Chapter 154: It’s Normal to be Different

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: It’s Normal to be Different

"He really hasn’t advanced to the Meridian Passage Realm?"

The Sect Leader of Purple Cloud Valley couldn’t help but look over. He didn’t believe Liu Chen’s cultivation was really just the Body Tempering Early Stage that he displayed. Although he didn’t know the specifics, his intuition was usually correct.

"He hasn’t."

Mo Xuan slowly shook his head. Whatever Liu Chen’s reasons for hiding his cultivation, he wasn’t about to expose him. Thanks to a Fourth Grade Concealment Talisman, only someone at the Bright Aperture Realm—a level capable of countering Fifth Grade Talismans—could see through Liu Chen’s true cultivation.

"Fine, I’ll trust you one last time. But you’d better not expect me to keep an eye on your disciple. It’s uncertain if I’ll ever be able to advance to the Bright Aperture Realm in my lifetime, but for the Mo Family, that realm is merely the mark of completing their training."

The Sect Leader shrugged. The Bright Aperture Realm was a level he didn’t even dare dream of reaching. For the Mo Family’s Direct Lineage, however, it was the minimum requirement to return to the family and take over a portion of its affairs. What was an unreachable goal for him on his Road of Longevity was merely the starting point for Mo Xuan.

Although Liu Chen was a Second Grade Spirit Chef, which might be very rare in the Great Xia Dynasty, in the Mo Family, he would be at best a disciple with a steady job. If Liu Chen’s talent was really that bad, it was unlikely he would have become Mo Xuan’s disciple—especially one he intended to train according to the Mo Family’s trial rules.

Even within the Mo Family, not many disciples were able to participate in such trials. Compared to the total number of Mo Family disciples, they were basically a drop in the ocean.

After successfully completing the trial, these people would gradually become the core of the Mo Family.

"Here. Inside is the body of a Meridian Passage Peak Flood Dragon. This is what the first-place winner of the Fire Dragon Valley trial deserves. I doubt your disciple will be coming out from the back mountain, so you should just take it back to him."

The Sect Leader didn’t dwell on the issue. After handing a Storage Ring to Mo Xuan, he went to arrange the other trial rewards.

This was perhaps the easiest task he’d had in a while.

Mo Xuan slowly examined the Storage Ring in his hand. A Flood Dragon’s body was a treasure trove; many of its parts could be used for Artifact Refining. But Liu Chen was a Spirit Chef. In his hands, these refining materials might just become ingredients.

* * *

On the first of October, before the sky had even begun to lighten, Liu Chen slowly woke inside his bamboo house.

Although he had only slept for four hours, Liu Chen felt that the fatigue from the Fire Dragon Valley trial had vanished completely. He even felt a sense of unreality as he first woke up.

Getting up, washing his face, and circulating his cultivation technique—after completing these three things in one smooth sequence, Liu Chen finally felt a bit more grounded.

In the early morning, when Liu Chen arrived at the kitchen, his two junior sisters were already waiting. Liu Chen greeted them with a smile, then began to prepare the Spiritual Cuisine.

As he activated various magic and the Spiritual Cuisine gradually took shape, Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong exchanged a glance, each seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes.

Let alone the two completely new spells he was using, even the ones he’d used before felt unfamiliar. The magic just seemed more powerful than it had been.

The two of them, with a rapport honed over nearly ten years, finally reached a consensus: their senior brother’s mastery of magic had grown even stronger.

Unlike the two girls, who were focused on his magic, Liu Chen’s attention was on the Spirit Chef Proficiency he gained when the Spiritual Cuisine was complete.

[Spirit Chef Proficiency +50]

’So the key really is the cookware. But there wasn’t any residual Spiritual Power on the old cookware, so why is the difference so huge?’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Beside him, Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong had already habitually served the rice and were ready to eat. They could only sit there in silence. They were afraid to disturb him by asking a question, but at the same time, they couldn’t just start eating without him.

"Let’s eat."

Liu Chen didn’t think too deeply about the issue. Since he gained more Spirit Chef Proficiency this way, he would just continue making Spiritual Cuisine like this from now on. Perhaps when his Spirit Chef Skill advanced further, he would discover the source of the problem.

"Senior Brother, do you still remember about the Spiritual Cuisine?"

After breakfast, Ji Suyao moved closer to Liu Chen and asked. The Great Xia Dynasty’s sacrificial ceremony was about to begin, and she could take the opportunity to make a trip home. She wanted to bring a serving of Spiritual Cuisine back for her grandfather; he had always treated her the best.

"Of course I remember. When do you need it, Junior Sister?"

Liu Chen nodded. Ji Suyao had mentioned it about three months ago, and Liu Chen could still remember things like that. Besides, a serving of Spiritual Cuisine was only two thousand Spirit Stones anyway. It wouldn’t matter even if she wanted a few more.

"The fifteenth is the Great Xia Dynasty’s annual sacrificial ceremony. Will you be going to see it, Senior Brother?"

Ji Suyao didn’t answer directly, asking instead. If her senior brother was going, then the Spiritual Cuisine could be prepared then. If he wasn’t going, it would need to be prepared in advance.

"I probably will."

Liu Chen nodded. Yesterday, his master had said he needed to make a trip to his two junior sisters’ families, so there was no way he could miss the Great Xia Dynasty’s ceremony this time. Speaking of which, he had also been active in the Great Xia Dynasty when he first started out. Perhaps he could take a detour to see the place where he used to live.

"Then let’s just wait until then."

Ji Suyao nodded. If her senior brother was going, he could just prepare the Spiritual Cuisine there. There was no need to bring a serving all the way from Purple Cloud Valley.

"That works."

Liu Chen nodded and walked toward the bamboo forest, with Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong slowly following behind him.

Having been untended for a month, the weeds in the bamboo forest had clearly multiplied. Liu Chen explained the important points of the Withering Skill while flicking out streams of the skill to deal with the weeds. Following behind him, Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong recalled the problems they had when practicing the Withering Skill, nodding from time to time.

After clearing the bamboo forest, Liu Chen sat down cross-legged and began to practice his Meridian Passage Technique. At this point, Liu Chen was only missing the final Yangwei Meridian and Yin Wei Meridian to convert into Spirit Veins. If he completed the conversion, the Spiritual Power circulation in his body would become the Great Cycle of Heaven, and his cultivation would reach the Meridian Passage Late Stage.

Not far away, Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong practiced this very basic magic, incorporating the key points of the Withering Skill that Liu Chen had mentioned earlier.

"I did it!"

Suddenly, Ji Suyao cried out. Ye Linglong turned her head just in time to see the weed in Ji Suyao’s hand turn into a pile of ash.

"Why does your Withering Skill feel different from Senior Brother’s?"

Ye Linglong frowned as she watched the ash scatter in the wind. Senior Brother’s Withering Skill seemed more like a natural withering to the extreme until it turned to ash. Ji Suyao’s Withering Skill, on the other hand, looked like it had directly dried and burned the weed to ash.

"I’m not sure either."

Ji Suyao shrugged. She felt like she had grasped the knack of it, but now it seemed completely different from her senior brother’s Withering Skill. She had probably gone down the wrong path.

"It’s normal for them to be different. Everyone is an individual. Even when using the same magic, the final result will always have subtle variations."

Liu Chen’s voice slowly reached them while the two were still pondering.