First Admiration

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

Ren Li said this with a cold sneer.

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

Du En looked at the five quail-like men and sighed inwardly. He pointed towards the bathing area, signaling that they could go wash up.

However, they, who were usually obedient, now didn't dare to comply immediately.

Only when they caught Ren Li not paying attention did they feel like they'd received a general pardon. They scurried over in a huddle, shut the door, and hid inside, determined not to come out as long as Ren Li was there.

Only two people remained in the courtyard.

Seeing Du En sit down, Ren Li felt it was improper to remain standing. He raised his hand, shot out a stream of Magic Power, and a lush green vine sprouted from the ground, growing into a lounge chair.

He sat down, looking down at Du En.

Finally, I've gained the upper hand!

But Du En paid him no mind, merely tending the fire and adding herbs to the pot from time to time.

"Still quite skilled," Ren Li commented.

Du En stopped adding herbs and continued to simmer the stew.

"Overall, it's still lacking!" Ren Li shook his head. Seeing Du En look over, he couldn't help but launch into a lengthy explanation. "While Spirit Cuisine and elixirs are fundamentally similar, Cuisine Power and Elixir Power can, in a sense, be considered two manifestations of the same thing."

Du En didn't interrupt, as this kind of knowledge was hard to come by usually.

Ren Li became more animated as he spoke. "Both are skills that aid cultivation through ingestion and refinement. Among them, elixirs take effect quickly, with short-lived but significant results, sometimes leading to overdoing it."

"Spirit Cuisine, on the other hand, focuses on nourishment. It takes effect relatively slowly and is less prone to overdoing it. Moreover, even ingredients and medicinal herbs of no specific grade can be combined into Spirit Cuisine of a certain grade, as long as their culinary and medicinal properties are compatible."

He glanced at the stewed owl at this point and shook his head again. "This is a prominent characteristic of Spirit Cuisine. However, precisely because the requirements for materials are lowered, it often lacks potency when compared to items of the same grade."

"And your pot of stuff, overall lacking, will at best result in First-tier Low Grade... That's right, you're only at Early Qi Refining, having cultivated for just a year or two. It should be quite suitable for you, usable for a few years. Once your Cultivation Level increases, it will likely only serve to improve the taste."

Although his sense of smell was still blocked, Ren Li could tell from the rising steam from the pot that its aroma was becoming lighter, indicating the combination of medicinal and culinary properties of the ingredients.

He had to admit, for someone from a poor background to learn the basics of cooking Spirit Cuisine on their own showed a bit of capability.

But unfortunately, that was the extent of it!

Ren Li seemed to recall something and suddenly became a bit wistful.

Then, he saw Du En, in front of him, smoothly and skillfully complete the final step.

--Turn off the heat, cool down, add Magic Power.

"Huh?"

Ren Li's eyes widened. His wistfulness vanished instantly, and he stared intently at Du En, who was lifting the pot lid. He couldn't help but stand up.

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

He stopped halfway, regaining his composure. He coughed lightly and slowly sat back down. "Ahem, you... well, I have to admit, you do have a bit of insight."

Ren Li felt a bit awkward, but also impressed.

First-tier Low Grade Spirit Cuisine was something anyone could concoct with basic theory, realizing the synergistic effects of combining ingredients and medicinal herbs, choosing suitable materials, and practicing intentionally for a while.

But First-tier Mid Grade was different. It proved that this person had grasped the essentials, understood how to use Magic Power to influence the process, and could be considered a true Cultivation technique.

Elsewhere, this wouldn't be surprising. But here, outside the border town of the Southern Border, the person doing this was a seemingly young, low-class laborer who had likely been cultivating for less than two years. That was indeed surprising.

Especially since Ren Li had just declared it a failure. Thinking back, he felt incredibly embarrassed. The awkwardness made him jump up again as soon as his backside touched the chair.

"Ahem! I have something to do and need to return to the city. That's all for today, and it'll be the same in the future. Yes, I'm leaving, no need to see me off."

He slapped his backside, dispelled his magic, and left in a hurry, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

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

The other Corpse Buriers immediately scurried out.

"Wow! You scared me to death!"

"This Foreman, although he seems relatively kind, still makes you hold your breath, afraid he'll sense the hidden Spirit..."

"Shut up, what if he hasn't gone far?"

"Exactly! That's Peak Qi Refining! This afternoon, he leaked a bit of his aura, and I almost peed myself. Tsk, tsk, that's Peak Qi Refining, truly something to aspire to!"

The four of them chattered noisily, relieving the pent-up emotions in their hearts.

Only Ning Caize quickly calmed down, looking worried. He walked up to Du En. "Du En, you need to temper your actions a bit. After all, a Foreman is different from a Steward. They interact with us frequently, and a single misstep could capsize the whole boat!"

"I know what I'm doing," Du En replied. Seeing that Ning Caize was still uneasy, he added, "Supervisor Ren is actually quite decent, and he lives in the city. He's not on the same level as other supervisors and doesn't stand to gain anything from us."

"City dweller?!"

Ning Caize exclaimed in surprise, and the others' eyes widened.

The border town, Nanmo City.

The scenes within that city were still etched in their memories.

On their first day here, they had received Consecration in the city, becoming cultivators, and then lived in the outskirts for a few days to adapt to their new identities.

There, the spiritual energy was incredibly abundant, and looking around was like being in a fairyland.

At that time, they would also dream about the future, feeling that life was wonderful.

Then, they were all gathered and assigned to the shanty town outside the city, starting their lives as lowly laborers...

The memories were abruptly cut off. With a mix of sweetness and bitterness, they all fell into silence, ending only with a sigh.

However, at this point, they no longer harbored excessive awe towards Ren Li.

The difference between the city and the outside was so deeply ingrained in their hearts!

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

Full and refreshed, he began to grind!

Regarding the strange anomalies hidden in the desolate burial grounds, there was finally a starting point, and he didn't want to miss it!

And as long as he could grind his cultivation technique to a higher level, he should be able to follow the clues and perceive its mysteries!

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

Perhaps it was Du En's thoughts, or perhaps Ren Li's actions were inherently a bit whimsical. In any case, for a period of time afterward, Ren Li's progress remained slow and yielded little.

In contrast, Du En, through gradual accumulation, naturally achieved another breakthrough!

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