Douluo Continent: Ink Bamboo as a Cauldron to Break Through Ten Thousand Heavens

"Huh? You mean they're all gone? Okay, I think I know where they are."

Chen Cheng had been lost in thought about all sorts of random things on his way from the Spirit Realm office building. Just as he was getting a general idea of ​​what was going on, he was interrupted at the cafeteria entrance. He was wondering who it was when he looked up and saw it was the girl from that morning. She had come to the cafeteria to find Chen Cheng, but usually she saw him and his friends eating alone at their table, so she hadn't seen them at all. She had no choice but to wait for him at the cafeteria entrance.

Seeing the girl's wide eyes, trying to make Chen Cheng see the confusion in them, Chen Cheng smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, today is the last day of the round-robin tournament, which means they've passed their freshman assessment, so they'll probably have a get-together at their usual spot. But you can come along too; everyone's nice, and besides, you'd be missing out on our chef's cooking in your lifetime!"

The girl hesitated for a moment, seemingly thinking about how to refuse, but seeing that Chen Cheng had already turned around and told her to follow, she didn't think much of it and followed him.

"I remember last time we bought so much food and it was almost not enough to eat. The amount of food these people eat is simply beyond what we should expect."

Thinking this, Chen Cheng bought far more groceries than last time. The girl, who had originally intended to find another opportunity to leave, was so shocked by the sheer amount of groceries he could buy at once that she was speechless. In the end, she inexplicably followed Chen Cheng until he finished buying the groceries and arrived at the dining area.

"Hey Chen Cheng, why are you so slow? The round-robin tournament ended a long time ago!" Bei Bei waved and called out to Chen Cheng from afar.

"I saw that everyone didn't get to eat their fill last time, so I prepared extra ingredients this time so that everyone can eat to their heart's content!" As he spoke, Chen Cheng started taking out ingredients and called on everyone to help prepare them.

"Hey Chen Cheng, where did you find this girl? What about your Xiao Xiao?" Xu Sanshi asked, glancing at the girls as he and Chen Cheng squatted down to wash meat.

"What are you talking about? I don't have time to think about relationships right now. Besides, I don't even know her name. I just find her martial spirit interesting, so I want to build a good relationship with her first. Maybe I can gain some insights from her martial spirit in the future." Chen Cheng peeled the ingredients without looking up, his expression indifferent.

"I trust your judgment. How so? Should I bring him into the Tang Sect too?" Bei Bei understood Chen Cheng's meaning. Moreover, Huo Yuhao, whom Bei Bei thought had little talent, was gradually showing his talent under Chen Cheng's tutelage. Therefore, he had even more faith in Chen Cheng's judgment.

Furthermore, although he and Tang Ya often hesitated about the Tang Clan, they were more often unrealistic and unsure how to proceed. In contrast, of the six members of the Tang Clan, four were recruited by Chen Cheng. Therefore, Bei Bei believed that Chen Cheng had truly dedicated himself to the Tang Clan.

"It depends on the individual's wishes. I originally planned to discuss it with everyone in the cafeteria tonight, and I also have something to discuss with you and Xiaoya about the Tang Clan. But since we have a gathering tonight, let's enjoy ourselves first! Tomorrow I'll teach her one of my boxing techniques and see what she's willing to do."

Beibei nodded in approval, then glanced back at Tang Ya, who was chatting happily with the girls. Several girls were helping to start a fire and skewer the food, creating a lively atmosphere.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao was extremely busy, Chen Cheng also grilled a few skewers and then helped to cook the fish soup so that they could have a few sips of soup later.

"Hey Chen Cheng, can you stop wasting ingredients? Your grilled food tastes pretty good, but it's still quite different from Yuhao's!" After finishing Yuhao's fish, Wang Dong went to get Chen Cheng's skewers since there was nothing else to eat, and then started commenting.

"Hey, you big foodie, if Yuhao is the only one cooking, when will it be enough for all nine of us? You don't care about your dear roommate, but I do. She still has to come with me to learn about soul tools later, so she can't cuddle with you tonight!" Chen Cheng glanced at him, and Wang Dong was really unable to shut up when she was eating. His words made Wang Dong blush.

  

However, Xiao Xiao was rather quiet tonight, not as lively as usual.

"Seeing two men out of the three kids acting like gay men, it would be hard for anyone to feel good! Poor Xiao Xiao." Chen Cheng thought to himself, and then grilled some more vegetable skewers to make sure everyone had a balanced diet.

"Hey, isn't it delicious? I told you Yuhao's cooking is amazing! You've been eating for ages and you still don't know your name." Chen Cheng joked as he handed the girl the vegetable skewers.

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao came over with a big smile, grabbed two more skewers, and said, "Brother Chen Cheng's cooking is pretty good too! And you don't even know her name? I thought you two were already close, that's why you came together! Her name is Chu Chen, remember that!"

Chen Cheng rolled his eyes at her. He had only come over to close the distance between himself and this girl. This little guy is making it hard for people to move around in the middle!

Looking at Chu Chen beside him, he saw her head down, deep in thought. Chen Cheng didn't say anything more, but handed her two skewers of grilled meat, telling her that there was a dinner party tonight, and he would be taking Huo Yuhao to learn about soul tools later, so he wouldn't have time to teach her anymore. If she wanted to learn that set of fist techniques, she should get up early tomorrow and follow Xiao Xiao to find him.

After a whirlwind of activity, everyone patted their bellies and smiled contentedly. Even Jiang Nannan was in such a good mood that she could listen to Xu Sanshi ramble on for a bit.

