Chapter 104: Elder Zhao: Congratulations to the Ninth Princess on Finding a Worthy Talent

Night fell. The winds in Yunmeng Swamp howled fiercely, and the temperature dropped sharply. Inside the cave, the bonfire flickered as cups and dishes clinked together. "Young Brother Wang, your culinary skills are truly impressive. I’ve tasted many spiritual dishes over the years, but this is the first time I’ve had something this delicious." Elder Zhao gave a thumbs-up in praise. Wang Baole laughed. "You flatter me, Elder Zhao. I’ve only just started learning the basics. But that spirit wine of yours is the best I’ve ever had." Hearing this, Elder Zhao and the Ninth Princess exchanged a glance and quickly made a judgment. The spirit wine they had brought this time was merely high-grade. If Wang Baole had come from a prestigious sect, he would’ve tasted better. It seemed clear now that this young man came from a humble background and had no powerful sect behind him. That made him exactly the kind of talent the Ninth Princess needed. She began considering what kind of treasure would be best to recruit him. After the meal and drinks, Wang Baole chatted casually with Elder Zhao, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to cultivate. Throughout the entire evening, the Ninth Princess didn’t say much to him—she merely observed him quietly from the side. Once Wang Baole entered a meditative state, the two looked at each other and silently left the cave. Sensing their departure, Wang Baole instinctively reached to touch the jade pendant at his waist. Outside the cave, Elder Zhao bowed slightly toward the Ninth Princess. "Congratulations, Your Highness, on discovering a rare talent. If you can bring him under your banner, he will surely become a valuable ally." The Ninth Princess murmured, "But I still don’t know what Young Lord Wang truly desires." Elder Zhao replied, "Since Your Highness already planned to train here in Yunmeng Swamp, why not travel with him for a while? Over time, you’ll naturally learn what he likes." The Ninth Princess nodded slightly. "Let’s go with Elder Zhao’s suggestion." With that, the two returned to the cave. As soon as they entered, Elder Zhao spoke up, "Young Friend Wang, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you." Here it comes. Wang Baole thought to himself and slowly opened his eyes. "What would Elder Zhao like to discuss?" Elder Zhao got straight to the point. "We’d like to accompany you in training through Yunmeng Swamp. What do you think?" ??? Wang Baole hadn’t expected them to go out, secretly discuss something, and return just to ask him that. "With Elder Zhao’s strength, there’s no need to team up with me, is there?" Elder Zhao chuckled. "True. But my lady enjoys the dishes you cook, and so she wishes to travel with you. If Young Friend Wang finds it troublesome, we won’t impose." "Fine." Wang Baole didn’t think the two were bad people. Besides, his purpose in coming to Yunmeng Swamp was to cultivate. Having companions meant more access to cultivation resources. Neither of them expected Wang Baole to agree so readily—it seemed this was his first time out on a training journey. But that was just as well. It would make recruiting him in the future much easier. The next morning, Wang Baole woke up early as usual to practice Tai Chi. Afterward, he began training in blade techniques. This time, he was practicing one of the fundamental chopping motions—not for any profound reason, but simply because in Yunmeng Swamp, chopping was more practical than other blade forms. When the two inside the cave finished meditating, they saw Wang Baole chopping wood outside, and a puzzled expression appeared on their faces. "Young Friend Wang, what are you doing?" Elder Zhao asked curiously. Wang Baole smiled. "Practicing blade techniques." "Blade techniques?" Elder Zhao pondered for a moment. "Could it be that Young Friend Wang specializes in the culinary path?" "Exactly. I eat a lot, so the culinary path suits me best. I came to Yunmeng Swamp to train so I could earn more ingredients." Wang Baole spoke with complete sincerity. "I see." Elder Zhao didn’t think much of it—only felt a twinge of regret that a young man with such refined blade technique had chosen the path of a culinary cultivator. But he believed that once this kid entered Wendao Academy and witnessed the power of its great cultivators, he would surely take interest in other cultivation paths. After Wang Baole finished his cultivation, he got up and began preparing breakfast. Once they had eaten a hearty meal, the group set off again on their training journey. ... Wendao Academy, Miscellaneous Dao Institute, inside a secluded cultivation cave. At this moment, Xiao Chen was like a vortex of spiritual energy. For several miles around, spiritual qi was continuously being drawn into his body. Chu Feng’s group, who were eating at the time, sensed the spiritual fluctuation and immediately put down their chopsticks. The usually silent and reserved Elder Bing spoke. "Spiritual energy convergence. It seems Xiao Chen is at the final stage of his breakthrough." Cao Youqian and Qin Qin’s eyes lit up at her words. They turned toward Chu Feng with expectant gazes. Chu Feng glanced at the two disciples and said, "I know you want to watch Xiao Chen’s breakthrough. Let’s go and stand guard for him." "Mm!" The two nodded excitedly. Chu Feng looked at Elder Bing, and seeing that she continued eating without comment, he took the two disciples and made his way toward Xiao Chen’s secluded cave. In less than half a stick of incense’s time— The three arrived outside Xiao Chen’s cave. Feeling the continuous flow of spiritual qi being drawn inward, Cao Youqian couldn’t help but murmur, "Big Brother's breakthrough is really causing a stir. I wonder how strong he’ll be afterward?" Chu Feng chuckled. "The stronger he gets, the better, isn’t it?" Cao Youqian nodded. "True. Big Brother doesn’t really have any flaws—except that he loves giving me cultivation pointers all the time." Chu Feng patted his shoulder. "That’s Xiao Chen’s way of expressing love, Da Qian." Cao Youqian: "..." Qin Qin, standing nearby, covered her mouth and laughed at her second senior brother’s awkward expression. As time passed, the spiritual energy flow inside the cave ceased. Xiao Chen’s aura climbed to its peak, and then the spiritual power within his body erupted like a volcano. Boom! The entire cave trembled violently. Chu Feng and the others outside felt the shaking, but he wasn’t worried. Though the cave had been abandoned for a long time, the array formations inside were still functional—just needed some spirit stones to activate properly. He wasn’t concerned that Xiao Chen would bring the whole place down on himself. Moments later, a familiar voice echoed in Chu Feng’s mind. [Ding. Congratulations, Host! Your eldest disciple has broken through to the Heaven Origin Realm. Rewarding Host with thirty years of cultivation.] Hearing that, Chu Feng remained calm. All he had to do now was wait for Xiao Chen to come out. Inside the cave, Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes and felt the immense spiritual power flowing within him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Heaven Origin Realm... I, Xiao Chen, am ready for the Core Disciple Competition!" After murmuring to himself, he began walking out of the cave. "Senior Brother!" Cao Youqian was the first to rush forward when he saw Xiao Chen. Qin Qin offered a graceful salute. "Senior Brother." Seeing his master, junior brother, and junior sister, Xiao Chen smiled sincerely from the heart. "Master, junior brother, junior sister—thank you for guarding me." Chu Feng grinned. "What are you saying, brat? Come on, let’s head back to the institute." "Mm." Xiao Chen answered and followed at his master’s side, chatting and laughing with his junior brother and sister as they soared through the sky... ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44