Instant Noodles and Chaos Origin Qi

"I'm hungry. Is there... anything to eat?"

Ling Ye's voice was flat and calm, echoing in the living room bathed in the faint morning light, still carrying the lingering sound of rain. It was as if he were discussing the most ordinary of matters.

Su Wanqing slumped on the sofa, looking haggard, the dark circles under her eyes as deep as if she'd been punched twice. Hearing his words, her vacant, dazed eyes finally focused. She looked at the man standing barefoot by the island counter, holding a plain mug, with disbelief.

Hungry? Wanted food?

The events of last night – Withered Wood Meets Spring, the soul pressure, the detector exploding, the elites retreating, spitting blood… all those thrilling, perception-shattering terrifying scenes were still vivid, seared into her soul like brands. And now, this walking disaster, after finishing his "aged tea" that could cleanse the soul from a company mug, the very first request he made was… hunger?!

A sense of absurdity, like a tidal wave, washed over her crumbling dam of reason once more. She opened her mouth, her throat dry and tight, and for a moment, she didn't know how to answer.

Ling Ye didn't seem to care about her silence or shock. He put down the mug and scanned the open-plan kitchen with a discerning, critical gaze. The refrigerator? Looked like a big metal box, probably containing… raw things? Troublesome. The oven, the microwave? A bunch of buttons, annoying just to look at. His gaze swept past the modern kitchen appliances, finally settling on an inconspicuous cabinet in the corner.

The cabinet door was made of semi-transparent frosted glass, vaguely revealing some… colorful bags piled inside?

Ling Ye, barefoot, walked over with a pata pata sound and opened the cabinet door with extreme naturalness. A mixed scent of various artificial flavorings and seasonings assailed him. The cabinet was filled with all sorts of instant noodles, self-heating hot pots, compressed biscuits… all the junk food Su Wanqing had stockpiled for extreme overtime or when she was too lazy to go out.

Ling Ye's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he wasn't fond of the strong industrial artificial flavor. But his gaze was drawn to one particular packaging – a red bag with a cartoon character wearing a chef's hat and an exaggerated smile, next to huge artistic characters: Kang Shuaibo Braised Beef Noodles!

"Noodles?" Ling Ye picked up a packet, weighing it curiously. He squeezed the noodle cake inside through the packaging, making a faint kacha sound. He seemed to have developed a slight interest in this "dry, easy to store, add water and eat" form. "How... do I make this?" He turned, looking at Su Wanqing, who was still in a daze on the sofa.

Su Wanqing mechanically raised a finger, pointing to the brand-new electric kettle in the corner of the island counter, her voice dry, "...Boil water... and soak."

Ling Ye looked at the noodles in his hand, then at the electric kettle. The process of boiling water for tea earlier had clearly earned this modern tool, which "dispensed water with the press of a button," a sliver of his approval. Holding the packet of braised beef noodles, he pata pata-ed back to the island counter.

He tore open the packet, his movements a bit clumsy but still efficient. He took out the noodle cake and looked at the three included seasoning packets (powder, sauce, dehydrated vegetables), his brow furrowing again. He picked up the powder packet, brought it to his nose, sniffed, and immediately moved it away in disgust.

"Too many mixed flavors, too much heat." He muttered, and without hesitation, tossed the powder and sauce packets into the nearby trash can like garbage! Only the dehydrated vegetable packet, containing a few shriveled pieces of vegetables and scattered meat bits, was left.

Then, he placed the noodle cake into the white mug he had used for brewing tea. He picked up the electric kettle – there was still half a kettle of water he had just boiled. He lifted the kettle, and boiling water poured huā la la into the mug, instantly submerging the dry noodle cake.

White steam rose, mixed with the wheat aroma of the noodle cake itself. It was utterly unremarkable.

Su Wanqing watched numbly. Using the mug for brewing Chaos Spirit Tea to make instant noodles? And only putting in the vegetable packet? This operation… had broken through the limits of her understanding.

However, the moment the boiling water filled the mug and steam began to rise –

Ling Ye's hand, which had been hanging by his side, holding a worn cloth bag, casually, as if dusting something off, gently waved towards the mug.

There was no light, no sound.

But an indescribable, refined to the point of being ineffable, warm current, mixed with a trace of primordial energy as if from the dawn of creation, was precisely guided by an invisible hand and instantly infused into the instant noodles that had just been doused with boiling water!

"Zzzt..."

A faint, almost imperceptible sound, drowned out by the hiss of the water.

In the mug, the previously unremarkable boiled instant noodles underwent an earth-shattering transformation!

The clear boiling water, the instant it merged with that current, seemed to be infused with life! The water turned as pure as the finest glazed amber, subtly shimmering with warm starlight! The dry noodle cake, like a spiritual plant receiving long-awaited rain, instantly unfurled. Each strand of noodle became crystal clear, plump and round, emitting the purest wheat fragrance, even possessing a subtle jade-like luster! The few shriveled vegetables and scattered meat bits floating on the broth seemed to have undergone a magical creation! The vegetables instantly returned to a vibrant green, plump and juicy state, as if just picked from the morning garden! And those tiny dehydrated meat bits swelled and expanded, transforming into several pieces of braised beef with clear textures, emitting a rich, mellow meat aroma, as if they were… top-grade Wagyu slow-cooked for three days and three nights?!

An indescribable aroma, a mixture of the purest grain fragrance, the mellow richness of premium meat fat, and a soul-cleansing, warm primordial energy, erupted! It instantly filled the entire living room!

This aroma was far more complex, more mellow, and more… soul-stirring than the simple tea fragrance before! It was like an invisible hand, instantly seizing all of Su Wanqing's senses! Her body, exhausted from staying up all night and already starving, instantly emitted the most primal, roaring desire! Saliva secreted madly, and her stomach rumbled uncontrollably like thunder!

