Inside the Thunderfire Hall, when Lu Jin and the others saw the twelve Golden Pupil Spirit Fish that Lu Ming had brought back, they all fell into silence.
" A-Ming, you didn't rob that ' Spirit Fish Pond, ' did you?" Second Uncle Lu Jinglei stared wide-eyed, his face full of shock.
"I've heard of this ' Spirit Fish Banquet ' before. Usually, anglers who participate are considered to have passed if they catch three Golden Pupil Spirit Fish. Your achievement of twelve fish is unprecedented," Lu Qingyan exclaimed.
Lu Jin then said, "Those powerful families actually allowed you to take these Golden Pupil Spirit Fish away; it seems Li Yan put in a lot of effort."
Lu Ming shrugged and said, "I won't be able to participate next year."
"If you go this far, they won't dare let you participate."
Lu Jin shook his head with amusement, then said to Zhong Ying beside him, "Starting today, cook a ' Golden Pupil Spirit Fish ' for A-Ming every day. This resource is quite rare, and its effects should be stronger than the Dharma Pattern Pill."
Zhong Ying happily agreed. She was naturally overjoyed to see her son so successful.
"It's almost lunchtime, I'll go cook for A-Ming now." She picked up the fish basket and headed towards the kitchen. Such a precious spirit fish, she naturally wouldn't dare let outsiders mess with it; she could only feel at ease if she did it herself.
"Mother, make one for Father and Second Uncle too!" Lu Ming added.
Lu Jin was already Divine Ability Master, so the Golden Pupil Spirit Fish didn't have much of an effect on his improvement.
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei hurriedly tried to stop them. Because Lu Ming had accelerated the ripening of the Moon Spirit Grass, the Thunderfire Hall was no longer as impoverished and destitute as before. Lu Jin had also begun to gradually recover their Dharma Pattern Pill. They were extremely satisfied with this change. Moreover, the Golden Pupil Spirit Fish was even more precious than Dharma Pattern Pill, and it would be a waste to feed it to them.
"Father, Second Uncle, we have a tough battle at the beginning of next month, a life-or-death struggle. The more we improve our strength now, the more secure we'll be then. I don't want to see any of you get into trouble; that would be a huge blow to the Lu Clan," Lu Ming said earnestly.
Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei were speechless. The beginning of next month that Lu Ming mentioned was naturally an attack from the Peach Mountain Band. Their overall strength was very strong, no weaker than their Thunderfire Hall. Once they clashed, their fate would be uncertain.
Lu Jin remained silent for a few moments, then nodded and said, "Please accept A-Ming's kind offer. There's no need for such formalities among family."
Upon hearing Lu Jin speak, Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei no longer refused.
Lu Jinglei rubbed his hands together, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Just one; any more would be a waste."
It took Zhong Ying half an hour to prepare a sumptuous lunch. The most eye-catching dish was three bowls of fragrant spirit fish meat. The fish soup inside was snow-white and thick, with a faint golden light flowing in it, emanating pure and gentle Primordial Qi fluctuations.
"Bang!"
The door was suddenly pushed open, and Lu Mengmeng stood there yawning, but her eyes were wide open. She looked at everyone and accused them, "What good things have you all been eating behind my back?!"
Zhong Ying stepped forward irritably, tapped her on the head, and scolded, "You only got up at noon, and you still dare to yell?"
Lu Mengmeng darted to the table with her tiny steps, her eyes shining as she gazed at the three bowls of Golden Pupil Spirit Fish. She sniffed hard, and her mouth watered instantly. "It smells so good! Can I eat it?!"
"This is Golden Pupil Spirit Fish, the one your brother brought back. The Primordial Qi it contains is too concentrated; you can't eat it right now," Lu Qingyan quickly reminded him, afraid that this greedy little glutton would mistake the spirit fish for ordinary food and eat it.
"Please give it a try!" Lu Mengmeng pleaded.
Lu Jin smiled and said, "Give her a bowl of fish soup and see."
So Lu Ming ladled out a small bowl of fish soup for her and handed it to her.
"Thank you, brother."
Lu Mengmeng happily reached out her little hand and took it.
"Drink slowly," Lu Ming reminded him.
But before she could finish speaking, Lu Mengmeng had already downed the bowl in one gulp, swallowing the fish soup from the Golden Pupil Spirit Fish. Her face turned bright red at a visible speed, and her belly swelled up like a balloon.
