Chapter 32: Chapter 32: This Woman, Just How Many More Secrets and Surprises Does She Have?

As far as he knew, no market in the Empire sold food ingredients.

Then his thoughts turned to the thing that had caused his genes to evolve that night. Jun Yao’s eyes narrowed, a thoughtful look passing through them.

’Just how many more secrets and surprises does this woman have?’

「Time flew by, and soon it was afternoon.」

Among the four of them, Fu Yuan was the first to finish his advancement. He had successfully progressed from the Eighth Rank to the Ninth Rank of the Beast Transformation Stage, his aura countless times more powerful than before.

Opening his eyes and emerging from his state of Cultivation, he didn’t even take a moment to celebrate his new Realm. Instead, he eagerly got up and strode toward the dining table.

Not only was the food delicious with a lingering aftertaste, but it also contained an incredibly powerful and pure Energy. Its effect on Cultivation was countless times better than Energy Liquid.

That’s not what the Light Brain encyclopedia said!

The encyclopedia claimed that food, being troublesome and useless for Cultivation, had been phased out over the course of the Empire’s history and replaced by Energy Liquid!

’So what’s the deal with that meal the woman made?’

He hadn’t had the chance earlier. Now, he was going to investigate it again.

However, he froze the next second. All the plates, bowls, and chopsticks had vanished without a trace. The table was empty, wiped completely clean.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. Fu Yuan was instantly infuriated, his dark eyes glaring at Jun Yao.

"You ate it all? Are you a pig?"

The guy hadn’t even left them a single drop of soup. He was truly despicable. Fu Yuan clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked.

Jun Yao lifted his eyelids. His pale golden pupils were dark and heavy, and his handsome face showed no emotion besides a cold dominance. He looked like someone you shouldn’t mess with.

"I cleaned the kitchen. I washed the dishes. I did all the work. What’s wrong with eating some leftovers?"

Fu Yuan was speechless.

’Who asked him to do it?’

’It’s not like the rest of us couldn’t have done it!’

Clenching his fists, Fu Yuan went back to the sofa and sulked.

Even though he knew the food was gone and getting angry was pointless, he couldn’t help but feel enraged.

His gaze fell on the three who were still breaking through to their next Realm, and only then did he remember that he had advanced.

He waved a hand to channel his power and instantly felt the immense, boundless strength within him. Tasks that were once incredibly difficult could now be completed with ease.

Eighth Rank and Ninth Rank. It seemed like only a single rank of difference, but the gap in power was like a chasm.

A few hours later, Ming Ye and Si Xie finished their advancements one after the other. Only Jiang Yunnuan was still going.

The two of them had the same reaction as Fu Yuan. The first thing they did upon opening their eyes was run to the dining table to check on the food.

When they saw the empty table, they were both furious. Unlike Fu Yuan, however, they directed their anger not only at Jun Yao but at Fu Yuan as well.

"You two went too far! You snuck and ate everything while we were advancing, not even leaving us a single bite! You’re horrible!!!"

Si Xie was about to die from anger. He had only had a few bites of that delicious food before he had to stop because his advancement was imminent. He was even thinking about it during his breakthrough, which almost caused him to fail.

He’d finally finished, only to rush over and find nothing left.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ming Ye chimed in with a deadpan expression.

"That’s right. You two are horrible!"

"Me?"

Fu Yuan pointed at his own nose, so angry he almost laughed. "He is he, and I am I. Who’s ’you two’? He’s the one who ate all the food. Go yell at him, and leave me out of it!"

Hearing this, Ming Ye and Si Xie immediately let him off the hook. Two pairs of eyes swiveled in unison to look at Jun Yao, their gazes filled with hostility.

Si Xie narrowed his eyes, goading Ming Ye with a cold smile.

"Ming Ye, didn’t you successfully advance too? You’re at the Regression Stage now, the same Realm as him. Why don’t you go outside and have a ’spar’ with him? Fu Yuan and I will back you up."

Ming Ye frowned in thought, then lifted his chin at Jun Yao.

"Care to spar?"

Having just advanced, the best way to adapt to a new Realm was to practice with someone. Jun Yao had the same idea, and with a raised eyebrow, he was the first to get up and walk outside.

Seeing this, Ming Ye followed him.

Soon, the sounds of an unusually violent commotion came from outside. It was clear the battle between the two was incredibly fierce.

Si Xie leaned lazily against the sofa, pulled up the courtyard surveillance feed, and watched the intense battle with an expression of pure amusement.

They weren’t using their Beast Souls or Talent Skills. It was pure hand-to-hand combat, and they were so evenly matched that it didn’t look like it would end anytime soon.

After watching for a while, Si Xie tore his gaze away and looked at Jiang Yunnuan, who was still in the process of breaking through.

"Fu Yuan, when do you think she awakened her powers? How come I knew nothing about it?"

Fu Yuan glanced at him and said flatly, "You’re asking the wrong person. You should be asking Jun Yao."

For some reason, he felt that if anyone among them knew anything about Jiang Yunnuan’s situation, it had to be Jun Yao.

Thinking of Jun Yao’s temperament, Si Xie scoffed and said irritably, "You think I can get anything out of that guy?"

"Then go ask Jiang Yunnuan!"

Si Xie was speechless.

’Talking to this guy is exhausting. So boring!!!’

But he couldn’t help trying to talk to him, since he was the only one available right now.

"Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about the food. Why does this woman know how to cook? It’s one thing for her food to be delicious, but why does it also have such pure, powerful Energy? And where did she get the ingredients?"

Cooking was a lost art. No one studied it, so naturally, no one knew how. Yet this woman seemed to have achieved a masterful level of skill.

Why had they never seen her display this before? They hadn’t even heard her mention it.

The thought of that food made Si Xie’s mouth water, but at the same time, he felt a flicker of doubt.

’Eating a delicious meal is the same as Cultivation? How could something so good exist in this world?’

And yet, he had stumbled right into such a wonderful thing. He had successfully advanced after just a few bites of food. What did that make all his years of arduous Cultivation?

Si Xie felt like he was in a dream. It was all so surreal.

"I don’t know."

Fu Yuan frowned, his deep, dark-blue eyes fixed on Jiang Yunnuan.

He also didn’t know when it started, but this woman had changed. She had become full of secrets and surprises, so unfamiliar it was as if he had never known her at all!

"You don’t think... she’s a fake, do you? The more I think about it, the stranger she’s been these past few days. Completely different from before."

Si Xie suddenly leaned in, whispering mysteriously in Fu Yuan’s ear.

At these words, Fu Yuan’s eyes flickered. He then unbuttoned and pulled down his collar, turning his back to Si Xie and revealing his firm, broad back.

At first, Si Xie didn’t understand why he would suddenly do that. But when he saw the pale pink petal-shaped mark below the nape of his neck, he instantly understood everything.

That was the Contract Master’s mark Jiang Yunnuan had established when she came of age.

After forming the contract, they could see it on their Light Brains. But after becoming intimate with her, the mark would appear on the Contractor’s body, like an owner’s seal.