Zhang Yang chuckled lightly. Fortunately, the two weren't strangers, and Li Wei, in particular, knew some of their secrets, so they wouldn't speak of what they saw, even if it was unusual.

"Yes, yes, I understand!"

Li Wei nodded hastily, glancing again at Lightning, who was fast asleep on Zhuifeng's back.

He now understood why Zhang Yang insisted on bringing these pets along. This horse was clearly unlike an ordinary one, much like that pet sable—perhaps it was also a powerful monster.

Birds of a feather flock together. Li Wei had already settled on this idea in his mind, and this time, he hadn't guessed wrong; Zhuifeng was indeed a spirit beast, and a very formidable one at that.

At this moment, when Li Wei looked at Zhuifeng, an involuntary touch of reverence entered his eyes.

"West Lake Vinegar Fish is served!"

A waiter entered from the doorway, carrying a large platter and calling out loudly. His platter was covered with a lid, and he strode quickly inside, placing the dish right in the center of the dining table.

This was the signature dish of Lou Wai Lou, even more famous than Dongpo Pork or Lion's Head Meat, and it was Gu Fang’s absolute favorite.

"Gentlemen, ladies, please enjoy!"

The waiter lifted the cover, and a delicate fragrance immediately wafted out. Even Zhuifeng, who had been listless and had only picked at a few bites, lifted its head now.

This wasn't Zhang Yang's first time eating West Lake Vinegar Fish, but the taste he remembered from last time was definitely not this one. His eyes widened too.

Just from that fragrance, he knew this dish was extraordinary. Zhang Yang had tasted many famous dishes, and even some exquisitely prepared modern cuisine, but never before had any dish emitted such an aroma.

"The fish is still alive; its mouth is moving!"

Mi Xue suddenly cried out in alarm. Indeed, the slightly parted mouth of the vinegar fish was quivering faintly, just like a fish that had just been taken from the water and was gasping for air.

"The moving mouth is a major characteristic of West Lake Vinegar Fish. It doesn't mean the fish isn't dead; it's because the evenly distributed heat within its belly is causing the mouth to move. Those who haven't eaten it before, and because the dish is prepared from a fresh, live fish in just two or three minutes, often mistake it for not being fully dead!"

Gu Fang said with a smile. He had felt the same way the first time he tried West Lake Vinegar Fish, thinking he was eating a live fish, only to learn the truth later.

"I see. That startled me! If it were truly alive, I wouldn't dare eat it; that would be too cruel!"

Mi Xue gently patted her chest. The slight movement of the fish's mouth had genuinely unnerved her. Girls tend to have more sympathy, and if the fish were alive, she probably couldn't eat it no matter how delicious it tasted.

"Hurry up and try it; the vinegar fish is best eaten hot!"

Gu Fang had already picked up his chopsticks, signaling everyone to begin. Zhang Yang took a piece and tasted it, nodding involuntarily.

It truly deserved its fame; the flavor was exceptional. His own culinary skills were quite advanced, but he couldn't replicate this specific vinegar fish.

After eating, Zhang Yang also picked up half a piece for Zhuifeng. Zhuifeng devoured it in just a few bites, then licked its lips, staring fixedly at the fish platter on the table.

Its demeanor alone showed that the vinegar fish was perfectly to its liking.

It was Wuying who didn't manage to snatch any and cried out impatiently until Zhang Yang gave it another piece, finally ceasing its protest.

"You all wait here, I'll ask them to prepare another plate!"

Li Wei quickly stood up. He had visited Lou Wai Lou more than once and was familiar with the staff there.

They had already seen Zhuifeng eat meat, so seeing it eat fish now caused no surprise, especially since Li Wei had already determined Zhuifeng was extraordinary and wouldn't overthink it.

Long Feng and Mi Xue also sampled the fish, all nodding in approval.

The dish was truly well-deserved of its reputation. As Mi Xue ate, she wondered if there was a way to poach the chef. If their Yangxue Hotel had such a signature dish, business would immediately multiply several times over.

"Only one more plate can be made by Chef Shao personally, and that was only with Manager Wu's direct approval. I have already ordered two more plates of vinegar fish made by Chef Shao's apprentices; the flavor is slightly inferior, but still very delicious!"

Shortly after, Li Wei returned and said softly.

Seeing Mi Xue look slightly confused, Li Wei quickly added, "Chef Shao is the master chef here specializing in vinegar fish. I hear many people from the capital have tried to hire him. Occasionally, he will participate when the nation has important banquets, but he usually remains at Lou Wai Lou. If his family hadn't been here for generations, Chef Shao would have been poached long ago!"

Gu Fang nodded and chimed in, "That's right. So many hotels have tried to recruit the old master, all without success. Don't underestimate Chef Shao just because he's a cook; many high-ranking officials have eaten his fish. Whenever a leader comes for an inspection, they always request his cooking. He has extensive connections at higher levels; as long as he doesn't wish to leave, no one can influence his will!"

When speaking of Chef Shao, a measure of respect shone in Gu Fang's eyes.

