Xuan Zi Caught Red-Handed by Mu En

If Chen Ping's request had been directly converted into Gold Soul Coins,

then eating at the Eighth Window for six straight months would have cost a truly staggering sum.

Even the chefs at Shrek Academy who specialized in cooking Soul Beast Ingredients earned only that much each month.

But the clever part was that Chen Ping had not asked for money. He merely wanted to nourish his body, to avoid falling too far behind his classmates.

It was truly hard to refuse a kid holding back a breath of determination, wanting to become better, even if the kid had an enormous appetite.

"What a greedy little brat."

A smile tugged at Elder Xuan's lips. He could clearly see the desire to grow stronger in Chen Ping's eyes.

At Shrek Academy, not every Soul Master with that look in their eyes could become one of the few who stood out among their peers.

But those few who could stand out among their peers without rival would certainly possess that intense, overwhelming desire to grow stronger.

"Hmph. Since this meal of yours truly tastes quite good, This Old Man agrees."

"Of course, that is on the condition that the Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall you mentioned truly tastes even better than this jar."

"Once school starts, go to the Eighth Window and eat to your heart's content. I'll speak to them there. No matter how much you eat, put it on This Old Man's tab."

Elder Xuan ultimately nodded.

This kid had trouble eating properly every day, yet he could still make such a fuss.

Now, he wanted to see what kind of commotion Chen Ping could stir up once he was full.

But Chen Ping froze for a moment before asking somewhat sheepishly, "Elder Xuan, could I start eating tomorrow?"

"Then it'll last exactly three months after school starts."

Hearing this, Elder Xuan blinked as though he had realized something. A glint flashed in his eyes. "Three months after school starts, exactly?"

"You're quite confident that you can obtain a Core Disciple training slot in the third month after the new students enroll?"

"Do you know how many genius Soul Masters compete for those training slots during Shrek's annual New Student Competition?"

Elder Xuan raised his head and narrowed his eyes at Chen Ping, as if he would not rest until he had questioned Chen Ping into defeat.

Chen Ping did not answer directly, but the faint smile at the corner of his lips had already revealed his thoughts clearly before Wang Yan and Xuan Zi.

"Heh heh heh. Enough, eat first."

"This Old Man will tell Lao Zhao in the kitchen as soon as I get back. Go eat tomorrow, and no one will ask you for money."

"But let me make this clear first. As long as the ingredients This Old Man prepares are sufficient, you brat must prioritize handling my matters."

A smile appeared on Elder Xuan's face. "I want to see whether you can obtain Core Disciple training qualifications in the Opening Ceremony Competition three months from now!"

More than two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Today was the day Chen Ping was delivering more Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to Elder Xuan.

And tomorrow, Shrek would officially begin registering new students.

Chen Ping took two of the three jars of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall simmering on the kitchen stove and stored them in his Storage Ring.

As for the remaining jar, Chen Ping took out the Storage Necklace he had just bought and stored it inside with a chuckle.

He was no longer in the same penniless state as when he had first arrived at Shrek.

He could now buy a half-cubic-meter Storage Necklace whenever he wanted.

Of course, after comparing goods at thirty different shops, he had decisively bought the Storage Necklace with the best value for money.

There was no helping it. The life of the rich was just this dull and tedious.

Originally, this jar of Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall had been reserved by a fourth-year Senior Sister, but for some reason, she had suddenly decided she did not want it after all, saying she would eat it another time if she had the chance.

While Chen Ping was worrying over how to deal with the jar, a new customer placed an order for it.

That was an unexpected delight. After all, every time Chen Ping made Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, he had to wait until Elder Xuan had gathered enough ingredients.

Each batch contained enough ingredients for four jars, but Chen Ping only delivered two jars to Elder Xuan.

Of the remaining two, he ate one himself and saw whether some little boss was willing to pay to try the other.

He really had a belly full of tricks.

Still, if anyone examined it closely, Chen Ping had plenty to say for himself.

An Ironhide Wild Boar only had two rear shanks. Could Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall made from front shanks still be considered Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?

And among the ingredients sent over to be rehydrated, some were simply a little too small, while others were just unattractive. Could he casually put those in for Elder Xuan to eat?

As the saying went, food had to possess color, aroma, and taste. If the finished dish did not even look good, how could he dare call it treasured?

Those ingredients that were small and ugly had to be removed.

As for the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall made from the remaining ingredients?

That was lesser Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, not the treasured grade. Using ingredients with slightly worse appearances was perfectly reasonable.

Although it was inferior, its nourishing effects were not much worse than the treasured version.

This was called cherishing every needle and thread, remembering how hard they were to come by; valuing every wisp and strand, never forgetting the toil behind material goods.

Chen Ping moved quickly.

Over the past two months, he had delivered meals several times already and had become quite familiar with Shrek Academy's layout.

Standing before Sea God Lake, Chen Ping took out the Voice Transmission Soul Guidance Device Elder Xuan had specially given him.

Chen Ping had barely called out when Elder Xuan appeared before him.

Chen Ping swore that he had not even blinked, but Elder Xuan truly was that fast.

As long as he called out through the Voice Transmission Soul Guidance Device, Elder Xuan on Sea God Island would appear before him in the blink of an eye.

Whenever Chen Ping saw this, he could not help wondering just how much alcohol Xuan Zi had drunk during that mission to nearly get two generations of Shrek Seven Devils wiped out by the Death God Envoy.

In the end, they had not even managed to catch the Death God Envoy, an Evil Soul Master at Rank Fifty.

Was your Rank Ninety-Eight cultivation real or fake, damn it?

Chen Ping took out the two jars of Treasured Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, intending to hand them to Elder Xuan, only to find that Elder Xuan took just one jar this time.

"Hm?"

Chen Ping looked at Elder Xuan in confusion.

Elder Xuan sighed. "Do you think that every time This Old Man orders two jars of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, I eat both of them myself?"

"Do you remember how many jars of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall you had prepared when This Old Man first met you?"

Chen Ping thought for a moment. "Four jars?"

Elder Xuan sighed at that. "The trouble began with those four jars. When I left afterward, I packed up the remaining jar, planning to eat it on the way."

"But when I passed the Outer Courtyard Student Dormitory, Mu En spotted it. Not only did I fail to eat that jar, but ever since then, one of the two jars delivered each time has not been mine either."

"Mu En is in a good mood today. He is not on Sea God Island, and has gone to enjoy the cool breeze in front of the New Student Dormitory Building again. Take this jar directly to him."

"Don't worry that you won't recognize Mu En. Head toward the New Student Dormitory. The Old Person who likes sitting in a recliner at the entrance and enjoying the cool breeze is him."

At that, Elder Xuan reluctantly glanced at the other jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, looking utterly heartbroken as he began reflecting on himself.

Xuan Zi, Xuan Zi, why did you have to pack up that jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall back then?!

Fine, you packed it up, but could you not have put it in a Storage Soul Guidance Device and eaten it after returning? Why did you have to eat it on the road?!

Now Mu En had his eye on it, and you lost a jar every time. Learned your lesson now?