I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

The next day, hot pot was the talk of the town throughout the city of Burning Bones.

In the teahouse, two independent monks sat facing each other, drinking tea but talking about hot pot.

"Did you go to Baiweizhai yesterday to eat that hot pot?" a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes asked.

"I ate it! It was worth the two hours of waiting!" Another skinny rogue cultivator slapped his thigh, his eyes shining.

"The broth, the sliced ​​meat, the dipping sauce... I've never eaten anything so delicious in my life! Especially the Crimson Flame Roasted Beef, it melts in your mouth after just ten breaths, it's incredibly tender!"

"My favorite is the Solomon's Seal Brocade Chicken. The meat is tender and has a wonderful spiritual quality. After eating it, I feel a warm sensation in my lower abdomen!"

"Yunmengze duck is delicious too. The skin is so crispy after a quick dip in the broth, it's so fragrant!"

As they talked, they were practically drooling.

"Shall we go again tonight?" the muscular man with thick eyebrows suggested.

"Let's go! We absolutely have to go! I heard there's a discount today—not free, but 20% off!"

……

Inside the restaurant, a group of demon-hunting team members sat together. Several jugs of spirit wine and several plates of peanuts were laid out on the table, but they weren't talking about the mission; they were talking about hot pot.

"Captain, can we postpone tomorrow's mission? I want to go eat hot pot!" A young team member looked at the captain expectantly.

"Yeah, Captain, we really want to eat it too!" the other team members chimed in.

The captain was a burly middle-aged man with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level. He had a fierce look on his face, but at this moment, the expression on his face was somewhat relaxed.

"Alright, alright, we'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow." He picked up his glass and took a swig. "I'm even more eager to go eat than you are!"

……

In the market, two vendors chatted while greeting customers.

"Did you hear? The Lin family's hot pot restaurant had a long queue again this morning, even longer than yesterday!"

"I heard that Old Zhang next door went to line up before dawn today, saying he wanted to be the first to have a pot!"

"Tsk tsk, the Lin family is really capable, coming up with such a novel way of eating. They're probably going to make a fortune."

"That's right, there are fewer customers in my shop these days. I think they've all gone to hot pot restaurants."

Even in the evening, there was still a long queue outside the hot pot restaurant.

This time, the queue was even longer than yesterday, stretching from the store entrance all the way to the end of Qingyun Street, then turning a corner and extending into the alley next door.

Among the crowd were independent cultivators, merchants, demon-hunting teams, family members, and even a few Golden Core cultivators dressed in fine clothes.

Although they put on airs and didn't queue up themselves, they sent servants to buy number plates and wait in a corner, their eyes occasionally glancing towards the hot pot restaurant.

"The Lin family really knows how to do business." A Golden Core cultivator with gray hair stood across the street with his hands behind his back, looking at the long queue and remarked.

"Yes, coming up with this way of eating, cooking spirit beast meat, spirit vegetables, and spirit mushrooms all in one pot, and being able to cook for yourself while eating and chatting, is really novel." His companion next to him nodded.

"However, this will probably make the Cheng, He, and Liu families uneasy."

The three chambers of commerce reacted faster than expected.

The Cheng family, Wanbaoge.

Cheng Wanjun sat in his study, with a newly delivered intelligence report spread out in front of him.

He read the intelligence report over and over again three times, his expression changing from doubt to seriousness, and then from seriousness to gloom.

"Hot pot?" He put down the intelligence report and looked at the gray-robed old man in front of him. "Is this 'hot pot' thing that caused Wanbao Pavilion's customer traffic to drop by 20% today?"

"Yes."

The old man in gray bowed: "The Lin family's Baiweizhai has opened a new hot pot restaurant. It opened yesterday with a free meal, which attracted a large number of customers. Today, although it's not free, it's still packed with people with a 20% discount. The Qingmu Chamber of Commerce has also benefited, with 30% more customers than usual today."

"Those rogue cultivators, just for a bite of hotpot, they won't even buy any of my Cheng family's magical artifacts?" Cheng Wanjun's voice was tinged with anger.

"Master, please calm down." The gray-robed elder said cautiously, "The fact that those rogue cultivators aren't buying now doesn't mean they won't buy in the future. Hot pot is just a temporary novelty. Once this craze passes, they will still come back to buy magical artifacts."

Cheng Wanjun remained silent for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, without replying.

After a long pause, he raised his head, his gaze cold and stern: "How's the Merchant Alliance doing? Have those seven merchants shown any unusual activity?"

"Not for now," the gray-robed elder replied. "They have all signed contracts indicating that they will abide by the rules of the Merchant Alliance and will not engage in large-scale transactions with the Lin family. We have already cut off the source of feed and auxiliary materials, and the Lin family won't be able to hold out for long."

