131: Spiritual chef

Next door, in the room Ling Xian had just rented last night.

Qu Shuiyun lay on the bed, staring blankly, unable to understand how she, despite becoming a Grandmaster, could not beat Ling Xian.

Aren't they both Grandmasters?

Why were both her legs crippled? While Ling Xian remained completely unscathed?

The elders and disciples within the sect never mentioned that the gap in strength could be this massive.

"What should I do? I feel like I've let Yunyan down. It's all that little bastard's fault for insisting!" Qu Shuiyun clenched her fists, wishing she could give Ling Xian a black eye.

"How did I not see that this little bastard was so wicked before?"

Qu Shuiyun used to think Ling Xian was polite, well-mannered, and as the young master of the Ling Group, a perfect male god!

In fact, she had agreed to Yunyan's engagement back then precisely because Ling Xian fit the criteria of her ideal man.

Despite her complaints, she had been unable to get out of bed for three days and could only accept the reality.

"The most important thing is how to tell Yunyan about this?" Qu Shuiyun fretted before falling into a sleep without tears or fuss.

On the other side.

Ling Xian had already returned to the Ling Family.

"illusion dream, open the panel!"

[host: Ling Xian]

[villain points: 219,175 points]

[Cultivation: Half-step Grandmaster]

[Cultivation Method: Five Beasts Stance Technique, Golden Needle Technique, Cannot Be Queried - Cultivation Method]

[Martial Arts: Dragon Capturing Hand, Five Beasts Fist, Whale Swallows the World (Fragment)]

[Divine Ability: Undead Divine Fire]

[Special Skill: Super Recovery (Upgraded Version)]

[Weapons: rain listening needle, autumn moon blade, snowfall without trace...]

Looking at his rather substantial panel, Ling Xian couldn't help but show a satisfied smile.

"illusion dream, two advanced wheel spins!"

This was the first time Ling Xian had used his villain points so lavishly, consuming 200,000 points at once.

As the villain points were consumed, the pointer on the advanced wheel began to spin.

A moment later, the pointer stopped.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for drawing one Special Profession Advancement Card! Consuming... Congratulations to the host, Advanced Culinary Skills have advanced to God-level Culinary Skills, continuing to advance... Congratulations to the host, God-level Culinary Skills have advanced to a special inheritance: Spirit Chef!

(Spirit Chef: A nearly extinct profession, they are a group of people with superb culinary skills and powerful soul perception!)]

With a boom, it was as if a depth charge had been dropped into the calm lake of Ling Xian's mind.

A bolt from the blue!

Following that, the Spirit Chef inheritance flowed into Ling Xian's mind.

Originally, food made with Advanced Culinary Skills could achieve perfection in color, aroma, and taste, and also have imperceptible minor effects like enhancing energy and boosting immunity.

But the Spirit Chef, which surpassed God-level Culinary Skills, was something that could not be purchased even in the system store.

When a Spirit Chef cooks food, they can preserve most of the spiritual energy contained within the ingredients for the diners to absorb.

Powerful Spirit Chefs can even draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the food.

Because Spirit Chefs can help diners increase their cultivation speed, their status is transcendent.

But the drawback is also obvious; this inheritance requires both superb culinary skills and powerful soul perception—neither can be lacking.

People with powerful soul perception are already rare, and those with superb culinary skills are even fewer.

Most people with powerful soul perception wouldn't waste their energy on culinary skills; they would mostly choose to focus on cultivation.

Over time, this inheritance declined and even approached extinction.

"Whew~" Ling Xian exhaled a breath of turbid air, calming the turbulence in his mind, and opened his eyes in surprise.

"So this is a Spirit Chef? What a miraculous inheritance, to actually be able to give food a spirit!"

He had to admit, those 100,000 points were well spent!

Now that Ling Xian possessed the Spirit Chef inheritance, although he had just started, some of the basics were enough to overturn the understanding of the culinary world.

His cultivation speed would also increase significantly because of this!

Even eating itself would become a form of cultivation.

After all, easily absorbed spirit meals were much better than swallowing pills and eventually accumulating pill toxins.

Then, the second advanced wheel reward appeared.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for drawing a Spirit Accumulation Pill! (After swallowing, it can instantly increase cultivation by ten years! However, those with unstable cultivation should use it with caution; excessive cultivation spikes will consume one's foundation!)]

Both rewards were quite good.

The moment the Spirit Accumulation Pill appeared, its medicinal fragrance filled the air. Ling Xian could faintly feel his cultivation rising; though weak, it was enough to be shocking.

As for swallowing it, Ling Xian was in no hurry. He had just failed to break through to Grandmaster, so his foundation was unstable and needed to be solidified.

Or he could wait until he broke through to Grandmaster, stabilize his cultivation, and then swallow the Spirit Accumulation Pill to step into the Mid Stage Grandmaster or even Late Stage in one go!

The consequence of taking it now would only be like Lin Feng's case—consuming the foundation. It might look like a staggering increase in cultivation, but in reality, the hidden troubles would be endless, making it harder to advance at higher realms.

If the foundation is consumed and a precious medicine to compensate is not found within a certain timeframe, all that awaits is the disappearance of a genius.

"Not bad." Ling Xian nodded in approval.

Beside him, Old Master Ling, sitting on a lounge chair, saw Ling Xian's dazed look and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Little Xian, the tongxuan flower is about to ripen. Get ready," Old Master Ling reminded him.

Ling Xian nodded silently, "I know, Grandpa!"

Everything was prepared, and everything was even moving in a good direction.

Yet Ling Xian had an ominous premonition.

Perhaps it was because his villain points had drastically decreased, leaving him feeling more or less uneasy.

"The ripening period of the tongxuan flower is only one day. Once picked, put it into the special wooden box immediately." Old Master Ling was experienced and explained the techniques involved.

"Additionally, only six tongxuan flowers remain. Don't linger after picking them. There is a Guardian Beast there with strength comparable to a Peak Grandmaster; it's very dangerous!

I will have Ling San protect you!"

Old Master Ling rambled on, fearing for his grandson's safety.

"Finally, remember, remember: in a critical moment, run. It's just a tongxuan flower; your life is more important!"

"Understood!" Ling Xian nodded in agreement, then sat in the back of the car to rest his eyes.

The one driving was Ling San.

They sped along, heading toward the place where the tongxuan flowers ripened—Tongxuan Valley.

Tongxuan Valley was located near the border of the Central Province, nestled between mountains and rivers. The continuous mountain ranges acted like a natural barrier, guarding the peace of this place.

The discovery of Tongxuan Valley was entirely due to the Nine Provinces Alliance's powerful intelligence system and a stroke of luck.

Both were indispensable.

If it had been discovered by ordinary martial artists, they would likely not have escaped the beast's claws and would have become a meal.

The scenery here was no less beautiful than any tourist attraction; the only drawback was the constant danger.

Yet many tourists still watched from afar, lingering and forgetting to return.

When night fell, Ling San drove through the valleys until they stopped at a village at the foot of a mountain.

Ling Xian and Ling San got out of the car under the surprised gazes of the villagers.

These villagers almost never saw tourists in this place, and even if they did, it was always during the day.

Because at night, an eerie sound always echoed through the mountains.

This was the first time anyone had driven here at night.