From a country cook to a master chef

Zhao Xiaoyao and his senior brother Zhen Jian were busy returning to Yanxia Sect to report back. After escorting the Tianwu Mountain group to Pingzhou, they hurriedly turned back towards Xiaoyao Mansion.

Before leaving, she gave Lin Jue the fish-shaped token of her identity from the Yanxia Sect and invited him to visit the Yanxia Sect when he had time.

"Brother Lin, this is our farewell. We'll meet again someday."

Until we meet again.

Lin Jue smiled and nodded, then secretly glanced at the young man standing next to Zhao Xiaoyao.

Seeing that the atmosphere wasn't as tense as it had been during their first meeting, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Lin Jue didn't want to make an enemy of a Qi Refiner for no reason, especially since he had nothing to do with Zhao Xiaoyao.

Under his slightly surprised gaze, this highly skilled disciple of the Misty Clouds Sect unexpectedly bowed to him as he was leaving, offering him a piece of earth-colored stone, and said softly with a half-smile:

"I am deeply grateful to Brother Lin for taking care of Junior Sister Zhao during this trip to the forbidden area. This spirit stone is a token of my appreciation. It is nothing much, but I hope Brother Lin will not find it offensive."

Upon hearing Zhen Jian's words, a hint of surprise flashed across Lin Jue's face. He then calmly accepted the spirit stones and casually replied:

"Fellow Daoist Zhen, there's no need to be so polite. In the Netherworld Ghost Land, it is our Tianwu Mountain disciples' duty to protect you."

"Brother Lin, until we meet again."

Zhen Jian smiled slightly and said slowly, "As Junior Sister Zhao said, if Brother Lin comes to Yanxia Sect in the future, I will do my best to be a good host."

Watching the two figures speed away in their flying boat, Lin Jue shook his head slightly and turned to walk towards the inner courtyard disciples' residence.

But before he could return to his residence, Ding Xiangfei, who had not yet entered the Netherworld, intercepted him on the way.

"I never expected that Junior Brother Lin would not only return to the mountain alive, but also break through to the late stage of the Divine Power Realm in the forbidden area. Junior Brother Lin is truly blessed, I envy him so much."

Ding Xiangfei stood opposite Lin Jue, looking him up and down with a strange gaze, sighing repeatedly.

"Senior Sister Ding came to see me; she must have some other purpose, right?"

Lin Jue clasped his hands in greeting, without offering much explanation regarding the Netherworld Ghost Land. Now that he was the personal disciple of Zhong Liang, the vice dean of the inner academy, he didn't need to worry about attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives, no matter how fast his strength advanced.

He didn't think he was that close to Senior Sister Ding as soon as he returned to the mountain gate that she would come to congratulate him.

Lin Jue guessed that the other party must have some arrangements to tell him from the inner courtyard.

On his way back to Tianwu Mountain, Lin Jue learned more about the inner courtyard from his master, Zhong Liang.

Among them was the beautiful Senior Sister Ding, who was the goddaughter of an elder in the inner court. She was exceptionally talented in alchemy and had become one of the top senior pharmacists in the inner court at a young age.

In addition to this, Senior Sister Ding also serves as the steward of secular affairs in the inner courtyard. She is responsible for any arrangements made by the inner courtyard for its disciples.

Each deacon of the Tianwu Mountain Inner Court has three to ten disciples under their command. When tasks are assigned within the sect, they are usually given to these disciples.

Lin Jue had never seen an inner court steward like Consort Dingxiang who did everything herself before.

After a moment of silence, Ding Xiangfei sighed and said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Lin, some things happened in the sect while you were in the Netherworld Ghost Land. After hearing about them, you must remain calm and not act rashly."

Seeing Lin Jue nod, Ding Xiangfei continued with relief, "Not long ago, a senior from the Yanxia Sect came to Tianwu Mountain to meet the Dean. Before leaving, he saw Miss Yuan washing clothes and said that Miss Yuan possessed spiritual roots, so he took her to the Yanxia Sect to cultivate."

"..."

Ding Xiangfei's words startled Lin Jue, whose expression quickly darkened. Suppressing his inner turmoil, he let out a sigh of relief and asked three questions in quick succession without revealing his true feelings:

"Senior of the Misty Clouds Sect! May I ask this senior's name, cultivation level, and how he knew that Yuan Rou possessed spiritual roots?"

