Tuoba Xi: When did our Spirit Hall become so poor?

Tuoba Xi finally managed to tear his gaze away from the corner where Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were being excessively intimate.

He felt as though his eyes had been tainted by something filthy.

The Holy Dragon Douluo forced himself to calm down, attempting to reorganize the tangled mess of thoughts in his mind.

It was at this very moment that his entire body stiffened, and he finally realized a fact that made his scalp crawl.

He began to silently take roll call in his heart.

Demon Bear Douluo, that hot-tempered brute... was here.

Spirit Kite Douluo, the proudest female eagle of the Elder Hall... was also here.

Ghost Douluo... was here.

Chrysanthemum Douluo... was here too.

Tuoba Xi's eyelid twitched violently.

He rapidly ran through the roster of the Elder Hall in his mind.

Aside from Snake Spear and Pufferfish, the two elders stationed in the Heaven Dou Empire for long-term missions, and Ghost Leopard Douluo, whose whereabouts were unknown...

Every single Titled Douluo from their Elder Hall was, at this very moment, bizarrely gathered in this tiny restaurant!

What... was going on?

In an instant, an absurd thought uncontrollably popped into Tuoba Xi's mind.

Could the Elder Hall be holding some top-secret meeting here?

But as soon as the thought arose, he snuffed it out himself.

Are you kidding me!

The Spirit Hall's Elder Hall was one of the pinnacles of power and strength on the entire Douluo Continent!

Even if they were to hold a meeting, it should be in that magnificent, solemn, and majestic Elder Hall!

How could they possibly choose such a...

Simple, plain, and frankly, shabby little restaurant?!

The muscles in his face began to twitch uncontrollably.

No.

Since when did our Spirit Hall...

Become so poor that it came to this?!

Just as Tuoba Xi's worldview was on the verge of collapsing and being rebuilt, a domineering aroma, previously ignored due to his shock, finally broke through the chaos in his mind and forcibly seized control of all his senses.

That fragrance seemed to possess a life of its own.

Just a single breath of it made him feel as though the soul power within his body was beginning to cheer and leap, while his stomach let out a roar like a beating drum.

Tuoba Xi was suddenly stunned.

He stiffly turned his neck to re-examine the bizarre scene before him.

His gaze landed on Demon Bear Douluo, who was clutching a large bowl and weeping uncontrollably.

That appearance was simply like... a soul-deep sense of being moved and a pilgrimage after tasting the peerless delicacy one had sought their entire life!

He shifted his gaze to the disheveled Spirit Kite Douluo.

In her beautiful eyes, there was only a near-obsessive craving as she stared fixedly at the direction of the kitchen, as if waiting for a miracle to descend!

Tuoba Xi finally understood.

So... they really had come here just to... eat!

Once he grasped this, he felt it was even more ridiculous than his earlier "top-secret meeting" theory!

What kind of food could make a group of Titled Douluos standing at the apex of the continent lose their composure to such a degree?!

No wonder!

No wonder these little ones were so greedy for it!

The last shred of doubt in Tuoba Xi's heart vanished completely.

He even felt that if he didn't get to eat a meal here today, it would be the greatest regret of his life!

Having figured out all the pieces, Tuoba Xi first nodded toward Demon Bear, Spirit Kite, and the others as a form of greeting.

Then, he turned around, put that kind and gentle smile back on his face, and beckoned to Hu Liena and the other two.

"It seems the place you introduced to me is truly extraordinary."

"Let's go, children, let's find a seat as well."

"Grandpa Tuoba is treating today!"

With that, Tuoba Xi led the way with the composure and indulgence of an elder, walking toward an empty table and sitting down with calm assurance.

Hu Liena and the other two exchanged a knowing look, but they did not follow him to sit down.

They stood respectfully behind Tuoba Xi.

Just kidding.

According to the senior's rules, one could only eat one meal a day.

Furthermore, in front of this unfathomable senior, how could they dare to act out of turn?

Being able to stand here and witness a Title Douluo conquered by the senior's cooking was an honor in itself!

Tuoba Xi paid no mind to this, assuming the children were merely showing him respect.

He picked up the plain-looking menu on the table and flipped it open casually.

The smile on his face remained gentle and kind.

However, the next second.

The smile on his face froze.

His gaze was nailed firmly to the menu, his pupils contracting to the extreme in an instant!

He could read the lines of dish names.

But the strings of numbers following them were something his brain found completely incomprehensible!

A bowl of noodles, eight thousand Gold Soul Coins?

A casual bottle of wine, over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins?!

Tuoba Xi's hand began to tremble slightly, beyond his control.

He slammed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and opened them again!

The prices had not changed.

Those rows of zeros seemed to be ruthlessly mocking his perception.

An illusion?

No!

With his spiritual power as a Title Douluo, how could he possibly be hallucinating!

Tuoba Xi felt his throat go dry; he instinctively looked up, wanting to ask Hu Liena what on earth was going on.

But as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down by force.

No!

He was the dignified Holy Dragon Douluo, an elder of the Elder Hall, who had just boasted about treating the children to a meal.

If he were to be scared off by a mere menu now, where would he put his old face?!

He forced out a smile that looked worse than crying, though his stiffened mouth corners had already completely betrayed the turbulent waves in his heart.

It was just that...

This wasn't a restaurant.

This was fucking robbery!!!

How could what Tuoba Xi was thinking escape Hu Liena's fox-like, sharp eyes?

Seeing Tuoba Xi's stiff smile and slightly trembling fingers, she chuckled inwardly, while her face displayed just the right amount of trepidation and apology.

She gently tugged at Tuoba Xi's sleeve and spoke in a low, guilty, and sensible tone.

"Grandpa Tuoba, should we... just leave?"

Her voice was not loud, but it reached Tuoba Xi's ears clearly.

"It's our lack of consideration; after all, the food here... is a bit too expensive."

Hu Liena lowered her head slightly, looking like a child who had done something wrong and feared punishment from an elder.

"Ah? We're just leaving?"

Yan, standing to the side, played the role of the perfect dead weight; he stared longingly toward the kitchen, swallowed his saliva instinctively, his face full of pure desire and reluctance.

"But... it smells so good..."

This made Tuoba Xi even more trapped in a dilemma.

He was the dignified Holy Dragon Douluo, an elder of Spirit Hall, who had just boasted about paying the bill; was he really going to slink away in front of a few juniors just because of the price?

Just as Tuoba Xi was about to pat his chest and declare it a small matter, Xie Yue, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.

His expression was more serious and sincere than both Hu Liena's and Yan's.

"Elder Tuoba, Nana is right; we shouldn't let you spend so much."

"It's just..."

Xie Yue changed the subject, his eyes becoming profound, as if they contained some great secret.

"The reason we dared to invite you here is not just because the food is delicious."

He lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over Demon Bear Douluo, who was sobbing uncontrollably at the next table, and the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos, who were huddled together in the corner.

"We saw it with our own eyes, Elder Ju and Elder Gui... they obtained an unimaginable... opportunity here."

"We felt that such a monumental stroke of luck should be shared first with you, the elder who cares for us the most."

"That is why... we ventured to come here without an invitation."

These words were reasonable, well-founded, and perfectly measured.

They not only provided Tuoba Xi with a graceful way out but also successfully dangled a massive temptation right before him.

Leave?

If he left, he would lose the face of the Holy Dragon Douluo.

Stay?

Then it would be more than just a meal; it would be an exploration of a potentially "monumental opportunity!"

In an instant, the shock in Tuoba Xi's eyes transformed entirely into intense interest and resolve!