126: Chapter... delicious!

Night quietly enveloped Zizhu Peak, yet the Peak was not dim; the rich Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathered on its own, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the surroundings as if covered by a layer of soft moonlight.

Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu worked swiftly, having already set up a pot in the open space in front of Ling Xi's new yet rustic bamboo hut.

Flames danced, licking a rather extraordinary-looking black iron pot, inside which milky white soup was bubbling and rolling.

An extremely rich and exotic aroma permeated with the steam, making one's pores open up and blood Qi circulate faster with just a single breath.

Ling Xi sat to the side, looking at the pot of soup, her eyes somewhat complex. Is this how everyone usually cooks?

Gu Changge sat lazily on a bamboo chair. Seeing the soup boil, he casually poured the box of glistening meat slices, taken from the Dragon during the day, into the pot.

As the meat slices fell into the boiling soup, they instantly curled up, their color becoming even more translucent white, as if imbued with a radiant glow. An indescribable, vast energy and delicious aroma erupted, almost stirring up the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

Half an hour later, the meat slices were thoroughly cooked.

"Alright, dig in."

Gu Changge was the first to pick up a bowl and chopsticks, naturally scooping up a large slice of Dragon meat, blowing on it, and then putting it into his mouth. He chewed a couple of times and nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, the heat is just right. Old Mo's meat is indeed getting chewier."

Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu were already accustomed to this, each scooping a large bowl and burying their heads in their food, eating until they were sweating profusely, their bodies' blood Qi steaming uncontrollably, clearly benefiting greatly.

"Junior Sister, don't just stand there, eat quickly! This is good stuff!"

Xiao Ruobai urged indistinctly, while adding another bowl for himself.

Ling Xi took a deep breath, suppressing the various doubts and shock in her heart, and also scooped a small half bowl.

The soup in the bowl was clear, yet heavy as mercury, and the Dragon meat was even more translucent, as if it were not an ordinary item.

She carefully picked up a slice and put it into her mouth.

The next moment—

Boom!!!

It was as if a thunderbolt exploded within her body!

The Dragon meat melted in her mouth, not into ordinary juice, but instantly transformed into a violent and extremely pure torrent!

That was a vast energy far more Advanced than Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, containing the essence of the Dragon Clan's Bloodline!

This energy forcefully rushed into her limbs and bones, flushed her Meridians, nourished her internal organs, and even directly impacted her Sea of Consciousness!

"Ugh!"

Ling Xi groaned, her face instantly flushed crimson, and her pores involuntarily opened, spewing out wisps of vital Qi and glowing light.

She felt as if her entire body was about to burst, and her Meridians felt a tearing, distending pain!

The energy of this meat was so domineering, so pure, and its efficacy so terrifying!

What kind of meat was this exactly? Where did Master get it?

This quality... the faint Dragon might contained in this Bloodline essence... could it be the meat of a Saint-Grade Dragon?!

Ling Xi's heart trembled. In her previous life, she had tasted a Dragon banquet, and this was definitely not an ordinary Saint-Grade Yao Beast!

Its Bloodline purity and strength were probably close to that of a true Dragon!

But Master... he was clearly only at the Cave Heaven Realm cultivation, how could he obtain such a divine item? Could it be... a thought suddenly flashed, could Master have used his most prized possession for my entry, regardless of the cost?

Perhaps it was an astonishing Opportunity he had accidentally obtained in his early years, which he had always been reluctant to use, but today he took it out for me... Thinking of this, a complex warmth and emotion welled up in Ling Xi's heart.

She looked up at Gu Changge, who was still sitting lazily on the bamboo chair, her eyes now filled with an indescribable gratitude.

She dared not be negligent in the slightest and immediately fully activated the Heaven Devouring Dao Art, her core Imperial Cultivation Technique from her previous life.

As soon as the Cultivation Technique began to operate, the originally rampaging violent energy seemed to find an outlet, being rapidly guided and refined, integrating into her Dantian Qi Sea and limbs.

Her cultivation was originally only at the Early Stage Foundation Establishment, but at this moment, it soared wildly as if riding a Flying Sword!

Early Stage Foundation Establishment... Middle Stage Foundation Establishment... Late Stage Foundation Establishment... Bottleneck?

Under the impact of that vast energy, the so-called Bottleneck was as thin as paper, easily broken!

Rumble!

A loud noise, audible only to her, echoed within her body. Her Aura suddenly surged, and Spiritual Qi frantically gathered, forming a small vortex above her head.

