The imperial family and the Meng Family maintained close ties, frequently cementing their bond through marriage.
A ceaseless stream of geniuses emerged from the Meng Family. Whenever the world thought the family had exhausted its foundation and that their descendants lacked the strength to support the household, a peerless genius would burst forth onto the scene, shoulder the family's mantle, and continue the Meng Family's immortal legend.
Thus, rumors circulated that the Meng Family had linked its ancestral fortune with the destiny of the Great Xia Dynasty. So long as the Great Xia Dynasty endured, the Meng Family would never fall.
"It's not that exaggerated," Meng Jingzhou chuckled, speaking with feigned modesty. "Still, I didn't expect you to guess that I'm that very genius who burst onto the scene for the Meng Family."
"...No, neither of us thinks you're that genius." Lu Yang was telling the truth. If an incorrigible eccentric like Meng Jingzhou were to shoulder the Meng Family's mantle, their immortal legend would probably come to a grinding halt right here.
When it came to true geniuses, Lu Yang—the one destined to shoulder the mantle of the Dao Seeking Sect in the future—was far more deserving of the title.
The two traded self-praise while putting each other down, completely forgetting that sitting beside them was Tao Yaoye, possessor of the Feathering Immortal Physique—a prodigy surpassing both the Bachelor Spiritual Root and the Sword Spiritual Root.
Fortunately, the two did not dwell on the matter for long. A majestic, primordial aura surged up from downstairs, sweeping across the entire Baixiang Restaurant.
Had the building not been sturdily built, this aura alone would have collapsed a block of houses!
Lu Yang and his companions felt as though a heavy sledgehammer had struck their heads. Their minds went blank, and their internal organs seemed clenched by a giant hand, squeezed into a tight ball—unbearably painful and agonizing.
The patrons nearby possessed higher cultivation than the trio, with some at the Golden Core stage. They fared somewhat better, but not by much.
"Is this... someone breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?!" An unaffected senior sister at the Nascent Soul stage let out a quiet gasp. Tasting the air carefully, she noted that the aura carried a distinct, wild primordial essence.
The dishes at Baixiang Restaurant were far more than just delicious. Having a dish boost one's cultivation or cycle one's cultivation technique several extra times was entirely routine. When ordered in harmonious combinations that enhanced one another's medicinal and culinary effects, the results were even more profound.
"I'd long heard that one could break through an entire major realm in the span of a single meal at Baixiang Restaurant. I assumed it was mere rumor, but seeing it today, it's actually true!"
"I wonder which junior brother or sister is so fortunate as to achieve a breakthrough here."
Normally, when cultivators broke through, who wouldn't enter secluded cultivation under watchful protectors, seeking total silence? Baixiang Restaurant was bustling and noisy, a distraction hardly conducive to breakthroughs.
To break through in such an environment only proved how immensely potent the restaurant's food was in advancing one's cultivation!
The waiter made a gentle downward pressing motion with his hand, and the Nascent Soul pressure vanished instantly. Everyone gasped for breath, then stared at him in astonishment.
To their senses, the waiter was merely at the Golden Core stage, yet this casual display clearly exceeded anything a Golden Core cultivator could muster.
The waiter had disguised his cultivation.
Someone whispered to a companion, "Speaking of which, I once heard an elder mention that when Baixiang Restaurant first opened a thousand years ago, he was a waiter. A thousand years have passed, and he's still a waiter, without aging a day."
Cultivators retaining their youthful appearance was normal, but remaining completely unchanged for a millennium was exceptionally rare.
As if deaf to the whispers, the waiter put on an apologetic smile. "My apologies, everyone. It seems a patron was overly excited upon breaking through and forgot to rein in their aura. Please bear with us."
A senior brother who had recently entered the Golden Core stage savored the lingering breakthrough aura, his eyes lighting up. "This aura carries a wild trace, almost like an ancient dragon reborn! It must be a senior body cultivator breaking through! Quick, let's comprehend this aura—it might greatly benefit our physical bodies!"
"Indeed, indeed! This godsend is our opportunity; we must seize it!" His companions chimed in, and together, they began to meditate.