Hearing Gu Fang's words, Mi Xue abandoned her idea of poaching staff. It made sense; such exquisite cuisine would certainly attract attention from many, and the fact that he remained at Lou Wai Lou spoke volumes.

Zhang Yang understood Gu Fang's perspective perfectly.

In any field, excellence taken to the extreme earns respect. It was like in his previous life; he also maintained excellent relationships with high-level leaders, as many needed his medical treatment. Similarly, no one dared to look down on him just because he was a doctor, nor did any official dare to bully him with impunity.

The only difference was their professions: one a physician, the other a chef.

It was like the myriad paths leading to the Great Dao; the end result after achieving success on any path was the same.

Subconsciously, Zhang Yang seemed to grasp something. He stopped eating, narrowed his eyes, and held his chopsticks, continuously gazing at the small remnant of vinegar fish before him. His demeanor was quickly noticed by Gu Fang and Li Wei.

"Zhang..."

"Don't make a sound!"

As Gu Fang barely whispered, Long Feng immediately stopped him. Even Zhuifeng and Lightning stopped fighting over the fish, both staring intently at Zhang Yang.

Even Lightning, who had been dozing, sat upright and watched Zhang Yang.

A thin wisp of white mist suddenly emerged above Zhang Yang's head. This mist was incredibly faint; even Mi Xue and Gu Fang couldn't see it, nor did Qu Meilan notice. Only the three great spirit beasts—Long Feng and the others—detected this anomaly.

This thin white mist formed a small vortex above Zhang Yang's head, constantly spinning, drawing in a significant amount of surrounding Heaven and Earth energy.

The process was brief, but the energy intake was substantial. Long Feng truly felt this influx of energy, his face etched with astonishment; he had never heard of energy surging in such a manner.

This energy was thousands, even tens of thousands, of times more than what they absorbed during their usual meditation or morning cultivation.

"Why is it getting a bit cold?"

Gu Fang muttered internally. Long Feng had forbidden him to speak, so he dared not utter another word.

Although he didn't understand what was happening to Zhang Yang, he had a strong premonition that disturbing him at this moment would lead to very unpleasant consequences.

A full ten minutes passed before Zhang Yang suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile touching his lips.

In those ten minutes, his gains were immense, no less than the experience before the Great Buddha statue. This small insight had unexpectedly triggered an epiphany—a highly rare and profoundly beneficial occurrence for cultivators.

More than that, during the epiphany, his Heaven and Earth Spiritual Gate had fully opened, allowing him to absorb a considerable amount of energy. Lou Wai Lou was situated right by West Lake; although it had been developed by humans, the Heaven and Earth energy here was far richer than in the city. The energy he absorbed this time exceeded what he could cultivate through half a year of arduous practice.

Ten minutes equaled half a year—he had truly struck gold this time.

"Congratulations!"

Long Feng whispered to Zhang Yang, his eyes holding envy but absolutely no jealousy.

He clearly understood that Zhang Yang had entered an epiphany and that he had stood guard to prevent anyone from interrupting.

The three great spirit beasts felt the same way. If Gu Fang had truly interrupted Zhang Yang then, Long Feng might not have reacted harshly, but the three spirit beasts would certainly not have spared him, and his fate would have been miserable.

The three spirit beasts cared little for pleasantries; anyone who disturbed Zhang Yang’s rare opportunity for progress was considered an enemy nearly as severe as one who wished them death.

"Thank you; I didn't expect it either," Zhang Yang replied with a slight smile, feeling a sense of awe.

He genuinely hadn't anticipated that such a simple matter could spark a resonance in his heart and bring such a massive harvest.

His gains weren't just the epiphany; the opening of his Heaven and Earth Spiritual Gate had provided a deeper comprehension of the Way of Nature, deepening his understanding of it.

He finally understood why the Guardians at the Great Perfection realm were so much more powerful than those at the Fourth Layer.

The Great Perfection realm cultivators all possessed a degree of comprehension regarding the Way of Nature. Deeper comprehension easily allowed them to open the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Gate, and cultivation speed after the gate opened was vastly faster than usual.

Describing the speed increase as thousands of times faster wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Such a cultivation rate naturally allowed them to accumulate vast amounts of energy. Even if such opportunities were rare, just a few times a year would yield more energy than other cultivators gained overall.

Furthermore, Zhang Yang now experienced the terrifying power of a Fifth Layer expert for the first time.

He had engaged with the Way of Nature on a deeper level, gaining a more profound understanding—an intrinsic comprehension that was difficult to articulate. This explained why the Way of Nature could only be understood intuitively, not merely spoken.

Even if he were to explain the principle of myriad paths leading to the Great Dao to Long Feng now, Long Feng would gain no true insight, only hear the words.

This was because Long Feng hadn't grasped the inner essence, making it impossible for him to replicate Zhang Yang's feat.

Based on Zhang Yang's current understanding, a Fifth Layer expert who fully comprehended the Way of Nature could open the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Gate at will, allowing them to cultivate constantly—how terrifying would that speed be? It explained why Fifth Layer masters were so rare and rumored to be so overwhelmingly powerful.

Chapter One, more to come! (To be continued) RQ

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