Chapter 85: The Reputation is Well-Deserved

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Reputation is Well-Deserved

"Rest assured, Young Master. As long as this old servant draws breath, I will not let those traitors harm a single hair on your head."

The middle-aged Loose Cultivator lowered his head and spoke respectfully, but in the shadows where Xiao Chen couldn’t see, his eyes were not sincere. Instead, they held a trace of mockery.

"Of course I trust you. Now that the token has been handed over, what should we do?"

Xiao Chen’s gaze gradually dimmed. From the moment he was born, he had been the genius of the Xiao Family. No matter where he went, everything was always prepared for him. Yet now, not only was he severely injured, but the only person he could trust was a single Death Warrior in the Meridian Passage Realm.

"Young Master, your priority right now should be to improve your cultivation. The Three Immortal Sects have already sealed off Fire Dragon Valley, and it seems they plan to use it as a trial ground for their Inner Sect Disciples. That being the case, why not take advantage of the chaos and head there? If you’re lucky, you might befriend some of the elites from the Three Immortal Sects. Even if that fails, you can still find refuge in Fire Dragon Valley."

What the middle-aged Loose Cultivator said made a lot of sense. This information wasn’t secret; anyone with decent sources would know it. The other families had already begun their preparations. For them, the trial itself wasn’t important—befriending the true prodigies was the real objective.

"The Xiao Family will definitely want to stamp out any loose ends. If we leave now, aren’t we just walking straight into a trap?!"

Xiao Chen hesitated. Leaving the Marketplace now would mean leaving Purple Cloud Valley’s sphere of influence. The members of the Xiao Family would no longer restrain their anger and negotiate with him as they had done inside the Marketplace.

Wiping out all traces was the kind of method they would use. Having already killed the previous Patriarch and his wife, they would show absolutely no mercy to him, the former Young Master.

"Rest easy, Young Master. I’ve made inquiries. The Loose Cultivators stationed in the Marketplace are also heading to Fire Dragon Valley to see what’s going on. We just need to spend a few Spirit Stones to blend in with them. Even the Xiao Family wouldn’t dare offend a group of Loose Cultivators without concrete evidence."

"Alright, we’ll do it your way."

Xiao Chen hesitated for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. ’Since the Xiao Family has the token and the Swordsmanship manual, they probably won’t take any unnecessary risks. Even if they discover our location, they’ll likely wait until we’re in Fire Dragon Valley to make their move.’

"This old servant will take his leave. Please rest and recover, Young Master."

The Loose Cultivator slowly left the room. Stepping out into the courtyard, he looked up at the high moon and shook his head with a sigh.

「The next morning, the eighteenth day of the eighth month arrived.」

From dawn, all of Purple Bamboo Peak was bustling with activity, but this didn’t affect the back of the mountain. For Liu Chen, the morning and early afternoon passed just like any other day. His two junior sisters, however, were taken away by their master’s wife right after breakfast.

They returned close to noon to help Liu Chen with his work.

"Did Master invite this many guests?"

Looking at the massive pile of Bamboo Shoots outside the kitchen, Liu Chen hesitated. Making Spiritual Cuisine with Magic wasn’t particularly time-consuming, but the amount required this time was about ten times the usual, and that didn’t even include lunch for the three of them.

Right now, there were enough Bamboo Shoots for eighty portions of Spiritual Cuisine. This was for a banquet, not a simple meal; a banquet was for leisurely eating and conversation, whereas a meal was just for filling one’s stomach.

If a single portion of Spiritual Cuisine wasn’t meant to be a full meal, it would certainly be enough for three people to sample. A quick calculation suggested his master had invited nearly two hundred people. ’Does that mean the entire leadership of Purple Cloud Valley is coming?’

"Master said if this isn’t enough, we should contact Senior Brother Yang directly. He’ll bring more Bamboo Shoots."

Ye Linglong relayed her master’s words as she looked at the bamboo. Hearing this, Liu Chen could only begin forming a series of spells to prepare the Spiritual Cuisine. ’I thought the Spirit Beast Flesh I bought at the Marketplace would be enough,’ he mused, ’but it looks like I’d better just stick to the bamboo shoots for now.’

