Chapter 666: Preaching

Li Qi noticed that on the rooftop, everyone seemed more refined, ordering just a few dishes and slowly savoring them.

By scanning the surface thoughts of those around him, he learned that, firstly, this was considered more elegant, showing taste and avoiding the impression of a boorish glutton.

Secondly, the dishes here were all very precious and quite expensive; only the forces under the ten or so Eighth Rank experts in the city could afford to order over four hundred dishes, eating only a bite from each, like Li Qi did.

Oh, it's not called Eighth Rank here; it's called Nascent Soul Realm.

Anyway, it's the same thing.

Others might not be unable to afford it, but they clearly wouldn't waste money like that, as the expense was considerable.

Therefore, when Li Qi did this, he naturally drew a lot of attention, and many people began to secretly observe Li Qi, instructing their subordinates to investigate this sudden Eighth Rank expert.

Yes, everyone naturally assumed he was an Eighth Rank expert, because... if he didn't have that level of power and did something so ostentatious, the consequences would likely be dire.

In this world, the rule of 'what Rank does what level of thing' is deeply ingrained in people's hearts.

Of course, Li Qi didn't know this, and even if he did, he wouldn't care, because he was truly just there to eat.

After tasting over four hundred dishes, Li Qi put down his chopsticks.

It was alright, barely acceptable, but compared to the takeout he'd had from Zhu Fengdan, the difference was truly immense; even ingredients like swordfish couldn't compare. One could only say it was decent among Eighth and Ninth Rank dishes, still just ordinary gourmet food, not reaching the Rank of rare treasures.

After Li Qi finished eating, he patted Ju Ye's shoulder: "You eat first. If you can't finish, pack it up and take it home. I'm going over there to look at the scenery. Call me when it's time to pay the bill."

With that, Li Qi stood up from the dining table and, under numerous gazes, walked towards the floating sky platform outside.

There, an Eighth Rank expert was looking at Li Qi; this was the strongest person Li Qi had just sensed in the area.

Li Qi walked over, and the other party was slightly stunned, then immediately realized that the person in front of him had noticed him.

So, he went to meet him, looking at Li Qi: "Your Excellency certainly has a good appetite."

"Just eating casually, it's one of my few hobbies," Li Qi said with a smile.

"Then, Your Excellency, which dish did you find most to your liking?" the other party asked again.

"That one," Li Qi pointed to one of the plates on the table.

The other party clapped his hands and immediately praised: "What an exquisite palate! This item is a Slope Bird. Originally, its body weighed a hundred pounds, and its flavor was bland. But it was smoked and flavored with spices, then air-dried, reducing a hundred pounds to fifty pounds. Then it was sun-dried, reducing it to twenty-five pounds. After that, it was cooked to perfection and condensed with a secret method, so that a hundred pounds became only one pound, shrinking until only a segment remained. All the flavors were concentrated into a single bite, which is how it achieved such freshness. Moreover, Slope Birds can only be captured alive by a Nascent Soul Realm expert, making them extremely difficult to catch, and the cooking difficulty is also considerable. In this hundred-thousand-mile radius, only this establishment serves it. Your Excellency chose it with just one bite, which shows you are truly an old hand at this."

Li Qi scanned the other party's surface thoughts.

He found that this person wasn't just being complimentary; he was genuinely admiring Li Qi from the bottom of his heart, and even felt a sense of camaraderie with Li Qi.

So Li Qi cupped his hands and pointed to another dish: "You flatter me, but besides this dish, I think that root vegetable also has some flavor; compared to the others, it can be called High Grade."

It was a plant root, but Li Qi didn't know what it was. It tasted a bit like bamboo shoots, but its crispness and tenderness were comparable to yam, and it contained Qi of water. It was probably an aquatic plant, but different from lotus root, clearly a unique species of this world.

It was indeed delicious, and the cooking was also of a high standard.

The man was even more delighted, his sense of camaraderie blossoming, and he began to speak effusively again: "Among the beauties of vegetables, there are five: first, clarity; second, purity; third, fragrance; fourth, crispness and tenderness; fifth, distance from greasiness."

"Home-grown vegetables are the most impure; they only achieve crispness and tenderness among the five. This is because when they are fertilized, they are watered from root to leaf, and with the accumulation of manure over days and months, their clarity, purity, and fragrance are completely lost. They are not to be eaten unless absolutely necessary."

"Wild vegetables from the mountains are slightly better, achieving two of the five: crispness and tenderness, and fragrance. Because they grow in the wild, they have the Qi of the mountains and forests, but since they originate from soil, the baseness of dirt is inherent, and purity is difficult to speak of."

"Further up, like bean sprouts, these water-grown items, being untouched by the Qi of earth, possess the quality of purity. Adding crispness, tenderness, and fragrance, they achieve three of the five, making them barely palatable."