Core Formation Realm!

Ling Xi slowly opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes gleaming with brilliant light, and she incredulously introspected the surging, unimaginably vast Spiritual Qi within her body.

Just a few slices of meat had allowed her to break through from Early Stage Foundation Establishment to the Core Formation Realm in one fell swoop!

She stiffly raised her head and looked at the large pot that was still glowing golden. There was still more than half a pot of Dragon meat left, each slice exuding energy enough to drive any Cultivator mad.

Looking at Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu, both had already added three bowls each, their bodies' blood Qi steaming as if enveloped in a radiant glow, yet they were still devouring their food.

Such an Opportunity is rare in the world!

She took a deep breath; the rich, undiluted exotic aroma and vast energy seemed to be madly tempting her.

"To restore my cultivation... to uncover the secrets of Zizhu Peak..."

Ling Xi frantically found excuses for herself in her heart, her gaze fixed on the pot of Dragon meat, already consumed by desire.

She no longer cared about any Empress's demeanor, abruptly stood up, took a large bowl that could hold three bowls of soup, activated her Spiritual Qi to the extreme, and scooped up a full bowl of Dragon meat, even overflowing with soup.

"Ugh!"

As the hot meat slices entered her mouth, an even more violent energy exploded again, but this time, Ling Xi's eyes were filled only with excitement.

While chewing frantically, she activated the Heaven Devouring Dao Art. The Spiritual Qi vortex around her spun faster, the luster on her Core became even more brilliant, and Middle Stage Core Formation Realm was within reach!

"Mmm... delicious!"

She praised indistinctly, but her movements did not stop at all, bite after bite, eating several times more fiercely than before.

Her speed and 'heroic' posture even made Xiao Ruobai, who was diligently eating beside her, occasionally look up and cast approving glances.

For cultivation!

Hmm, this meat is indeed exceptionally delicious... but it's mainly for cultivation!

This soup even contains Dao Rhyme... restoring cultivation is paramount!

Ling Xi repeatedly emphasized her 'noble purpose' in her heart, while her chopsticks flew, eating until her forehead was slightly sweaty, her body's blood Qi steaming, radiant light swirling, and her Aura rising steadily.

Her originally cold and aloof face, now flushed with rising blood Qi and energy impact, actually showed a hint of liveliness and... fierceness that would have been impossible on any other day.

Xiao Ruobai saw her 'hungry tiger pouncing on its prey' demeanor, and with his mouth full of meat, he didn't forget to give a thumbs-up, his eyes full of approval that this was exactly how it should be.

Fang Hanyu also looked up, a rare faint smile gracing his lips.

Only Gu Changge remained lazily seated on the bamboo chair, watching Ling Xi eat voraciously, twirling a spiritual fruit between his fingers, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes. This Disciple, he thought, was more 'pragmatic' than he had imagined.

A feast that ended like a whirlwind.

Ling Xi slowly exhaled a turbid breath, which even contained pure spiritual light.

She introspected her body; the nascent Golden Core in her Dantian was not only perfectly round and flawless but also large and condensed, covered with Dao patterns, emitting a vast Spiritual Qi far exceeding that of ordinary Core Formation Realm Cultivators, having clearly reached Late Stage Core Formation Realm!

This was still the result of her deliberately using most of the Dragon meat's pure energy to temper her muscles and bones and widen her Meridians.

In her previous life, she was an Empress, and her comprehension of the Laws of Heaven and Earth had long been etched into her Soul. Now, retracing the path of cultivation, there was no such thing as a mental state Bottleneck.

As long as her Physical Body and Spiritual Qi accumulation were sufficient, advancement would be a matter of course.

On the other side, Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu's blood Qi also gradually calmed down, but the faintly burgeoning, almost uncontrollable powerful Aura indicated that their gains were equally immense.

Both of them had actually reached the Peak of Late Stage Cave Heaven Realm, clearly deliberately suppressing themselves, honing their Foundation, striving to reach the Perfection in every Realm.

Seeing that the Disciples had mostly digested their food, Gu Changge slowly put down the spiritual fruit in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the three Disciples, finally resting on Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu.

"Xiao Ruobai, Hanyu, you two tell Junior Sister about the rules of Zizhu Peak."

Upon hearing this, Fang Hanyu immediately straightened his back, his face showing an excited expression mixed with 'a heavy responsibility on his shoulders' and 'it's finally my turn'.

He cleared his throat, turned to Ling Xi, and tried to appear serious, but the eagerness in his eyes could not be hidden.