Chapter 115: Incitement (Part One)

After entering the Thunder Palace and taking their seats, Ji Mo looked toward Lei Wei and said, "Master, I will go prepare some tea."

"Go ahead." Although Lei Wei had never seen Ji Mo make tea and was unsure of her skill, she was the most appropriate person to serve the guests at this time and place, so he did not object.

Ji Mo stepped out and returned shortly after, carrying a tray. On it sat a polished, light-green teapot and thirteen matching delicate cups. She brought the tray to the tea table and poured the thirteen cups with fluid, effortless grace.

As soon as the tea was poured, a deep, intoxicating fragrance filled the main hall, leaving everyone who smelled it feeling refreshed and invigorated to their very pores. The elder surnamed Rong’s eyes flickered as his gaze fell upon the tea in Ji Mo’s hands. He blurted out in praise, "Fine tea!"

"Heh, you flatter her, Honorable Guest. My little apprentice loves to tinker with these things when she has nothing else to do." Lei Wei offered a modest smile, though he was secretly astonished. He had never seen Ji Mo make tea before and wondered where she had learned such a craft. Furthermore, he knew this tea was certainly not from Thunder Peak.

The elder surnamed Rong smiled slightly without further comment. After pouring, Ji Mo placed seven cups on the tray and walked first to the elder, saying respectfully, "Honorable Guest, please enjoy your tea."

"True Immortal Lei, your little disciple is extraordinary, truly extraordinary. If I am not mistaken, she possesses a constitution containing all five elements, and she practices a five-element cultivation method. For someone with all five elements to successfully reach the Foundation Establishment stage at a mere twenty-something years old—such talent is nothing short of heaven-defying." The elder did not immediately take the cup; instead, he scrutinized her closely for a long moment before stroking his beard and clapping his hands in admiration.

Lei Wei was shocked. The testing instrument had clearly identified Ji Mo as having a mutated lightning-fire dual root; how had it become all five elements? Fortunately, his Dao heart was firm and his experience vast. Despite the turmoil within, his expression remained impassive as he replied calmly, "You praise her too much. She merely stumbled upon a small stroke of fortune."

While Lei Wei appeared indifferent, the five elders of Thunder Peak could not maintain such composure. Upon hearing the elder's words, their expressions shifted almost in unison. Realizing the impropriety of the moment, they quickly suppressed their reactions and regained their calm.

Of course, they were not the only ones shocked. A cultivator who practiced all five elements and reached Foundation Establishment at such a young age was a sight to behold anywhere. In an instant, the eyes of everyone present converged upon Ji Mo. Ji Mo herself felt a profound jolt of alarm.

She had been told by Fairy Peony and Ao Feng that even masters at the Dao Integration stage could not detect her five-element constitution unless they probed her body or witnessed her in action. How had this old man discerned it? Who exactly was he? In that fleeting moment, a flash of murderous intent rose in Ji Mo’s heart.

"Heh, heh, a very interesting little girl." The elder's senses were incredibly keen; he had felt Ji Mo's intent the moment it stirred. However, he showed no reaction, simply picking up a cup of tea from the tray and chuckling softly.

His laughter made Ji Mo's skin crawl. This man had provoked her murderous intent with a single glance, yet she knew she was no match for him. *When did my temperament become so unstable?* Ji Mo felt a wave of internal trepidation. Taking a deep breath to steady her frayed nerves, she retreated from his side.

She carried the tray to Lei Wei, who took his cup, then served the five elders of Thunder Peak. After serving the seven seniors, she took the remaining six cups and served the Tenth Prince, Su Ye, and the others.

When she reached the last two Foundation Establishment cultivators, a young man in yellow robes did not take the cup offered to him. Instead, he stared at Ji Mo with a strange, appraising gaze and said, "It is said that those who practice all five elements are invincible among their peers. Are you truly that impressive?"

"I feel quite ordinary," Ji Mo replied with a faint smile.

"Hmph! If you aren't all that, how did you earn such praise from my master?" With a cold snort, he suddenly grabbed the tea from the tray and splashed it toward Ji Mo’s face.

"This tea is not easily found; it would be a pity to waste it. Since the guest does not want it, I shall enjoy it myself." Ji Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. With a gentle flick of her sleeve, the splashed tea droplets were caught and returned into the cup without a single drop lost.

At the same time, Ji Mo’s palm brushed lightly against the young man’s hand as he held the cup. He felt a sudden numbness and instinctively pulled back. By the time he regained his senses, he found the cup was already in Ji Mo’s hand, and he was filled with rage.

Ji Mo did not spare him another glance. Her focus was entirely on the tea in her hand. She lifted her wrist, tilted her head back, and drained the cup in one go. Closing her eyes, she savored it for a moment before parting her lips to praise, "Truly fine tea!"

Su Ye watched the scene quietly. When he saw Ji Mo finish the tea and praise herself, his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth lifted; he found his little junior sister’s personality remarkably interesting and quite to his liking.

Only the yellow-robed youth remained, his face pale with fury, his temples throbbing. Just as he was about to erupt, he caught his master's darkened expression. His heart chilled, and he forced his anger down, daring not to utter another word.

After finishing the tea, Ji Mo walked to the final Foundation Establishment cultivator—a young man in green robes with an unremarkable appearance—and smiled. "There is one cup left. Are you thirsty, honored guest?"

"Heh, of course. How could I let such fine tea go to waste when it is offered with such sincerity?" The cultivator chuckled, took the cup from the tray, and drank it in one breath. He appeared very young, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, and at first glance, he seemed entirely plain. Yet, upon closer inspection, one found an indescribable, singular charm about him. Most alarming to Ji Mo was the faint sense of threat she felt emanating from him.

He was, like her, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. To feel threatened by someone at her own level was a first in Ji Mo's journey. She was not only a practitioner of all five elements but had also reached the ninth level of the Mortal Shedding stage in body refinement—a level equivalent to a high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—not to mention her mastery of the Heavenly Demon Body Refinement Art.