"Your culinary skills have been recognized by an Elder from the Inner Sect Dining Hall!"

"From what I’ve observed, this Elder Xue is considering taking you as his disciple..."

"So, if you’re willing to pay him a personal visit, I can arrange it for you."

"If you become Elder Xue’s disciple, you’ll no longer have to worry about the Purple Cloud Association interfering with the monthly exam," He Wenxuan continued.

That someone intended to recruit him was exactly what Zou Feng had expected before he arrived.

’Elder Xue from the Inner Sect Dining Hall?’

’It’s not that I look down on the idea, but my main focus still has to be on cultivating my Evil Art.’

’My skill as a Spirit Chef is just a side hustle. It’s fine to work on it in my spare time, but if I take a master...’

’I’d probably have to serve him every day, and I’d lose a great deal of my freedom.’

’In comparison, I’d much rather accept an investment from a True Inheritor.’

’Even though I’d still have to pay them back, I’d have far more freedom.’

At this thought, Zou Feng decisively refused, "Elder He, thank you for your kind intentions, but I have my own plans for my Cultivation. If I were to become a disciple of an Inner Sect Elder, I’m afraid..."

"As for the trouble with the Purple Cloud Association, I can run, but I can’t hide forever. I’ll have to face them eventually."

"Besides, I won’t be reckless. I have ways of dealing with them," Zou Feng added quickly.

Hearing this, He Wenxuan decided not to press the matter.

In truth, he had only wanted to make an introduction. While it was true that Elder Xue from the Inner Sect Dining Hall admired Zou Feng’s cooking...

...no one could say for sure just how serious he was about taking on a disciple.

In short, since Zou Feng himself wasn’t interested, He Wenxuan wasn’t about to put himself out there just to be snubbed.

"In that case, be careful..."

"During the monthly exam, if you’re targeted by disciples on the Potential Rankings, do your best to avoid them. That might be your only way out." After speaking, He Wenxuan waved his hand, dismissing Zou Feng.

Zou Feng thanked He Wenxuan again with sincerity and slowly backed out of the small courtyard.

Watching Zou Feng’s retreating figure, He Wenxuan found himself curious to see the outcome of the monthly exam.

If Zou Feng actually managed to pass the monthly exam and overcome the hurdle of the Purple Cloud Association, then the boy’s future would indeed need to be re-evaluated.

If he didn’t make it...

Dying in the exam would be one thing, but even if he was lucky enough to escape with his life, his most suitable path would be to settle down as a Spirit Chef. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

In the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, geniuses were a dime a dozen.

Only by finding the Cultivation path that suited them best could they go far.

Zou Feng hurried back to Courtyard Nine, wasting no time. The moment he was inside, he telekinetically pulled Gongsun Jinghong to him, restrained her, and immediately began their training.

Every bit of progress in the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill was another step toward being ready for the monthly exam.

He trained until night fell in what felt like the blink of an eye.

After a quick bite to eat, Zou Feng checked his status panel.

"Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill (Peak of Perfection), Progress: 89%"

He was already getting quite close to the Realm of Transcendence and Sanctity.

Unfortunately, the monthly exam was tomorrow. Even if he pulled an all-nighter, he wouldn’t be able to break this Skill through to the level of Extraordinary to Saint.

’Oh well, a few more days won’t hurt. Even if the Skill breaks through right now, I don’t meet the other conditions to shape my ideal Spirit Body anyway.’

In reality, his Cultivation speed for the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill was already insanely fast.

Correspondingly, Gongsun Jinghong’s progress was also remarkable.

Back in the Glazed Immortal Palace, she had successfully broken through to First Grade.

However, her Realm wasn’t stable at the time. On top of that, she was severely wounded by a corrupted Gongsun Xiang, leaving her in a long-term state of recovery.

Now, after being lashed for over a month, plus having earned a great deal of Immortal Fate with Zou Feng, she had purchased enough high-quality Healing Elixirs.

As a result, Gongsun Jinghong’s injuries had long since healed. Furthermore, nourished by the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill, her Spirit Body had completely stabilized.

As one of the three great geniuses of her generation in the Great Yan Dynasty, it should be no problem for Gongsun Jinghong to advance to the Spiritual Energy Realm in short order.

She knew this herself, which was why she put in extra effort when cultivating the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill with Zou Feng.

As for Teng Jun...

All that could be said was that the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect truly lived up to its name as an Immortal Cultivation Land. The girl had only been here for a few days, but after taking a few Elixirs suited for her, she had already reached Second Grade.

Now, like Zou Feng, she was busy working toward shaping a suitable Spirit Body.

Only, whenever Zou Feng asked out of curiosity what kind of Spirit Body she planned to shape, Teng Jun, who was normally completely obedient to him, would be evasive and say she wanted to keep it a secret for now.

After checking the progress of his Cultivation Skill, Zou Feng didn’t forget to check the List of Gods for any changes.

A quick glance revealed several new, unfamiliar names.

’I don’t recognize any of them. They must be the ones colluding with the Purple Cloud Association to target me in the monthly exam.’

’But what makes them so sure that these people will just happen to be assigned to the same Alternate Space as me during the monthly exam?’

’The Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect has too many Outer Disciples. There’s no way hundreds of millions of disciples could be crammed into a single space.’

’So for every monthly exam, at least hundreds, if not thousands, of Alternate Spaces are opened for the Outer Disciples to take the assessment.’

’Don’t tell me the Purple Cloud Association can pull strings and get me assigned to the specific Alternate Space they want me in?’

’Or... maybe those senior Outer Disciples the Purple Cloud Association arranged to cause trouble have some authority to choose which Alternate Space they enter.’

Zou Feng quickly pushed the thoughts aside. In any case, he had already planned on clashing with the disciples from the Potential Rankings anyway.