CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: VEGETARIAN MEAL

Chen Guan returned to the cave to continue his cultivation. By noon, just as he was thinking of getting something to eat, he suddenly smelled the enticing aroma of food.

"Brother Guan, I’m here, and I brought you some food. See if you like it," Qinghua’s voice sounded from outside.

Chen Guan came out of the cave, and sure enough, he saw Qinghua carrying a large thermal container, accompanied by her guard dog, walking towards him.

Chen Guan had no choice but to invite her into the cave. Qinghua placed the thermal container on the stone table and opened it, revealing a surprising four layers inside; there were rice, dishes, and soup, quickly laid out on the stone table.

"Brother Guan, try it and see. This is our vegetarian meal from the temple; I’m not sure if you’ll like it," Qinghua placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of Chen Guan, looking at him expectantly.

Seeing her expression, Chen Guan couldn’t bear to disappoint her, so he sat down and started eating.

After just a few bites of the vegetarian food, Chen Guan suddenly felt a rush of heat spreading from his stomach to his entire body, transforming into a stream-like primordial energy.

Chen Guan was a bit surprised in his heart: "This vegetarian meal is made with ingredients that can enhance primordial energy. That’s quite an investment. Qinghua’s master must have spent a significant amount of money."

"Qinghua, this meal isn’t cheap, is it?" Chen Guan asked after taking a few more spoonfuls of rice, which also seemed to increase a trace of primordial energy, clearly not ordinary rice.

"I don’t know. It’s all prepared by the temple’s kitchen. My master takes care of food and lodging, so it doesn’t cost me any money," Qinghua replied, resting her chin in her hands, watching Chen Guan eat.

"You might not be spending money, but I’m afraid your parents’ tuition fees aren’t cheap," Chen Guan thought to himself and pointed at the food, "Stop just watching; eat with me."

"You eat, Brother Guan. I’ve already eaten. I brought these especially for you. If you like them, I’ll bring them for you every day," Qinghua said.

"How could I impose like that? Are you sure this doesn’t cost money?" Chen Guan asked, blinking his eyes.

"It really doesn’t. This food is from the cafeteria, and you can eat as much as you want," Qinghua said.

Chen Guan covertly smacked his lips. If even such energy-boosting medicinal meals can be had freely, the tuition must be higher than he initially thought.

"If it’s free, then bring me more. Actually, don’t bring it, or your master might find out and punish you," Chen Guan seemed to think of something and waved his hand.

"No one keeps track of this. I used to feed the leftovers to Momo. I specifically got a lot for Momo to eat," Qinghua said with a laugh, covering her mouth.

"Qinghua, you’ve become naughtier than before, are you calling me a dog? You think I can’t tell?" Chen Guan didn’t mind. As kids, calling each other dogs was common, and they often bickered.

"No way, how is that an insult? Momo’s much more loyal than you, never betraying me. In the past, whenever you did something bad, who ended up taking the blame?" Qinghua said with her face full of grievance.

"Alright, I’m no match for your Momo. It’s my fault. Say whatever you want and scold however you like—consider me to owe you. Just bring extra food next time," Chen Guan said with a grin.

After all, Qinghua wasn’t spending her own money for this. This was a bargain he couldn’t refuse. Eating these medicinal meals could also speed up the cultivation of the Secret Technique of One and shorten the upgrade duration—why not?

"Okay, let me know what you want to eat. If the cafeteria has it, I’ll bring it for you," Qinghua said as she glanced around Chen Guan’s cave, "Why is there nothing here except a stone bed, table, and stools? No bedding or anything—how can you live like this?"

"For practitioners, it’s nothing," Chen Guan said offhandedly as he continued eating.

He was secretly here to hatch the Secret Spirit Egg, not for a vacation, so aside from some necessities, he didn’t bring much.

After finishing the meal, Chen Guan didn’t stand on ceremony with Qinghua, telling her that he needed to continue cultivating.

Qinghua gathered her things and left, but not before asking Chen Guan when he wanted dinner. In the evening, she not only brought more medicinal meals but also brought bedding and other essentials for living.

"Brother Guan, use these for now. If they’re not suitable, I’ll bring new ones from home during my next vacation," Qinghua said as she spread the bedding on the stone bed.

"No need, it’s already great. Besides, I spend most of my time cultivating, so I don’t have much time to sleep," Chen Guan replied casually.

After chatting for a while, Qinghua was afraid of disrupting Chen Guan’s cultivation and took her leave.

With Qinghua’s help, Chen Guan no longer needed to waste time sorting meals, and the medicinal effects of the food were excellent, allowing Chen Guan to clearly feel the changes in his body.

A few more days passed, and although the Secret Spirit Egg had not hatched, Chen Guan had leveled up again, reaching Level 8, with a total primordial energy of 128.

Chen Guan was in a great mood. With just two more levels, he could start preparing for the Second Awakening.

The second awakening is not a simple matter; it requires the Secret Technique to be strong enough, personal insight to be adequate, and a foundational second awakening secret spirit as a prerequisite to have a chance at a Second Awakening.

The higher the quality of the secret spirit used for the Second Awakening, the stronger the awakened alien elemental energy could be. Moreover, the secret spirit’s alien elemental energy attributes could partially affect the second awakened alien elemental energy.

The best choice is naturally to find an unparalleled secret spirit as a foundation for the Second Awakening; Chen Guan had to plan early for this.

Having leveled up, Chen Guan was in high spirits and decided to stretch his legs outside the cave.

Just as he reached the cave entrance, he saw Warring States cuddling with another figure, seemingly admiring the colorful sunset sky over the mountains.

Chen Guan took one look and was immediately wide-eyed.

If Warring States were having something with Momo, Chen Guan could accept it, but the figure nestled with Warring States was clearly not a dog, and was much smaller than Momo.

"A black and red raccoon!" Chen Guan recognized it by its back.

The black and red raccoon seemed to have noticed Chen Guan peeking from behind, sprang off Warring States, quickly dashed to the edge of a stone platform, and jumped down the mountain wall.

This startled Chen Guan, who quickly rushed over to see if the black and red raccoon had fallen. Falling from such a height, even a secret spirit wouldn’t survive.

Warring States also ran over, and as one person and one dog peered down, they saw a narrow ledge a foot wide below the platform, and a small hole the size of a rabbit’s burrow nearby. But the black and red raccoon was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Guan then realized that the black and red raccoon must have come through there.

"Warring States, you’re something else. Tell me honestly, how did you lure it over?" Chen Guan looked at Warring States with a strange expression.

They weren’t even of the same species. It was baffling how they got together—was it brotherly camaraderie or romantic feelings? Although Warring States was male, whether the black and red raccoon was male or female was unknown.