## The Dining Hall

In the dining hall, a gaunt old man glared at Ning Zhuo. “So it’s you, the pockmarked child, who wants me to cook here and now?”

Ning Zhuo hastily cupped his hands. “Many thanks, Senior, for taking action.”

“Hmph.” The old man cast a disdainful glance at Ning Zhuo, his expression arrogant. He was the head chef of the Zangyang Bifu, though his cultivation had been stuck at the late Foundation Establishment stage his entire life, his skill as a spirit cook was truly exceptional.

Ning Zhuo sat before the old man. Within the dining hall, numerous male concubines cast gazes of curiosity, envy, vigilance, and jealousy towards Ning Zhuo’s corner.

The spirit cook old man produced a colossal bronze cauldron and poured in copious amounts of Mingjiao River water. Guiding with both hands, he urged forth the Ming ghost fire to heat the cauldron. The cauldron body trembled, and the river water within promptly boiled. As steam rose, faint sounds of ghost cries and snake hisses accompanied it, deeply unsettling.

The spirit cook old man took out a piece of Xuan Gui armor, rubbed it in his palm, and reduced the shell to a greenish-gray powder. He added the powder to the boiling cauldron water, and after a moment, poured in abundant ingredients. Not long after, he extinguished the ghost fire, concluding the creation of this spirit food.

Within the bronze cauldron lay the Minghe Yellow Springs Soup. The soup’s surface was like deep, tranquil ink jade. Looking closely, it seemed as though many remnant souls were writhing within the liquid.

Ning Zhuo took out a soup spoon and, using the enormous bronze cauldron, scooped a mouthful of soup and brought it to his lips. As it entered his mouth, it was as though he had swallowed a piece of bronze, the kind coated with green rust. He forced himself to swallow with great difficulty, and a strong metallic stench lingered in his throat.

By the time he finished all the soup, his tongue and lips had turned a coppery color. However, his soul foundation surged accordingly. After these past few days of spirit food at every meal, Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation had now reached three hundred times that of an ordinary person!

The spirit cook old man watched Ning Zhuo endure stoically, stubbornly forcing himself to finish the entire cauldron of soup. He couldn’t help but size Ning Zhuo up and down. “Good, you finished the dishes I made. At least you’re a sensible lad.”

“But, you actually finished it so directly. Isn’t that showing a little too little respect for me? Could it be that what I made was just that delicious?” The spirit cook old man possessed a peculiar temperament. He both appreciated Ning Zhuo gulping it all down and blamed him for eating too straightforwardly, denying him the satisfaction of tormenting the diner.

“Behold the second dish I’ve prepared!” The spirit cook old man continued his work.

He first produced a large tripod and performed rituals around it, quickly forming a vortex of thunder clouds and purple qi within. The spirit cook stepped with mystical footwork, chanting oral seals. Simultaneously, he threw in Xuan Bird tear crystals, chopping them into pieces with a palm blade and casting them into the tripod. He then employed the martial art Dragon Claw Hand, constantly knocking the tripod body while adding more ingredients. Some ingredients melted rapidly, while others stubbornly sank and floated within the tripod.

The spirit cook old man suddenly let out a soft shout. A muffled thunderclap suddenly burst within the tripod, followed by a rapid ascent of thick black smoke that lingered above the main beam, as though condensing into a dense dark cloud. A burnt smell assailed their nostrils, causing Ning Zhuo and the others to strongly suspect that the spirit cook’s creation had failed.

But when the spirit cook waved his sleeve and dispersed the black smoke, he chuckled with a face full of proud coldness and retrieved several pieces of black crisp from the bottom of the tripod. These were the spirit food — Three Lives Broken Tooth Crisps.

“This is too hard!” Ning Zhuo attempted to put it into his mouth, but his cheeks cramped with exertion, and he still couldn’t bite through. He then cast a pleading gaze towards the spirit cook old man.

The old man, arms crossed, saw Ning Zhuo’s predicament and only chuckled proudly. “Can’t even chew this? Boy, you still want to learn from others how to order dishes?”

Ning Zhuo couldn’t help but hum, revealing the young man’s unwillingness to admit defeat. He did not resort to magic but displayed demonic arts, condensing intricate blood vessels in his cheeks, greatly enhancing his biting force. This time, chewing again, he finally managed to bite off a small piece of the black crisp. It truly felt like chewing black iron. Crucially, as the black crisp entered his mouth, it tasted like the sour stench of a rotten lotus root, making Ning Zhuo want to vomit.

Every time he swallowed, Ning Zhuo felt his throat knot, as though grinding against iron and stone. His stomach also faced an unprecedented challenge; these few pieces of black crisp were truly difficult to digest. Yet, with this kind of spirit food, resolving it with magic power would greatly diminish its effect! Ning Zhuo could only cover his stomach, enduring the faint swelling pain.

The spirit cook old man looked at him with mockery.

“Not good, if I keep eating, my stomach probably won’t be able to digest it. The burden is too heavy, I might make a fool of myself.” Ning Zhuo’s spirit moved, and he urged forth the Magic Dye Blood Vein Art. His stomach suddenly swelled by thirty percent, its surface covered in tangled veins. His digestion ability, blessed by the demonic art, soared several times over!

