Chapter 1086: Feeling Good About Oneself

Liu Xing let out two dry chucks as he looked at Lu Yang and the Demon Emperor, feeling as though he had inadvertently stumbled upon a most extraordinary secret.

That was the Demon Emperor Zhu Tian, after all, the sovereign of billions of demons; though Liu Xing was a cultivator of the Body Integration Stage, he felt as small as an ant before the Emperor, capable of being crushed to death at a whim.

"If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave first," Liu Xing said with a placating smile, backing out of the room.

"Halt," the Demon Emperor Zhu Tian said softly, mobilizing the embryonic form of his Law of the Jungle Dao Fruit to leave a brand upon Liu Xing’s spiritual terrace.

"Not a single word of our meeting is to be spoken to anyone."

With blank, soulless eyes, Liu Xing gave a wooden "Yes," walked out of the inn, and only then regained his consciousness.

"Are those dancers?" Yun Mengmeng mumbled around a piece of beef jerky, peering over the threshold. Sure enough, the corridor was filled with demoness dancers, all retaining some of their beastly features, though none were familiar to her.

"Well look at that, there really are a lot of people outside the second chief's door."

Cold sweat poured down Zhu Tian's face. He had always wanted to forge a connection with Lu Yang but never knew what to offer, so he had trained a troop of handmaidens. He thought this trip would finally be the perfect chance to present the dancers he had raised for Elder Brother Lu, but he had never expected Lu Yang to bring Yun Mengmeng along this time.

"I was merely worried that Elder Brother Lu might not be accustomed to life in the Demon City, so I took it upon myself to find you a few clever handmaidens."

"I appreciate the Sovereign’s kind intentions, but I am a man accustomed to a carefree, solitary life. It is best you take them back."

"Very well."

Seeing that Lu Yang did not press the matter further, Zhu Tian breathed a small sigh of relief.

"In truth, my visit to Elder Brother today is to seek your counsel on a matter. It has been a persistent doubt of mine, but I simply had not found the right opportunity to ask you before."

"What is it?"

Zhu Tian sat up straight, preparing to consult Lu Yang with the utmost seriousness. Seeing him like this, Lu Yang could not help but feel a sudden apprehension, secretly guessing what monumental question Zhu Tian was about to pose.

"I wonder if Elder Brother Lu has noticed, but before I awakened, there was no news of any Half-Immortals in the cultivation world, and the two great powers of Da Qian and Da Yu remained hidden. Yet, ever since I woke, Half-Immortals have emerged one after another, and even several unexpected Immortals have made their appearance!"

"Do you think it possible that my awakening has ushered in this grand era of contention?"

"Put that way, it does seem to be the case." Lu Yang had never considered the issue before, but hearing it from Zhu Tian now, he realized that Zhu Tian might very well be the source of it all.

Only after Zhu Tian's revival did Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi appear in succession, with Da Yu and Da Qian scrambling to reveal themselves.

"So Elder Brother Lu believes so too?" Zhu Tian had always felt he was no ordinary figure; after all, he was the foremost individual beneath the Immortals, second only to Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi. His awakening in this era could be no coincidence; it bound to possess some profound significance.

Having gained Lu Yang's validation, Zhu Tian became even more certain of his own theory.

After seeing Zhu Tian off, Lu Yang's exhaustion had mostly dissipated.

"Sister Mengmeng, shall we go for a stroll?"

"Let's go!"

Yun Mengmeng, who had been sprawled across the bed like the character for 'big,' instantly bounded up.

Considering his current high profile and the likelihood of being recognized the moment he stepped outside, Lu Yang put on a mask to alter his appearance.

"Come to think of it, this mask was a gift from the Dijiang Clan."

The mask provided by the Dijiang Clan was indeed remarkably useful.

The moment the two stepped outside, a rich aroma wafted into their noses. No map was needed; they could locate the main venue of the Spiritual Chef Tournament by flavor alone.

After walking through two streets, they saw the marketplace packed with small carts where spiritual chefs were displaying their skills, using this method to proclaim their culinary philosophies.

These spiritual chefs hailed from all corners of the world; the lowest among them were merely of the Foundation Establishment Stage, while the highest reached the Soul Formation Stage. No matter how elevated their status might be in the outside world, here they were nothing more than street food vendors.