After finishing their work and returning to the experimental area, Chen Cheng and Huo Yuhao once again devoted themselves to the study of soul tools. In fact, Chen Cheng had already taught Huo Yuhao everything that a level two soul master could learn in terms of theoretical knowledge. The reason why Huo Yuhao had not yet become a level two soul master was simply because his own cultivation was insufficient and his soul power was insufficient to support his long-term production process.

However, Chen Cheng's recently depleted wallet has slowly recovered, as he spends his evenings either teaching Huo Yuhao or crafting soul tools. Although Chen Cheng is currently only a Level 4 Soul Master, after successfully inscribing a Level 5 soul tool core using Huo Yuhao's mental detection, he's practically a Level 4.5 Soul Master. More importantly, through that inscription, he found his rhythm and later attempted it alone several times, achieving a success rate of about 70%!

Chen Cheng attributed this to his accumulated knowledge and the inspiration he received from Huo Yuhao's mental detection. When he tried again later, although he didn't rely on Huo Yuhao's shared mental detection to give him an unfair advantage, he still used his external mental energy to perceive the process of creating the soul tool. After all, he himself regularly cultivated his mental energy by controlling bamboo with his mind, and had even touched the threshold of the Spirit Abyss Realm, making his mental energy far superior to his peers!

However, attempting to create a level-five soul tool is still an expensive project, especially since Chen Cheng is currently only a four-ring Soul Master. In order to create a level-five soul tool that he can use, he must design each soul tool to be more "energy-efficient" and "high-efficiency". Therefore, these experiments and trials are another considerable burden.

Seeing Huo Yuhao, who was also sweating profusely and gulping down water, the two people slumped in their chairs and smiled at each other.

Even though Huo Yuhao no longer puts in the same amount of effort as he used to risk his life, he is still someone that most people can only look up to. If anyone could compare to Huo Yuhao in terms of effort, it would only be Chen Cheng.

"Hey Yuhao, you and Wang Dong seem to be getting along exceptionally well today. Did something good happen?" Chen Cheng refilled Huo Yuhao's glass, which he had just finished drinking, and then he heard Huo Yuhao choke on the water after taking a sip.

Then Huo Yuhao, slightly flustered, denied while wiping himself dry, "No, it's nothing, it's not what you think, Brother Chen Cheng."

Chen Cheng was speechless. He had originally thought Huo Yuhao would openly admit that they had achieved spirit fusion, then he would give them pointers on how to use it and demonstrate the spirit fusion technique, before watching them shine in the competition the day after tomorrow. But seeing his reaction, Chen Cheng was completely baffled. Had Tianmeng told him that Wang Dong was a woman?

"What's wrong? You two guys, how come your feelings for each other suddenly heated up overnight? It's not like it's something you can't talk about, is it?" Chen Cheng decided to test the waters first. Huo Yuhao wasn't a good liar. If he really knew Wang Dong was a girl, he would either frankly say that his best friend who slept with him was a girl and that he was too embarrassed to admit it, or he would say that he didn't know and then let the two of them take their course.

"No, no, actually, we tried it out last night and found that we can actually perform spirit fusion, and it seems that the compatibility is very high." Huo Yuhao sat up straight, like a soldier waiting for inspection.

Chen Cheng was at a loss for words, so he simply started a conversation about spirit fusion: "You two are such a perfect match! Historically, people who have fused their spirits usually stay together for life. You could ask Wang Dong later; if he turns out to be a hidden cross-dressing master, maybe you two can even invite us to your wedding! Oh, by the way, have you two tried or researched the effects of spirit fusion on spirit skills and cultivation speed?"

"Brother Chen Cheng, what nonsense are you talking about? Wang Dong and I are brothers." Huo Yuhao quickly retorted, but the joy on his face still showed his satisfaction with the effects of the spirit fusion. "The enhancement of spirit skills is there. My mental detection range can be expanded from forty meters to over one hundred meters! And the energy consumption is also less than when I maintain it on my own. Wang Dong's release of spirit skills will also be enhanced. My cultivation speed has also increased. Wang Dong will be a little slower than me, about twice as fast as before, while I can cultivate about one to two times faster than before!"

"Holy crap! This is practically cheat code! Does that mean you'll be level 20 in another month or two? High-compatibility spirit fusion is insane! If you need to get a spirit ring later, remember to call me. I can still help you with your second spirit ring. Plus, if I take you with me, the journey will be shorter."

Chen Cheng's shock wasn't feigned; he genuinely envied the increased cultivation speed. Wang Dong, after all, possessed the bloodline of a God-King, the kind who could level up simply by eating, drinking, and sleeping. And even with that speed, it had doubled! What did that mean? Pure cheat code! The tricks of a God-King…

However, Chen Cheng didn't think it was possible for Tianmeng to help him acquire a spirit ring after level 20. After all, Tianmeng was going to her old home in the far north to find her old lover, so she wouldn't ask him, an outsider, to help her acquire a second spirit. Besides, the only help he could give Huo Yuhao was to speed up his journey back to the academy.

However, after pondering for a while, Huo Yuhao surprisingly said that he would come to find Chen Cheng later, which left Chen Cheng a little confused.

"What is Tianmeng up to? Did she figure out that I know Huo Yuhao's little secret? Is she trying to trick me into going back to her hometown and get rid of me? That shouldn't be the case. With Huo Yuhao's character of repaying even the smallest kindness tenfold, he wouldn't let Tianmeng do that. But I really can't help much if I go with her. She's probably worried about not having enough time to travel back and forth, and she wants me to testify for her. After all, I helped cover up his experience of absorbing Tianmeng Ice Silkworm before."

Thinking this through, Chen Cheng agreed while simultaneously steer the conversation back to Spirit Fusion, asking, "By the way, have you two tried a Spirit Fusion Technique?"