She suddenly stood up from the sofa, her eyes fixed on the bowl of "instant noodles" on the island counter, which was emitting a divine glow and aroma! All fear, exhaustion, and confusion were temporarily cast aside by the impact of this ultimate fragrance! Only the most primitive, strongest thought remained – eat! Must eat a bite!

Ling Ye, however, acted as if he hadn't seen her desperate, almost lunging gaze. He picked up the disposable plastic fork that came with the mug (which had fallen out when he opened the packaging) and casually stirred the "god-tier instant noodles" in the mug, which had already transcended description.

The broth was clear to the bottom, with an amber-like glaze flowing within. The unfurled noodles floated like jade dragons, the green vegetables were full of life, and the few pieces of oily, tempting braised beef emitted a deadly mellow fragrance. And in the very center of the broth, as Ling Ye stirred, wisps of extremely faint, yet refined to the point of making the soul tremble, chaotic-colored energy, like living spirit snakes, slowly meandered and circled in the amber broth, finally condensing into several extremely tiny, yet clearly visible, tadpole-like chaotic runes that flashed and disappeared.

Ling Ye seemed satisfied with the "seasoning" effect, nodding. He picked up the mug, ignoring the scalding temperature, and brought it to his lips. Without using the fork, he directly –

"Slurp... slurp..."

Clear and satisfied slurping sounds, accompanied by the rich, exotic aroma, echoed in the living room.

Su Wanqing stood by the sofa, her body trembling slightly from extreme desire and restraint, her eyes red! The aroma hooked into her brain like a hook, almost stealing her soul! She watched Ling Ye enjoy himself, listening to the tempting slurping sounds, feeling her willpower collapsing at light speed!

And Ling Ye, after slurping a few mouthfuls of noodles and taking a sip of broth, suddenly paused. He smacked his lips, his brow furrowing slightly, as if something was still missing.

"Tsk," he muttered with a hint of disdain, "still a bit bland... let's add some 'Origin Qi' to enhance the flavor."

Saying that, under Su Wanqing's stunned gaze, he casually reached his fingers into the worn cloth bag at his feet again and fumbled around.

Then, he pinched a small pinch of… something that looked like gray powder? The powder was neither gold nor jade, its color chaotic, and countless fine stardust seemed to flicker and extinguish on its surface, emitting a faint fluctuation even more ancient and primordial than the energy that had just entered the broth, as if it were the origin of all things!

Ling Ye, with extreme casualness, as if sprinkling salt, gently shook that small pinch of chaotic "Origin Qi powder" into the already divinely glowing instant noodles in the mug!

"Zzzt..."

An even fainter, yet more profound, light sound.

The noodle broth in the mug, the moment it merged with that pinch of powder, erupted with chaotic starlight! The broth's color became deeper and more restrained, as if containing the star river of the entire universe! That soul-stirring exotic aroma sublimated once more, carrying a supreme Dao rhythm that cleansed the spirit and nourished all things! The jade-like luster on the noodles and vegetables became even more mellow, and those pieces of braised beef seemed to come alive, their meat textures flowing with chaotic radiance!

Su Wanqing's reason, at this moment, along with the sublimated ultimate aroma and the chaotic starlight flowing in the mug, completely shattered!

She let out a near-whimpering groan filled with extreme desire, no longer caring about fear, and stumbled towards the island counter like someone lunging for a life-saving straw!

"Give... give me a bite! Just one bite!!" Her voice was choked with tears, her eyes fixed on the mug in Ling Ye's hand, as if it were the only salvation in the world.

Meanwhile, at the temporary command post three kilometers away from Yunqi Mountain.

In front of the giant monitor screen, the atmosphere was as heavy as the dead silence before a storm. On the screen, the curve graph representing the energy field within the villa had maintained a relatively "gentle" state since Ling Ye woke up. Although it still exceeded the detection limit, it was at least stable.

However, just now –

"Beep beep beep—!!!"

The piercing alarm once again tore through the tranquility inside the command vehicle! On the screen, the curve representing energy intensity shot upwards like a rocket injected with stimulants! It instantly broke through all previously set warning thresholds! The peak was so high it turned the entire screen a blinding scarlet!

"Report! Energy readings in the target area are spiking abnormally again! The intensity... the intensity is growing exponentially! It has... it has broken through the 'Stellar Level' threshold! It's approaching... approaching 'Galactic Level'!!" The technician's voice was hoarse and distorted with extreme terror, his fingers flying across the keyboard, trying to stabilize the collapsing data stream.

"What?! Galactic Level?!" Commander Lei Bao leaped from his seat, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the wildly rising scarlet curve on the screen, which seemed to have no end! "What is he doing?! Launching an apocalypse attack?!"

"Energy form... analyzing... extremely complex! Contains ultra-high concentration of life essence... mixed with... mixed with unknown Chaos Origin Qi... and..." The technician's voice was filled with unbelievable absurdity, "...and... high-purity wheat starch and animal fat decomposition products?!"

Silence fell over the command vehicle. Everyone was stunned by the bizarre analysis results.

Wheat starch? Animal fat? What the hell kind of combination is that?!

Just then, a slightly clearer frame of the optical image captured from inside the villa, which had been severely interfered with, finally refreshed (thanks to the enhanced morning light).

In the image: The target (Ling Ye) in a plain T-shirt and jeans was holding a white mug, steam rising from its rim. Beside him, the president of Su Corporation (Su Wanqing) was lunging towards the counter with a near-maniacal posture, her hands reaching for the mug, her face contorted with extreme desire and... drooling?!

Lei Bao and everyone who saw this scene collectively froze.

This... what the hell is going on?