From a country cook to a master chef

In the warm spring of March, snow fell on the earth.

Dusk turned the woods a bluish-gray hue, and the snow reflected dappled light through the leaves.

A sika deer lowered its head, parted the snow covering the grass, and nibbled at the tender green shoots.

A cold wind swept through the treetops, and with a tearing sound, a white-feathered arrow pierced the deer's heart in an instant. It staggered forward two steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

A few withered leaves slowly fell, landing precisely on the deer's wide-open pupils.

The arrow pierced the flesh, and the oozing blood stained the thick white snow on the ground.

The arrow's fletching is a striking contrast of black and white, much like the man who shot it. He wears a long, black and white robe, with a thin ribbon hanging from his headdress, and rides a black horse in animal boots.

Looking at the sika deer lying on the ground, its body trembling slightly, a murderous glint flashed in the man's eyes. His face was as cold as frost as he asked in a chilling tone:

"Dong Tianbao, how far is this place from Yantan Pass? If this operation succeeds, you will naturally benefit, but if it fails, our company will not hesitate to kill you on the spot."

The man's words were utterly threatening.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man standing in the snow behind him was terrified. He immediately knelt on one knee and hurriedly explained:

"Reporting to Commander Lu, we can launch a surprise attack on Yantan Pass tonight by passing through this forest. This is the right path. I am utterly loyal to Zhanbo; you have seen it all along the way, haven't you?"

"Hmph, that's for the best. If the information you provided is even slightly false, you know very well the consequences." The man snorted coldly, thinking about Dong Tianwu's behavior along the way. Indeed, he had not deceived him, and the last trace of wariness in his heart vanished.

At that moment, a soldier from the Kingdom of Jambo brought a bowl of deer blood and offered it to the man.

The man gulped down the still-warm deer blood, spurred his horse, and pointed ahead, shouting, "For the Witch King, kill!"

Watching the massive Zhanbo raiding force charging towards Yantan Pass, Dong Tianbao's eyes widened in horror as he muttered, "No one can withstand the brutality and bloodlust of these people. Alas..."

Since the fall of Yucheng, Dong Tianbao has been a prisoner. In order to survive, he is willing to become a lackey of Zhanbo Kingdom and betray Dawu's intelligence.

Not long ago, he was chosen by the shaman of the Zhanbo Kingdom's surprise attack force to lead a thousand Zhanbo soldiers deep into the interior of Lanzhou, with their target being Yantan Pass.

Unbeknownst to Dong Tianbao, a powerful martial artist was hiding in the bushes not far from him, using a golden oriole to relay news of the Zhanbo Kingdom's attack back to Yantan Pass.

At this time, Lin Jue was unaware that the enemy army of Zhanbo was approaching. He was being led by Pan Ren, the garrison commander of Yantan Pass, to one of the secret rooms in the general's mansion.

Compared to other parts of the general's mansion, this place appears particularly gloomy and secluded.

There were dried bloodstains on the ground, winding all the way to an iron cage covered by a black cloth.

Although the object was covered by a black cloth, it still stirred an indescribable feeling in Lin Jue.

"This is the beast spirit you spoke of?"

Lin Jue held a steel knife to Pan Ren's neck, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Pan Ren's expression changed drastically, and he was horrified. Although Lin Jue had sworn not to kill him, it was hard to guarantee that the other party would not break his oath in order to gain merit.

The Great Wu Kingdom often bestows generous rewards, such as promotions and titles, upon those who kill traitors.

After careful consideration, Pan Ren timidly explained in a low voice, "Lord Lin, please don't be anxious. This beast is called Devouring Spirit. It looks like a cat or dog, but it is as strong as an ox. If it is not imprisoned in a cold iron cage, it cannot be controlled at all."

As Pan Ren was speaking, he was about to step forward and lift the black cloth covering the cage, but Lin Jue stopped him.

After ordering Pan Ren not to act rashly, Lin Jue took a deep breath and calmly approached the iron cage.

Under Pan Ren's astonished gaze, Lin Jue took out three incense sticks from his storage bag, lit them, and placed them near the cage, then waited patiently.

After an incense stick had burned, Lin Jue sat cross-legged with his back to Pan Ren and silently activated the Spirit Commanding Seal.

In an instant, Pan Ren in the secret room froze, and in a daze, he found himself in a strange space.

