35: Chapter 35 Perfect Cultivation Closed Loop

After finishing early breakfast, Qiuyin and Xiamo were preparing to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks.

Watching their busy figures, Zhao Ruoan called out to them.

"You two don't just stand there, sit down and eat together."

The movements in the two maidens' hands froze, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Young Lord, this... this is against the rules."

Qiuyin responded softly, her head shaking like a rattle-drum.

In the Qingxuan Sect, where order between superiors and inferiors was strictly maintained, masters and servants sharing a table was something one wouldn't even dare to imagine.

"Here with me, there aren't that many rules."

Zhao Ruoan pointed to the stone stool opposite him.

"Sit."

His tone was gentle, yet it carried a firm undertone.

Qiuyin and Xiamo exchanged a glance, and finally, feeling constrained, sat on only half of the stone stool with their bodies stiffly upright.

Zhao Ruoan ladled a bowl of soup for each of them.

"Eat up. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

Flustered and pleasantly surprised, the two maidens held their bowls and drank in small sips, keeping even the sound of their chewing to an absolute minimum.

This meal left them feeling both jittery and mixed with an indescribable warmth.

Zhao Ruoan, on the other hand, ate at ease. He picked up a piece of Bixin vegetable and tasted it.

"This spirit food tastes quite good. Was it made by the Spirit Chef of the peak?"

Xiamo hurriedly put down her bowls and chopsticks and replied, "Reporting to the Young Lord, we made this dish ourselves."

"Oh?" Zhao Ruoan was somewhat surprised. "Which of you made this?"

Qiuyin raised her hand rather sheepishly.

"It... it was me, Young Lord. If it's not to your liking..."

"No, it's very delicious." Zhao Ruoan interrupted her, "Your culinary skills are good. Who did you learn from?"

Mentioning this, Qiuyin opened up a bit more.

"I learned it from the head maid beside Third Senior Sister. Third Senior Sister loves researching these things the most and knows best how to eat. I heard that her trip down the mountain this time was precisely for a top-grade spice called 'Dragon Saliva Fragrance'."

Third Senior Sister?

The image of a foodie Senior Sister automatically generated itself in Zhao Ruoan's mind.

He recalled his title of "Master Chef", and a thought popped into his mind.

"Speaking of which, I've recently become quite interested in the path of the Spirit Chef and plan to study it."

As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere at the table stagnated.

The slight trace of relaxation on Qiuyin and Xiamo's faces vanished without a trace.

"Young Lord..."

Xiamo opened her mouth to speak but stopped, her face full of worry.

"You... just a few days ago you were punished by the Peak Master because you were obsessed with Artifact Refining. Why do you want to... want to study the Spirit Chef path again?"

Qiuyin also chimed in to persuade, "Indeed, Young Lord. Both Artifact Refining and Spirit Chefs are unorthodox paths. You are a once-in-a-millennium swordsmanship Genius, so you should focus on swordsmanship cultivation. Please don't displease the Peak Master because of these matters again."

The two maidens were truly anxious.

In their view, their Young Lord had supreme talent, but he just liked to neglect his proper business.

Just having stumbled in Artifact Refining on the front foot, he was about to jump into the pit of a Spirit Chef on the back foot.

If the Peak Master were to find out about this again, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Watching the two of them so anxious they were about to cry, Zhao Ruoan found it somewhat amusing yet somewhat touching.

He knew that explaining was useless.

He put down his chopsticks, leaned back slightly, and rested against the stone chair.

A majestic and pure aura was slowly released from within his body.

The pressure of the Middle Stage Spirit Gathering Realm, like an invisible great mountain, enveloped the entire courtyard.

How could Qiuyin and Xiamo, two little maidens with only Body Refining Realm cultivation, possibly withstand it?

They only felt their breathing stall, and the blood throughout their bodies seemed to freeze.

This aura came quickly and left just as quickly.

Zhao Ruoan released it for only a fraction of a second before withdrawing it completely and cleanly.

Peace was restored to the courtyard.

But Qiuyin and Xiamo were already completely dumbfounded.

They stiffened in place, their minds blank.

Sp-Spirit Gathering Realm?

Furthermore, the thickness of that aura was by no means as simple as someone who had just entered the Spirit Gathering Realm!

They remembered clearly that just a few days ago, when the Young Lord participated in the initiation assessment, he was only at the Third Layer of Body Refining!

How many days had passed in total?

The two maidens looked at Zhao Ruoan as if looking at a monster. All their previous worries and dissuasions had now turned into a giant question mark.

