Dai Lu dragged his weak body through the wind and sand, his back appearing exceptionally desolate and dejected.

“Young man, don’t lose heart.”

Soul rallied his spirits to comfort him: “Without the Devouring Bloodline, you still have the Devouring Heart Sutra. As long as you comprehend a higher level, you can still be invincible under heaven!”

Returning to his own world was his fastest path to recovery and becoming stronger.

He hadn’t expected that the formation Formation Emperor had once set up would be modified, becoming completely unfamiliar. He could only continue sticking to the original plan and focus on cultivating this human.

Although a bit foolish, although a bit reckless.

But after he became powerful, once Soul devoured his soul and completely controlled his body, he could do whatever he wanted!

Dai Lu didn’t know that in Soul’s eyes he was just a chess piece. Instead, he was deeply moved that someone would comfort him when he was hurt.

“Whoosh!”

He exhaled a breath and clenched his fist.

“I will cultivate hard, become stronger, until one day I make Ye Xingchen and Jun Changxiao kneel at my feet!”

A good man with ambition!

“So.”

Soul instigated: “Don’t just absorb energy from fierce beasts and plants. Directly absorbing martial artists’ energy will make you advance much faster.”

On the road to Beimo Prefecture, he had suggested this before.

But after Dai Lu gradually mastered the Devouring Power, he only targeted fierce beasts and plants, never absorbing from martial artists.

To be precise.

Since gaining the devouring ability, his realm advancement mostly came from absorbing fierce beasts. Unless he encountered martial artists looking for trouble, he rarely took initiative.

“Absorbing their energy when we have no grievances or enmity seems somewhat improper, doesn’t it?” Dai Lu said.

“Young man.”

Soul said: “In this world where it’s either you die or I perish, carrying a merciful heart will only push yourself into a bottomless abyss.”

Dai Lu’s eyes gradually turned cold.

“Listen to me.”

Soul continued instigating: “Only by absorbing martial artists can you become stronger faster, take revenge, and become the master of this realm!”

Clearly, in terms of manipulation ability, he was somewhat stronger than the System.

“Fine!”

Dai Lu said: “I’ll try!”

“Hmm?”

On the official road leading to Yellow Sand City, he saw an elder striding along powerfully. His eyes flashed green: “Him!”

The person Dai Lu saw was precisely Chengfeng Sect’s Grand Elder Xu the Strange. He had just come out of seclusion and was preparing to go into the city to handle some business.

“Ah! Ah!”

“Senior, I was wrong! I was wrong!”

“Boom boom boom boom—”

Night fell. Dai Lu, with a bruised and swollen face, crouched in a damp cave, like a pitiful kitten licking his wounds alone. Soul meanwhile roared with disappointment: “Of all people, why did you have to pick a Martial Emperor!”

…

Wangu Sect.

Jun Changxiao sat in the great hall.

The space passage’s seal had been stabilized. Invading the Soul Clan world wasn’t something that could happen anytime soon.

So this matter had temporarily concluded in his mind. At present, the most important thing was still considering how to complete the epic quest.

“Although Shi Qi has reached the minimum standard, I must exceed expectations at the settlement in a year,” Jun Changxiao murmured.

“There’s also the Food God Competition.”

“It’s only two or three months until it begins. I wonder how Dudu’s preparations are going?”

With this thought, Jun Changxiao got up and headed to the Food Hall.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Li Shangtian and Sima Zhongda crouching down, bawling their eyes out, their tears wetting a large area of the floor.

What’s going on?

Could it be Li Fei used the Dejection Body and made these two fall into a pessimistic, world-weary state?

No way!

That kid was currently cultivating in the Training Tower and didn’t have the time.

“Sect Master…” Li Shangtian wiped his tears and snot, crying: “Senior Sister Liu’s fried rice is… is simply too delicious…”

Only then did Jun Changxiao notice that on the table ahead sat a bowl of fried rice. From its color, it looked no different from previous fried rice, so he gave them both an eye roll: “It’s not like you haven’t eaten it before. Look at how pathetic you both are.”

