Bai Yuan’s expression was grim.

He’d already heard from the Martial Arts Hall disciples who attended the preliminary test what had happened in front of the County Magistrate’s Office.

It was just as he had guessed. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The Divine Mansion Sect was clearly fishing, and he was the fish.

He was just lucky that some poor bastard had already taken the bait.

With the Soul-Chasing Tower incident resolved, the Divine Mansion Sect had indeed turned its attention to the Cultivation Technique issue.

Deceiving those two Divine Mansion Sect disciples with his current strength wouldn’t be a problem, but he would inevitably have to face the Thousand-Handed Butcher in the end.

He had no confidence he could pull the wool over the eyes of a Junior Grandmaster.

’I’m still too easily controlled...’

As long as he wanted to join the Divine Mansion Sect, he would have to pass this trial.

’A true man lives between heaven and earth; how could he languish under another’s heel forever!’

For some reason, the wise words of the Great Fengxian from his past life surfaced in Bai Yuan’s mind. ’To hell with joining the Divine Mansion Sect.’

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. If he were discovered, his fate would be no better than that of Tu An, who had been smashed into thousands of pieces.

...

The preliminary test ended quickly.

Aside from You Shengnan killing someone with a single poke of her finger, it went smoothly.

A total of twenty-seven people advanced to the re-test. Combined with the eleven recommended by Qinghe County, that made thirty-eight people in total.

There were only five spots for the final test, meaning thirty-three people would be eliminated.

Among these thirty-eight, a full fourteen were Muscle Strengthening Martial Artists. One could only imagine how brutal the re-test would be.

Ma Dingjun and Cheng Li both felt immense pressure, shutting themselves in the courtyard all day to practice their blades, hoping to reach their peak condition.

「The re-test was in three days.」

"Brother Yuan, you’re back."

Xiao Qiaoniang watched Bai Yuan push the door open and come home, a gentle smile on her face.

Now that they were both Martial Artists, the time they spent together each day was pitifully short, but their relationship had only grown more intimate.

Bai Yuan was about to pull Sister Qiao into a tight hug, but Xiao Qiaoniang laughingly dodged away.

’Heh, looks like I get to play the part of the decadent king.’

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he wondered if he should also find a cloth to blindfold himself, and maybe add a few bunches of grapes for good measure.

’But with the hearing I’ve gained from my demon-seeking skill, it’s basically like I have a wallhack.’

’There’s almost no way Sister Qiao can escape my grasp.’

"Brother Yuan~"

Sure enough, Xiao Qiaoniang failed to escape Bai Yuan’s clutches and was pulled into his embrace.

Bai Yuan felt her soft, yielding warmth and his mind gradually began to relax.

Just as the two were fooling around, a series of urgent knocks suddenly came from the courtyard gate.

Bai Yuan immediately cursed his bad luck.

Xiao Qiaoniang’s pretty face flushed bright red, as if she had been caught doing something naughty.

’So embarrassing!’

Bai Yuan straightened the hem of his clothes and opened the door as if nothing had happened.

When he saw who it was, he couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

The visitor wasn’t a disciple from the Martial Arts Hall, but an attendant from the Five Flavors Pavilion.

"What happened?"

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but frown. If it wasn’t something important, Liu Qingshan would never have sent someone directly to the Martial Arts Hall to find him.

The attendant had run for a mile, and was clearly exhausted, speaking between gasps.

"Second... Second Shopkeeper, that old man from before... he’s back."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

There was only one old man since the Five Flavors Pavilion opened who would make Liu Qingshan act so cautiously: the gray-robed elder who had given him advice that day.

"Sister Qiao, I’m heading to the Five Flavors Pavilion."

Bai Yuan called out towards the courtyard, then followed the attendant and hurried to the Five Flavors Pavilion.

The blush had not yet faded from Xiao Qiaoniang’s face. She just called out,

"Be careful."

She wasn’t one of the ignorant women of Baisha Town anymore; she could tell something important had happened.

...

"Junior Brother Bai, you’re finally here."

Liu Qingshan watched Bai Yuan step into the rear courtyard and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Has the food been served?"

Bai Yuan asked.

Liu Qingshan shook his head.

"Not yet. This person is extremely picky. I didn’t dare let Master Chen cook for him."

Bai Yuan nodded.

The gray-robed elder must have tasted every delicacy in the world, so ordinary dishes couldn’t possibly pique his interest. Only an unconventional approach, winning through novelty, would work.

Master Chen of the Five Flavors Pavilion wasn’t capable of such craftsmanship.

"I’ll do it."

Bai Yuan rolled up his sleeves. It had been quite a few days since he last cooked at the Five Flavors Pavilion.

With his Master-level cooking skill, his craft was naturally not rusty.

The kitchen staff all looked as if they were facing a great enemy. A picky old gourmand was no small challenge for them.

The kitchen instantly burst into a flurry of activity.

Before long, delicate wisps of fragrance drifted from the rear kitchen to the front hall.

Same seat, same guest. The gray-robed elder still sat alone in the corner. Sniffing the drifting aroma, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

He had an indifferent personality, but he was stubbornly particular when it came to food.

Soon, Bai Yuan arrived at the gray-robed elder’s table carrying a small dish.

A gourmand like the gray-robed elder was long past the point of just eating to be full. On the contrary, unique small dishes were the best way to win his favor.

The gray-robed elder looked at the few emerald-green bamboo shoots on the plate, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"Please, Senior, have a taste."

Bai Yuan smiled faintly, full of confidence.

The gray-robed elder picked up his chopsticks, lifted a piece of bamboo shoot to his mouth, and began to chew deliberately.

A crisp CRUNCHING sound echoed continuously.

One, two, three... ten, eleven...

Bai Yuan silently counted the number of times the elder chewed, and the last trace of worry in his heart vanished completely.

’If he didn’t like it, he would never chew so many times.’

A look of enjoyment appeared on the gray-robed elder’s face, and the deep-set wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gradually smoothed out.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

He nodded repeatedly, praising Bai Yuan.

These bamboo shoots looked ordinary, but they had actually been simmered with over a hundred medicinal herbs. Not only were they highly beneficial for a Martial Artist, but their flavor was unique and not the least bit unpleasant.

This skill alone far surpassed most chefs in the world; it was even more brilliant than some so-called divine doctors.

’Using cooking to practice medicine, nourishing the body through food... truly interesting.’

The gray-robed elder felt that this trip had not been in vain.

’This young shopkeeper before me is also quite interesting.’

"Whatever you want, just say the word."

The gray-robed elder put down his chopsticks and didn’t reach for a second piece. Eating wasn’t like practicing martial arts; it was not good to be greedy.

Of course, in all of Huanglong Prefecture, this principle only applied to him.

"To have earned your favor is this junior’s blessing, Senior. How could I possibly ask for money?"

The gray-robed elder shot Bai Yuan a glance.

"I never owe favors. Paying for a meal is only natural. Speak."

Although he never paid with silver coins when he ate, his "payments" were always worth far more than silver.

But then—

THUD. Bai Yuan dropped to his knees.

"Senior, I beg you, please accept me as your disciple."

Seeing this, the surrounding diners all cast surprised glances his way. They all recognized Bai Yuan.

’What kind of person could make a True Disciple of the Huwei Arts Hall kneel and beg to become their apprentice!’

The gray-robed elder showed no surprise at all, merely giving a faint smile.

"You’ve got a good eye, kid."