Meanwhile, Lin Mu had already returned to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to continue leading the Royal Fighting Team in training.
Now that he had absorbed his eighth soul ring, Lin Mu, as promised, gave Ning Rongrong several bottles of cultivation-aiding pills, enough for her to cultivate to Level 35 or higher before the Soul Master Competition began.
That evening, Lin Mu did not dismiss everyone as usual. Instead, he announced, "In view of your hard work in training, I'll treat you to something good."
"What?!"
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. This was completely beyond their expectations. In the past, Lin Mu had never shown any interest when they offered to treat him.
Why the sudden change of heart today?
At this moment, Qian Renxue walked to Lin Mu's side and asked curiously, "What good stuff? A feast?"
"Hehe, a regular feast is nothing compared to this. This is a priceless treasure."
Lin Mu revealed a meaningful smile. Under everyone's curious gaze, he took out the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Purse given to him by Dugu Bo, reached inside, and immediately pulled out a huge, bloody leg.
This was a leg from the Scarlet King.
As a Ferocious Beast with over two hundred thousand years of cultivation, the Scarlet King's meat was a top-tier ingredient, and Lin Mu naturally wouldn't let it go to waste.
"Such a rich Fire-attribute aura! Did you kill this soul beast?"
Qian Renxue was closest to Lin Mu, and the moment the Scarlet King's leg was revealed, a powerful wave of heat rushed toward her, shocking her.
This was just a severed leg; if the beast were at its peak, it was unimaginable how terrifying it would be.
"Indeed. This comes from a Fire-attribute hundred-thousand-year soul beast. The energy it contains will benefit your cultivation immensely."
After a pause, Lin Mu looked at Yu Tianheng and the others, slightly disappointed. "It's a pity that none of you are Fire-attribute Soul Masters. Otherwise, it might have been possible to improve the quality of your martial souls."
Among everyone present, only Lin Mu was a pure Fire-attribute Soul Master; Qian Renxue was at most half Fire-attribute due to her angelic light.
The problem was, Lin Mu's flames had already reached their peak. Even if he absorbed more Fire-attribute energy, his own attribute quality wouldn't improve much further.
However, while it might not evolve their martial souls, it would certainly improve their soul power density and physique.
"Teacher Lin Mu, what should we do with this? Should we find some chefs, or go to the cafeteria?" Yu Tianheng stepped forward, asking with some urgency.
Seeing this, Tang San shook his head slightly and chuckled. "This is the meat of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Even if we found several royal chefs, they wouldn't know how to handle such high-level ingredients."
"Then what should we do?"
"Hehe, naturally we'll leave it to Master. Master is omnipotent, and his cooking skills are top-notch."
Tang San raised his chin slightly, looking proud.
In his heart, Lin Mu was the most important person to him, even more so than Xiao Wu in some respects. As for his neglectful father, there was no need to say more.
Thinking about it carefully, he hadn't tasted his master's cooking for a long time, especially the rabbit meat from their early days, which was simply unforgettable.
Seeing Tang San's high praise for Lin Mu's cooking skills, everyone couldn't help but feel a little expectant.
"Brother Lin Mu, let me help you."
"No need, you can just watch from the side. Leave everything to me."
Lin Mu decisively refused Ye Lingling's help; he didn't want anyone to mess up the delicate process.
He then took out the tools he had prepared beforehand from his storage bracelet: a large pot and various rare spices. He planned to make a Meat Hot Pot.
While Lin Mu was preparing the ingredients, Xiao Wu's eyes drooped, a deep sadness welling up inside her.
The Soft Bone Rabbit was considered a relatively weak soul beast, often used as food by humans. Seeing Lin Mu prepare meat reminded her of the cruelty of the world.
At this moment, Tang San quietly walked to her side and whispered, "Xiao Wu, there's a predator-prey relationship among soul beasts too. Since Master killed a hundred-thousand-year carnivore, think about how many smaller soul beasts he has avenged."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately understood.
