Ming Ren laughed and extended his hand, “Please, I can’t finish by myself!”
“Then, we will accept your kindness!” The group joined him while Little Fu already stuffed himself with the stew. They never tasted something like the bloody stew before, not too strong, not too mild, just right. It revitalized and nourished their bodies and soul with each bite.
This would be impossible with only the spices Ming Ren received. Many of the herbs he collected were used in pill concocting and culinary arts. Some, despite being common, had special hidden effects to a cultivator. Among them, a common and ordinary herb called [worker’s grass]. Common people used its seed for porridge, hence the name.
Cultivators accepted the value of spirit beast’s flesh, blood, and cores because of their direct and immediate effect. Herbs were the foundation of the Dao of pills.
However, they regarded culinary arts as secondary and often unrelated to cultivation. This stemmed from the fact that certain mixtures and reagents decreased the effects and purity of the raw material. Even spirit beast meat brimming with energy became useless if not prepared right. As cultivation improved, eating became less important and more of a habit than a physiological need.
Ming Ren understood how powerful culinary arts could be. While some powerful spirit beast parts had to be made into pills before absorbed, cooking did the job with fewer requirements. The worker’s grass only had a small effect on common people, but when combined with some spirit beast’s blood and flesh, it helped clear impurities and open the meridians.
Besides the [worker’s grass], Ming Ren also used [starflower], another common herb with little value. It had great effect on cultivators of the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. Alchemists in the Upper Realms often used starflower as a cheap and effective way to create a Body Tempering Realm breakthrough pill. In the Lower Realms, it was a useless herb. Ming Ren didn’t have a pill cauldron nor used external spiritual energy, so he could only use it in cooking. It would still bring good benefits even with reduced effects.
Breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm required one thing: forming a complete spirit sea. The cultivator could send spiritual energy outside the body, but there was also another important step: sensing true elements and rare energies. Common cultivators broke through without sensing them, while talents sensed at least one. Genius, like Yun Shufen and Bai Xun, sensed many.
Sensing true elements and rare energies after breaking through depended on luck or special treasures. As innate powers, many cultivators possessed but couldn’t sense them.
The biggest reason a cultivator couldn’t break through was being unable to form a complete spirit sea, a common problem with low-grade cultivation laws and low perception cultivators.
The starflower herb helped solidify the spirit sea, and, in extreme cases, formed a pseudo-spirit sea, allowing the cultivator to reach the next realm. The elder was stuck in the peak of the ninth layer for a long time but now it would be easier to break through next time. Little Fu and the others also benefited from the meal.
“Young man, this is truly marvelous!” The elder praised.
“Brother, we’re from the Forest Clan in Redwater Town. Why don’t you join our clan?” Little Fu asked.
Elder, Lin Shu, Others: “…”
The Forest Clan was only a sixth-ranked influence in a small town, why would someone talented join their clan and not a bigger influence? Even if cooking wasn’t considered important to cultivators, the lifespan of those at the Body Tempering Realm only reached around 80 years. Those at the Spirit Sea Realm lived around 150 years, not enough to forget the pleasures of food.
“Brother, you have to come, my Father is the patriarch, if I can eat this food every day I will never complain about training!” Little Fu blinked his eyes and tilted the head trying to be cute.
Elder, Lin Shu, Ming Ren, others: ‘…You’re not even trying to hide your true intentions!!!’
“Brother, the world is vast, full of mysteries and things to see. I plan to roam, I do not wish to settle down yet,” Ming Ren refused politely. Little Fu wanted to insist when the young man with the greatsword went first.
“Little brother, my name is Lin Yin. Your skill with a sword impressed me!” Ming Ren held back, but it was still a superb sword performance. Lin Shu, green-haired girl, and the elder nodded. A smiling Ming Ren thanked them.
“Little brother, whether to compare notes with me on the way of the sword?” Lin Yi was a way of the sword fanatic, dedicated and persistent, unlike Little Fu. Too bad his cultivation was lacking, only reaching the seventh layer at eighteen.
Ming Ren nodded, “As long as the elder isn’t opposed to it. Oh, right, elder, that jade from before was…?” He glanced at the elder and green-haired girl.
“Oh, I’m a beast summoner, Little Red is my pet summon!” The green-haired girl added happily.
“I’ve never heard of beast summoners using jade to summon spirit beasts,” Ming Ren questioned.
