They walked all the way to the dining hall. Since it was mealtime, the hall was already packed with disciples, and a long queue of people was still waiting outside.
Leng Zhuxin subconsciously wanted to join the back of the line, but Gu Wangchen pulled her past it and straight inside.
"Direct disciples don't need to queue. There's a private dining room for us."
Gu Wangchen led Leng Zhuxin into the smaller dining room on the left, which had much more refined decorations. The disciples eating in the main hall looked at the two of them with envy.
The ingredients used in the private dining room for direct disciples were also of the highest quality. As a frequent visitor, Gu Wangchen was immediately greeted by the junior brother in charge of the cooking: "Senior Brother Gu, will it be the roasted spirit pig and stir-fried spirit rice again today?"
"Yes. I brought my junior sister today, so besides the usual, give her a bowl of spirit rice and some stir-fried spirit plants."
Gu Wangchen usually ate rather simply, but figuring that female disciples generally preferred vegetables, he ordered a vegetable dish for Leng Zhuxin as well.
The vegetables in the dining hall were grown by disciples within the sect who specialized in cultivating spirit plants, so there was no need to worry about toxins, and eating them could increase one's spiritual power.
Because the spirit plants delivered every day varied, there was no fixed menu.
Outside, the disciples ate whatever was made that day—which, to Leng Zhuxin, looked just like the set-meal windows in a university cafeteria.
Inside, however, food was provided in limited quantities exclusively for direct disciples and the elders who occasionally came to dine. There was a greater variety of spirit plants, and a menu was placed on the counter so patrons could place their orders before the dishes were prepared.
Gu Wangchen had Leng Zhuxin choose the stir-fried spirit plants she wanted, paired them with a cup of spirit fruit drink, and then sat down to wait as the junior chef skillfully whipped up the dishes and served them.
True to a disciple who entered the Dao through cooking, his movements were as fluid and graceful as flowing water. A plate of vegetables was finished in no time. The roasted spirit pig had already been roasted beforehand and kept warm, ready to be reheated and served whenever someone ordered it.
A whole roasted spirit pig usually took three or four disciples to finish, so the kitchen staff would carefully carve it up. However, there were exceptions like Gu Wangchen, who could polish off an entire roasted pig in one sitting; for him, the pig was served whole, still attached to the roasting rack, and placed directly onto a specially made table.
Gu Wangchen sliced off some of the best parts—the leg and ribs—and placed them on a plate for Leng Zhuxin. After carefully handing her a pair of chopsticks, he dug in with gusto.
Seeing her Senior Brother start eating, Leng Zhuxin picked up a piece of the roasted pork and took a bite. The skin was crispy on the outside while the meat was tender and juicy. The moment she bit into it, the savory juices burst across her lips and teeth; it was slightly hot, but extraordinarily delicious.
Every bite seemed to generate spiritual power in her mouth, which then slid down her throat into her dantian, stirring up a flood of rich, honey-like flavors.
She took a bite of the stir-fried spirit plants alongside the pork—crisp, refreshing, and overflowing with spiritual energy—followed by a mouthful of spirit rice and a sip of the spirit fruit drink. Leng Zhuxin finally understood why so many disciples in the dining hall devoured their food like a whirlwind.
Moreover, because the raw materials were spirit rice, spirit plants, and spirit beasts, eating them directly increased one's spiritual power. While it couldn't compare to formal cultivation, it was a tangible, extra gain.
As soon as the meal ended, Leng Zhuxin felt a wave of heat in both her dantian and her Spiritual Root. The compressed spiritual energy in her dantian boiled like a roaring cauldron. Realizing she was about to break through, Leng Zhuxin immediately crossed her legs, formed hand seals over her dantian, and focused entirely on her breakthrough.
It was common for Qingxuan Sect disciples to experience breakthroughs right in the dining hall after a few bites of food, and Gu Wangchen was long used to it.
Even so, as he watched Leng Zhuxin—who was about to advance from Qi Condensation Level 6 to Qi Condensation Level 7—his mind went blank with a loud *boom*. "Didn't Junior Sister join the sect only today? When I accompanied her to choose her cave dwelling earlier, she hadn't even undergone Qi Guidance yet. How is she already reaching Qi Condensation Level 7 after just half a day?"
Gu Wangchen stared in disbelief at the meditating Leng Zhuxin. Spiritual energy formed a massive vortex around her, enveloping her before being continuously absorbed into her body.
"My junior sister's cultivation speed is terrifying. But why couldn't I tell she was already at Qi Condensation Level 6 when I brought her to the dining hall?"
Gu Wangchen kept his eyes fixed on Leng Zhuxin without daring to blink, dutifully standing guard while pondering in puzzlement.
The disciples outside crowded around the entrance of the dining hall to watch. After the elders finished taking on apprentices today, news had already spread through the sect: the female disciple with the Heavenly Ice Spiritual Root who ranked 566th in the Heavenly Ladder trial had been taken in by the Sect Master as a direct disciple.
Since the Sect Master had never taken a female disciple before, when they saw Gu Wangchen bringing Leng Zhuxin—dressed in the direct disciple attire of the master's peak—to the dining hall for a meal today, they had immediately recognized her.
At the time, they had assumed her comprehension was lacking and that it would take her a few days to complete Qi Guidance. But who could tell them why she was suddenly advancing to Qi Condensation Level 7?
No one had ever heard of this female disciple starting at Qi Condensation Level 6!
Weren't they told she came from the Mortal Realm? How on earth was she already reaching Qi Condensation Level 7?
On her very first day in the sect, reaching Qi Condensation Level 7—this was even more terrifying than the prodigies within the sect! How could someone like this possibly be only ranked 566th in the Heavenly Ladder trial? Just how terrifying must the comprehension of the 565 people ahead of her this year have been?
The disciples forgot all about eating and simply stared at Leng Zhuxin's breakthrough. The enormous vortex of spiritual power gave them a firsthand look at her terrifying speed in absorbing spiritual energy.
Soon, Leng Zhuxin successfully broke through. Instead of hastily opening her eyes, she compressed the spiritual energy in her dantian once more, then ran her cultivation technique through a full major heavenly cycle to consolidate her foundation before finally opening her eyes.
Before she could even figure out what was going on around her, Gu Wangchen grabbed her, pulled her through the crowd, and leaped onto his natal spirit sword, *Nanli*.
The spirit sword soared into the air, darting straight into the Sect Master's Palace with such speed that the jade slip in Gu Langhuai's hand clattered onto the table as he was reviewing sect affairs.
Sitting beside Gu Langhuai was another man: Immortal Lord Changheng, Shangguan Heng.
Seeing Gu Wangchen fly in with Leng Zhuxin on his sword, Shangguan Heng frowned. "What is the meaning of this panic? Have you forgotten the sect rule that forbids flying swords within the halls?"