From a country cook to a master chef

Outside the stone hall, Consort Dingxiang had not left; she was chatting and laughing with Senior Brother Yue, who was on duty at the inner courtyard gate.

Upon seeing Lin Jue emerge from the hall, he smiled and waved to him, "Junior Brother Lin, over here, come quickly."

After bowing to see Gao Changhong off, Lin Jue immediately went to Ding Xiangfei and greeted the two of them with a smile.

"Junior Brother Lin, there's no need for such formalities. From now on, we are all disciples of the Inner Court. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to me."

Mr. Yue has other important matters to attend to, so he will take his leave now.

Watching Yue Yun's departing figure, Ding Xiangfei sighed thoughtfully, "Senior Brother Yue is about to rush to the front line to join the battle. Including this batch, this is the eleventh time that the Inner Academy has sent disciples at the Divine Power Realm to support the front line."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue's heart skipped a beat. He immediately recalled what Gao Changhong had said. Could it be that the important task he mentioned was to support the front line?

Thinking of this, Lin Jue clasped his hands and asked, "May I ask, Senior Sister Ding, is it true that every inner court disciple is required to go to the front lines to participate in the battle?"

After saying this, Lin Jue felt a vague unease. The battle at the front was intense, and according to what Ding Xiangfei had just said, it seemed that none of the disciples sent out in the previous ten missions had returned to Tianwu Mountain, and their fates were unknown.

"The specific list of those going to the front lines to provide support is all drafted by the Dean and then submitted to His Majesty for approval before being announced."

However, based on previous experience, only the most powerful inner court disciples will be selected as reinforcements to aid the front lines.

After Senior Brother Yue left, Ding Xiangfei felt very disappointed, but on the surface she maintained a calm and composed expression. "Junior Brother Lin, the inner courtyard is rugged and complicated. Let me show you around."

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I was just about to go to the Hundred Herbs Garden to collect the introductory herbs, but I was worried about not being able to find my way. I would be grateful if you could guide me."

"Well, Junior Brother Lin must be about to start practicing the Innate Body Technique. In that case, I'll take you to the Hundred Herbs Garden first."

As they walked and talked, Lin Jue gained new insights into some matters within the inner courtyard from Consort Ding Xiang.

Even the weakest martial artist in the inner courtyard of Tianwu Mountain possesses the strength of the Divine Power Realm.

Apart from the two founders of the academy, the strongest person in the entire inner academy is Dean Pei Fei, followed by the remaining dozen or so Heavenly Elders.

Besides the Stone Hall for Inscription, the inner courtyard also includes places such as the Garden of a Hundred Herbs, the Hall of a Thousand Machines, and the Hall of Law Enforcement.

Ding Xiangfei focused on introducing Qianjitang.

As the place where inner court disciples receive bounty missions, Qianji Hall is located on the east side of the inner court. Every day at sunrise, Qianji Hall updates bounty missions on the huge wall at the entrance.

The amount of the reward will vary depending on the level of difficulty.

Inner court disciples can earn money by accepting bounty missions to purchase various precious herbs and spiritual plants.

Lin Jue listened intently, secretly resolving that he must visit Qianji Hall when he had the chance.

Before they knew it, the two had walked quite a distance and arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Herbs Garden.

"Junior Brother Lin, I'll leave you here. From here, you can go in and find Uncle Cao on your own. He may be a bit eccentric, but he's a good person."

"Yes, thank you for taking care of me today, Senior Sister. I will remember it."

Ding Xiangfei nodded, smiled slightly, said nothing more, and turned to walk in the other direction.

Lin Jue let out a long sigh, and after sorting out his thoughts, he stepped into the Hundred Herbs Garden.

"You're here to pick up the medicinal herbs, right? They're on the table to your right. Grab them and leave quickly."

Not long after Lin Jue arrived in the garden, a dry, impatient voice came from one of the thatched huts inside.

