Who Could Resist the Temptation of Hot Pot?

Hu Liena sat across from Bibi Dong and explained:

"When I came here earlier, I heard the villagers along the way say that Ye Tian's rise began three years ago."

"Before that, their family was very poor. They could barely afford to eat."

Hearing this, Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly. She had not expected Ye Tian to be such a capable person.

Building such a great enterprise within three years was no ordinary feat.

Hu Liena covered her mouth and snickered softly. "Ye Tian probably doesn't know that you're the Pope of Spirit Hall, Teacher, which is why he made such a huge blunder. What delicacies haven't you seen in Spirit Hall? Why would you covet the food he brought?

"Why not have Ye Tian quickly see whether he can treat your headaches, Teacher? Then we can leave this place."

Bibi Dong raised her beautiful brows and said lightly, "There's no rush."

Before long, Ye Tian came over carrying a steaming pot of hot pot and set it on the small table in the hall.

He chuckled. "I guarantee neither of you has ever eaten this before."

Hu Liena stepped closer and caught a spicy, fragrant scent that instantly awakened her appetite.

There was even a fire burning beneath the pot. She truly had never seen anything like it.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked Ye Tian, "What is this?"

"Hot pot!" Ye Tian gave a mysterious smile.

He had spent a great deal of effort recreating this Earth delicacy in the Douluo World!

No one could refuse the taste of hot pot.

He had a hot pot restaurant in Eastsea City, and it was packed with customers every day.

If one arrived even a little late, there would be nothing left to eat.

Hu Liena stared at the hot pot. "It just seems like a pot of soup."

"How can drinking soup fill you up?"

Ye Tian gave a startled sound.

The spicy hot pot base was not meant for drinking.

"You cook food in hot pot. This is only the base. I'll bring out the ingredients, and you'll understand soon enough."

With that, Ye Tian hurried back into the kitchen.

Hu Liena looked at Bibi Dong and clicked her tongue in amazement. "Hot pot... it really is something we've never eaten before! This Ye Tian is interesting. He always knows things we've never even heard of."

Bibi Dong smiled. "That's why I stayed."

She instructed Hu Liena, "Don't reveal anything for now. Let's see what other interesting things happen."

Hu Liena nodded solemnly.

Before long, an array of side dishes filled the wooden table in the hall: sashimi, tripe, tender slices of black chicken, beef slices, and more.

Ye Tian brought over three pairs of chopsticks, handed two to the women, and naturally sat down beside Bibi Dong.

Smiling, he said, "Let me show you how to eat hot pot."

Hu Liena was astonished that Ye Tian had actually sat beside Bibi Dong.

That was the Pope of Spirit Hall!

Never had any boy dared to sit shoulder to shoulder with the Pope!

"How dare you sit beside my teacher!" she said with a hostile expression.

Ye Tian rolled his eyes at Hu Liena.

"If I don't sit with my sister, should I sit with you instead?"

Was this golden-haired girl named Na Na not being far too meddlesome?

His sister had been away for three years. Wasn't it perfectly normal for him to sit beside her now that she had returned?

Bibi Dong gave Hu Liena a faint glance. Her calm, unruffled face told Hu Liena that it did not matter.

Having received her teacher's signal, Hu Liena puffed out her cheeks in anger and stopped paying attention to Ye Tian.

Imitating him, she picked up a paper-thin slice of beef and swished it through the hot pot a few times.

Then she placed it between her red lips.

Suddenly.

Hu Liena's eyes went wide.

Spicy, yet fresh and fragrant...

Numbingly savory, with a slight moist richness...

Her pupils gradually dilated.

This was far too delicious!

She had never imagined that a mere slice of beef could become so tasty after being swished in hot pot a few times!

"Not bad!" Hu Liena praised.

But after tasting it, Ye Tian gave Hu Liena a disdainful glance.

"I forgot to add salt, and you still think it tastes good."

He had been so happy about his sister's return that he had even forgotten the salt.

Ye Tian went into the kitchen, picked up the transparent glass bottle containing Snowflake Salt, and returned to the hall.

He opened the cap and sprinkled some salt into the hot pot base.

After seeing the snow-white salt, Bibi Dong could not help asking curiously:

"This is salt? Isn't salt supposed to be green?"

"Of course it's salt." Ye Tian explained in all seriousness.

It was perfectly normal for his sister to be curious.

There was no salt purification process on the Douluo Continent.

All salt was sold directly after being extracted from salt mines or seawater.

Not only did it contain many impurities, it also contained numerous harmful heavy metals. Eating too much of it would cause diarrhea.

Yet people could not go without it.

Without salt, people would soon die.

The salt eaten by the upper nobility was somewhat better: brine salt from deep salt wells.

Brine salt had fewer heavy metals, but it still contained impurities.

After the brine from salt wells was dried, the crystallized salt appeared pale green.

Thus, among the nobility, the finest salt had always been considered green.

Naturally, they had never seen white salt.

"This is purified salt." Ye Tian said with a light smile.

Bibi Dong's beautiful brows furrowed. "It must have cost quite a lot, no?"

As the Pope, even she had always eaten green salt.

Green salt was already expensive, and only mid-to-upper-ranking nobles and Soul Masters could afford it.

If green salt were further refined into snow-white salt, it would probably cost nearly as much as gold.

Seeing his sister's reproachful look, Ye Tian's smile deepened.

He knew that she was used to hardship and could not bear to see him spending so extravagantly.

So he explained, "Sister, this was refined from sea salt."

Hearing Ye Tian's excuse, Bibi Dong wrinkled her delicate nose.

"You think you can fool your sister? How can sea salt be eaten?"

Sea salt contained even more heavy metals than some mineral salts.

One would practically have diarrhea every time they ate it.

That was why, despite the sea containing boundless salt, salt remained so expensive on the continent.

If sea salt could be eaten, the continent would not lack salt.

Seeing that his sister did not believe him, Ye Tian immediately stood and walked to the eastern side of the villa, where he opened a door.

This was Ye Tian's laboratory, where he usually conducted his experiments.

It was filled with all kinds of bottles and jars.

"What's so difficult about refining pure salt? If you don't believe me, Sister, I'll demonstrate it for you."

Under the two women's watchful gazes, Ye Tian put on a white lab coat, picked up glassware, and quickly assembled an apparatus for refining pure salt.

He poured some coarse salt into a container, lit an alcohol lamp, and began the process.

Snow-white salt soon appeared in the crucible after evaporation.

Ye Tian pinched up some salt and scattered it through the air, smiling as he said:

"Look, Sister. As long as it goes through steps like dissolving, filtering, removing impurities, and purification, you can obtain fine Snowflake Salt."

"Don't doubt it, Sister. Right now, everyone across the East Sea Coast eats salt made by our family workshop."

"Some islands at sea even come here to buy Snowflake Salt. And Snowflake Salt costs about the same as ordinary salt."

"Take a look at this large villa. Half the money used to build it was earned from selling salt."

Bibi Dong was astonished upon hearing this.

As the Pope of Spirit Hall, how could she not understand what this method of refining pure salt represented?

If the Entire Continent could eat affordable Snowflake Salt, and Ye Tian alone knew how to make it...

How much money could he earn in a year?

It was unimaginable!

Even as the Pope of Spirit Hall, she could not imagine the profits involved!

If that money were used to purchase arms and recruit Soul Masters...

Spirit Hall would undoubtedly grow even stronger!

These snow-white crystals before her were not salt at all—they were mountains of gold and silver!