First Admiration

"I'd like to see what you, you arrogant brat, can actually cook!"

Ren Li said this with a cold laugh.

As expected, this startled Ning Caize and the others once again.

Du En glanced at the five quails and sighed inwardly. He pointed toward the bathhouse, indicating that they could go wash themselves.

However, those usually obedient men didn't dare follow his instructions right away.

Only after sneaking a glance at Ren Li and seeing that he wasn't paying attention did they feel as if they had been granted a pardon. They huddled together and ran over, then all squeezed inside after the door closed, firmly deciding not to come out until Ren Li left.

Only two people remained in the courtyard.

Seeing Du En sit down, Ren Li felt that standing seemed somewhat improper. He raised a hand and pointed. A spark of magical power shot out, and where it landed, fresh emerald vines sprouted, growing into a grand armchair.

He sat down there and looked down at Du En.

At last, he had won one round back!

Du En ignored him, merely adjusting the firewood and occasionally opening the pot to add medicinal ingredients.

"Fairly skilled," Ren Li commented.

Du En stopped adding ingredients and continued simmering.

"Overall, it's still lacking!" Ren Li shook his head. When he saw Du En look over, he immediately couldn't help launching into a torrent of words. "Although spirit cuisine and medicinal pills are actually much alike, Cuisine Power and pill power can, in a certain sense, be said to be two manifestations of the same thing."

Du En didn't interrupt. After all, this kind of knowledge was quite hard to come by in ordinary times.

Thus, Ren Li became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. "Both are cultivation techniques that assist cultivation through consumption and refinement. Medicinal pills take effect quickly, and their effects are short-lived yet obvious. Sometimes, that makes it easy to go too far."

"Spirit cuisine, on the other hand, focuses on nourishment. Its effects are relatively slow, and it's less likely to go too far. At the same time, even if the food and medicinal ingredients aren't ranked, as long as they match the principles of cuisine and medicine, they can still be combined into ranked spirit cuisine."

At this point, he glanced at the stewed owl and shook his head. "That's one of spirit cuisine's prominent characteristics. But precisely because the requirements for the materials are lower, spirit cuisine often lacks potency when compared at the same tier."

"And your pot of stuff is lacking overall. At best, it can only produce First-tier Low Grade... Well, that makes sense. You're only at Early Qi Refining, and you've probably been cultivating for just a year or two, right? It's actually quite suitable for you. You can use it for a few years, but once your cultivation starts improving, it'll probably only be useful for enhancing the flavor."

Although his sense of smell was still blocked, Ren Li could tell from the smoke rising from the pot that its scent was becoming lighter. The principles of the medicinal and food ingredients were combining.

It had to be said that, as a poor man from the Underlying Layer, being able to learn how to cook the most basic spirit cuisine entirely on his own showed at least a tiny bit of ability.

Unfortunately, that was where it ended!

Ren Li seemed to think of something and suddenly grew rather wistful and emotional.

Then he saw Du En expertly and smoothly complete the final step.

—Extinguish the fire, lower the temperature, add magical power.

"Hm?"

Ren Li's eyes widened involuntarily. He immediately snapped out of his wistfulness and stared fixedly at Du En as he lifted the lid. He couldn't help standing up.

"First-tier Mid Grade? What? This..."

Halfway to standing, he came back to his senses. He paused, coughed, and slowly sat down. "Cough, you... Fine. I have to admit, you do possess a tiny bit of insight."

Ren Li was somewhat awkward, but also somewhat impressed.

As for First-tier Low Grade spirit cuisine, as long as one possessed some basic theory, realized that combining food and medicinal ingredients could enhance their effects, and then selected suitable ingredients and deliberately practiced, one could eventually muddle through and produce it after spending some time.

First-tier Mid Grade was a different matter entirely. It proved that this person had already glimpsed the way, understood how to use magical power to influence the process, and truly grasped a cultivation technique.

There would be no need to be surprised elsewhere. But this was outside a border city in the Southern Border, and the person who had accomplished this was a seemingly young lowly laborer from the Underlying Layer who had probably cultivated for less than two years. That did warrant some surprise.

Especially since Ren Li had just pronounced the verdict of death. Thinking back on it now, it was truly rather embarrassing. His butt had only just touched the chair when he sprang back up again.

"Cough! I still have things to do. I have to return to the city. That's all for today, and that's how things will be from now on. Mm, I'm leaving. No need to see me off."

Patting his backside and dispersing the spell, Ren Li hurried away, unwilling to stay any longer.

Du En withdrew his gaze and ate the stewed owl, his expression unchanged.

The other corpse buriers immediately burst out.

"Wow! That scared me to death!"

"That overseer seemed fairly amiable, but he still made us afraid to take even one extra breath. What if he's hiding some spirit..."

"Shut up, will you? What if he hasn't gone far?"

"Exactly! That was Peak Qi Refining! This afternoon, he suddenly let out a trace of aura, and I was almost scared into pissing myself. Tsk, tsk, that was Peak Qi Refining! Truly enough to make your heart yearn!"

The four men chattered chaotically, easing the emotions that had built up inside them.

Only Ning Caize quickly calmed down. Looking somewhat worried, he walked up to Du En. "Du En, you still need to rein in your attitude a little. After all, an overseer isn't the same as a steward. He comes into contact with us frequently. If anything goes wrong, the whole ship could capsize!"

"I know what I'm doing," Du En replied. Seeing that Ning Caize still hadn't let it go, he added, "Overseer Ren is actually quite decent. Besides, he lives in the city, so he isn't on the same level as the other overseers. He has no use for anything from our side."

"Someone from the city?!"

Ning Caize couldn't help crying out in surprise, and the others widened their eyes as well.

The border city, Nanmo City.

The scene of that city remained etched in their hearts to this day.

On their first day here, they had received an empowerment in the city and become cultivators. Then they had stayed for several days in the city's outer district, adapting to the changes in their identities.

The spiritual energy there had been incredibly abundant. Looking in any direction, it had seemed like an immortal paradise.

At the time, they had even imagined their futures, believing life was wonderful.

Then they had been collectively assigned to the Shack District outside the city, where they began working as laborers and lowly workers...

Their memories were abruptly cut off. The mingling of beauty and bitterness plunged them all into silence, ending with nothing but a sigh.

However, from that moment on, they finally stopped being excessively awed and frightened of Ren Li.

The difference between inside and outside the city was simply that deeply rooted in their hearts!

By the time they fully returned to their senses, Du En had already gone back to his own room on his own.

His stomach full and his spirit refreshed, he began Liver Training!

The strange and bizarre anomaly hidden within the Corpse Burial Wasteland had finally revealed a point that could be pried open. He had no intention of letting it go!

And as long as he Liver Trained his technique to a higher level, he should be able to follow the vines to the root and perceive the secrets within!

"I hope this Overseer Ren doesn't achieve his goal too quickly..."

Perhaps it was caused by Du En's wish, or perhaps Ren Li's actions had always been somewhat wildly idealistic. In any case, over the period that followed, Ren Li's progress remained slow and lukewarm, with little to show for it.

By contrast, Du En accumulated his gains day after day and, once again, broke through naturally!

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