Just as Mo Qi predicted, the Chaos Scripture unleashed its power.
Under a special power, the Wind Tiger's bones, heart, and blood gradually dissolved into the broth. Its entire Essence Energy was locked firmly within, not even the slightest trace escaping.
Liu Hui, who was stoking the fire and assisting, was utterly baffled. 'This isn't right. Why isn't there any fragrance?'
He had spent years on the road, and while he was no master chef, he knew a thing or two about cooking.
A soup made from tiger bones was supposed to be intensely fragrant, yet at this moment, he couldn't smell a thing.
However, he wasn't concerned about that. What he cared about was how Mo Qi would help him overcome his Innate Weaknesses.
Following the method from the Chaos Scripture, Mo Qi refined the tiger bone broth until it became a milky white. A dazzling silver light faintly emanated from the translucent liquid, and every boiling bubble seemed to contain a tiger's roar.
Silently keeping track of the time, Mo Qi threw the prepared bear paw into the pot. He then crushed the bear's gallbladder, squeezed out the essence of the bile, and dripped it into the broth.
The Blood Spirit Flower required special handling. Having absorbed the free-floating blood and qi between heaven and earth for years, it was inevitably tainted by a deathly aura.
This deathly aura had formed a membrane over the surface of the Blood Spirit Flower. Mo Qi's task was to remove this layer without damaging the flower itself.
A brand-new kitchen knife appeared in his hand.
For someone like him, who could split a single strand of hair into thirteen thousand, six hundred threads, removing the membrane was no difficult feat.
SHING!
The blade flashed with a crisp whistle, causing Liu Hui, who was focused on stoking the fire, to instinctively crane his neck to see.
The sight nearly scared him out of his wits.
He saw Mo Qi, holding the knife in one hand, bringing it down on the Blood Spirit Flower without so much as a blink.
"No!" Liu Hui's face went pale with horror. The Blood Spirit Flower was his last hope.
He had been incredibly fortunate to get his hands on one; finding a second was completely out of the question.
"Stop!"
Liu Hui was overcome with regret. He never should have trusted someone so easily.
He gripped his Fire Stick, and though he knew he was no match for Mo Qi, he attacked without a moment's hesitation.
Mo Qi was at the most critical point of removing the membrane and couldn't spare the focus to explain. If the Blood Spirit Flower were damaged in the slightest, all his work would be wasted, and not even the Chaos Scripture could remedy it.
So, as the attack reached him, Mo Qi freed his other hand, grabbed the approaching Fire Stick, and forcibly wrenched it from Liu Hui's grasp. Then, he brought it down squarely on his forehead.
THUMP!
Liu Hui's body went limp, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fainted.
Mo Qi tossed the stick aside and returned his full attention to the Blood Spirit Flower.
...
"Liu Hui! Mo Qi! I want you dead!"
Qi Yun, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, spat through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with rage.
What happened today was an utter humiliation for him.
In his agitation, he accidentally aggravated his wounds, causing him to hiss in a sharp breath of pain.
"Boss, that Mo Qi is too powerful. We're no match for him," one of his lackeys said with a bitter look.
Mo Qi had single-handedly beaten Qi Yun, who was at the Refining Essence Ninth Heaven, so badly he couldn't take care of himself. They, who were merely at the Sixth and Seventh Levels of Essence Refining, didn't dare to even think about it.
'Revenge? Out of the question.'
"How about we tell Lord Qi Tian about this?" someone suggested.
Qi Tian was Qi Yun's older brother, an Elite Disciple with Refining God Cultivation. Moreover, he doted on his younger brother.
If Qi Tian were to find out that Qi Yun had been beaten into such a sorry state, he would surely step in to avenge him.
"No!" Qi Yun rejected the idea outright.
The whole reason he wanted the Wind Tiger and the Earth Bear was to achieve a perfect state of Essence Refining, close the gap between himself and Qi Tian, and finally step out of his brother's shadow.
