Inside the Immortal Performance Hall, the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant, and no one spoke for a moment.
After a while, the Immortal Performance Peak Master, Lin Xing, said expressionlessly,
"It seems I donât need to step in."
An Elder asked,
"Is that Fan Wubing a Martial Artist?"
Lin Xing tightened his shoulders and back, his strong and robust physique exuding a torrent of power. He said,
"I cultivate both Immortal and Martial arts, so I should have some say on this. Fan Wubing doesnât look like a Martial Cultivator, or rather, he is not a traditional one."
"But he used his body to withstand the Barbaric Blood Pig Demon. Can a Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment cultivator do that? I think not."
Lin Xing shook his head and said,
"Looking through this Water-shaped Immortal Mirror, itâs not clear, and neither is the feeling specific. From the performance, his physical strength is not the result of a Martial Cultivator refining his flesh and blood with Inner Strength for firmness and resilience. Itâs more like... his vitality is exceptionally strong. You might have also noticed that even after getting injured, he was able to continue fighting without being affected, which is not something an ordinary Martial Cultivator can do."
"Whatâs this about? Wasnât Fan Wubing frail since childhood? When did his vitality become exceptionally strong?"
"I donât know."
After Lin Xing finished speaking, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, speaking no more.
The Elder of Fulu Peak, Zhang Jingwei, looked at Wei Changkong and asked,
"Changkong, you have more contact with Fan Wubing. Do you know anything about this?"
Wei Changkong thought for a moment and said,
"As far as I know, Junior Brother Wubingâs daily cultivation mainly involves breathing and meditation, not much else."
The Master of Fate Peak, also Wei Changkongâs teacher, Qi Ming, spoke up,
"Donât underestimate Brother Yushanâs ability to discern people. Perhaps there are indeed shining qualities in this Fan Wubing that we havenât discovered. Would Brother Yushan break the rules and accept a frail Direct Disciple just because he owed the Fan Family a favor? I think not."
Zhang Jingwei nodded and sighed,
"I just fear that Fu Ming has gone her own way with dubious and evil paths, as she has often done before."
"Indeed, Fu Ming is not of our kind. Since she is teaching Fan Wubing, his unusual performance might be related to her."
"That might be the case."
Among the seats, quite a few Elders agreed with Zhang Jingweiâs view.
At the front of the hall, the Sect Leader, Mei Jinqiu, slightly furrowed his brows,
"Alright, enough unrelated topics. Elders, please earnestly select your favored disciples."
Beside him, a girl with a pure and delicate face, carrying only a hint of innocence, stood like an isolated celestial being, forming her own world. In this world, she quietly watched Fan Wubing in the Water-shaped Immortal Mirror.
...
"Senior Brother! Weâve actually succeeded!"
Luo Qingyao said excitedly.
But Fan Wubing did not stop and had already started busying himself with dividing and dismantling the spoils.
His calm demeanor made Luo Qingyao think that this was all pre-planned. Thinking of this, she couldnât help but feel that her Senior Brother was terrifying, as he had even concealed his plan from her, who was with him.
"Too much, we canât possibly gather it all. Junior Sister Luo, does your Qiankun Bag have any spare capacity?"
"Ah?" Luo Qingyao was a bit disappointed. In the middle of the battle, he was calling her "Junior Sister," but after the battle ended, it became "Junior Sister Luo," what is this all about, "I do have some... but, Senior Brother, donât you know?"
"What?"
"The Profound Demons in this Peach Branch Small Profound Realm are born of Immortal Qi and exist by the Small Profound Realmâs Heaven and Earth Laws. If we take them out, they will dissipate."
"Damn it, you should have said earlier! If I had known, I wouldnât have gone to all this trouble!"
Fan Wubing was speechless internally, wasting all this effort just to stockpile some demon beast meat? Only to find out it canât be taken out, and must be left in this Small Profound Realm... He gritted his teeth,
"Junior Sister Luo, set up the pot... if we canât take it out, weâll eat it right here!"
Luo Qingyao looked at the pile of Barbaric Blood Pig carcasses and gulped,
"Senior Brother, although I really want to eat your... Immortal food, are you sure the two of us can finish it?"
Fan Wubing took a deep breath and smiled,
"If we canât finish it, there are always others."
Luo Qingyao looked towards the direction of the opening and saw several disciples cautiously entering, their faces mostly with expressions of astonishment. She pursed her lips and said,
"Senior Brother, these people had mocked you before, why do you care about them?"
