It had to be said, Xander Xuanyuan's cooking was truly impressive—but compared to Ian Song's, it was still a notch below.
After lunch, with fragrant tea brewed, the seven of them sat together once again.
Tanner Nangong's tone was unusually gentle: "Leon, our martial discussion was interrupted earlier when you treated our injuries. Now, please continue."
"Alright." Ian nodded, picked up the teacup on the table, and smiled at the six others:
"Seniors, please have a look—what is this?"
"Isn't it just a teacup?" Venerable Dragon Sword asked, a bit puzzled.
"No, it's not a teacup—it's our body." Ian shook his head, and with a splash, poured all the tea onto the floor.
"If the teacup represents our body, then the tea inside is heaven-and-earth energy. The cup has limited capacity." As he spoke, Ian picked up the teapot and poured water into the cup. When it was full, he kept pouring, and soon the water began to overflow.
"A teacup can only hold so much—any extra water will spill out. So how do you fit in more? You swap the cup for a teapot!"
At this, all six Martial Saints' eyes lit up—they'd just grasped something crucial.
Ian set down the teapot, raised the cup to his lips, and took a sip—the taste was wonderfully fragrant.
A while later.
Xander Xuanyuan was the first to speak: "Leon, I think I understand what you mean. But the process of body-refinement ends at the Body-Refining stage—even if we try again now, the effect won't be great, right?"
Ian agreed with a nod. The true qi cultivated in this world was too crude; simply put, it packed a punch, but harmed the user as much as the enemy.
Unlike the true essence cultivated by Immortal-Dao practitioners—it may be less powerful in attack, but it nourishes both body and soul.
Take the Golden Core stage, for instance—a cultivator can easily live five hundred years, no problem. But in this world, even Martial Gods rarely reach that age.
That's the gap.
So, Ian planned to teach cultivation methods from the Immortal-Dao to these six Martial Saints. That way, even if he revealed his true strength or fought differently, they'd cover for him.
Ian nodded. "That's exactly it. A martial artist's body is mostly developed by the end of the Body-Refining stage, but in my view, human potential is limitless. Body-refinement only scratches the surface. I have a method that can dramatically improve the body and even nourish the soul. Do you seniors dare to try it?"
What?
At those words, the six Martial Saints could no longer remain calm; each one stared at him with burning eyes.
"Leon, do you really have such a cultivation method?"
Ian nodded solemnly. "I do. I'll recite the method now—see if you can cultivate it!"
"Great, that's fantastic!"
All six Martial Saints couldn't help but cheer.
Next, Ian recited the nine Qi-Refining layers of the Origin-Nurturing Scripture. He didn't recite the Foundation Establishment section, but these first nine layers were enough to nourish their bodies and souls.
These six were all top experts in this world. Although Immortal-Dao methods belonged to a different system, they quickly grasped it and began cultivating on the spot.
Using Clairvoyant Vision, Ian saw that Xander Xuanyuan was the first to condense true essence, followed by Melody Empress, then Tanner Nangong…
In less than half an hour, all six had cultivated true essence, and their realms were rapidly rising.
Two hours later, Xander Xuanyuan was the first to perfect the nine layers of the Origin-Nurturing Scripture.
Within another hour, the other five succeeded in turn.
Once they succeeded, they eagerly used true essence to temper their bodies. The effect was so strong that each became fully absorbed, even forgetting Ian was there.
Ian could only smile helplessly, so he got up and left the hut to wander nearby.
Soon, dusk fell, but the group kept cultivating endlessly. So Ian went to the fields to pick some vegetables, then took a sea demonic beast from his Storage Ring and started cooking.
Soon, he finished several dishes, brought them inside, and took out a bottle of his best wine. He ate, drank, and watched the six continue their training.
Finally, after ninety-nine cycles of circulation, Xander Xuanyuan was the first to awaken.
Compared to before, he was more energetic, and treasure-like radiance faintly shimmered under his skin—he'd clearly benefited greatly from the cultivation.
Suddenly, he sniffed, walked to the table, picked up his chopsticks, and took a piece of sea demonic beast meat. Instantly, his face showed intoxication. After chewing and swallowing, he looked at Ian in surprise: "Leon, did you make this?"
"Does it suit your taste?" Ian smiled.
Xander took a bite of vegetable, mumbling, "It does—it's amazing! Way better than anything I can cook! If you weren't destined for greatness, I'd make you my personal chef!"
Ian poured Xander a glass of wine and handed it to him.
He took the glass and drained it in one go, then frowned: "What kind of wine is this?"
"It's my own brew, no name yet. But it strengthens the body and purges impurities," Ian replied.
"Can I have two bottles?" Xander asked.
"Of course!"
Ian took eighteen bottles from his Storage Ring and placed them on the table. "Three bottles for each of you, seniors."
Seeing all eighteen bottles, Xander's eyes lit up. With a wave of his hand, he tried to take them all. "The other five don't like wine—I'll just take them all myself!"
"Wait! Who says I don't like wine? Even if I didn't, it's a gift from Ian. You didn't even ask me—you just want to take my share? Xander, that's too much!"
A hand reached out and pressed down on Xander's.
It was Tanner Nangong, now awake.
"That's right—taking without asking is stealing. Xander, if you want my wine, you should ask me first!" Adrian Zhuge chimed in.
"Hmm, what wine is this? Smells great—let me try!"
Venerable Dragon Sword strode over, picked up an open bottle, poured himself a glass, and downed it in one gulp. He immediately felt a surge of warmth in his body—the wine even tempered his flesh. His eyes lit up: "Great wine!"
He waved his hand and put away his three bottles.
Tanner Nangong and Adrian Zhuge also put away their three bottles each.
At that moment, Harvey Huangpu and Melody Empress finished their cultivation.
Just in time to see the wine-grabbing scene, they hurried over and put away their three bottles each.
Seeing the last three bottles on the table, Xander looked heartbroken. "Melody, you're a woman—you don't like wine, right? How about giving me your three bottles? I'll trade you an eighth-grade pill!"
"I'll trade two eighth-grade pills!" Venerable Dragon Sword quickly added.
For a moment, Xander could only grit his teeth in frustration.
Melody Empress wasn't foolish—if both Xander and Venerable Dragon Sword were willing to trade eighth-grade pills for the wine, it had to be valuable. Smiling, she shook her head and refused.