Chapter 132: High-Level Spirit Food
Xiang Yu and Li Yao found themselves alone after the two elders departed.
"Junior sister, I’ll cook something for you," Xiang Yu said, rising from his seat and gathering the plates they’d been using.
As he stood at the washing basin, Li Yao appeared beside him. She took each clean plate, rinsing it carefully before setting it aside to dry.
"No need, senior brother. I just came to tell you that I’m leaving," she said, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance.
Xiang Yu’s hands paused briefly. "Already?" he asked, looking up at her. "How long will you be gone for?"
"About a week," she replied, avoiding his gaze.
"Isn’t that too long?"
Li Yao remained silent, her thoughts turning inward. A week did feel excessive, even to her. It seemed she was spending less and less time with her senior brother these days, as though the universe itself conspired to keep them apart.
"Since you’re leaving, I’ll pack some dishes for you," Xiang Yu offered, breaking through her thoughts.
"Isn’t it too much work?" she asked, though hope flickered in her eyes.
"No problem at all," he assured her, his tone warm.
As he began gathering ingredients, a spark of inspiration struck him. His hands stilled over the chopping board as he turned to face her.
"As I prepare meals for you, why don’t you go catch a spirit beast? I’ll prepare a special dish like before," he suggested, his eyes brightening with enthusiasm.
Li Yao tilted her head curiously. "Special dish?"
Before she could question further, the Empress’s voice thundered through her consciousness. [WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, GO QUICKLY!] The mental shout reverberated through her mind.
"Okay," Li Yao responded aloud, with a leap, she soared into the sky, her form cutting through clouds as she departed.
"Why are you yelling?" she asked internally, wincing. Had the Empress’s voice been physical, her eardrums would have surely shattered.
[Don’t you know?] the Empress’s voice carried exasperation. [Only high-level spirit food requires spirit beasts to prepare. Since the dish he cooked before was fourth grade, this means he’s had another breakthrough in his cooking!]
"Isn’t it just an improved dish? Why are you panicking?" Li Yao questioned, scanning the forest below for suitable prey.
[Hmph! What do you know?] the Empress scoffed. [The difference between mid-grade and high-grade spirit food is like that of heaven and earth!]
"Okay, I get it," Li Yao conceded. Her eyes caught movement below. "Should we catch this one?" she asked, pointing toward a wild beast prowling through the underbrush.
[No. Look for at least Core Formation level. The higher the cultivation, the better,] the Empress instructed.
Li Yao hovered higher, extending her qi sense in an expanding circle that covered an impressive area. Countless life forms registered in her awareness—small creatures, ordinary beasts, low-level spirit animals—until suddenly, a powerful presence flared at the edge of her perception.
"Found you!" she exclaimed, her lips curving into a satisfied smile. She pivoted midair, focusing on the distant location where she’d sensed a peak level four spirit beast. For those who’ve forgotten, this was equivalent to a Core Formation tenth layer cultivator.
In the next instant, her body transformed into a streak of lightning, electricity crackling around her as she moved with extraordinary speed. Within seconds, she arrived at a clearing where an enormous cow-like monster stood grazing. Its muscles rippled beneath its thick hide, and curved horns gleamed dangerously in the sunlight.
The moment it detected Li Yao’s presence, the beast bellowed a challenge and charged, lowering its massive horns toward her with earth-shaking force.
Li Yao didn’t even flinch. With casual movement, she caught the monster’s horns in her hands, lifting the entire creature as if it weighed nothing more than a feather. With a decisive motion, she slammed it to the ground, sending dust and debris exploding outward from the impact.
The stunned beast attempted to scramble to its feet, but Li Yao gave it no opportunity. In one fluid motion, she unsheathed her sword and sliced cleanly through the monster’s neck. Its massive head tumbled to the ground as she smoothly sheathed her blade.
Standing over her kill, Li Yao reflected on how far she’d come. Not long ago, she had struggled against the early Core Formation stage dean. Now, she didn’t even break a sweat dealing with a Core Formation peak monster. And all of this was because of Xiang Yu, without his help, although she might still have reached this level eventually it certainly wouldn’t have been as quick.
...
