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 don't 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 doesn't 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, it's 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. It's 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."
"What's this about? Wasn't Fan Wubing frail since childhood? When did his vitality become exceptionally strong?"
"I don't 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 Wubing's daily cultivation mainly involves breathing and meditation, not much else."
The Master of Fate Peak, also Wei Changkong's teacher, Qi Ming, spoke up,
"Don't underestimate Brother Yushan's ability to discern people. Perhaps there are indeed shining qualities in this Fan Wubing that we haven't 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 Jingwei's 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! We've 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 couldn't 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 can't 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, don't you know?"
"What?"
"The Profound Demons in this Peach Branch Small Profound Realm are born of Immortal Qi and exist by the Small Profound Realm's Heaven and Earth Laws. If we take them out, they will dissipate."
"Damn it, you should have said earlier! If I had known, I wouldn't 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 can't 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 can't take it out, we'll 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 can't 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?"
"You're right. But, Junior Sister Luo, I'm still a disciple of Enlightenment Peak, a member of the Eternal Immortal Sect. They don't understand me because I'm occupying the best resources but show no results. This is human nature."
"Senior Brother, you are really... I'm so moved I'm going to cry..."
Luo Qingyao said with a face full of emotion.
Fan Wubing was embarrassed,
"I'm not trying to be some magnanimous and loving person. I'm going to let them understand that if they eat, they must pay. Want to eat? Pay up!"
"Huh?!" Luo Qingyao almost didn't catch on.
Fan Wubing rubbed his hands together and eagerly asked,
"Junior Sister Luo, you've 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,
"Don't flatter me on purpose by saying that."
"Absolutely not! I'm 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 Qingyao's enraptured expression, Fan Wubing raised an eyebrow,
"Is it that exaggerated? I didn't even think it was that special."
"It's hard to describe, but it gives a sense of clarity. It's 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 don't 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 it's worth that price," Luo Qingyao muttered, "Back in my hometown, those Immortal Chefs, their food wasn't as tasty as yours, yet their fees were exorbitant."
Fan Wubing thought to himself, I absolutely cannot use Luo Qingyao's valuation perspective.
Although she didn't explicitly state her origins, it's clear she's 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 they're cooking. See, they've got all the pots, pans, and utensils."
"No way, what respectable cultivator travels with cookery in tow?"
"Fan Wubing doesn't seem like a typical cultivator. Isn't that Luo Qingyao helping him as a Firemaid?"
"Don't they know that demon beast meat requires careful preparation by a professional Immortal Chef before it's edible? Just eating it raw will destabilize one's foundation, and cooking it like this, it might explode!"
It must be said, fire from Immortal Qi surpasses natural gas by a mile — stable temperature control and even pressure adjustment!
With Luo Qingyao assisting, Fan Wubing's 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.
"He's 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 didn't 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.