ARLQLCC chapter 49

On the high platform, the sect master stood in front, followed by the elders and peak masters, and once again it was the Great Elder who stepped forward to speak.

This time, unlike the opening ceremony, he did not spend much time speaking. After a few perfunctory words of encouragement, he took his seat with the others.

Beside the arena, the Yunxian Sect Discipline Hall disciple raised his hand high, and his voice infused with spiritual energy spread across the entire martial field: “Foundation Establishment realm match begins, please two disciples come up to the stage.”

For the Foundation Establishment matches, disciples from the four major sects would not participate. This realm was mostly competed by disciples from smaller and mid-sized sects for the final rewards.

The two who went up looked unfamiliar to him. To Su Ji, Foundation Establishment realm matches were like two-year-old children fighting, but it did not stop him from watching them with great interest.

In the past half month, he made many small snacks, just to satisfy cravings when he had nothing to do.

Now that there were matches to watch, eating snacks while watching was the most suitable thing.

Spicy dried fish was fragrant between teeth and lips, pork cracklings sprinkled with chili powder were crispy with every bite, and charcoal-grilled beef strips had been marinated for several days. Now that they were taken out, the sesame aroma and spicy flavor had already seeped into the inside of the meat strips; the more you chewed, the more fragrant it became.

Su Ji handed these snacks to Tu Yan and the others beside him, while Chu Zhaoye also lay on his lap gnawing on dried fish.

The surrounding disciples were originally concentrating on watching the matches on arena, but the more they watched, the more something felt wrong. Their noses twitched, as if they smelled a tempting fragrance drifting through the spectator stands.

This smell carried fresh savory spice, numb spiciness, and rich meat aroma. For disciples who had only eaten dry steamed buns in the morning, or had skipped breakfast just to secure seats, the moment they smelled it, the greedy insects in their stomachs were already stirred up.

On the arena, swords and blades flashed.

Below the arena, the disciples in the central spectator stands were instead becoming distracted, trying to find the source of the fragrance.

The soundproof barrier could not block the aroma. On the left, Yun Che and the others were eating a bag of pork cracklings, crunching loudly; Su Ji and Tu Yan were tearing beef strips into thin shreds while chatting and eating; Chu Zhaoye was eating dried fish one bite at a time, crispy and spicy.

More and more gazes gathered on them, and the sound of swallowing saliva was clearly audible on the martial arena, otherwise filled only with the clash of weapons.

Su Ji, who was eating beef strips, paused. Following these unavoidable gazes, he turned his head and saw that the disciples around the central spectator stands were all staring intently at the snacks in his hand.

After noticing him looking over, some shyly averted their gaze, while some bolder and more gluttonous ones asked: “Chef Su, did you make these snacks yourself?”

Su Ji removed the soundproof barrier and nodded: “Yes, I made them myself. Just something to eat when I’m free.”

The disciple’s eyes lit up and cautiously asked: “Chef Su, when you return to Linggu Mountain, will you sell these snacks?”

As soon as he said this, the surrounding gazes that had just shifted away immediately gathered back again. Someone began to echo: “Chef Su, please sell them! They smell too good. Normally we don’t get any snacks besides main meals.”

“Yes, Chef Su! We’re not short on money, you can sell them at a higher price!”

“Wuwuwuwu Chef Su please I really need this!”

The originally quiet spectator stands instantly became noisy. The disciples looked at Su Ji with anticipation, as if he would have to die on the spot if he refused.

Su Ji did not expect the casual snacks he made to cause such a huge reaction. Hearing their pleas, he suddenly thought of what Chu Zhaoye had said on the first day of teaching—the proposal to expand Linggu Mountain’s Cafeteria.

At this moment, recalling it, Su Ji came up with a good idea.

After returning, he would spend a few days expanding the cafeteria. One area would continue selling home-style dishes, while another area would offer more varieties—noodles, malatang¹Malatang (麻辣烫) is a Sichuan street food characterized by a spicy and numbing flavor profile. It consists of skewered or self-selected meats, vegetables, and noodles that are briefly simmered in a numbing broth seasoned with Sichuan pepper and dried chili., braised snacks and other treats—so disciples from all sects would have more choices.

After expansion, he would hire more helpers, and it should soon get on track.

Thinking of this, Su Ji said to the surrounding disciples: “After I return to Linggu Mountain, I will spend some time expanding the cafeteria. At that time, a new area will be opened specifically to sell different kinds of food. These snacks will also be sold there. Once the expansion is complete, the teleportation array will light up again, and you can just come buy them directly.”

This was simply an unexpected windfall. Not only did Chef Su agree to sell snacks, he was even adding new varieties. When Linghu Mountain had set up stalls before, they did not sell traditional home-style dishes; noodles like minced meat noodles and dough soup were also very good. This new area must be for those kinds of dishes.

The spectator stands erupted in suppressed exclamations. A group of disciples hurriedly thanked him, then immediately opened their spiritual communication devices to share the news with fellow disciples.

It spread from ten to a hundred, and within just a few minutes, almost half the disciples knew about Linggu Mountain’s expansion.

The match on the arena had not even finished, but cheers were already coming from the spectator stands. On the high platform, the sect masters exchanged glances, all casting curious looks.

Tao Yue looked at one person in the spectator stands, closed his folding fan, tilted his head, and asked: “Great Elder, is this the Su Little Friend you mentioned?”

The Great Elder nodded: “Yes, it is him.”

