Chapter 704: Primordial Spirit Enhancement

But seeing Li Hao's skilled cooking technique, it was clear he'd done this before.

A True Immortal of the Third Layer who could dodge an Immortal Lord's attack… Mi Mi Xueyao gave Li Hao a deep look, then rose and said, "Fine, I'm coming. Wait for me—don't even think of ditching me!"

Li Hao sat cross-legged, glanced at her sideways, and ignored her.

Seeing Li Hao's indifference, Mi Mi Xueyao was already used to it; she sneered inwardly and secretly released a hidden technique on the spot, ensuring she could track him if he left.

After Mi Mi Xueyao departed, Li Hao closed his eyes and fully concentrated on digesting the ancient demon's flesh.

Thin strands of primordial spirit energy seeped from the flesh, transforming into pure soul nourishment that merged into his primordial spirit.

This ancient demon was undoubtedly a supreme tonic for primordial spirit—just like dragon meat cooked in some taverns enhances physical strength.

While Li Hao was digesting, not long after, Mi Mi Xueyao returned; she slashed open the space between heaven and earth and tossed out half the remains of an ancient demon, saying to Li Hao:

"No signs of ancient demon troops nearby—only scraps left to scavenge."

Li Hao had nearly finished absorbing and digesting; he opened his eyes, glanced at the remains on the ground, and said, "Whatever. It's your food anyway—I'll just take a cooking fee."

"Cooking fee?"

Mi Mi Xueyao froze.

Li Hao didn't answer; instead, he drew the half-demon carcass over and skillfully carved it open with Taowu, then roasted it slowly as before.

As the sizzling aroma of oil spread, the primordial spirit essence within was released through cooking, carrying a soothing scent that subtly enhanced the primordial spirit with every breath.

Li Hao split it in half and tossed one portion to Mi Mi Xueyao, holding the other and saying, "That's the cooking fee—half is mine."

Mi Mi Xueyao raised an eyebrow, annoyed: "That's way too much—give you one-tenth is enough."

"Then don't come to me next time. Do it yourself."

Li Hao didn't bother haggling.

Mi Mi Xueyao hesitated, irritated—she'd never touched such lowly arts; how could she possibly cook?

But giving up wasn't her nature, and after being coldly treated by Li Hao all this time, she was an Immortal Lord—did true immortals in the human realm really treat Immortal Lords like this?

"Fine, I'll cook myself—this time I'm doing you a favor!"

Mi Mi Xueyao snorted; she'd watched Li Hao's cooking technique closely and saw nothing extraordinary.

She was a cultivation genius—she'd mastered the hardest cultivation, so how could something as simple as cooking stump her?

She took the half-roasted meat, sliced it into small pieces, and ate them slowly and deliberately.

But as the flavor exploded in her mouth, her eating speed unconsciously quickened, and the faint anger in her heart slowly faded.

When she finished, she suddenly realized the flesh was slowly digesting inside her body, being absorbed.

Her primordial spirit had slightly strengthened.

Mi Mi Xueyao was stunned; her beautiful eyes widened slightly. She'd heard of cannibalism among cultivators, but never that eating another's flesh could enhance the primordial spirit.

Given her status, if such a thing truly existed, it wouldn't have escaped her notice—nor would the ancient demons have remained locked in stalemate with the myriad races of this world; they'd have long since devoured each other to breed more royal bloodlines.

She looked at Li Hao in disbelief, seeing he'd already finished eating, even faster than her, and now sat cross-legged, seemingly cultivating.

Suddenly, she understood why he'd been able to dodge the ancient demon commander's attack.

The commander's strike carried terrifying primordial spirit energy—deadly to a True Immortal, requiring no physical blow at all.

Yet Li Hao was unharmed—his primordial spirit must be extraordinarily powerful…

Wait—if his primordial spirit was that strong, his spiritual sense range would be vast too…

Her expression changed slightly; a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes—could he have known her identity all along?

If he knew, why would he still travel with her…?

Her mind churned with thoughts; she fell silent.

Li Hao absorbed and digested the half-demon carcass; his golden primordial spirit meridians grew seven or eight more, and his primordial spirit strengthened again.

Earlier on the Starry Ancient Path, he'd eaten mostly Saint-grade ancient demons; unlike now, these were True Immortal-grade, their flesh brimming with denser primordial spirit energy, which his cooking made digestible.

