123: Returning late at night

【Skills: Swordsmanship Lv2, Talisman Making Lv1, Formation Lv1, Artifact Refining Lv1, Alchemy Lv1, Cooking Lv5】

【Cultivation Techniques: River Convergence Method Sutra, Myriad Seas Returning to Flow Art, Carefree Wind Manipulation】

“Hoo—”

Zhou Yan let out a long breath. This time, it wasn't a Exhale fresh air (exhalation of pure Qi), but simply a desire to take a deep breath and relax.

Looking at the dense list of skills and the signature techniques of the various Elders, a sense of satisfaction rose in his heart.

The 100,000 mana accumulated through arduous cultivation finally had a purpose.

Now he had officially returned to the Ranks of mage lords. His Wood Spirit Root happened to be compatible with water, lightning, and wind attributes, allowing him to better utilize many water Spells and the wind-elemental Spells left by Feng Xu.

However, to his surprise, his Swordsmanship skill was affected by the Law of the Sword, automatically increasing by one Rank upon learning it.

“So Laws have this kind of use... Does that mean that if my skill Rank is high, it can in turn promote the comprehension of Laws?”

Zhou Yan remembered that he still had three Skill Upgrade Cards, but after some hesitation, he decided to save them for now.

It would be better to try the effect of self-improvement first. If the effect wasn't significant, he should save them for the path of evolution.

“Clang!”

He pushed open his door, took a deep breath of fresh air, and felt that the world was beautiful.

Just then, Xiao Sheng rushed towards him.

“Ah—hahaha!”

Zhou Yan thought the other party was coming for revenge and was about to defend himself, but who knew Xiao Sheng would flop to the ground with a thud, tightly hugging his thigh.

“Hiss... mm... ah!”

“Brother Zhou! You’re finally back! Just one bite, just one bite!”

“My throat feels like ants are crawling in it right now, I really can’t stand it anymore. Please, just one more bite!”

Zhou Yan was momentarily stunned.

How did quitting food turn out more like... that?

He was about to help Xiao Sheng up when he saw Wang Yao and others walking over, all looking at the two of them with strange expressions.

The scene at this moment was truly bizarre. Xiao Sheng was covered in sweat, twitching on the ground while hugging Zhou Yan’s leg, constantly shouting, “Just one bite.”

“Uh... Senior Brother, I didn’t see anything, I’ll be going now.” Junior Sister Shi turned to slip away.

Wang Yao, with a dark expression, asked.

“Senior Brother, you didn’t give him some Demonic Path potion, did you?”

Yuan Chenling, on the other hand, was calm, purely in the posture of a passerby watching a show.

“You guys listen to me, it’s not what you think!” Zhou Yan hurriedly reached out to stop them, making an Er Kang face.

Before long, everyone was seated around a large table, which was laden with dishes.

Watching Xiao Sheng gobble down the food, everyone finally believed Zhou Yan’s explanation.

“There are really people addicted to eating in this world?” Junior Sister Shi couldn't help but exclaim.

“Indeed hard to comprehend.” Wang Yao also murmured in agreement.

And the clever Yuan Chenling had already joined the meal.

Anyone who had been a Loose Cultivator understood that anything someone pursued with such fanaticism must be a good item; whether for personal use or resale, they wouldn't lose out.

Seeing Yuan Chenling also start eating, Wang Yao couldn't hold back.

Watching Junior Sister Shi pick up her chopsticks first, he also joined in.

And with that first bite, everyone was stunned.

Immediately after, Wang Yao cried as he ate, and even Junior Sister Shi’s eyes turned red from eating.

Watching the table of people either crying or fighting for food, Zhou Yan momentarily thought he was distributing porridge to refugees.

“Is it really that exaggerated?”

However, seeing the table full of dishes he made about to be swept clean, he quickly joined the eating army.

After the meal, everyone burped contentedly.

“Everyone, *hic*—I am Xiao Yuansheng of the Kurong Temple, commonly known as Xiao Sheng. Greetings.” Xiao Sheng slumped in his armchair and cupped his hands towards the ceiling.

The others also lazily returned the greeting, each stating their names.

Zhou Yan smiled with satisfaction at this harmonious scene.

This was probably the joy a chef felt when being recognized.

“Ding, Cooking skill improvement has reached its limit. Further improvement requires fulfilling the prerequisite condition of comprehending the Dao.”

“Ding, Law of Consumption +0.001%”

“This can also lead to comprehending a Law?”

Well, that works.

After understanding the special effects of Laws, Zhou Yan regained interest in them.

However, the laziness and relaxation brought by eating these delicacies temporarily prevented him from getting excited.