Upon hearing this, he dared not slack off and hurriedly went over, picked up the large bag of medicinal herbs on the table, and subconsciously put it into his storage bag.

"Huh, I didn't expect you to have a storage pouch that only Qi cultivators have. Little guy, are you a Qi cultivator?"

A curious voice came from inside the thatched hut. Lin Jue was slightly taken aback. Could it be that he would have to give up his storage bag again today?

"You idiot, what are you doing standing outside? Hurry up and come in. Do you expect me to come out and greet you myself?"

The sound came from inside the thatched hut again. Lin Jue was startled at first, but after a brief hesitation, he immediately obeyed and went inside.

Upon entering the house, he saw an elderly man with white hair sitting at a table, holding a calligraphy brush, and staring at a yellowed booklet.

The room was filled with a rich and unique medicinal fragrance. Tall medicine cabinets made of small-leaf ebony stood on both sides. In front of the old man's table was a reclining chair with a small stove next to it, on which a pot of medicinal herbs was simmering and steaming.

"Lin Jue, a newly initiated disciple of the Inner Court, greets Martial Uncle Cao."

Noticing a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall behind the old man, signed Cao Shaoan, Lin Jue was certain that the old man in front of him must be Uncle Cao, the owner of the Hundred Herbs Garden, and quickly stepped forward to clasp his hands in greeting.

"Enough with the nonsense. Apart from a complete newbie, no one has ever dared to swagger into my Hundred Herbs Garden like this. Also, who is your senior uncle? You should call me Elder Cao."

However, to be fair, you have a good physique; the inner courtyard has finally found another promising talent.

The lean old man looked Lin Jue up and down as he entered. He appeared to be around sixty years old, holding a calligraphy brush in his left hand and an old pipe in his right, occasionally puffing out smoke.

"Elder's words are wise. Lin Jue greets Elder Cao." Having witnessed the old man's eccentric temperament, Lin Jue quickly stepped forward and bowed again.

"With a storage pouch, are you perhaps a Qi Refiner?" Cao Shaoan nodded and asked curiously.

"This junior is not a Qi cultivator. This storage bag was a gift from a Qi cultivator friend. The reason I can use it is entirely due to the secret technique taught to me by that friend," Lin Jue replied calmly.

"You don't need to worry. I wouldn't be so shameless as to steal from the disciples of the academy. I'm just curious that you have a storage bag."

The old man put down his pipe and stroked his long beard: "Storage bags are very important to cultivators. The fact that your friend gave them to you shows that you have a deep friendship with him."

"You are a mortal martial artist, yet you have formed this friendship with a Qi cultivator. Based on this alone, I can trust your character."

"Elder, you flatter me. I am truly unworthy of such praise."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue respectfully bowed and secretly began to observe this strange Uncle Cao.

"Wait, something's not right. Your breathing is steady, but you seem to have lost some of your spirit. Come here and let me take a good look at you."

The old man suddenly stared at Lin Jue with a surprised expression. Seeing that he was still dawdling, he got up and quickly stepped forward, grabbed his wrist and began to take his pulse. Then he stared closely into his eyes and observed him closely.

"May I ask, Elder, is there something wrong with this disciple?" Lin Jue swallowed hard and cautiously probed.

"After you advanced to the Divine Power Realm, did you have a feeling of sudden enlightenment, as if everything you saw and heard had become clear?" The old man was short and asked Lin Jue with a sidelong glance.

"no."

Lin Jue answered softly, "To be honest, I did have this feeling when I first condensed my inner energy. It felt like I suddenly saw through everything in the world, and my eyes, ears and other senses became exceptionally sharp."

However, when advancing to the Divine Power Realm, there was no such unique and clear feeling; the whole process was rather uneventful.

Upon hearing Lin Jue's answer, the old man was visibly taken aback for a moment, then understood and said with great certainty:

"His spirit has been lost; this is undoubtedly a loss of his soul."