The Food God's Arrangement

"Uh..."

Lin Yi hadn't expected Tang San's answer. He'd assumed Tang San was a cold, distant sort, but it seemed he wasn't that hard to get along with after all.

"Brother!"

"What is it?"

Hearing Xiao Wu call out, Tang San walked over. The two of them stood there talking about something, and Tang San smiled faintly, looking quite happy.

After a while, Tang San returned to Lin Yi with Xiao Wu. Seeing the couple holding hands, Lin Yi couldn't help coughing and saying, "I never thought I'd still get force-fed affection after coming to the Divine Realm."

Xiao Wu's face turned red, and she hid behind Tang San.

"Heh heh, you'll get used to it. You'll get used to it!"

Lin Yi had heard plenty about Tang San and Xiao Wu. Their close relationship was only natural.

"Come on! You're in for a treat today!"

"A treat? What do you mean?"

Tang San smiled mysteriously and didn't answer Lin Yi's question. Instead, he led Xiao Wu out of Sea God Hall. Since their host had already left, Lin Yi couldn't very well stay behind, so he followed them out.

"Lin Yi, this is the Divine Realm. Compared with the lower realm, Soul Power is much more abundant here. And from the moment you set foot in the Divine Realm, you can't interfere in anything happening in the lower realm, or you'll upset its balance."

"I understand."

"Good. There'll be plenty of changes for you in the Divine Realm. I won't tell you what they are; you'll find out for yourself in time."

Lin Yi nodded. If Tang San didn't want to tell him, he must have his reasons. Lin Yi didn't press him. He followed Tang San through the Divine Realm for quite a while before they finally stopped in front of a mansion.

"Food God Hall? What are we doing here?"

Lin Yi looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu in confusion, unsure why they'd come to Food God Hall. Tang San gave a cheeky grin. "I told you, you're in for a treat today. Xiao Ao heard you were coming and prepared a feast!"

"Xiao Ao? The second-ranked member of the Shrek Seven Devils? Food God Douluo?"

"That's right!"

"But..."

"What is it?"

The two of them had been about to enter Food God Hall, but when they saw Lin Yi standing there, hesitating, they stopped, unsure what was wrong.

"I seem to remember that the Food God Douluo's Martial Soul was a sausage, and his incantation was a little too..."

"Pfft!"

Before Lin Yi could finish, Xiao Wu burst out laughing. "Don't worry, Lin Yi! After Xiao Ao came to the Divine Realm, his Martial Soul changed into the Food God, just like yours. It isn't a sausage anymore!"

"That's good. That's good!"

Lin Yi let out a sigh of relief. Seeing his expression, Tang San chuckled and led him into Food God Hall.

"Xiao Ao! We're here!" Tang San called loudly from the courtyard.

Hearing him, Oscar came out of the room. As soon as he saw Tang San and the others, he hurried over to greet them.

"You're finally here! Come on in, come on in. I've already got the food ready!"

"Second brother, where's Rongrong? Why haven't I seen her?"

"Rongrong? Something came up at the Glazed Tile Sect, and she had to go take care of it. She won't be back today. You must be Lin Yi! I've heard about you from Tang San for ages. It's an honor to finally meet you!"

"Food God Douluo, you flatter me. The Shrek Seven Devils are the truly famous ones. Who across Douluo Continent hasn't heard of the seven of you?"

The two of them traded compliments, until Tang San, standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore. He took Xiao Wu by the hand and went inside. When Oscar saw them leave, he gave a cheeky grin and led Lin Yi in after them.

"Come on, give it a taste!"

"Please! You're the Food God now. If your cooking isn't good, what kind of title would you have?" Xiao Wu said, rolling her eyes.

"Enough, enough. Lin Yi, go on, try it."

Lin Yi nodded and didn't stand on ceremony. He'd be living in the Divine Realm from now on, after all, so there was no need to be stiff and formal.

Lin Yi picked up his chopsticks and tried one of the dishes. For some reason, the Soul Power inside him began to stir. To his surprise, even though he was already at level one hundred, after a single bite, his Soul Power seemed to be growing.

"This is incredible!"

"What is it?"

Tang San, who was already used to this, didn't understand what had surprised Lin Yi.

"Senior, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Does entering the Divine Realm mean my Soul Power has already reached level one hundred?"

Tang San nodded and continued eating. Lin Yi went on, "Is there still room for us to improve our Soul Power?"

"Yes."

"There is?"

Lin Yi furrowed his brow and set down his bowl and chopsticks. He'd thought reaching level one hundred meant hitting the ceiling, even in the Divine Realm. When he'd just felt his Soul Power growing, he'd assumed it was an illusion. But after hearing Tang San's answer, he realized that entering the Divine Realm might only be the beginning.

"That's right. To qualify for the Divine Realm, you have to break through level one hundred in the lower realm. But the Divine Realm is different from the lower realm. You could say that once you enter the Divine Realm, you're starting anew."

"Starting anew?"

"Mm. You may have broken through to level one hundred in the lower realm, but after entering the Divine Realm, your Soul Power is equivalent to starting at level zero, and you still have to raise it step by step. Of course, that doesn't mean the Soul Power you cultivated before has disappeared. Put another way, level one hundred in the lower realm is equivalent to level zero in the Divine Realm. Do you understand now?"

Lin Yi nodded. Tang San had explained it so clearly that there was no way he could misunderstand. No wonder he'd felt his Soul Power growing after eating Oscar's food. So that was how it worked.

"Senior, may I ask what level your Soul Power is?"

Tang San didn't hide it. "Level fifty-five. I'm a Soul Ancestor."

"I'm level fifty-four, a Soul Ancestor!" Xiao Wu chimed in.

"Y-you've been in the Divine Realm for hundreds of years, and you've only reached Soul Ancestor?"

Seeing Lin Yi's astonishment, Tang San shook his head. "Soul Power may be abundant in the Divine Realm, but the Soul Power needed to keep progressing after level one hundred isn't as simple as you think. Every level you gain in the Divine Realm takes as much time as it would to go from level zero to level ninety-nine in the lower realm."

"From level zero to level ninety-nine? That's ridiculously difficult!"

"It is. But there's not much to do in the Divine Realm, so cultivating in peace is a decent way to pass the time. Don't rush yourself. You've only just arrived, and there's still a lot you don't know."

Hearing all this, Lin Yi sighed and turned to Oscar. "Food God Douluo, what level are you now?"

"Heh heh! Level sixty, a Soul Ancestor!"