Chapter 472: Primordial Soul Enhancement
Seeing Li Hao's skillful cooking, Mi Xueyao could tell—this was far from his first time doing something like this.
A True Immortal Realm Third Level cultivator who could evade a Celestial Lord's attacks…
Mi Xueyao stared at Li Hao for a moment, then stood up and stretched.
"Fine, I'll go. Wait for me. Don't even think about ditching me!"
Li Hao remained seated cross-legged, casting her a sideways glance before ignoring her completely.
Mi Xueyao was already used to his indifference by now. She snorted coldly in her heart, then secretly released a tracking spell on the area. If Li Hao tried to leave, she would be able to track him down instantly.
Once Mi Xueyao left, Li Hao closed his eyes and focused entirely on refining the ancient fiend's flesh.
Strands of primordial soul energy seeped from the fiend's flesh, transforming into pure nourishment and merging seamlessly into his own soul.
Ancient fiends were undeniably a top-tier soul-nourishing ingredient, much like how dragon meat could fortify the body.
As Li Hao absorbed the energy, it didn't take long before Mi Xueyao returned.
She casually ripped open a spatial tear and threw out half of an ancient fiend's corpse, saying,
"There are no ancient fiend armies nearby, only some leftover remains."
Li Hao had already finished refining the previous meal and opened his eyes. He glanced at the half-fiend corpse on the ground and casually replied,
"Doesn't matter. You're the one eating it anyway. I'll just take my cooking fee."
"Cooking fee?"
Mi Xueyao was stunned.
Li Hao didn't bother explaining.
He simply dragged the fiend corpse over, expertly sliced it apart with Tāowù, and began roasting it over a low flame, just as before.
As the oils sizzled and the aroma filled the air, the latent primordial soul energy within the flesh was released, subtly nourishing even the soul of those who merely inhaled the scent.
After splitting the roasted meat in half, Li Hao tossed one portion to Mi Xueyao and casually remarked,
"That's the cooking fee. Half goes to me."
Mi Xueyao raised an eyebrow and scoffed,
"That's way too much. You should only take a tenth."
"Then do it yourself next time."
Li Hao didn't bother bargaining.
Mi Xueyao's expression froze. She was annoyed, but truthfully, she didn't know the first thing about cooking.
Still, backing down wasn't her style. Plus, Li Hao had been treating her coldly this whole time.
She was a Celestial Lord—was this how True Immortals treated Celestial Lords in the human race?
"Fine! I'll do it myself! Consider yourself lucky this time!"
Mi Xueyao huffed coldly.
She had watched Li Hao cook before—it didn't seem complicated.
She was a peerless cultivation genius. If she could master celestial arts, how hard could cooking be?
With an arrogant flick of her wrist, she accepted her portion, elegantly cut it into bite-sized pieces, and slowly began eating.
However—
As the flavor burst in her mouth, her eating speed unconsciously increased.
Her anger dissipated, and she soon forgot all about her previous irritation.
After finishing her portion, Mi Xueyao suddenly felt something strange—
The fiend flesh inside her body was being refined, seamlessly integrating into her essence.
Her primordial soul… had strengthened!
Mi Xueyao was shocked. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
She had heard of fiends devouring each other, but she had never heard of one's primordial soul growing stronger from eating their own kind.
If such a method truly existed, there was no way it would have been kept a secret.
If it worked, then the ancient fiend race would have abandoned their war with humanity long ago, choosing instead to devour each other to create stronger kings.
Her gaze snapped to Li Hao.
He had already finished his meal, eating even faster than her, and was now meditating in a cultivation state.
In that moment, Mi Xueyao suddenly realized something.
How had this human survived when he was chased by an ancient fiend commander?
Ancient fiend commanders wielded devastating primordial soul attacks.
For a True Immortal, a single thought from such a fiend should have killed him instantly.
And yet—
Li Hao was completely unharmed.
This could only mean one thing.
His primordial soul was extraordinarily strong.
But wait—
If his soul strength was that terrifying, then his divine sense range would be incredibly vast.
Did that mean…
Had he already figured out her true identity long ago?
Mi Xueyao's expression subtly shifted.
Her eyes flickered with a dangerous glint.
If he knew… then why did he still choose to stay with her?
Countless thoughts raced through her mind, but she remained silent.
Meanwhile, Li Hao had fully absorbed the fiend's essence.
His golden soul veins had increased by another seven or eight strands, further enhancing his primordial soul.
Back on the Stellar Ancient Path, the fiends he consumed were merely Saint-level, incomparable to the True Immortal fiends he was devouring now.
Their flesh contained richer primordial soul energy, and with his cooking techniques, that energy could now be fully absorbed.
