Volume One, Chapter 18: Awakening of the Immortal Heart! Terrifying Insight!

It must be said, this speech did indeed border on deceiving a child. But heaven is my witness, Wang Mu was not telling a single lie this time. Thus, he felt no prick of conscience at all. "How could that be? It truly is a good thing! Once you drink it, your Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart may awaken!"

Few children enjoy drinking tea. Little Nannan was naturally no exception. However, upon hearing Wang Mu say that drinking this would give her a chance to awaken some "Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart," allowing her to cultivate and become very strong, Little Nannan did not hesitate. She frowned and downed the tea. "So bitter—"

Of course it was bitter. Dao-Enlightening tea leaves are far more potent than ordinary ones. Wang Mu had just put in over a dozen leaves, roughly a third of an ounce, and brewed them in a tiny teacup. It would be a wonder if it weren't bitter!

"It’s a bit bitter at first, but it leaves a sweet aftertaste later. You’ll get used to it. Come, have some more!" Wang Mu refilled her cup and urged her to drink it immediately. After she drank five or six cups in succession, Wang Mu even had her chew and swallow the tea leaves themselves. Then, he brought out fresh leaves and continued to brew.

"Less... put in less, it’s too bitter~" Little Nannan said, her face twisted and her brows furrowed tight.

Watching this scene, Li Yuanhua felt his heart bleeding. *Such an ignorant little girl! She has no idea how fortunate she is! That is Dao-Enlightening tea! I have lived for over a thousand years, and I’ve only ever heard of it; I haven’t even caught a whiff of its scent! Yet here you are, drinking it cup after cup. And you dare complain that it’s bitter? This is simply too outrageous! Furthermore, isn't this way of brewing it a bit too wasteful? Besides, she’s just a little girl who hasn't even reached the Qi Refining stage—what kind of Dao is she going to enlighten? It’s a waste, truly a waste!*

[Ding~]
[Congratulations, you have successfully invested in Nannan’s Dao-Enlightening tea. Investment progress has reached 10%!]
[You will receive a 10% return on Nannan’s subsequent cultivation gains!]
[...]
[Congratulations, you have successfully invested in Nannan’s Dao-Enlightening tea. Investment progress has reached 20%!]
[You will receive a 20% return on Nannan’s subsequent cultivation gains!]

After she had drunk who knows how many cups, finally: "I... I need to pee!" Little Nannan looked at Wang Mu, embarrassed.

"...Take her," Wang Mu twitched his lip.

After a while, Zixia came running back, carrying little Nannan. "Young Master, little Nannan has fallen asleep!"

Wang Mu: "...Let her sleep for now. We’ll continue when she wakes up!"

"Understood!"

The energy contained in the Dao-Enlightening tea was far too abundant. Little Nannan’s constitution was still weak; she was somewhat unable to handle such a potent tonic. She slept for an entire day and night. Fortunately, when she woke up, she was full of spirit, and the light in her eyes was much brighter. Wang Mu continued to feed her the tea.

[...]
[Congratulations, you have successfully invested in Nannan’s Dao-Enlightening tea. Investment progress reached 50%!]
[You will receive a 50% return on Nannan’s subsequent cultivation gains!]
[...]
[Congratulations, you have successfully invested in Nannan’s Dao-Enlightening tea. Investment progress reached 100%!]
[You will receive a 100% return on Nannan’s subsequent cultivation gains!]
[Congratulations, Host. Nannan, in whom you invested, has absorbed and refined the Dao-Enlightening tea and awakened the innate trait—Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart!]
[Congratulations, you have received the cultivation return from Nannan!]
[Congratulations, you have gained the Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart. Your comprehension has reached a heaven-defying level!]

As the system’s series of prompts rang out, Wang Mu’s mind felt a sudden jolt. He felt as if the clouds had parted, and the entire world became increasingly clear in his eyes. His thoughts raced, and his sea of consciousness became perfectly lucid. He closed his eyes to ponder for a moment. The incomplete version of the "Eight Extremities Heaven-Crushing Fist" he had obtained from Lin Yan seemed to come to life, automatically beginning to supplement and perfect its remaining content. It was as if thousands of tiny figures were in his mind, helping him deduce and refine it. In just an instant, the technique, which was previously only 30% complete, was pushed to 50%.

