Twelve Golden Palaces Dragon Tiger Gate

Li Ye was looking at him, and he was observing Li Ye as well. The man swept his gaze over Li Ye from head to toe, lingering on his lower body for a while before nodding.

"Mm, your Training Method is good. You've put in the hard work. There are no shortcuts in martial arts; being willing to endure hardship is the right path. Your powers of observation are decent too. No need to keep looking—I'm just an ordinary man."

"Let me introduce you. Old Xu, Xu Yanwu, possibly the master who'll teach you martial arts in the future. Li Ye, a kid I think highly of. You already know the general situation."

Pan Zhengyang smiled at Xu Yanwu, then looked at Li Ye. "You haven't eaten lunch yet, have you? This stuff was prepared for you too. Let me see just how much you can eat."

Li Ye's steps froze as he approached.

What did that mean?

He looked at the food spread across the broad stone table. Unlike the meals at the Pest Control Bureau cafeteria, this spread was clearly far more luxurious.

At the very center sat a roasted lamb leg, its surface marked with golden patterns. Beside it was a suckling pig roasted to a purple-jade sheen.

The remaining dishes were all bizarre and exotic. There was a thick, heavy hoof, nothing like anything found in an ordinary household. A paw glimmering with fiery red patterns. Li Ye recognized that one—it was bear paw!

The eggs served in a large bowl were like amber, their glowing yolks visible within. There was also a steamed fish with a blue-jade back and two whiskers like dragon tendrils. Then there was a bowl of clear soup containing something that looked like bamboo shoots, though its texture looked more like meat.

The broad stone table was packed to the brim.

So many ultra-high-quality ingredients were laid out here, and they wanted to see how much he could eat?

Had they discovered his insane appetite?

Seeing Li Ye stand still, Pan Zhengyang called out, "What are you stiffening up for? It's not like I'm asking you to finish it all—you couldn't anyway. We just want to see where your limit is. Come sit."

They hadn't found out. They were simply inviting him to eat.

Li Ye relaxed inwardly. Smiling, he walked over and sat down, picked up the prepared bowl and chopsticks, then remembered something and pulled out his own Five Flavors Chopsticks.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Five Flavors Chopsticks?"

Xu Yanwu showed a surprised expression. "A rare Magic Treasure."

Pan Zhengyang laughed. "Pretty good, right? This kid's luck is incredible. He killed a Five Plagues Ghost and ended up getting such a fine treasure. Li Ye, you'd better not—"

Before he could finish, Xu Yanwu raised a hand to cut him off. "Eat with them."

Li Ye looked toward Pan Zhengyang. After thinking for a moment, Pan Zhengyang smiled and nodded as well. "That works. Eat first."

With so many premium ingredients, only the Five Flavors Chopsticks could maximize his boost in vitality and blood. Li Ye would not be polite. He immediately picked up an egg and stuffed it into his mouth.

Mm, he could taste it.

Golden Amber Egg: replenished energy, strengthened immunity, increased appetite, and aided digestion.

And its grade was extremely high—five times that of the Pest Control Bureau's ingredients!

Combined with the Five Flavors Chopsticks—

Good stuff!

He quickly ate two eggs, then ladled himself a bowl of bamboo shoot soup. He stirred it with the Five Flavors Chopsticks, drinking the soup while eating the bamboo shoots.

Dust Washing Bamboo Jade Soup. Its texture really was like meat. It had already been deliciously fresh, and with the Five Flavors Chopsticks enhancing it, it became utterly exquisite. Li Ye's brows bounced as he drank.

It could dispel fatigue, invigorate the mind, heal internal injuries, replenish vital energy, increase appetite, and aid digestion.

Three times the quality of cafeteria ingredients.

After drinking a bowl of soup, he picked up half a fish and took a huge bite.

Cold Pond Dragon Whisker Fish: boneless, repaired the brain, improved reflexes, cleared heat and internal fire, and also increased appetite and aided digestion.

That thick, heavy hoof was a Mysterious Armor Rock Rhinoceros Hoof. It strengthened the tendons and fascia, fortifying the body. It could not increase appetite itself, but the soybeans cooked with it could. Those were also high-quality ingredients that increased appetite and aided digestion.

The more Li Ye ate, the more something felt wrong.

Why did every dish have effects that increased appetite and aided digestion?

What were they trying to do?

Li Ye subconsciously set down his chopsticks and looked at the two men.

By now, Li Ye had wiped out one-fifth of the dishes on the table.

"Can't eat any more?" Pan Zhengyang asked.

Li Ye nodded.

"Then train."

Xu Yanwu rose to his feet and motioned for Li Ye to follow. Once they reached the center of the courtyard, he had Li Ye stand properly. "Take off your clothes."

"Huh?" Li Ye was startled.

"If I tell you to take them off, take them off. Stop talking nonsense. Your shirt," Xu Yanwu barked.

Li Ye pursed his lips. Out of trust in Pan Zhengyang, he still removed his shirt, revealing lean yet supple lines of muscle.

"Listen to my command. Activate your vitality and blood."

At those words, Li Ye steadied his stance. His vitality and blood surged forth, revealing an aura of glowing mist.

"Condense your vitality and blood, starting here."

