Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 2985: Midnight Tea With The Saintess

The wind that night was cool, sweeping softly across the cliffside near the Jade Echo Retreat.

The stars shimmered like distant flames across the black canvas of the sky, silent and ancient. Lin Mu sat at the very edge of the cliff, his robes fluttering quietly in the breeze, his legs crossed and his gaze distant. His swords, Afternoon Pine and Ocean Raker, lay across his lap—silent, as if it too was lost in thought.

Below him, the flickering glow of the sect’s lanterns cast a faint hue, but up here on the cliff, it felt as if he stood at the border between the heavens and the world.

The Sacred Grounds.

It was his goal in coming here and finally it was within his grasp. But the time to enter it was still a short distance away. It continued to linger in his mind.

The Grand Elder’s words echoed quietly in memory: "You’ve already earned the qualification, Lin Mu. But the entry to the Sacred Grounds isn’t up to us. It opens on its own, when it wills it. But now... it will know you. And it will call."

Lin Mu could still remember the solemn look on the elder’s face. Even someone like him, a peak figure in the sect, could not force the Sacred Grounds to open. It had its own rules—its own will.

The Formation Spirit of the Sacred Ground was far older than anyone within the sect, and could be considered a senior that none of them could command.

Lin Mu didn’t mind waiting though. He had learned patience long ago. Still, he couldn’t help but feel anticipation blooming quietly in his chest.

"What kind of place is it, truly?" he muttered to himself. "A legacy so tightly sealed it needs the spirit’s permission to open..."

His eyes trailed to the sky again. The constellations seemed unusually bright tonight, almost like they were watching him. A star blinked overhead, then another.

And then... the air shifted.

Light footsteps, soft as feathers upon water.

Lin Mu didn’t turn. He didn’t need to.

A quiet smile touched his lips. "Saintess," he said calmly, "have you come to enjoy the stars with me, or is this fate’s way of offering me company for tea?"

He turned just in time to see her serene figure approaching. The Saintess looked almost ethereal beneath the night sky. Her long robe flowed behind her like a silken waterfall, and the pale robes shimmered faintly with starlight.

Her eyes hidden behind the veil were luminous and gentle, meeting his. "If there is tea," she said with a hint of amusement, "I will not say no."

Lin Mu chuckled. "Then let us not disappoint the stars."

Before he could move, the Saintess raised her hand. Qi flowed like a silver ribbon from her fingertips, weaving itself into shape midair. Within moments, a circular table sculpted from soft cloud mist formed between them, followed by two chairs, elegant and translucent.𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The table floated just beside the cliff, hovering without effort. It was the kind of technique that spoke of both mastery and beauty.

"Your craftsmanship is as precise as ever," Lin Mu said, impressed.

"It is merely borrowed from nature," The Saintess replied, settling onto one of the chairs with an effortless grace. "The Dao flows easiest when one does not force it."

Lin Mu nodded and retrieved a small kettle from his spatial ring. With a flick of his fingers, he drew a thin strand of fire qi, just enough to boil the water without scorching it. He didn’t use a fancy tea set—just the plain porcelain cups he often used during travels. Still, the aroma of the Immortal tea soon wafted into the air—fragrant and calming.

They sat together, drinking in silence for a while. The stars above were their only witness.

"Do you know when the Sacred Grounds will open?" The Saintess asked softly, her voice blending with the whisper of the wind.

"I was told it would call for me soon," Lin Mu replied, his eyes never leaving the horizon. "But even the Grand Elder does not know when exactly. It decides when it wills."

The Saintess nodded thoughtfully. "That is its nature. Even among all the legacies of the sects, the Sacred Grounds are the most elusive. It has opened only once in most of the elders’ lifetimes."

"That rare?"

"Indeed." She sipped her tea and gave a small smile. "Most don’t have the qualifications for it after all."

Lin Mu tilted his head. "I suppose I’ll wait for it."

She looked up at the stars, her expression unreadable. "They’ve called you. And that alone says more than anything else."

Lin Mu pondered that in silence, the tea warm in his hands. "It’s strange," he said after a moment. "For all the power we gain, so much still lies beyond us. Even the heavens. Even legacy."

"Because cultivation is not conquest," she said. "It’s submission. A sword does not cut because it is swung wildly—it cuts because the wielder aligns with its nature."

He glanced at her. "You speak like you’ve walked the edge of understanding."

"Perhaps," she murmured. "But not as far as you."

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he looked at his tea instead. "You know, I never thought I’d come this far."

"You’re still climbing," The Saintess said, her voice distant but warm. "This isn’t the summit. It’s barely the next cliff."

He gave a rueful smile. "Then let’s hope I have the breath to climb the rest."

They sipped in silence again.

Eventually, The Saintess broke the stillness. "When the Sacred Grounds open for you... go with a calm heart. It will test more than your sword."

"I know," Lin Mu said, gazing into the night sky. "But I’m not afraid. Not anymore."

The Saintess smiled softly at that, and for a time, the two of them simply sat under the stars, surrounded by mist, moonlight, and the scent of tea.

Lin Mu throughly enjoyed nights like this.

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