The Celestial Harmony Restaurant stood at the peak of the inner sect's entertainment district—a three-story building of white jade and dark wood, with elegant lanterns floating around it without visible support. The architecture was both traditional and impossibly grand, with roof tiles that shimmered like mother-of-pearl and pillars carved with flowing script that pulsed with spiritual energy.
Azrael paused at the entrance, taking it in.
The former Azrael Voss couldn't even have dreamed of entering this establishment. It was exclusive, expensive, and catered to inner sect disciples, core disciples, and elders. Outer sect disciples who tried to enter were usually turned away at the door—politely but firmly.
But Azrael wasn't a normal outer sect disciple anymore.
He pushed through the entrance, and immediately, the world changed.
The aroma hit him first.
It wasn't just smell—it was sensory overload. Rich, complex scents layered on top of each other. Roasted spirit beast meat with hints of fire law. Steamed spirit rice that carried traces of life energy. Sauces and spices that sang with elemental harmony.
After three months of eating nothing, the assault on his senses nearly made him stagger.
"Heaven," Azrael breathed behind his mask.
The interior was even more impressive than the exterior. The main dining hall was enormous, easily accommodating two hundred guests. Tables made from spirit wood floated at various heights, separated by privacy formations that shimmered like soap bubbles. The walls were decorated with paintings of spiritual beasts and mystical landscapes that actually moved—clouds drifting, water flowing, phoenixes flying.
And it was packed.
Every table was occupied. Disciples in burgundy and gold inner sect robes. Core disciples in silver and white. Even several elders in their formal attire. All of them waiting, talking in hushed excited tones.
A hostess approached him—a young woman in elegant green robes. Her smile was professional but warm.
"Welcome to Celestial Harmony Restaurant. Do you have a—" She paused, seeing his outer sect gray and blue combat outfit. Her smile became slightly strained. "I'm sorry, but we have a dress code, and—"
Azrael pulled out his jade slip and showed her his contribution point balance.
The hostess's eyes went wide. "I... yes. Of course. Right this way, honored guest."
She led him through the restaurant, her demeanor completely changed. Other diners glanced at him curiously—an outer sect disciple being shown to a premium table?
As they walked, Azrael caught fragments of conversation.
"—heard she finally broke through!"
"Stage 7 spirit cooking. That's incredible at her age."
"I've been waiting two hours just for a chance to taste her dishes."
"Forget the food, I just want to see her. They say she's the most beautiful woman in the sect."
"Beauty and talent. She's perfect."
The hostess seated him at a floating table near the center of the hall—prime location with a clear view of the kitchen entrance. The seat was comfortable, the table settings elegant, and the privacy formation gave him a bubble of quiet despite the crowded room.
"Your server will be with you shortly," the hostess said with a respectful bow before leaving.
Azrael settled into his seat and pulled out the jade phone to browse while waiting. The device was intuitive—cultivation world equivalent of a smartphone. He found the restaurant's menu app and started reading.
The prices were astronomical.
A basic spirit rice bowl: 500 spirit stones.
Roasted Grade 5 spirit beast meat: 5,000 spirit stones.
Full course meal: 50,000 spirit stones.
Premium dishes prepared by master chefs: 100,000+ spirit stones.
Good thing I'm rich now, Azrael thought wryly.
A waiter approached—middle-aged man with a professional air. "Welcome, honored guest. Have you decided what you'd like to order?"
"What's everyone waiting for?" Azrael asked.
The waiter's face lit up. "Ah! You haven't heard? Fairy Yue has achieved a breakthrough in her spirit cooking cultivation. She reached Stage 7, which corresponds to Soul Transformation realm. Her dishes can now affect even Soul Transformation cultivators!"
He leaned in conspiratorially. "She's in the kitchen right now, consolidating her breakthrough by preparing a special menu. Everyone here is waiting to taste her cooking. A bite of her food can help breakthrough multiple cultivation stages."
"How much for a portion?"
"Depends on cultivation level. Most disciples order small portions—two to fifteen bites. That's 10,000 to 50,000 spirit stones. Only Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation cultivators can safely eat full plates."
The waiter gave him a concerned look. "I notice you're Qi Condensation realm. I'd strongly recommend a two-bite portion. Any more than that and the qi overload could be fatal. We've had incidents in the past..."
Azrael smiled behind his mask. "I'll have a full portion. The size a Soul Transformation elder would order."
The waiter's expression became alarmed. "Sir, I must warn you—"
"I appreciate your concern, but my constitution is special. I can handle it."
"But—"
"I'll sign a waiver if necessary."
The waiter clearly wanted to argue more but recognized the tone of someone who wouldn't be dissuaded. "Very well. But please be careful. I'll note your order as high-risk."