"Even further up are fungi and mushrooms. Rootless and stemless, they appear suddenly and vanish suddenly, having form but no substance. Things with substance must have dregs; since they have no dregs, they are without substance. Being without substance, therefore, they are both clear and pure, with excellent fragrance and great crispness and tenderness. They possess four of the five, and can be called High Grade. However, fungi and mushrooms are still meat-like, too greasy, losing some of their taste."

"As for the highest grade, that would be aquatic vegetables. Born from water, they are untainted by the stench of mud. They are crisp, tender, fragrant, clear, and pure. They also possess a refreshing aroma. They are all clear, ethereal, and wondrous things. Eating them is like fish and shrimp drinking water, or cicadas sipping dew—clear, fragrant, and elegant. All five qualities are present, making them the supreme High Grade."

"Just like the dish Your Excellency pointed out, it is exactly so."

The other party spoke with such enthusiasm that his excitement was momentarily inexpressible; he truly seemed to love eating.

Li Qi also loved to eat, but only to a certain extent; he hadn't reached the point of obsession. He enjoyed delicious food very much, but he didn't love it to this degree, so he couldn't empathize with the other person.

However, this pursuit of beloved things is one of the motivations for pursuing the Dao, so although Li Qi couldn't empathize, he could very well understand.

Thus, Li Qi nodded slightly: "Such passion. It seems, brother, you take this as your Dao?"

"Ah? What do you mean by 'take this as your Dao'?" This Eighth Rank expert was a bit confused, not quite understanding what Li Qi meant.

Li Qi, meanwhile, frowned slightly.

Indeed, the Dao paths in this world are not self-pursued.

Their cultivation is not for the pursuit of the Dao, but for becoming stronger.

"It means integrating the art of eating and drinking into cultivation. Isn't that very enjoyable?" Li Qi said with a smile.

The other party, however, shook his head: "Eh, what kind of thing would that be? It's useless for strength, just an unnecessary act. If cultivation can't make one stronger, then what's the point? Let's just forget it; these things are just for recreation."

"If one cannot pursue what one loves, then what is the meaning of cultivation?" Li Qi retorted.

"The more so, the more important strength becomes! After all, only by living, and living better, can one have hobbies," the other party merely smiled. Although he didn't agree with Li Qi's words, he maintained tolerance for Li Qi, such a rare kindred spirit.

Speaking of which, he suddenly clapped his hands: "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Ou, and my given name is Ou Xianqing. I am of the Nascent Soul Realm. This restaurant is my property. What do you think, Your Excellency?"

"My name is Li Qi, and my Realm... is a bit higher than the Nascent Soul Realm," Li Qi said.

He didn't use the self-deprecating 'in this humble one's opinion,' as such a title might be too much for the other party to bear.

"So it's a great expert of the Ascension Realm? Then I've encountered a Senior today," the other party immediately bowed and said.

The reason for the bow was simple: Ou Xianqing had probed Li Qi's cultivation.

He couldn't see through it.

This was indeed a true expert. Even if the other party wasn't in the Ascension Realm, he was probably not far off, otherwise, he wouldn't be completely unable to discern his true foundation.

"I think it's quite good. Oh, by the way, the bill hasn't been settled yet, and I don't have any Spirit Stones on me. How about this: I'll also present a dish. If Lord Ou thinks it's acceptable, could you waive the cost of this meal?" Li Qi said.

"Oh? Since Senior Li says so, my curiosity has been piqued. Please," Ou Xianqing's interest was immediately aroused.

Such a gourmand with similar hobbies was rare. The food the other party could produce was probably not simple.

Li Qi himself wasn't much of a cook; his skill was only slightly higher than these Eighth Rank experts. He was good at brewing wine, but it was mostly sacrificial wine, with standards met, but taste wasn't the priority; everything was centered on sacrificial properties.

However, Shen Shuibi, over these past few centuries, because of Li Qi's love for eating, the rabbit had actually developed excellent cooking skills. Although it couldn't compare to her Alchemy, it could make Li Qi enjoy family life very comfortably.

For this, Li Qi was grateful and deeply proud.

So the item Li Qi took out was certainly not made by himself, but rather Zhu Fengdan's takeout.

That's right, Zhu Fengdan often ordered takeout. Although it was called takeout, it was all truly exquisite. The ingredients might not be precious, but the cooking skill was definitely on point.

After all, eating isn't necessarily about the ingredients; sometimes, it's about the technique, the chef's skill and artistry, which also has its own unique flavor. And Zhu Fengdan often couldn't finish her food, sometimes ordering a huge table and only eating a few dishes, so Li Qi naturally collected the leftovers.

Why not take something for free?

But at this moment, Li Qi naturally couldn't give away precious ingredients. It wasn't that he was stingy or reluctant; it was mainly that these Eighth Rank people, if they took one bite, would probably explode directly, unable to bear such gourmet food.

