Another day passed. Jiang Zuo had advanced from 2.3 to 2.5. He had also given the Fire Elemental Leader a brutal thrashing, but unfortunately, it still refused to back down.
It was just too energetic.
During this time, Jiang Zuo also casually crushed the Water Element Leader. It was unbelievably pathetic.
It was far weaker than the Fire Elemental Leader. Hard to believe it was a leader in its own right.
But this time, Jiang Zuo let them go.
He couldn’t continue leveling up anymore.
It wasn’t for a lack of medicinal herbs. Rather, his body had been severely strained and needed to recover.
After all, he hadn’t slept for several days, so his body was definitely feeling the effects.
If he kept pulling all-nighters, Su Qi might get the wrong idea when they met, and that wouldn’t be good.
So, Jiang Zuo stopped advancing.
A Cultivation of 2.5 was decent. He wasn’t far from Tier Three. After a period of rest, he could attempt a direct breakthrough.
It’s just that the Celestial Tribulation was a bit troublesome.
Su Qi had advanced from Tier Two to Three with ease, but Jiang Zuo felt it was hard to say how his would go.
He could only hope the Celestial Tribulation wouldn’t throw any curveballs.
After that, Jiang Zuo returned to Jiang City. He planned to go to the Inexplicable Fate Restaurant. It had been a while, and he could eat both Duoling Dog meat and Yongxi Flesh.
However, the Yongxi Flesh might be a bit more troublesome.
The moment Jiang Zuo entered the restaurant, a waitress greeted him with a smile. "Mr. Po, the owner is in today. Shall I let him know you’re here?"
This waitress knew Po Xiao was no ordinary person and that he always came to have her boss cook for him, so she asked directly.
Jiang Zuo felt a bit resigned. He’d seen this waitress before, and she always called him Mr. Po.
’Is that normal?’
But Jiang Zuo didn’t plan to dwell on it. It was just a name, after all.
The only time Jiang Zuo cared about what he was called was when Su Qi did it.
Especially when she called him "Mister." That usually meant trouble.
Jiang Zuo nodded, signaling for her to go and notify Zhong Yiyang.
He then walked to a table in the back and sat down.
The waitress returned shortly. She approached Jiang Zuo’s table and said politely, "Mr. Po, the owner asks that you please wait a moment. Oh, and he specifically mentioned that he’ll make the wait worth your while."
"He guarantees you’ll be satisfied."
Jiang Zuo nodded and then waited quietly.
While he waited, he took out his phone to see if there was anything going on in the group chat.
As soon as he opened it, he saw a photo.
It was a person covered in wounds. ’A woman?’
The person’s body was so mangled they were almost unrecognizable. Aside from the long hair, it was hard to make out any features.
But some male Cultivators also had long hair.
So Jiang Zuo wasn’t entirely sure.
Liuyue Xue: "Found a body by the door. Anyone missing one?"
Blade Master Hai Bian: "..., Fairy, why are you asking in the group chat?"
Chi Xue Child: "Because it’s 100% Demon Cultivator Mo Yan. Anyway, she’s not our problem. Liuyue Xue, feel free to do whatever. If all else fails, just bury her."
Liuyue Xue: "....."
Jiang Zuo took another look at the photo. ’It really could be Mo Yan.’
’To think she got beaten this badly.’
’But on second thought, it’s not that surprising.’
Liu Yiyi: "The Sword Cultivation Lineage is having a tournament. Do you all want to go watch? I have to go back for it anyway."
Blade Master Hai Bian: "I heard about that. Isn’t it because a Small Secret Realm opened up nearby? Perfect for the younger generation to go and hone their skills."
"But Yiyi Fairy, even though you’re from the Sword Cultivation Lineage, you’re not a Sword Cultivator, are you?"
Liu Yiyi: "[resigned emoji] I still have to go. The higher-ups gave a non-negotiable order. They said my performance a few days ago was too exceptional and insist my Talent is unparalleled."
"I told them it was just a rumor from this group chat."
"But they insist I was the one who told the group. If they weren’t worried about me attracting unwanted attention, they’d probably be broadcasting it everywhere."
"Do you think Fellow Daoist Po Xiao will charge me royalties then?"
