Little Rosie curled up in Ji Ruo's arms, clutching his clothes tightly with her eyes squeezed shut, muttering nonstop.
"Meow meow meow meow meow (You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me)."
With a knife in one hand, Ji Ruo cut up the Monster Beast meat. Every time he sliced off a piece, Liang Shixian quickly spread some of the prepared "seasoning" over it. There were so many Tree Demons waiting to be fed; they didn't have time to let the meat marinate.
Besides, this was real Monster Beast meat!
Ji Ruo's palm glowed red as he poured all his strength into it, rapidly roasting the Monster Beast meat coated in "seasoning."
The intense heat produced by Iron Sand Palm cooked the meat at incredible speed. Even Ji Ruo himself didn't realize that the Iron Sand Palm he'd acquired by unlocking an achievement seemed to have some remarkably magical effects when it came to cooking.
The note for the "Iron Palm Rice Insertion" achievement read: [Iron Sand Palm and fried rice are the perfect match~].
Judging from the note, this Martial Technique of Ji Ruo's could be used for cooking in the first place.
In theory, when he used Iron Sand Palm to fry uncooked rice, the cooked rice should have been very hard, since he hadn't added any water. But that wasn't what happened.
The rice cooked with Iron Sand Palm was sweet and delicious, plump yet soft, with a wonderful texture.
This achievement Martial Technique seemed to have a special bonus when it came to cooking.
The mouthwatering aroma spread through the air. Whenever Ji Ruo finished roasting a piece, he stuffed it into his mouth and chewed heartily.
He ate a piece himself, then handed one to Liang Shixian without missing a beat.
"Class monitor, hurry up and eat it while it's hot!"
"Uh, slow down. I'm choking a little," Liang Shixian said with his mouth full.
At this point, he'd stopped worrying about whether this was safe or not. There was no point worrying; Ji Ruo seemed to have his own unique way of living in the Secret Realm.
And so far, Ji Ruo's methods seemed much better than his own ideas.
Little Rosie had been hiding in Ji Ruo's arms, muttering quietly. The cries of all the Monster Beasts around them had terrified her.
But little by little, the rich aroma drifting into her nose left her utterly bewildered.
She cautiously poked her head out of Ji Ruo's arms, then gasped in shock. "Meow meow meow! (Master! Why didn't you call me when you started eating!)"
"Ahaha, I forgot, I forgot. Here, have some."
Ji Ruo laughed and handed Rosie a piece of roasted meat.
Rosie happily took it. "Meow~ (Thank you, Master!)"
Somehow, she forgot all about being afraid.
The Monster Beasts tied up nearby had been struggling and screaming. But as the aroma of Ji Ruo's cooking grew stronger, they gradually turned to stare at him, their eyes fixed on his hands.
"Roar~ (What's that?)"
"Chirp chirp~ (It smells so good!)"
"Awooo~ (Give me a bite! Give me a bite!)"
Ji Ruo couldn't even be bothered to respond to these provisions.
You were all going on the table anyway. What were you asking to eat for?
The two people and the cat ate at a furious pace.
Ji Ruo was surprised to discover that his Iron Sand Palm proficiency was steadily increasing at a decent speed. He was drawing closer and closer to Pure Mastery, and his palm glowed a deeper red as its temperature climbed!
His roasting efficiency increased dramatically!
Ji Ruo understood.
So Iron Sand Palm could be improved not only by frying rice, but also by cooking other dishes!
Liang Shixian was practically dripping with grease, and his whole body felt hot. Monster Beast flesh contained abundant Flesh Essence, making it one of the best supplementary resources for Martial Dao cultivation. After all, martial artists needed a plentiful supply of blood and qi to cultivate.
How could you practice martial arts without eating meat?
The reason he felt so hot was simply that his blood and qi were becoming more and more abundant with all the Monster Beast meat he was eating.
Ji Ruo was in much the same state, his face flushed red.