A thin, crystalline mist floated around him, and he could see a person standing in front of him from afar. As he got closer, his expression suddenly froze.

"Master Lin!"

Pan Ren never expected that the person appearing in this dreamlike space would be him.

Lin Jue stood quietly in his divine sea, ignoring Pan Ren's surprised expression. With a thought, he forcibly expelled the latter from his divine sea, leaving behind only a strange-looking dog-beast that resembled a wolf but was not.

Lin Jue never expected that the extremely dangerous beast spirit that Pan Ren had mentioned would be easily subdued by him with just a slight effort.

The entire process was much easier than subduing the Three-Clawed Ink Dragon, which greatly exceeded Lin Jue's expectations.

"Does this mean that as my strength increases, the targets that my Spirit Summoning Seal can subdue will also become stronger?"

Lin Jue was secretly delighted and quickly summoned the reluctant three-clawed black dragon from the depths of his divine sea, ordering it to devour the beast spirit. However, he was greatly surprised by the result. The three-clawed black dragon was unmoved by the beast spirit and showed no interest whatsoever.

Upon seeing this, Lin Jue was stunned and looked bewildered.

The three-clawed black dragon, formed from the mutated black snake's soul, was almost the most powerful demonic beast he had ever seen. If it could devour the beast's spirit and gain sentience, the benefits to him would be self-evident.

Lin Jue couldn't understand why the black dragon was indifferent to this beast spirit. After exchanging a glance with it, he withdrew from the divine sea with a frustrated expression.

The beast spirit had been subdued, and Lin Jue stepped forward without hesitation to uncover the black cloth covering the cage.

After the black cloth was removed, what came into view was a dark, muddy lump of mud.

At this moment, both Lin Jue and Pan Ren behind him were deep in thought.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Lin Jue guessed that it might be due to the influence of the Spirit Summoning Seal. So he secretly activated the Spirit Summoning Seal. In a wriggling motion, the inconspicuous black lump in front of him instantly transformed into the strange monster that Pan Ren had described, which looked like a cat or dog.

Seeing this, Lin Jue rested his chin on his hand and began to observe carefully. This strange monster was more like a ferocious wild wolf, and its size was half a head taller than the "Fast-Growing" monster guarding the outside of the secret room.

Upon seeing the end, Lin Jue suddenly realized that this was clearly not a real demon beast or monster. Although it looked somewhat like one, it was actually a strange magical artifact crafted by a Qi cultivator.

However, this magical artifact does indeed contain a brutal and monstrous beast spirit.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue was speechless. Although he could control this beast spirit with the Spirit Summoning Seal, that was all. Without the corresponding method of use, he was unable to control this treasure at all, and wasted the three Spirit Summoning Gourds soaked in incense.

However, on second thought, if devouring this spirit could truly give the beast intelligence, then keeping it might not be a bad idea.

After restoring the strange monster to its original state, Lin Jue casually tossed it into his storage bag.

To his surprise, the moment he touched the object, he felt a pang of heart palpitation and couldn't help but take it out and examine it a few more times.

With Pan Ren's assistance, Lin Jue successfully captured Yantan Pass.

At the foot of the Tower of Babel, the 300 reinforcement battalion suffered more than half casualties and heavy losses. Commander Xi Ning was seriously wounded and his left arm was cut off, but he still fought to the death and waited for Lin Jue's reinforcements.

In this battle, more than 600 soldiers defending Yantan Pass were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded.

Lin Jue kept his word and immediately promoted and rewarded the surviving soldiers of the reinforcement battalion.

As for the stubborn members of the four major families who were still resisting in the city, Pan Ren was sent to give them a cold-blooded suppression.

Anyone who disobeys shall be killed without exception.

In an instant, Yantan Pass was awash in blood, with constant sounds of slaughter, a truly horrific sight.

However, Lin Jue was fair in rewarding and punishing. As long as those who surrendered did not commit any major offenses, they were not held accountable, and some even received amazing rewards.

That night, on the gate tower of Yantan Pass, Lin Jue leaned against the mottled battlements against the wind, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

He has received a message from the Dawudun army that the forces of the Jambo Kingdom are about to besiege the city.

The rebels in the city have not yet been completely quelled, and it will be a fierce battle to hold Yantan Pass.