Chapter 28

Qige looked at Luo Li, as if deep in thought, pondering what Luo Li was up to.

Luo Li smiled and said:

"It's just a meal, Qige. More friends mean more paths. Can't you give me this much face?"

Upon hearing Jingxiang Kitchen mentioned, Hanzi, who was drooling at the thought of food, said:

"Qige, go. I think this kid is pretty good, very likable!"

Qige looked at Luo Li and said:

"Alright, I'll have this meal. No fight, no friendship. I'll take you as a friend!"

Luo Li clasped his hands and said:

"Great, no fight, no friendship. I'll take you as a friend too!"

Qige said, "We won't go to Jingxiang Kitchen. The food there is too expensive and lacks spiritual energy. We'll go to the Liu Family Skewer Shop in the market. Their skewers are excellent, and the free spirit wine is unlimited. We can all eat our fill for less than one spirit stone."

Luo Li said, "Alright, Qige, lead the way. By the way, Qige, I saw you and Shage working hard yesterday. I wonder if he's free and if you could invite him to join us?"

Yesterday, Luo Li saw the third steward Yongchuan constantly directing Qige and an old man named Sha, who were working tirelessly. Clearly, they were Yongchuan's capable subordinates!

Now, Qige seemed to be a dominant figure in the dormitory, and Old Sha was no simple character either. So, Luo Li thought, whether it was one sheep or two, they were both worth inviting.

Qige was taken aback and said, "Xuanshui, go call Shage over. In our dormitory, we two are the ones who make the decisions below the steward! You have a good heart, junior brother!"

Luo Li smiled and said, "At home, we rely on our parents; outside, we rely on friends. We are all fellow disciples and should be close."

"Xuanshui, Shage probably has a few brothers. Call them all. The more people, the more fun. We won't leave until we're all drunk!"

Qige had a couple of brothers under him, and Old Sha certainly had a few as well. They should all be called and go together.

Then he looked back and saw Gaopeng, who, seeing that Luo Li and the others had finished fighting and were about to go eat, was trying to sneak away. This was a spirit meal, which required spirit stones. The others were all big shots, and he was just a small ant. They wouldn't take him, so he might as well leave quietly.

Luo Li grabbed Gaopeng and clamped his head, saying:

"Where are you going? You're my little brother, and you must come to eat!"

Luo Li tightened his grip, making Gaopeng cry out in pain, saying:

"Senior brother, senior brother, let go, let go."

Luo Li laughed and let go. Gaopeng didn't say anything, but tears welled up in his eyes.

Soon, Old Sha arrived with two others, one named Tiesi and the other named Sanbao. Eight people set off together. This showed the respect Qige and Old Sha commanded in the dormitory. At the gate, no one said a word; someone led over a camel beast, and they all mounted and set off.

If Luo Li wanted to go out, he would have to apply to the steward to borrow a camel beast.

The eight camel beasts traveled through the forest and mountains. On the way, everyone started chatting. Luo Li's ability to speak to people in their own language came into play, and in a few words, he had won the trust of the group, who now treated him as a brother and spoke freely.

They were heading to the Lingdie Sect's market, sixty miles from the dormitory. The cultivator market was like a market for mortals, a trading place for cultivators. The basic currency was spirit stones. People would trade what they didn't need, such as magical weapons, spirit medicines, secret manuals, and cultivation techniques, to buy what they needed.

With the camel beasts galloping, they arrived in about two hours. They passed through the mountains and arrived at a place with strange rocks.

It was a peculiar boulder, about ten feet in size, snow-white, and spherical, like a ball, situated on a cliff.

This was a vast wilderness, and in the distance, a herd of wild horses was galloping and playing. The group stopped, smiling at Luo Li.

Luo Li immediately knew they had reached the market, but with no buildings in sight, they were testing him.

Since they had arrived at this strange rock, the market must be related to it. However, Luo Li didn't say this. He clasped his hands and said:

"Senior brothers, don't play with me. Where is the market?"

Qige said, "This is the entrance to the market. Our Lingdie Sect is not like those small sects with petty minds. The market looks like a mortal village.

This rock is called the Earth Swallowing Stone Demon, a stone demon at the Foundation Establishment stage. It doesn't have much power, but it has a life skill called Swallowing Heaven and Concealing Earth, which can swallow the surrounding space and form a mini world of its own!

The market is inside it! This stone demon is sealed by our sect's great power, and those below the Nascent Soul stage cannot destroy it. Thus, the entire market is under our control and is very safe.

If the sect is in danger, we can take this stone demon and move it to a new location, taking the entire market with us, saving time and effort, without having to rebuild buildings."

After speaking, Qige channeled a thread of true qi into the strange rock, which was the entrance fee, absorbed by the stone demon. Then he shouted "Open the door" three times, and instantly, he disappeared from the spot.

Luo Li followed suit, channeling true qi, opening the door, and entering. Instantly, the scene before him changed, and he found himself in a small town. A gateway stood ahead, and upon entering, there were houses and pavilions everywhere, bustling with people.

The gateway had three large characters: "Tianshi Market." Inside, there were at least thirty to fifty shops, tall stone buildings, and colorful decorations, exuding a faint aroma, a mix of food and meat, incredibly inviting.

