Chapter 7: Rice Porridge Breaks the Boundary

“That pearl and I seem to share quite a bit of fate; I encounter it often!” Zhu Xiaoyuan continued.

Yu Qiushui’s heart leapt with joy at once—so this venerable one admits to knowing the Fire Moon Sect. Perhaps one of the ancestors of our sect had dealings with this senior in the past? Otherwise, why would he return the Water Nourishing Pearl to the Fire Moon Sect?

“But there is only one such pearl,” Zhu Xiaoyuan glanced at the three of them and continued, “so you’d best abandon any further hopes.”

There was nothing to be done—even if Leng Qianxue and her companions were desperate, he himself could not produce another identical pearl.

Yet upon hearing this, Yu Qiushui and the others’ faces changed dramatically. They were all experienced, and naturally discerned that this senior was warning them. There is only one pearl; best to abandon your thoughts… Clearly, he wished to avoid further entanglements with the Fire Moon Sect.

Best to abandon your thoughts…

Yu Qiushui’s gaze darkened, helpless. As the former master of the Fire Moon Sect, he was no stranger to the ways of cultivation: the higher one’s realm, the more one valued fate and karma. The senior had spoken thus; they must not entertain further designs. Moments ago, he had hoped to ask Zhu Xiaoyuan to assist the sect.

Leng Qianxue, too, felt disappointed.

“Still, you have journeyed a thousand miles; it couldn’t have been easy!” Zhu Xiaoyuan saw their crestfallen faces and felt a twinge of pity in his heart. “You must be hungry. Why not share a meal and some tea before you depart?”

With that, he went to prepare tea.

Among the three, the eldest was gaunt and had nearly stumbled while walking. If they did not replenish their strength, Zhu Xiaoyuan feared they might collapse on the road.

“Master, shall we…” Huang Xiantang looked toward Yu Qiushui.

Yu Qiushui waved his hand, resigned. “Say no more. To have recovered the Water Nourishing Pearl is fortune enough—besides, the senior helped Leng break through her realm. We ought to be satisfied.”

Just then, Leng Qianxue suddenly spoke, “Former Master, Master, I believe Senior Zhu’s intentions are not so simple. Otherwise, why would he keep us here?”

Yu Qiushui was stunned, then a spark of understanding flashed in his eyes. “I see.”

“Master, what do you understand?” Huang Xiantang asked urgently.

“Do you recall what Senior Zhu just said? That our journey was arduous, and he wished to share a meal and tea with us before we left… This is the opportunity he bestows upon us!”

“Remember? Leng broke through her realm because of this, reaching the peak of the Golden Core!”

For a moment, Yu Qiushui’s eyes were filled with excitement. For such an extraordinary being, even a small opportunity would suffice for a lifetime.

Hearing this, Huang Xiantang and Leng Qianxue were full of anticipation.

Before long, Zhu Xiaoyuan emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming pot of rice porridge. Even before it arrived, the aroma wafted through the air.

“This scent is so enticing!” Leng Qianxue’s delicate nose twitched, her beautiful eyes shining with delight, and she could not help but lick her lips.

“The richness of the aroma alone carries potent spiritual energy… What kind of heavenly treasures were used for this porridge?” Huang Xiantang was awestruck, his anticipation growing.

“No… Beyond mere heavenly treasures, look at the shapes formed by the rising steam—it’s like a qilin and a phoenix!” Yu Qiushui’s lips quivered, his whole body trembling with excitement.

The others focused their gaze. Sure enough, the steam rising from the porridge slowly gathered into the shapes of a qilin and a phoenix, gracefully dancing like mysterious Daoist patterns.

“Such phenomena… The quality of this porridge must be unimaginably high!” Huang Xiantang was dumbfounded, at a loss for words.

Zhu Xiaoyuan watched their reactions with a faint smile. Thanks to the system’s training, his culinary skills had reached an extraordinary realm; even the simplest ingredients could become a peerless delicacy in his hands. In this, he was supremely confident.

“All right, don’t just stare—I merely whipped up some porridge, please make do!” he said, serving each of them a bowl.

At his words, the three trembled, their eyes burning with eagerness. Yu Qiushui’s hands shook as he received his bowl, and in the next moment, he began to devour it with wild excitement.

Leng Qianxue and Huang Xiantang followed suit.

“I have never tasted such delicious rice porridge!” Even Leng Qianxue, usually the epitome of elegance and beauty, forgot her usual demeanor and ate voraciously.

“This…”

Suddenly, Yu Qiushui cried out in astonishment.

The spiritual energy coursing through his meridians became wildly active, and not only that—his once withered body seemed to undergo a phoenix-like rebirth, surging with vitality. His whole being brimmed with life, surpassing even his prime years.

At that moment, he nearly wished to howl at the heavens.

For, the realm he had not advanced in for centuries suddenly loosened. He broke through the peak of the Nascent Soul, shattered the shackles, and stepped into the Spirit Division stage.

Now, he was a true master of the Spirit Division.

Not only that, the aura within him continued to surge.

First Heaven.

Second Heaven.

…

Ninth Heaven.

His aura soared all the way to the ninth heaven of the Spirit Division before finally stabilizing.

Just one bowl of rice porridge had allowed him to cross a major realm, advancing from the peak of Nascent Soul to the ninth heaven of Spirit Division.

At this moment, he truly wanted to cry out to the sky.

Meanwhile, Huang Xiantang’s body also trembled, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance as the shackles of his stagnant realm shattered.

His cultivation rapidly soared.

Bang!

He broke through from the eighth heaven of Nascent Soul to the ninth, and even the formidable barrier between Nascent Soul and Spirit Division exploded.

Spirit Division stage.

First Heaven.

Second Heaven.

…

Seventh Heaven.

In just a moment, he advanced from the eighth heaven of Nascent Soul to the seventh heaven of Spirit Division.

Leng Qianxue’s beautiful eyes shone with golden light, her cultivation climbing in leaps and bounds. Within a few breaths, she surged from the ninth heaven of Golden Core to the ninth heaven of Nascent Soul.

An entire major realm crossed.

How… how could this be?

Her heart was filled with shock—what kind of terrifying treasure was this bowl of porridge?

“Master… Qianxue…” Huang Xiantang looked at the two, overwhelmed with excitement and unable to find words.

Just one bowl of rice porridge had allowed him to break through from Nascent Soul to Spirit Division—a chance that defied the heavens.

“Perhaps a single grain of rice in this bowl could buy our entire sect!” Yu Qiushui was deeply shaken, drawing a long breath.