BOOM!

With a tremendous crash, Mo Qi’s courtyard gate was shattered by a powerful blow.

Dozens of figures streamed inside, surrounding the house. Leading them was none other than Qi Yun, now fully recovered from his injuries.

One of his spies had reported that Mo Qi had left his residence, leaving Liu Hui behind alone.

Qi Yun had acted decisively, bringing his men straight to their door.

"Liu Hui, I know you’re in there! Come out and die!"

Liu Hui, who had been basking in the joy of his Innate Weaknesses being cured and his Cultivation rising, walked out upon hearing Qi Yun’s voice.

"You? You’re Liu Hui?!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Liu Hui’s appearance had changed dramatically. Not only was his frame sturdier and his spirit vigorous, but because he had just broken through in his Cultivation, he radiated an indomitable, awe-inspiring aura.

"Qi Yun, you really never learn, do you? Your injuries healed so quickly. What, did your brother have to save you again?"

With his perfect Refining Essence Cultivation, Liu Hui wasn’t the least bit intimidated by Qi Yun, even with his posse of followers. In fact, Liu Hui was even faintly looking forward to it.

The thing Qi Yun hated most was when people brought up Qi Tian to highlight his own incompetence, but unfortunately for him, it was all true.

The Elixir he had used to heal his wounds had indeed been a gift from Qi Tian for his protection.

"Liu Hui, I don’t want to trade barbs with you. Today, you will die here!" Qi Yun’s face was stern.

"Hah. You can try."

"You think growing a little taller makes you useful?" Qi Yun was so angry he laughed. "I should actually thank you and Mo Qi. If Mo Qi hadn’t injured me, I wouldn’t have taken that Elixir, and I certainly wouldn’t be on the verge of achieving perfect Refining Essence so soon."

"Hm? You’re about to achieve perfect Refining Essence?" Liu Hui’s expression was a little strange.

"What, scared?" Qi Yun held up one finger smugly. "In one day at most, I’ll achieve perfect Refining Essence. I was going to let you live for one more day, but I can’t wait."

"I’ll show you right now what perfect Refining Essence truly is!"

Qi Yun let out a low shout and threw a punch. The wind from his fist whistled, like a tiger descending a mountain; his aura was indeed a few degrees stronger than before.

Liu Hui swayed to the side, evading Qi Yun’s attack, then lifted his leg and kicked him in the lower abdomen, sending him flying.

The movements were fluid and effortless.

"No, impossible!" Qi Yun roared, his face contorted in disbelief.

"Luck! It must have been luck!"

He charged forward again, this time using the High-Level Martial Technique, "Blast Beast Fist." His punching speed instantly doubled. As Essence Energy gathered in his body, the sound of roaring tigers and wolves actually emanated from the surface of his fists.

"Die!"

Just as before, Liu Hui sidestepped and kicked in one smooth motion.

BANG!

Qi Yun had come in fast, but he flew back even faster.

This time, Liu Hui had used seventy percent of his strength. Qi Yun felt like his intestines were twisted into knots and his organs had been kicked out of place. He slammed heavily onto the ground, the pain so intense he couldn’t get back up.

The surrounding followers all looked as if they’d seen a ghost. ’How is this possible? Is he really that scrawny Liu Hui?’

In terms of talent, Liu Hui was far superior to Qi Yun. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him, despite his Innate Weaknesses, to have entered the Void Sect, let alone cultivate to the level of Refining Essence Eighth Heaven.

Now, he was at the perfect Refining Essence Ninth Heaven, a full level of Cultivation above Qi Yun. On top of that, after years of searching for the Blood Spirit Flower and constantly walking the line between life and death, his combat experience was terrifyingly vast.

He was simply no match for a greenhouse flower like Qi Yun.

"You... you’re at Refining Essence Ninth Heaven? And... perfect Refining Essence?" Qi Yun asked in disbelief after he recovered a bit.

Liu Hui shrugged. "As you can see. Want to continue?"