The five assumed the five-centers-facing-the-heavens posture, hovering slightly in the air with eyes closed in silence. Cool, pure energy converged from all directions, feeling exceptionally refreshing.
Even if one was not a body cultivator, cultivators placed immense value on physical constitution. If one had ample magical power but a frail body, it was all too easy to be caught off guard and slain in a single strike. Or if an opponent forced a melee clash, getting close would mean instant death without even a chance to stall or flee.
Thus, the Dao Seeking Sect placed great emphasis on its disciples' physical fitness.
Among demonic beasts, the Ancient Dragon Clan was renowned for invincible physical might and grand divine abilities that summoned wind and rain. As one of the paramount races running rampant across the Demon Domain, gaining insight into even a shred of ancient dragon qi would be immensely beneficial to one's flesh. And if one could seize the opportunity to comprehend even half a dragon clan divine ability for personal use, it would be a coveted stroke of immense fortune!
The sight of five Golden Core cultivators ignoring the steaming dishes before them to sit in communal meditation was truly a rare spectacle.
Lu Yang could not help but admire their sharp instincts for opportunity.
"Should we seize the chance to comprehend it as well?" Tao Yaoye suggested.
Lu Yang was startled. "Can you sense the ancient dragon qi the senior brothers mentioned?"
"There's no harm in trying."
Just as the three of them were considering whether to sit and meditate to see if they could grasp that wild aura of the Ancient Dragon Clan, hurried footsteps clattered rapidly up the stairs.
A blue-faced, fanged wild boar appeared. Its eyes were filled with panic and fury, radiating a potent sense of danger that set everyone on edge.
What a vicious, terrifying demon beast! Its cultivation realm surpassed the majority of people present!
Furthermore, the wild boar's aura was unstable, exactly as if it had just broken through!
The waiter frowned, a small vortex rising in his palm. Just as he considered stepping in himself, a flash of blade light erupted. A fierce blade qi swept out like a bolt of silk, blazing with searing heat. In a single slash, the wild boar was decapitated. Its head rolled across the floor with a clatter, stopping right at Lu Yang's feet.
The severed boar head stared wide-eyed at Lu Yang, dying with its eyes wide open.
What should have been a gory scene did not shed a single drop of blood; the intensely blazing blade qi had instantly seared the severed neck cooked, releasing the mouthwatering aroma of roasted meat.
Only then did the wielder of the blade appear. He was dressed like an ordinary chef, wearing a tall chef's hat and a specialized work apron, clutching a cleaver. His face was full of menacing, fleshy folds, and when he smiled, he looked like a bandit about to execute a hostage.
"Terribly sorry, terribly sorry for frightening everyone! I was just about to slaughter this dragon-descended boar. My killing intent must have been too overwhelming, making the beast feel the threat of imminent death. Harnessing that life-and-death crisis, it managed to awaken that trace of ancient dragon bloodline and break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
"This was our restaurant's oversight. It won't happen again, so please forgive us!"
Holding his butcher cleaver, the chef wore a ferocious grin, yet his tone was exceedingly sincere. Whether the patrons wanted to forgive him or not, they had no choice but to accept it.
The chef picked up the boar head from Lu Yang's feet and dragged the carcass away, after which the oppressive tension finally dissolved.
The five Golden Core senior brothers looked thoroughly mortified. Continuing their meditation felt absurd, but stopping was just as awkward.
One of them slammed the table. "Damn it, bring us a basin of pig-slaughter stew! Use that exact boar from just now!"
Nascent Soul stage pork cost an astronomical fortune, to say nothing of a wild boar carrying an ancient dragon bloodline. The bill for this basin of pig-slaughter stew would be so steep that they'd wake up slapping their own faces in regret.
Even if they had to slap themselves awake, they were determined to eat it! They were throwing caution to the wind today—if they didn't eat this Nascent Soul wild boar, their Dao hearts would be unsettled, and swallowing this humiliation would give them internal injuries.
The waiter tossed his towel over his shoulder and called out with a beaming smile, "Right away! One basin of pig-slaughter stew added for the five distinguished guests!"
Chapter 27