Eating it raw would yield no effect at all.

The next day.

After digesting yesterday's demon flesh, Li Hao cooked again.

Seeing Li Hao had no intention of sharing, Mi Mi Xueyao went out to search for more ancient demons herself.

When Li Hao finished cooking, Mi Mi Xueyao returned.

She glanced at Li Hao; this time, she didn't toss the demon corpse to him. Instead, she copied his motions, cutting it up, then summoning chaotic divine fire from the heavens to slowly roast it.

Li Hao noticed she'd summoned chaotic divine fire and raised an eyebrow slightly—but having chaotic divine fire alone merely turned raw meat into cooked meat; that was barely cooking technique.

As she cooked, Mi Mi Xueyao hummed a light tune, clearly relaxed and pleased; when she caught Li Hao watching, she smirked—half mocking, half taunting—and said:

"Didn't expect this, did you? I've mastered five levels of the Fire Dao's primordial source. Your chaotic divine fire is decent—but I only needed one glance to learn it."

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly; mastering five levels of Fire Dao's primordial source was rare even among Immortal Lords.

He remained expressionless, said nothing, and simply enjoyed his meal.

Mi Mi Xueyao used chaotic divine fire to fully cover the demon remains, precisely controlling the heat until every part turned crimson.

She was incredibly intelligent—even though she'd never cooked before, after watching Li Hao twice, she'd already replicated his technique convincingly.

Soon, when the demon was roasted, she sliced it open, brought a piece to her mouth, and ate slowly.

But as soon as it touched her tongue, she frowned—the taste was foul and repulsive, thick with a putrid stench.

She glanced at Li Hao's side and suddenly remembered—she'd forgotten the seasonings.

"Uh… could I borrow your seasonings?"

Mi Mi Xueyao frowned.

Li Hao swallowed a mouthful of demon flesh and said calmly, "Half a carcass for the seasonings."

"You!"

Mi Mi Xueyao was furious—she knew he'd overcharge.

Hmph… she gritted her teeth inwardly, ignored Li Hao, blocked out the taste, and gulped it down.

Taste was secondary—what mattered was enhancing primordial spirit.

If yesterday's method held true, she couldn't imagine how powerful her primordial spirit would become after consuming thousands of demon carcasses!

After swallowing several hundred jin of flesh, she scowled and closed her eyes to digest it.

She realized her roasted demon flesh didn't melt in her mouth—it required her own effort to break it down.

As she channeled her immortal energy, the flesh gradually decomposed—but once it reached a certain point, it stopped breaking down entirely, and not a single trace of primordial spirit energy leaked out into her body.

What's going on?

Mi Mi Xueyao was puzzled; she closed her eyes again, focusing intently—but the result was the same.

Her expression darkened—could it be the seasonings?

She knew: if merely roasting raw meat could enhance primordial spirit, someone among the ancient demons would've discovered it long ago—and it would've caused a sensation.

"Uh… I'll take your seasonings. Can I give you one-third of the carcass?"

Mi Mi Xueyao opened her eyes, saw Li Hao savoring his meat, clenched her teeth inwardly, but forced a sweet smile.

Li Hao replied indifferently: "Half. Non-negotiable."

You little brat… Mi Mi Xueyao clenched her fists, wanting to crush him against her thighs.

Her chest rose slightly; she glared coldly: "Fine."

Li Hao, seeing this, casually tossed her the extra seasoning he'd ground earlier and added, "Sprinkle it during roasting—it needs to seep in. You also need to marinate first. You're too late."

"Hmph."

Mi Mi Xueyao ignored him, poured the seasoning over the roasted meat, and ate it immediately.

But the seasoning only coated the surface; though it tasted slightly sweet at first, chewing released waves of foul stench. Her expression flickered, but she forced herself to swallow it with the meat.

After a while, she tried digesting again—still failed.

Her face darkened; she followed Li Hao's advice, took out the other half of the carcass that hadn't been cooked, and began marinating and roasting slowly.

Long time passed.

When she ate it again, she still failed.

But the taste wasn't as foul this time.

What's wrong? She seethed, glaring at Li Hao.

Li Hao had finished eating; seeing her furious expression, he shook his head slightly and said:

"Cooking isn't as simple as you think. To eat well? With your current skill, wait another ten years."

