Honored Guest

As they spoke, he led Lin Mo and Han Lu around a screen wall to a small door with mottled red paint. A sign reading "No Tourists Allowed" hung on the door, its lettering somewhat blurred.

The surrounding noise seemed to be cut off by an invisible wall, leaving only the whimpering of the wind blowing past the eaves.

"We're here."

The middle-aged Daoist stepped forward and pushed the small door open with a creak.

The view behind the door suddenly opened up to an excessively clean courtyard; not a single weed could be seen in the crevices of the bluestone slabs.

In the main hall directly facing the courtyard gate, an old Daoist priest wearing a faded, washed-out Daoist robe was sitting on a chair.

In front of him was a set of coarse pottery tea utensils. He was unhurriedly using a small wooden spoon to scoop tea leaves into the pot, his movements steady and measured, as if he had repeated them thousands of times.

Hearing the door open, the old Daoist did not stop his movements. He merely raised his head slowly, looking over with eyes as calm as an ancient, rippleless well.

It was a strange look, devoid of any surprise at being disturbed by outsiders, nor did it carry any scrutiny. There was only a profound indifference, as if he had merely seen two fallen leaves blown into the courtyard by the wind.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.

The old Daoist finally finished what he was doing and steadily placed the lid on the purple clay teapot with a faint, crisp clink.

The fragrance of tea mixed with the rising steam, curling upward and filling the serene little courtyard.

He lifted his heavily wrinkled eyelids, his voice flat and aged.

"Greetings, guest. Please, have some tea."

Lin Mo's gaze bypassed the clear tea and landed on the old Daoist, yet it seemed to pierce right through him, looking into the deeper distance.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable directness.

"Hello, old man. But the person I want to see shouldn't be you, and the place I want to go isn't here."

Had anyone else heard this form of address, they would likely have flown into a rage.

But the old Daoist was not angered. Instead, a hint of a smile flashed through his cloudy eyes. He slowly reached out his hand in a gesture of invitation.

"This poor Daoist knows what the guest intends. But to go there, the guest must first drink this cup."

Lin Mo raised his brow.

With a mere sweep of his divine sense, the situation within the teacup was completely laid bare.

What was in the cup was not tea at all, but clearly a mass of forcibly compressed, continuously churning magical power forming a vortex. The slightest external touch would cause it to explode instantly.

"Alright. It seems the threshold to enter your Longhu Mountain is quite unique."

He chuckled softly, his words carrying a hint of teasing.

Beside him, Han Lu and the middle-aged Daoist both felt their hearts leap into their throats. They couldn't help but exchange a glance, their expressions complex.

Han Lu had also drunk this cup of tea before.

She knew better than anyone the test it entailed.

Drinking this was not about tea at all, but a test of one's absolute, pinpoint control over their own power.

The old Daoist had infused the tea with the unique magical power of Longhu Mountain. The drinker had to use power of equal or even higher quality to envelop and suppress it in order to safely pick up the teacup.

If one's power was insufficient, or if there was even the slightest error in control, the violent magical power would instantly backlash.

In a minor case, the teacup would shatter, and the person would be sent flying, left in a wretched state. In a severe case, their meridians would be damaged, leaving them heavily injured on the spot.

If it shattered, it meant they had no qualifications to go up the mountain.

Because this was the rule of the Longhu Daoist training ground.

Under the nervous gazes of the two, Lin Mo reached out two fingers and casually pinched the scalding porcelain cup.

Steady!

It didn't budge an inch!

The vortex of magical power in the cup seemed to be instantly smoothed out by an invisible giant hand, becoming incredibly docile.

Then, Lin Mo brought the cup to his lips, tilted his head back, and downed it. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, so fast that people couldn't even react.

The scalding hot tea that would make an ordinary cultivator scramble in panic was, in his mouth, seemingly just ordinary cold water.

"Burp."

Lin Mo even let out a rather ungraceful burp and smacked his lips.

"The taste is average, and the tea leaves are a bit poor."

"Clink."

He gently placed the teacup back on the stone table, making a crisp sound that was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

Han Lu and the middle-aged Daoist's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

That's... it?

Thinking back to when Han Lu drank this cup of tea, she had to mobilize all her strength, concentrate entirely, and sweat seeped from her forehead just to barely pick up the teacup. Although she wasn't completely exhausted after drinking it, it had still consumed a great deal of her energy.

But Lin Mo...

This wasn't drinking tea; this was clearly just drinking water!

Han Lu secretly thought herself lucky. It was a good thing she hadn't planned to listen to that guy's words. If she had stirred up a conflict between Lin Mo and Longhu Mountain, she probably wouldn't have met a good end either.

The smile on the old Daoist's face deepened as he chuckled, "Indeed, an honored guest has arrived. Forgive my lack of manners. Since the honored guest wishes to go up the mountain, you will have to wait for three days first."

The brows that Lin Mo had just relaxed furrowed again. "Three days? Why?"

"Please be patient, honored guest," the old Daoist waved his hand. "This is not our Longhu Mountain deliberately making things difficult. Rather, the path up the mountain will only appear in three days. Normally, even this poor Daoist cannot just go up whenever he wishes."

These words were spoken very politely, offering plenty of face.

However, Lin Mo was clearly not someone who liked to wait. He pointed toward the back.

"Then can I first go take a look at that path that hasn't opened yet?"

The old Daoist seemed to have anticipated he would ask this. Maintaining his indifferent demeanor, he stroked his beard.

"Of course, no problem. Honored guest, please follow me."

At this moment, Lin Mo finally remembered there was someone else beside him and turned to look at the dumbfounded Han Lu.

"Have you gone through this process too?"

Han Lu finally snapped back to reality and nodded with a bitter smile. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, I just didn't have the chance."

How could she have imagined that a test which was quite difficult for her would be as simple as drinking tea for Lin Mo.

"That's fine, whatever."

Lin Mo waved his hand nonchalantly and had already started walking, following the old Daoist's back.

He was actually very curious to see just what kind of heaven-reaching path this Longhu Mountain was hiding.

The layout of the Celestial Master's Mansion was not large, tightly enveloped by the mundane atmosphere of the small town. Even outside the back door lay a brand-new asphalt road. It lacked a bit of immortal aura and had a bit more of the mortal world's clamor.

Lin Mo followed behind the old Daoist, passing through the doorway into the backyard garden.

It was a modest garden. Fine drizzle was drifting down from the gray sky, washing the bluestone paths and the plants perfectly clean, making the place feel even more desolate.

In the center of the garden, a small sixty-four hexagram array was paved with cobblestones.

The old Daoist stopped in his tracks. Rainwater slid down the edges of his clothes, yet not a single drop touched his body.

The same was true for Lin Mo and Han Lu. The only one holding an umbrella was the middle-aged Daoist.

The old Daoist pointed to the center of the array, his tone carrying a trace of solemnity.

"Honored guest, it is right here. This poor Daoist speaks no falsehoods."

He paused, a hint of apology appearing on his face. "This path to the training ground has not yet opened. According to the patterns of previous years, I truly must ask the honored guest to wait here for three days."