Xiang Yu meticulously arranged the final container of food, securing each lid.
He glanced toward the forest’s edge, a slight crease forming between his brows.
"What’s taking her so long?" he wondered, rolling his shoulders to release the tension. For someone of Li Yao’s caliber, capturing a spirit beast should be a trivial matter—like snatching a rabbit from a garden.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a powerful gust of wind announced Li Yao’s return. The bamboo walls trembled slightly as she descended from the sky, effortlessly carrying a massive beast that must have weighed several tons. The creature’s impressive frame dwarfed her slender figure, yet she handled it as casually as one might carry a small basket.
Xiang Yu’s eyes widened, momentarily stunned by the sheer size and power radiating from the carcass. Its hide gleamed with faint spiritual patterns, and even in death, the beast exuded an aura that made the air around it shimmer.
"She really went all out," he thought, recovering quickly from his surprise. He approached the beast with measured steps, his expert eye already identifying the prime sections.
From his spatial ring, Xiang Yu withdrew a newly crafted high-level magical knife. He positioned it against the beast’s hide. With a single fluid motion, he sliced through the thick skin as though it were silk, revealing the qi-saturated flesh beneath.
For this particular dish, he needed only specific portions—the parts where spiritual energy concentrated most densely. The heart, certain glands, a section of the spine where qi pathways converged. His knife moved with surgical precision, separating these treasures from the rest of the carcass.
But this didn’t mean that the rest of the body was going to waste.
He stored the remaining parts in his spatial ring. Within that pocket dimension, time stood still—the meat would remain fresh until he needed it for future meals.
Turning his attention to the precious cuts he’d selected, Xiang Yu began the intricate process of preparation. His movements accelerated, hands blurring as he worked. He ground rare herbs, prepared special marinades, and regulated the fire’s temperature with minute adjustments of his spiritual energy.
Li Yao observed from nearby, her chin resting on her palms as she watched with unwavering attention. While Xiang Yu believed she was admiring his culinary expertise, her focus remained fixed on the defined muscles of his forearms flexing with each movement, the way his shoulders tensed and relaxed as he worked, the occasional droplet of sweat tracing a path down his neck.
When the preparation was complete, Xiang Yu transferred the finished dish into a container he had crafted earlier—not merely a vessel but a high-level magical item itself, designed to preserve the food’s spiritual properties at their peak potency.
"Here," he said, presenting it to Li Yao with a touch of pride in his voice.
She leaned forward, inhaling deeply. The aroma that wafted from the container was intoxicating—notes of spirit herbs intertwined with the rich essence of the beast, creating a symphony of scents that made her mouth water instantly.
[Idiot, you can’t eat that!] the Empress’s voice interjected sharply. [If you do, you’ll instantly enter the Golden Core realm.]
"Isn’t that better?" Li Yao questioned internally, her fingers hovering longingly over the container.
[No! If you breakthrough now, you’ll just have a normal Golden Core. I want you to forge a special Golden Core.] The Empress’s tone left no room for argument.
With visible reluctance, Li Yao carefully placed the container into her spatial ring, her lips forming a small pout. "It’s not like I was really going to eat it now," she muttered, though her expression suggested otherwise.
Turning to Xiang Yu, her expression softened. "Thank you, senior brother."
Xiang Yu merely displayed a smug smile in response, satisfaction evident in his posture.
"But why did you just cook one portion?" Li Yao asked suddenly, her head tilting with curiosity. "Don’t you want to eat as well? Should I share my portion with you?"
"Ah, no need," Xiang Yu replied quickly, waving his hands dismissively. "At my low level, if I eat such food, I will instantly explode."
Internally, disappointment gnawed at him. He had initially hoped to sample a few spoonfuls himself to accelerate his cultivation, but Li Yao had brought such a formidable beast that the resulting dish contained energy concentrations far beyond what he could safely absorb. The meal’s potency had reached the peak of third grade—a density of spiritual energy that would overwhelm his system entirely upon consumption.
His cooking skills had advanced to create dishes he himself couldn’t safely consume. Without a heavenly-grade spirit root or at least Golden Core cultivation, these higher-level spirit foods remained inaccessible to him.