Seeing Lin Jue's calm demeanor, Ding Xiangfei pondered for a moment, then coughed lightly and said calmly, "That senior's surname is Li, and her given name is Xuan Ying. She is a rare female cultivator in the Core Formation stage of the Yanxia Sect. Her cultivation is astonishing among the six sects. Looking at the entire Great Martial Immortal Cultivation World, there are very few other female cultivators stronger than Senior Li."

As for how Senior Li knew that Miss Yuan Rou possessed spiritual roots, we martial artists are naturally not quite sure. However, given Senior Li's reputation, it shouldn't be difficult for him to do so.

"Li Xuanying?"

Lin Jue was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and some things suddenly came to mind.

The sword cultivator from the Yanxia Sect that he met back in Langyan Valley outside Yucheng had mentioned an Elder Li.

It is said that Zhao Xiaoyao became a disciple of Elder Li.

When he first met Zhen Jian, he also claimed to be the disciple of Elder Li, a Core Formation cultivator from the Yanxia Sect.

Core Formation stage? Misty Cloud Sect? Now that things are connected, Lin Jue guesses that the Senior Li mentioned by Ding Xiangfei should be Zhao Xiaoyao's master.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "It's a good thing that Yuan Rou is able to take a Core Formation cultivator as her master."

After saying that, Lin Jue changed the subject and suddenly laughed, "However, Senior Sister Ding's ambush here is probably not just because of Yuan Rou. Senior Sister Ding must have something else to say."

Seeing that Lin Jue was so meticulous, Ding Xiangfei was secretly surprised, and then honestly replied, "Junior Brother Lin guessed correctly, there is indeed a task to be assigned to you in the inner courtyard."

Come to think of it, when Junior Brother Lin met Elder Gao at the Heavenly Star Stone Hall, he should have mentioned this mission.

Before Consort Dingxiang could finish speaking, Lin Jue seemed to have thought of something and asked in a deep voice, "The Inner Court isn't going to arrange for me to go to the front lines to provide support like Senior Brother Yue, is it?"

"Hmm! Junior Brother Lin is indeed intelligent; this is how the inner courtyard is arranged." Ding Xiangfei pursed her lips and nodded earnestly.

"How could this be! I've only been at Tianwu Mountain for less than a year!"

Lin Jue looked incredulous. He had only been in Tianwu Mountain for a little over half a year.

There are about four thousand disciples in the inner court at the Divine Power realm. Even if they were to support the front lines, it wouldn't be his turn to line up.

"Could it be because I broke through to the late stage of the Divine Power Realm?"

Lin Jue smiled bitterly to himself. He suddenly remembered that Elder Gao Changhong had indeed mentioned this matter before: once a disciple had sufficient strength, the academy would assign a task to the corresponding disciple.

Having figured this out, Lin Jue merely frowned slightly, without showing any sign of annoyance.

After all, just as Gao Changhong said in the stone hall, in this world, you have to give to receive, and you have to make an effort to reap a reward.

While enjoying the various benefits and privileges of the inner court, one must also solve problems for the inner court and do one's utmost to fulfill one's duties.

Consort Dingxiang, unaware of Lin Jue's thoughts, noticed his sudden silence and assumed he was dissatisfied with the arrangements made in the inner court and was sulking. She quickly smiled and comforted him:

"Junior Brother Lin, there is no need to worry. This time, the Zhanbo Kingdom is coming with great force. Going to the front line is not necessarily a death sentence. A few days ago, I received a letter from Senior Brother Yue, saying that the Dawu Kingdom has been reporting battle reports on the front line. Every time, they have defeated the Wushan barbarians and made them run away."

"If Junior Brother Lin goes into battle now, he will surely achieve great things. After experiencing the fierce battles, he may very well have a chance to be promoted to a high-ranking position in the future."

Lin Jue was somewhat tempted. Although battlefield combat was dangerous, it was indeed the best way for martial artists to hone their skills. Only by experiencing life-and-death battles could one achieve the pinnacle of martial arts.

Seeing that Lin Jue had readily accepted the arrangements made by the Inner Court, Consort Ding was very pleased. The Inner Court had also taken into account that Lin Jue had only been in the institution for a short time, which was why they had arranged for her to personally convey the appointment.