"That's good." Cheng Wanjun sat back down in his chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked out the window at the sky dyed red by the sunset.

He felt something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

……

The He family, the Spirit Beast Workshop.

He Zhenshan sat in his study, with a bowl of hot pot broth that had just been delivered in front of him.

He had someone buy it from Baiweizhai, and it was placed in a specially made jade pot, sealed with a heat preservation array. It was still steaming when it was delivered to his table.

He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and carefully tasted it.

Then, his brows furrowed.

"Is this the Lin family's hot pot?" He put down his spoon and looked at the butler beside him.

"Yes." The steward nodded. "I queued for two hours to buy this bowl of soup base and a few plates of spirit beast meat slices."

He Zhenshan picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in the soup, and put it in his mouth. After chewing a few times, his brows furrowed even more.

"It's really good." He put down his chopsticks, his tone calm, but the light in his eyes was somewhat complicated: "Could we learn this way of eating?"

"I'm afraid it will be difficult." The butler shook his head: "The soup base is a secret recipe of the Lin family. We don't know what spices are added to it. The spirit beast meat is also bred by them and cannot be bought on the market. Even if we can imitate it, the taste will be far from the same."

He Zhenshan was silent for a moment, then waved his hand: "Go down."

"Yes."

After the butler left, He Zhenshan sat alone in his study. The bowl of soup in front of him was still steaming, but he didn't touch it.

He gazed out the window, his eyes deep and thoughtful, as if he were pondering something.

The Liu family's backyard, near the pharmacy.

Liu Zhengming sat in the study, holding a scroll of pill formulas in his hands, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused.

"Manager, the Lin family's hot pot restaurant is packed again today," the apprentice reported in a low voice as he pushed open the door.

Liu Zhengming put down the prescription and looked up: "Understood."

"Manager, shall we... try it out?" the apprentice asked tentatively.

Liu Zhengming glanced at him from afar but said nothing.

A moment later, he stood up and straightened his robes.

"Let's go."

The apprentice was taken aback, then overjoyed, and quickly followed.

Half an hour later, in the queue outside Baiweizhai Hot Pot Restaurant, there was an elderly man with gray hair and beard and a young apprentice.

The old man had a gaunt face and exuded a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs; he was none other than Liu Zhengmingyuan.

He stood in the line with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless, but there was a hint of curiosity in his cloudy old eyes.

"Manager, how about I queue up for you, and you go sit in the teahouse next door?" the apprentice said in a low voice.

"No need." Liu Zhengming shook his head, his gaze falling on the glass window of the hot pot restaurant: "I want to see what magic this hot pot has."

The line moved forward slowly.

Liu Zhengming waited for nearly an hour before finally entering the shop.

He was seated at a small table for two by the window, with a copper pot embedded in it, the red soup inside boiling and steaming.

The shop assistant greeted us warmly: "How many of you are there, sir? What would you like to order?"

"Gentlemen." Liu Zhengming sat down, took the menu, and looked at the names of the dishes.

Besides spirit beasts with first and second-tier bloodlines, there are even spirit beasts with third-tier bloodlines.

Golden Spike Spirit Chicken, Cloud Dream Spirit Duck, Bright Moon Jade Rabbit, Earth Mother Spirit Pig... a row of dish names, with prices and effects listed below.

His gaze swept over the lines of text, and he nodded to himself in approval.

The menu at this restaurant is quite elaborate.

Not only did they list the names of the dishes, but they also clearly labeled the effects of each kind of spirit beast meat.

Suitable for which body type? What are the nourishing effects? Recommended cooking time.

This is very helpful for independent cultivators who don't understand the art of combining spiritual foods.

"Give me a Golden Spike Spirit Chicken, a Mother Earth Spirit Pig, a Bright Moon Jade Rabbit, and a Spirit Vegetable Platter." He closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter.

"Alright! Do you want the soup base spicy or clear? In addition to the spicy red oil hot pot, we also have a clear soup hot pot for customers who can't handle spicy food."

"Hmm, I'll have the clear broth."

The waiter left quickly and soon served all the dishes.

Liu Zhengming looked at the pot of clear broth in front of him and the neatly arranged plates of meat slices, his eyes flickering slightly.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of chicken, dipped it in the boiling broth, watched as the meat quickly changed color in the hot soup, its edges curling up slightly, then scooped it out and put it in his mouth.

chew.

Swallow.

He put down his chopsticks and remained silent for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"Shopkeeper, what's wrong?" the apprentice asked anxiously.

"This hot pot..." Liu Zhengming looked at the bubbling broth in the pot with a complicated expression: "It's likely to take the Lin family's business to the next level."

He stood up, straightened his robes, and turned to walk towards the door.

"Manager, aren't you going to eat?" The apprentice looked at the table full of dishes, somewhat reluctant to leave.

