Chapter 585: Opportunity for Soul Cultivation
Dining Hall.
A gaunt old man glared at Ning Zhuo. “So it’s you, this pockmarked brat, who wanted me to cook on the spot?”
Ning Zhuo hurriedly cupped his hands. “Many thanks to Senior for taking action.”
“Hmph.” The old man cast Ning Zhuo a sidelong glance, his expression arrogant.
He was the head chef of the Hidden Yang Residence. Although he had been stuck at the late Foundation Establishment Stage his entire life, his skill as a Spirit Chef was extraordinary.
Ning Zhuo sat directly in front of the old man.
Inside the dining hall, many Male Consorts cast their gazes toward Ning Zhuo—some curious, some envious, some wary, some jealous.
The old Spirit Chef brought out a massive bronze cauldron and poured a large amount of Netherworld River water into it.
With both hands forming guiding gestures, he activated Netherworld Ghost Fire to scorch the bronze cauldron.
The cauldron trembled as the river water inside quickly boiled. Steam rose upward, accompanied by faint sounds like ghosts wailing and snakes hissing, making it extremely unsettling.
The Spirit Chef took out a piece of Black Tortoise shell. With a twist of his palm, he ground the shell into a fine bluish-gray powder.
He added the powder into the cauldron. After simmering the water briefly, he immediately dumped in a large quantity of ingredients.
Not long afterward, he withdrew the ghost fire and finished preparing the spirit food.
Inside the bronze cauldron was now Netherworld Yellow Springs Soup. The surface of the broth was as dark and deep as black jade. If one looked closely, it seemed as though many lingering souls were writhing within the liquid.
Ning Zhuo took out a ladle and scooped a spoonful of soup directly from the huge bronze cauldron, placing it into his mouth.
The moment it entered his mouth, it felt as if he had swallowed a piece of bronze—one already corroded with green rust.
After forcing himself to swallow it with great difficulty, an intense metallic fishy taste still lingered in his throat.
By the time he finished all the soup, his tongue and lips had turned the color of bronze.
However, the foundation of his soul also surged dramatically. After days of consuming spirit meals like this, Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation had now reached three hundred times that of an ordinary person!
Seeing Ning Zhuo endure the suffering and stubbornly finish an entire cauldron of soup, the old Spirit Chef sized him up.
“Good. Finishing my cooking means you at least know what’s good for you.”
“But you actually finished it all in one go. That’s too disrespectful to me. Could it be my cooking is that delicious?!”
The old Spirit Chef had a strange temperament. While he appreciated that Ning Zhuo swallowed everything whole, he also blamed him for eating too decisively, depriving him of the satisfaction of tormenting his diners.
“Take a look at my second dish!” the old Spirit Chef said as he continued cooking.
He first took out a massive tripod cauldron and performed a ritual around it. Soon, thunderclouds and a vortex of purple qi formed inside the cauldron.
The Spirit Chef stepped in ritual footwork while chanting incantations—this was a Mouth Imprint. At the same time, he tossed in Dark Bird Tear Crystals, splitting them into fragments with a palm blade before throwing them into the cauldron.
He then used the martial technique Dragon Claw Hand, repeatedly striking the body of the cauldron while adding more ingredients.
Some ingredients melted instantly, while others stubbornly floated and sank within the cauldron.
Suddenly the Spirit Chef shouted. A muffled thunder-like explosion erupted inside the cauldron. Thick black smoke surged upward, swirling around the ceiling beams like a heavy layer of dark clouds.
The smell of something burnt filled the air, causing Ning Zhuo and the others to strongly suspect the spirit food had failed.
But after the Spirit Chef waved his sleeve and blew away the smoke, he sneered proudly and retrieved several black crispy chunks from the bottom of the cauldron.
It was the spirit food—Three Lives Broken Fang Crisps.
“This is way too hard!” Ning Zhuo tried putting one into his mouth, but his cheeks strained so hard they nearly cramped, yet he still couldn’t bite through it.
He cast a pleading glance toward the old Spirit Chef.
The old man crossed his arms and sneered with satisfaction when he saw Ning Zhuo’s predicament. “You can’t even chew that, and you still want to order dishes like others?”
Ning Zhuo snorted, his youthful stubbornness stirred.
He did not use spells. Instead, he activated the Demonic Blood-Stained Sinew Technique, forming two layers of fine blood sinews in his cheeks, greatly increasing his bite force.
This time he managed to gnaw off a small piece. It truly felt like chewing black iron.
The worst part was the taste. Once inside his mouth, it tasted like the sour stench of rotten lotus pods, making Ning Zhuo want to vomit.
Each swallow felt like his Adam’s apple grinding against iron and stone.
His stomach faced an unprecedented challenge—these black crisps were extremely difficult to digest.
Yet if he used mana to dissolve them, the effectiveness of the spirit food would drop drastically!
Ning Zhuo could only clutch his stomach and endure the dull swelling pain.
The old Spirit Chef watched him with teasing eyes.
“This won’t do. If I keep eating like this, my stomach won’t handle it and I’ll make a fool of myself.” Ning Zhuo suddenly had an idea and activated the Demonic Blood-Stained Sinew Technique again.
