Jade Cuisine Hall

"Senior Brother Shen, Ruo Lan," Fang Xuan said with a smile.

"Haha, that's more like it. It's already getting late. Let's find Qing Xue, then go to Jade Cuisine Hall for dinner together. These next few days, the various courtyards will likely be assigning sect missions. We'll need to train through experience together too!" Shen Hao said.

"Sure, let's go!"

Fang Xuan had nothing to pack. He had already changed into his feather robes, and there was no need to carry weapons within the sect. The three of them headed together toward Fang Qingxue's courtyard.

Fang Qingxue had also just finished cultivating and was consolidating the realm she had only just broken through to.

Her expression remained as cool and detached as ever, with no great emotional fluctuation from her breakthrough.

"The food at Yuhua Sect is all immortal cuisine, the kind even the imperial palace cannot eat. It's made directly by a Dao artifact within Yuhua Heavenly Palace, the Five Qi Immortal Cauldron. It's comparable to the finest medicinal meals and actively nourishes the body."

As Shen Hao spoke, he made no effort to conceal his envy. He was the dignified Third Prince of the Great Li Dynasty and had always enjoyed exalted status, yet he had never expected even an Outer Sect Disciple of an immortal sect to receive better treatment than him.

Shen Ruolan said excitedly, "I heard Father King mention the Five Qi Immortal Cauldron too. They say that immortal cauldron is enormous, spanning dozens of acres. It directly gathers Solar True Fire to cook endless delicacies. Even an ordinary chicken, after being cooked in the Five Qi Immortal Cauldron, gains nourishment comparable to ginseng black-bone chicken."

Listening to the two of them, Fang Qingxue also grew curious.

Before long, they arrived before a palace with three large characters written above it: "Jade Cuisine Hall."

This was where the hundreds of thousands of Outer Sect Disciples of Yuhua Sect, as well as the Inner Sect Disciples, ate. It covered an area equivalent to two or three imperial palaces.

There were countless spacious seats inside, numbering three or four hundred thousand. Many Outer Sect Disciples moved through the hall, chatting, dining at tables, or gathering in groups of three or five to discuss martial cultivation and various sect missions.

Even Fang Xuan was awed by the sight before him.

"So many people!" Shen Ruolan exclaimed in shock, her cherry lips parted.

Shen Hao wore a similarly astonished expression. "Yuhua Sect truly deserves to be one of the ten great immortal sects. Leaving aside the strength of its Daoist arts, its food, clothing, lodging, and travel alone reveal plenty."

As a prince, Shen Hao had studied statecraft from a young age. Whether a nation was prosperous did not depend solely on the strength of its army, but also on food, clothing, lodging, and travel.

"There's an empty table over there. Let's sit there," Fang Xuan said, pointing to an open seat not far away.

"Okay."

The empty table was square, exceptionally long and wide. It was neither stone nor wood, but ancient and elegant, carved with hollow patterns that released a faint, refreshing fragrance.

"Submerged incensewood? And such a huge piece?" Shen Ruolan said, her eyes widening.

Shen Hao said with a smile, "All right, stop looking at immortal sects through mortal eyes. Otherwise, you'll be shocked everywhere you look. What do you want to eat?"

"I want Crystal Pork Knuckle."

Shen Ruolan called out, then drew a paper talisman slip labeled "Crystal Pork Knuckle" from a white jade lot tube on the dining table and tossed it into the crystal pool not far away.

The next moment, a goldfish surfaced from the bottom of the pool, clamped the talisman in its mouth, and dove back down.

Before long, a water lily bud as large as a washbasin rose from the bottom of the crystal pool.

With a delighted expression, Shen Ruolan plucked the water lily and placed it on the table. She peeled back the petals one by one, revealing the Crystal Pork Knuckle she had requested.

A rich fragrance instantly washed over them. The dish was translucent as jade, like a fine work of art. Though it had risen from the water, it was still steaming hot. Wrapped in the water lily, it had not become wet; instead, it had taken on the lily's fragrance, making their mouths water.

Shen Hao said, "Whatever you want to eat, just toss a Food God Talisman into the crystal pool. A water lily will naturally rise after a while, and the food you ordered will be inside."

"Truly marvelous." Fang Qingxue nodded and drew out a Food God Talisman to toss in as well.

Before long, four dishes and a soup were laid out on the table.

"Yuhua Sect's recipes are an immortal Dao inheritance and are excellent for Nourishing Life. Especially when cooked by the Dao artifact, the Five Qi Immortal Cauldron, the vital essence does not dissipate while impurities are refined away. It does not harm the stomach or intestines, making it extraordinary. That is why becoming an Outer Sect Disciple of Yuhua Sect is the dream of so many children of the powerful and noble."

Fang Xuan also sighed. "The immortal and mortal worlds truly stand apart. The saying does not lie."

The four of them spoke no further and focused on dealing with the delicacies before them.

"Fang Xuan, Qing Xue, have you decided which faction you want to join?" Shen Hao suddenly asked.

"What?"

"It seems you truly don't know."

Fang Qingxue also showed a puzzled expression.

"Please enlighten us, Senior Brother," Fang Xuan said.

Setting down her white jade chopsticks, Shen Ruolan explained, "Yuhua Sect has hundreds of thousands of Outer Sect Disciples, and the competition is extremely fierce. In the future, we will have to complete all kinds of sect missions issued by the sect. Do you really think the sect will support us like this for nothing? Countless disciples struggle onward for the quota of Inner Sect Disciple. The Pine Crane Longevity Fist, Flying Spirit Supple Bone Body, and Dragon Form Flying Tiger Step that we cultivate now are merely foundations. You cannot cultivate divine arts with just these three basic martial techniques. Only by becoming an Inner Sect Disciple sooner can you obtain the three great martial arts passed down by the sect: the Chaotic Cavity Breathing Technique, Primal Star Spirit Art, and Heaven and Earth Grand Righteous Qi. Those are the true Inner Sect secret arts, supreme methods for developing the potential for divine abilities."

"What does that have to do with joining a faction?" Fang Qingxue could not help asking.

Shen Hao said with a smile, "The most important thing for becoming an Inner Sect Disciple is strength. It is good to shelter beneath a great tree. By joining these factions, you can better accept missions and exchange for pills to improve your strength. To give a simple example, you came from the Great Li Dynasty to Yuhua Sect on horseback, right? How long did it take?"

"One month."

"Then do you know that riding an immortal crane would take only three days for a round trip? Yet spirit beasts like immortal cranes can only be kept by True Disciples. If we join these factions, we can borrow them, saving a great deal of time for cultivation."

These factions were all established by True Disciples. Their purpose was naturally to compete for promising fresh blood. The two of you siblings are precisely the kind of people they are eager to recruit."

Fang Qingxue fell silent.

Fang Xuan said with a smile, "Then it is understandable. Wherever there are people, there is the martial world. Even cultivating immortality is no exception. All we can do is advance courageously and cultivate diligently. If we do not want trouble, we must swiftly grow stronger, become independent, and establish our own foothold. When you possess sufficient strength, any schemes, demons, and monsters will be nothing but a joke."

"Good, Fang Xuan. I knew I had not misjudged you. Such lofty ambition is the proper mindset for cultivating immortality. Perhaps one day, you may even step into the Mystic Divine Realm."

"Haha, I'll borrow your auspicious words, Senior Brother Shen."