Chapter 24: Reborn Master Author 16

Mu Yin looked at him, raised her hands, and formed a hand seal. A fire dragon instantly appeared in her palm, dancing along with her movements and radiating a scorching heat that proved it was no illusion. Then, she casually extinguished the fire dragon and summoned a water dragon instead, which landed on Ji Quan's desk and froze into ice in an instant.

"Is this magic?" Lan Moqi asked, her eyes full of yearning. "Can we cultivate as well?"

"I'm afraid not. This system is different from the one in your world." Mu Yin shook her head. Her ability to cultivate was ultimately because she did not belong to this world. "Body techniques are something you can cultivate; those originally developed out of the technological system. Once I complete my mission and spiritual energy undergoes a resurgence, those who have practiced body techniques will find it much easier to evolve."

"Spiritual energy resurgence?" Qi Rao seized upon the key point.

"Indeed," Mu Yin nodded. "As you know the nature of the Prime Stone, it goes through three stages: the spiritual energy resurgence period, the spiritual energy outburst period, and the apocalyptic period. Originally, after the catastrophe your world suffered a hundred years ago, a spiritual energy resurgence should have taken place, ushering in a grand era of evolution before breaking through the planet to enter the interstellar age. Unfortunately, that was disrupted by alien races, and the resurgence ended just as it was beginning." Mu Yin offered them a sweet bait.

"So, as long as you disrupt the plot, we will experience a true spiritual energy resurgence?" Ji Quan felt a slight dryness in his throat.

"A spiritual energy resurgence might bring dangers, such as flora and fauna mutating into more hazardous forms, but it will likewise grant humanity an opportunity for evolution—superpowers and the like. Of course, this is on the condition that you activate the energy shields. While there may be casualties, this is indispensable for the sake of evolution," Mu Yin explained, weighing the pros and cons.

"We need to discuss this matter," the four of them finally told Mu Yin. "Qi Rao, take Ms. Li to rest. Ms. Li will stay here for the time being."

"Very well." Mu Yin stood up, nodded, and followed Qi Rao outside.

Qi Rao led Mu Yin away from the room and took her to a hotel—thankfully, they didn't directly send her to a dormitory or a prison cell.

"You will stay here for now," Qi Rao told Mu Yin. "You are free to walk around the city, as long as you don't leave Huafeng."

"Alright, thank you." Mu Yin nodded in appreciation.

"Then I'll take my leave," Qi Rao said before departing.

Mu Yin rested in her room for the night. Having spent the past two days constantly traveling by vehicle, she was genuinely exhausted. After a sound sleep, she went out for a stroll the next morning. The first place she sought out was a restaurant. Looking over the menu, she was surprised to find a few dishes that she had previously mentioned as being prepared by culinary cultivators.

Instantly, she grew quite interested and ordered those dishes, intending to taste the world's version of them. While she was waiting for the food, Qi Rao suddenly sat down at her table. "What, are you keeping an eye on me because you're afraid I'll run off?"

"Not at all. This restaurant happens to be the best in the vicinity," Qi Rao denied.

"Oh." Mu Yin remained somewhat skeptical. Neither spoke further until Qi Rao ordered a few dishes as well. Soon, their meals were served; aside from two overlapping dishes, the rest were completely different.

"Ms. Li can try these; these dishes are the house specialties here," Qi Rao said, pointing to the three other dishes he had ordered.

"You don't seem anything like you look," Mu Yin couldn't help remarking.

"Oh? How so?" Qi Rao looked at her, inquiringly.

"Judging by your appearance, you seem rather aloof and cold, but your behavior suggests otherwise," Mu Yin replied. When she first laid eyes on the man, she had pegged him as belonging to the cold and distant type, but that clearly wasn't the case now.

"Ms. Li might be mistaken about something. While a person's outward personality may appear singular, it is actually multifaceted. Most people simply conceal their other traits to maintain an appearance of consistency, but human beings possess a full range of emotions and desires; it's impossible for them to manifest only a single personality." Qi Rao, however, disagreed with her assessment.

"Very well, you've convinced me. Let's eat." Upon reflection, Mu Yin thought he had a point. It was much like how bad people occasionally do good deeds, while kind-hearted people might harbor fleeting wicked thoughts. Good and evil reside within everyone; it merely comes down to personal choice.

Without standing on ceremony, Mu Yin tasted the so-called specialty dishes. The flavor was indeed exceptional. The meat and vegetables here came from mutated flora and fauna, containing a certain amount of energy that made them taste far superior to unmutated ingredients—after all, unmutated produce forced-grown with chemical fertilizers had its foundations ruined, much like a sub-health state in the human body.

Post-mutation, the flavor hadn't been ruined; instead, the replenishment of energy made it even more delicious. Combined with the chef's decent culinary skills, the food was quite appetizing. She also sampled the dishes inspired by her descriptions, though she could only describe their taste as mediocre.

"The recipes for these dishes came from you, but the taste feels rather ordinary," Qi Rao noted, pointing to those specific plates.

"Of course. Did you really think a culinary cultivator's skills are that easy to learn? Especially these particular dishes, which require techniques unique to culinary cultivators. If you attempt to cook them using ordinary methods, you might find some alternative recipes, but these simply won't work," Mu Yin shook her head. The reason culinary cultivators were designated as such set them apart from ordinary chefs, naturally.

Actually, Mu Yin rather liked the cultivation techniques of food cultivators, because they could enhance their spiritual power and gain insights simply by eating. Of course, the troublesome part of being a food cultivator was that the same food had a limit to the energy and insights it could provide. Because of this, food cultivators constantly needed to seek out various delicacies to advance their cultivation.

Perhaps in some gourmet-themed world, she could practice the arts of a food cultivator, Mu Yin mused. Just then, she heard Qi Rao ask, "Can you make them?"

"Huh?" Mu Yin looked somewhat perplexed.

"I was wondering if I might have the privilege of tasting Ms. Li's cooking," Qi Rao said again, his gaze sincere and touched with a hint of a smile, instantly lending a sunlit warmth to his stern, handsome face.

"Are you a foodie?" Mu Yin's mouth twitched, feeling that the man's persona was collapsing far too rapidly to keep up with.

"Not quite, I just have a little hobby," Qi Rao looked away, his gaze drifting slightly.

Mu Yin couldn't help stifling a laugh, finding this man rather endearing. "Very well, but where would we make it?"

"I'm well acquainted with the owner of this restaurant. We can borrow their kitchen," Qi Rao immediately offered, turning back with bright eyes.

"Let's go then, these dishes aren't particularly good anyway." Mu Yin glanced at the plates before her. In truth, the ingredients were subpar; the ingredients used by culinary cultivators were spiritual herbs and spiritual beasts, but she supposed they couldn't possibly obtain better here.

"I'll show you the way," Qi Rao stood up to lead her. At the same time, he contacted his friend to explain the situation, and by the time they entered the back kitchen, his friend had already arrived.