"Do you have a Blood Spirit Flower in your possession?"
Liu Hui froze, a wary look flashing across his face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He smiled candidly. "That's right."
The Blood Spirit Flower is rich in Earth Essence Energy. Entirely blood-red, it is an ultimate treasure used for Refining Essence, worth more than its weight in gold.
Although Liu Hui had no idea how Mo Qi knew he possessed such a thing, he knew that if Mo Qi wanted to take it by force, he would be utterly powerless to resist.
Besides, Mo Qi's eyes were clear, devoid of any greed.
"If I'm not mistaken, Brother Liu Hui, your Innate Essence Energy is deficient. You must have suffered a severe injury in the womb and were consequently born premature."
Mo Qi cultivated the Creation Golden Body Technique and was at the Second-Turned Live Fetus Realm of the Nine Transformations into Spirit. He couldn't have been more familiar with the state of a body's flesh, blood, and Essence Energy.
Liu Hui was short and gaunt, with a sallow complexion. This wasn't because of Acquired malnourishment, but an innate deficiency.
Mo Qi had identified the root of the problem at a single glance. In his condition, it was a miracle Liu Hui had even reached the Realm of Refining Essence Eighth Heaven. If he couldn't solve this issue, he would never reach the Refining Essence Ninth Heaven in this life, to say nothing of Qi Refining and the realms beyond.
This was precisely why Liu Hui had endured countless hardships and stared death in the face numerous times to obtain the Blood Spirit Flower.
"You... How do you know that?"
Liu Hui's face paled in shock. This was his greatest secret. Even the Elders of the Void Sect hadn't been able to see it, yet Mo Qi had seen right through him.
Mo Qi smiled. "Don't worry about how I know. What I can tell you is that a Blood Spirit Flower alone cannot remedy your innate deficiency."
Liu Hui sighed. "I know. But this is the best I could do."
Liu Hui had no powerful backer. He had been accepted into the Void Sect purely due to his exceptional talent, and finding the Blood Spirit Flower was a stroke of heaven-defying luck.
He knew, of course, that to cure his Innate Weaknesses, a Blood Spirit Flower alone wasn't enough. It needed to be combined with numerous other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and have an Alchemy Grandmaster refine them into an Elixir.
But were the complementary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures easy to find? And as for an Alchemy Grandmaster, he couldn't possibly afford to hire one.
He only hoped the Blood Spirit Flower could temporarily suppress his Innate Weaknesses, allowing him to break through to the Qi Refining Realm. Then, one day, he might catch the eye of some powerful figure in the Void Sect and rely on their help to solve his problem.
Mo Qi fell silent for a moment. "If you trust me," he said, "you can entrust the Blood Spirit Flower to me. I can help you resolve your Innate Weaknesses."
Liu Hui's eyebrows shot up, and his expression changed dramatically.
Anyone would be stunned to hear such a thing.
Mo Qi shrugged. "Of course, if you have a better plan, just pretend I never said anything."
Liu Hui fell into thought for a moment, then looked Mo Qi straight in the eye. "Do you really have a way?"
Mo Qi nodded. "I, Mo Qi, never lie."
"How long will it take?"
"Two hours at most, maybe just one," Mo Qi replied after a moment's thought.
Liu Hui was so shocked he stumbled and nearly fell. 'Two hours at most, maybe just one?'
'Is he kidding?'
He had expected the timeframe to be in months, or even years. He never imagined Mo Qi would say it would only take an hour or two.
It wasn't that he didn't believe Mo Qi; it was just that the claim was too incredible. Even an Alchemy Grandmaster couldn't refine a furnace of Pills so quickly.
"Brother Mo Qi, are you certain you're not joking?" Liu Hui asked, his expression serious. The Blood Spirit Flower was simply too important to him; he had to be cautious.
Mo Qi mentally reviewed the *Medicinal Cuisine Record* and carefully checked the recipe and information provided by the *Chaos Scripture*. He finally confirmed that the "Bear and Tiger Fight" dish would indeed take just a little over an hour.
If Liu Hui knew Mo Qi planned to cook his Blood Spirit Flower into a meal, he would probably try to fight him to the death.
"Alright!" Liu Hui finally slapped his thigh, having made his decision. He would entrust the Blood Spirit Flower to Mo Qi.