We were still worried that the big shot would neglect cultivation due to indulging in frivolous things?

Did we even deserve to?

While he was "indulging in frivolous things", his cultivation was soaring upwards like flying.

If this was still called delaying cultivation, then what could people like them, who struggled bitterly for several years to Cultivate and might not even Breakthrough a single layer, be considered?

"Do you still think I am delaying my cultivation now?"

Zhao Ruoan's voice came leisurely.

Qiuyin and Xiamo shuddered, slipped down from the stone stools, and knelt directly on the ground.

"Young Lord, forgive us! We maidens are foolish and failed to recognize Mount Tai!"

Their voices carried an unsuppressible tremor.

That was extreme shock and adoration.

"Get up." Zhao Ruoan waved his hand, "I didn't mean to blame you."

He picked up his chopsticks again and drank the soup leisurely.

"I just want to tell you that I have my own cultivation rhythm. Whether it is Artifact Refining or a Spirit Chef, to me, neither is an unorthodox path."

Qiuyin and Xiamo obediently stood up, lowered their heads, and no longer dared to say another word.

At this moment, the image of Zhao Ruoan in their hearts had risen to an unprecedented height.

Inscrutable and unfathomably mysterious.

"Qiuyin."

"This maid is here."

"Do you have any basic classics regarding Spirit Chefs over there? I want to take a look first."

"Yes! We do!"

Qiuyin nodded repeatedly.

"Third Senior Sister's courtyard has a collection of many. I will go get a few basic ones for you right now!"

This time, she didn't have any thoughts of discouragement left; instead, she was filled with drive.

If the Young Lord wanted to learn, it must be arranged!

...

After finishing early breakfast and dismissing the two maidens who had completely turned into little fan-girl Incarnations,

Zhao Ruoan returned to his room, but he didn't immediately wait for any Spirit Chef classics.

He sat cross-legged, sinking his mind into his Sea of Consciousness.

The Profound Truth of the Twin Spirits Formula had already been thoroughly comprehended, but he hadn't yet had time to study the Demon Tiger Skill.

A stream of information flowed within his mind.

Unlike Cultivation Techniques like the Jingxian Sword Canon and the Twin Spirits Formula that required extremely high Comprehension Ability, the method of this Demon Tiger Skill was simple and crude to the extreme.

There were no complex Meridians circulation routes, nor any abstruse Concept comprehension.

Its core consisted of just two words.

Eat, and train.

Nourishing the Physical Body with Heaven And Earth Treasures containing massive blood-Qi energy, high-grade Yao Beast flesh and blood, and Body Refining Medicinal Pills, then hammering these energies into the limbs and bones through a specific body-forging method to temper the muscles, bones, skin, and membranes.

To put it bluntly, this was a pay-to-win Cultivation Technique.

Comprehension Ability was not important; what was important were resources.

As long as the resources were sufficient, theoretically one could even pile up a pig into a primordial Vicious Beast.

Of course, the consumption was also an astronomical figure.

According to the Cultivation Technique introduction, reaching the Minor Achievement Realm required devouring a total amount of blood-Qi equivalent to ten tier-three Yao Beasts.

If this was changed to an ordinary Disciple, they probably wouldn't be able to gather enough even if they bankrupted their entire family.

But after reading it, Zhao Ruoan became completely spirited.

Consuming resources?

What he feared the least was consuming resources!

He currently possessed 100,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and buying Medicinal Pills could make his hands go soft.

More importantly, he had the title of "Master Chef"!

High-grade Yao Beast flesh and blood?

The Tianyao Mountain Range had plenty of them!

When others obtained high-grade Yao Beasts, at most they sold them in exchange for Spirit Stones, or simply roasted and ate them, with less than one-tenth of the medicinal potency being absorbed.

He was different!

He could completely turn them into spirit food!

Through the effect of the "Master Chef" title granting over 50% amplification, a single portion of spirit food would yield effects equivalent to other people eating three portions.

Wasn't this a Cultivation Technique tailor-made for him?

Artifact Refining, making money, buying Materials.

Spirit Chefs processing Materials, maximizing the utilization rate of Cultivate resources, and feeding back into the Body Refining Cultivation Technique.

His primary Cultivation Technique, the Great Dao Scripture, automatically hung up around the clock to raise his Realm.

A perfect closed-loop had formed.

At this moment, Zhao Ruoan's thoughts were completely unimpeded.

What unorthodox path?

This was called multi-faceted coordinated development, sustainable draining of resources!