From a country cook to a master chef

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the snow continued to fall.

On the cold and silent plain, the cold wind, carrying the pungent smell of mud mixed with blood, wafted towards us.

At this moment, Lin Jue was standing on a hill in Jingu Plain, gazing at the densely packed army of Zhanbo ahead.

While he and his senior brother Long Fei were on a mission to the Ten Thousand Bones Mountains, traitors appeared in all six factions of the alliance. They colluded with the Zhanbo people and launched a large-scale attack on the territories of the various prefectures of Dawu.

Furthermore, it is unknown what methods were used to cause widespread panic among the people of Dawu and low morale in the army.

Even the seasoned generals of Tianwu Mountain were at a loss as to what strategy to employ or how to defend themselves, and could only remain still and await the Emperor's orders.

Lin Jue immediately informed his master Zhong Liang of everything that had happened in the Ten Thousand Bones Mountains upon returning to Jin Valley Plain.

Unexpectedly, Master remained extremely calm in the face of Senior Brother Long's death, as if he didn't care at all.

When Lin Jue learned from Ding Xiangfei that of the four disciples his master had taught, only he remained, he suddenly understood Zhong Liang's thoughts.

Although he lost a lot of imperial edict talismans during his trip to the Ten Thousand Bones Mountains, he was fortunate to have gained a lot. He not only obtained a large amount of money collected by the Black Tiger Sect, but also the method of drawing the Four Symbols Beast God Technique and the Great Teleportation Talisman.

Compared to money, Lin Jue valued the latter two things the most.

The Four Symbols Beast God Technique is related to the cultivation of the Divine Symbol Realm. For a martial artist, there is probably nothing more attractive than this technique.

When Lin Jue returned to Jin Valley Plain, he spent his free time pondering the Four Symbols Beast God Technique several times. He discovered that the conditions for cultivating this martial art were quite harsh, requiring one to temper oneself with beast blood, otherwise it would be extremely easy to suffer from qi deviation.

With frequent battles at the moment, Lin Jue has not yet begun to cultivate this technique, intending to save it for a more suitable time in the future.

As for the Great Teleportation Talisman, Lin Jue valued it highly. After all, once he could fully comprehend the method of drawing this talisman, it would be a good way for him to save his life.

The ability to instantly move several miles in a straight line in one direction is comparable to the teleportation technique of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, after trying for two consecutive days, Lin Jue still couldn't find the right method and was unable to draw the Great Teleportation Talisman.

Faced with this situation, Lin Jue was also extremely helpless. He dared not be impatient and could only take it one step at a time, slowly learning the key and complicated aspects.

Over the course of several days, although no battles broke out in Jin Gu Yuan, fighting continued in other parts of Da Wu, so much so that people from Jin Gu Yuan were constantly being sent out to provide support.

Lin Jue had just returned from the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range, and Zhong Liang did not send him out to provide support, possibly because he now only had this one personal disciple left.

Faced with the all-out offensive of the Zhanbo people, the Dawu side also deployed its forces to meet them.

During this period, the Six Factions Alliance also rallied a large number of independent cultivators from the Great Martial Realm to fight against the Zhanbo people, achieving considerable success.

However, as more and more traitors emerged, the Zhanbo army quickly turned the tide, and within a few days, it had successively captured Dawu Shenjian Prefecture and Baiyue Prefecture.

The Yin Kui Sect betrayed the Six Sects Alliance and seized the opportunity to occupy Qinglan Prefecture.

Now, of the entire Seven Prefectures of Dawu, only Tiandu Prefecture and Haoran Prefecture remain untouched by the Zhanbo Iron Cavalry.

However, even in the face of such a predicament, the Martial Emperor was indeed one of the most outstanding emperors in the Tianxuan region in the past thousand years. Even with only two prefectures left, he calmly issued a series of imperial decrees.

With the Great Wu Dynasty in grave danger, the Martial Emperor decided to gather all the strength of the people to construct an unparalleled formation capable of covering both Tiandu Prefecture and Haoran Prefecture, retreat to the two prefectures, and then slowly reclaim the vast land.

Upon receiving the Emperor's order, Tianwu Mountain reacted swiftly.

At this moment, the nearly one thousand surviving disciples of Tianwu Mountain gathered on Jingu Plain, patiently awaiting the arrival of a mysterious figure.

Lin Jue stood silently at the back of the crowd, searching for his master, Zhong Liang.

When Lin Jue saw Zhong Liang sitting in a chair in front of him with his eyes closed, a hint of worry appeared in his complex eyes.

