Shen Liqian wanted to test his theory.
He leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table, seemingly going for a nap.
In truth, he whispered to Zhiyin.
"Do you think we could go around the village to find cooking talent?
"I mean, alchemy talent."
Shen Liqian chuckled.
Zhiyin mewled, "We could.
"Remember it's not about the taste but the Qi preserved in meals and how digestible they are."
"I know…" Shen Liqian rolled his eyes.
Did she think he really wanted to go door to door like a salesman to taste people's meals?
While Shen Liqian and Zhiyin conversed, the ladies of the house returned to cooking.
Shen Yiren took a nap, and Shen Jixian inspected his bow for any damage.
When the first meal with Frostheart Snowcup's parts was finally done, Shen Yiren woke up on his own, earning amused stares from Shen Liqian and Shen Jixian.
Shen Wenwan was so used to her son waking up for a dish in the nick of time that she didn't react.
"That's amazing," Shen Liqian commented.
Shen Jixian nodded.
"Yeah."
"You're drooling, by the way," Shen Liqian added as he turned his eyes to his archer friend.
"S-Sorry…"
Hearing him, Shen Jixian wiped the saliva from his chin and apologized.
His mouth flooded with saliva from all those succulent dishes still steaming.
It was a feast unlike anything he had tasted in his entire life.
Just a single bite into the Beast Stew made his eyes water.
The meat's succulent juices flowed down his throat like nectar, even though he had yet to taste the tea made with ice nectar.
"If Mom saw me right now, she would be so mad…" Shen Jixian commented, imagining his mother's shock if she were to see him tearing up from another woman's food…
Shen Yiren didn't have such thoughts or issues.
He chewed rapidly and roughly on the meat and drank tea after it, devouring his meal as though it were his last.
Both boys showed different reactions for the same reason, and both made Shen Lexi and Shen Wenwan smile from ear to ear.
They would have loved to ask if they wanted seconds, but that was clearly off-limits, given their limited stockpile of meat and flowers.
"None of the food will run away."
Shen Wenwan said merrily, but this time her words completely eluded Shen Yiren.
Three hours later, Shen Taofeng returned with five hunters he had picked for the first clan-changing hunt.
He introduced them all to Shen Liqian, though Shen Liqian recognized them.
Hunters with strong cultivation bases and high beast counts were famous enough that everyone knew them.
Even talentless Shen Liqian knew them.
All six cupped their hands and bowed low to Shen Liqian.
"We are at your command, Chief Liqian."
Shen Liqian nodded.
"The fate of the clan depends on the success of the first mission.
"I couldn't be more confident about the first hunt under my rule.
"Your reputations give me that confidence."
Despite their ages, the six hunters felt giddy and honored by Shen Liqian's praise.
Their morale skyrocketed long before he offered them cultivation paths and resources.
Shen Liqian smiled.
"Senior Wenwan and my mother are heating the dishes prepared for you.
"I will imprint the proper methods into your cultivation manuals and teach you how to seize the Cold Qi from the Frostheart Snowcup to wash your Meridians with it.
"Follow me to the Training Hall."
"Yes!" all six chorused.
No sooner had Shen Liqian ordered them to follow him than all seven of them were seated on the cold floor of the Training Hall, in lotus positions.
Shen Liqian explained the fixed manuals and cultivation methods.
Zhiyin finished by imprinting those methods into his people.
Once all six hunters fell into a cultivation trance, Shen Liqian received a system notification.
[You have received enough understanding about Sword Claw Swordsmanship Manual, Spear Fang Cultivation Manual, Archer Hawk Cultivation Manual,…, to be able to imprint the proper cultivation methods on your own.]
[You have learned Imprint Sutra of Sea Of Consciousness.]
[You have received a new quest—Cosmic Martial Arts Comprehension.]
Shen Liqian's Sea of Consciousness was tapped once by the Clan Cultivation System, as the Imprint Sutra of Sea Of Consciousness had been imprinted into him.
He had now learned the method from the system itself to teach others cultivation manuals and other techniques.
Feels nice!
It will be much easier to teach the younger generation now!
Shen Liqian found Zhiyin's crimson eyes staring deep into him.
She must have learned by now about his progress.
She mewled, "Good work."