"Youâre right. But, Junior Sister Luo, Iâm still a disciple of Enlightenment Peak, a member of the Eternal Immortal Sect. They donât understand me because Iâm occupying the best resources but show no results. This is human nature."
"Senior Brother, you are really... Iâm so moved Iâm going to cry..."
Luo Qingyao said with a face full of emotion.
Fan Wubing was embarrassed,
"Iâm not trying to be some magnanimous and loving person. Iâm going to let them understand that if they eat, they must pay. Want to eat? Pay up!"
"Huh?!" Luo Qingyao almost didnât catch on.
Fan Wubing rubbed his hands together and eagerly asked,
"Junior Sister Luo, youâve tried it before. Tell me honestly, in your opinion, how should I price the Immortal food I cook?"
Luo Qingyao considered thoughtfully,
"When in Changsheng... ahem, back in my hometown, I tasted the Immortal food made by a high-level Immortal Chef in the Nascent Soul Realm. It used Tier Three Demon Beast Profound Ice Rainbow Trout and Top-grade Profound Plant Night Ghost Orchid. In terms of effect... it is naturally better than the wild boar meat just now, but the taste... if I may say, does not compare at all."
Fan Wubing frowned and said earnestly,
"Donât flatter me on purpose by saying that."
"Absolutely not! Iâm telling the truth. The Immortal food cooked by Senior Brother, though lacking in effect due to the low-quality ingredients, tastes absolutely superb, giving a sense of harmony and naturalness. Eating that wild boar meat, I felt as if I was not tasting it in the mountain forest, but savoring it in an Immortal Palace while appreciating Immortal plants and listening to Immortal music."
Seeing Luo Qingyaoâs enraptured expression, Fan Wubing raised an eyebrow,
"Is it that exaggerated? I didnât even think it was that special."
"Itâs hard to describe, but it gives a sense of clarity. Itâs like, after eating the dishes cooked by Senior Brother, my mind became sharper," Luo Qingyao chuckled.
"Then how do you think it should be priced?"
"Ahem. For the Immortal food made by high-level Immortal Chefs, just the cooking fee normally goes up to 100 Middle-grade Spirit Stones." Luo Qingyao beamed, "Why donât you sell yours for 1 Top-grade Spirit Stone?"
"Are you kidding me? Look around, see who among them can afford 1 Top-grade Spirit Stone?"
"But I think itâs worth that price," Luo Qingyao muttered, "Back in my hometown, those Immortal Chefs, their food wasnât as tasty as yours, yet their fees were exorbitant."
Fan Wubing thought to himself, I absolutely cannot use Luo Qingyaoâs valuation perspective.
Although she didnât explicitly state her origins, itâs clear sheâs from a prominent family. Spending 1 Top-grade Spirit Stone on food might be easy for her, but for ordinary cultivators, spending 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones on a meal would already be extravagant!
After weighing his options, Fan Wubing decided to organize a tasting event, stimulating their appetites first, and then discussing charges.
Once decided, the two quickly got to work.
Luo Qingyao was in charge of the fire, using Immortal Qi lavishly for it.
Fan Wubing focused on cooking.
Their tireless work drew puzzled glances from many disciples.
"What are they up to?"
"Uh, it looks like theyâre cooking. See, theyâve got all the pots, pans, and utensils."
"No way, what respectable cultivator travels with cookery in tow?"
"Fan Wubing doesnât seem like a typical cultivator. Isnât that Luo Qingyao helping him as a Firemaid?"
"Donât they know that demon beast meat requires careful preparation by a professional Immortal Chef before itâs edible? Just eating it raw will destabilize oneâs foundation, and cooking it like this, it might explode!"
It must be said, fire from Immortal Qi surpasses natural gas by a mile â stable temperature control and even pressure adjustment!
With Luo Qingyao assisting, Fan Wubingâs cooking speed was several times faster than usual.
The disciples watched from afar, and just as they gathered, the first pot of food was ready.
It was the simplest stew.
"Heâs about to unveil the pot, everyone step back!"
Fan Wubing lifted the lid, and instantly, the fragrance of the Immortal food wafted out. The opening coincided with the wind direction, blowing the aroma toward the observing disciples.
"It didnât explode? No, no! It smells so good, do you smell it?"
"Gulp!"
The fragrance seemed not only to reach their noses but to directly penetrate their Purple Mansion Dantian, cleansing their souls!
"Is this, Immortal food?!"
Soon everyone realized that even just a sniff could invigorate the mind and accelerate the circulation of Immortal Qi in their meridians.