Chapter 380: Chapter 377: Ingredients and Kitchen Cleaver

BOOM!

A deafening roar echoed as powerful waves of energy erupted outward.

The Five Elements Tree was lush and verdant, its enormous canopy stretching out to blot out the sky.

Countless branches plunged deep into the earth or took root in the void itself, forming a protective shield that absorbed the full force of the impact against Mo Qi.

Then, the ethereal form of the Five Elements Tree shuddered violently, completely dissipating the force.

When the storm of energy subsided, Mo Qi was still in his punching stance, completely unmoved.

This was the Five Elements Dominating Body!

As long as an opponent’s strength was not enough to shake the Five Elements Tree, and their destructive power was insufficient to shatter his Incarnation Battle Armor, Mo Qi’s defense was invincible.

Feng Zhang, in contrast, was slumped on the ground, clutching his chest. His hair was a mess, his robes were in disarray, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You... you..."

He pointed at Mo Qi, speechless. The disdain in his heart had long since been replaced by utter shock.

He knew his combat prowess couldn’t compare to other Void Realm masters, but even a weakened tiger is more than a match for a common beast! No matter how lacking he was, he was still a genuine Void Realm cultivator!

Theoretically, once a Grotto Heaven was manifested, crushing someone in the Vajra Realm should have been a foregone conclusion.

But he never imagined Mo Qi would shatter his Grotto Heaven with a single punch. What terrifying power and defense was this?

The other members of the Feng Family were also stunned into silence.

The Immortal Ancestor had been ready to step in and save Mo Qi, but who could have predicted this outcome?

They had always assumed that the only reason Mo Qi had managed to defeat Huangfu Yu twice was because he relied on external forces to boost his combat power.

But just now, right under their very noses, Mo Qi had defeated the Void Realm master Feng Zhang with a single punch, relying solely on his own strength!

And clearly, he had done so with ease.

One could only imagine their reactions if they knew that the Five Elements Dominating Body was merely one of Mo Qi’s defensive abilities and not even an offensive technique.

"What about me? A dying man shouldn’t be so cranky. Go home and eat, drink, and be merry. You don’t have many days left." Mo Qi retracted his fist, dismissing the Five Elements Tree and Incarnation Battle Armor. He looked at Feng Zhang and spoke with a dismissive curl of his lip.

"You!" Feng Zhang’s anger flared right back up.

’Does this kid even know how to talk?’

’You’re the one who’s dying!’

’Your days are the ones that are numbered!’

He struggled to his feet and glared at Mo Qi. "Insolent brat, you’re spouting nonsense!"

Mo Qi just shrugged, his expression casual.

"Go ahead and think I’m talking nonsense. After all, I’m not the one whose heart is ravaged by Spiritual Energy every day."

"I’m not the one whose organs twist in agony for an hour in the dead of night."

"I’m not the one whose body is festering, unable to be healed no matter how precious the Spirit Medicine he swallows or applies."

"And I’m certainly not the one who, in a year at most, will have his meridians blocked, his Martial Dao collapse, and his life and cultivation extinguished."

With every sentence Mo Qi uttered, the panic and shock on Feng Zhang’s face intensified.

By the end, he was completely dumbfounded, shaking his head. "Impossible... How could you possibly know all this!"

The first three symptoms Mo Qi had listed were a perfect description of his condition.

He had never mentioned them to anyone, not even his most favored disciple.

Yet Mo Qi had laid his secrets bare with just a few words.

As for the fourth point—his meridians becoming blocked, his Martial Dao collapsing, and his life being extinguished in a year at most—even Feng Zhang himself hadn’t known that.

His first reaction was to disbelieve it.

But with the first three predictions acting as a foundation, he couldn’t help but believe it.

’Can it be? Do I really only have one year left to live?’

At this thought, Feng Zhang’s face went pale and his heart plummeted. A chill spread through his limbs, and his throat went dry.

Mo Qi shot Feng Zhang an indifferent glance, then ignored him.

He turned to face the thirteen young people and said in a solemn voice:

"To successfully create Medicinal Cuisine, the first essential skill is to correctly handle the food ingredients... oh, I mean, medicinal ingredients. Yes, that’s right, medicinal ingredients."

"And before you can process these medicinal ingredients, you will need an incredibly sharp..."

Mo Qi was about to say "incredibly sharp kitchen knife" when he was interrupted.

"Young... friend."

Feng Zhang’s previous arrogance had vanished. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he forced a smile, the word "brat" on the tip of his tongue changing to "young friend."

"What you said... about my meridians becoming blocked, my Martial Dao collapsing, and my life being extinguished... is it true?"

"Hm?" Mo Qi feigned confusion. "Master Feng, why do you ask? I’m just an insolent brat who’s used to spouting nonsense. You shouldn’t pay it any mind. It has nothing to do with you."

Feng Zhang: "..."

’Insolent brat... spouting nonsense... Is he mocking me with my own words?’

A vein throbbed at Feng Zhang’s temple.

’Bullshit it has nothing to do with me!’

’You’ve laid it all out, every symptom is spot on, and you say it has nothing to do with me?’

’Fine, I admit my attitude was poor, but you’re hardly a saint yourself!’

’What about respecting your elders? I’m your senior, so what if I’m a little short-tempered? Can’t you show a little tolerance?’

Mo Qi’s actions gave Feng Zhang a clear answer: No!

"I am about to begin my lesson on Medicinal Cuisine, and I don’t appreciate being interrupted. So, could Master Feng please be quiet and wait off to the side?"

Mo Qi had spoken first, cutting him off before he could say anything else.

In the past, he would have already erupted in a stream of curses.

In the Feng Family, who besides the Immortal Ancestor had the right to make him wait?

But right now, what else could he do but sullenly stand aside and wait?

Since Mo Qi could diagnose his problem at a glance and possessed skills in Medicinal Cuisine that were no weaker than the Alchemy Dao, he surely had a solution.

This was a matter of life and death!

Even with only a sliver of hope, Feng Zhang didn’t dare be careless.

"Alright, let’s continue. Where were we?" Mo Qi said, still ignoring Feng Zhang as he addressed the thirteen youths.

The thirteen youths had originally been disdainful of Mo Qi. In their eyes, what was this nonsense about Medicinal Cuisine? How could it possibly be superior to Feng Zhang’s Alchemy Dao?

But now, Feng Zhang had been so thoroughly shut down by Mo Qi that he stood obediently to the side like a disciple before an elder.

The thirteen youths were flabbergasted.

They no longer dared to show the slightest disrespect toward Mo Qi.

Leaving aside the matter of Medicinal Cuisine, that single punch against a Grotto Heaven was enough to leave them in awe.

So, the moment Mo Qi finished speaking, one of them immediately stood up to answer. "You just said that before we process the medicinal ingredients, we need an incredibly sharp..."

"That’s it!" Mo Qi slapped his forehead as if just remembering. "You need an incredibly sharp kitchen knife!"

The thirteen youths: "???"

Feng Zhang, who had been listening intently from the side: "???"

The Immortal Ancestor and the other experts of the Feng Family: "???"

’Sorry, we didn’t quite catch that. Could you say it again?’

’We need a what?’

Seeing the blank confusion in everyone’s eyes, Mo Qi nodded and affirmed, "You heard me right. A kitchen knife!"

As he spoke, he opened his right hand, and a jet-black Obsidian Kitchen Knife materialized in his palm.

Everyone: "..."

’A goddamn kitchen knife!’

’Wait a minute, when he was talking about processing medicinal ingredients, didn’t he first say the two words "food ingredients"?’