Meat Without Wine

In the dark and desolate tunnel, it was silent, with only a radiant glow emanating from the end wall.

All this indicated that this was no ordinary, desolate place.

Cheng Buzheng stood before the shattered Earth Civet Beast.

He raised his hand, and a strand of Grey Magic Power shot from his fingertip. Following his thoughts, the magic power danced rapidly over the broken demonic beast corpse.

After a short while.

A large chunk of Demonic Beast Meat floated before him.

Then, two bloody hides floated in the air. Washed by the magic power, they became incredibly clean, with not a trace of blood. Finally, with a surge of magic power, they dispersed, the hides dried and fluffy, as if meticulously treated.

Only internal organs, blood, and other useless items remained.

Cheng Buzheng waved his sleeve, and a Flame incinerated them completely.

After clearing the battlefield within the tunnel, he looked at the Demonic Beast Meat before him. Having felt a lack of taste for a long time, a thought stirred in his heart.

After a short while.

A Rock-made Grilling Tool appeared before his eyes.

The Rock-made Grilling Tool, composed of four short and two long stone pillars.

Four short, thick stone pillars were crossed in pairs at their centerlines. A small hole was drilled with magic power, and a short, thin stone pillar was inserted through it, forming two stone racks. The two longest, slender stone pillars were placed horizontally between the two stone racks.

After some refinement, a freshly baked grilling rack appeared before him.

Cheng Buzheng looked at the masterpiece before him, a hint of nostalgia appearing in his eyes. This grilling tool strongly resembled the grilling racks from Bonfire Parties in his previous life.

Then, he spread the two hides on the ground and sat cross-legged on them, immediately feeling a different sensation.

Having sat on the ground for a long time, he was accustomed to the coolness, but now he felt that warmth again.

Without further hesitation, he raised his right hand and shot out a strand of magic power.

Instantly.

Cold light flashed, dancing up and down, swaying left and right.

A large piece of Demonic Beast Meat was cut into strips of uniform thickness.

This knife skill was far superior to his previous life, truly Master-level Knife Skills. Now it was time to showcase his Barbecue Skill; he wondered if his skill had regressed.

His expression turned serious, and with a wave of his sleeve, the long, thin strips of Demonic Beast Meat danced in the air. The orderly arranged meat strips were threaded one by one onto the two slender stone pillars, like stone pillars entering water, without any sense of obstruction.

The next operation concerned his Barbecue Skill and could not afford any carelessness.

Cheng Buzheng flicked his finger, and a tiny flame shot towards the bottom of the grilling rack.

This flame was not conjured by a spell, but was a basic ability of a cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root, much like how a Water Spiritual Root cultivator could summon a splash of water. Though it lacked power, it was extremely practical for daily life.

Seeing the flame shoot under the grilling rack and about to extinguish due to lack of fuel, Cheng Buzheng unhesitatingly sent out a stream of magic power.

Instantly.

The fire blazed, illuminating a three-zhang radius within the tunnel.

Cheng Buzheng, seated before the grilling rack, was clearly visible in the firelight, his expression solemn. His shadow appeared beside him.

He raised his hand and sent out a stream of magic power, which wrapped around two slender stone pillars, causing them to tumble and spin according to his will.

The fire below burned fiercely, yet no smoke emerged.

The two slender stone pillars rotated continuously, like high-speed motors.

The hard stone pillars showed no signs of breaking under the high-speed rotation. Due to even heating, the demonic beast meat had no scorch marks.

As time passed, the demonic beast meat slowly turned a tender yellow, and a faint fragrance spread through the tunnel.

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng raised his hand, and threads of magic power shot from his fingertips, infusing into the strips of demonic beast meat, circulating the Spiritual Energy Essence within to ensure even distribution.

This enhanced the taste, making the Spiritual Energy Essence contained in each bite of demonic beast meat uniform in size and incredibly smooth.

Although the conditions were limited, the food was natural and pure, with its original flavor. If seasoning were added, it would be a different experience.

Under the roasting flames, the meat skewers on the motor-like rotating stone pillars emitted an increasingly rich fragrance.

A thin layer of butter gradually appeared on the strips of demonic beast meat.

Cheng Buzheng observed the texture of the demonic beast meat and noticed some disharmony, not fully integrated.

With a solemn expression, he flicked out a stream of magic power, dividing it into countless threads that continuously patted the strips of demonic beast meat.

As the textures gradually disappeared, the fragrance also began to fade. He knew this was a sign that the roasting was nearing completion.

When the demonic beast meat no longer emitted any fragrance, the roasting concluded perfectly.

Not long after.

The strips of demonic beast meat had no remaining texture. The surface of each strip glistened with oil, a tempting golden yellow, yet no aroma emanated. This was the legendary state of perfection, Return to Simplicity.

At the moment when the taste was optimal, he waved his hand, and the fire under the grilling rack gradually diminished. The slender stone pillars tilted slightly, then continued to rotate, maintaining the best taste.

A strip of meat, glowing with golden spiritual light, floated before him.

His right hand glowed with a layer of magic power, as if wearing a glove, and he grabbed the golden and tempting meat strip suspended before him, which was enticing him.

Cheng Buzheng narrowed his eyes and took a gentle bite.

Instantly.

A rich meaty aroma spread through his taste buds, truly fragrant. Without hesitation, he took another bite, chewing quickly with a look of satisfaction.

In the blink of an eye, the demonic beast meat was completely devoured.

"Not bad... worthy of being demonic beast meat, its texture is truly tender and delicious, with an excellent mouthfeel...

It even increased a bit of magic power, truly worthy of being spirit food. Its meat quality is incomparable to that of mortal beasts.

A pity... meat without wine!"

Cheng Buzheng sighed, shaking his head.

However, his current barbecue skill had definitely reached its historical peak. The subtle changes within the demonic beast meat could not escape his discerning eye.

He sighed again, then without hesitation, summoned another strip of demonic beast meat and happily began to eat.

Not long after.

An entire two-foot-sized demonic beast was completely eaten by him, leaving his mouth greasy.

At this moment.

He leisurely lay on the beast's fluffy fur, savoring the taste from before.

Half an hour later.

After resting, he began today's mining mission.

At this moment, he was full of energy, swinging his mining pick, striking the rock wall, and chipping off irregular pieces of spirit stone raw ore.

He dug for a full three hours, finishing today's mining mission ahead of schedule. After all, the time spent on barbecuing could not be deducted from his cultivation time, so it had to be deducted from his mining time.

After all, cultivation advancement was his primary goal.

Carrying the spirit stone raw ore he dug out today and holding his mining pick, he directly headed towards the secret chamber with a sense of joy from his harvest.

PS: The ancestral barbecue skill has absolute details. ~Put out the bowls (Fellow Daoists, please give what you can!)