"Is this the Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart? My brain is now comparable to a super quantum computer!"

In truth, his predecessor’s aptitude was not bad. After all, he was the offspring of two Earth Immortals; both his bloodline and talent were top-tier. He had simply been cursed and unable to cultivate. But compared to his current self, his predecessor’s aptitude was no different from a block of wood! The gap was simply too vast; only those who had experienced it could understand. With this level of comprehension, Wang Mu felt that even deducing a technique on the level of the "Sun Emperor Scripture" was possible. Of course, to reach that point, he would need to supplement it with a vast amount of knowledge related to cultivation as a foundation; it couldn't be created out of thin air.

Naturally, Wang Mu just thought about it; he wouldn't waste so much time on such things. After all, he didn't need to cultivate himself; techniques and the like weren't important. Moreover, leaving the task of building a cultivation foundation to a little girl with grand ambitions like Nannan was enough. Once she understood it, it meant he understood it!

Meanwhile, Little Nannan had fallen asleep again. When she woke up, she would also realize the tremendous changes the Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart had brought her.

The awakening of the Dao-Enlightening Immortal Heart, unlike some powerful holy or divine bodies, did not trigger massive heavenly phenomena. Instead, it was exceptionally low-key and restrained. Aside from Wang Mu, even Li Yuanhua, who was at the Spirit Severing stage, failed to notice any change in Nannan. At most, he felt that the little girl's gaze seemed to have become clearer and more lively. But that was easy to explain—after all, having poured so much Dao-Enlightening tea into her, even a pig could have started speaking human language on the spot.

"Young Master, today's Ascension Assembly has begun!" Li Yuanhua reminded him respectfully.

"Hmm, let's go take a look!" Wang Mu stepped out of the room.

The Ascension Assembly was now in its seventh day. After days of buildup, Wang Mu’s image in the hearts of the people of Tianjue Island had improved significantly. At the very least, in the Great Liang Royal City and its surrounding areas, everyone unanimously agreed that Young Master Wang Mu was the kindest person in the world!

The number of people coming to test their spiritual roots was endless. On the first day, there were only three thousand, but in the last two days, the number had exceeded one hundred thousand! Because there were so many people, Li Yuanhua had specially arranged seven or eight venues to disperse the crowds, surrounding the royal palace. With a larger base, the probability of geniuses appearing also increased. On the fourth day, a young girl with superior lightning spiritual roots was detected, causing a huge sensation. She was a budding immortal seed with the potential to reach the Golden Core stage, and possessed the extremely rare lightning spiritual root, which was most adept at killing. The major sects had nearly fought to the death over her, and she was eventually recruited by the Masking Sun Sect, one of the three major sects of Tianjue Island.

Wang Mu arrived at the high platform in the center of the royal palace. Li Yuanhua respectfully took out a specially crafted lounge chair and placed it behind Wang Mu. Wang Mu lay down slowly and found that this position was excellent; even while lying on his side, he could clearly overlook every test site.

"Before, this platform didn't seem to be here?" Wang Mu asked.

"Ah, yes. It was because the Old Ancestor saw that you liked to observe the test sites quietly from a high place, so he specially ordered us to build this spot!" King Liang, Li Changhe, replied respectfully.

Wang Mu glanced at Li Yuanhua and said with satisfaction, "You were very thoughtful."

Li Yuanhua instantly puffed out his chest, his silver hair fluttering. "Being able to ease the Young Master’s burdens is this old servant's honor!"

Wang Mu reached into his robes, pulled out a small packet, and tossed it over. Li Yuanhua caught it cautiously, and the moment it was in his hands, he smelled a familiar, pure fragrance. He immediately began to tremble. "This... is this Dao-Enlightening tea? Is it... for this old servant?"

Wang Mu waved his hand. "Take it, you should have use for it!"

Li Yuanhua instantly knelt on the ground, tears welling in his eyes. "This old servant kowtows and thanks the Young Master for his heavenly grace!"