Admit her defeat?

Himmel Soan was perplexed.

“Lan asked to be my pupil. It’s her own decision, so I don’t think it’s your defeat.

“Each person has their will, and they’ll make their choice accordingly. It’s the most ordinary thing.”

Bandora cupped her hands. “Thanks for that.”

She then took an incense burner out of her table and lit it. The smoke flowed downward instead of rising into the air.

After that, she poured Himmel Soan a cup of water. “The water comes from the Heaven Spring. It takes a hundred years to collect a cup, and it can cleanse your body from the inside out.”

She pushed the cup toward Himmel Soan before taking out some tea and putting the leaves in the cup. “This is Epiphany Tea, the main ingredient of Grade-9 enhancement pills. But I prefer drinking it as tea. I think the combination with Heaven Spring water is far more effective than the pills.”

Himmel Soan didn’t drink the tea. From what Bandora said, he could tell how precious it was. It might even help him recover much power, but he had no reason to accept this favor.

He and Bandora had only just met, and she was giving him some precious tea. Of course, he wasn’t going to take it.

He continued Bandora’s subject. “The advantage of pills is that they give you a burst of energy in a compulsive manner. But taking them, in the long run, will have detrimental effects on the body.

“This tea doesn’t have that effective burst of energy, but it’s better for your long-term health.

“If the pills are likened to poison, the breakthroughs can be likened to poison, too. Taking pills will be fighting poison with another poison.

“Drinking this tea, on the other hand, is to change yourself and use that change to make breakthroughs.”

Bandora’s eyes lit up a little. She had been bothered by some questions for a while. Himmel Soan’s words gave her some inspiration. If she worked in that direction, she would be able to clear all her doubts.

“What a wonderful idea. Thank you for the lesson, Sir. But I do have some questions for you.”

Himmel Soan didn’t decline. “Please.”

“If drinking tea can enhance our body, why do most people choose pills? All pills contain some toxins. Just as you said, taking them will damage one’s health over time. The toxins will accumulate inside us. Once they become active, there’s no cure.

“I think everybody knows that, but almost no one chooses to use other methods. What’s your view on that?”

Bandora seemed confused when she asked the question. She was the principal of Elixir School, where 80% of the pills in Stelladom were produced.

It was as she said. Taking pills for a long time could have severe side effects. Over the years, she had seen countless people die from the accumulated toxins. She gradually began to question if she had chosen the wrong way.

“This water and tea can both cause a sensation when they’re brought out. Even cultivators can’t afford this tea, let alone ordinary people. Only a handful of Mahayana cultivators can enjoy this luxury once in a while. It’s too precious to be used on a daily basis.

“But what about pills?”

Himmel Soan paused. He knew he didn’t need to continue. Bandora had gotten the point.

Bandora realized it wasn’t that those people didn’t want a safer way but that they couldn’t afford it.

One such tea leaf cost as much as a Grade-7 pill. When she compared the effectiveness of the two, she understood everything.

“Aren’t there skills that can enhance one’s body?” asked Bandora.

“Everyone is different, and so are the skills they can practice. Even if a person finds the perfect skill for them, when there’s an emergency, pills are still more effective.

“Pills are a necessity that no one can walk away from. That’s why Elixir School is so important in Stelladom,” said Himmel Soan in an unhurried tone.

That was his understanding of pills. His comprehension was as good as Bandora, if not better. Before, he didn’t know anything, but he was so talented and such a fast learner that he reached Bandora’s level just by reading books.

He might even be better than her.

“Ma’am, you’ve asked quite a few questions, and I have some questions for you, too,” said Himmel Soan.

Bandora digested what she had heard and nodded in embarrassment. However, Himmel Soan’s questions changed her embarrassment to astonishment.

“Do you know the surname Soan?”

Bandora was so shocked that she forgot to breathe. A moment later, she asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I have the same surname.”

Soan? He was a Soan?

That surname stirred her memory, something she had buried in the deepest corner of her heart. Before she knew it, tears were cascading down her cheeks.

She still looked at Himmel Soan in disbelief. After a while, she composed herself and got ready to answer.

“That surname used to exist in Stelladom, and there were quite a few of them. Several cultivators from the family reached the Hinayana and Mahayana stages, and one of them almost reached the Emperor stage.

“One night, all of them vanished without a trace. The eight emperors then made the announcement, banning that surname.

“Everybody suspected the eight emperors had something to do with the Soans’ disappearance.”