Chapter 55: Gratitude to the Northern Sea Demon Clan

The sky of the secret realm was a misty gray—neither bright nor dark. Time was hard to distinguish without a watch, for this place was always the same; the vigorous vitality of warriors and cultivators even deceived the internal clock—if you didn’t sleep, true drowsiness was rare.

While the need for sleep could be ignored, hunger could not.

Song Yue was hungry, preparing his dinner.

The finest ingredients often required only the simplest cooking.

That was why he was grilling the flesh from the claw of a Bone-Shattering Realm giant lobster.

The complete claw itself was simply enormous—over a dozen meters long, it lay there like a massive, dark red boulder, a visual shock that served as a reminder that this once belonged to a formidable monster.

Such a prize must be delicious.

A layer of shimmering foil lined the grill, glowing hot charcoal below, and on top, a hefty slab of lobster meat from the claw—at least five or six pounds—was cooking, its surface gently browning and releasing a mouthwatering aroma that nearly made Song Yue drool. Yet he practiced patience, carefully grating wasabi, with a small plate of lobster sashimi arranged at his side.

Even in the wild, one could not be careless about eating. His magic cube stored many daily necessities, including the finest soy sauce from Huaxia, said to require a full year to brew. Song Yue didn’t know the details of the process, but after tasting many varieties, he knew none could compare.

Sister Wang always bought that brand. He wondered, with a pang, how she was doing now.

Thinking of Sister Wang, even the lobster no longer seemed as fragrant. He himself was miserable after only a short period of being hunted, but she had lived in that state for so long. Though she hid well, the precariousness of such days could only be bitter.

He quietly packed away the remaining wasabi, placed the freshly grated portion in a small dish, and poured in soy sauce. Taking a slice of raw lobster, he dipped it lightly and placed it in his mouth.

His taste buds exploded—fresh, sweet, melting away almost instantly. An immense surge of energy accompanied the sublime flavor, flooding his body.

The meat of a Bone-Shattering Realm giant lobster—magnificent!

He exhaled deeply. When he returned, he would first pay respects to his master and mistress, then invite Brother Qian, Wen Rou, Xiao Meng, and his colleagues to a feast, and mail some to his mother and older sister as well. There was plenty to go around, though shipping it would be tricky—he couldn’t just send a giant crab dozens of meters long and scare everyone. The internal space of his Jade Void Celestial Monument was now piled high with lobster and crab, not vast in number but staggeringly large in size.

Good things deserved to be shared.

He quickly finished the sashimi—though there were only a dozen slices, he already felt full; the energy within the meat was overwhelming. For a martial artist, this was truly the finest of ingredients—worth more than gold.

Song Yue felt as if he’d discovered a whole new world.

So this was the origin of gourmet ingredients.

After a brief rest, he waited until the lobster on the foil was thoroughly cooked, then sprinkled it with fine mineral salt from a small bottle, cut off a piece, and tasted it—delicious beyond words. Unlike the sashimi, the grilled lobster was both springy and tender, melting in his mouth and unleashing another wave of invigorating energy.

He’d prepared five or six pounds, but now realized he couldn’t possibly finish it. Even after eating two small pieces—barely a few ounces—he felt close to bursting.

Without hesitation, he began running the Taiyi Body-Tempering Sutra, guiding the surge of energy toward several acupoints in his palms.

He wanted to test something.

Nearly all warriors—ninety-nine percent—even at the peak of Grandmaster, never managed to open every acupoint in their bodies. There were simply too many, and the energy required was an astronomical sum.

For martial artists, energy came from two sources: the rarest medicinal herbs and the finest ingredients. These were the essentials of cultivation. Even ordinary herbs and food were expensive; high-level ones were usually beyond imagining.

Song Yue never let this trouble his family—they’d already given enough. Everyone wanted the best, but one could not be selfish.

At last, he had come of age—eighteen and able to explore secret realms. By a stroke of luck, he had obtained such rare ingredients; to use them only as food and not for cultivation seemed almost sinful.

The moment he laid eyes on the Taiyi Body-Tempering Sutra, he knew it was a supreme martial arts manual, for it detailed the method to open every acupoint in the body.

A thousand worthless volumes could not compare to a single genuine phrase.

The method itself was described in only a few lines, but it worked.

Guiding the vast energy to several acupoints in his hands, he distinctly felt the barriers being battered. The process was laborious, but as he ran the Sutra, the barriers gradually loosened.

First, the “Daling,” “Shenmen,” and “Taiyuan” points at his wrists burst open with a sudden clarity that lifted his spirit to new heights.