His stomach instantly expanded by thirty percent, its surface covered in tightly knotted sinews. With the demonic technique strengthening it, his digestive ability soared several times over.
Under these conditions, the black crisps were finally slowly digested.
The swelling pain in his stomach gradually subsided.
Ning Zhuo ate slowly, matching the pace of his digestion, and in the end managed to avoid embarrassing himself.
Seeing Ning Zhuo finish the entire portion of Three Lives Broken Fang Crisps, the old Spirit Chef’s expression softened slightly. “You’ve got some qualification to taste my gourmet delicacies.”
When Ning Zhuo heard the words “gourmet delicacies,” the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
In the end, he finished five portions of spirit food. His belly was so swollen that he could only half-sit and half-recline in his seat, enduring the gazes of others—some envious, some puzzled.
The envy came from the fact that Ning Zhuo had spent his ranking points to exchange for large amounts of Netherworld Cuisine, greatly increasing his soul foundation with remarkable effect.
The confusion also stemmed from this. Many people would use their ranking points to exchange for pills that increased the production of Yang Energy, allowing their rankings to rise further in a positive cycle. But this Jiao Ma fellow had only “luckily” reached forty-seventh place on the ranking, yet he was already wasting his points like this.
“My soul foundation has reached three hundred and twenty times that of an ordinary person.”
“And that was just from a single meal! Sure, it tastes terrible, but the benefits are truly wonderful.”
Ning Zhuo sighed with heartfelt emotion.
Although he had not traveled to many places yet, his experiences were already abundant, and his understanding had advanced rapidly. At this moment, under these circumstances, Ning Zhuo clearly understood just how rare this opportunity for soul cultivation was.
A Spirit Chef like this old man was not someone he could normally encounter.
Nor would there normally be a place like White Paper Immortal City with such uniquely favorable conditions, providing so many rare and fresh ingredients.
Only the combination of all these factors created this opportunity.
It seemed ordinary on the surface, but it was actually extremely rare.
“This is the perfect chance to make up for my shortcomings!”
Ning Zhuo had suffered losses in this area before. The battle against Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts had made him deeply realize that weakness in the soul was a fatal flaw.
Therefore, he was highly motivated to improve this major weakness.
“I’m only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, not the Golden Core. Having low cultivation also has its advantages. I can use the cultivation arts to improve areas my main cultivation techniques cannot easily cover.”
Once his cultivation rose—say, reaching the Golden Core Stage—these Netherworld meals would lose much of their effectiveness.
When one’s cultivation was still weak, it was the best time to build foundations in every aspect.
“Jiao Ma, how long have you been here? You’re already on the ranking?”
“Got any experience or insights you can share with us?”
“You’re using your hard-earned ranking points to exchange for these Netherworld meals. Aren’t you worried about being pushed down the ranking?”
Seeing Ning Zhuo reclining lazily, several Male Consorts approached in small groups, unwilling to accept defeat and hoping to ask him for advice.
Ning Zhuo clutched his swollen stomach and replied lazily yet smugly, “My main cultivation technique is the Three Jiao Righteous Yang Scripture, and I’ve also got a divine medicine secretly sold to me by Yang Weida. Surpassing most people is easy, so naturally I’m not worried.”
He was blatantly lying, not mentioning the true hero—the Yin-Yang One Qi Pot—even once.
Everyone’s ears twitched at his words.
They already knew about the Three Jiao Righteous Yang Scripture.
When Ning Zhuo entered the top fifty, this information had become widely known.
But what was Yang Weida’s divine medicine?
The group exchanged glances, all noticing the excitement in each other’s eyes. They hadn’t expected to actually uncover valuable information. This Jiao Ma was clearly too young.
Everyone already had their own main cultivation techniques. Many had even switched to the Soul-Fragrance Wisp Art or the Ghost Fetus Concealment Art. Who would cultivate something like the Three Jiao Righteous Yang Scripture?
But Yang Weida’s pills—those anyone could take.
Alchemy was the foremost of the cultivation arts. With such skill, life became much easier.
Looking at Yang Weida’s ranking, he was actually in the thirties!
That only proved how effective his divine medicine must be.
Thus, many people immediately abandoned Ning Zhuo and hurried off without even saying goodbye, heading straight to find Yang Weida.
Without question, most of them were heading toward the Strengthening Yang Courtyard. Their futures were at stake, so they were highly motivated.
Ning Zhuo also had his own motivation.
After digesting most of the spirit food, he regained some mobility and returned to Room No. 1 of the First Grade Residence to continue cultivating.
If a Male Consort from the Hidden Yang Residence advanced into the Three Courtyards, he would meet the Mourning Music Phantom Actress alone. Only after she performed a divination in person and confirmed he was not a spy would he be allowed to enter the Three Courtyards.
At that time, Ning Zhuo would naturally meet the Mourning Music Phantom Actress, present the token, and obtain the divination opportunity he wanted.
For now, he could not force the matter.
The Mourning Music Phantom Actress had just survived an assassination attempt. The atmosphere was tense. If Ning Zhuo exposed his identity now, it might easily lead to misunderstanding.