Xu Yanwu pressed a finger to Li Ye's tailbone and traced upward until he reached the center of Li Ye's back. "Raise it to here. Condense and drive it upward in the manner of a swimming dragon. If you can't picture it, follow a rhythm of nine times left, five times right. Run through it three times first."

The vitality and blood of the Dragon Gate Realm had become tangible, and he could already control it. But Li Ye discovered that he seemed capable of controlling it with even greater precision. This was not the effect of his authority—it was something inherently unique to him.

He could already practice moves to perfection. Now that he had broken through the Dragon Gate and transformed his vitality and blood into substance, he could exert equally precise control over it. Together with the blood-sense granted by his authority, he could manipulate it on an even finer level.

He drew upon his vitality and blood, controlling its direction as it traveled upward in a rhythm of nine pulls to the left and five to the right. From his tailbone all the way to the center of his back, the activated vitality and blood showed faintly through the glowing mist along his exposed spine. His spine itself seemed to emerge, trembling rapidly.

Like a dragon swimming at breakneck speed.

This sight startled Xu Yanwu, while Pan Zhengyang behind him widened his eyes.

But Xu Yanwu recovered in an instant and said:

"Spread it through your hundred bones—into your internal organs, that is—then rush it into your limbs, like stretching after sleep. Be careful. You need to spread it to every part of your body. Not a single spot can be missed!"

With that, he turned and walked back.

Spread it through his hundred bones.

Li Ye continued guiding his vitality and blood, dispersing the blood refined at the center of his back throughout his body. It precisely adhered to every internal organ, even every tendon and meridian. Then he spread his limbs wide, sending the vitality and blood from within to without, through his arms, legs, knees, hands, and toes. He loosened up and shook a few times.

Crack!

A sound like thunder burst from Li Ye's body. At that sound, Pan Zhengyang sprang to his feet, looking as though he had seen a ghost.

Xu Yanwu, who had already started walking away, abruptly whipped his head around. His face, where righteousness and wickedness intertwined, still wore the same calm expression with raised brows, but the astonishment in his eyes was so thick it could not dissolve, nearly turning to shock.

Who could reach this stage the first time they practiced? This was impossible, this—

"Old Xu!" Pan Zhengyang reacted a little faster and called out a reminder.

"Gather it all and rush it to the crown of your head, then exhale!" Xu Yanwu shouted, unable to stop himself from clenching his fists and widening his eyes.

Li Ye gathered all his vitality and blood upward, charging from the center of his back to his cervical vertebrae, then from there to the crown of his head. Xu Yanwu did not even need to remind him deliberately now. The stimulation rushing straight into his crown made his head feel as though it were about to explode. A breath emerged from nowhere, rushing from his head back through his body and limbs, as if he were about to burst apart.

Instinctively, he forcefully exhaled through his nose.

Hiss!!

Two streams of white vapor shot from Li Ye's nostrils like arrows, whistling out and spraying across the ground. From afar, it looked as though Li Ye had grown two white dragon whiskers.

After exhaling, his body staggered. He slapped his forehead twice and shook his head fiercely, finally easing that explosive sensation somewhat. He could not help swearing:

"Fuck, what kind of bullshit martial art is this?!"

"Y-you mastered the Dragon Gate on the first try?!"

The words had barely fallen when a shrill cry rang out from behind him. Li Ye turned his head and saw that it was Pan Zhengyang who had made the sound!

That burly, fierce physique now resembled a frightened little girl. He raised his clenched fists near his chest, puckering his mouth in a strange, lewd way that made people intensely uncomfortable.

Xu Yanwu's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes seemed ready to shine. His tone had grown far more urgent.

"Don't move. I'll examine you. No—Old Pan!"

Whoosh!

A fierce gust swept over, stirring Li Ye's hair as it reached him.

Pan Zhengyang rapidly closed in, gave Li Ye a quick once-over, then grabbed his wrist as if taking his pulse.

"No problem!"

After feeling for a moment, he turned back excitedly. "Absolutely no problem! His body has no deficiency, and his vitality and blood are undamaged! Fuck, you found yourself a good disciple. This lineage won't be lost!"

"Kid—no, Li Ye!"

Xu Yanwu stared at Li Ye with blazing eyes, his voice slow and firm. "From today onward, I am the master who will teach you martial arts!"

Then he looked at Pan Zhengyang. "Old Pan, the ingredients are your responsibility. Since there's no deficiency, increase his food intake. Let him eat hard."

His voice was still calm, but the bulging veins in his neck exposed his excitement.

Pan Zhengyang swept out a hand and said boldly, "No problem. The bond between us is beyond question. We'll definitely feed him until it's Bell Chimes and Cauldron Feasts. When the time comes, you can go without worry!"

"I have a question."

The voice from beside them made the two turn their heads. Li Ye raised his hand and held out two fingers. "Two questions."

He had many doubts, but right now, there were only two things he wanted to ask.

"First, what is this damn martial art I'm learning called?"

Hearing this, Xu Yanwu stared into Li Ye's eyes and said, word by word, "Twelve Golden Palaces Dragon Tiger Gate."

Li Ye nodded and continued, "Second, this martial art improves through eating?"

"You can understand it that way," Xu Yanwu said.

Li Ye bared a mouthful of white teeth and looked at the food on the stone table. "Then I think... I can eat a little more."