If he had eaten them raw, it would have been wasted entirely.
The Next Day
After fully digesting the previous meal, Li Hao began preparing another.
Mi Xueyao noticed that he wasn't offering her any this time, so she took the initiative to hunt for her own fiend meat.
By the time she returned, Li Hao had already finished cooking his portion.
However—
This time, Mi Xueyao didn't toss the fiend corpse to him.
Instead, she imitated his technique, attempting to cut, roast, and cook the meat herself.
Li Hao glanced over and raised an eyebrow.
He wasn't surprised that she was trying—but cooking wasn't just about applying fire.
Without the right techniques, it was just burning meat.
Mi Xueyao hummed softly as she worked, appearing oddly at ease.
Noticing Li Hao's gaze, she gave a smug, almost teasing smirk.
"Surprised? The Fire Dao is one of the Nine Great Laws. I've mastered it up to the Fifth Level."
She glanced at his flames and continued with a hint of arrogance,
"Your Chaotic Divine Flame isn't bad… but I only needed one look to replicate it."
Li Hao's gaze flickered slightly—Fire Dao Origin, Fifth Level. Even among Celestial Lords, that was considered rare.
His expression remained calm, and he said nothing, simply enjoying his meal.
Mi Xueyao, on the other hand, used Chaotic Divine Flame to envelop the ancient fiend's remains. She precisely controlled the heat, ensuring each part of the flesh was evenly roasted.
It had to be said—she was extremely intelligent. Even though she had never cooked before, just by watching Li Hao twice, she had already grasped the basics.
Very soon, once the fiend's meat was fully cooked, she sliced off a portion, lifted it to her lips, and took a small bite.
The moment she bit down, however—
Her brows furrowed.
A strong, unbearable stench filled her mouth.
She immediately glanced toward Li Hao and realized her mistake—she had forgotten to use seasoning.
"Hey, can I borrow some of your seasoning?"
Mi Xueyao frowned.
Li Hao swallowed another piece of fiend meat and replied indifferently,
"Seasoning fee—half a fiend."
"You!"
Mi Xueyao was furious—this guy was worse than a bandit.
Hmph…
Gritting her teeth, she refused to give in. She forced herself to ignore the terrible taste and stuffed large mouthfuls into her mouth.
The taste was disgusting, but the real benefit was in strengthening her primordial soul.
If what happened yesterday was real, then she couldn't even imagine how much her soul would improve if she consumed thousands of ancient fiend corpses!
She coldly finished her meal, sat cross-legged, and began refining the flesh inside her body.
However—
Something was wrong.
Even as she circulated celestial energy, the fiend's flesh was breaking down, but… after a certain point, it stopped decomposing.
Even worse—
There was zero primordial soul energy being absorbed into her body.
What's going on?
Mi Xueyao's face darkened. She tried again, but the result was the same.
A terrifying thought surfaced in her mind—was it the seasoning?
She had suspected it before—if simply roasting and eating fiend flesh could strengthen the primordial soul, the fiend race would have discovered this long ago.
Their entire civilization would have developed around it.
"Alright, I'll take your seasoning… how about I give you a third instead?"
Mi Xueyao opened her eyes and saw Li Hao enjoying his meal. She clenched her teeth but forced a sweet smile onto her face.
Li Hao said flatly,
"Half. No negotiations."
Damn brat…
Mi Xueyao clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles cracked. She wanted nothing more than to pin him down and crush him.
Her chest rose and fell slightly before she finally coldly agreed.
"Fine."
Seeing her compromise, Li Hao casually tossed her a small pouch of crushed seasoning and said lazily,
"You have to sprinkle it during roasting, so the flavors seep in. Also, you need to marinate the meat beforehand. You're already too late."
"Hmph."
Mi Xueyao ignored him, sprinkled the seasoning onto the already-roasted meat, and ate another bite.
But—
The seasoning was only on the surface.
The first chew was flavorful, but as she continued chewing, the overwhelming stench returned.
Her expression stiffened, but she forced herself to swallow.
After a while, she tried refining the energy again—still no effect.
Her face turned grim.
She could only follow Li Hao's instructions, marinate the next portion properly, and re-roast it.
Time passed.
When she finally ate the new portion, the taste was slightly better, but—
It still didn't work.
What the hell is going on?!
Mi Xueyao's expression was ugly. She turned to glare at Li Hao.
Meanwhile, Li Hao had already finished his meal, looking completely satisfied.
Seeing her frustrated expression, he shook his head and chuckled,
"Cooking isn't as simple as you think. If you want a proper meal, with your skills… maybe try again in ten years."
"Did you tamper with the seasoning?"
Mi Xueyao narrowed her eyes.
She had followed all his steps exactly, yet nothing worked.
