97 Chapter 1254: Scapegoating (1/2)
”I'll take a look at it later on.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Even though Zhang Jiuxiao's fighting prowess was subpar and his talent was not really worth a mention, he still had a redeemed trait—reliability. Since the other party was telling him this news, most likely, there should be some level of credibility to it.
Besides, regardless of whether the Qianchong Empire had spirit mines or not, as the number one Conferred Empire with many Leaving Aperture realm experts under its command, it was bound to have a rich supply of concentrated high-tier spirit stones. As long as he could find a channel to exchange or earn them, he should be able to raise his cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle there.
With such thoughts in mind, the crowd arrived at a vast hall, and everyone swiftly took their seats. Pavilion Master Yue waved his hand with a hearty laugh and said, ”Invite the outstanding talents who have cleared the primary selection in!”
A master teacher backed out of the room, and not too long later, a group of young men and women walked into the hall.
Dressed in master teacher robes, there were seven conspicuous stars weaved onto the emblems pinned on their chests.
Zhang Xuan quickly scanned through the arriving crowd.
Just as Zhao Xingmo had said, the cultivation of those who had cleared the primary selection was not too bad. The weakest ones were like him and Zhang Jiuxiao, Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, whereas the strongest ones were at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm.
To be able to advance their cultivation to this level before they even reached thirty, there were indeed plenty of geniuses in this world who possessed talent that did not pale too much in comparison to his.
”Zhao shi, the candidates have come here in a rush after clearing the primary selection, and I reckon they are weary after the long journey they have taken here. Thus, I specially prepared a banquet to welcome you, as well as to allow a day of rest for all the candidates. Will it be fine if we conduct the secondary selection tomorrow?” Pavilion Master Yue inquired with a smile.
Zhao Xingmo pondered for a moment before nodding. ”It's fine.”
Even though they were pushed for time, half a day's delay would not do much harm.
This would be a good opportunity for the young geniuses who had come for the secondary selection to let loose before facing the cruel challenges that lay ahead of them.
Upon receiving Zhao Xingmo's agreement, Pavilion Master Mo raised his hand and instructed, ”Men, serve the wine and dishes!”
Following which, a group of apprentice master teachers walked out and served plates of delicacies before the crowd.
It seemed like Pavilion Master Yue had roughly estimated when Zhao Xingmo would be arriving and made preparations in advance.
As if to reflect their economic power as the number one Conferred Empire, the served dishes were the nourishing meat of saint beasts cooked along with various precious medicinal herbs. Judging from the cooking method, it seemed to have been prepared by a high ranked gourmet as well.
Not only was the meat fresh and succulent, the spirit infused within was also incredibly rich. Just a bite of it would leave one's zhenqi pulsating in excitement.
Such food was extremely beneficial to the cultivation of one's Primordial Spirit.
”This entire table should be worth at least several thousand high-tier spirit stones!” Zhang Jiuxiao remarked.
”So expensive?” Zhang Xuan was startled by the extravagance of the meal.
Back then, he had to go through so much trouble just to earn a thousand high-tier spirit stone. But now, just a single meal already cost way more than that. Income disparity sure was frightening!
”Just look at this Golden Tiger Beast Liver. On top of the Saint 1-dan Golden Tiger Beast, it's also complemented with four saint herbs, Riverbreath Grass, Pipa Stem, Desolate Flower, and Five-flavored Beef Leaf! These four have a maturity of roughly fifty years, and every single one of them is individually worth a hundred high-tier spirit stones. Taking all of these ingredients into account, and factoring in the exceptional skills of the gourmet that has prepared this dish, one could say that even a thousand high-tier spirit stone would be a low cost for this dish!” Zhang Jiuxiao analyzed.
Hearing Zhang Jiuxiao's analysis, Zhang Xuan took a look at the dish himself and realized that his analysis was spot-on. Thus, he could not help but ask, ”You… have studied food before?”
Gourmet was a Lower Nine Paths occupation, and it was not even qualified to be considered as a supporting occupation. For this reason, there were nearly no master teachers who would learn it. Despite this, Zhang Jiuxiao knew a surprisingly great deal about food.
”Well, I do love eating good food, so I spent my free time studying it. The Zhang Clan has employed a gourmet to take care of their meals, and back then, whenever I was free, I would tag along and learn from him, so… I guess I do have some understanding of it,” Zhang Jiuxiao explained.
To most master teachers, gourmet was viewed as a trivial field of study. However, if one could complement the ingredients well, the tonic broth a gourmet broiled could possibly harness medicinal effects on par with pills.
In fact, the reason Zhang Jiuxiao was able to advance his cultivation and capabilities so far despite being only twenty-seven this year and a mere member of the side family could be partly credited to his effective coordination of ingredients in his meals.
”Incredible,” Zhang Xuan complimented.
Zhang Xuan did know a thing or two about gourmet as well, but that was mostly limited to appraising. He had not collected many books about that occupation, so he could not be said to be too proficient in it.
While the duo was talking to one another, Pavilion Master Yue suddenly laughed heartily in the center of the room. ”How can delicacies go without fine wine?”
Flicking his wrist, he took out a gourd of wine.
”This is the Tianchen Brew specially brewed by Old Man Tianchen. I believe I need not explain how valuable it is to you. I happened to obtain a gourd of it a while back, and I stored it away for a whole three hundred years to allow it to mature beautifully. Since Zhao shi is here today, I think it would be a good time to take it out and savor it. Is there anyone here who wishes to give it a try?” Chuckling softly, Pavilion Master Yue uncorked the lid and gently poured out a cup.
The transparent wine in the cup emanated a strong fragrance that swiftly permeated the entire hall. Just a single whiff was sufficient to whet one's appetite for it.
”Fine wine!” Zhang Xuan nodded in approval.
The wine fragrance could be clearly smelled even from a distance away. From that, it could be seen that the purity and taste of the Tianchen Brew were bound to be far superior to the other wines he had drunk in the past.
Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes gleamed in agitation as his breathing hastened. ”Old Man Tianchen is a famous Wine Sage in the Empire Alliance. The wine that he brews is able to intoxicate even Saint 7-dan experts! Tianchen Brew is known to be the finest wine he has ever made, and the quantity of it is severely limited, making it an extremely precious commodity. Countless people would willingly sell their fortunes just to acquire a single cup of it, only to leave in disappointment. And yet, Pavilion Master Yue is actually offering it to us?”
”Is this wine very famous?”
Seeing that Zhang Xuan did not understand the value of the wine before him, Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed in agitation. ”Of course it is! It's a priceless commodity! Even ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones wouldn't be able to buy you a single cup of it!”
”Ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones… just to buy a cup of wine?” Zhang Xuan's lips twitched.
Even the entire Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall only had ten of such concentrated high-tier spirit stones in its inventory, and to spend this sum of money just to buy a single cup of this wine…