In the past two days, he has noticed that his master always seems preoccupied, and he is afraid that his master, who is so devoted to him, might do something shocking.

Time passed slowly, and just as everyone was growing impatient, a person suddenly walked up to the high platform and stood with many of the high-ranking officials of Tianwu Mountain.

This is an elderly man with white hair, who looks frail and weak.

"Gentlemen, I am Han Shili..."

As soon as the old man spoke, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. They suddenly felt as if the old man could see right through them, and they were terrified.

It turns out that this person is none other than Han Shili, the Great Martial General who founded Tianwu Mountain, and one of the few Divine Realm martial artists in the Great Martial Kingdom.

At that moment, Han Shili coughed softly, and the entire Jingu Plain fell silent.

"I don't want to say anything more. Since you are all disciples of Tianwu Mountain, you only need to follow the instructions of Tianwu Mountain."

"Now that the Great Wu realm is in grave danger, by order of the Martial Emperor, we shall, from this day forward, abandon Golden Valley Plain and retreat to Heavenly Capital Prefecture."

As soon as Han Shili uttered his words, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all looked incredulous.

After all, they had been holding out in Jingu Plain for months, and they never expected that they would receive such an order from Tianwu Mountain before the Zhanbo people even attacked.

Despite their many questions, no one questioned the order. They knew that it was the Emperor's command, and no one could change it.

Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Han Shili smiled slightly and explained the Emperor's plan and decree, dispelling everyone's concerns.

Soon, under the command of many high-ranking members of Tianwu Mountain, all the disciples of Tianwu Mountain began to retreat in an orderly manner.

Inside Zhong Liang's main tent, Lin Jue was patiently awaiting his master's orders.

Just moments ago, when he was about to retreat with the others, his cheap master, who had treated him well, suddenly found him quietly, led him into the main tent, and then began rummaging through the cabinet without saying a word.

"Didn't you choose the Three-Part Return to Origin Manual last time? Here, this is a mysterious jade ring that was mixed in with this technique when I obtained it."

For so many years, I have been trying to open this ring, but I have never been able to do so.

This ring has an antique design, yet it possesses an extraordinary aura; perhaps it is a spatial ring. Today, I, your master, give it to you, hoping you will cherish it in the future.

Zhong Liang rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a ring, handing it to Lin Jue with a solemn expression.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue was taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind his master's words.

"Master, weren't we planning to retreat to Tiandu Prefecture? What do you mean by that?"

"The Zhanbo people came with great force. Retreating to Tiandu Prefecture and Haoran Prefecture is not a long-term solution. Constructing a world-shaking array covering the two prefectures is no easy task. I guess that the Martial Emperor made this arrangement because he had no other choice. His purpose was simply to stabilize the morale of the army."

Zhong Liang stepped out of the tent, his voice icy, and said, "It's completely unrealistic to set up an array to defend the two prefectures. Haven't you noticed that Zhanbo has been silent for quite some time now?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue's heart stirred. With his master's reminder, he remembered that the Zhanbo army had indeed not launched an attack recently, as if they were waiting for something.

Zhong Liang speculated in a deep voice: "They are waiting for the outcome of the negotiations between Emperor Wu and the Grand Shaman Zhanbo, but whatever the outcome, it is not something we can control."

I rarely accept personal disciples, and you should be well aware of this by now. You are now my only personal disciple.

Today, I'd like to assign you another task.

"..."

Lin Jue was startled, but on the surface he still respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Master, please speak."

Zhong Liang remained silent for a moment, then took out a pre-prepared letter and handed it to Lin Jue. He slowly said, "Keep this letter safe. Immediately set off for Qinghe Ferry in Lanzhou and give the letter to an old man surnamed Zhang who ferries people at the ferry. After you have done this, you do not need to return to Tiandu Prefecture. You can arrange the rest yourself."

Lin Jue did not question it. He respectfully accepted the letter from his master and then hurriedly returned to his tent to pack his things.

There is now less than a month left until the agreed-upon date with the Lingyunwu sisters.

Since his trip to the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range, he has obtained a large number of ink crystals. If you count them carefully, there are several thousand pieces, which is enough to activate the Starry Sky Sect's ancient teleportation array.

His master has sent him to Qinghe Ferry in Lanzhou. After completing this task, he can conveniently make his way to Lingyunwu to keep his appointment with the Zhao sisters.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue had an idea. He quickly packed everything up, mounted a fast horse, and headed straight for the ferry crossing in Qinghe Town, Lanzhou.