Meat Without Wine

In the pitch-black, desolate tunnel, silence reigned. Only the wall at the far end shimmered with light.

It was clear this was no ordinary, barren place.

Cheng Buzheng stood before the shattered Earth Civet Beast.

He raised a hand, and a streak of Grey Magic Power shot from his fingertips. At his thought, it darted over the beast's ruined corpse.

Before long,

a large chunk of Demonic Beast Meat floated before him.

Then two blood-soaked pelts rose into the air. Washed clean by his magic power, they soon had not a trace of blood left on them. With a final pulse of magic power, they were dried until soft and fluffy, as though they had been carefully prepared.

Only the entrails, blood, and other useless remains were left on the ground.

Cheng Buzheng flicked his sleeve. A flame sprang up and burned them to ashes.

With the battlefield in the tunnel cleared, he looked at the Demonic Beast Meat before him. His mouth had been without a decent taste for far too long, and an idea stirred in his mind.

Before long,

a set of grilling tools made from rock appeared before him.

The rock-made grilling setup consisted of four short pillars and two long ones.

He crossed the center lines of the four short, thick pillars in pairs, then bored holes through them with magic power and threaded a short, slender pillar through each pair to form two stands. The two longest, thinnest pillars were laid across the stands.

After a little polishing, a freshly made grill appeared before him.

Looking at his handiwork, Cheng Buzheng couldn't help but show a hint of nostalgia. The grilling setup looked just like the barbecue grills at campfire parties in his previous life.

Then he spread the two pelts on the ground and sat cross-legged on them. At once, he felt something different.

After sitting cross-legged on the ground for so long, he had grown used to its chill. But now he could feel that familiar warmth once more.

He didn't hesitate. Raising his right hand, he shot out a streak of magic power.

In an instant,

cold light flashed as it darted up and down, swaying from side to side.

The large chunk of Demonic Beast Meat was sliced into strips of equal thickness.

His knife work had improved by leaps and bounds since his previous life—master-level, no less. Now it was time to show off his barbecue skills. He wondered if he'd gotten rusty.

His expression solemn, he swept his sleeve. The slender strips of Demonic Beast Meat danced through the air, neatly lined up as they threaded themselves one by one onto the two long, thin pillars, passing through them without the slightest resistance.

What came next was the real test of his barbecue skills. He couldn't afford the slightest carelessness.

Cheng Buzheng flicked his fingertip. A tiny flame shot beneath the grill.

This flame wasn't produced by casting a spell. It was a basic ability of cultivators with a Fire Spiritual Root, just as those with a Water Spiritual Root could summon a splash of water. It had little power, but it was extremely useful in daily life.

Seeing the flame shoot beneath the grill and begin to die out for lack of fuel, Cheng Buzheng immediately sent out a streak of magic power.

In an instant,

the flames roared higher, lighting up a ten-foot radius of the tunnel as bright as day.

Seated before the grill, Cheng Buzheng's solemn expression stood out clearly in the firelight, and his shadow appeared beside him.

He raised a hand and sent out a streak of magic power, wrapping it around the two slender pillars. At the turn of his thoughts, they began to roll continuously.

The blaze below burned fiercely, yet not a wisp of smoke rose.

The two slender pillars kept spinning like high-speed motors.

Though the slender pillars were hard as rock, they showed no sign of breaking under the strain. The even heat left not a single scorch mark on the Demonic Beast Meat.

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

Seeing this,

Cheng Buzheng raised a hand. Fine threads of magic power shot from his fingertips and seeped into each strip of meat, distributing the Spiritual Energy Essence within it evenly.

This made the texture even better. Every bite contained an equal amount of Spiritual Power Essence, smooth and tender throughout.

His conditions were limited, but the meat was fresh and natural, with its original flavor intact. Add some seasoning, though, and it would be a whole different taste.

As the fire roasted the meat, the aroma from the skewers spinning on the slender pillars like motor-driven spits grew richer and richer.

A fine layer of golden oil gradually appeared on each strip of Demonic Beast Meat.

Cheng Buzheng studied the grain of the meat and noticed a few discordant lines that hadn't quite blended in.

With a solemn expression, he flicked out a streak of magic power, splitting it into countless threads that repeatedly patted each strip of meat.

As the grain gradually disappeared, the fragrance grew fainter and fainter. He knew this meant the barbecue was almost done.

When the Demonic Beast Meat no longer gave off even the faintest aroma, the grilling was complete.

Before long,

the strips of Demonic Beast Meat had lost all their grain. Their surfaces glistened with oil, golden and enticing, yet not a trace of fragrance escaped them. This was the legendary state of perfection: Return to Simplicity.

Just as the meat reached its peak flavor, he waved a hand. The fire beneath the grill gradually died down, and the slender pillars tilted slightly upward as they continued to turn, keeping the meat at its best.

A golden, shimmering strip of meat floated before him.

His right hand coated in magic power like a glove, he grabbed the tempting, golden strip hovering in front of him.

Cheng Buzheng narrowed his eyes and took a gentle bite.

In an instant,

a rich meaty flavor bloomed across his taste buds, its aroma intoxicating. Without hesitation, he took another bite and chewed quickly, satisfaction plain on his face.

In the blink of an eye, he had devoured the entire strip of Demonic Beast Meat.

"Not bad... As expected of Demonic Beast Meat. It's incredibly tender and tastes excellent...

"It even increased my Spirit Power a little. No wonder it's Spirit Food. Its texture is beyond anything an ordinary beast could offer.

"But what a shame... meat without wine!"

Cheng Buzheng shook his head with a sigh.

Still, his barbecue skills had reached the pinnacle of history. The slightest changes in the Demonic Beast Meat couldn't escape his Dharma Eye.

He sighed once more, then wasted no time in drawing over another strip of Demonic Beast Meat and happily eating it.

Before long,

he had devoured an entire two-foot-long beast, leaving not a scrap. His mouth was slick with grease.

At that moment,

he lay at his leisure on the beast's fluffy pelt, savoring the taste from earlier.

Half an hour later,

he had finished resting and began today's Mining Mission.

He was full of energy now, swinging his Mining Pick against the rocky wall and chipping off chunks of irregular Spirit Stone Raw Ore.

After digging for three whole hours, he ended today's Mining Mission early. The time he'd spent barbecuing couldn't come out of his cultivation hours; it could only be taken from his mining time.

After all, improving his cultivation was his top priority.

With the Spirit Stone Raw Ore he'd mined today on his back, his Mining Pick in hand, and the joy of his haul in his heart, he headed straight for the Secret Chamber.