Liuyue Xue: "I’d never have that problem. The second that phrase comes up, my people know I’m just copying it too."
"No one thinks for a second that I have any Talent for sword cultivation."
Chi Xue Child: "@Blade Master Hai Bian, where’d you get your info? Isn’t that a little too timely?"
Liu Yiyi: "That’s right, only people from our lineage are supposed to know about the Small Secret Realm. How did you find out, Fellow Daoist Blade Master Hai Bian?"
Blade Master Hai Bian: "I’m here in the Sword Cultivation Lineage on a commission. I heard the tournament was moved up, so I made some inquiries and found out."
Liu Yiyi: "Oh, I see. In that case, you should stick around. We can enter the Secret Realm together. I hear there’s a lot to gain; it’s a special place."
Liuyue Xue: "I’m going this time, too. I already dumped Mo Yan on my senior sister. She’s badly hurt, so all the money she earned recently is probably going to go down the drain."
Chi Xue Child: "I suppose I could go. Besides, I practice the sword myself."
Xiao Xiaomo: "[shocked emoji] Fairy Mo Yan earned a lot, didn’t she? Wasn’t it almost enough for a Ninth Grade stone? All gone just like that?"
Chi Xue Child: "That’s normal. Liuyue Xue’s senior sister is such a ’good person.’ She always uses the best medicine. Why use a Sixth Grade-priced medicine when you can use a Ninth Grade one? [smirking emoji]"
Fairy Mo Yan: "[angry confused emoji]"
Fairy Mo Yan: "Chi Xue Child, come save me! They’re kidnapping me! They’re trying to steal my money!"
Chi Xue Child: "Who’s this? Busy. Later."
Chi Xue Child: "Alright everyone, see you at the Sword Cultivation Lineage."
Fairy Mo Yan: "...."
Xiao Xiaomo: "She can move already? Wasn’t she just a bloody pulp a second ago? Not even Chu Qing is that good, right?"
Liuyue Xue: "The medicine is good."
Everyone: "..."
’So Mo Yan is bankrupt?’
Jiang Zuo stared at his phone in surprise, not because Mo Yan was now broke, but because of the Small Secret Realm.
’This is very likely the place Su Qi was talking about—the one related to the Holy Land’s records.’
’Their main reason for going to the Sword Cultivation Lineage was for this, and both the Saintess and the Candidacy Saintess were going.’
’Even he, this so-called Candidacy Saintess, had to go.’
’I’ll need to be careful when the time comes.’
’But what happened at the Sword Cultivation Lineage’s location in my past life?’
’Doesn’t seem like anything did.’
After that, Jiang Zuo stopped paying attention to the group chat. This trip to the Sword Cultivation Lineage shouldn’t be a big deal.
At this moment, Zhong Yiyang finally came out.
He walked over to Jiang Zuo carrying a covered platter, placed it in front of him, and said, "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, sorry to keep you waiting."
Jiang Zuo looked at the platter curiously and asked, "What is this?"
Zhong Yiyang said, "Because my culinary skills were lacking, what I had you eat back in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range couldn’t really be called a proper dish."
"So after I returned, I studied diligently and created a new dish. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to taste it."
As he spoke, Zhong Yiyang lifted the lid.
The dish was revealed before Jiang Zuo. This creation was different from any he had seen before—it was glowing.
It was a plate of thinly sliced meat, stacked neatly. Spiritual Qi swirled between the slices, gathering but not dispersing.
The glowing effect was a result of the Spiritual Qi resonating with the slices of Yongxi Flesh.
Jiang Zuo didn’t understand the finer points of cooking, but he knew that making Spiritual Qi gather without dispersing and resonate with the Yongxi Flesh to create a visual effect was actually quite simple.
’I can do that too.’
Jiang Zuo wasn’t impressed by the special effects, but the faint aroma wafting from the dish did pique his interest.
It was definitely different from what he had eaten before.
It was like the difference between him roasting the Duoling Dog and Zhong Yiyang roasting it.
After that, Jiang Zuo picked up his chopsticks and took a piece.
The next moment, the image of the Yongxi’s smug face popped into his mind.
Jiang Zuo: "..."
It was a little nauseating.