Confidence Brought by the Invincible Core

"Who?" "The Nine Nether Cult. Don't you know them?" Lu Yang asked in surprise, puzzled by why the Immortal Cult's high-ranking members were so shocked. *You lot are already selling grilled skewers here, so isn't it completely normal for the Nine Nether Cult to open franchise shops in the outside world?* *For Body Integration experts to make such a fuss over every little thing—their mental fortitude still has a long way to go.* By comparison, Senior Brother Dai Bufan had performed admirably; he had remained remarkably calm upon learning that the Nine Nether Cult was preparing to open franchise stores. "The Nine Nether Cult asked me if I had any way to make money. I told them there happened to be a barbecue shop project here that was guaranteed to turn a profit, and asked if they wanted in. They said yes," Lu Yang explained concisely. The Cult Master and the others wondered if their ears were playing tricks on them. The Nine Nether Cult was in charge of expanding the barbecue business? Did that sound like something the Nine Nether Cult would do? Although Lu Yang made it sound simple, the Cult Master and the rest were no fools; they believed Lu Yang must have left out numerous details. Yet no matter how much was omitted, the fact that the Nine Nether Cult was helping the Dao Seeking Sect open a chain of barbecue shops reeked of strangeness. Lu Yang must have fed the Nine Nether Cult some pack of lies. Then again, that made no sense either. Shi Huagu of the Nine Nether Cult possessed a secret technique to detect lies; no one could lie in front of him. They couldn't figure it out. Whatever. Why bother pondering such things? They were chang ghosts now, devoid of worldly ambitions—as long as the barbecue shop flourished, that was enough. The Nine Nether Cult helping to run barbecue shops was a good thing anyway; the more people dragged down into the mud with them, the better. "When we partnered with the Nine Nether Cult, we provided two crucial pieces of technical support. As the first branch of the Try Again Barbecue Shop, you're entitled to them as well." Under the expectant gazes of the Immortal Cult's top brass, Lu Yang took something resembling a bookshelf out of his identity jade pendant. "This is an automatic barbecue grill. Place the skewered meat on it, and it grills automatically." Master Liu and Master Gao sneered at it, viewing this magical treasure as a challenge to their status. "Boss Lu, with all due respect, food cooked with this kind of grill has no soul. We have no need for such a thing." On second thought, Lu Yang realized they were right. Master Liu and Master Gao were both at late Body Integration; their barbecue skills and control were far superior to this Dharma artifact. More importantly, their only job here was grilling skewers. If the automatic grill replaced them, they would be facing unemployment. "There's also this: a Three-Flavor Pure Yang True Fire seed." Lu Yang brought out a small jade bottle and uncorked it. A flickering flame floated into the air, radiating an aura of mystery. While the Immortal Cult's high-ranking members felt little, Xiao Qi and the other two female ghosts trembled with instinctive terror at the sight of the True Fire seed. The fire seed contained the Pure Yang True Fire of a Golden Core bachelor powerhouse, an inherent bane to spirits and ghosts. Lu Yang smiled. "This is the product of combining Three-Flavor True Fire and Pure Yang True Fire. Three-Flavor True Fire works wonders for barbecue by providing three distinct flavors. As for this Pure Yang True Fire, it differs from the one you know—the one in my hand enhances virility." "Such a miraculous thing exists in this world?" Not only the Cult Master, but even the Immortal Celestial wore a look of mild surprise. The Immortal Celestial possessed the memories of all Immortal Cult members, yet even he had never heard of Three-Flavor True Fire or a Pure Yang True Fire that boosted virility. "This Pure Yang True Fire was discovered by a dear friend of mine on his quest for the ultimate path. His spirit is something I deeply admire." The Cult Master mused, "Pure Yang True Fire is wonderful, but does it really have any use in our Dao Seeking Sect?" Everyone in the Dao Seeking Sect possessed formidable cultivation, none of them needing vitality boosters. Furthermore, the sect had no shortage of virility-enhancing medicinal herbs; as far as Lu Yang knew, the Ginseng Baby's ginseng was practically a sacred tonic for male vigor. Realizing this was true, Lu Yang put away the Three-Flavor Pure Yang True Fire seed, flipped his palm, and released Three-Flavor True Fire instead. "This is a Three-Flavor True Fire seed. You can give it a try and see if it works wonders for barbecue." Master Liu accepted the fire seed dubiously, swapped out the charcoal, and picked up ten skewers of bean curd skin from the side to begin grilling. The skins were set onto the grill. Under Master Liu's practiced turns, the savory aroma of the bean curd skin slowly began to build. "Everyone, have a taste." Once the bean curd skins were cooked, each person took a skewer. Master Liu took a bite of his own creation, and his eyes snapped wide. He had grilled simple bean curd skin countless times and knew its flavor like the back of his hand. Yet under the threefold blessing of the Three-Flavor True Fire's three flavors, the grilled skin gained a rich, layered texture that started sweet and finished spicy. It elevated the taste of grilled bean curd skin to an entirely new plane! This was a gap that technique alone could no longer bridge. Truly miraculous! No wonder Qin Yanyan had remained unsatisfied with their skewers—this was the reason. They had painstakingly studied the craft of skewering for months, only to be outdone in depth of insight by a Golden Core cultivator. After this, they resolved to enter secluded cultivation and attain fresh enlightenment in the Dao of Barbecue! "Then I'll leave this fire seed with you." Master Liu and Master Gao treated it like a priceless treasure. "And Eldest Niece, did you tell anyone before leaving Hundred Refinements Peak?" "I don't think so." "Then you'd better head back now. If the Fifth Elder and Junior Brother Li return to Hundred Refinements Peak and find you gone..." "Will they be worried sick?" "They'll forget you ever existed." "..." "I'm going back right now." Lu Yang stretched, feeling that he had done a good deed. In truth, if Qin Yanyan went missing, how could the Fifth Elder and Li Haoran possibly forget about her? Quite the opposite, they would search high and low for her. However, saying so would sound far too sentimental to Qin Yanyan, so he had decided against it. He strolled lazily toward the Scripture Pavilion. "What are you going to the Scripture Pavilion for?" In the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy lay lazily on the bed, her legs sticking straight up, her fair, delicate toes wiggling. Then her legs tilted, and her entire body flopped onto the bed. "If there's anything you don't understand, this celestial can teach you." "To write the continuation of my cultivation technique. My manual, the Art of Illuminating the Heart and Seeing Nature, was something I drafted myself. Back then, my experience was limited, so I only wrote it up to the Foundation Establishment stage. Now that I've reached the Golden Core, the technique can't keep pace with my progress. I have to look for inspiration in the Scripture Pavilion to figure out how to cultivate next." "You can write cultivation techniques at your age?" the Immortal Fairy said in shock. Even if he had only drafted it up to Foundation Establishment, that was still extraordinary. "Not entirely. After I wrote it, Eldest Senior Sister revised a portion of it for me." The Immortal Fairy secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I was going to say—even I couldn't write my own techniques back in Foundation Establishment, so how could you? How much did that girl Yun Zhi change for you?" Lu Yang hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak the truth. "She only kept the name." Immortal Fairy: "..." "Then you might as well just ask that girl Yun Zhi to continue writing the technique for you." "A man must be independent. How can I rely on Eldest Senior Sister for everything? Who knows, maybe the technique I write this time will pass Eldest Senior Sister's inspection!" Lu Yang was brimming with confidence. The Immortal Fairy fell silent, suspecting that Lu Yang's confidence probably stemmed from the Invincible Core. Such a minor detail was better left unsaid to him.