Chapter 523: Where Did Everyone Go?

Many disciples crowded at the junction, and even so, each strained with all their might to squeeze in.

Initially the surrounding disciples were just curious, but as more disciples streamed through the entrance to the kitchen, their gazes finally settled on the kitchen.

"What are they doing?"

But soon, with the arrival of mealtime, a rich aroma wafted over, instantly attracting all the disciples.

Each took a sharp breath, and, hearing the discussion of the Divine Sword Peak disciples and others, they finally learned the truth.

It turns out these folks are just here to eat—just a meal—is it really necessary to go to such extremes?

That said, the smell is truly fragrant.

"Senior Brother, with your cultivation you should have long since given up grains—how..."

"You don't understand; the meals of Junior Brother Changqing are completely different from what you imagine."

The senior brother who had been taking a big breath initially didn't react, then replied offhand.

But as soon as his words fell, he turned his head suspiciously and discovered that beside him was actually another disciple.

"What are you doing here?"

"Senior Brother, with such a commotion, we can't help but notice—and I'm not the only one who came."

Saying that, the disciple gave a glance around; seeing this, the senior brother scanned the surroundings and his scalp went numb.

He saw many disciples gathered all around—goodness, when did so many show up?

Driven by the aroma, the disciples unconsciously wanted to draw nearer.

Thus, another scuffle was inevitable.

New disciples and old ones alike immediately broke into a scuffle, but the outcome was obvious—those new disciples with no experience stood no chance.

But because of this, the matter of the Divine Sword Peak kitchen could no longer be concealed.

Inside the kitchen, Qi Xiong, Hong Zun and the others, having eaten their fill, also noticed the disturbance outside.

It can be said that at present, disciples from virtually all thirty-six peaks of the Dao Yi Sect have come.

"Discovered this quickly?"

Zhang Tianzhen frowned slightly and said, "We've only been back two days—how can the kitchen's secret already be exposed?"

Hearing that, Qi Xiong calmly replied.

"With so many people, how could it possibly stay hidden?"

That's an inevitable result—just a matter of time.

Not to mention other peaks' disciples—even some stewards of the main peak got mixed in; they seemed to have stumbled upon it by chance, but were instantly drawn in by the aroma.

"It smells wonderful—I really want a bite."

"Dream on—I last ate seven days ago, and this meal is getting harder and harder to swallow."

Hearing that, a Jade Maiden Peak steward snapped back.

Now this competition is fiercely excessive; I miss the first time at Jinhai Yingdi, when it was only our Jade Maiden Peak and Divine Sword Peak—no need to struggle so hard then.

The crucial point is that even if we struggle, we might still not get to eat.

At dinner, even more people came, and without exception all the disciples joined the scramble.

Accordingly, Qi Xiong also had the elders repeat the rules to all the disciples—since it couldn't be hidden, at least let them know the rules.

And Ye Zhangqing, due to the ever‑growing numbers, raised each meal's portion to feed fifteen thousand.

He didn't feel tired either, since the heavy lifting was handled by Zhu Wu—Ye Zhangqing only needed to do the cooking.

Inner disciples, elders, and those lucky enough to snag a spot—after a single bite, everyone's eyes lit up.

This food is truly heavenly—not only is the flavor flawless, its effect on cultivation is immense.

Even elders of the Heavenly Human Realm gain considerable help from eating Ye Zhangqing's dishes.

This discovery let the new disciples and elders fully understand why the Divine Sword Peak disciples and others were so frenzied.

This isn't just eating—it's practically consuming heavenly treasures.

As for those disciples who failed to get a spot, hearing their senior brothers and the elders say that only made them more excited; they secretly vowed to definitely get a taste of the Divine Sword Peak's food.

But though the idea is fine, the gap in strength makes their chances very slim.

"I was wondering why Divine Sword Peak went so crazy—now I know it's because of this."

Some disciples caught on quickly.

Now the Divine Sword Peak disciples' cultivation and combat power far exceed theirs—this must be the result of their earlier training.

Striving for a meal really takes effort, but now, likewise for food, the new disciples of the other peaks have swiftly joined in.

What's the big deal about cultivation? As long as we can eat, what's there to complain about?

Especially those fortunate disciples who managed to eat, they secretly swore to cultivate diligently from now on—or else they wouldn't even get a meal.

The next day, those disciples gathered at Divine Sword Peak early in the morning.

Although Divine Sword Peak is not small in area, before dawn it was already packed with people.

And such a large crowd behaving strangely naturally drew the attention of others.

Even the Chief Elder of the main peak, Tian Nong, sensed something amiss.

Early that morning, Tian Nong arrived at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and found not a single person inside.

"Strange—where is everybody?"

"At this time, the hall's stewards should have been here—why is there no one in sight today?"

He searched all around, but found nothing.

Just then, three Mission Hall stewards hurriedly flew across the sky above.

Faintly, he could hear their conversation.

"It's all your fault—aren't we late now?"

Yesterday my cultivation went to my head, ah, don't worry, there's still time.

Hmm, today no matter what, I have to eat this meal.

Let's eat together, eat together.

Seeing the three of them in a hurry, Tian Nong felt curious—what else could "having a meal" mean?

Out of curiosity, Tian Nong quietly followed them, quickly arriving at Divine Sword Peak, whereupon he saw a scene that left him dumbfounded.

Only to see that over half of the disciples of the Dao Yi Sect had gathered here, and, without any warning, these disciples suddenly started fighting.

In an instant, a large-scale melee formed.

All the disciples' eyes were red; although they didn't strike to kill, nor did they use spiritual weapons or the like.

Yet the ferocity of their attacks is beyond doubt.

"Senior Brother, you've been eating for so many days, it's my turn now, right?"

"Exactly, you've been hiding good things from your fellow sect brothers and sisters; Senior Brother, shouldn't you treat me to a meal as compensation?"

"What compensation do I owe you? I haven't even gotten to eat myself; cut the nonsense, take this!"

Looking down in doubt, at the same time Tian Nong swept his Divine Sense over, quickly discovering Qi Xiong and others gathered in the canteen courtyard.

At a glance, he was even more dumbfounded: why are the Senior Brothers all here? Almost half of the Peak Masters have gathered; the rest are either not in the sect or in closed-door cultivation—truly strange.