Lu Wei Yin took nearly an hour to brew the tea for Fang Yuan, being methodical with his methods. Preparing food in this manner was a way for Immortals to show their strength without outwardly doing so by actually revealing their power. It was showing how good their methods were as well as their concentration, which could be applied and extended to various aspects of Gu Master cultivation. Lu Wei Yin was proficient with his methods to a point where Fang Yuan could tell that not only was he Rank 8, but a first-class Rank 8 expert.
As expected of someone who had been chosen to be one of Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable's disciples, Lu Wei Yin was not ordinary.
"There, thank you for your patience, Fang Yuan, the tea is ready," Lu Wei Yin said.
The tea was almost transparent enough to be made of water, despite the ingredients that had been added to it being anything but. It was just barely tinged with blue, like the light color of the sky on a clear day. It was odorless as well, to an inexperienced eye it might seem like nothing more than water. Fang Yuan, however, could detect the dao marks that had been blended flawlessly together into the mixture.
Fang Yuan took a sip and felt his soul being refreshed with each gulp of liquid he imbibed. He continued to take slow sips as his soul slowly regenerated from the damage accumulated during his Immortal Ascension.
However, he soon noticed a drawback. Much like trying to digest the meat of soul beasts and their cores to repair one's soul, this tea had a limit. If one drank too much, they would end up overwhelming their digestion.
It was somewhat similar to the pills he had developed to repair his soul, though those tended to damage his liver rather than his bowels.
Of course, this being an Immortal method made through Immortal means, the effect on his soul was far more profound. Fang Yuan felt his soul was almost entirely repaired and was fully functional now.
It could not be compared to the benefits of using Guts Gu, but it was far superior to any method that Fang Yuan had as an alternative.
"Thank you for this," Fang Yuan said, finishing the last dregs of his cup.
Lu Wei Yin nodded. The two of them had been sitting there for three hours while Fang Yuan sipped the tea, time passing by without either of them noticing much. "It is good to know that I was able to help you, Junior Brother," Lu Wei Yin replied. "Your soul seems completely healed now."
"Is it possible to obtain the recipe for this tea?" Fang Yuan asked.
Lu Wei Yin seemed a bit amused. "A person would normally not ask that unless they were planning on cultivating the Soul Path. Are you perhaps hiding something from us, Junior Brother?"
"It is not like that," Fang Yuan explained. His words carried a hint of urgency with them. "One's soul can be damaged from refinement and other such endeavors. I would merely like to have it in case I need to brew it myself."
"That was merely a jest, Junior Brother, don't take it too seriously," Lu Wei Yin said. He then thought for a moment about the request. "I can understand that, Fang Yuan, you wish for this recipe, though I should warn you about something. The Immortal ingredients required, as well as the manner of preparation, are not easy for a Rank 6 Gu Immortal to prepare. Also, as this is one of Lord Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable's own methods, I cannot simply hand over the recipe for free."
"I understand. How much would it cost?"
"It would not be for sale in the open market otherwise, but for you, one hundred Immortal Essence Stones," Lu Wei Yin said.
That was a large amount, even with the stones Fang Yuan had been granted. "Why such a high amount for a recipe?"
"It contains not only the recipe, but also intricate details on how it was made. Every single step was elaborated upon by Lord Paradise Earth in detail - it can even be considered to be an incomplete Food Path Inheritance in such a way," Lu Wei Yin said. "I know the hundred Immortal Essence Stones is a high price, but for information from a Venerable, it is actually quite reasonable. I assure you that I would not think of swindling you, Fang Yuan."
It was expected that Fang Yuan would pay from his stash.
However, Fang Yuan then said something that neither Lu Wei Yin nor the Mushroomman Gu Immortal expected.
"In that case, can you simply credit that amount from the resources I will be gaining in the future?"
Lu Wei Yin paused. "Do you really wish to go into debt regarding such a matter? Normally a rate of interest would also be charged, but I think it can be foregone for you just this once. This will mean you won't be able to gain resources from your holdings for some time while the debt is paid off."
"That is acceptable," Fang Yuan said. Both Immortals felt it was strange for Fang Yuan to agree to such terms - usually, one would just pay upfront. Why was Fang Yuan going into debt at this juncture? He had offered to do so before even knowing that Lu Wei Yin would make it interest-free.
What they didn't know was that Fang Yuan couldn't pay it off; he couldn't want to part with the earnings Paradise Earth had given him as they had to be reserved, and his own earnings only amounted to about sixty stones.
He would need to sell another batch of Ambition Gu to get more.
For now, leveraging his future assets was better.
"Well then, so be it Fang Yuan," Lu Wei Yin said.
Lu Wei Yin handed Fang Yuan an Information path gu worm. As the details entered his mind, Fang Yuan saw it contained more than just the recipe; it included instructions on creating Soul Soil, nourishing Soul Flowers, and even insights into food path preparation that extended beyond the Soul-Soothing Tea.
There was indeed a good reason that this cost 100 Immortal Essence Stones. The recipe went on for pages and pages with various ingredients listed. It was nearly as detailed as refining an Immortal Gu, though thankfully not as risky.
Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable must've gone through quite a lot of experimenting to create the recipe, 100 Immortal Essence Stones was not an unreasonable price for the details of not only the success but the reason each step succeeded as well. Not to mention that Lu Wei Yin had brewed this cup entirely himself for Fang Yuan, using his own ingredients.
Factoring all of that in, it could be said that Fang Yuan had actually managed to earn himself quite a bargain through this deal. This kind of favored treatment was only offered to him because he was a designated inheritor of Paradise Earth.
"Thank you very much," Fang Yuan said.
Although Fang Yuan's soul was healed, he felt a minor headache coming on simply looking and reviewing what the recipe entailed.
The Soul-Soothing Tea was indeed not easy to brew or even to arrange the ingredients for. Lu Wei Yin had not been exaggerating when he had warned Fang Yuan about that. Fang Yuan estimated that the ingredients themselves could cost between 20 and 25 Immortal Essence Stones.
It was not just getting Soul Soil or Soul Flowers that was hard - though that was a part of it. Many materials on Yellow Treasure Heaven were in short supply as there was a monopoly on them. Fang Yuan might not even be able to find some of the ingredients even if he tried, or their prices could fluctuate by three or even four times depending on how many people were willing to sell. Given this, he would need to collect the ingredients long before he ever tried brewing the tea.