Just Pure Trash

Considering some of his future plans for Qian Xunjie, Lucifer relented a little.

"Actually, you do have a point!"

"Anyway, ordinary people won't be able to gather the ingredients for the later recipes."

Qian Xunjie's eyes lit up.

Lucifer proposed a new arrangement. "How about this...

"Publish the first ten recipes directly across the continent!"

"As for the remaining eight, you can make equivalent exchanges with forces like the Two Great Empires and the Seven Great Sects!"

"They're basically the only ones capable of gathering the later ingredients!"

"In any case, this stuff absolutely has to be spread far and wide!"

Though he did not understand why Lucifer was so insistent that it be widely disseminated, this arrangement promised even greater benefits than the previous one.

Qian Xunjie agreed almost without hesitation.

He had no initiative in this matter. All he could do was accept.

Bibi Dong was curious about what they were discussing, but she was too embarrassed to ask.

With the matter settled, silence abruptly fell over the room.

The three of them stared at one another for a while.

"What? Do you still have something to do?" Lucifer asked Qian Xunjie.

"No!"

"Then you can leave!"

"..."

Spirit Hall was supposed to be my territory, wasn't it?!

Qian Xunjie cursed inwardly.

Pretending not to have heard that, he asked, "What were you talking about with Dong'er?"

Bibi Dong turned her head slightly, unwilling to pay him any attention.

Lucifer smiled. "We were just talking about what she wants to do."

"Oh?" Qian Xunjie was instantly interested.

He wanted to know as well. "What does she want to do?"

Both Bibi Dong and Lucifer looked at him meaningfully.

Qian Xunjie was utterly baffled by their stares.

Lucifer asked thoughtfully, "Has your strength been stagnant for a long time? Is it difficult for you to improve any further?"

At those words, an unusual glint flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes, and she immediately perked up her ears.

Qian Xunjie's heart abruptly jolted.

Lucifer had even seen through that!

He coughed twice, his thoughts racing. "It's a long story..."

"Years ago, I led two thousand Soul Masters in an attempt to subdue Sea God Island."

"However, Sea God Island's strength exceeded our expectations, and Spirit Hall's forces suffered a crushing defeat!"

"I was seriously injured in that battle as well, which affected my cultivation!"

"Still, I believe I'll soon shake off those effects and take my strength to the next level!"

By the end, Qian Xunjie wore an extremely confident expression.

Bibi Dong looked thoughtful.

Had Qian Xunjie's injuries back then really been that severe?

Could it be that he still had not fully recovered, or had some lingering condition remained?

Bibi Dong was very curious about this. "Has Your Eminence the Pope fully recovered now?"

Qian Xunjie's heart warmed.

Dong'er actually knew to show him some concern!

He chuckled. "There's no need to worry. My injuries have long since mostly healed!"

Bibi Dong gave a flat "Mm," but inwardly, she was immensely disappointed.

Lucifer wore a faintly amused smile.

He thought Qian Xunjie's stagnant strength was simply because he was pure trash.

The excuse about his injuries affecting him was nothing more than a way to save face!

"The Blue Silver Grass Juice Recipe happens to be remarkably effective in that regard!"

"I suppose it won't be long before you shake off the effects of your old injuries and take your strength another step forward, right?" Lucifer teased.

Qian Xunjie laughed awkwardly. "That's for sure!"

The pressure in his heart was immense.

His father, Qian Daoliu, had far better talent than him, yet he had only reached the realm of a Peerless Douluo by directly intervening with divine power as a consecrated priest.

Under normal circumstances, Qian Daoliu would at most have reached Level 98.

Qian Xunjie's talent was worse. At best, he could only reach Level 96 or Level 97.

He was already Level 95 now, and it was highly likely that he had reached the limit of his strength.

Even if he could go one step further, he would probably only be able to slowly grind his way to Level 96 over a long period of time.

His hope of reaching Level 97 in this lifetime was even slimmer!

This had always been a thorn in Qian Xunjie's heart!

Many of Spirit Hall's elders were stronger than him!

And he possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul!

Because his upper limit in strength was not high, he wanted even more to accomplish something and bring benefits to Spirit Hall, thereby proving that he deserved the position of Pope!

Seeing Qian Xunjie stubbornly refuse to leave, Lucifer departed.

After all, he could not discuss how to deal with Qian Xunjie in front of Qian Xunjie himself!

This time, he had already planted a seed and kindled a spark in Bibi Dong's heart.

Once the seed sprouted and the spark grew larger, he believed that even if he did not seek Bibi Dong out again, she might come looking for him herself!

When Lucifer returned to the Elder Hall, he found Qian Renxue had lit a bonfire.

He glanced at the tubers in the fire and understood that she was missing Ah Rou again.

"Sometimes, what you eat isn't the taste, but the mood!"

"Hm?" Qian Renxue raised her head to look at Lucifer. Her limited life experience left her unable to understand those words.

"Shouldn't food taste however it is supposed to taste?"

"If I use the same ingredients and roast them the same way, shouldn't I get food with the same flavor?"

Lucifer chuckled twice without answering her, then turned and left.

Qian Renxue was still too young, her thoughts too simple!

He had to wait until she was older, had experienced more, and her thoughts had become more complicated. Only then would darkness find it easier to invade!

Though Qian Renxue now believed in light, she did not truly understand what light was, nor did she understand what darkness really was!

Qian Renxue turned to glance at Lucifer's receding figure, then went back to roasting with great concentration.

After a while, she used a wooden stick to rake the charred tubers out one by one.

Without waiting for them to cool completely, she picked one up and peeled away its blackened skin.

Steaming flesh was revealed. She sniffed it, then took a small bite.

"..."

Qian Renxue's brows furrowed slightly.

It still did not have the taste from that day!

"How could that be?"

"The ingredients and the roasting process were obviously exactly the same!"

She stared blankly at the mess strewn across the ground before her.

After all that effort, she still had not gotten the result she wanted.

What she had roasted did not even taste as good as the tubers made by the cooks at the Spirit Hall Main Hall and Elder Hall in Star City.

Sometimes, what you eat isn't the taste, but the mood!

Those words surfaced in Qian Renxue's mind.

Thinking of how she had felt when she was with Ah Rou, she seemed to understand a little...

Night fell.

Lucifer lay atop the highest point of the Elder Hall.

Stars glittered like diamonds, adorning the deep blue canopy of the sky.

A crescent moon hung slantwise overhead, spilling soft light like a silvery veil.

Lucifer quietly watched over the tranquil night, pondering a single question—

How could he expand his range of movement once again?

After Qian Renxue gained two Spirit Rings and reached Level 22 as a Soul Grandmaster, he could already travel thirty li away while maintaining low Soul Power consumption.

Any farther, and the Soul Power expenditure would rise. At Qian Renxue's current Soul Power level, she would not be able to sustain it for long.

"I should supervise the little thing's cultivation first!"

Unable to think of a solution for the moment, Lucifer dispersed into specks of black light.