Next, the “Shaoze” and “Shaochong” points on his little fingers opened, followed by “Guanchong” on the index fingers, “Zhongchong” on the middle fingers, and “Shangyang” on the ring fingers.

Finally, as he opened “Shaoshang” on his thumbs, the energy within his body began to ebb—he was hungry again.

Staring at the still-aromatic lobster, now even more charred, he swallowed.

Continue eating!

With each bite, he pressed more acupoints. Eat, then cultivate. Eat, then cultivate again.

Over a dozen hours, alternating between feasting and opening acupoints, Song Yue managed to unlock nearly all those in his hands.

He could now feel, unmistakably, that his hands were incomparably stronger than before. When he performed the Star-Splitting Palm or Thunder Fist again, he could hardly believe the might they held.

“No wonder there’s such a vast difference in strength even among warriors of the same rank. The main reason must be the number of acupoints opened.”

He studied his long, slender hands with new affection.

Given enough time, he truly could open the thousands of acupoints throughout his body. At that point, rank would no longer matter—he might not reach Grandmaster in name, but could easily outclass ninety percent of them.

As for the low-level cultivators—unless they were at the Linkage Realm, they’d best not cross him.

Song Yue reclined on a great stone. He was deep within the secret realm now—a place most outsiders would not dare enter. The great secret realm would only remain open for a limited time; unless they belonged to powerful organizations, most people would stay near the altar.

His journey in this direction was not merely to escape pursuit. Before entering, he had used his Qi-sensing technique to determine that a great treasure would appear here. He needed to check the location and layout, see if any native inhabitants occupied the area, and, after investigating, planned to leave a formation disk behind before quietly returning.

Having reemerged after being trapped in the Kunlun Secret Realm, he was sure some had noticed. If he didn’t leave with the main group this time, and later reappeared openly, it would surely arouse suspicion.

He had no wish to attract the attention of powerful factions.

Even his master, a figure of renown, had hidden in Hangzhou for years, living reclusively. Even those with strength must remain low-key.

A warrior could be passionate, but never reckless.

Song Yue spent another day here, opening several major acupoints in his legs. This, too, was the common choice for most warriors. The major points in hands, arms, legs, and feet were essential to battle prowess.

He avoided the leopard meat for now, worried that its unique scent might attract others of its kind and lead to trouble.

Seafood was safe. He and the North Sea demon clan were already mortal enemies—if they met, neither side would let the other go.

He tried other seafood: giant crab, an unidentifiable deep-sea fish, both delicious, though the energy they contained was less than that of the Bone-Shattering Realm lobster. Understandable—the higher the realm, the greater the essence.

Thanks to the great lobster! And to the North Sea demon clan for their generous sponsorship.

Tiring of grilled lobster and sashimi, he resolved to try spicy crayfish next time—it should be excellent.

With hands and feet thoroughly strengthened, Song Yue left his hiding place, feeling transformed. He pressed onward, careful not to disturb even the birds and beasts in the forest.

…

A day earlier.

Five dragon-patterned leopards had chased the North Sea demons to the territory of another great monster, leading to a tense standoff. That monster was powerful and on poor terms with the leopards, inadvertently helping the North Sea clan, who, in gratitude, offered a bounty of seafood before hurrying back.

But when they returned to the previous battlefield, they found the site already picked clean by the Ou clan and others. Nothing remained.

The bodies of their fallen comrades were gone. The Bone-Shattering Realm giant lobster could not recover its lost claw, and, enraged, demanded to know who had taken it.

The Ou clan’s leader, a Linkage Realm cultivator, angrily insisted they had seen nothing.

“We returned as soon as possible! Many here can testify—the place was already empty, and even the artifacts from our own kin had been taken!”

Ou Yuanfu, head of the Ou clan and a Linkage Realm cultivator, was the uncle of the recently slain Ou Ping, whom he had watched grow up and cherished deeply. He had seized the opportunity of the western secret realm’s opening to personally hunt down Song Yue, Ou Ping’s killer.

Proof? Ou Ping had a feud with Song Yue, and upon Ou Ping’s death—his soul tablet shattered—Song Yue had returned alive. That was enough.

Even if Song Yue hadn’t killed him, he still deserved to die.

The North Sea clan’s lobster eyed the crowd, his severed limb already regrown—a trait of their kind, though it would take time to regain full strength. He didn’t entirely trust Ou Yuanfu, but intuition told him the man spoke the truth.

At that moment, another from the Ou clan spoke: “I suspect Song Yue is still alive.”

———

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