"Pack it up and take it back." Liu Zhengming said without turning his head, "I need to study this soup base carefully to see what exactly was added."

The apprentice frantically called on the shop assistants to pack the food, caught up with Liu Zhengming's distant footsteps, and disappeared into the night.

Three days later, in Burning Bone City, at the Cheng family residence.

Cheng Wanjun, He Zhenyue, and Liu Zhengyun gathered again in the Cheng family's reception room.

Unlike last time, this time none of the three had smiles on their faces; instead, there was an indescribable solemnity.

"That hot pot..." Cheng Wanjun spoke first, his voice low, "You all went to see it too, right?"

He Zhenyue nodded, picked up his teacup but didn't drink: "I sent someone to try it, and I also tried it myself. It's really good stuff. This way of eating it will probably become popular all over Burning Bone City."

Liu Zhengyun didn't speak, but took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"What is this?" Cheng Wanjun asked.

"The Lin family's hot pot broth," Liu Zhengyun said calmly. "I had someone analyze it. It contains more than thirty kinds of spices, some of which I don't recognize. They should be unique to the Lin family. As for the spirit beast meat, needless to say, it's all their own cultivated varieties that can't be bought on the market."

"So, we can't learn it?" He Zhenyue frowned.

"We can't learn it." Liu Zhengyun shook his head. "Even if we managed to imitate it, the taste would be far inferior. Besides, even if we did learn it, we couldn't compete with the Lin family. They have exclusive spirit beast meat, and we don't."

Cheng Wanjun remained silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Then what do we do? Just watch the Lin family grow stronger?" He Zhenyue's voice was tinged with anxiety.

"Otherwise what?" Liu Zhengyun retorted. "Hot pot doesn't conflict with our business. They sell spiritual food, we sell elixirs, magical artifacts, and transportation. We keep to ourselves."

"But their hot pot restaurant is drawing people to the Qingmu Chamber of Commerce!" He Zhenyue slammed his fist on the table. "When those people go to eat hot pot, they also browse the Qingmu Chamber of Commerce, buying pills and spiritual materials. Our business is being diverted without us even realizing it!"

"That's only temporary," Liu Zhengyun said calmly. "Once the hotpot craze dies down, everything will return to normal."

"Are you sure?" He Zhenyue stared at him.

Liu Zhengyun did not answer.

Cheng Wanjun raised his hand, stopping the two from arguing.

"There's no point in arguing about this now." His voice was steady, carrying a hint of the patriarch's authority.

"The business alliance has been established, and we've also cut off the supply chain. The Lin family can only solve their immediate problems with a hot pot restaurant; it won't solve the fundamental issues. In three months, when their feed runs out and their spirit beasts can't survive, let's see what they can do then."

He Zhenyue and Liu Zhengyun exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

Cheng Wanjun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the setting sun cast its last rays upon the rooftops of Burning Bone City, bathing the entire city in a golden hue.

In the distance, in the direction of the Aoki Chamber of Commerce, one can vaguely see the long queue in front of the hot pot restaurant, slowly moving forward in the twilight, like a tireless river.

His gaze lingered on the queue for a long time before returning to the teacup.

The tea had gone cold, reflecting the darkening sky outside the window.

A week later.

The enthusiasm for opening hot pot restaurants has not diminished; on the contrary, it has intensified.

Every morning, before dawn, independent practitioners line up at the entrance, hoping to be among the first to be selected.

Some people even arrive the night before to reserve a spot, wrapping themselves in blankets and meditating at the entrance until dawn.

Baiweizhai's hot pot has become a huge hit in Fen Gu Cheng.

How popular is it? So popular that people travel all the way from Fen Gu Pass just to have a hot pot meal;

The business was so popular that the number of customers visiting Aoki Shokai's store tripled compared to when it opened.

The popularity was so great that the spirit beasts bred by the Lin family were in short supply.

Lin Xuandong stood at the window on the fourth floor, looking at the increasingly long queue below, and no longer felt any worry.

"Father, elder brother," he turned to look at Lin Che and Lin Xuanqi, who were drinking tea, his eyes full of admiration, "Your move was truly brilliant. With the hot pot served, who can compete?"

Lin Che smiled and shook his head: "It's still early. Hot pot is just the prelude. The real battlefield is yet to come."

He put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance.

"The business alliance won't let this go. They were caught off guard by the hotpot, but they'll recover soon. The real showdown will begin next."

Lin Xuanqi and Lin Xuandong exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Outside the window, dusk deepened, and the lights of Burning Bone City lit up one after another, illuminating the entire city as if it were daytime.

The glass windows of the hot pot restaurant were shrouded in mist, and the cheerful voices of diners drifted out through the cracks and were carried away by the night breeze.

The Lin family's signboard gleamed in the night.