"But Boss, we're no match for Mo Qi."
Qi Yun glared at the man. "Of course, I know that. But don't forget, Mo Qi's true opponent is Wang Hao. In one month, he will certainly die at Wang Hao's hands. The only one we need to deal with is Liu Hui."
The lackeys had a sudden realization.
If it was just Liu Hui, things would be much simpler.
A cultivator at the Refining Essence Eighth Heaven wouldn't pose much of a threat.
"I only held back before because I didn't want the trouble. Did Liu Hui really think I wouldn't dare to kill him? This time, I'll make him pay for everything, with interest!"
Qi Yun took out a pale golden Elixir and swallowed it, his face twisting in pain at the cost.
An hour later, Qi Yun burst free from his bandages. His complexion was rosy, his injuries had fully healed, and his aura was even slightly stronger than before.
...
「Deep within a great mountain in the Void Sect.」
"Someone, have that Chef Mo send a meal over tomorrow." The speaker was an elderly man in a green robe, his hair and beard completely white. Behind him stood a massive, ten-foot-tall Furnace Cauldron, inside which a great fire raged.
"Reporting to Master Yu, Mo Qi passed the entrance examination today and has officially become an Outer Disciple. He has been relieved of his position as a chef."
Yu Liang's brow furrowed. He stroked his beard, his tone laced with disappointment. "So, you're saying I won't be able to eat his food anymore?"
The person below him remained silent, not responding.
With Yu Liang's status, even though Mo Qi was now an Official Disciple, a single word from him would be enough to have Mo Qi obediently cooking for him again.
But Yu Liang wasn't one to abuse his authority, much less use his status to bully a junior disciple, even one who was merely an Outer Disciple.
"Say... if I were to take him on as a disciple, it would be perfectly natural for a disciple to cook for his master, right?"
The person below remained silent. 'You've got to be kidding me, old master.'
'Countless people in the Void Sect are dying to become your disciple, and you've refused every single one. Now you want to accept an Outer Disciple just for his cooking?!'
'As long as you're not afraid of the gossip, whatever makes you happy, old master.'
Yu Liang was the Void Sect's Chief Alchemy Master. Although his personal strength wasn't particularly high, his status within the Void Sect was unquestionably among the highest.
In the Martial Arts World, no profession was more sought-after than that of an Alchemy Master.
Whether for Cultivation, healing, or even day-to-day life, Elixirs were indispensable.
"What was the kid's completion score on the entrance exam?" Yu Liang asked casually, forming several Hand Seals directed at the Furnace Cauldron behind him.
"A score of eighty."
Yu Liang's heart skipped a beat. His finger twitched, and he formed the Hand Seal incorrectly.
BOOM!
A muffled explosion echoed from within the Furnace Cauldron, and the smell of something burning filled the air. The batch of Elixirs was ruined.
But Yu Liang paid it no mind. His voice shot up. "What was the score?"
"A completion score of eighty."
"Eighty?! That can't be right. With a score of eighty, why is he just an Outer Disciple?"
The subordinate recounted the details of Mo Qi's inability to condense True Essence, as well as his arranged duel with Wang Hao.
"Interesting," Yu Liang said, pacing with his hands behind his back. "Mo the kid is no fool. To dare and challenge someone to a duel, he must be confident. However, that old coot Wang Xinglong is a vicious one. He'll never allow anything to happen to Wang Hao."
"Alright, do this. Take a bottle of Qi Sea Pills to Mo the kid. No matter what, I really enjoy his cooking. Whether or not he can seize this opportunity is up to him."
"As you command."
...
When Liu Hui woke up again, the first thing he saw was a bear paw shimmering brilliantly.
Steam rose and swirled, forming the lifelike images of a tiger and a bear locked in combat.
As the steam dissipated, the image of the battle vanished, replaced by an intoxicating aroma that rushed to greet him.
"Heh heh, you woke up at the perfect time. It's just ready," Mo Qi said with a grin, squatting in front of Liu Hui.