The black crisp finally, under these circumstances, was slowly digested. The swelling pain in his stomach slowly eased. Ning Zhuo ate slowly, accommodating his digestion ability, and finally did not make a fool of himself.

The spirit cook old man saw that Ning Zhuo had actually finished the entire Three Lives Broken Tooth Crisp, his face slightly cleared, and he gave an affirmative evaluation: “Indeed, you have some qualifications to taste my gourmet delicacies.”

Ning Zhuo heard the words “gourmet delicacies” and finally couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his eye.

He ultimately finished five portions of spirit food. His belly was so swollen that he could only half-sit and half-lie in his seat, bearing the gazes of those around him, whether envious or puzzled. The envy stemmed from Ning Zhuo not hesitating to spend his own scores to exchange for large amounts of Ming food to enhance his soul foundation, with extremely good effect. The puzzlement also lay in this: many people would use their scores to exchange for pills to enhance the production of yang qi, thereby improving their own scores and creating a positive cycle. Why would this Jiao Ma fellow, though “luckily” obtaining the forty-seventh position, simply waste and slack off like this on the list?

“Soul foundation has reached three hundred twenty times that of an ordinary person.”

“Just a single meal, and it increased so much! It’s true that it’s hard to eat, but it’s also true that it’s incredibly beneficial!” Ning Zhuo sighed sincerely.

Though the places he had traveled were not many, his experiences were truly rich, and his understanding was rapidly advancing. At this moment, under these circumstances, Ning Zhuo clearly understood how rare an opportunity this was for soul cultivation! A chef like the spirit cook old man was not someone he could easily contact. Nor was there the environment of Baizhi Immortal City, blessed by heaven, to provide large quantities of precious fresh ingredients. Various conditions combined to create this current opportunity. It seemed ordinary, but in reality, it was quite rare.

“This can truly make up for my shortcomings!” Ning Zhuo had suffered losses in this area. The battle against the Heaven and Earth Double Ghosts had given him a profound experience that weakness in the soul was a fatal weakness. Therefore, he had an extremely strong motivation to improve this major shortcoming!

“I am only in the Foundation Establishment period, not Gold Core. Cultivation is low and weak, which also has its advantages. I can borrow from the True Cultivation Hundred Arts to relatively easily enhance the areas overlooked by my main cultivation method.” If his cultivation were to increase, for example, reaching the Gold Core period, the effect of eating these Ming foods would be greatly diminished. The time of weak cultivation was also the best period to lay various foundations; it was not to be missed.

“Jiao Ma, how long have you been here, and you’re already famous on the list?”

“What experiences and insights can you impart to us?”

“You’re using your hard-earned scores to exchange for these Ming foods, aren’t you worried about being eliminated?”

Seeing Ning Zhuo half-lying, some male concubines, in groups of two or three, approached Ning Zhuo with a touch of unwillingness to chat and seek advice.

Ning Zhuo covered his distended belly and said lazily and proudly, “My main cultivation is the ‘San Jiao Zheng Yang Jing,’ and I have divine medicine secretly sold to me by Yang Wei Da. Surpassing most people is an easy matter, so naturally, I have no worries.” He spoke with open eyes, telling a blatant lie, and did not mention the true major contributor, the Yin Yang One Qi Pot.

The crowd’s ears twitched slightly. They all knew about the “San Jiao Zheng Yang Jing.” The fact that Ning Zhuo was famous on the list became known after he broke into the top fifty positions. What was Yang Wei Da’s divine medicine?

The crowd quickly exchanged glances, all detecting surprise in each other’s eyes. They hadn’t expected to actually glean some valuable information. This Jiao Ma was truly too young! Everyone’s main cultivation methods had settled; many had even switched to cultivating “Soul Inside Incense Curling Art” or “Dark Contain Ghost Fetus Art.” Where would they cultivate something like the “San Jiao Zheng Yang Jing”?

But Yang Wei Da’s pills were something everyone could consume. Alchemy was the foremost of the True Cultivation Hundred Arts; having such skill was truly convenient for many. And looking at Yang Wei Da’s ranking, he was actually in the thirties! This further proved that his divine medicine was extremely effective.

Thus, many people immediately abandoned Ning Zhuo, their steps hurried, not even saying goodbye, and went to find Yang Wei Da. Without a doubt, these people were almost all rushing to the Yang Courtyard. Matters concerning their own future were all treated with great ambition.

Ning Zhuo also had his own ambitions. After digesting most of the spirit food, he regained some ability to move and walked back to First Class Room Number One to continue his cultivation. If the male concubines of Zangyang Bifu were to be promoted to the Three Courtyards, they would all meet with Sang Le You Ling alone. After divination in the latter’s presence, confirming they were not spies, they would enter the Three Courtyards. By then, Ning Zhuo would naturally see Sang Le You Ling, present the token, and obtain the divination opportunity he desired.

