134: The Five Peaks Contest

Before Lan Ruobing could overthink, the events that followed immediately captured her attention.

A figure suddenly appeared beside them—a beautiful woman in white with a faint smile on her face.

Lan Ruobing recognized this person; it was Bai Jie, an Elder of the Wuji Palace’s Inner Sect.

She approached the stone table, holding a wooden tray in one hand, and continuously placed items from it with the other.

There was steaming, fragrant roasted meat, a vegetable platter made of several green plants, mushroom soup, and more, all of which dazzled Lan Ruobing.

This also surprised Lan Ruobing. Of course, she had seen these things before and had tasted such dishes during her travels in the Mortal world, finding it a good experience, but that was all.

For Cultivators, food was merely for Mortals. For Cultivation, those who couldn't abstain from grains used Medicinal Pills as a substitute, and those who could abstain were even better off, as they could fully devote themselves to Cultivation.

Having grown up by Blue Heart's side, her thoughts were exactly as described.

However, when she saw Lin Xiao, a Great Emperor, involved with these items, Lan Ruobing felt a sense of incongruity.

“Does it feel strange?”

Hearing the voice beside her, Lan Ruobing, deep in thought, instinctively responded.

“Mm.”

After realizing, Lan Ruobing, seeing Lin Xiao smiling at her, nervously raised her hand and stammered,

“Th-that, I didn’t mean that…”

“It’s alright, Sister Ruobing.”

Hu Qianxue, who was beside her, handed over a pair of chopsticks and said with a smile,

“We all used to think that way. Revered Master’s ideas are sometimes really strange… Ouch!”

As soon as Hu Qianxue finished speaking, she clutched her head, then looked at Lin Xiao, on the verge of tears, her eyes full of resentment.

“If you talk nonsense again, you’ll eat standing.”

Lin Xiao casually put away the Long Yao Folding Fan he had used to hit her, then turned his gaze to Lan Ruobing opposite him, smiling faintly.

“Are you surprised that a Great Emperor would also eat such Mortal food?

But you must know, Great Emperors are also people, just the most powerful ones. They also have seven emotions and six desires, and are troubled by worries, it’s just that no one knows.”

“Is that so…?”

Lan Ruobing murmured. Lin Xiao’s words greatly impacted her worldview. After hearing him, Great Emperors no longer seemed so distant; instead, they became somewhat flesh and blood.

“Alright, let’s eat first.”

Lin Xiao said, picking up a piece of roasted meat and putting it into his mouth, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Although he had Transmigrated several years ago, Lin Xiao’s lifestyle habits still leaned towards his previous life, that of the lowest Mortals in this world—working from sunrise to sunset, and even eating was the same.

Although he hadn’t felt hunger since he woke up, for Lin Xiao, eating, this biological instinct, had been etched into his DNA. He could change it and practice abstaining from grains, but in his opinion, there was absolutely no need for that.

“Mm, it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten this.”

Hu Qianxue also followed Lin Xiao, picking up a chopstick full of roasted meat and putting it into her mouth. Her beautiful eyes immediately narrowed, and her fox ears twitched, satisfaction clearly evident.

Under Lin Xiao’s influence, his Personal Disciples naturally quickly indulged in this culinary delight, unable to stop.

After seeing Lin Xiao and Hu Qianxue start eating, Lan Ruobing also stopped hesitating. She picked up her chopsticks, tentatively picked up the closest dish, put it into her mouth, and after chewing for a moment, her eyes immediately lit up.

Delicious!

This taste was far better than the bland Abstinence Pill she had eaten long ago. Moreover, Lan Ruobing was pleasantly surprised to find that her Spiritual Qi had increased by a significant margin.

If calculated by her usual night of diligent Cultivation, this single bite was almost equivalent to a month of her arduous Cultivation.

“You absolutely don’t need to be polite, Sister Ruobing.”

Hu Qianxue’s cheeks were puffed out, not caring about her image at all, and she mumbled,

“Eat more. We two should definitely be able to Breakthrough today.”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing this, Lan Ruobing was first startled, but then, seeing the table full of delicacies, she couldn’t help but agree.

Indeed, although she didn’t know what these things were made of, anything that caught the eye of Lin Xiao, a Great Emperor, certainly wouldn’t be ordinary.

These ingredients looked like good stuff at a glance. If she took out any one of them, Lan Ruobing felt it was more than one Rank stronger than the Earth Rank spiritual items in her storage ring.

