Chapter 208: Spirit Brew Master

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Spirit Brew Master

"Fixing, rolling, and drying—these are the three steps to making tea. Once the tea leaves are processed, you can brew them to make a cup of Spirit Tea. However, the Ye Family always produces tea in large batches. We have so few raw materials now that we can’t replicate that kind of scene."

On the afternoon of October 29th, Ye Linglong looked at the preliminarily prepared tea leaves before her with great satisfaction. This was the most basic green tea, and also one of the Spirit Teas sold by the Ye Family.

The tea sold by the Ye Family didn’t really have specific names. At most, they were categorized by their processing method into green tea, white tea, yellow tea, red tea, oolong tea, and black tea.

Under normal circumstances, green tea was the biggest seller. The ones who bought the Ye Family’s tea were all Loose Cultivators from the Imperial City. To say their lives were precarious would be an exaggeration, but they certainly didn’t have the leisure for fine sentiments. Buying this kind of tea, which contained Spiritual Qi, was merely to maintain their dignity as Cultivators.

"It doesn’t look too difficult."

At his side, Liu Chen carefully recalled Junior Sister Linglong’s technique. Then, he used his Spiritual Power to control a handful of green leaves and began to process the tea.

After trying for the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, a pile of tea powder appeared in Liu Chen’s hands, with some stray stems and leaf fragments occasionally visible.

"A failure. I used too much force during the rolling stage."

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. The rolling stage was very important, and he found it difficult to get the hang of it. The difficulty soared, especially when using Spiritual Power. However, since he had already gained a sliver of insight from his experience as a Spirit Chef, Liu Chen naturally wouldn’t resort to using his own hands to process it.

[Spirit Brew Proficiency +10]

[Spirit Brew: Beginner, 10/100]

Although it was a failure, Liu Chen didn’t feel disappointed. Looking at the Proficiency that appeared before him, he was very satisfied. If everything went smoothly, once he used up all the tea leaves Junior Sister Linglong had brought, he would become a Spirit Brew Master. Even if he could only make tea, his future life as a Loose Cultivator would undoubtedly become much more comfortable.

Not far away, Ye Linglong said nothing, merely watching the scene quietly. ’Senior Brother can see for himself where the problem lies. Under these circumstances, there’s no need for me to say anything.’

Nearby, Ji Suyao lay her head on the table, watching the tedious scene with a sigh. She wasn’t interested in this sort of thing at all. ’But if I just leave, wouldn’t that mean letting Linglong be alone with Senior Brother? Nothing could be worse than that! I absolutely will not allow that to happen.’

Ten portions of materials were quickly used up. The porcelain jar beside Liu Chen filled with more tea powder. But as the last pile of powder fell into the jar, Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. A sudden enlightenment flooded his mind. In that instant, he felt as if he had repeated the tea-making process tens of thousands of times, and that using Spiritual Power to process tea was now second nature to him.

A short distance away, Ye Linglong and Ji Suyao exchanged a glance. After spending so much time together, they both understood clearly that whenever Senior Brother suddenly spaced out, it basically meant he’d had some sort of epiphany. Previously, after this happened, his various Magic skills would inevitably improve.

But now, what Senior Brother was engaging with wasn’t Magic, but one of the Skills—a Skill that, once mastered, was in no way inferior to that of a Spirit Chef.

"So that’s how it is. It really does have something in common with being a Spirit Chef."

Liu Chen slowly opened his eyes, a new light shining within them. This time, he didn’t conserve his materials. He swept up all the tender leaves at once, and under the manipulation of streams of Spiritual Power, the leaves began to transform into tea.

The time it takes for half an incense stick to burn passed quickly. The fragrant tea leaves were placed directly into a new porcelain basin. The gazes of Ye Linglong and Ji Suyao were instantly captivated, not by the faint, fresh scent, but by the Spiritual Qi emanating from it—far surpassing that of the finished products nearby.

"First Grade Spirit Tea?"

Ye Linglong asked, a little uncertainly. Although the Ye Family had a business making Spirit Tea, and it had become their means of livelihood after her father stepped down from the Patriarch position, if the Ye Family could have produced a Spirit Brew Master, they would have long been part of the Three Immortal Sects. Why would they have been coerced by the Nangong Family?

Therefore, Ye Linglong had never seen a true First Grade Spirit Tea. Although the tea Senior Brother had just made was still a bit lacking in appearance, the Spiritual Power it contained far exceeded the Spirit Tea produced by the Ye Family.

Ye Linglong subconsciously looked toward Ji Suyao. She was a Princess of the Royal Family; her knowledge on this matter should be greater.

"What are you thinking? The Royal Family has never seen First Grade Spirit Tea either."

Ji Suyao shook her head. She usually had no interest in these things; they were bitter and astringent. Her favorite was sweet syrup, followed by Spirit Wine. As for Spirit Tea, it ranked last.

She had secretly drunk Spirit Wine once—an unfinished batch at that. It was the first time she had been hung up and beaten by her father. Perhaps the pain had deepened the memory, causing her to feel a bit nostalgic for the taste of Spirit Wine whenever she thought back on it.

"It should be First Grade Spirit Tea."

Liu Chen said nonchalantly. He glanced at the notification that had appeared beside him. Thanks to the accumulated Proficiency, Liu Chen seemed to have understood something on a profound level, but he couldn’t quite articulate what it was, just like with his Spirit Chef Skill. Even now, Liu Chen couldn’t summarize the specific reasons, only that he had some unique insights.

[Spirit Brew: First Grade, 10/500]

This was the source of Liu Chen’s confidence. In addition to being a Third Grade Spirit Chef, he was now officially a First Grade Spirit Brew Master. His future life as a Loose Cultivator could be very comfortable, allowing him to enjoy a nice treat from time to time on top of his Cultivation.

’It would be even better if I could get my hands on the crafting process for Spirit Wine.’ However, the Ye Family’s Spirit Wine didn’t have any special process. According to Junior Sister Linglong, they just put Spirit Stones into ordinary wine and sealed it for a period of time.

"Congratulations on becoming a Spirit Brew Master, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong, having snapped back to reality, quickly spoke up. Ji Suyao, who had already picked up the teapot to brew the tea, glanced at her in confusion. Ye Linglong had suddenly become so formal, and it took her a moment to process.

"Remember to keep this a secret."

Liu Chen shook his head. ’I definitely can’t hide this from Master and Mistress, but there’s no need to let anyone else know. We’re already planning to leave Purple Cloud Valley, so there’s no need to stir up any more trouble.’

The Spirit Tea was brewed, and a fresh fragrance filled the entire courtyard. Ji Suyao, who was originally uninterested, now greedily savored the subtle aroma. Beside her, Ye Linglong was paying attention to the brewing temperature. Although processing the leaves was important, the quality of the Spirit Tea was also affected by the water temperature.

In a short while, three cups of Spirit Tea were placed on the table. Liu Chen picked one up and took a careful sip. A slight astringency lingered on the palate, but it was followed by a fresh fragrance. Not only was it more delicious than any Spirit Tea he had drunk before, but there were also threads of Spiritual Power flowing into his body, slowly raising his Cultivation.

"Now this is real Spirit Tea! The stuff I drank before was bitter enough to kill you."

Ji Suyao finished her cup and couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Beside her, Ye Linglong couldn’t help but glance at her. ’At that speed, what could she possibly taste?’

’Still, this was indeed Spirit Tea. The threads of Spiritual Qi nourishing her body were the best proof.’