Chapter 4626 — A Piece of Calligraphy

"Your disciple Wei Zhao pays his respects to Pavilion Master Shangguan," Wei Zhao said, performing the disciple's salute before Shangguan Tianxia with the utmost reverence. He might be a disciple of the Azure Cloud Pavilion while the other was master of the Skypiercer Pavilion, but the Three-Tiered Pavilion of North Island was one body; whoever it was, before Shangguan Tianxia one offered the disciple's salute.

"A trip to South Continent, and you've grown a great deal. Not bad." Shangguan Tianxia glanced at him and gave a slight nod, then said, "Come look at this piece of calligraphy of mine. What do you think?"

"Yes, sir." Wei Zhao was rather taken aback by such familiarity from Shangguan Tianxia—flattered, even, more than a little. But he had seen something of the wide world on this trip to South Continent, and he would not lose his composure over it.

However heaven-defying a figure Shangguan Tianxia might be among North Island's great ones, he was still no match for the Five-Poison Flood Dragon and the giant electric eel that stood above even the Rift Sea stage. Besides, the man bore him no hostility—quite the opposite, there was a distinct note of appreciation. It was reverence that made Wei Zhao so formal, not fear.

Stepping to the writing desk, Wei Zhao was captivated at the very first glance. What Shangguan Tianxia had been writing was that same ancient stele inscription from before—its content abstruse and profound to begin with, and now every character, every stroke, carried the man's own artistic conception, so that a desolate, primeval air rushed at the face and made the mind lose its footing before one was aware of it.

To an ordinary observer it was merely impressive without being understood. But to eyes like Wei Zhao's—one who had reached a certain level and whose powers of comprehension were exceptionally keen—this piece of calligraphy was a most exquisite transmission. Observe and ponder it long enough, and one might well glean from it certain wondrous techniques and martial arts.

"I have long heard that Pavilion Master Shangguan's calligraphy stands alone under heaven. Seeing it today, I find my eyes truly opened," Wei Zhao said in heartfelt admiration.

"Ha, it's rare to hear you flatter anyone," Shangguan Tianxia said with a mild smile.

"No—I mean it," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head. Reverent as he was toward Shangguan Tianxia, his nature would never stoop to flattery; not even the closest and most honored of elders received such treatment from him. It was simply how he was made.

"Very well. On the strength of that sincerity, I as your elder ought to make some gesture. How about this—pick any piece in this study and take it with you," Shangguan Tianxia said with a laugh.

Wei Zhao's eyes lit up at once. The writing is the man, to a degree. To fathom Shangguan Tianxia's calligraphy was to have a chance at stealing his master's art—provided, of course, that one's talent was high enough to grasp the essence of its conception.

For all that Wei Zhao now held such a heaven-defying trump card as the Five-Element Killing Qi, no burden was ever too heavy for a willing back. Besides, his Five-Element Killing Qi came from the Five-Poison Flood Dragon; it served well enough for killing enemies, but to use it to elevate his state of mind was impossible. For a human to learn the mindset of a beast was simply to court death. If instead he could learn something from Shangguan Tianxia, the benefit in that quarter would be boundless.

State of mind mattered as much as strength. Especially at the Nascent Soul stage and above, where cultivation turned gradually from the outer to the inner, the elevation of one's state of mind was prized above all—and Shangguan Tianxia was plainly a master of that domain.

"A gift from an elder must not be declined; your disciple will respectfully obey." Since the other had offered of his own accord, Wei Zhao was not about to stand on false courtesy. He pointed at once to the ancient stele inscription, only half-copied, on the desk. "Then this one."

"You do have an eye…" Shangguan Tianxia laughed despite himself, then shook his head. "This one won't do—it's meant for someone else. And it isn't finished besides. Never mind; before you leave, have little Lan'er pick one out for you. She's an expert in this line herself."

"Yes. Thank you, Pavilion Master Shangguan." Wei Zhao nodded, thinking that this visit had indeed been worth it. Shangguan Tianxia's calligraphy could not be bought outside for any amount of spirit jade; that he would offer a piece of his own accord showed he truly regarded Wei Zhao as one of his own.

Wei Zhao was not wrong. For Shangguan Lan'er's sake, and more still for his unprecedented talent, Shangguan Tianxia had indeed entertained a fondness for talent and at one point meant to take him as a personal disciple. But after much turning over in his mind he had not done so, choosing instead to raise him free-range after the manner of Gongyang Jun—the training best suited to a man like Wei Zhao.

There was no name of master and disciple, nor the substance of it either, yet in Shangguan Tianxia's eyes Wei Zhao stood no lower than a personal disciple. This offer of calligraphy was in truth a roundabout word of guidance; how much Wei Zhao might actually gain from it was his own affair.

As the two spoke, Shangguan Lan'er had already readied the spirit tea. Shangguan Tianxia at once led Wei Zhao to the tearoom he had designed himself, and the two sat facing each other, while Shangguan Lan'er and little Curly sat at the seats to either side.

"Mm—good tea!" Wei Zhao had only brought it near his nose for a sniff, not yet had time to take a sip, when every pore in his body opened at once, as though he had been baptized by nature itself—thoroughly refreshed.

It was not that Wei Zhao had never drunk good tea. In fact, ever since spirit jade had ceased to be scarce for him, his jade pendant's space had always held a standing supply of fine spirit teas of every kind, kept mainly for entertaining friends—many of them costly, some fetching upward of ten thousand spirit jade an ounce. Yet beside the tea now in his cup, his so-called fine teas were nothing but stalks of straw!

The mortal world loved to speak of ambrosia—one sip and years are added to your life. Wei Zhao had always let such talk go in one ear and out the other, taking it for a myth men had invented. Now he had no choice but to believe: there really were such things in the world, wonders that stole the very craft of heaven and earth!

"This is called Dew Tip—Grandfather's precious darling. You can't drink it anywhere else, you know." Seeing Wei Zhao's rapt look, Shangguan Lan'er burst into a giggle.

Shangguan Tianxia said nothing and only smiled. Dew Tip was a rare treat for Wei Zhao, but in truth it was much the same for him; every cup left his spirit platform incomparably clear, a state not quite the piercing insight of sudden enlightenment, but not far from it either.

Wei Zhao took a gentle sip, closed his eyes, and savored it a long while before saying slowly, "The essence of this tea is like nothing I have met in my life. Its deeper flavors might not be fully plumbed in half a year of drinking—truly a rare fine tea."

"Oh? You have some knowledge of the way of tea as well?" Shangguan Tianxia's eyes lit up at the words.

"Knowledge is too strong a word. I can't brew tea, and I can't taste it properly—at best I gulp it down and waste good things," Wei Zhao said with a self-mocking smile. He had in fact studied the way of tea before, but that was the tea of the mortal world, a different matter entirely from the spirit tea of Cloud Terrace Island; the two could not be spoken of in the same breath. (To be continued…)