create an opportunity for Lu Xun..."

At this point, how could Zhang Xuan not understand what was happening?

Although he didn't understand why Master Liu and the others were suddenly so polite to him, he could largely guess by now that they definitely wanted to take him as an apprentice. Otherwise, why would three dignified Master Teachers bother with a mere junior teacher like him, unless they had nothing better to do?

This incident occurred in the Tian Clan Manor, and as the host, it was impossible for Elder Tian not to know about it.

Therefore, the so-called tea drinking was a pretense; it was likely a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him, allowing Lu Xun to perform well and regain Master Liu's favor.

Zhang Xuan had no intention of becoming Master Liu's apprentice. However, this tactic from the other side still secretly displeased him; it felt like he had walked into a trap and was being manipulated.

However, he couldn't refuse now.

After the matter of the Teacher Qualification Assessment became known, he had constantly been compared to Lu Xun. What appeared to be a competition for a cup of tea was actually a struggle for the qualification to be Master Liu's apprentice. If he refused, he would certainly be labeled as fearful.

Lu Xun, in particular, would undoubtedly become even more smug.

Since Zhang Xuan understood the underlying meaning, Liu Ling naturally understood as well. He frowned, and his expression became somewhat displeased.

Clearly, Elder Tian's decision was unexpected, even for him.

However, since Teacher Tian had spoken, he could only nod in agreement, saying, "Alright!"

Both Master Liu and Zhang Xuan were somewhat displeased, but in fact, Elder Tian was also quite vexed.

Previously, Master Liu's letter to him had indeed mentioned Lu Xun, clearly expressing an intention to take him as an apprentice. It was precisely for this reason that he had specifically invited Lu Xun and deliberately prepared an extra cup of tea. When Lu Xun arrived, the pretense of a test was actually to facilitate an introduction.

Who knew... Lu Xun hadn't come, but Zhang Xuan had arrived first.

Moreover, judging by Master Liu's attitude, it seemed he had taken a liking to this Teacher Zhang and had given up on Lu Xun. This made his prior preparations for Lu Xun fall through, and naturally made him somewhat displeased.

That was why he had improvised this test.

Otherwise, having already informed Lu Xun in advance and then preventing him from becoming an apprentice—wouldn't that be humiliating?

"Lu Xun will obey Elder Tian's arrangements!"

Understanding the other party's intention, Lu Xun's face lit up with joy as he cupped his fists and spoke.

"Since there's going to be a test, there must be a subject, right? What will the test be about?"

Knowing he couldn't refuse, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated.

"You are here to drink tea, so of course, we'll discuss the tea ceremony!" Tian Long, from the side, snorted.

"Tea ceremony?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Teacher Zhang has never had any contact with the tea ceremony; testing him on it would be unfair, wouldn't it?" Huang Yu couldn't help but speak up.

She had interacted with Teacher Zhang quite a bit. He was a master of calligraphy and painting, but knew nothing about the tea ceremony. In fact, he hadn't even heard of it before talking to her today.

Testing someone on the tea ceremony when they knew nothing about it?

Wasn't this intentionally making things difficult?

Furthermore, as far as she knew, Lu Xun had specifically studied the tea ceremony. Although not as skilled as Tian Long, he had genuinely listened to Elder Tian's lectures and could at least brew tea of the first realm... Such an assessment, even a blind person could see was unfair.

"To become a Master Teacher's apprentice, extensive knowledge is essential. One should have some familiarity with various professions... The tea ceremony is one of the nine mainstream professions, popular throughout the kingdom; how could one not know or understand it? If Teacher Zhang truly knows nothing, then I'm afraid I'll have to drink this tea myself..."

Lu Xun smiled faintly, confidence in his eyes and a refined demeanor on his face.

"You think you can contend with me? I'll make sure you regret it."

"Indeed. If you don't even understand the tea ceremony, what kind of Master Teacher's apprentice can you be? Just concede now and save yourself the embarrassment!" Wang Chao spoke up.

Having just lost face, he seized the opportunity to retaliate immediately.

"Alright. Although I only heard about the tea ceremony today, I can learn it now. Just tell me how to test; let's begin right away!" Seeing the other party's smug look, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Since someone wanted to humiliate him, he would slap them back hard.

Although he had only heard about the tea ceremony today, the kingdom's library contained seven or eight full rows of books on the tea ceremony, numbering in the tens of thousands.

He had merely stored them in his mind before, without observing or studying them. Now... it was time to examine them.