[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-immortal-food":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-immortal-food-lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-38":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Immortal Food",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2313161,4524,"Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Cultivation Cage","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-38",38,"\u003Cp>The man before him was covered in blood, yet showed no wounds; combining this with the black-robed man’s words of “two wins,” Pei Ye nodded cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly a place where everyone but him was an enemy; Pei Ye had already guessed the origin of the blood on these men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike his earlier assumption, Wu Zaigu’s status was not so crucial—he was not the sole chosen one, merely eligible to compete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, this made more sense: though Wu Zaigu had appeared an invincible foe at the time, for a mysterious scheme capable of swallowing someone like Zhu Gaoyang, its core must have included a Grand Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the current competition was clearly to the death; only one among these twenty-odd men would emerge alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the man did not seem to regard him as an enemy: “You’re young—killing their hosts means you’re promising for your age. Who’s your master? How did you end up in this godforsaken place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no master. I’m just a commoner from a nearby county.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No master?” The man laughed. “If you have no master, where did you learn to control qi? Did you figure it out yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t have any qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...No qi? Then how did you kill the Longshe host? They’re all Sixth or Seventh Life realm, aren’t they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Lucky coincidence,” Pei Ye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lucky coincidence? Lucky coincidence let you kill him without qi, just with martial technique?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man leaned close, staring intently from below upward; only then did Pei Ye notice his eyes were a pale silver-gray, while his face was marred by burns and scars—terrifying to behold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those strange, beautiful eyes fixed on him, Pei Ye shrank back, frowning: “What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m checking if you’re one of the Warrior Lords of Bai Lu Palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lu Palace was famed as the pinnacle of martial technique—this was clearly sarcasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man studied Pei Ye’s calloused hands: “You use a sword?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye nodded. “My swordplay is decent. What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s expression turned slightly odd: “I... my swordplay is passable too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you get here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I acted for justice—and ended up as a scapegoat.” The man leaned back against the wall and sighed deeply. “Now I regret it. Deeply.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Pei Ye.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just give your real name? So honest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong with that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the Jianghu, you usually give a nickname—Little Fish, Little Horse, Little Turtle, that sort of thing.” The man’s tone shifted. “Since you’re so sincere, I’d be petty to hide mine—listen well: I never change my name or alter my ways—I’m Zhang Siche.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Brother Zhang.” Pei Ye gave a slight bow. “May I ask—what exactly is this place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What place? The dogfight arena. The breeding cage.\" Zhang Siche grinned. \"Pick the fiercest one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fiercest...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t misunderstand—it’s not selecting people.” Zhang Siche placed a hand on Pei Ye’s dantian; Pei Ye startled and moved to block—but his hand passed through empty air, every hair on his body standing on end, yet the hand merely tapped once. “It’s selecting them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone’s meridian tree has been digested by it. None of us have any qi. What do you think determines victory in combat now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s what’s inside you.” Zhang Siche chuckled mockingly. “Like choosing concubines—whichever one’s the strongest gets to bear the dragon’s seed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye fell silent, for he remembered: all the energy he’d accumulated had been poured into Jing Ziwang. His body now held only a glowing cocoon, drained of every last bit of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That cocoon was the “contestant,” and the energy was its weapon and armor—yet he’d stripped it bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll lend you mine.” Zhang Siche leaned against the wall, watching him lazily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye froze: “Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because we're the only two humans in this den of beasts. Is that enough?\" Zhang Siche extended a long, strong hand, palm open; dark blood had dried along its creases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye hesitated, then reached out; two dusty hands clasped together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Extreme environments strip away pretense; suspicion and testing vanish. Among circling wolves, even leopards and tigers ally first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nine out, thirteen back,” Zhang Siche grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Pei Ye could ponder the meaning, a torrent of energy surged up his arm; the glowing cocoon in his dantian drank it like sweet spring water, instantly drawing it close in a swirling embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy flowed endlessly; soon it exceeded twice what he’d once stored, and for the first time, the cocoon within his belly sent a sensation of fullness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye looked up, astonished, at Zhang Siche, who returned a lazy smile and withdrew his hand: “The bottle must grow larger before it can hold more water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye instinctively glanced toward the door; Zhang Siche said: “They won’t interfere—as long as it’s internal circulation. Your dantian’s thing won’t change rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rank?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Siche gave a strange smile: “Win one round, you become second-rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye instantly understood the meaning behind the man’s “two wins, then off”: “You’re—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct. I killed [Eighteen] first, became second-rank, then killed [One], another second-rank. Now I’m the only third-rank here—lord of all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye said nothing, feeling the restored energy flooding back into his body: “Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to thank me.” Zhang Siche flashed a row of white teeth. “In return, grant me one wish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What wish?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me a story.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"‘The Remnants of Heroism’—the new installment this August is the finale. I haven’t read it yet.\" Zhang Siche sighed. \"No one here is likely to have read it—I thought I’d die with regret.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But!” Zhang Siche slapped Pei Ye’s shoulder. “Thankfully you came—what’s that look for? You haven’t read it either, have you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye glanced at him, then said slowly: “Chapter Twenty: ‘Already a withered ghost for eighteen years—when will he fly to the First Tower?’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Siche hissed, grinning: “I knew it—there had to be a twist. How could Master Wu Chou have lost so easily?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked his silver-gray eyes at Pei Ye: “Go on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye shook his head: “That’s all. I only read the chapter title.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Siche stared at him, silently, for seven or eight breaths—then sighed deeply and let his back thud against the stone wall: “Fate denies what it refuses to give.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye prodded him with a finger; Zhang Siche shot him a sidelong glance: “What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye, slightly embarrassed, said: “But you could tell me— I’ve only just read Chapter One.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the wooden door opened; a blood-soaked man entered, his black robe clinging to dark red, strip-like tissues—indistinguishable whether crushed muscle or shattered organs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[Nineteen] wins. Next pair: [Twenty-One], [Twenty-Two].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men glanced up; Zhang Siche turned away and murmured: “Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1118,"2026-06-20T13:17:09.438Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","fec9c8d51291d2c6fd1a64d3bcfc7141c1ef663d5d01e1bf7ecc37ee854939c4","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-39","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-37",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-immortal-food-cover.jpg"]