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast is undoubtedly a top predator in the Star Dou Great Forest, and its food source is certainly other soul beasts, including Soft Bone Rabbits.
After all, the Soft Bone Rabbit is at the bottom of the food chain, preyed upon by countless beasts. The number eaten by other soul beasts far exceeds the number eaten by humans.
From this perspective, Lin Mu had actually helped the Soft Bone Rabbit clan by removing a major predator.
At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly remembered a crucial question and asked, "Brother, since your master hunts other hundred-thousand-year soul beasts... does that mean Da Ming is safe?"
"Probably."
Tang San's eyes flashed, and a thought popped into his mind: 'Since Master didn't absorb Da Ming's soul ring this time, wouldn't I have a chance later?'
After a while, everyone surrounded Lin Mu, staring intently at the bubbling pot. A rich, mellow aroma of meat wafted from it.
Just the sticky, lingering scent made their mouths water uncontrollably.
"This guy actually had this trick up his sleeve."
Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes were constantly fixed on Lin Mu, filled with shock and disbelief.
She had thought Lin Mu's strength was already outrageous enough, but she hadn't expected him to possess such astonishing culinary skills, seemingly surpassing even the imperial chefs in the palace. She was completely convinced.
Yu Tianheng and the others were equally shocked, their doubts vanishing instantly.
Next, Lin Mu distributed the stewed meat to everyone, warning them not to eat too much, as the energy could be overwhelming.
The Scarlet King possessed over two hundred thousand years of cultivation; even just a portion of its thigh contained an immense amount of energy for them.
Therefore, Lin Mu cut the meat into small pieces, telling them to eat according to their capacity.
If Di Tian knew that his trusted subordinate, the Scarlet King, had been stewed into a hot pot, he would be furious and might even launch a beast tide attack on the Heaven Dou Empire at any cost.
However, he was far away in the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest and had no way of knowing.
Half an hour later, everyone had completely devoured the hot pot, leaving not even a drop of broth.
"Teacher Lin Mu, thank you for your hospitality! We'll head back to cultivate now."
After finishing the feast, Yu Tianheng thanked them first, then grabbed Dugu Yan's hand and eagerly ran toward the dormitory.
Even though he hadn't eaten much, he felt like he was about to explode with energy and needed to work it off immediately, perhaps with some "exercise" with Dugu Yan.
Following him, the others took their leave. Although they hadn't eaten as much as Yu Tianheng, they were full of energy, feeling like they had inexhaustible strength.
"Master, Xiao Wu and I are going back too."
Before the words were even finished, Tang San was practically dragged away by Xiao Wu, who was acting unusually aggressive.
Seeing their reactions, Lin Mu shook his head helplessly. He had told them to eat less, but they all ate like starving ghosts.
"It's time to go back to cultivation."
Lin Mu was about to leave when Qian Renxue and Ye Lingling each grabbed one of his arms.
At this moment, the usually gentle and quiet Ye Lingling was running her small hands over Lin Mu's chest, her breath sweet as orchids. She whispered, "Brother Lin Mu... I'm so hot."
On the other side, Qian Renxue, slightly more lucid but flushing deeply, gripped Lin Mu's ribs tightly, attempting to steady herself.
Seeing this, Lin Mu's expression changed slightly. Something felt off.
In coastal cities, there was something called "Whale Glue," a substance from deep-sea soul beasts known for being highly nourishing and possessing a potent aphrodisiac effect.
Could the Scarlet King's flesh have something similar due to its extreme Yang energy?
Just as Lin Mu was trying to find a solution, Qian Renxue seemed to make up her mind. She forcefully pulled Lin Mu toward the dormitory, intending to use this opportunity to completely subdue him!
This was a golden opportunity; if not now, when?
Ye Lingling, meanwhile, clung to Lin Mu's other arm. The two women, usually rivals, became unusually synchronized in their objective.