So he chose a 'kung fu' dish and presented it.

This move made Ou Xianqing's pupils constrict slightly.

Where did he take it out from?

Li Qi also noticed the other party's gaze and scanned his shallow thoughts, understanding the other party's idea.

The mortal Realm of the Immortal Heaven had no mustard seed bags.

Indeed, the mustard seed bags in the world were essentially extraterrestrial spaces opened up by a Great Power, allowing people to put things inside. The Immortal Heaven didn't have such benevolent Great Powers, meaning they had no Spiritual Artifacts for storage. After all, Divine Abilities involving space were quite High Grade, and Eighth Rank experts weren't qualified to dabble in them.

But it didn't matter, Li Qi didn't care. Anyway, he had another motive for letting the other party taste the dish.

A very ordinary bowl of noodles was brought out, even a bowl of plain noodles, made with ingredients no more than Eighth Rank's Green Sun Wheat.

Of course, to Li Qi, Eighth Rank ingredients were ordinary, so the dish made was a 'kung fu' dish, but to Ou Xianqing, it was not.

He could only feel a refreshing Qi wafting towards him.

Li Qi waved his hand slightly, and the bowl of noodles quickly went from cold to hot. It was originally leftover food that had been sitting for quite a while; Li Qi had only collected it because he thought it was a waste.

Once the noodles heated up, a fragrance arose. Ou Xianqing eagerly reached out and took the bowl, disregarding the dignity of a Nascent Soul Realm expert. He picked up his chopsticks, first slurped a mouthful of soup, then tasted a mouthful of noodles...

After that, he slowly narrowed his eyes.

This feeling...

His Inner World—

It was indescribable.

His cultivation was stirring, and his cultivation method seemed to be resonating with this bowl of noodles.

He seemed to sense that the chef who made this bowl of noodles had poured his heart and soul into it, using extraordinary mystical arts to infuse his understanding of the world and of noodle dishes into this one bowl of noodles.

If it were before, Ou Xianqing would have said such a thing was utter nonsense.

It was just cooking and eating. Although he enjoyed it, such things were ultimately not to be taken seriously. How could they compare to Divine Abilities with immense destructive power?

But after eating this bowl of noodles, he suddenly felt...

This was not ridiculous.

There was nothing to laugh at; within this bowl of noodles, there was still an understanding of the world.

Yes, this was the most important thing.

When you have your own unique understanding of the world, then whether it's cooking, blacksmithing, fighting, or studying, the essence is the same.

It's all about putting your perception and views of the world into practice.

Can't the understanding you gain from making noodles, your use of ingredients and knives, be applied elsewhere?

There's no reason why not.

Everything is interconnected. The insights you gain about the world from cooking, as long as they are deep enough, can be applied to other areas.

This is 'generality'.

The 'generality' of the world, this 'generality', when pursued to its ultimate end, is the 'Dao' virtually created by the Dao Sect.

The root of everything, all things are contained within it.

The beginning of heaven and earth, the mother of all things, profound and profound, the gate of all wonders.

The Dao is the complete simplicity; the Dao generates all things and is also contained within all things. The Dao is in things, things are in the Dao. All things, though taking different paths, ultimately lead to the same 'Dao'.

This Dao is the origin of the name 'Dao Sect'.

So, why can't eating and drinking lead to combat?

Through eating and drinking, one enters the 'Dao', and then through the 'Dao', one extends into combat.

Everything originates from the Dao. The "Dao" is the beginning and mother of all things in heaven and earth. The opposition and unity of Yin and Yang are the essential manifestations of all things.

Or rather, why be fixated on classifications like 'eating and drinking', 'combat', 'manufacturing'?

What's the point of such classifications? These are merely the hobbies of cultivators themselves.

As long as one can explore the 'Dao', then one can develop one's own unique understanding of all things, whether it's combat or eating and drinking, one can delve deeply into them.

Ou Xianqing, it seems, has enlightened?

So, this is true cultivation.

Just a bowl of noodles, but the Dao Resonance within it resonated, suddenly making him realize something—

To accumulate magical power, to increase killing power, to become stronger, but... can one truly become stronger this way?

Perhaps, but certainly not as strong as directly comprehending the essence.

This is like, no matter how exquisitely you make a bow and arrow, or how sharp you grind the arrow, you still can't defeat a firearm.

Why?

Because a firearm utilizes 'force' more deeply; the 'Dao' a firearm employs is more profound than that of a bow and arrow, so the power it exerts is naturally stronger, and its upper limit is higher.

What Ou Xianqing had been doing before was making more powerful bows and arrows, but he had never thought of making firearms.

And at this moment, he realized the existence of firearms.

This is what Li Qi wanted to do.

He wanted to spread the Dao in the Immortal Heaven. (End of Chapter)