“Finish eating first.”

Lin Xiao looked at his second Disciple with a hint of helplessness, then turned to Lan Ruobing, nodding with a smile.

“What this girl says is also true. With your talent, it’s no problem to advance further after this meal.

Eat without worry; you don’t need to be concerned about an unstable Foundation.”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing this, Lan Ruobing also began to focus on eating, but compared to the ravenous Hu Qianxue, she was much more elegant, quiet and composed, with a very refined demeanor.

Seeing this stark contrast, Lin Xiao suddenly felt a bit depressed. When he first took her as a Disciple, this Disciple of his was quite normal, much like Lan Ruobing now.

How did she change so much after a few years of teaching in Wuji Palace? This perfectly fine fox-eared girl became even more boisterous than boys like Qin Wudao and Yun Xiao.

However, her boisterous side was only displayed among them. In the eyes of the many Inner and Outer Sect Disciples, Senior Sister Hu Qianxue was synonymous with aloofness and strictness.

In her North Peak, every Alchemist knew how strict this Senior Sister was in Alchemy. Coupled with her powerful Cultivation of the God King Realm, the Disciples both respected and feared her.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiao shook his head and refocused his attention on the table in front of him. He raised his hand and drained the mushroom soup in the bowl before him. As soon as he set it down, Bai Jie beside him took it and silently refilled the bowl.

“Don’t bother, Elder Bai.”

Looking at Bai Jie standing there, Lin Xiao raised his hand and pointed to the empty seat beside him, smiling wryly.

“Sit down and eat something. It feels strange with you standing there.”

“Yes, Palace Revered Master.”

Bai Jie didn’t decline, responding with a smile before gracefully sitting down. Seeing this, Lan Ruobing, who was drinking soup, also breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that the person in front of her was an Elder of Wuji Palace, and by rights, she was a Junior. Having such an Elder stand by and watch her eat, even if the other party might not care, she always felt a bit strange about it.

The dining table then became much quieter. Hu Qianxue and Lan Ruobing, these two girls, ate more and more happily, and with each mouthful of food, the Aura around them would rise a bit.

As for Lin Xiao and Bai Jie, they were much more casual. They chatted while eating, as the food was helpful to Lan Ruobing and the others, but for them, its effect was minimal.

Not long after, Hu Qianxue put down her chopsticks, then joyfully closed her eyes and focused, her Aura beginning to rise.

Hu Qianxue’s action seemed to trigger a chain reaction; Lan Ruobing also put down her chopsticks and entered a state of meditation.

The next moment, accompanied by a muffled sound that only they could hear, resounding within each of their bodies, the sturdy shackles were instantly broken. Both of them trembled simultaneously, and powerful Auras instinctively erupted.

God King Realm Second Rank! God King Realm Third Rank!!

Feeling the distinctly stronger Spiritual Qi within her body, Lan Ruobing’s face also showed a joyful smile.

She hadn’t been in the God King Realm for long. She had originally thought it would take several more years of Cultivation to reach her current Realm, but she never expected to succeed under such a fortuitous Opportunity.

Lan Ruobing couldn't help but click her tongue at this. To save thousands of days and nights of arduous Cultivation and directly advance her Cultivation by eating a meal was something she had only heard in the ethereal stories of Mortals, and she had only treated them as mere entertainment.

Lan Ruobing had never truly imagined such a thing could actually happen, let alone happen to her. After regaining her senses, she immediately turned her gaze to Lin Xiao, who was seated opposite her, and solemnly bowed.

“Junior thanks Palace Revered Master for the feast.”

Lan Ruobing wouldn't forget how she got to eat this meal. Her current Breakthrough was entirely due to the generosity of this Great Emperor.

Lin Xiao calmly accepted her bow and said gently,

“This is the way of hospitality in Wuji Palace; there’s no need to be polite.

Our Grand Elder, Shi Hao, and these children have also received much care from your Revered Master.”

“That’s right, Sister Ruobing.”

Compared to Lan Ruobing, Hu Qianxue was much calmer. As if nothing had happened, she sat back in her original seat, picked up her chopsticks, and continued eating, as if she wasn’t the one who had just Breakthrough. She raised her hand and offered a skewer of something unknown, saying playfully,

“Feel free to stay here. In two days, I’ll take Senior Sister and you to play in the Illusion Blue Sea.”

Lan Ruobing also responded with a smile.

“Mm.”

“Cough, cough.”

