Chapter 338: Confidence Brought by the Invincible Core

"Who?"

"The Jiuyou Sect, of course. Don't you recognize them?" Lu Yang asked, a hint of astonishment coloring his voice. He could not fathom why the senior leaders of the Immortal Sect looked so thoroughly taken aback.

If they themselves were reduced to selling skewers here, was it not perfectly normal for the Jiuyou Sect to open a chain of shops in the outside world?

For cultivators at the Body Integration Stage to be so easily startled suggested that their mental discipline was still quite lacking.

By comparison, Senior Brother Dai Bufan was truly exceptional. He had remained entirely composed upon learning that the Jiuyou Sect was planning to launch a franchise.

"The Jiuyou Sect asked me if I knew of any lucrative ventures. I told them there happened to be a barbecue shop project right here that was guaranteed to turn a profit, and asked if they wanted in. They said yes," Lu Yang explained, recounting the turn of events with concise simplicity.

The Sect Master and his companions thought their ears were playing tricks on them. The Jiuyou Sect was responsible for expanding a barbecue franchise? Did that sound like something the Jiuyou Sect would ever do?

Though Lu Yang made the sequence of events sound straightforward, the Sect Master and the others were no fools; they suspected he had glossed over a great many details.

Yet, no matter how much was omitted, the notion of the Jiuyou Sect helping the Wangui Sect open a chain of barbecue joints carried an undeniable air of the bizarre.

Lu Yang must have deployed some sort of falsehood to deceive the Jiuyou Sect.

But even that failed to make sense. Shi Huagu of the Jiuyou Sect possessed a secret technique to detect lies; no one could utter a falsehood in his presence and escape notice.

It was utterly incomprehensible.

Ah, what was the point of dwelling on it? They were nothing but bound ghosts now, stripped of high ambitions. As long as the barbecue shop flourished, that would suffice.

The Jiuyou Sect lending a hand with the business was a welcome development. The more people they could drag down into the mire with them, the better.

"When we partnered with the Jiuyou Sect, we provided them with two extremely vital forms of technical support. As the very first branch of the One More Time Barbecue Shop, you are also entitled to receive them."

Under the expectant gazes of the Immortal Sect's senior leaders, Lu Yang retrieved an object resembling a small bookshelf from his identity jade plaque.

"This is an automatic barbecue rack. Just place the skewered meat on top, and it will grill automatically."

Master Liu and Master Gao cast disdainful glances at the device, viewing this magical treasure as a direct challenge to their professional standing. "Boss Lu, if I may speak frankly, food grilled on such a contraption possesses no soul. We have no need for such things."

Lu Yang reflected on this and realized they had a point. Master Liu and Master Gao were both at the late stage of the Body Integration Realm; their mastery over the culinary flame was bound to be far superior to this set of magical tools.

Furthermore, and most crucially, grilling skewers was the only employment available to them here. If the automatic rack replaced them, they would find themselves facing the grim prospect of unemployment.

"There is also this: a flame seed of the Three-Flavor Pure Yang True Fire." Lu Yang produced a small jade vial and uncorked it. A single flickering flame drifted into the air, presenting a profoundly mysterious spectacle.

The senior leaders of the Immortal Sect remained largely unmoved, but Xiao Qi and the other two female ghosts felt a primal terror welling up from the depths of their beings.

The flame seed contained the Pure Yang True Fire of a celibate master at the Golden Core Stage, an element naturally designed to suppress and vanquish spirits.

Lu Yang smiled. "This is the product of combining the Three-Flavor True Fire with the Pure Yang True Fire. The Three-Flavor True Fire works wonders for barbecue, imparting three distinct layers of flavor. As for this Pure Yang True Fire, it differs from the variety you are familiar with; the version in my possession possesses the unique virtue of enhancing male virility."

"To think such a miraculous thing exists in this world?" Not only was the Sect Master astonished, but even the Immortal himself displayed a look of mild surprise.

The Immortal possessed the collective memories of every single member of the Immortal Sect. Even so, he had never heard of a Three-Flavor True Fire, let alone a Pure Yang True Fire that could boost virility.

"This Pure Yang True Fire was discovered by a most cherished friend of mine during his pursuit of the ultimate path. His dedication is something I hold in the highest esteem."

The Sect Master pondered the matter. "While the Pure Yang True Fire is undoubtedly excellent, it seems rather redundant within our Wangui Sect, does it not?"

