The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 433: Long Xuan Takes the Stage

"I didn't expect this Tea King Gu to have such a picky taste. peak-grade tea is something countless people outside can only dream of tasting, yet it actually disdains it and even spits it on the ground."

Shui Juanyun gazed at the proud-looking Tea King Gu, slowly furrowing his brows.

"That’s normal. Do you know who its master is? The head of the Cha Clan! The Cha Clan is renowned for their expertise in the way of tea. They have an abundance of fine teas."

"As the Gu insect of the Cha Clan’s head, it's no surprise that it has tasted the rarest and most exquisite teas. It would be strange if it wasn’t picky."

Shui Lao stroked his beard, looking as if this was to be expected.

"Who’s next?"

Seeing the crowd below still murmuring and hesitating, with no one stepping forward for a long time, Cha Shan raised his voice again.

"I'll go!"

Suddenly, Long Xuan raised his hand, afraid someone else might take the chance, and quickly stepped forward as the second challenger.

To him, drinking tea was like eating—when hungry, anything tasted good; when full, nothing was appetizing.

With so many participants offering tea to the Tea King Gu, it would eventually become full. Once that happened, its standards would drop, and those who came later would be out of luck.

With this in mind, Long Xuan did not wait until the final moments but immediately stepped onto the stage.

When the crowd saw this unfamiliar face, many of them lit up with interest.

This was because the Iceheart Tea he had presented earlier had caused quite a stir at the Tea Tasting Gathering. Many still vividly remembered its exquisite taste, reminiscing about it to this day.

Now that he was stepping up again, the audience immediately became attentive, thinking to themselves that he must have another extraordinary tea, one that would not disappoint.

Even Cha Shan, the host, had a faint smile on his face, his eyes filled with expectation.

After all, he had personally exchanged tea with Long Xuan before and knew firsthand that his tea mastery was remarkable. He was certain that Long Xuan still had a hidden treasure—an extraordinary tea yet to be revealed.

The Iceheart Tea from before had already left an unforgettable impression. What tea would he present this time?

Cha Shan was eager to find out.

Once Long Xuan stepped onto the stage, the Tea King Gu examined him carefully, its gaze sweeping up and down, scrutinizing him thoroughly.

When Long Xuan brought out a steaming cup of tea, the Tea King Gu's eyes immediately widened.

As a tea connoisseur, it didn't even need to taste the tea—just from the aroma wafting through the air, it could already tell that this was an exceptionally rare and peerless tea, something leagues above the green tea from before, which had an unpleasant stench like horse urine.

The Tea King Gu took a deep breath, inhaling the tea’s fragrance, and its face revealed a look of pure bliss.

At this moment, it could no longer hold back. With a strong inhale, thirty drops of tea flew from the cup and into its mouth.

Long Xuan’s mouth twitched.

It only drank three drops of other people's tea, yet it took thirty from his?

Wasn’t this favoritism a bit too much?

As soon as the thirty drops entered its belly, the Tea King Gu froze, its eyes widening in astonishment. Its gaze sparkled, as if shining with an inner radiance.

This was the best tea it had ever tasted!

The deliciousness was beyond words, as though it had descended from the heavens rather than being a product of the mortal world. Compared to this tea, everything it had drunk before was nothing but horse urine—it had wasted its years drinking lesser brews.

It took a long time for the Tea King Gu to snap out of its daze. Its greedy eyes locked onto the remaining tea in the cup, and just as it was about to take another powerful sip—

Long Xuan quickly covered the cup with his hand, inwardly cursing.

"This little guy is getting addicted to freeloading!"

"Hehe! It’s my fault for not disciplining it well enough, I’ve made a fool of myself." Cha Shan patted the head of the Tea King Gu, revealing a trace of embarrassment, then continued:

"It said that your tea is the finest it has ever encountered in its lifetime. Among all the teas it has tasted, none can compare. The remaining contestants need not compete—this tea receives a perfect score and is the undisputed champion."

As he spoke, a look of barely concealed shock flickered in Cha Shan's eyes. No one knew better than him just how many world-class teas the Tea King Gu had tasted. For it to give such a verdict meant that the tea's quality was beyond imagination.

The others in the crowd couldn't help but reveal expressions of curiosity. Just how extraordinary was this tea to make the notoriously picky Tea King Gu lose its composure like this?

The exaggerated reaction of the Tea King Gu made them all even more eager to taste it. Not having a sip now felt unbearable.

In the crowd, a handsome middle-aged man wearing robes embroidered with the character "Shui" glanced at the teacup in his hand, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips.

"A tea brewed with One-Yuan Heavy Water? Interesting."

However, even if brewed with Heavenly Water, it shouldn’t have caused such a strong reaction from the Tea King Gu. There must be another secret to this tea, something he had yet to uncover. And just who exactly was this young man?

Since this youth possessed the One-Yuan Heavy Water… that old fellow must already be dead, right? His gaze flickered with contemplation.

On the other side, Shui Lao caught a glimpse of this man from the corner of his eye. Though his expression remained unchanged, an overwhelming surge of killing intent rose in his heart.

"Hmph! Shui Wuqing, as long as you set your sights on the One-Yuan Heavy Water, that’s perfect. On the upcoming journey to the River God’s Secret Realm, it will be your death sentence!" Shui Lao clenched his fist tightly before finally shifting his gaze away.

All the teas selected in this round were to be used for the sacrificial ceremony. During the upcoming Tea Sacrifice Ceremony, these teas would be poured into the river as an offering to the River God.

As a result, Long Xuan's Shadow Tea was taken away. After he stepped down from the stage, the next participants began their presentations one by one.

However, the Tea King Gu seemed absent-minded, its gaze occasionally drifting toward Long Xuan.

After tasting his tea, every other tea now seemed dull and flavorless, as bland as water. How was it supposed to enjoy drinking tea ever again?

Unintentionally, the refined Shadow Tea had elevated the Tea King Gu’s standards, making its palate even more discerning.

Long Xuan had taken out his Shadow Tea first, unknowingly making things difficult for those who followed.

Even though many of the participants had high-quality teas that would have qualified in previous Tea Tasting Competitions, the Tea King Gu now found them all unbearable. It eliminated contestant after contestant, dismissing their teas as lacking richness.

This year's competitors were exceptionally unlucky. Despite being skilled enough to pass, they were ruthlessly eliminated, losing their chance to enter the River God’s Secret Realm.

The unexpected eliminations left many in stunned silence. Those who had yet to present their teas now wore grim expressions.

However, despite inadvertently raising the elimination rate, Long Xuan himself did not feel at ease.

Although the Tea King Gu had become stricter, most of those disqualified were Spiritual Sea Realm Gu Cultivators. The Gu Kings, on the other hand, had deep pockets and could afford the finest teas, so they remained largely unaffected.

As Long Xuan watched one Gu King after another having their tea accepted and earning entry into the River God’s Secret Realm, his heart grew heavier.

Time passed unknowingly, and just as Long Xuan was lost in thought, Cha Shan’s voice suddenly rang out.

"Young friend, your tea is the highest-quality tea of this year’s Tea Tasting Competition and has been designated as the primary offering for the Tea Sacrifice Ceremony."

"You are the champion of this year's tea competition. As per tradition, you have first pick of the prizes on the table. Please, go ahead!"

Cha Shan smiled warmly at him, stepping aside and gesturing toward the prizes.