Lu Mengmeng swayed precariously, as if drunk, but her eyes were unusually bright.
"Don't be greedy, or your stomach will burst from Primordial Qi," Zhong Ying said irritably.
"I'm fine! Look!"
Lu Mengmeng remained defiant. She reached out and rubbed her stomach, and then her swollen belly, which had been bulging like a balloon, gradually deflated. Everyone could clearly see a faint glow flowing over her belly, eventually seeping into her flesh.
This scene surprised not only Zhong Ying, but also Lu Jin and Lu Ming: "You actually absorbed the Primordial Qi? The concentration of that Primordial Qi is much stronger than the Qi Refining Pill you usually take during cultivation."
"What's going on? This girl usually takes a whole day to absorb even a single Qi Refining Pill during her cultivation, she's incredibly slow..." Zhong Ying said, puzzled.
Lu Jin squatted down and gently poked Lu Mengmeng's lower abdomen with his pipe, saying with slight doubt, "It doesn't look like normal absorption; it seems like she's simply digesting it..."
"Is there a difference?" Lu Ming asked.
"There are some, I suppose. Human cultivation relies on absorbing the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi to strengthen oneself. On the contrary, some special primordial beasts in the world can devour everything and digest it directly, turning it into Primordial Qi," Lu Jin pondered.
"Did Mengmeng give birth to a Yuan Beast stomach?" Lu Ming asked in surprise.
"That's not necessarily true. It might be a special talent, but it's not certain. It could just be that she has a big appetite and digests quickly."
Everyone was both amused and exasperated. This girl truly lived up to her reputation as a foodie; she had used up all her talent on this.
"Can I still drink fish soup?" Lu Mengmeng licked her lips, her face full of anticipation. This fish soup was extremely delicious, even better than pastries. If she could cultivate like this every time, she wouldn't be forced to suffer so much by the Qi Refining Pill.
"Since she can digest it, let her continue drinking it," Lu Jin said.
So, Lu Ming, Lu Qingyan, and Lu Jinglei all served her soup.
Lu Ming wasn't idle either. He couldn't wait to stuff mouthfuls of the Golden Pupil Spirit Fish meat into his mouth. The melt-in-your-mouth texture and the burst of freshness made Lu Ming experience what a delicacy was for the first time.
Most importantly, along with the taste comes an extremely pure and gentle Primordial Qi that surges through the body.
These Primordial Qi surged into the body, first being absorbed and refined by the " Fire Lotus Mark," and then feeding back even purer and more abundant Primordial Qi, which surged into the Divine Ability Bone. Instantly, the Divine Ability Bone emitted a roar, condensing into mysterious Dharma Mark runes.
As these Dharma Mark runes accumulated, they eventually reached a critical point where a light suddenly flowed, and the Dharma Mark began to merge.
That's a sign that the complete Divine Ability Dharma Mark are about to condense!
Since breaking through to the Great Divine Ability Practitioner, Lu Ming has not relaxed his cultivation at all. Therefore, most of the Dharma Mark runes had already been condensed on his Divine Ability Bone. Now, thanks to the pure Primordial Qi of the " Golden Pupil Spirit Fish," the remaining Dharma Mark runes were immediately completed.
At the dinner table, Lu Jin and the others suddenly looked up, gazing at Lu Ming with some surprise. At this moment, there was a strange movement emanating from the latter's body, and the fluctuations of his Primordial Qi were rapidly increasing.
This enhancement lasted for quite a while before Lu Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Lu Jin and the others, saying, "This Golden Pupil Spirit Fish is truly a wonderful thing; it helped me condense the fifth Divine Ability Dharma Mark more than half a month earlier."
"One Divine Ability Dharma Mark every half month?"
Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complex emotions—a mixture of relief and inferiority. Faced with Lu Ming's performance, they felt as if eating the " Golden Pupil Spirit Fish " was a crime.
"Not bad. At this rate, if you absorb the remaining ' Golden Pupil Spirit Fish,' you might be able to cultivate another Divine Ability Dharma Mark," Lu Jin said with satisfaction.
While they were enjoying themselves, Lu Mengmeng, who was drinking bowl after bowl of fish soup, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
The family quickly looked over and saw a faint, strange light appearing on Lu Mengmeng's chest.
Lu Jin and Lu Ming's expressions immediately changed.
This seems to be... a sign that the Divine Ability Bone is about to awaken?!