Chapter 516 - 484: Deep Within the Myriad Flowers, Fate or Tribulation?

Song Ciwan went to bid Yun Yue farewell, but was informed that the Grand Elder wished to see her.

Song Ciwan was more than willing to meet the Grand Elder of the Spirit Star Race before leaving the Giant Spirit Realm, so she readily accepted.

The Grand Elder of the Spirit Star Race resided in the heart of the Flower Country, upon a great peony beside the Peony Flower King.

The enormous peony had layers upon layers of double petals, its fragrance so dense it turned the surrounding thousands of feet into a censer. When the wind blew, this sea of aroma undulated, making the very air seem to have a tangible color.

It was the color of the flowers’ fragrance—enchanting and intoxicating.

Yun Yue led Song Ciwan to land on the peony, and the first thing she did was close her eyes in rapture.

She then spread her arms, took a deep breath of the fragrance, and urged Song Ciwan, "Sister Xing Lan, you should try it! The Grand Elder’s peony fragrance can purify the soul and cleanse the meridians!"

Song Ciwan reached out and cupped a handful of the seemingly tangible fragrance, but she didn’t deliberately bring it to her nose to smell.

Sensing the fragrance with the skin of her fingertips, she smiled in praise. "Fragrant but not cloying, rich but not heavy, vibrant but not aggressive, proud but not arrogant. Though the tree peony is the true beauty of the nation, this peony is in no way its lesser. A blaze of color, a thousand charms and graces—harmonious yet distinct, flourishing side-by-side. Magnificent!"

She had delivered this string of praise not in the Great Zhou Language, but in the tongue of the Spirit Star Race.

While Song Ciwan was still clumsy with the Spirit Star Race’s language when it came to Cultivation terminology, she had become quite fluent in its everyday use.

Perhaps it was her sincerity, perhaps it was the astuteness of her praise, or perhaps it was because she had spoken the language of the Spirit Star Race with the poetic rhythm of Great Zhou literature.

Simple words, yet they held a magnificent, poetic weight.

Yun Yue was instantly captivated. With her large, beautiful eyes sparkling like stars, she propped her chin on her hands and turned to gaze adoringly at Song Ciwan.

She was so lost in the moment that she couldn’t manage a single word in response, as if she’d suddenly forgotten how to speak.

Just then, a delighted, laughing voice drifted out from the layered depths of the giant peony. "A sage of the Human Race once said, ’Is it not a joy to have friends visit from afar?’ Truly, good friends are a source of great pleasure. Xing Lan, come in, quickly. I am waiting for you among the stamens!"

It was the Grand Elder of the Spirit Star Race! And she wasn’t speaking her native tongue, but rather, the Great Zhou Language.

Her Great Zhou Language was clearly a hundred times more fluent than Yun Yue’s. To even quote the ancient sages, it was clear that this Grand Elder had studied Great Zhou culture in depth.

Yun Yue snapped out of her daze, cupped her cheeks, and stuck out her tongue playfully. She quickly resumed her duty, leading Song Ciwan toward the center of the flower where the stamens were.

The Grand Elder of the Spirit Star Race lived right in the midst of those golden stamens.

Because the flower was so enormous, its stamens didn’t look like stamens from a distance, but rather a towering forest of gold.

The closer they drew to the stamens, the richer the floral fragrance became.

The pores on Yun Yue’s skin opened wide as she joyfully dashed straight for the golden Flower Bud Forest.

Song Ciwan’s steps were light as she used the Wind Manipulation Technique to enhance her Body Technique, following Yun Yue at a relaxed pace.

Interestingly, the gravity within the Flower Bud Forest was exceptionally strong.

If the gravity in the Nine Provinces World was a one, then the gravity Song Ciwan had felt upon first entering the Giant Spirit Realm was a ten.

But now, here in this Flower Bud Forest, that gravity of ten had skyrocketed to nearly thirty!

’Of course, this is all just my own analogy and estimation, and highly subjective at that.’

’Still, at my current level of Cultivation, even my subjective calculations should be ninety percent accurate.’

’I can feel my strength being suppressed even further under this gravity.’

’In contrast, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Star Race has lived in this environment her entire life. She’s accustomed to this level of gravitational pressure. Even if her apparent strength is only comparable to a Celestial Immortal, her true combat power must be far greater.’

’The importance of a home-field advantage can’t be ignored. Right now, following Yun Yue into the Flower Bud Forest by myself... it feels a bit like walking alone into a dangerous trial.’

’I hope what lies ahead is a fortunate encounter, not a tribulation!’

After about ten minutes of traversing the Flower Bud Forest, she suddenly heard the gentle gurgle of spring water. A white mist, like the vapor of an immortal realm, drifted toward them. Within the mist were several winding pools, and in the one furthest to the left, a Jade Platform floated on the surface.

The Grand Elder sat cross-legged upon the Jade Platform. Her features were bright and coolly beautiful, looking quite young despite her head of snow-white hair.

Her white hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, enveloping one side of her body before spilling into the pool like seaweed, floating upon the surface. It blended with the white Jade Platform, making it impossible to tell at a glance where the water ended and the jade or her hair began.

The visual impact of the scene was immense.

Song Ciwan paused at the edge of the pool. With a flick of her hand, the Grand Elder sent a Jade Table gliding across the water’s surface toward her. Upon it sat a Jade Pot and Jade Cups, from which a mingled fragrance of flowers and tea drifted gently.

The Grand Elder smiled before she spoke, her laughter shattering the cool austerity of her expression.

Her voice was light and cheerful. "Xing Lan, you are just as remarkable as I imagined. Please, sit. Have some tea. Yun Yue, you may wait outside."

Yun Yue was always on her best behavior before the Grand Elder. At her words, Yun Yue immediately bowed and departed, though not before giving Song Ciwan a playful wink.

That gesture showed she was still the same old Yun Yue.

Song Ciwan smiled faintly in return.

She smoothed her robes and settled herself at the Jade Table. Taking the pot, she poured herself a cup of fragrant tea.

The tea swirled gently in the Jade Cup. Gazing into the turquoise liquid, one could almost see a vision of vast, clear skies where the Star Moon roamed. An ineffable, wondrous rhythm seemed to rise from the curling steam.

The mere fragrance was enough to stir one’s soul, like faintly hearing a divine pronouncement. One could scarcely imagine the wondrous sensations drinking it might bring.

Nothing more needed to be said. This single cup of tea was a clear sign of the Grand Elder’s goodwill.

’I have always been cautious and never consume things from outside sources without care, but a quick mental calculation confirms that this tea is not only harmless but beneficial.’

She raised the cup, first inhaling its aroma, then taking a delicate sip.

The moment the tea touched her tongue, she sent it to the Heaven and Earth Scale. The scale displayed: [Yongxing Tea, a specialty of the Spirit Star Race, a Heaven and Earth Alien Species. A Six-star Level Spirit Tea. Function: Stargazing. Value: one mace and two fen. Can be bartered.]

Song Ciwan was in no hurry to barter it. She took another, more deliberate sip, swallowing the Yongxing Tea.

BOOM!

As the Yongxing Tea went down, it felt as though a river of stars had descended into the Mortal World, splashing up countless meteors and a myriad of Divine Thoughts.