Just then, a light cough sounded, followed by Lin Xiao’s faint voice.

“Hu Qianxue, where do you want to go?”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Hu Qianxue immediately pouted, then turned to her Revered Master, looking pitifully.

“Revered Master, I haven’t been out to play… Pfft, for training in almost half a year. Please let me go.”

“Heh.”

In response, Lin Xiao simply rolled his eyes, casually tapping his chest with the Long Yao Folding Fan, and said indifferently,

“With your meager strength, who knows where you want to go? Talk about it when you can protect yourself.”

The current era was not like before. With various Great Emperors emerging, the tension between different forces had clearly increased significantly.

In this situation, Lin Xiao truly didn't want to let his Disciples run around. Although he had the ability to back them up, it was too troublesome.

It had been less than a month since the various Great Emperors emerged, and under Lin Xiao’s leadership, Wuji Palace had already successfully offended all six other Great Emperors. It could be said to be unique in the world.

Now, saying that Wuji Palace’s people had enemies all over the world was not an exaggeration. Lin Xiao just wanted to live a stable life for a few days, and when all his Disciples became invincible, they could all go out and do whatever they wanted.

“What are you saying, what is this?!”

Facing her Revered Master’s words, Hu Qianxue immediately widened her eyes, expressing strong dissatisfaction.

“Revered Master, do you have so little confidence in me?

I can already walk sideways in the Xian Yue Domain, isn’t that strong enough?!”

Xian Yue Domain: The lowest-ranked region in terms of strength on the Tian Xuan Continent, not large and with very sparse Spiritual Qi. The Domain Lord is only at the Celestial Venerable Realm Fourth Rank.

With Hu Qianxue’s current Cultivation, she could instantly kill the Domain Lord with one finger.

“…”

As soon as these words came out, Lan Ruobing and Bai Jie beside them couldn’t help but twitch their mouths twice, while Lin Xiao’s face was covered in black lines, and he cursed,

“Hu Qianxue, you’re something else! Walking sideways in the Xian Yue Domain? Why don’t you say you’ll walk sideways in the Central Domain, Demon Domain, or East Neighbor Domain?!”

“Heh… hehe.”

With each curse from Lin Xiao, Hu Qianxue’s head lowered a bit. By the time the former finished speaking, her head was almost buried in her chest. Only after her Revered Master finished speaking did she cautiously raise her head again, chuckling embarrassedly.

“It’s not impossible. Give me another ten thousand years, and I’ll definitely go walk sideways in the Demon Domain for you to see.”

Hu Qianxue wasn’t boasting. Ever since she joined Wuji Palace, she felt as if she had Awakened some talent, and her Cultivation speed was advancing by leaps and bounds compared to before.

In just a few short years, she had crossed five major Realms from the Xiu Ming Realm directly to God King.

And the higher one Cultivates, the more difficult it becomes—this was a well-known fact on the Tian Xuan Continent. However, this rule did not apply to Hu Qianxue. She could feel that her Cultivation speed had not decreased much after breaking into the God King Realm.

Based on her current state, she was confident of making further progress within three years, and this was a conservative estimate. If her Revered Master provided her with meals of this Rank every day, she would be respectfully called a Great Saint in a month.

However, Lin Xiao had no intention of compromising. He snorted lightly.

“Then you can go out when you can walk sideways in ten thousand years.”

As soon as these words came out, Hu Qianxue immediately wilted like a frosted eggplant, her face full of despair. Her plan to see the sea had died in its infancy before it even began.

“Of course, it’s not impossible.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Qianxue’s eyes immediately lit up. She suddenly looked up, staring at her Revered Master with an expectant expression, waiting for him to speak.

“I only have one condition.”

Under her Disciple’s expectant gaze, Lin Xiao’s lips curved into a slight smile, and he chuckled softly.

“You must defeat everyone in the upcoming Wuji War and claim the top spot.”

“No problem… Huh?”

Hu Qianxue instinctively agreed, then realized what he said. After regaining her senses, she tilted her head, her eyes filled with clear foolishness.

“Wuji War, what’s that??”

Not just her, but even Bai Jie and the others beside her looked at Lin Xiao with confusion and a hint of curiosity. This term was very new to them.

“Good question.”

Under their gazes, Lin Xiao’s folding fan snapped open, and he grinned.

“The Wuji War is where all Wuji Palace Disciples participate, and through battle, the strongest will be determined, and then the Sect will offer resources as a heavy reward!”

“…”