Everyone slumped in their chairs, holding their bellies, resting quietly. Besides the initial self-introductions, no one spoke again.

They lay there until evening before getting up one after another to say goodbye and return to their rooms.

Only Xiao Sheng, whose food craving hadn't subsided, still wanted more to eat.

Zhou Yan, helpless, had to prepare a special meal for him, making enough food for a dozen people, which Xiao Sheng took away in a storage item.

This time, no Law comprehension progress popped up, but Zhou Yan wasn't disappointed.

The Law of Consumption didn't seem to be of much use anyway. Since it was a freebie, he'd take it if it came, and wouldn't lose anything if it didn't.

After instructing Huo Zhongshan to pay more attention to the recent movements of the prefecture, Zhou Yan returned to his room.

Soon after entering the room, Zhou Yan heard a knock at the door.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Zhou Yan reluctantly opened the door and saw Wang Yao standing outside.

“Sorry, Senior Brother, I forgot to mention something that Master instructed before he left.”

“He said your cultivation progress is too fast, and you should be careful of Heart Demons growing, and also focus on accumulating your own life experiences.”

“The reason Nascent Soul is difficult to achieve is that the most crucial hurdle is the ‘Heart Demon Tribulation,’ which requires sufficient experience to trigger.”

“So, if you advance too quickly, not only is there a risk of Heart Demons, but you might also get stuck at a Bottleneck due to insufficient experience.”

“That’s all Master instructed. However, I think Senior Brother’s talent is extraordinary, and these are not problems. I believe you will successfully form your Nascent Soul and return to the Sect soon. When that happens, I will definitely host a banquet at the Sect to properly apologize for that incident during the Sect trial.”

“You still remember that?” Zhou Yan laughed, finding it amusing when he recalled himself fighting wits with thin air back then.

Who would have thought that he would so quickly transform from a “fake Prodigy” to a “true Prodigy”?

“Forget it, you contributed a lot in this Secret Realm, and almost died there.”

Without the demon cores Wang Yao contributed, Zhou Yan’s gains would have been at least halved. He no longer cared about that past promise.

“No, one thing is one thing.”

“I said I would compensate, and I will definitely do it.”

“It’s just that I have nothing right now, and I still need time to prepare.” Without waiting for Zhou Yan’s response, Wang Yao bid farewell and left.

“I almost forgot, he’s still a stubborn mule.” Watching his retreating back, Zhou Yan scratched the back of his head and closed the door.

“Heart Demons? I haven’t encountered any yet...”

“My cultivation has been solidified bit by bit, and my Foundation is stable. Logically, I shouldn’t have Heart Demons.”

“But forming a Nascent Soul actually requires experience? That’s a problem.”

“I wonder if experience can be farmed.”

“Knock, knock, knock.”

No way? Again?

Zhou Yan pushed open the door and saw Junior Sister Shi standing at the doorway with a blank expression.

Indeed.

Can’t you all just say what you need to say during the day? Do you have to come knocking one by one at night?

If the Heaven and Earth Society Choir saw this, they’d probably be even more convinced I’m from the Joyous Union Sect.

“Senior Brother, there’s something I forgot to tell you.” Junior Sister Shi’s tone was low, devoid of her usual youthful vitality, instead carrying a hint of world-weariness.

Something’s not right... Is this how a young girl in her prime should be?

Seeing Zhou Yan didn’t respond, Junior Sister Shi looked up.

“Senior Brother, if you find out later that I’ve been hiding something from you, I hope you won’t distrust me because of it.”

“I will tell you everything after you form your Nascent Soul. After all, this concerns my life, and it’s also related to you.”

With that, she turned and left, her movements decisive, not giving Zhou Yan a chance to ask further questions.

Zhou Yan scratched his head again.

I just updated the version, and you all jump out one by one to advance the plot, huh?

I only skipped a few levels, where has this plot developed to?

I haven’t even formed my Golden Core yet!

Don’t mess with a newbie account like this!

Combining Junior Sister Shi’s previous behavior, Zhou Yan had already figured out that Junior Sister Shi was related to the “Time’s Sorrow” main quest, but that was clearly not a level he could touch right now.

I finally dominated the novice village by skipping levels, and now so many things are popping up.

Zhou Yan shook his head and closed the door again.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Zhou Yan's blood pressure rose.

Are you kidding me? It better not be Yuan Chenling, otherwise... He yanked the door open, but didn't see anyone at first glance.

However, remembering that Yuan Chenling wasn't tall, he was about to look down when he suddenly realized.

Yuan Chenling has no hands, so how could the knocking sound be “knock knock”?

Zhou Yan immediately retreated a few steps, looking cautiously towards the doorway.

(Soon, it will be the much-anticipated, blood-flowing plot.)