On the one hand, just as Mo Qi had said, the Blood Spirit Flower alone was not enough to resolve his Innate Weaknesses. Even if it temporarily suppressed the problem and allowed him to break through to the Qi Refining Realm or even the Refining God Realm, there was no guarantee he would win the favor of a powerful figure.
And even if he did, that person might not be willing to help him.
On the other hand, Mo Qi had been perfectly calm from start to finish and had exposed his secret with a single sentence. In Liu Hui's eyes, Mo Qi had become an incredibly mysterious figure.
The most crucial point was that if Mo Qi had coveted the Blood Spirit Flower, he had more than enough power to take it by force. There was no need to resort to trickery.
Having made his decision, Liu Hui took a completely crimson flower from within his robes. It had four petals and two leaves.
'Blood Spirit Flower, a companion to earth spirits. It absorbs Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and the essence of the earth, condensing the blood and qi of all living things. It takes a thousand years to form a seed, another thousand to sprout, and another thousand to bloom. It is a great tonic, best cooked with the meat of beasts to remove its dross!'
This was the information transmitted from the *Chaos Scripture*. The scripture was also the reason Mo Qi had been able to detect the Blood Spirit Flower on Liu Hui in the first place.
Mo Qi had his suspicions. There were Celestial Gifted Divine Skills, Celestial Gifted Divine Bodies, and Celestial Gifted Spiritual Treasures, but he had never heard of a Celestial Gifted Cookbook. And yet, the *Chaos Scripture* had given him the ability to identify all things, and even provided him with methods for pairing various ingredients.
Combined with the fact that he'd initially misread the "Chaos" in the scripture's name as a word for "wonton," Mo Qi had no choice but to accept this bizarre stroke of fortune: a divinely gifted cookbook.
"Wait here for a bit. I'll be right back," Mo Qi instructed before walking into the courtyard.
Liu Hui didn't dare leave, of course. Trusting Mo Qi was one thing, but keeping an eye on his Blood Spirit Flower was another. Besides, he could certainly afford to wait an hour or two.
The Wind Tiger and the Earth Bear were massive. Even in death, their ferocious auras were palpable, enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Mo Qi drew a kitchen knife from his waist. For a qualified chef, a future Kitchen God, keeping one's knife on hand at all times was a fundamental principle.
A tiger has its bones, a bear its paws and gallbladder. According to the *Chaos Scripture*'s description, the "Bear and Tiger Fight" dish required only the tiger's bones and the bear's paws and gallbladder.
Therefore, before he could start cooking, Mo Qi first had to extract the tiger's bones, sever the bear's paws, and remove the bear's gallbladder.
Liu Hui followed behind Mo Qi, utterly bewildered.
'Why is he holding a kitchen knife? And what's with rolling up his sleeves?'
Mo Qi paid Liu Hui no mind. His fingers moved in a blur, and the kitchen knife danced between them like a butterfly.
The blade cut through the air with a nerve-grating SWISH.
With a light flick of his toe, Mo Qi sent the multi-ton Wind Tiger flying into the air.
In that instant, Mo Qi seemed to transform. His body trembled slightly, his expression was utterly focused, and a sharp light glinted in his eyes.
He made his move. The kitchen knife in his hand flicked, hacked, slashed, chopped, and sliced. Starting from the wound on the Wind Tiger's forehead, its skin, flesh, organs, and membranes vanished in a continuous stream, falling to the ground as fine mince.
But its bones and Meridians were preserved with perfect integrity.
The kitchen knife became a blur of cold light in Mo Qi's hand, his arm moving so fast it left no afterimage. The Wind Tiger remained suspended in mid-air, as if held aloft by an invisible force.
In truth, Mo Qi's cuts were simply too fast. Every time the Wind Tiger's carcass began to fall, another strike from his blade would knock it back up, keeping it suspended.
Liu Hui was dumbstruck. He had never seen anyone wield a blade with such skill, even if it was just a kitchen knife.
Watching the enormous Wind Tiger being reduced to nothing but bleached-white bones and its network of Meridians, Liu Hui gasped.
He dared not imagine what would happen if Mo Qi were to use this Sword Skill on a person.
'He could probably turn a living person into a skeleton in a single instant.'