When he decided he'd eaten enough, he stopped roasting meat and began practicing his Martial Techniques to help digest it.
He circulated Total Concentration Breathing, which he'd created by drawing on numerous basic breathing methods, and paired it with Martial Technique movements to digest the roasted Monster Beast meat in his belly.
He chopped, kicked, and moved with wide, powerful strokes, working up a storm. The rule that you shouldn't exercise strenuously after eating didn't apply to martial artists at all.
Martial Dao meant movement!
As long as you had enough energy, you could keep cultivating!
His recently attained seventh-level Martial Apprentice cultivation began to waver, then started rising again at a visible rate—and not a slow one, either!
After all, even though these were low-level Monster Beasts, their meat was still high-grade cultivation food for a Martial Apprentice!
Total Concentration Breathing was a breathing method Ji Ruo had created to control and activate the body with remarkable efficiency. Combined with his training, it was only natural that he'd grow quickly.
Of course, his digestion was just as fast as his growth.
After practicing at such high intensity for over ten minutes, Ji Ruo felt the urge. Martial artists already had excellent digestion, and Total Concentration Breathing improved it further.
With so many Monster Beasts waiting to be butchered, Ji Ruo didn't need to worry about wasting anything. He digested it all at full speed!
A while later, Ji Ruo found a secluded spot and dug a latrine.
Liang Shixian digested his food more slowly. After Ji Ruo had finished and cleaned himself up, he stood and said to the Tree Demon Leader, "Leader, the first batch of fertilizer is ready. It's not much, so you can divide it among yourselves."
"Rustle rustle~ (Wonderful, wonderful! Brother, I really can't thank you enough!)"
The Tree Demon Leader was overjoyed.
The other Tree Demons were delighted too.
"Rustle rustle~ (It converted so quickly!)"
"Rustle rustle~ (As expected of the Divine Tree!)"
In fact, the Tree Demons could have killed the Monster Beasts directly, which would also have fertilized them.
But then they'd have had to wait for the Monster Beast corpses to rot and slowly absorb the nutrients, which would take far too long. They couldn't absorb the nutrients directly.
Excrement was different. They could absorb that quickly.
Ji Ruo cheerfully told Liang Shixian to dig a latrine and relieve himself like he had once he'd mostly finished digesting. Then he ran to the stream, washed his hands, and came back to pluck a couple of fruit to munch on. A balanced diet was healthier, after all!
After resting for a while, Ji Ruo started roasting meat again. It was a little greasy, but they were martial artists! How could they be unable to put up with such a little hardship?
It was no big deal. They could tough it out!
Little Rosie was a Demon Monster. According to her Pet Details, this little one's innate ability was Illusion.
But Ji Ruo suspected she might have some hidden talent too. She did get full, her little belly swelling round, but he never saw her use the bathroom. She'd lie on the ground and rest comfortably for a while, then be ready to eat again.
She ate without ever pooping? A distant relative of Pixiu, was she?
The two people and the cat kept eating and digesting at high speed.
By nightfall on the fourth day, Ji Ruo had actually advanced to eighth-level Martial Apprentice. The other changes weren't too noticeable; he just had a much bigger appetite.
An hour later, Liang Shixian had finished advancing too.
After their seventh round of eating, Liang Shixian practiced his Martial Techniques to help digest his food. He smacked his lips and said with a sigh, "Ji Ruo, I have a feeling that by the time this Martial Exam is over, we'll break through to ninth-level Martial Apprentice."
They'd been eating for most of the day, and now the sight of meat made him a little nauseous. But the results were undeniable!
Ji Ruo grinned. "You're thinking too small. Open your mind! The Martial Exam still has more than two days left. I think we can make a run for the peak of Martial Apprentice. Come on, let's keep eating."
"Meow~ (Eat, eat, eat!)"
Liang Shixian wore a complicated expression. "Give me a moment. Urrgh~"
He'd never dreamed that one day he'd eat so much Monster Beast meat that he'd throw up.
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