In the crowd, Su Ji sat upright. His green robe made his temperament look like resilient bamboo; his fair, beautiful profile was gentle as he smiled and lowered his head to stroke a black kitten.

Tao Yue could not help but praise: “As expected of his name, refined and elegant—better to see once than hear a hundred times.”

Xie Daoqi was also very interested in this friend his son often praised. He looked from afar and said in surprise: “He is already at mid Soul Transformation stage. I see spiritual energy surrounding him; he may soon break through to late Soul Transformation. This talent is even slightly above Xie Yao in comparison.”

The Great Elder added: “I heard from Yun Xicheng that Little Friend Su is also very young. To have such cultivation at such an age—when I was his age I was still circling around Nascent Soul. Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older.”

Tao Yue sighed: “If this Little Friend Su is willing, I would truly like to take him as my closed-door disciple. With such talent, I would devote the full strength of my sect to cultivate him. Surpassing me would only be a matter of time.”

Xie Daoqi said unhappily: “Sect Master Tao, that is incorrect. This Little Friend Su is close with my son. If he is to take a master, it should be me.”

“Sigh, Sect Master Xie, you!” Tao Yue stood up from his chair. “That is hindsight talking!”

Xie Daoqi: “He has no sect. We can compete fairly!”

Tao Yue was furious: “You! Kunlun Divine Palace is the number one sect on the continent. How could I compete with you!”

Xie Daoqi: “Hmph.”

The Great Elder laughed loudly on the side: “If I may say, the two of you should stop arguing. Even if you want to take him as a disciple, he may not be willing. With such talent and such superb cooking skills, he is already a hot commodity wherever he goes. If he wanted to join a sect, he would have done so long ago. Why would he open a cafeteria himself?”

Hearing this, Tao Yue instantly deflated, leaning back in his chair and sighing: “Sigh, that is true. If Su Ji could join any sect, it would be a blessing for that sect. If he came to Mingxia Sect, I would absolutely not let him leave.”

Xie Daoqi nodded in agreement: “Indeed. To let such a seedling go would be foolish.”

Once again, the three great experts were enthusiastically discussing Su Ji’s talent.

On the side, Fang Que kept his expression stiff, truly lacking the courage to join their conversation.

He looked at Su Ji in the crowd chatting casually with the Demon Venerable, and recalled how every time he saw Tu Yan, he felt fear from the bottom of his heart. After leaving the sect, Su Ji was not only about to break through to late Soul Transformation, but also had such close relations with such a great figure he himself could never even hope to approach.

If it hadn’t been for that public accusation incident, the demon race and Chenxin Sect might already have become allies by now!

What a foolish act—wasn’t he the greatest fool of them all?

……

On the high platform, while the others were looking at Su Ji, Chu Zhaoye also noticed their probing gazes.

However, these gazes carried no malice, so he did not feel displeased.

Only the last gaze carried a complex meaning. Chu Zhaoye looked over and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face.

This person… seemed to be the current sect master of Chenxin Sect?

Su Ji had once been a disciple of Chenxin Sect. Although he did not know why he left, it definitely was not anything good, otherwise Su Ji would not avoid mentioning it at all.

Now this sect master was looking at Su Ji with such an expression—could it be lingering malice, or an intending to retaliate?

However, he still did not know what Su Ji had experienced in the past, so he could not determine whether his guess was correct.

He would ask Su Ji about it alone tonight.

Not sure if he would be willing to tell me.

Chu Zhaoye pawed at the fabric on Su Ji’s lap and thought confidently: he treats me so well, he will definitely tell me.

When he got smug, his tail liked to sway. Su Ji did not notice because he was focused on the stage, but Tu Yan did. After taking a bite of beef strip, he felt confused.

What is the boss thinking again? That tail is about to swing sparks out.

But he did not dare to ask, and after glancing once, he shifted his attention back to the arena.

The Foundation Establishment match had already determined a winner. The victor was a female disciple, who was now stepping down the stage with a joyful expression, surrounded by her fellow junior sisters.

The Foundation Establishment round ended. A Discipline Hall disciple stepped forward again and raised his hand high, announcing loudly: “Golden Core realm match begins. Please Yunxian Sect Yun Xicheng and Mingxia Sect Tao Ming step onto the stage for the match.”

One was the young sect master of Yunxian Sect, the other the second disciple of sect master of Mingxia Sect—both were highly important figures.

The disciples who had just been distracted by Su Ji’s snacks suddenly snapped back to attention and focused fully on the arena.

On the high platform, Tao Yue and the Great Elder also stopped chatting and focused on their own disciples.

Yun Xicheng held his sword and stepped onto the arena with Tao Ming following behind. The spectator stands immediately erupted into cheers.

Among them, Yun Che shouted the loudest: “Yun Xicheng——!! If you don’t win, you sleep outside the gate tonight!! Don’t come back!!”

Yun Xicheng, facing away from the audience, rolled his eyes and restrained the urge to go down and beat Yun Che up.

He cupped his hands toward Tao Ming and said: “Junior Brother Tao, let’s begin.”

Tao Ming touched the talismans at his waist and smiled slightly: “Senior Brother Yun, be careful.”

The match began. The two who had been standing at opposite corners instantly turned into streaks of light, exchanging over a hundred moves in an instant.

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  Malatang (麻辣烫) is a Sichuan street food characterized by a spicy and numbing flavor profile. It consists of skewered or self-selected meats, vegetables, and noodles that are briefly simmered in a numbing broth seasoned with Sichuan pepper and dried chili.