In just a few short minutes, the Wind Tiger's flesh and bone were completely separated. The blood-red Meridians clung tightly to the skeleton, completely undamaged.
One could even see fresh blood still flowing within the Meridians. The heart, their source, had also been preserved, and it still radiated a faint warmth.
Stopping his work, Mo Qi looked at his battered kitchen knife and let out a long breath.
'As expected of a Wind Tiger,' Mo Qi thought. 'Even though it hadn't yet become a Demon Beast, its hide was incredibly tough. Looks like I'll need to find a sturdier kitchen knife.'
The onlooking Liu Hui was so stunned that he forgot to ask Mo Qi what he was doing. 'Didn't he promise to help me with my Innate Weaknesses?'
Mo Qi then moved to the Earth Bear. Taking a deep breath, he focused all his strength into his right hand, which held the knife. His entire presence changed, becoming like a drawn sword, sharp and menacing.
In that moment, Liu Hui was terrified by Mo Qi's astonishing aura.
He stumbled backward. He could smell the stench of death in that aura. It was terrifying!
Mo Qi moved again—or perhaps he didn't move at all.
Liu Hui only heard a piercing sonic boom, and before he could even react, the Earth Bear's four limbs had been severed.
CRACK!
Mo Qi panted heavily. The kitchen knife in his hand shattered, the pieces scattering across the ground. He opened his hand, letting the hilt fall. All that remained were shards.
'What kind of demonic speed was that?! And that power...!'
Liu Hui swallowed hard, wondering if he was seeing things. He hadn't seen Mo Qi make a move at all, yet he had clearly struck.
Not being able to see clearly was one thing; not being able to see anything at all was something else entirely.
Mo Qi hadn't wanted to be so flashy, but the Earth Bear was known for its defense. With only an ordinary kitchen knife, he had no choice but to rely on absolute speed, even if it meant sacrificing his blade.
Getting the gallbladder, however, was easy. He could simply retrieve it through the existing wound in the Earth Bear's chest.
"Don't just stand there gawking. Come help me start the fire!"
Mo Qi stretched his aching arm. Though it sounded like a single strike, he had actually cut four times in that instant. Even for someone with his physique, it was draining.
Liu Hui wanted to ask something, but he swallowed his questions.
'Maybe he's just hungry and wants to grab a bite.'
At this point, Liu Hui would have to be an idiot not to realize what Mo Qi was planning.
What he couldn't have imagined, however, was that Mo Qi's recipe included not only the Wind Tiger and the Earth Bear, but also his Blood Spirit Flower.
The pot was the size of a small house. Liu Hui swore he had never seen a pot that large in his entire life.
Mo Qi's cooking was famous in the Void Sect; most of the disciples had tasted it.
But Liu Hui was an exception. Since joining the Void Sect, he had spent nearly all his energy searching for the Blood Spirit Flower. He had only just returned today and knew nothing about events like Mo Qi's recent entrance trial.
So, he didn't overthink it and obediently went to help with the fire.
'It all comes down to this!'
Mo Qi placed the entire skeleton of the Wind Tiger into the pot, added enough water to submerge it, and brought it to a boil.
The tiger's blood within the Meridians, along with the heart itself, churned in the boiling water and dissolved into the broth.
The key to Medicinal Cuisine was locking in the medicinal properties of the ingredients. In the hands of an ordinary chef, even regular food would lose much of its nutritional value during cooking, let alone Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
This was also the reason the author of the *Medicinal Cuisine Record* had ultimately given up: cooking was not the same as Alchemy.
Alchemy used fire to temper the essence out of medicinal herbs, which was then condensed into a Pill with the aid of an Alchemy Furnace. As long as the refining process was flawless, the loss of medicinal efficacy could be kept under thirty percent.
But Medicinal Cuisine was different. Leaving aside the issue of whether a combination of ingredients would even have a medicinal effect, there were the major problems of taste and potency. Most importantly, it was incredibly difficult to lock in the medicinal properties during the cooking process. Unlike refining, the essence was far too easily lost.
Mo Qi was betting on his mastery of his Sword Skill and the miraculous power of the *Chaos Scripture*.
'Since the *Chaos Scripture* can refine the medicinal properties of ingredients into Spiritual Energy,' he reasoned, 'then locking those properties *inside* the ingredients shouldn't be too hard, right?'