Now, he could not force it. Sang Le You Ling had just suffered an assassination; the wind was tight, and every blade of grass and tree seemed like a soldier. Ning Zhuo revealing his identity was very likely to trigger misunderstanding. As for the Yin Yang One Qi Pot, it was even more impossible to expose! This treasure was of immense value to the Baizhi City Lord and was precisely on the righteous path. Though the Baizhi City Lord was of the righteous path, in such a predicament, human hearts were too difficult to gauge. Ning Zhuo had no need to place his fate on the integrity of others.

Even if the Baizhi City Lord had no malicious intentions and possessed righteous integrity, it could not prevent the internal flaws of Baizhi Immortal City from being fully exposed, infiltrated by enemies like a sieve. If Ning Zhuo played a crucial role, he would be highly likely to be a target for enemy focus fire and assassination. Look at Sang Le You Ling, occupying a high and powerful position in Baizhi Immortal City, the City Lord’s right-hand man, skilled in divination; his current situation alone revealed the severity of the problem.

Ning Zhuo continued his cultivation. He still had bricks of national power in his hand, but to reach the Phenomenon Seed Symbol stage, it was not about accumulating quantity but comprehending the cultivation method itself. Ning Zhuo cultivated three cultivation methods simultaneously, leading to a happy dilemma! The “Mirror Terrace Spirit Art” had been successfully cultivated, the “Five Elements Qi Law Art” was also progressing very quickly, after all, the realm of the five elements was quite profound. The “Magic Dye Blood Vein Art,” however, was Ning Zhuo’s weak point, progressing quite generally.

Ning Zhuo focused his main energy on comprehending the “Magic Dye Blood Vein Art,” investing only two percent of that time into the “Five Elements Qi Law Art.” Despite this, the latter’s progress far exceeded the former.

Ning Zhuo, of course, did not only cultivate cultivation methods; he also utilized the fetal breath spirit boat to temper his body. The enhancement of his physical foundation brought all-around benefits. Not to mention the current spirit food as an example, with enhanced physical strength, his digestion ability also rose accordingly. Finally, there was the soul.

“In this aspect, my own requirement is the lowest. As long as I try to improve it and make up for my shortcomings so that I’m no longer so easily targeted, that’s enough.” Ning Zhuo himself thought so, unaware that his standard against the Heaven and Earth Double Ghosts was extremely high, far surpassing that of soul cultivators.

The ghost tide continued to rise. Large numbers of lantern ghosts appeared, releasing heavy yin fire to burn the walls of Baizhi City, attracting the attention of most people. Sang Le You Ling suddenly sent a flying message, delivering it to City Guard Army Commander Tie Gu Zheng’s hand. Tie Gu Zheng, with a sweep of his divine sense, immediately mobilized a batch of the city guard army, concentrating them on the west city wall. He ordered them all to use special paper daggers, without worrying about consumption, to strictly guard against enemy ropes.

Indeed, beneath the west city wall, a batch of hanging ghosts secretly assembled. Under the cover of the yin fire, they simultaneously released hanging ropes, attaching them to the city wall and swiftly climbing. Who knew that the city guard army was already prepared? Seeing the hanging ropes climb up, they immediately used paper daggers to cut them off. Without the hanging ropes, these hanging ghosts all fell, most of them dying tragically on the spot.

Good news was transmitted back. Tie Gu Zheng exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, secretly grateful to Sang Le You Ling, who was as reliable as ever.

In Zangyang Bifu, Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation quietly rose to four hundred fifty times that of an ordinary person. Outside the city, ten thousand ghosts galloped, impacting Baizhi Immortal City. Inside the city, in a certain corner, a Ghost Gate Pass was secretly being built, just about to cooperate with the outside to break the city.

Suddenly, Wen Ruan Yu led a batch of the city guard army and rushed straight to this place. The Ghost Gate Pass had just spewed out some yin soldiers and was immediately blocked and directly uprooted! Wen Ruan Yu’s heart felt a sense of relief. If not for Sang Le You Ling’s divination, which prevented the Ghost Gate Pass from secretly sending in a large batch of yin soldiers, the problem would have been very difficult to handle.

The city was in turmoil, the noise and chaos transmitted through the doors and walls of Zangyang Bifu, provoking discussions among the male concubines. On the list, Ning Zhuo remained in the forties. Under the gaze of the spirit cook old man, he silently consumed multiple portions of Ming food. His soul foundation had already broken the five hundred threshold, reaching over six hundred ninety times that of an ordinary person.

“Wuu wuu wuu…” In the ghost tide, several enormous ghost mothers appeared. These ghost mothers had swollen bellies and constantly produced small ghosts and large ghosts, bringing a massive force of soldiers.

“Kill!” Tie Gu Zheng, who had been warned by Sang Le You Ling, had already organized a batch of elites. They suddenly teleported into the ghost tide, forcefully chopped down the ghost mothers, and then quickly withdrew. Ten or so skilled individuals died, and Tie Gu Zheng suffered minor injuries, but the crisis was resolved.

Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation rose to eight hundred thirty-eight times that of an ordinary person. He also finally awaited his opportunity. A batch of excellent male concubines would be summoned by Sang Le You Ling, divined, and after passing, could smoothly be promoted to the Three Courtyards.