Going to Noble Hall

The next morning, at dawn.

None of the Work-Study Students in the Seventh Dormitory got up early. Yesterday, Xiao Wu had asked Xiao Chenyu to find someone to handle the cleaning for them, and Xiao Chenyu had readily agreed. To him, it was no trouble at all.

With someone else doing the cleaning, the Work-Study Students of the Seventh Dormitory slept in the dormitory courtyard until late, a rare luxury. But Bai Ge and Tang San still got up early as usual. Tang San rose to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye, while Bai Ge rose to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

As usual, half the day passed in cultivation, eating, and attending class.

It was not until the dismissal bell rang at noon, and the other students had left the classroom, that Bai Ge slowly walked out and headed toward Nuoding Academy's Main Gate.

Bai Ge and Xiao Chenyu had agreed the night before to meet at Nuoding Academy's Main Gate today. When Bai Ge arrived, Xiao Chenyu had already been waiting for quite some time.

"Boss!"

The moment he saw Bai Ge, Xiao Chenyu hurriedly called out.

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long, just a few minutes."

Xiao Chenyu smiled.

"Let's go. Today, we'll visit that Noble Hall you told me about last night."

Glancing at the sky, Bai Ge narrowed his eyes against the bright sunlight. He raised his right hand to shield his eyes as he spoke.

"Wait a little longer, Boss. I already had someone send a carriage over."

Seeing Bai Ge preparing to leave, Xiao Chenyu quickly stopped him.

"A carriage?"

Hearing Xiao Chenyu's words, Bai Ge quietly Put Away his left foot, which had already stepped forward.

Mm... Having a Little Brother really was nice, especially one who was rich and sensible.

Standing beneath a patch of shade beside Nuoding Academy's Main Gate, Bai Ge asked Xiao Chenyu about Noble Hall while waiting for the carriage Xiao Chenyu had mentioned.

After waiting nearly ten minutes, a carriage finally arrived late and stopped outside Nuoding Academy.

"Boss, please go first."

When the carriage arrived, Xiao Chenyu immediately made an ingratiating gesture for Bai Ge to enter first.

Bai Ge did not stand on ceremony. He walked directly toward the carriage and climbed inside.

It had to be said that the carriage Xiao Chenyu had sent was probably worth a fortune.

Although Bai Ge did not recognize the type of wood used for the boards beneath his feet and around the carriage compartment, the crimson boards bore deep red patterns that gleamed like jade. They were smooth to the touch, and he could faintly smell a refreshing woody fragrance. This wood was definitely top-tier.

The curtains over the carriage windows did not seem ordinary either. Their colors were rich, clearly made from expensive brocade, and they were decorated with jade pieces, agate, and other ornaments. As the carriage moved, the jade pieces on the curtains clinked softly, radiating extravagance.

Though Bai Ge was inwardly surprised, his expression remained calm.

He looked completely unmoved, as though he had seen such things countless times before. This made Xiao Chenyu even more certain of Bai Ge's identity, and he became even more respectful in his behavior.

The carriage sped along the Great Dao of Nuoding City, but it did not head into the city. Instead, it traveled toward the more remote outskirts.

As Nuoding City's most high-end restaurant, Noble Hall naturally was not crammed into the crowded city like other restaurants. From its name alone, one could tell that it catered specifically to distinguished guests—that was, wealthy people and Nobles.

For wealthy people and Nobles, money was never the issue. What mattered was style, something that showed they were different from ordinary people.

Noble Hall had catered precisely to this preference of the wealthy and Nobles by doing the opposite: it had opened its restaurant outside the city and declared that it served only the rich and influential.

To dine at Noble Hall, one had to undergo an asset verification there. Only after passing the verification could one qualify to enter Noble Hall and eat.

Because of this, Nuoding City's upper-class circle had vaguely begun treating the qualification to dine at Noble Hall as a pass into high society.

To further demonstrate its uniqueness, Noble Hall often purchased the corpses of Spirit Beasts whose Spirit Rings had been harvested from Soul Hunting Forests across the country. These were used as premium ingredients and supplied in limited quantities to Nuoding City's wealthy people and noble lords as a selling point.

This tactic produced remarkable results the moment it was introduced. Nuoding City was only a small city, and not all its Nobles and wealthy people were necessarily Soul Masters.

Those Nobles and wealthy people who were not Soul Masters might never have seen a Spirit Beast in their entire lives. Now that they discovered there was actually a place where they could eat Spirit Beast Meat, they practically fought tooth and nail for a chance to try it.

This move allowed Noble Hall to easily defeat several competing restaurants at the time and become Nuoding City's most top-tier restaurant. Its reputation was also recognized by nearly all of Nuoding City's wealthy families and Nobles.

After listening to Xiao Chenyu recount Noble Hall's founding and rise to prominence, Bai Ge truly could not help but admire its founder, a woman named Madam Malena.

The reason behind Noble Hall's rise was actually simple: it had found the right positioning—catering to the wealthy and Nobles.

After establishing that positioning, Noble Hall accurately found what the wealthy and Nobles wanted, then gave it to them, making its name in Nuoding City in one stroke.

Afterward, through dining qualifications, it tied Noble Hall to Nuoding City's upper-class circle. Newcomers wishing to enter Nuoding City's high society had no choice but to come to Noble Hall to obtain dining qualifications. Finally, by featuring Spirit Beast ingredients as its centerpiece, it won the favor of most old Nobles and wealthy people, making Noble Hall one of a kind in Nuoding City.

The process might have sounded simple, but carrying it out was extremely difficult.

First, there was the question of how Noble Hall had gained a foothold in Nuoding City's upper-class circle without becoming the target of others' schemes. Then there was the issue of acquiring the most important ingredient: Spirit Beast Meat.

Spirit Beast Meat was not so easy to obtain. Soul Hunting Forests were dangerous enough that hunting Spirit Rings within them was already difficult. To bring a Spirit Beast's corpse out of a Soul Hunting Forest, one also needed the approval of the army officers guarding it. That was no simple matter.

The reason all this had been possible was that Noble Hall's owner, Madam Malena, was a Soul Ancestor in her forties. She had once joined a large Soul Hunting Group, and rumor had it that Madam Malena purchased the Spirit Beast Meat from the Soul Hunting Group she had once belonged to.

The carriage set off from Nuoding Academy and traveled onward, leaving Nuoding City's Urban Area. After passing through a forest, it finally arrived before an estate in the outskirts. This estate was Bai Ge's destination—Noble Hall!

"Young Master, we've arrived."

The carriage finally reached Noble Hall. The driver stopped the carriage and called into the compartment.

"Boss, we're here. Let's get down."

Hearing the driver, Xiao Chenyu spoke to Bai Ge.

"Mm."

Bai Ge nodded, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped down. Xiao Chenyu followed closely behind him.

"A-Lin, wait here. We'll be back in a little over two hours."

Before heading into Noble Hall, Xiao Chenyu instructed the driver, A-Lin.

"Yes, Young Master."