Li Hao rolled his eyes.
"If you think I tampered with it, then don't borrow it from me anymore. Also, hand over the half you owe me—that's the seasoning fee."
Mi Xueyao was so angry she wanted to tear him apart, but she had no proof.
Fortunately, ancient fiend corpses were everywhere, so she wasn't lacking resources.
She begrudgingly threw the remaining half to Li Hao and gritted her teeth.
"Fine! Then can you just cook all of mine like yours?"
"Nope."
Li Hao shook his head.
"You already ruined it. You wasted the ingredients. I can fix it a little, but the taste will still be bad."
"I don't care about taste—I just need the absorption to work."
Mi Xueyao's face darkened as she pointed out a crucial detail.
"Your primordial soul grew this strong… from eating this, didn't it?"
Li Hao raised an eyebrow but didn't deny it. After all, Mi Xueyao was eating even more enthusiastically than him—he highly doubted she'd suddenly fly into a rage and start shouting about avenging her kin.
Seeing that Li Hao didn't refute, Mi Xueyao confirmed her guess and said nothing more. She simply waited for him to cook.
Once Li Hao finished preparing her portion, he casually tossed it over and said,
"Try it again. Also, this part here—my processing fee."
Without hesitation, he took another half from her share.
"You—!"
Mi Xueyao was furious, but she still snatched the meat and began eating.
The moment she took a bite, her expression shifted.
The difference was massive.
Compared to her previous attempt, it was night and day.
Even before she finished chewing, she could already feel strands of primordial soul energy dispersing into her body, nourishing her soul.
Her eyes brightened—but when she glanced over at Li Hao, who was eating even more joyfully, her good mood instantly vanished.
She frowned and said,
"Why is it that only the meat you cook can enhance the primordial soul?"
"Skill."
Li Hao responded simply,
"Your cooking skills are garbage."
"Cooking... skills?"
Mi Xueyao scoffed coldly, clearly not buying it. She was convinced he had done something to the ingredients.
But just as she finished speaking—
A sharp, piercing gaze landed on her.
Mi Xueyao's expression shifted, and she instinctively looked at Li Hao.
The usually carefree and indifferent human youth was now staring at her with an unprecedented intensity, his eyes carrying a blade-like chill.
His voice was low and serious,
"Are you belittling cooking?"
"If you say that again, I won't cook for you ever again."
Mi Xueyao froze.
A ridiculous feeling surfaced within her, but she could tell that Li Hao was truly angry—and not just casually so.
The sharpness in his eyes, the cold anger in his voice—it was the same as a swordmaster whose blade had been insulted.
"...Is it really that serious?"
She furrowed her brows, her tone carrying a hint of stubbornness.
Li Hao glanced at her, then looked away.
"Don't underestimate anything. Especially when you're literally enjoying the benefits of good cooking. You, of all people, shouldn't look down on it."
Mi Xueyao fell silent.
She said nothing more.
Over the Next Few Days
Li Hao spent his time either hunting for ancient fiends or cooking and training.
Meanwhile, Mi Xueyao, unwilling to accept defeat, continued borrowing his seasoning, trying to steal his techniques—but she failed every single time.
Finally—
She gave in.
Li Hao took advantage of her defeat and raised the cooking fee—
From fifty-fifty, to eighty-twenty.
He took eighty, she got twenty.
"You—you're absolutely shameless!"
"You can always refuse."
"You—!"
Mi Xueyao was furious, tempted to explode with celestial energy and force him to comply—but the shadow of the Futuo Emperor's Heart Tower still loomed in her mind.
With Li Hao's level of talent, there was no way he didn't have other trump cards.
Plus—she still needed him.
She had to use Li Hao to infiltrate the human side. With her current situation, carrying that item within ancient fiend territory was even more dangerous.
After prolonged negotiation, Mi Xueyao gritted her teeth and gave in.
From then on—
She scavenged for ancient fiend corpses.
Li Hao cooked.
After eating, he cultivated.
Once his cultivation session ended—he cooked again.
His life had never been more fulfilling.
Thanks to the ancient fiend flesh, Mi Xueyao's primordial soul grew significantly stronger—even faster than it would have with normal training.
She had always prided herself as a peerless genius among the fiend race.
Ancient fiends were born with powerful primordial souls, and their cultivation speed far surpassed other celestial races—yet even she had to admit—
Li Hao's method was on another level.
Even though he took the lion's share, Mi Xueyao was still gaining more than she ever expected.
Each day, her primordial soul grew at a rate that surpassed years of training.
At first, she felt wronged.
But after seeing Li Hao's improvements, she grew increasingly frustrated.
Because—
His growth rate was even more ridiculous.
Two Months Later