After the waiter left, shaking his head worriedly, Azrael closed his eyes and focused inward.
His 30% consciousness partition that had been working on alchemy shifted partially to a more immediate task: creating a specialized breathing technique for food consumption.
It needed to be different from his Celestial Reincarnation Breathing Technique—that one was designed to absorb cosmic-scale spiritual energy and would drain the entire sect's qi if activated. This needed to be surgical, precise, extracting only the qi from food he consumed without affecting the ambient environment.
His Heaven-Defying Comprehension worked rapidly, synthesizing a new technique from the principles he'd learned.
Ten minutes later, he had it: Essence Extraction Breathing Method.
A lesser version of his divine breathing technique, specifically tailored for absorbing spiritual energy from ingested food. It would channel the qi directly into his cultivation layers without leakage, using his perfect qi control to prevent any waste or explosions.
Just as he finished, the atmosphere in the restaurant changed.
The excited chatter died down to whispers. Everyone turned toward the kitchen entrance.
She was emerging.
Fairy Yue stepped into the dining hall, and Azrael understood immediately why everyone called her Fairy.
She was stunning.
Not pretty. Not beautiful. Stunning in a way that made the word "beauty" seem inadequate.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, with features so perfectly balanced they seemed almost unreal. Porcelain skin with a healthy glow. Long, flowing black hair that moved like liquid silk. Eyes that held both warmth and depth. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, her movements graceful beyond human capacity.
She wore a white and gold chef's outfit that somehow managed to be both professional and elegant. The fabric was clearly high-grade spiritual material that shimmered faintly with embedded formations.
But what struck Azrael most was her aura.
She radiated life energy. Not just spiritual energy, but actual life—vitality, health, growth, renewal. It surrounded her like a gentle field, making everyone nearby feel slightly more alive just by proximity.
She's comprehended Life Law, Azrael realized with genuine surprise. That's incredibly rare. And difficult. She must be a supreme genius.
Compared to the models and actresses from his old world, they would look like... well, ogres was perhaps harsh, but not inaccurate. Humans from non-cultivation worlds were full of impurities, aged quickly, and had minor physical imperfections like bacteria on the skins that cultivators' enhanced senses would perceive with painful clarity.
Any decent female cultivator would surpass them. Someone like Fairy Yue was in an entirely different category.
Even Azrael, who'd been tempered and is still currently undergoing tempering by six laws and whose appearance had been refined to near-divine levels, felt a moment of genuine appreciation.
She's almost as beautiful as me, he thought, which was saying something.
He noticed she hadn't been at the core sect competition. Probably exempted due to her status as a spirit cooking genius. Core disciples with rare talents often received special treatment.
Fairy Yue stepped to the center of the hall and bowed elegantly to the assembled guests. When she spoke, her voice was like music—clear, melodious, carrying easily through the space without any apparent amplification.
"Thank you all for your patience," she said, smiling warmly. "I've just completed my breakthrough to Stage 7 spirit cooking cultivation, and I wanted to share this moment with you by preparing tonight's special menu personally."
The crowd murmured appreciatively.
"The dishes you're about to receive represent my understanding of the Life Law and its application to culinary arts. I hope they meet your expectations and perhaps help you on your own cultivation journeys."
She bowed again. "Please enjoy your meal."
The hall erupted in applause and congratulations.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Fairy Yue!"
"Your talent is unmatched!"
"Thank you for this opportunity!"
"We're blessed to taste your cooking!"
Fairy Yue accepted the praise with grace, neither dismissive nor arrogant. She simply smiled, thanked them for their support, and retreated toward the kitchen to oversee the final preparations.
Azrael had been momentarily stunned by her appearance—his enhanced perception taking in every detail—but he recovered almost instantly. His scientific mind reasserted itself, analyzing her aura, her law comprehension, the subtle ways Life Law manifested in her presence.
Interesting, yes. But he was here for the food.
He'd been salivating since he walked in. Three months of starvation (self-imposed though it was) had built up a hunger that even his cultivator physique couldn't completely suppress.
Waiters began emerging from the kitchen, carrying trays of dishes that glowed faintly with spiritual light. The restaurant filled with even more intense aromas as food was delivered to tables.
Disciples began eating, and their reactions were immediate.
"Oh my god..."
"This is incredible!"
"I can feel it—I'm breaking through!"
Throughout the hall, cultivators' auras began fluctuating as the food triggered cultivation advancements.
A Foundation Establishment Layer 4 disciple ate two bites and broke through to Layer 6, immediately entering meditation to stabilize the breakthrough.