The members of the Wangui Sect all possessed formidable cultivation levels and had no need for virility enhancements. Moreover, the sect was hardly lacking in medicinal herbs of that nature. From what Lu Yang knew, the ginseng from the Ginseng Baby was already a sacred relic for such purposes.

Realizing the truth in this, Lu Yang put away the flame seed of the Three-Flavor Pure Yang True Fire and, with a flick of his palm, released the standard Three-Flavor True Fire.

"This is a flame seed of the Three-Flavor True Fire. You may experiment with it to see if it truly works wonders for your grilling."

Master Liu accepted the flame seed with a measure of skepticism. Using it to replace the charcoal, he gathered ten skewers of bean curd sheets from the side and commenced grilling.

As the bean curd sheets were placed over the heat, Master Liu flipped and turned them with practiced ease, allowing the savory aroma of the delicacy to slowly mature.

"Everyone, have a taste."

Once the bean curd sheets were perfectly grilled, each person took a skewer. Master Liu took a bite of his own creation, and his eyes instantly widened in astonishment.

He had prepared simple grilled bean curd sheets countless times before, and was intimately familiar with their taste. He had never imagined that the triple enhancement of the Three-Flavor True Fire would bestow upon the food a dense, complex texture that tasted sweet before yielding to a lingering spice.

It elevated the flavor of the grilled bean curd sheets to an entirely new echelon!

This was no longer a gap that could be bridged by mere technical skill.

To think it could be so wondrous!

No wonder Qin Yanyan had remained consistently dissatisfied with their skewers; this was the root of the problem.

They had spent months painstakingly studying the art of the skewer, yet their insights fell short of what a mere Golden Core cultivator had deduced.

Once this matter concluded, they would certainly enter secluded cultivation to strive for a fresh awakening regarding the Dao of Barbecue!

"Then I shall leave this flame seed in your care."

Master Liu and Master Gao received it as though it were a priceless treasure.

"By the way, my dear niece, did you inform anyone before you departed from the Hundred Refinements Peak?"

"I do not believe I did."

"Then you had best return at once. When the Fifth Elder and Junior Brother Li return to the peak and find you missing..."

"Will they be terribly anxious?"

"They will forget that you ever existed."

"I shall return immediately."

Lu Yang stretched his limbs, feeling satisfied that he had performed a good deed.

In truth, if Qin Yanyan were to vanish, there was no way the Fifth Elder and Li Haoran would simply forget her. Quite the contrary, they would search for her far and wide.

However, phrasing it that way might strike Qin Yanyan as overly sentimental, so he decided against it.

He strolled leisurely toward the Library of Scriptures.

"What are you heading to the Library of Scriptures for?" Within his mental space, the Immortal Fairy lay lazily upon the bed. Her fair, tender toes twitched slightly as she held her legs straight up in the air, before she rolled to the side and let her entire body sink into the mattress.

"If there is anything you do not understand, this Celestial can instruct you."

"To continue composing my cultivation technique. My manual, the Scripture of Clarity and Self-Nature, was written by my own hand. However, my exposure was limited back then, and I only managed to compose it up to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Now that I have attained the Golden Core Stage, the technique can no longer keep pace with my progress. I must seek inspiration in the Library of Scriptures to determine how to proceed with my training."

"You managed to compose a cultivation technique at such a tender age?" The Immortal Fairy was struck with amazement. Even if it only reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was an extraordinary feat.

"How could that be? After I finished drafting it, Eldest Senior Sister revised a portion of it for me."

The Immortal Fairy secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought as much. Even I could not accomplish the feat of writing my own technique during my Foundation Establishment days, so how could you? How much of it did that girl Yun Zhi alter for you?"

Lu Yang hesitated for a brief moment before deciding that honesty was the best course.

"She only kept the title of the technique."

The Immortal Fairy fell silent.

"In that case, you might as well have asked that girl Yun Zhi to continue writing the technique for you from the start."

"One must be independent. How can I rely on Eldest Senior Sister for everything? Who is to say that the technique I compose by myself this time won't meet with her approval?" Lu Yang remarked, brimming with self-confidence.

The Immortal Fairy remained quiet, privately suspecting that Lu Yang's confidence was merely a byproduct of the Invincible Pill.

It was best not to trouble him with such trivial insights.