The nights in the prison were exceptionally long.
Dai Mubai curled up on the cold stone bed, the rumbling in his stomach particularly clear in the silent cell.
A full day of forced labor, coupled with not eating a single grain of rice, left this once pampered prince of the Star Luo Empire feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
He tried to circulate his Soul Power to resist hunger, but found that in the Heavenly Prison of the Heavenly Court, the circulation of Soul Power was unusually sluggish, as if it were being suppressed by some invisible force.
What made him even more desperate was that the stone walls and iron railings here seemed to contain some kind of restriction, isolating most of the spiritual energy from the outside world.
"Hateful..."
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth.
Memories of delicacies flashed before my eyes like phantoms: the imperial banquet at the Star Luo Imperial Palace, the Recovery Big Sausage specially made by Little Ao on the back mountain of the Shrek Academy, and even the ordinary meal I ate with Tang San and the others at a small restaurant in Suotuo City...
They have all become unattainable luxuries.
From the cell next door came Wang Ergou's even snoring. The old man had finished his meal and was sleeping soundly, completely unaffected by his surroundings.
"Gurgle--"
My stomach started protesting again.
"I still don't know when I can go out, and I haven't been eating anything..."
Reason and pride crumble in the face of physiological needs.
Dai Mubai struggled to sit up and looked at the wooden bowl outside the railing, which had long since gone cold.
The three steamed buns had become somewhat dry and hard on the surface, and the oil from the plate of vegetables and tofu had congealed into a white color.
"Just one bite..." he told himself, "At least to know what it tastes like."
He moved to the railing, his hand trembling as he reached out and picked up a steamed bun.
It was cold and hard to the touch, a far cry from the soft, fluffy white steamed buns he remembered being made by the imperial chefs of the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
He closed his eyes and took a small bite.
The texture is rough, with a slight bran-like feel; it's really not very good.
but--
The moment that bite of steamed bun went down, a warm current suddenly rose from my stomach!
Dai Mubai suddenly opened his eyes wide.
This is not an illusion!
The warm current quickly spread to every part of his body, and his previously sluggish Soul Power began to circulate on its own!
"This, this is..."
He stared in disbelief at the steamed bun in his hand, then at the plate of vegetables and tofu.
Could it be...?
He didn't care about his image, grabbed a steamed bun and ate it in big bites, then used his chopsticks to rummage through the plate of cold side dishes.
The tofu was incredibly tender and fresh; it looked ordinary, yet it contained a unique, indescribable sweetness.
The greens are crisp and refreshing, and a subtle, magical energy seems to seep out as you chew them!
As the food entered his stomach, the warm current grew stronger and stronger. Dai Mubai felt his parched meridians receiving rain after a long drought, greedily absorbing the energy contained in the food.
The Soul Power began to circulate on its own, one cycle, two cycles...
"Boom!"
Dai Mubai's body trembled, and his Soul Power surged violently!
He broke through!
The bottleneck that had kept him stuck in the Douluo Continent for months was actually broken through in this Heavenly Court Prison, thanks to a simple prison meal!
Dai Mubai sat there blankly, feeling the overflowing Soul Power within his body, completely bewildered.
"How is this possible...? This is clearly just... it smells so good..."
"Just pig feed?"
Behind me, I heard Wang Ergou's mocking voice.
The old man had woken up sometime earlier and was leaning on the railing, looking at him with a half-smile.
Dai Mubai blushed, remembering what he had just said, and wished he could disappear into the ground.
Wang Ergou laughed loudly, "What? Now you're not calling it pig swill anymore?"
Kid, let me tell you!
What do you think the Heavenly Court is? Even the food in the Heavenly Prison is for cultivators!
The pig feed of cultivators, if placed in the mortal realm, would be a treasure that could prolong the lifespan of ordinary people!
Dai Mubai was completely dumbfounded.
He looked down at the half-eaten steamed bun in his hand, then at the empty bowl of vegetables, and suddenly realized that his earlier look of disgust was simply...
"I... I..."
"Eat up, then go to sleep. We have more labor camp tomorrow."
Wang Ergou ignored him, yawned, and went back to sleep.
Dai Mubai sat there, his feelings extremely complicated.
He ate the rest of the steamed bun in small bites, savoring each bite.
At this moment, he was finally able to perceive how pure spiritual energy and Daoist principles were contained within this seemingly ordinary food.
His Soul Power was steadily increasing, even faster than when he usually cultivated.
If I could eat this kind of food every day...
Dai Mubai suddenly realized that his imprisonment in the Heavenly Prison might not be a pure punishment.
This might be... a stroke of luck?
And at this moment.
The Douluo Continent group, who were originally preparing to rest, watched as Dai Mubai went from disgust to shock to shame on the Heavenly Screen.
Douluo Continent, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong laughed loudly, "This kid's face changes faster than turning the pages of a book!"
What was once considered "just pig swill" has suddenly become "delicious"!
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but chuckle, "You can't blame him for that."
Anyone who goes from being a prince to a prisoner will feel a sense of loss.
He just hadn't expected that the food these Heavenly Court prisoners ate would be the rarest delicacies in our eyes.
An elder stroked his beard and chuckled, "The most ridiculous thing is that he previously thought those two girls from the Zhu Family were 'in the same boat' as him. Now that he knows the truth about the prison food, I wonder what he thinks?"
"They probably wish they could disappear into a crack in the ground!"
Laughter erupted again in the hall.
Shrek Academy.
Ma Hongjun laughed so hard he rolled on the ground, " Boss Dai Boss Dai! Where did that disgusted look go? Wasn't it just 'pig slop'? How come you're eating it with more relish than anyone else!"
Oscar suppressed a laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly. "The most hilarious thing was his expression after the breakthrough; he was completely dumbfounded."
But seriously, isn't the Heavenly Court a bit too extravagant? Even the food in the Heavenly Prison is like this...
He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood what he meant.
The Heavenly Court's foundation is unfathomable.
Xiao Wu blinked her big eyes. "Actually Mubai is quite pitiful. He didn't know that before..."
Ning Rongrong sighed, "It's pitiful, but also laughable."
However, the fact that he can now enjoy such a rare delicacy can be considered a blessing in disguise.
Look, he's broken through to the next level!
Tang San nodded. "Indeed. If Mubai could eat this kind of food every day, his cultivation speed would far surpass ours."
This prison... might truly be his destiny.
However... this process is far too humiliating.
The Imperial Palace of the Star Luo Empire.
Dead silence.
Dai Tianfeng's expression was beyond just ugly.
His own son, the third prince of the Star Luo Empire, actually broke through to a higher level just for a "prison meal," and was even moved to tears by the gratitude...
This scene has brought shame upon the entire Star Luo Imperial Family!
"You bastard!" Dai Tianfeng finally couldn't hold back any longer and smashed the table beside him with his palm. "My son has actually fallen to this level!"
Dai Weisi stood to the side, his expression shifting constantly.
He felt a pang of pity for his brother's plight, but also anger at his brother's "shameful behavior."
What terrified him most was the food in the prison that day...
If even prisoners can enjoy such rare delicacies, just how terrifying is the true power and resources of the Heavenly Court?
At this moment, the Heavenly Screen gradually darkened in Dai Mubai's view.
And then the Sword Pavilion of the Great Xia Dynasty lit up.
" The Primordial Ancient Mine... War?"