An inner disciple at Core Formation Layer 3 ate four bites and jumped to Layer 5.
Even the Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation elders showed visible reactions, their auras strengthening as they consumed full plates. One Soul Transformation elder broke through from Early to Middle stage and laughed with joy.
"Fairy Yue's cooking truly defies heaven!"
Azrael watched it all, his analytical mind cataloging the effects while his stomach growled insistently.
Finally, a waiter approached his table carrying a large covered dish. The man set it down carefully, gave Azrael one last concerned look, and lifted the cover.
The aroma that emerged made Azrael's mouth water instantly.
It was a full feast—roasted Grade 7 spirit beast meat (some kind of aerial creature, judging by the texture), steamed Grade 7 spirit rice that sparkled with life energy, vegetables prepared in ways that preserved and enhanced their spiritual essence, sauces that were works of art in themselves.
The qi density emanating from the food was intense. Azrael could feel it from a foot away—pure, refined spiritual energy woven with Life Law, compressed into edible form.
This single plate contained more usable qi than most Nascent Soul cultivators possessed in their entire dantian.
Azrael activated his Essence Extraction Breathing Method, the technique settling into his circulation like a second heartbeat. Then he reached up and removed his mask.
The reaction was immediate.
Conversations around him stopped mid-sentence. Disciples turned to look, and their faces went blank with shock.
His face was... perfect. More than perfect. His features were so harmonious, so ideally proportioned, that they seemed almost supernatural. The tempering by six laws had refined his appearance to levels that shouldn't exist in mortal realms. His eyes—those fractal eyes that usually showed swirling geometric patterns—were briefly visible before he suppressed the effect, leaving only unusually striking irises.
He looked like an immortal who'd descended from higher realms to visit the mortal world.
"Where did he come from?"
"I've never seen him before..."
"Is he a hidden supreme elder?"
"No outer sect disciple should look like that..."
Azrael ignored the stares. He had more important priorities.
He picked up his chopsticks and took his first bite.
Time stopped.
The flavors exploded across his tongue—complex, layered, alive. The spirit beast meat was perfectly tender, seasoned in ways that enhanced rather than masked the natural taste. The qi within it flowed into his body smoothly, guided by his breathing technique.
It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted in either of his lives.
Azrael's eyes actually watered slightly. This. This is what I've been missing.
He took a second bite. A third. His speed increased as he lost himself in the pure joy of eating.
Across the restaurant, Fairy Yue had been standing near the kitchen entrance, watching the guests' reactions to her cooking. When she saw Azrael remove his mask and begin eating, she froze.
Then she saw his pace.
"Wait—" she started forward. "Stop! You'll—"
Too late.
Azrael had already devoured the entire first plate. His speed had been astonishing—his movements blurred, chopsticks moving faster than most people could track. Even the Soul Transformation elders, who had enhanced perception, struggled to follow his eating speed.
The restaurant fell silent. Everyone stared, waiting for the inevitable qi overload explosion.
Qi Condensation cultivators who ate Soul Transformation-level food died. That was just a fact. The spiritual energy was too dense, too powerful. It would rupture their meridians, shatter their dantian, and kill them instantly.
But Azrael didn't explode.
Instead, they felt his cultivation base moving.
His Essence Extraction Breathing Method was working perfectly, channeling the massive amount of qi from the food directly into his cultivation layers. His perfect qi control prevented any wastage or instability. The Life Law within the food naturally supported the process, making integration smoother.
His realm began advancing.
Qi Condensation Layer 7.
Layer 8.
Layer 9.
Layer 10.
The crowd gasped. Cultivators normally broke through at the 9th layer. Reaching the 10th layer was rare—a mark of exceptional talent and perfect foundation.
Layer 11.
Layer 12.
"Impossible," someone whispered.
No one had heard of an 11th or 12th layer. The cultivation manuals didn't describe them. The sect's records didn't mention them. They were theoretically possible but practically unheard of.
Layer 13.
Azrael finally stopped advancing and began consolidating his foundation, his aura stabilizing at the peak of the 13th layer.
But he wasn't done eating.
"Another plate," he called out.
The waiter, who'd been standing frozen in shock, scrambled to comply.
More food arrived. Azrael ate with the same impossible speed, clearly savoring every bite despite the rapid pace. His face showed pure bliss.
The second plate triggered another breakthrough—Layer 14.
The third plate pushed him to Layer 15, but the advancement stopped there. The qi requirement had doubled from the previous layer, and then doubled again for Layer 15. The food's effects were no longer sufficient to push him higher.
But Azrael didn't care. He kept eating, ordering more plates—not for cultivation benefits, but for the taste.
