Chapter 120: Let Me See What You’ve Got

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Let Me See What You’ve Got

"What exactly does Chief Hu want from us?"

Liu Chen couldn’t help but ask as he accepted the brand-new Storage Ring. He had a few theories: either Chief Hu wanted Spiritual Cuisine or a safe way out of Fire Dragon Valley.

If it was the former, things would be simple. If the man kept providing ingredients for free, giving him a serving of Spiritual Cuisine in return would be no problem—it was basically free for them anyway. But if it was the latter, things would get a bit more complicated.

As Liu Chen saw it, if the Loose Cultivators wanted to leave Fire Dragon Valley, they had two options. They could either retreat with the Black Feather Dynasty before the Array fully formed, or they could avoid any conflict with the Three Immortal Sects and leave unharmed at the end.

However, even if the Loose Cultivators in Fire Dragon Valley managed not to offend the Three Immortal Sects, they were bound to have clashed with the Noble Families. Once the Three Immortal Sects finished their trial and left, those families would surely settle every old score.

"He probably wants a way to leave Fire Dragon Valley. If it were just him, it wouldn’t be an issue. Just for the fact that he’s providing you with ingredients, the Cultivators who bought your Spiritual Cuisine wouldn’t give him a hard time. But if it’s for the entire Fire Wolf Gang... frankly, we don’t need to get involved in that mess."

’Jackal’s personal safety isn’t an issue,’ Yang Haichen mused. ’At least, I haven’t heard about him clashing with any disciples from the Three Immortal Sects. That alone eliminates more than half the potential trouble.’

Add to that the fact he was supplying ingredients for the Spiritual Cuisine, and most people wouldn’t go out of their way to bother him. All in all, he was more than ninety percent safe.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you to ask him, Senior Brother Yang. We need to know what he wants if we’re going to keep working together."

Liu Chen nodded, then took the ingredients back into his room. Before long, a fragrant aroma began to drift out.

"Senior Brother Ren, when we sell the Spiritual Cuisine to our sect-mates in a little while, I’ll need to ask you to keep track of the sales. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I don’t recognize all of our fellow disciples from Purple Cloud Valley."

Yang Haichen couldn’t help but say this as he watched Ren Xunchun slowly emerge from the room. He wasn’t just being polite; he had become an Inner Sect Disciple less than half a month ago before being sent straight to this trial. He truly didn’t know any of the other Inner Sect Disciples.

Besides, compared to the other disciples, he was at least somewhat familiar with this senior brother who had once traded a Body Protection Magical Artifact for Spiritual Cuisine.

"No problem."

Ren Xunchun nodded as he came out. He’d been feeling a little awkward—after all, he was one of the Inner Sect Disciples who had bought on credit. Having something to do now put him much more at ease.

[Solid Spirit Technique Proficiency +300]

Fifteen servings of Spiritual Cuisine were sealed and packed. Liu Chen glanced at the Solid Spirit Technique proficiency notification that appeared before him and mentally pushed practicing this Magic to the bottom of his priority list. At this rate, the Magic would evolve into a unique Skill on its own without him needing to actively practice it.

The three of them ate the remaining three servings of Spiritual Cuisine.

After they finished eating, Ren Xunchun and Yang Haichen got busy. Yang Haichen carried a table while Ren Xunchun brought two chairs.

As soon as the two of them stepped out of the alley, a group of Purple Cloud Valley disciples was already waiting. Leading them was none other than Xie Xichen.

After a frantic round of sales, thirteen servings of Spiritual Cuisine were sold. Nine of them were on credit, while the remaining four were bought outright by Xie Xichen with Spirit Stones.

The final two servings of Spiritual Cuisine were, as usual, bought by Cultivators from Thunder Mountain and Qingxu Hall.

A Guard from the Black Feather Dynasty watched the scene unfold with a sense of helplessness. He had been ordered to purchase Spiritual Cuisine, but the alley was full of Purple Cloud Valley disciples, making it impossible for him to enter. It wasn’t just him; even the Cultivators from Thunder Mountain and Qingxu Hall were barred from entry.

