Three Spoons of Sugar Bring Misfortune

With a light step, Zhao Tao returned to the dormitory.

At that moment, his three old teammates, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin, were waiting for him.

"Brother Tao, did you succeed?"

Seeing Zhao Tao, Tang Wulin approached curiously and asked.

"Of course!"

"Now I've officially advanced to Soul Grandmaster!"

Hearing Tang Wulin's question, Zhao Tao smiled slightly as two Purple Soul Rings shimmered into view around him.

"Congratulations, Brother Tao!"

Looking at the Soul Rings around Zhao Tao, Xie Xie also smiled and congratulated him.

"By the way, Zhao Tao, what's the Soul Skill you just gained?"

Just then, Gu Yue asked curiously from the side.

Hearing her question, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie also perked up their ears, curious to know.

After all, they wanted to find out just how powerful Brother Tao's Second Soul Skill was!

"My Second Soul Skill is called Fleeting Bloom!"

"As for its effect, it changes the flow of time for a target, either speeding it up or slowing it down!"

"I'll let you experience it now!"

Hearing Gu Yue's question, Zhao Tao smiled slightly and activated his Soul Power.

As the second Purple Soul Ring around him glimmered, mysterious waves of the Power of Time enveloped the three of them.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"I can feel my speed has doubled!"

After jogging forward a few steps, Xie Xie's eyes flashed with delight.

"Yeah, this feels great!"

"Brother Tao, let us try the slowing effect too!"

Experiencing the acceleration effect of Fleeting Bloom, Tang Wulin was also excited as he spoke.

"The effect that slows the flow of time is usually used against enemies."

"But since you want to try it, that's no problem!"

Hearing Tang Wulin's request, Zhao Tao smiled slightly and activated his Second Soul Skill again.

In an instant,

the Power of Time surrounding the three of them reversed, changing from speeding up the flow of time to slowing it down.

"What a strange feeling. Even my control over the elements has become much more sluggish!"

"Against an enemy in this state, it would take half the effort to get twice the result!"

Under Fleeting Bloom's time-slowing effect,

Gu Yue conjured several fireballs and wind blades in succession. Feeling the resistance, she couldn't help marveling at it.

"Yeah, Brother Tao, this Soul Skill of yours is practically invincible!"

Hearing Gu Yue, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie both exclaimed in amazement.

"Invincible? Not even close!"

"Even if the three of you had about the same cultivation as me, I could only maintain the effect on all of you at once for a minute at most."

"Against a Soul Elder or an even stronger enemy, the drain on my Soul Power would increase exponentially."

"But setting aside the enormous cost, this Soul Skill itself really is excellent!"

As he explained, Zhao Tao dispelled Fleeting Bloom's effect.

"I see!"

"Then it sounds like timing is crucial when using this Soul Skill!"

Hearing Zhao Tao's explanation, Gu Yue nodded thoughtfully before sharing her observation.

"That's right, Gu Yue. But that means we'll need to practice and coordinate more from now on."

"Still, since I just broke through today, we should celebrate properly!"

Zhao Tao nodded, his face beaming with a brilliant smile.

"That's great! Brother Tao, why don't you treat us and take everyone to the snack street to celebrate?"

"There's so much delicious food there. It's just a shame that we ran into that Guang Long guy last time, so I didn't get to eat my fill!"

Hearing Zhao Tao, Tang Wulin eagerly made his suggestion.

"No, no. Today, I'm going to show you all what I can do in the kitchen!"

Zhao Tao shook his head.

Eating out would certainly have been more convenient.

But this time, Zhao Tao wanted to show off his cooking and get closer to Gu Yue while he was at it.

After all, as the saying went, win a woman's stomach and you won her heart.

And Zhao Tao, who had been reborn, knew exactly what kind of food Gu Yue liked.

It was also the fastest way to forge their bond anew.

As he spoke, Zhao Tao took one ingredient after another from his Storage Soul Tool.

"Wow, Brother Tao, you can cook?"

Looking at the ingredients Zhao Tao had taken out, Xie Xie was curious too.

"Of course. I'm a food connoisseur!"

With a proud smile, Zhao Tao led them to the dormitory's shared kitchen.

He rolled up his sleeves, put on an apron, and began preparing the ingredients with a smile, his movements practiced.

Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin gathered around him curiously, eager to see his cooking skills.

"Since we're celebrating today, I'll make a cream cake for everyone to try."

As he spoke, Zhao Tao took out eggs, flour, milk, and more milk, then quickly whisked everything together.

Next, he scooped out two large spoonfuls of sugar and poured them into the cake batter.

"Brother Tao, will two spoonfuls of sugar be enough?"

"Why not add one more?"

Watching what Zhao Tao was doing, Tang Wulin reminded him.

"Wulin, you know what they say: Three Spoons of Sugar Bring Misfortune. Two big spoonfuls are just right."

Hearing Tang Wulin, Zhao Tao explained seriously.

"I'll remember, Brother Tao. Three Spoons of Sugar Bring Misfortune!"

Tang Wulin nodded solemnly and committed Zhao Tao's advice to memory.

Next, Zhao Tao carefully poured the cake batter into a mold.

He put it in the oven to bake.

"We've got the main dish covered, but we still need an entrée!"

"Today's entrée is Spicy Rabbit Head!"

While the cake baked, Zhao Tao began preparing the main dish: Spicy Rabbit Head.

It was also one of the dishes he had been best at before his rebirth.

It was a favorite of both Gu Yue and Na'er.

Zhao Tao methodically mixed a large bowl of his secret sauce.

Then he took out a big bag of fresh Soft Bone Charm Rabbit heads and marinated them in the sauce.

Next, Zhao Tao heated a large pot of oil and dropped the marinated rabbit heads into it to fry.

"Wow, that smells amazing!"

Looking at the rabbit heads turning golden in the pot and catching their mouthwatering aroma, Gu Yue couldn't help licking her lips.

"Of course! You have to trust my cooking, Gu Yue!"

As he spoke, Zhao Tao poured his specially prepared signature sauce into the pot.

In an instant, the golden rabbit heads turned dark red, and their rich aroma burst forth once more.

"And for the drink, I've prepared a special mixed rainbow fruit juice!"

Zhao Tao plated the Spicy Rabbit Heads from the pot, piling them on an iron platter into a small pyramid of rabbit heads, like a mound of severed heads.

Then he took out various spirit fruits, chopped them with practiced ease, and put them into a juicer.

As the different fruits blended, a stream of colorful juice flowed from the juicer, giving off a wonderfully fragrant medley of aromas. Zhao Tao poured it into a jade jug.

"Done! Everything's ready!"

Clapping his hands, Zhao Tao carried the cake he'd finished baking in the oven. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie carried the iron platter piled high with Spicy Rabbit Heads, while Gu Yue carried the jade jug filled with rainbow fruit juice.

The four of them eagerly left the kitchen, ready to dig in.