Shen Liqian nodded and whispered, "I'm counting on you to teach me about cultivation tonight."
His cat arched her head back proudly.
Her voice resounded in his mind.
Next technique you should learn is how to converse through Qi.
I will be speaking to you this way henceforth so that you can pick it up like you had done with the imprint technique.
Cosmic Martial Arts Comprehension is a side quest of high value that you should look into right meow.
It's not a quest that you have to complete any time soon.
It's a long-term quest whose purpose is to help you learn about martial arts, building your martial arts knowledge and experience, which in turn will help you in your later stages of cultivation.
You have obtained the quest and methods because you comprehended your clan's cultivation methods on your own.
That's a fateful and amazing achievement in itself, so I will allow you to pet and cuddle me tonight.
Grinning from ear to ear, Shen Liqian whispered, "Thank you."
He then looked into the objective of his new quest.
[Objective: Immerse yourself in various martial arts and start comprehending them.]
[Ongoing reward: Each comprehended martial art or technique will be written in the stars in your Sea of Consciousness.]
That reward raised some questions.
Shen Liqian turned to his guide and friend.
Zhiyin leaped out of his lap and looked at the six hunters still in the cultivation trance.
Her soft voice resounded in Shen Liqian's mind.
Word has it that every star in our universe represents a cultivator.
To be more precise, each star is a cultivator's Sea of Consciousness.
There's some evidence that a dead universe has no stars at all, but it's still debatable, unless someone discovered the truth before I did.
Regardless, stars carry secrets of the entire universe, so writing your cultivation methods, martial arts, and perhaps everything about yourself in the stars is the apex of a cultivator's path.
Do you understand now the meaning of being able to write your own techniques in the stars of your Sea of Consciousness?
Shen Liqian nodded.
At the same time, he had even more questions.
Zhiyin must have researched stars or the universe in the past.
He wondered how far her research had gotten.
Also, she didn't know everything.
But more than anything, her being knowledgeable about the Cosmic Asura Hydra meant that her research had borne fruit.
At the very least, she had created the being that could consume stars.
That being is me.
He still couldn't imagine himself devouring stars and the cosmos, but he would leave that to his future self.
"You imprinted methods into their Sea of Consciousness, so their techniques are submerged in the waters."
Correct.
It also means they're more vulnerable.
Shen Liqian nodded.
It was then that his people woke up from their trance.
Their eyes flashed with enlightenment and understanding.
As if on cue, all bowed low and pressed their foreheads to the cold floor.
"Beasts may chew us to death.
"Mountains may trample us to death.
"Under no circumstances will we ever reveal Chief Liqian's benevolence!"
For a heartbeat, he wanted to bow back.
The hunters' oath impressed Shen Liqian.
He nodded before he knew it.
"Lift your heads."
All six did as told and stared deep into Shen Liqian's eyes.
"It is still a flawed and weak cultivation method.
"A method to cultivate the Dantian, the base for the other three main cultivation methods.
"Return from the hunts, and one day, you will learn everything.
"Well done on your comprehension so far."
The hunters clenched their hands and solemnly nodded.
Shen Liqian then smiled like usual, breaking the solemn mood.
"I have a question.
"Do any of you want to invite me to your house for dinner?
"I will come with ingredients, so I only need a good cook."
The moment Shen Taofeng heard this question, he sprang forward and raised his hand like an attentive student.
"I complain a lot, but I never complained about my wife's cooking!
"Please, visit us and you will understand what I mean, Chief Liqian!"
Other hunters joined the fray.
"Chief Liqian!
"Brother Tao is exaggerating!
"He is, in fact, scared of his wife and fears nights without sharing the same blanket with her, so that's why he never dares to complain about her cooking!
"You should visit my house!
"Our hospitality knows no bounds!"
A vein popped in Shen Taofeng's temple.
He shouted, "What did you say, Brother Chung?!"
He waited for the laughter to crest, then cleared his throat.
The mood quickly became a bit too jovial, but Shen Liqian didn't mind.
He allowed the hunters to bicker with one another, then stepped in when it was too much and took them to the dining hall.
It was there that Shen Taofeng thought for the first time in his life that someone else's cooking was better than his wife's!
It was all about resources, but still…
Get a grip, Tao!