“No… it’s not…”

Li Shangtian cried: “This fried rice is different from before. After eating it… wuwuwu… let me cry a bit more…”

“Newly developed?”

Jun Changxiao walked to the table and picked up a spoon: “This seat will taste it.”

…

“Hall Master Li!”

Outside the Food Hall, Liu Wanshi smiled: “I just developed a brand new fried rice today. It tastes great!”

Li Luoqiu smiled: “The more you say that, the more curious I become.”

“You can only smell it, not eat it!”

“Why?”

“Because…”

The little girl suddenly put on a serious face: “I added a special seasoning to the fried rice. After eating it, you can’t control your emotions and will start crying!”

Li Luoqiu said in surprise: “That amazing?”

As they spoke, the two had already entered the Food Hall. But just as they steadied themselves, they froze on the spot, because three people were crouching inside, covering their faces and wailing loudly.

“Little… little girl…” Jun Changxiao wiped his eyes while crying: “Did you… put tear gas in this fried rice…”

“Ah?”

Liu Wanshi’s mouth fell open: “You ate the fried rice?”

…

Jun Changxiao and Li Shangtian cried for a full half hour. Their eyes were swollen from crying before they recovered.

Liu Wanshi stood against the wall corner like a child who had made a mistake, head lowered, little hands twisting her clothes hem, saying quietly: “Sect Master, I’m sorry… I didn’t think you would eat that bowl of fried rice…”

“Not bad, not bad.”

Jun Changxiao sat down, wiping the tears from his eyes: “The newly developed fried rice tastes much better than before. If you take it to the Food God Competition, you’ll definitely make the judges cry rivers of tears.”

“Sect Master, this was just something I randomly experimented with. For the Food God Competition, I have even better dishes,” Liu Wanshi said.

“Even better ones?”

Jun Changxiao said: “In that case, winning the Food God Competition championship will definitely be easy as pie!”

“Sect Master.”

Liu Wanshi frowned: “You probably don’t know yet—the current Food God has sent his most proud disciple to compete.”

“Oh?”

Jun Changxiao turned to look at Li Luoqiu. The latter said: “Fifty years ago, a man named Shi Weitian won five consecutive Food God Competition championships and was honored as the current Food God.”

“Impressive!”

Winning five consecutive Food God Competition championships definitely wasn’t by luck, but because he had real skill in the culinary arts.

Li Luoqiu continued: “Shi Weitian took a disciple named Song Bao as his final student in his later years. After training him for several years, he once declared publicly that he had inherited ninety percent of his teachings.”

“With the Food God Competition about to begin, many people have already concluded that the Food God’s disciple will definitely win this Food God Competition championship. He might even win consecutive championships afterward and become the new generation Food God.”

Jun Changxiao said: “So this Song Bao will be Dudu’s biggest threat on the path to championship?”

Li Luoqiu said: “Many seniors who have won Food God Competition championships, upon learning that Shi Weitian sent his disciple to compete, have sent their own disciples to battle. This Food God Competition can be said to have experts like clouds, stars gathered together.”

“…”

Jun Changxiao’s mouth twitched.

The Shi Ba quest was to have Liu Wanshi place in the top three of the Food God Competition. He had thought it would be easy, but now it seemed that anything categorized as an epic quest was destined to be difficult!

“Greater difficulty means greater challenge.”

Jun Changxiao said: “This seat believes you can definitely overwhelm all the experts and hold up the Food God Competition trophy!”

“Yes!”

Liu Wanshi nodded heavily: “This disciple won’t disappoint Sect Master’s high expectations!”

“Go for it!”

“Go for it!”

After encouraging his disciple, Jun Changxiao headed to the Medicine Hall.

“Huh?”

Liu Wanshi, who was about to continue studying the Chinese cookbook, walked to the kitchen and said in surprise: “Why is that bowl of fried rice gone?”

“Wuwuwu…”

In the back mountain, Purple Scale Demon King crouched on the ground, tears flowing like springs without stopping. At his feet sat an empty bowl without a single grain of rice.

Jun Changxiao ate just a small bite and broke down for half an hour.

This guy… ate it all.