Lu Yang was putting his all into roasting the Kui ox. It was a contest of wits, perseverance, and luck, leaving no room for the slightest carelessness. For the moment, he did not notice Old Ba's gloating expression.
The roast Kui ox was finally done. The aroma wafting from it lingered in the kitchen, enough to last three days without fading. The Three-Flavor True Fire was truly worthy of being Lu Yang's unique creation—it really had its merits.
There were only one hundred and eight kinds of true fire in the world in total, yet Lu Yang, through his sheer natural talent, had forcefully added one more. Naturally, such a flame was extraordinary!
If Lu Yang wanted to, he could open a continent-wide barbecue chain restaurant right away! Founding a Barbecue Sect would not even be out of the question!
How many Man Gus could only dream of an opportunity like this!
Yet Lu Yang was indifferent to fame and fortune, harboring no such intentions whatsoever.
Lu Yang arranged the roast Kui ox on a platter, placing roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, roasted cauliflower, and the like beside it as garnish. As he prepared to carry it to the table, the puppet looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to be so thoughtful.
Just as Lu Yang was preparing to leave the kitchen, he noticed that a large chunk of meat was missing from the Kui ox corpse, exposing ghastly white bone.
Lu Yang recalled the Bone-Flesh Rebirth Pill he had just exchanged for.
"What would happen if I fed the Bone-Flesh Rebirth Pill to this Kui ox? Would a chunk of meat grow back?" Lu Yang thought to himself. If this worked, it would be an enormous business opportunity!
No sooner said than done, Lu Yang pried open the Kui ox's mouth and forced it to take the pill.
A miraculous scene unfolded. A faint golden glow emanated from the wound on the Kui ox corpse. The roasted Kui ox meat slowly hovered into the air, reverted to a raw state, and floated into the wound, fitting back in seamlessly.
Lu Yang: "..."
Is this scientific?!
I went through so much trouble to roast this meat, and you turned it back?!
Even the puppet could not hold back its laughter and chuckled under its breath.
Left with no other choice, Lu Yang had to start all over again.
Fortunately, having the experience of the first attempt, his second try was considerably faster. At the same time, Lu Yang also discovered that his proficiency with the Slash Formula, sword qi, and the Three-Flavor True Fire had improved as well.
Lu Yang fell into thought. Could this be what Eldest Senior Sister intended—for him to grow through cooking?
Indeed. Among cultivators, there was an occupation known directly as spiritual chefs, and did they not cultivate through cooking? His method and the cultivation of spiritual chefs shared the same underlying principle.
"Eldest Senior Sister really took great pains for my sake!" Lu Yang was deeply touched.
***
Five centers facing Heaven, Eldest Senior Sister was cultivating before the dining table. Various phenomenal visions manifested around her: falling giant stars, the rebirth of all living things, heavenly tribulation taking form... It was as though all the worldly anomalies had converged in this very spot.
Noticing Lu Yang's arrival, she slowly opened her eyes. The diverse visions instantly retracted into her body, as if nothing had ever happened.
"Roast Kui ox?" Yun Zhi glanced at the dinner Lu Yang had meticulously prepared and said no more, gesturing for Lu Yang to join her.
Lu Yang sat upright at the dining table, nervously waiting for Eldest Senior Sister to eat first.
Yun Zhi sliced off a piece, parted her lips, and took a small taste. "Not bad."
Only then did Lu Yang's anxious heart settle down.
Yun Zhi slit open her storage space, brought out a bottle of pills, and handed it to Lu Yang. Lu Yang saw the words "Stomach-Strengthening Digestion Pill" on the bottle.
"This is a classic pill from Pill Cauldron Peak that aids your digestion and absorption of food. The spiritual energy contained within the roasted Kui ox far exceeds what your body can bear. You must eat slowly, using the pills as support to absorb it gradually."
It went to prove that Pill Cauldron Peak had been founded at the very inception of the Dao Seeking Sect and stood tall to this day—the pills they refined were sometimes truly effective.
Lu Yang ate a small piece, chewing it gently a few times. The Kui ox meat slid into his stomach like gelatin. A burst of abundant spiritual energy surged in his abdomen, rushing straight up to the crown of his head. The exhaustion from roasting the Kui ox was swept completely away, leaving him feeling thoroughly refreshed.