’After all, I’d be embarrassed to serve a portion of Spiritual Cuisine with only two or three small pieces of meat in it.’

As noon approached, food containers landed one by one beside the kitchen. Liu Chen washed them, plated each portion of Spiritual Cuisine, sealed in the Spiritual Qi with the Solid Spirit Technique, and placed them in the containers.

Once everything was ready, the food containers flew away on their own.

"That should be everything, right?"

Watching the containers fly away, Liu Chen felt a flicker of hope. ’If this is all, then my cultivation session this afternoon won’t be disturbed.’

"Probably~"

Ye Linglong thought back on the morning’s events. ’There’s probably nothing else to worry about,’ she concluded. ’We just have to clean up after the banquet, which will be easy with Magic.’

"Senior Brother, what are we going to eat?"

Ji Suyao’s focus was on something else entirely. As she watched the last of the Bamboo Shoots get packed away, she realized that their senior brother hadn’t set aside any food for the three of them.

"We’re out of Bamboo Shoots for now, so I guess we’ll have to eat meat."

Liu Chen glanced around. All the Bamboo Shoots were gone. If they didn’t want to eat plain Spirit Rice, their only option was the Spirit Beast Flesh he had prepared but not used.

On the plaza outside the main hall of Purple Bamboo Peak, Mo Xuan welcomed his fellow members of Purple Cloud Valley and bid them to be seated. He then opened all the food containers on the tables. Instantly, the fragrance of the many dishes of Spiritual Cuisine wafted through the air, intertwining above the plaza to create the illusion of a bamboo forest.

"Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine... it truly lives up to its reputation."

The Sect Leader of Purple Cloud Valley, seated at a table beside Mo Xuan, couldn’t help but murmur this. He had long known that Liu Chen was a Second Grade Spirit Chef, but to witness it firsthand was still shocking. The grade of a Spiritual Cuisine was determined by the amount of Spiritual Qi it contained.

The Spirit Chefs from the other two major Sects used lavish ingredients that naturally contained far more Spiritual Qi, yet even after all these years, none of them had become a Second Grade Spirit Chef. But Liu Chen could create Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine using these common Bamboo Shoots, which barely even qualified as spiritual ingredients. The difference in their skill was obvious.

"Oh, right. Here are some pointers for cultivating the Escape Shadow Technique. Remember to give this to Liu Chen. A Second Grade Spirit Chef is a treasure to Purple Cloud Valley."

The Sect Leader of Purple Cloud Valley shook his head, took out a Secret Manual, and handed it to the smiling Mo Xuan.

"Speaking of which, I haven’t even taught him the Escape Shadow Technique yet. His daily cultivation schedule is packed, and I was worried about disrupting his routine."

Mo Xuan accepted the Secret Manual. The basics of the Escape Shadow Technique were difficult to master; even he hadn’t managed it in a short period. Liu Chen’s cultivation schedule had been completely full, and his only free time had been spent on a trip to the Marketplace. There simply hadn’t been an opportunity.

"Fire Dragon Valley is still very dangerous. Even though it’s been cleared out once, there are still quite a few cultivators at the Meridian Passage Realm hiding there."

The Sect Leader of Purple Cloud Valley said with resignation, "The trial is unavoidable. All we can do is ensure our disciples face opponents of equal strength, not send them to their deaths."

"It is unavoidable," Mo Xuan shook his head. "After the trial, the Inner Sect Disciples will go out on missions. The dangers lurking within the Great Xia Dynasty are no fewer than those in Fire Dragon Valley. At least in Fire Dragon Valley, the enemy is clear. That won’t always be true on their missions."

Mo Xuan understood the Sect Leader’s intention: he wanted to make Liu Chen a True Disciple directly, allowing him to bypass the Fire Dragon Valley trial. But sooner or later, Mo Xuan knew, Liu Chen would have to face his enemies alone.