But the Cultivators from Thunder Mountain and Qingxu Hall were no fools. They simply blocked the entrance to the alley, keeping everyone else out, whether they were from a Noble Family or a lesser one. Although the Guard wasn’t a member of a Noble Family, he was still part of the crowd being blocked.

Unless someone was willing to trade one of the light pillars for it, getting any Spiritual Cuisine seemed nearly impossible.

The Black Feather Dynasty Guard returned empty-handed. As he departed, he glanced at a few Loose Cultivators who were leaving with the same look of resignation. His gut told him that they were also formidable competitors for the Spiritual Cuisine.

When Yu Haoyong received the news, he fell silent, though not out of disappointment. He had consumed the Spiritual Cuisine after returning last night, and its effects were potent. Three servings were equivalent to half a year of his arduous cultivation. If he could keep this up, advancing to the Qi Refining Realm within five years was no longer just a dream.

Even the so-called Prides of Heaven needed four or five years to break through the Meridian Passage Realm. The Spiritual Cuisine could undoubtedly help him bridge the gap in his innate talent. Unfortunately, acquiring it consistently would be difficult. After all, the Second Grade Spirit Chef was from Purple Cloud Valley, not the Black Feather Dynasty.

"Still haven’t found them?"

With the Spiritual Cuisine plan having fallen through, Yu Haoyong turned his thoughts back to the main issue. Leaving those two to guard the last two light pillars wasn’t a sustainable solution. If they pushed the wandering Inner Sect Disciples from the Three Immortal Sects too far, those two might end up getting killed.

If that happened, he would be unable to defend himself when he returned. If he had been the one to kill them, Yu Haoyong wouldn’t have cared. But if things unfolded that way, wouldn’t he just be taking the blame for someone else?

"A message came from the two Princes. They said they’re willing to make a trade if we can get them some Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine."

Another Guard rose to report. The message had arrived a short while ago, but the Eldest Prince had been resting, and the Guard certainly wasn’t going to wake him.

"At noon, use a light pillar to trade for the Spiritual Cuisine directly. Also, pass a message to those Loose Cultivators: if they want passage out of here through the Black Feather Dynasty, they’d better come up with something of real value. I refuse to believe they’ve only found one light pillar so far."

Yu Haoyong nodded. It was true that the Three Immortal Sects were holding off on activating some light pillars to avoid chaos, but it was impossible that the Loose Cultivators only had control of a single one. If things went as expected, Purple Cloud Valley would soon activate the pillars they had already found.

Meanwhile, the other two Immortal Sects would just watch quietly. Who knows, some of their disciples might even choose to trade a light pillar for Spiritual Cuisine.

"As you command."

The Guard acknowledged the order and departed. Yu Haoyong sat in the courtyard, gazing quietly at the sky. Exactly one hour later, pillars of light began to rise one after another across the area.

’Nineteen light pillars... Counting the one from the Fire Wolf Gang, Purple Cloud Valley has now claimed half of them. The only question now is whether the guess from that fellow who called himself a "half-Array Master" is correct.’

Yu Haoyong muttered to himself. According to this person, as the light pillars were activated, the trial grounds would gradually shrink, eventually forcing all the Cultivators to converge on the old grand hall of Fire Dragon Valley for the final phase of the trial.

As for the members of the Black Feather Royal Family, they would need to leave before that final trial began. After all, the Array was not under the Black Feather Dynasty’s control. They were lucky just to be able to use this opportunity for a trial of their own; the final stage was certainly not meant for them.

’Nangong Ye... hurry up and get here. Let’s see what you’ve really got.’

Yu Haoyong narrowed his eyes as he studied the pillars of light. His third brother was the one most like him, the sibling he cared for most. Regardless of the convoluted circumstances, the fact remained that the Cyan Eagle Crying Blood had marked Nangong Ye. That was his third brother’s blood. Nangong Ye had better be worthy of it!