Qi Yun felt like crying. ’What is going on? I’ve been pursuing perfect Refining Essence for so long. How did Liu Hui achieve it the moment he broke through to Refining Essence Ninth Heaven?’

Continuing was out of the question. Qi Yun may have been a spoiled fop, but he wasn’t stupid.

He got to his feet and gritted his teeth. "I, Qi Yun, admit defeat today. But just you wait. This isn’t over. Let’s go!"

Qi Yun led his group of followers away, his tail between his legs.

Liu Hui didn’t stop them. He knew he couldn’t possibly keep Qi Yun there.

It wasn’t that he lacked the ability, but rather that behind Qi Yun stood the terrifying Qi Tian, an existence neither he nor Mo Qi could afford to provoke.

"Mo Qi, you have given me a new life. From this day forward, I, Liu Hui, will follow you as a servant and slave until I have repaid this debt of gratitude." Liu Hui was extremely confident in his own talent.

Without his Innate Weaknesses, he was like a Divine Dragon released from its shackles, destined to one day soar through the heavens.

However, what he didn’t know was that this debt of gratitude would not diminish because of his servitude; on the contrary, it would only grow larger.

And setting aside the debt, in the days to come, after tasting Mo Qi’s cooking and receiving countless benefits, even if someone held a knife to his throat and tried to force him away, he wouldn’t leave, shamelessly insisting on remaining a slave.

Nor would anyone know that the future Dark Guard Leader of the Demon Chef, a figure who would strike fear into the hearts of countless people, was born on this ordinary yet turbulent night.

...

The Void Sect, in the easternmost part of the Servant Area, bordered the forbidden land known as the Wailing Abyss.

The Wailing Abyss was bottomless and shrouded in mist year-round. Legend had it that any creature that fell into it was doomed to die. It was designated a forbidden area by the Void Sect, so very few people ever came here.

But Mo Qi and Fang Min used to come here often for their dates. It was the place where they had pledged their love, the "old place" Fang Min had mentioned.

When Mo Qi arrived, Uncle Niu’s desecrated remains were hanging from a large tree.

The stark white bones swayed in the night wind, clacking together with a crisp sound.

Below, a pack of leashed wild dogs stared hungrily at Uncle Niu’s remains, eager to pounce.

Fang Min, dressed in white, looked haggard, her eyes bloodshot. When she saw Mo Qi appear, her gaze erupted with immense hatred.

Behind her, a young man stood with his eyes closed, his face expressionless.

"Stop!"

Seeing Mo Qi try to approach, Fang Min shouted sharply.

But Mo Qi paid her no mind. His eyes were fixed only on Uncle Niu’s remains.

No matter what, he had to retrieve Uncle Niu’s remains and give him a proper burial.

"I’ve sprinkled five-spice meat powder on the bones of that man named Niu. If you dare take another step, I’ll release these wild dogs that haven’t eaten in three days. I’d love to see who’s faster—you or this pack of dogs," Fang Min threatened coldly.

Mo Qi drew back the foot he had put forward. He was still dozens of yards away from Uncle Niu’s remains.

He couldn’t be sure that he could snatch Uncle Niu’s remains from the dogs’ jaws in time from such a distance.

"Fang Min, why drag Uncle Niu into the conflict between us? You know full well how he treated you when he was alive. How could you bear to dig up his grave and deny him peace in death?" Mo Qi clenched his fists so tightly he wished he could teleport through space to retrieve Uncle Niu’s body.

Fang Min sneered. "Playing the sympathy card now? When you killed my father, did you ever think about how he used to treat you?"

It would have been better if she hadn’t brought that up. The mention of it only made Mo Qi even angrier.

That father-daughter pair was truly the worst. Before they latched onto Wang Hao, they had used all sorts of fake flattery to get Cultivation Resources from him.

The moment they got in with Wang Hao, they immediately turned their backs on him. ’Could that fake affection really be used as a bargaining chip?’

Besides, it wasn’t as if Mo Qi hadn’t given Fang Hua a chance. But Fang Hua had been aggressive, not only verbally insulting Uncle Niu but even smashing his memorial tablet.

’He deserved to die!’