"I... I think I broke through!"
Li Chenyuan spoke in a daze.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Li Chenyuan circulated his cultivation. His presence was indeed much stronger than before.
"I broke through to the middle source gathering stage!"
Li Chenyuan was overjoyed.
His cultivation had originally been at the early source gathering stage. Reaching the middle source gathering stage should have taken him at least another six months or so.
Yet now, after a hot pot meal, Li Chenyuan had broken through just like that, for no apparent reason.
It felt wonderfully smooth.
It was exactly like water flowing into a channel once it was ready.
"Wait, I think I'm about to break through too!"
As Zhao Wangchun spoke, his presence abruptly grew stronger as well.
He broke through from spirit opening great perfection to the early source gathering stage!
"Ah! I broke through too!"
Xu Jing'er cried out in surprise.
Her cultivation climbed straight from the late spirit opening stage to spirit opening great perfection.
The three fellow disciples broke through one after another.
And each of them advanced by one minor realm.
This could no longer be called a coincidence.
At that moment, Chu Yanyu's expression changed as well.
"I'm about to break through too!"
Before her words had faded, Chu Yanyu's presence multiplied.
She advanced straight from the late spirit opening stage to spirit opening great perfection.
Beside her, Bai Suyi watched, dumbfounded.
When Chu Yanyu had returned last time, her advancement from the spirit opening middle stage to the late spirit opening stage had already astonished Bai Suyi.
How much time had passed since then?
Chu Yanyu had actually broken through again.
She had advanced straight to spirit opening great perfection.
She had caught up with her just like that.
"Your Majesty! I feel like I'm about to break through too!"
Guyue suddenly cried out.
"What? You're about to break through too?"
Dongfang Su looked at Guyue in disbelief.
Sure enough!
Guyue broke through.
As his presence multiplied, Guyue advanced smoothly from the early core formation stage to the middle core formation stage.
The others' breakthroughs were still reasonably acceptable.
After all, their cultivation levels were not high.
But Guyue was different.
He was an expert from the imperial palace, a personal guard of Martial Emperor Dongfang Su.
His cultivation was in the core formation realm.
And someone in the core formation realm could already serve as an elder in the three great sects.
Advancing from the early core formation stage to the middle core formation stage.
Generally speaking, such a breakthrough would only be possible after at least ten years.
Yet Guyue had accomplished it in an instant.
It was simply inconceivable.
The successive breakthroughs made everyone realize that this was definitely no coincidence.
They all looked at Ye Qingyun.
Then they all thought of the hot pot they had just eaten.
"Could the hot pot we just ate have caused our breakthroughs?"
Li Chenyuan could not help saying.
"Very likely!"
Guyue nodded repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Xu Changfeng and Dongfang Su also felt some changes within themselves.
Although neither man's cultivation had broken through.
An understanding welled up in both their hearts.
They had attained sudden enlightenment!
At that moment, both men experienced the exceedingly rare phenomenon of sudden enlightenment.
With a moment of sudden enlightenment, the spiritual altar became clear.
The boundless Great Dao lay right before their eyes!
Xu Changfeng's face was filled with shock.
Dongfang Su's expression changed in astonishment.
The two exchanged a glance, each able to sense the other's current state.
For a moment, both men struggled to maintain their composure.
This was nothing short of a miracle.
They had attained sudden enlightenment simply by eating this one hot pot meal.
It was utterly inconceivable.
"To think that even at my current cultivation, I could still attain sudden enlightenment. This hot pot meal was truly worthwhile."
Dongfang Su was filled with emotion.
"I attained sudden enlightenment as well. So many past uncertainties in my cultivation have suddenly become clear. It truly puts the mind and spirit at ease."
Xu Changfeng spoke.
Everyone was shocked.
These two big shots had actually attained sudden enlightenment too?
Wasn't this far too terrifying?
Ye Qingyun listened from the side, utterly bewildered.
Breakthroughs and sudden enlightenment, one after another.
It left Ye Qingyun rather confused.
"Wasn't it just a hot pot meal? Does it warrant this much fuss?"
Ye Qingyun was very puzzled.
The hot pot had contained nothing but ordinary ingredients. How could it have such a tremendous effect?
Besides, he himself had felt nothing at all except a full stomach.
"Could it be that eating hot pot had no effect on me because I have no cultivation?"
That was what Ye Qingyun thought.
At that moment, Xu Changfeng and Dongfang Su both rose and bowed solemnly to Ye Qingyun.
"Thank you for your gift, Senior!"
Both big shots had paid their respects.
Naturally, the others could not simply stand by and watch.
Everyone except Bai Suyi bowed to Ye Yun together.
"Thank you for your gift, Senior!"
Ye Qingyun felt a little awkward.
"Please don't do this. I really didn't do anything, and I'm no senior expert."
At this, everyone was moved.
An expert is truly an expert, so indifferent to fame and fortune. Our gains were clearly all his doing, yet he doesn't take them to heart at all.
This is the bearing of a true expert. We are nowhere near his level.
Perhaps in this expert's eyes, helping us break through and gain enlightenment was merely a casual act, nothing worth taking to heart.
The more Ye Qingyun denied it, the more they felt he was doing so deliberately, and the more they admired him.
"Master, might everything cooked in that hot pot have been heavenly materials and earthly treasures?"
Xu Changfeng asked tentatively.
Ye Qingyun shook his head.
"What heavenly materials and earthly treasures? They're all common things from my courtyard. They're nothing special."
Hearing this, everyone felt an even deeper sense of awe.
Things found everywhere in this expert's courtyard produced such effects when casually thrown into a pot.
If they were used to refine pills, wouldn't the results soar straight into the sky?
At this very moment, one person was filled with regret.
That person was Bai Suyi.
Because of her obsession with cleanliness, she had been unable to get past her mental barrier and had not touched the hot pot.
But now, watching the others break through or attain sudden enlightenment, she alone had experienced nothing.
Bai Suyi regretted it.
If I'd known there would be such tremendous benefits.
Why would I have stood on ceremony?
Now look what happened.
Everyone else ate until they were beaming with delight and reaped abundant rewards.
You're the only one who got nothing, and now your best friend has even caught up with your cultivation.
Bai Suyi looked pitifully at Ye Qingyun.
"Master, I'd like some too..."
Everyone looked at her sympathetically.
Chu Yanyu curled her lip.
"You wouldn't eat when we asked you earlier, and now you want some?"
With a bitter expression, Bai Suyi could only nod.
"Wait until next time. The next time I have hot pot, come over and I'll treat you."
Ye Qingyun spoke.
Bai Suyi was a little disappointed. "But I..."
"How dare you pester the master?"
Xu Jing'er was somewhat displeased.
"The master invited all of us to eat earlier, but you alone refused his kindness. Now you still want to trouble him. Do you think you have the right?"
Li Chenyuan also cast Bai Suyi a sidelong glance.
Disciples of the Nine Spirits Sect truly had no sense of propriety.
Bai Suyi looked aggrieved.
She had wanted to ask the master to treat the hidden injuries within her body.
Beyond that, she did not dare hope for a breakthrough in cultivation or anything of the sort.
Seeing Bai Suyi like this, Chu Yanyu could not bear it and immediately spoke on her behalf.
"Young Master Ye, Susu actually has a favor to ask."
Ye Qingyun looked curiously at Bai Suyi.
"Just tell me what it is. I'll help if I can."