Liu Hui shook his throbbing head, and his eyes caught sight of a familiar petal floating in the broth on the plate.
'Wait a minute! Isn't that a petal from the Blood Spirit Flower?!'
His muddled mind instantly cleared, and the memory struck him like a lightning bolt.
'My Blood Spirit Flower has been cooked into a dish!'
"Mo Qi! I'll kill you!"
Overcome with rage, Liu Hui's aura as a Refining Essence Eighth Heaven cultivator exploded forth. He sprang to his feet and looked as if he was about to go on a rampage.
Mo Qi slapped a hand on his shoulder, and Liu Hui immediately deflated, collapsing back onto the ground. It felt as though a great mountain was weighing him down.
Only then did Liu Hui realize the gap between them was just too wide. He stood no chance in a fight.
"Why? We have no grievances between us. Why did you deceive me?" Liu Hui sighed, asking with an air of resignation.
"If you wanted the Blood Spirit Flower, you could have just asked for it. Why did you have to give me false hope?"
Mo Qi pulled back his hand, scratched his head, and laughed. "Brother Liu Hui, you've misunderstood. If I said I could fix your Innate Weaknesses, then I can. Here, try some of this Bear and Tiger Fight. You might be in for a surprise."
Liu Hui stared coldly at Mo Qi. 'A misunderstanding? He cooked the Blood Spirit Flower and calls it a misunderstanding?'
'Without the Blood Spirit Flower, how could he possibly fix my Innate Weaknesses?'
Just then, a fragrant wisp of steam from the "Bear and Tiger Fight" drifted into his nostrils, stoking his appetite. It was an incredible aroma, more tantalizing than anything he had ever smelled!
Even though he knew it was inappropriate for the situation, Liu Hui couldn't help but swallow, and his stomach let out a loud GURGLE.
'Shameful! So shameful!'
Liu Hui's face flushed red. Though he was still furious enough to flip the table and throttle Mo Qi, the sight of the Bear and Tiger Fight—with its glistening broth and the tender, perfectly cooked meat—made his mouth water, and he swallowed hard again.
Mo Qi had anticipated this. Let alone a Medicinal Cuisine, few people could resist his cooking even when it was just an ordinary dish.
"Go on, have a taste," Mo Qi urged him again. "Right, you should try to finish it all within one minute. Afterward, calm your mind and focus on Returning to the Origin."
With that, Mo Qi left.
Liu Hui froze. He seemed to understand something, yet he found it hard to believe.
'But at this point, what else can I do?'
He picked up the chopsticks and gently clamped down on a piece of bear meat. It was tender without falling apart and lifted easily.
The moment it entered his mouth, an unprecedented and incredible aroma viciously assaulted his taste buds, the fragrance traveling from his throat up into his sinuses.
He swallowed it eagerly without needing to chew much. A warm current rose from his lower abdomen and spread throughout his entire body, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring.
'Incredible!'
Liu Hui couldn't help but cry out in pleasure. His hands were a blur as he continuously shoveled the bear meat into his mouth, his pace quickening.
"Delicious! How can something this delicious exist in the world?!"
Soon, chopsticks were no longer enough to satisfy him. He simply fished out the entire bear paw, held it in his hands, and began to gnaw on it.
'One minute? Too long.'
In less than thirty seconds, Liu Hui had devoured the entire bear paw, meat, bones, and all. He didn't leave a single drop of broth, licking the plate so many times it shone, cleaner than if it had been washed.
Just then, Liu Hui's expression changed dramatically. He felt a tremendously powerful wave of Essence Energy spreading from his abdomen. The Innate Weaknesses that had tormented him for so long were showing signs of being mended.
"This..."
Liu Hui remembered Mo Qi's words. Though he still found it hard to believe, he knew he had misjudged him.
With no time for further thought, Liu Hui entered a deep state of Cultivation. He had a premonition that after this day, his life was about to change forever.