“That jade is a little special, but only a low-grade treasure. Our clan got it by chance while exploring the Thousand Gates Secret Realm,” the elder chimed in. By this point, they already trusted Ming Ren, he befriended them by their stomachs.
Thousand Gates Secret Realm!
Ming Ren had always been curious about the place. Full of mysteries, opportunities, and dangers, even Spirit Gate cultivators faced death there.
The youth found himself in a dilemma, he truly liked this Forest Clan’s party, but he had to be careful about telling them the value of the jade and the potential of a spiritual beast oracle. If the clan acted carelessly and tried to find more information, disaster would come.
Treasures brought calamity, the Bright Scripture brought the downfall of the Bright Clan. On the other hand, it was unlikely anyone would ever find out about its value if they kept quiet about it, yet they could never explore its potential either.
In the end, he decided against meddling with the Forest Clan’s fate. If they met again when he possessed enough power, he would consider it as fate and help them.
After all the food disappeared, they dimmed the fire so as not to leave complete darkness. The group talked about random things until it was time to sleep. Little Fu fell asleep first. Lin Shu, Lin Yin, and the green-haired girl slept next. Ming Ren sat further from the group in a lotus position and shut his eyes, cultivating.
The elder had the guard shift. He waited until the others slept and approached Ming Ren, “You are from the Bright Clan!”
Ming Ren showed no surprise. He opened his eyes and nodded, having already deducted this elder sensed something.
“When I saw the sword art earlier, I thought it was a mistake. I saw the Bright Sword before. But the Bright Clan has a youth called Ming Ren, who fell into a coma ten years ago. I don’t know the details and the reason you still look so young, but it should be you, right?” The elder startled Ming Ren. He obviously knew the overlord expelled the clan, perhaps even that they had a secret bounty on their heads, and yet he didn’t seem to have any evil intentions.
“I am Ming Ren, from the Bright Clan!”
The elder nodded and sat near Ming Ren, “You can be at ease, the Bright and Forest clans always had a good relationship, we often traded spirit herbs for pills. There are two reasons I know about you. The first one… you look like your father!”
Ming Ren’s eyes shone, “Elder knows my father?”
“We are from the same generation and hunted together in this forest, his talent always above mine. I’ve been stuck in this realm for so long!” His eyes contained sadness and regret.
“What about the second reason?” Ming Ren asked.
“That Little Fu’s mother is from the Bright Clan, your father’s younger cousin. She heard of what happened to you and that’s how I know about it,” the elder added. Cultivators often had exceptional memory.
Ming Ren nearly fainted. He and that shameless and lazy Little Fu were related?
“Hahaha, he might be shameless and lazy, but his talent is quite good and his heart is in the right place,” how could the elder not know what Ming Ren was thinking?
“When the Bright Clan fell, some people came to our Forest Clan for help and a place to stay,” seeing Ming Ren’s eyes welled full of hope, he shook the head, “I’m sorry, we were powerless to protect them. They were all taken, even Little Fu’s mother…”
Ming Ren’s aura came close to exploding again. This time he kept his cool, “…By whom?”
“They had the overlord’s token, that’s all we know. The patriarch couldn’t oppose it! He even wanted to throw away his position, but Little Fu’s mother stopped him. The whole Forest Clan would have perished otherwise,” the elder sighed.
Silver Clan. Brave Clan. Sunflower Pavilion. Even if the royal family is in the way. Someday they will all pay!
The elder sensed Ming Ren’s anger, “Young man, what are you going to do now? Last I heard you were in custody of the Cloud Clan.”
After knowing his background, hiding in the forest made sense. Did the Cloud Clan release him, or he somehow escaped after waking up? Ming Ren was rumored to be forever stuck to the fourth layer, but the young man before him stood at the peak of the fifth layer. Either way, no one expected him to be in that forest alone.
“If possible, I would like to bring you to the Forest Clan, but… Alas, I’m not capable of making such a decision alone.”
Ming Ren shook the head, “I thank elder for your kindness, but there are things I must do.”
The elder sighed, “I will tell the patriarch about you once we return, perhaps he will think of something.”
Ming Ren hesitated for a bit and then looked straight at the elder. The kind and welcoming air surrounding him disappeared. He had an authority that should only be present at an expert, “Elder, do you want your clan to rise?
To stand proud and not fear any other clan?
Do you want a chance at changing your destiny, and the entire Forest Clan?
I, Ming Ren, make an oath to the Heavens. At this moment, if you trust me, this chance will be yours to grasp.”