As for the Yin-Yang One Qi Pot, it was even more impossible to reveal!
This treasure was extremely valuable to the Lord of White Paper Immortal City and perfectly suited his methods. Although the city lord followed the righteous path, in such desperate circumstances, human hearts were too unpredictable.
Ning Zhuo had no intention of placing his fate in someone else’s integrity.
Even if the city lord had no malicious intentions and maintained righteous principles, the internal security of White Paper Immortal City was riddled with flaws and infiltrated by enemies like a sieve.
If Ning Zhuo showed himself to be a key figure, he might become the target of concentrated attacks and assassination.
Just look at the Mourning Music Phantom Actress. She held high authority in White Paper Immortal City and was the city lord’s right-hand assistant, even proficient in divination. Yet look at the state she was in now—this showed the seriousness of the situation.
Ning Zhuo continued cultivating.
He still had National Power Bricks in his possession. But at the Manifestation of Symbolic Phenomena Stage, progress was no longer about accumulating quantity—it required comprehension of the techniques themselves.
Since Ning Zhuo cultivated three techniques simultaneously, he now had a “happy problem.”
The Mirror Platform Spirit Communication Art was already complete. The Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art progressed rapidly thanks to his deep understanding of the Five Elements. But the Demonic Blood-Stained Sinew Technique remained his weak point, advancing rather slowly.
Ning Zhuo devoted most of his energy to comprehending the Demonic Blood-Stained Sinew Technique. Only about twenty percent of that time was spent on the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art—yet the latter still progressed far faster.
Of course, Ning Zhuo was not only cultivating techniques. He also used the Fetal-Breath Spirit Vessel to temper his body.
Improving the foundation of his physical body brought comprehensive benefits. For instance, the stronger his body became, the better his digestion—something extremely useful for consuming spirit food.
Lastly came the soul.
“In this aspect, my requirements are the lowest. As long as I improve it enough to cover the weakness so I’m no longer easily targeted, that’s enough.”
That was what Ning Zhuo thought.
What he didn’t realize was that he was comparing himself to the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts, setting an extremely high standard far beyond ordinary soul cultivators.
The Ghost Tide continued to rise.
Large numbers of Lantern Ghosts appeared, releasing layers of Yin Fire that scorched the White Paper city walls and drew most people’s attention.
Suddenly, the Mourning Music Phantom Actress sent a Message Bird to the commander of the city guard army, Tie Guzheng.
After scanning the message with his spiritual sense, Tie Guzheng immediately mobilized a group of city guards and stationed them along the western wall.
They were ordered to use specialized paper daggers and not worry about consumption, remaining fully prepared for enemy ropes.
Sure enough, beneath the western wall, a group of Hanging Ghosts secretly gathered. Under the cover of Yin Fire, they released nooses that hooked onto the wall and began rapidly climbing upward.
But the city guards had already prepared.
The moment the nooses latched onto the wall, they used the paper daggers to cut them apart.
Without the ropes, the Hanging Ghosts fell back down. Most died instantly from the fall.
When the good news returned, Tie Guzheng exhaled deeply and silently thanked the Mourning Music Phantom Actress, as reliable as ever.
Within the Hidden Yang Residence, Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation quietly rose to four hundred and fifty times that of an ordinary person.
…
Outside the city, countless ghosts surged like a tide, assaulting White Paper Immortal City.
Inside the city, in a certain corner—
A Ghost Gate had secretly been constructed, preparing to coordinate with forces outside the city to break through the defenses.
Suddenly, Wen Ruanyu arrived with a group of city guards.
Just as the Ghost Gate began releasing Yin Soldiers, they were caught red-handed and the structure was immediately destroyed.
Wen Ruanyu inwardly felt lucky. If not for the Mourning Music Phantom Actress’s divination revealing that large numbers of Yin Soldiers were secretly being transported through the Ghost Gate, the situation would have been extremely difficult to handle.
The commotion within the city filtered through the walls of the Hidden Yang Residence, causing the Male Consorts to discuss the situation among themselves.
On the ranking list, Ning Zhuo still lingered in the forties, silently consuming more Netherworld meals under the watchful eyes of the old Spirit Chef.
His soul foundation had already surpassed the five hundred mark, reaching more than six hundred and ninety times that of an ordinary person.
…
“Wuuu—”
Several massive Ghost Mothers appeared within the Ghost Tide.
Their swollen bellies continuously gave birth to Small Ghost Heads and Large Ghost Heads, rapidly swelling the enemy forces.
“Attack!” Having long received warning from the Mourning Music Phantom Actress, Tie Guzheng had already organized an elite squad. They suddenly teleported into the Ghost Tide, slew the Ghost Mothers, and quickly withdrew.
More than a dozen experts died, and Tie Guzheng suffered light injuries, but the crisis was resolved.
Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation rose to eight hundred and thirty-eight times that of an ordinary person.
He had finally waited for his opportunity.
A group of outstanding Male Consorts would soon be summoned one by one by the Mourning Music Phantom Actress. After passing her divination test, they would officially advance into the Three Courtyards.