"Are you cheating with your seasonings?"

Mi Mi Xueyao asked.

She'd followed Li Hao's method exactly.

Li Hao rolled his eyes and said, "If you suspect me, don't borrow my seasonings again. And give me the other half—that's payment for the seasonings."

Mi Mi Xueyao was furious, but if Li Hao had indeed tampered with it, she couldn't do anything.

Fortunately, ancient demon corpses were everywhere—she didn't lack them. She tossed the other half to Li Hao, scowling:

"Can you now make these into the way you eat?"

"Can't."

Li Hao shook his head: "You've ruined the ingredients. I can tweak it slightly, but the taste will be worse."

"I don't care about taste—I just need absorption."

Mi Mi Xueyao glared coldly, exposing his secret: "Your primordial spirit got this strong by eating this, right?"

Li Hao raised an eyebrow but didn't deny it—he didn't believe she'd suddenly fly into a rage and accuse him of killing her kin.

Seeing Li Hao's silence, Mi Mi Xueyao inwardly confirmed it and said nothing, waiting silently as he prepared the meal.

Li Hao quickly cooked it for her, tossed it over casually, and said, "Try it again. Also, this portion is my processing fee."

He took half of her half again.

Mi Mi Xueyao was furious, but she still took the roasted meat Li Hao threw at her and began eating.

As soon as it touched her tongue, she sensed a vast difference—nothing like her own. And barely had it entered her stomach when a faint primordial spirit energy spread out, seeping into her own primordial spirit, nourishing her soul.

Her eyes gleamed, but when she turned and saw Li Hao eating with even greater relish, her good mood vanished. She scowled and said:

"Why can yours absorb primordial spirit?"

"It's a matter of skill."

Li Hao said, "Your skill is terrible."

"There's skill in cooking?"

Mi Mi Xueyao sneered in contempt, convinced Li Hao was cheating.

But no sooner had she spoken than she felt a sharp gaze land on her.

Her expression changed slightly as she looked at Li Hao and saw the human boy's gaze more serious than ever, cold and piercing, each word deliberate:

"Are you mocking cooking? If you say that again, I won't cook another thing for you!"

Mi Mi Xueyao froze, struck by absurdity—but she could feel the boy was truly angry. The fury in his eyes was like a swordsman's blade insulted.

"Does it really need to be this serious?" she frowned, speaking with a touch of stubbornness.

Li Hao glanced at her, then turned away. "Don't underestimate anything—especially when you're still enjoying the deliciousness cooking brings. You have even less right to scorn it!"

Mi Mi Xueyao fell silent, and said nothing more.

In the following days, Li Hao either went out searching for ancient demons or cooked their cultivated flesh.

Mi Mi Xueyao, refusing to believe it, borrowed Li Hao's seasonings and tried to copy his cooking—but every attempt ended in failure.

After her relentless persistence, when she finally conceded, Li Hao raised his cooking fee to an eight-to-two split.

He got eight, she got two.

"You—you're going too far!"

"You can refuse."

"You—!"

Mi Mi Xueyao longed to unleash her immortal power and force Li Hao into submission, but the lingering aura of the Fotu Emperor Heart Pagoda he had summoned still haunted her, giving her pause.

With Li Hao's talent, he must be a top-tier prodigy among humans—perhaps even possessing other protective treasures.

Besides, she still needed to use Li Hao to infiltrate human society. With her current identity, carrying that object through ancient demon territory would be far more dangerous.

After endless pleading and pressure, Li Hao refused to budge. Eventually, Mi Mi Xueyao had no choice but to surrender.

She scoured the land for ancient demon corpses, while Li Hao simply cooked, ate, trained, cooked again, ate again—his days were blissful.

Beneath the primordial spirit flesh, Mi Mi Xueyao's own primordial spirit strengthened, growing faster than her self-cultivation.

She prided herself as a top-tier prodigy among ancient demons, and ancient demons excelled in primordial spirit cultivation—far outpacing other royal lineages at the same realm. Yet compared to this almost monstrous method of growth through eating, she could only admit defeat.

Though Li Hao took the majority, as long as she brought back enough ancient demon remains, her daily primordial spirit gains had already leapt several tiers beyond her own cultivation.

For her, this was barely acceptable—but seeing Li Hao grow even faster made her grit her teeth.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.