"More," he said, his voice slightly muffled by a mouthful of spirit rice. "And pack some takeaway orders too. This is incredible."
The entire restaurant was in chaos.
"He broke through to the 13th layer!"
"No, the 15th layer!"
"That's impossible!"
"His qi control must be perfect—otherwise he'd have exploded ten times over!"
"What kind of physique does he have?"
"He ate enough to sustain a Soul Transformation elder!"
"And he's still eating!"
The Soul Transformation elders present were perhaps the most shocked. They understood what they were witnessing better than the younger disciples. Perfect qi control of that level was sect master territory—possibly beyond and the level of speed he was eating, even they couldn't follow his movement.
And this person was ostensibly an outer sect disciple?
Fairy Yue stood near the kitchen door, her carefully maintained composure completely shattered. She'd approached to stop him from killing himself with qi overload, and instead she'd watched him casually break through to legendary cultivation layers while eating with obvious enjoyment.
Her face was flushed. Her heartbeat was racing. She couldn't tell if it was from shock, professional pride at someone appreciating her cooking so thoroughly, or something else entirely.
Who is he?
Azrael finally finished his meal—fifty full plates plus several side dishes. He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh, his expression utterly content.
"That," he said, "was worth every spirit stone."
He checked his jade phone for the bill. His eyes widened slightly behind his restored calm expression.
450,000 spirit stones.
His wealth had taken a significant hit. But as he mentally savored the memory of those flavors, he didn't regret a single stone.
Totally worth it.
He stood up, put his mask back on, and walked toward where Fairy Yue stood near the kitchen entrance. The crowd parted for him automatically, everyone staring.
Azrael stopped before her and bowed slightly—a gesture of genuine respect from one cultivator to another.
"Thank you for the meal," he said sincerely. "I really enjoyed your dishes. They were... perfect. I would love to eat your cooking again."
Fairy Yue's mind went blank.
She'd received countless compliments on her cooking. From disciples, from elders, from visiting masters. But something about the simple sincerity in his voice, combined with the fact that he'd just eaten enough food to kill a normal person while clearly savoring every bite...
Her face flushed red.
"I... thank you," she managed. Then, without thinking, she blurted out: "Give me your number. I'll call you when you're free. I'd... I'd love to cook for you again. I'm curious about how you devoured everything."
Her mind immediately screamed at her.
Why did I say that?! "I'd love to cook for him"? Why did I give him my number first?! Shouldn't he be asking for mine?! What's wrong with me?! Why am I blushing?! Just stop talking!
But outwardly, she maintained her composure—barely—and pulled out her jade phone with slightly shaking hands.
Azrael smiled behind his mask and pulled out his own phone. "Sure. Here's my number."
He typed it in. She typed hers.
"I guess we'll see each other later," Azrael said. He gave her another small bow, then turned and activated Dimensional Shift.
Space warped around him, and he vanished in a shimmer of distorted light.
For three heartbeats, the restaurant was completely silent.
Then it erupted.
"WHO WAS THAT?!"
"Did Fairy Yue just give him her number?!"
"Forget that—he broke through to the 15th layer!"
"He didn't explode!"
"Fairy Yue smiled at him!"
"She blushed!"
"She BLUSHED!"
"What kind of physique does he have to eat that much spirit food?!"
Pride was shattered. Assumptions were destroyed. The entire restaurant descended into chaos as disciples tried to make sense of what they'd witnessed.
The Soul Transformation elders present exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Without a word, they vanished—some flashing away using movement techniques, others teleporting directly.
Their destination: the Sect Master's residence.
A hidden dragon had revealed himself in their sect, and the leadership needed to know immediately.
Fairy Yue stood frozen near the kitchen, her jade phone still in her hand, her face burning with embarrassment.
Her thoughts were running wild.
Why did I do that? Do I like him? He is incredibly handsome... and clearly very powerful... and he genuinely appreciated my cooking... but why did I give him my number?! What am I going to say when he calls?! AHHHHH!
She fled to the kitchen, her composure completely abandoned, desperate to escape the chaos and collect herself.
Behind her, the restaurant continued its uproar, speculation running wild about the mysterious masked cultivator who'd casually shattered everyone's understanding of cultivation limits.
Azrael materialized in the forest clearing near his cave, completely unaware of the chaos he'd left behind.
Even if he'd known, he wouldn't have cared. He had bigger priorities.
He pulled out the takeaway orders from his space ring and smiled. The food was still hot—no time flow in the ring meant perfect preservation.
Dinner for the next few days, he thought happily.
Then he headed toward his cave entrance, his mind already shifting to the next phase of preparation.
Time to expand his living space and get to work.
[END CHAPTER 13]