Luo Li and Gaopeng stared in amazement; it was their first time at the market. Qige said:

"Let's go, let's go. We need to hurry, or the Liu Family Skewer Shop might not have any seats left."

With that, he led Luo Li and the others into the market, walking quickly, and soon arrived at a hotel.

The hotel was a five-story stone building, impressive in stature. Qige was familiar with the place and quickly found a large table on the first floor, where the eight of them sat down.

As soon as they sat, someone brought out the food: two dishes of dried fruits, four dishes of fresh fruits, six cold dishes, and six hot dishes. These delicacies were only enjoyed by the wealthy in Yinzhou, but here in the market, they were just ordinary food, not even eaten by beggars.

Qige continued, "This is one of the four major markets of our Lingdie Sect, called Tianshi Market, mainly for dining. Luo Li, you practiced yesterday, didn't you? Did you enjoy it?"

Luo Li nodded and said, "Yes, practicing was incredibly satisfying!"

Qige laughed and said, "Wait until you taste spirit food. You'll find it even more satisfying than practicing!"

At that moment, a waiter came over and said, "Little Seven, Shage is here to eat. What would you like?"

It seemed they were all acquaintances.

Qige shouted, "Third Brother, are you working today? Bring forty lamb skewers, forty beef skewers, and twenty mushroom skewers!"

The waiter noted it down and asked, "What about the drinks?"

Qige said, "Just bring the house's Xifeng wine!"

The waiter shouted, "Got it, forty lamb skewers, forty beef skewers, twenty mushroom skewers, and a jar of Xifeng wine!"

With that, he turned and left.

Qige said to Luo Li, "This is a senior brother from Jingxiang Kitchen, working here. This Liu Family Skewer Shop is actually run by the third steward Liu Dahan from Jingxiang Kitchen.

These skewers cost one spirit stone, and the wine is free, though it contains a bit of spiritual energy."

Luo Li hesitated and said, "Beef skewers? Lamb skewers? Mushroom skewers?"

Qige replied, "They are just common names. The beef skewers are made from the meat of the Green Feather Fire Sulfur Rhinoceros, and the lamb skewers are made from the meat of the Purple Ice Golden Goat. The Green Feather Fire Sulfur Rhinoceros and the Purple Ice Golden Goat are spirit beasts raised by our sect, and their meat contains spiritual energy, greatly benefiting our cultivation."

Luo Li replied, "I see! It's similar to the skewers we eat at home, except here, the meat is from spirit beasts. This is the cultivator world's version of skewers!"

Hearing Luo Li compare the skewers to those of mortals, the usually quiet Old Sha spoke up:

"It's not that simple. This meat isn't just any meat, and not just anyone can cook it!

The Green Feather Fire Sulfur Rhinoceros and the Purple Ice Golden Goat are raised with the spirit butterflies from the Colorful Butterfly Valley, making their meat even more potent than wild ones.

The beef skewers are made from the top brain meat of the Green Feather Fire Sulfur Rhinoceros, which contains boundless fire spiritual energy. A single Golden Rhinoceros only has ten pounds of top brain meat. The lamb skewers are made from the tender hind leg meat of the Purple Ice Golden Goat, which contains ice spiritual energy. A single Purple Ice Golden Goat only has five pounds of hind leg meat, making this meat very precious.

Moreover, the skewers are made from Purple Heart Bamboo, at least fifty years old. The fire used to cook the skewers is the Clear Spirit Fire, a low-grade yellow spiritual fire, but it is a heavenly spiritual object. Only three people in our Lingdie Sect can control it, and Liu Dahan is one of them.

Cooking the meat with Clear Spirit Fire and brushing it with the fat of the Condensed Fat Iron Armor Tapir brings out the spiritual energy of the Purple Heart Bamboo and the meat, fusing them together. Adding eleven seasonings, including spirit salt, immortal pepper, immortal scallions, immortal garlic, and spirit cumin, enhances the flavor. Eating it is incredibly fragrant, and the spiritual energy can be fully absorbed without any side effects. It's actually a simple form of alchemy.

The mushrooms are the Void Immortal Mushrooms, at least thirty years old. When cooked with Clear Spirit Fire, it drives out the cold and retains the spiritual energy, making them truly delicious."

As Old Sha spoke, Luo Li couldn't help but salivate. The skewers might really be delicious.

At that moment, the waiter brought a plate of skewers and said:

"Here are forty lamb skewers, thirty beef skewers, and twenty mushroom skewers. We're still short ten beef skewers. Oh, and a jar of Xifeng wine!"

Each skewer had a bamboo stick about a foot long, emitting a faint green light, with five pieces of meat, glistening with oil and golden in color. Even before eating, the aroma was inviting, truly a delicacy.

The food arrived, and everyone dug in, each taking a skewer and starting to eat.

Luo Li picked up a beef skewer and took a bite. The meat melted in his mouth, tender and fragrant, with a hint of fire that seemed to lift his spirit to the heavens, leaving him in a state of bliss!

This was the most delicious meat Luo Li had ever tasted in his life!

And it didn't end there. The aroma of the meat slowly spread throughout his body, making every pore feel warm. The state of entering the Immortal Platform, which took a hundred breaths of cultivation in the dormitory last night, was now achieved with just one bite of the skewer. It was truly exhilarating!