Lu Yang's eyes lit up. He promptly took a pill and sat down to cultivate, sensing wave after wave of spiritual energy tides coursing within him.
For a demon beast to be worthy of Yun Zhi personally striking it down, its cultivation was naturally extraordinarily high.
Yun Zhi ate the roast gracefully, chewing slowly to savor the flavor. There were very few things in the world now that could boost her cultivation.
***
Seven elders gathered in the pine forest of Tianmen Peak. Aside from the Grand Elder and Yun Zhi, the entire upper echelon of the Dao Seeking Sect was present.
Even the elusive Sect Master was there.
"Tell me, Old Ninth was doing perfectly fine—how did he suddenly end up in trouble like this?"
"Life is unpredictable. Who could ever foresee what the future holds?"
The seven elders chimed in one after another. Sitting in meditation inside, Daoist Buyu was so furious he wanted to draw his sword and duel them.
"I can't get angry, I can't get angry. I need to meditate quietly for three days, and during this time I can't break out of trance." Daoist Buyu repeatedly warned himself not to lose his temper.
The seven elders gloated. Old Ninth tricked and teased them day in and day out; having a chance to mock him today, they naturally rushed over to laugh at him. Such an opportunity might never come again in a lifetime!
"If you ask me, Old Ninth is just too petty. Having a gifted disciple is a good thing, so why get so angry you end up with a cerebral thrombosis?"
"Nonsense, how can you call this a cerebral thrombosis? He's clearly in a vegetative state!"
Daoist Buyu could bear it no longer. He roared in fury, "Don't push people too far!"
Just who leaked word about his situation?!
Little Yun? No, I can't beat her.
Then it must be Lu Yang!
"Old Ninth, you have your day too!" Old Ba laughed gloatingly.
When Old Ba was young, he was fond of flowers and plants. Back then, Daoist Buyu told him there was a flora cultivation method: bury oneself in the soil with only the head poking out, and by feeling the earth's spiritual energy with one's body, one's cultivation would increase.
To this day, Old Ba refused to look back on that foolish younger self!
The shame of a lifetime!
"Take that! Have a taste of my sword!" Daoist Buyu unleashed the Four Absolute Sword Formation, attacking everyone. The seven elders instantly assumed defensive postures. Thunder flashed at the entrance of the cave abode, blocking the sword formation's attack.
The seven elders breathed a sigh of relief. Yun Zhi's defense was reliable after all.
"Haha, Old Ninth, your sword arts have degraded! Your techniques can't even make it past a tiny cave entrance. If it were me, I'd have broken out long ago!" Old Ba laughed unrestrainedly.
Daoist Buyu sneered, "If you lot have the ability, why don't you blast open the entrance?"
"Heh, a mere cave entrance—what's so hard about blasting it open!" Old Ba thrust out a palm with tremendous momentum, striking the cave abode entrance, only to be similarly shattered by thunder.
"A fluke! Again!" Refusing to believe it, Old Ba tried again, but the attack was neutralized by thunder once more.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. "I've calculated the position of the formation core, but my offensive methods are limited. Would everyone please lend me a hand!"
The six elders readily agreed.
The seven elders exerted their strength simultaneously, attacking the formation core Old Ba pointed out. In an instant, lightning flashed and thunder rolled; the entire pine forest was filled with chaos and radiant clouds, utterly terrifying.
As if provoked, the cave abode seal surged with a pulling force that seemed capable of sucking in all things in existence. Seeing that things had gone wrong, the seven elders deployed every method to flee, yet none could rival the suction. They were all sucked into the cave abode.
The seven elders: "..."
Daoist Buyu was deeply moved. Was this the true bond of martial brotherhood—sharing weal and woe, sharing hardship together?
***
Yun Zhi, who was eating, suddenly paused. She sensed that the seal she had left for her master had been triggered.
The people of the Dao Seeking Sect were full of bizarre notions. Worried that someone might try to forcibly breach the seal, Yun Zhi had set it so that if anyone attempted to break it by force, the seal would suck them into the cave abode to be sealed alongside him.
"Surely no one would be like that, right?" she murmured to herself, not quite certain.
Chapter 116