Chapter 21

Seeing Hong Zun, Qian Youcai didn't even have time to eat his rice; although his stomach was already growling from hunger, seeing the Peak Master, how could he not go up and greet him?

He quickly walked toward Hong Zun, but just as he reached Hong Zun's front, he saw Hong Zun, head down, shoveling the last mouthful of rice into his mouth, then abruptly stood up.

"Peak Master.............."

Seeing this, Qian Youcai opened his mouth to speak, but Hong Zun simply ignored him.

Because at this moment a menial disciple had already rushed toward the big table, and the rice, stir-fried meat, and mapo tofu on the table were left with only a little, enough for just one person.

Seeing this scene, Hong Zun's eyes turned red.

"Little brat, leave some meat when you shovel."

With his words, Hong Zun's figure instantly vanished from the spot, arriving first despite coming later, he got ahead of that menial disciple and stood firmly in front of the big table.

Then he mercilessly gathered up the remaining rice into a ball.

"Peak Master, you.........."

"What 'you you', you can't blame me for your inferior cultivation."

The disciples behind stared wide-eyed, seeing that Hong Zun really had no intention of leaving anything, they drooled and complained, "Even you old man could leave a bit of soup."

But Hong Zun was hardly human; he even poured the rice into the vegetable basin, wiping the broth clean, then poured it back into his own bowl.

He doesn't leave a scrap for anyone else.

As for this, Hong Zun couldn't care less; if you didn't grab it, blame no one but yourself—I, old man, already let you run first, and you still didn't manage to grab anything; you deserve to go hungry.

Holding a big bowl full to the brim, Hong Zun chuckled as he turned and left, leaving only the menial disciples staring at the gleaming rice tub and vegetable basin, cursing in their hearts that this old thing is not a Hǎo rén.

The senior disciples were somewhat better off, after all they were used to it; in the kitchen, Hong Zun always took more and occupied more, but the newly arrived disciples were completely bewildered.

Has it only been a moment and the food is already gone?

"Holy shit, it's already gone?"

"I've just started to taste it."

"I haven't even eaten my fill yet."

In disbelief, the senior disciple beside them sneered.

"Come on, with your speed you couldn't even catch a hot meal while eating shit; we haven't eaten our fill either."

Eating in the Divine Sword Peak kitchen, the standout traits are speed, precision, and ruthlessness; otherwise do you still want a second bowl? Go dream about it.

As before, they swept away the dinner like a wind sweeping away residual clouds.

However, if we're talking about the most pitiful, it's still Qian Youcai.

Before, he thought about greeting Hong Zun, but in the end this old guy didn't get to eat anything; by the time he reacted, those senior disciples had practically licked the basin clean.

Qian Youcai stared, eyes wide and mouth agape.

After finishing the meal, everyone washed the dishes and cleaned up; the new disciples, under the guidance of the senior ones, quickly learned the rules and imitated the seniors in cleaning up.

Only then did Qian Youcai finally get to speak with Hong Zun.

Looking at Qian Youcai, Hong Zun smiled, in a good mood.

"You kid, you've done a good job with the kitchen."

"Thank you, Peak Master."

"From now on you'll follow Ye Zhangqing's arrangements; if you have any needs, you must fulfill them fully, understand?"

He had been feeling quite happy, but the next second Hong Zun's words left Qian Youcai stunned in place.

"Listen to Ye Zhangqing? I'm a steward in charge of the kitchen; from now on I have to listen to a menial disciple?"

Who would have thought that coming to the kitchen would end up implicating myself?

But since these words were spoken personally by Hong Zun, even though Qian Youcai felt resentful, he could only nod respectfully in reply.

"Yes."

"Hmm."

Satisfied, he nodded, then chatted briefly with Ye Zhangqing, after which Hong Zun and his disciples finally left.

On the way back, Xu Jie, who had tasted Ye Zhangqing's cooking, kept complaining to Lu Youyou and Liu Shuang.

"Second Senior Sister, Little Junior Sister, you two aren't being fair; we're all fellow senior and junior brothers and sisters, there's such delicious food, yet you didn't bring me any?"

Lu Youyou replied with smiling, crescent-eyed eyes.

"But didn't Third Senior Brother tell me earlier that we cultivators should wholeheartedly practice Xiūliàn and not be lax because of external things? I thought Third Senior Brother wasn't interested in these."

"That's natural, but how can the food made by Ye Zhangqing junior brother be compared? It's like elixirs—something beneficial to cultivation."

Hearing this, Xu Jie replied without blushing or panting.

Even now, Xu Jie still savors the deliciousness of that bowl of rice he just had.

Moreover, the food made by Ye Zhangqing is indeed beneficial to cultivation; Xu Jie didn't bother to elaborate on that.

Stir-fried meat can strengthen one's physique, while mapo tofu can further temper the body; it is greatly helpful for body-refining cultivators.

In the small courtyard, everyone had left; Qian Youcai hadn't eaten anything, but there was nothing he could do, so he returned resentfully, waiting until tomorrow to come again.

Only he and Xiao Bai remained; Ye Zhangqing practiced Xiūliàn for a while, then took a medicinal bath, and promptly went to sleep early.

Life is very regular, and Ye Zhangqing also enjoys such a life; compared to stimulation, he prefers stability.

Silent through the night, early the next morning in the menial disciple area, over a hundred people rose early, their numbers double those of the previous few days.

What's even stranger is that after these guys got up and washed up, each one silently sprinted toward the kitchen.

It's a very eerie sight—no one speaks, they just run with their heads down.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know; they don't even respond to greetings, they just run with their heads down."

"Sleepwalking?"

"Have you ever seen hundreds of people sleepwalking together? And even in broad daylight?"

Strange, but regarding this, the disciples completely didn't care; all they had on their minds was stewed noodles.

As usual, as soon as the door opened, there were already quite a few disciples waiting here.

Still, after finishing a chaotic breakfast, at this moment, Ye Zhangqing's accrued praise finally allowed his cultivation to break through again.

【Host: Ye Zhangqing.】

【Identity: Menial Disciple of the Dao Yi Sect.】

【Cultivation: Perfected Body Tempering Realm (10/1000)】

【Reputation: Obscure.】

【Talent: Middle Grade, Lower Tier (260/1000)】

【Physique: Middle Grade, Lower Tier (320/1000)】

【Comprehension: Upper Grade, Middle Tier (430/100000)】

Inside the kitchen, his cultivation broke through again, finally reaching the Perfected Body Tempering Realm; next up is breaking into the Sensory Qi Realm.

However, to break into the Sensory Qi Realm, one must begin Xiūliàn a cultivation technique; through the technique one can sense the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi more effectively and quickly.

Moreover, only a cultivation technique can use the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi to nourish the body's meridians, preparing for the later Meridian-Charging Realm.

"According to the rules of the Dao Yi Sect, once a Menial Disciple reaches Perfection in the Body Tempering Realm, they are allowed to go to the Technique Hall to receive an introductory cultivation technique."

Thinking that after breakfast he would find some time to go to the Technique Hall to pick up an introductory cultivation technique.

However, just then, Hong Zun, who had not yet left, felt Ye Zhangqing's qi and blood suddenly fluctuate, and he exclaimed somewhat unexpectedly.

"Little Changqing, did you break through?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhangqing replied with a smile.

"A lucky breakthrough."