To call them street food vendors was not entirely accurate either, given that normal stalls did not involve live combat with demonic beasts on the spot, emphasizing the concept of 'kill fresh, eat fresh.'

A Soul Formation Stage Three-Eyed Ox Demon repeatedly scraped its hooves against the ground, charging toward a stall owner with a resounding bellow.

The stall owner remained unfazed in the face of danger. He clenched his fists, his muscles swelling until they burst his garments, actually surpassing the Three-Eyed Ox Demon in a contest of brute strength!

With a fierce jerk of his arms, he flung the Three-Eyed Ox Demon high into the air. He then drew a gleaming boning knife from behind his waist; unlike an ordinary boning knife, its handle was pure gold.

The stall owner leaped up into the sky, leveling himself with the ox demon:

"Boning Knife Technique!"

Swish, swish, swish—

The stall owner's blade work was exquisite, moving so fast that only afterimages could be seen. In the blink of an eye, the ox demon was stripped down to a bare skeleton, while beef slices as delicate as snowflakes were arranged neatly upon a platter.

The surrounding epicures erupted into cheers.

"Excellent knife work!"

"Beautiful!"

"To hone an ordinary boning knife technique to such absolute perfection, could he be that famed Golden Knife Master?"

"A golden boning knife, it must be him!"

Lu Yang also witnessed spiritual chefs smashing turtle shells into fragments with their bare fists, others manifesting thousands of blade-qi to slice vegetables and chop meat, and still others controlling over a hundred large cauldrons simultaneously with an astonishing strength of divine sense.

Lu Yang realized that for spiritual chefs to be a respected profession, it had to be more than just the simple fact that their cooking could enhance one's cultivation.

Demonic beasts and the demon race were different entities; the former were merely wild beasts possessing cultivation. The demon race did not consider themselves of the same kindred as demonic beasts, and demonic beasts were very much a part of the demon race's diet.

Were it not for this, the Spiritual Chef Alliance would never have dared to hold the tournament within the Demon City.

As the two were wandering, they saw a youth stumbling over to Lu Yang, cupping his hands in salute: "Two seniors, I am Song Tianjing, the seventh-generation descendant of the Yangyuan Pavilion. I wonder if you seniors could lend me some spirit stones?"

"Yangyuan Pavilion?" Lu Yang repeated, having never heard of the place, while Yun Mengmeng shook her head as well.

"Why ask the two of us for spirit stones?" Lu Yang observed that the youth's cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, posing no threat to him.

He was currently in disguise, and no one should be able to recognize him as Lu Yang. Why did this youth named Song Tianjing bypass everyone else and pick him?

"Fairy, he is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, right?" To be safe, Lu Yang double-checked with the Immortal Fairy.

"Yes."

"That is well."

"The two seniors possess an extraordinary aura; you must surely come from a great sect."

"Amusing. Follow me."

Lu Yang led the youth to a shop and ordered three bowls of stewed soup.

"Tell me of your specific origins. What do you intend to do with the spirit stones?"

"My name is Song Tianjing. The Yangyuan Pavilion was a restaurant established by my ancestor, which was passed down to the sixth generation—my father's generation—before falling into decline."

"Though my father wished to become a spiritual chef, his talent was limited. He could never pass the examinations, became deeply depressed, and began spending his days in gambling dens."

"Later, the people at the gambling den coveted the reputation of the Yangyuan Pavilion and set a trap for my father. Blinded by greed, his wagers grew larger until he finally mortgaged the Yangyuan Pavilion away."

"Only when those people came to seize the restaurant did my father realize he had been deceived, filled with bitter regret."

"Overcome by anger and grief, my father passed away. On his deathbed, he held my hand, hoping I would redeem the Yangyuan Pavilion."

"To redeem the restaurant, I must first become a spiritual chef. That is why I came to the Demon City. However, my home is too far from here, and I spent all my traveling expenses just to arrive. Thus, I wished to borrow some spirit stones from you seniors to rent a stall."

"With my culinary skills, I will be able to repay you very quickly!"

Seeing Lu Yang still wearing a hesitant expression, Song Tianjing grit his teeth and pulled a tattered ancient text from his robe: "In the past, my ancestor accidentally obtained this ancient fragment and opened the Yangyuan Pavilion. If Senior does not trust me, I shall leave this ancient fragment with you as collateral!"

Lu Yang took the ancient text and looked at it: *A Comprehensive Guide to Cooking*.