Chapter 82: Cooking Skills Dominate

"You actually recognized it," Huang Tian said, a little surprised.

He had stumbled upon this Soul-Devouring Rabbit by chance and had to exert immense effort to capture it.

"Just a Soul-Devouring Rabbit," Xu Yang replied. "Back in my day, I ate so many of these that I got sick of them."

Of course, Xu Yang wouldn't admit that while he used to get sick of them, he hadn't seen a Soul-Devouring Rabbit in a long time and deeply missed its delicious taste.

"Young man, you're quite the braggart," Huang Tian scoffed at Xu Yang's words. The Soul-Devouring Rabbit was an ancient fierce beast; even spotting one required immense luck. Furthermore, despite its fragile appearance, it was still an ancient fierce beast and an excellent escape artist, making it incredibly difficult to capture. This young man in front of him was truly boasting without any restraint.

Huang Tian was about to teach Xu Yang a lesson. However, he saw Xu Yang skillfully grilling the Soul-Devouring Rabbit. Soon, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with golden-brown skin glistening with oil, looking incredibly appetizing. More importantly, a faint spiritual energy fluctuation emanated from the golden-brown roasted rabbit.

"How... how is there spiritual energy coming from this?" Huang Tian asked, stunned, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

"That's why your grilling earlier wasn't good enough," Xu Yang explained. "It might have looked, smelled, and tasted good, but these high-level fierce beasts inherently possess excellent medicinal properties. By focusing solely on appearance, aroma, and taste, you let all the medicinal efficacy go to waste. It's like chasing the trivial while neglecting the essential."

Xu Yang's calm words struck Huang Tian like thunder. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Xu Yang grab the golden-brown roasted Soul-Devouring Rabbit and start eating it heartily.

Huang Tian swallowed a mouthful of saliva and eagerly asked, "Can I... can I have some?"

Xu Yang tore off one of the least useful parts and gave it to Huang Tian, then tore off half a leg and gave it to Ling Qingshu. Afterward, he himself held the entire remaining Soul-Devouring Rabbit and began to devour it.

Huang Tian looked at the meager piece in his hand, his face falling, and took a small bite. As he brought it to his mouth, a rich aroma of meat filled his nostrils. He gently broke it open to reveal tender, jade-like meat beneath the golden-brown crispy skin. With one bite, a sweet fragrance dissolved in his mouth, and a warm current slid down his throat into his abdomen, spreading to every vein, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed, as if reborn.

Unfortunately, the portion Xu Yang gave Huang Tian was too small; it was gone in a single bite. Huang Tian, an old man with an otherworldly aura and profound cultivation, sucked his fingers like a child, gazing wistfully at Xu Yang. "Young friend, could you spare a little more?" His tone made it hard to believe he was a powerful expert at the Cavern Realm.

Ling Qingshu also looked at the greedy Huang Tian with suspicion, then cautiously took a bite of the rabbit leg Xu Yang had roasted. With one bite, Ling Qingshu's eyes immediately lit up. She felt as if she had wasted half her life, having followed Xu Yang for so long yet only now tasting such a delicacy.

However, Ling Qingshu quickly realized something was amiss. The warm current within her didn't dissipate; instead, it gathered at her Golden Core.

Boom...

A surge of wild spiritual energy exploded around her Golden Core, directly boosting Ling Qingshu's cultivation to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage!

"You've broken through," Xu Yang said calmly, resuming his meal of the Soul-Devouring Rabbit.

Ling Qingshu was momentarily stunned, then her eyes sparkled as she asked Xu Yang, "Ancestor, could I have a little more?"

"Me too!" Huang Tian peered eagerly from the side.

Xu Yang looked up, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and said, "Ling Qingshu, the spiritual energy in this Soul-Devouring Rabbit is too wild. It's not suitable for you to eat too much, or it could harm your body." He then turned to Huang Tian. "As for you, old man, as long as you follow us and take responsibility for catching wild game, I might, depending on my mood, grill some for you."

Huang Tian instantly beamed with delight, like a child who had just received a new toy.

As for Zhao Peng, he was completely dumbfounded. He never imagined that a mere culinary desire could win over a Cavern Realm cultivator. His gaze towards Xu Yang became filled with curiosity. He had never been able to discern Xu Yang's cultivation level. However, he had internally speculated that Xu Yang's cultivation should be at the Cavern Realm; otherwise, some things simply couldn't be explained. Immediately, his lips twitched again. This Cavern Realm cultivator was truly modest, hiding his cultivation at the Qi Condensation stage. When hiding cultivation, concealing it to the Nascent Soul or Golden Core stage would suffice, but Xu Yang actually hid his cultivation at the Qi Condensation stage. Anyone who believed Xu Yang was at the Qi Condensation stage would surely be a fool.

"Do you want some?" Xu Yang asked with a smile, noticing Zhao Peng's gaze fixed on him.

"No, thank you," Zhao Peng flatly refused.

"Oh, alright then," Xu Yang responded indifferently, then lowered his head to continue eating. However, Xu Yang was inwardly a little surprised. Zhao Peng was undeniably a formidable person; he could resist any temptation that might be detrimental to him. He was an absolutely rational individual. But Xu Yang merely thought this to himself, admiring Zhao Peng briefly. Regardless, Zhao Peng had nothing to do with him. If Zhao Peng were to do anything that truly angered Xu Yang, dispatching him would be as simple as lifting a finger.

After Xu Yang finished the entire Soul-Devouring Beast by himself, the group began discussing their onward journey. Zhao Peng pulled out a scroll from his robe and unrolled it on the ground, revealing a map. He pointed to a blue area on the map with a finger and spoke seriously:

"The Deep Sea Blue Heart is located here. However, this area has a massive deep-sea vortex. Extremely strong spiritual energy fluctuations are emanating from within the vortex, and we don't yet know what is causing such powerful emanations. Furthermore, I've seen many ancient fierce beasts around the vortex! It's certain that the dangers are immense. I wonder if you have the courage to go. Our goal is to enter the vortex and search for the Deep Sea Blue Heart. Besides that, I suspect there will be plenty of other fortuitous encounters in this place!"

Zhao Peng finished his passionate speech, then observed Xu Yang and Huang Tian. Huang Tian, however, maintained an uninterested expression, his wrinkles drooping, his eyes half-closed. Xu Yang, meanwhile, was engrossed in studying other features on the map, muttering to himself.

Zhao Peng was momentarily speechless. It seemed no one had been listening to him after all that talk. "What's the purpose of going in and searching for the Deep Sea Blue Heart?"