Chapter 366: The Big Lab Rat, Zhou Long
Not long after Tang Qianqiu and Qi Poxiao finished the Dinghu Shangsu dish in front of them, the rest of their ordered dishes were served.
However, at this moment, neither of them paid attention to the food on the table. Instead, their gazes turned oddly toward a diner seated in the distance.
"That Tang Sect disciple… looks kind of familiar?" Qi Poxiao asked via voice transmission.
"I think his name is Zhou Long. I remember he's one of the disciples from the Defense Hall," Tang Qianqiu nodded. Having spent quite some time at the Shrek City Branch, he had developed a general impression of the disciples from all four halls.
For two Limit Douluo-level powerhouses to suddenly take such an interest in Zhou Long, there could only be one reason.
Zhou Long had just ordered a serving of Dinghu Shangsu—and his cultivation level happened to be just under seven spirit rings.
Just how powerful is the spiritual perception of a Limit Douluo?
Powerful enough that every strand of spirit power and the condition of Zhou Long's meridians were laid bare before the two of them.
Under such circumstances, observing someone cultivating wouldn't miss even the slightest detail.
As they continued their examination, they quickly confirmed that Zhou Long's spirit power was at level 62, currently stuck at the bottleneck of advancing to level 63.
He's a perfect test subject, then—to observe what effect the Dinghu Shangsu might have after consumption.
...
Zhou Long had no idea that under the observation of two of the strongest people alive, even his underwear had been metaphorically stripped away—making him a proud little… well, not so little. Given his size, he was more like a big lab rat.
Right now, he was still silently praying for good luck, hoping that the 50% chance of breakthrough could help him pass the bottleneck from level 62 to 63, while swallowing nervously as he studied the Dinghu Shangsu in front of him.
The vibrant, tender heavenly ingredients looked incredibly appetizing, making his mouth water.
'Let's give it a try. My luck is way better than that unlucky guy Tang Zi. A 50% chance should work fine for me!'
With that thought in mind, Zhou Long raised his chopsticks and started eating.
He referred to Tang Zi as an "unlucky guy" because of a previous competition the two had—one about "lucky draws."
They had previously competed in a luck-based challenge involving the Wensi Tofu, which had a 20% chance of activating a special effect. Naturally, the fewer portions it took to trigger the effect, the luckier you were.
The first time they tried Wensi Tofu, neither of them triggered it. But Zhou Long got lucky on his second try, successfully activating the tofu's special effect and obtaining a miraculous technique called "Refining Power to Silk."
Tang Zi, on the other hand, had to eat it four times before finally triggering it. Clearly, he was what you'd call an "ultra-unlucky player."
Come on now, let's do some math—what's the probability of only activating on the fourth attempt?
"Mmm, delicious."
Zhou Long, unlike the refined Tang Qianqiu, wasn't shy. He grabbed several slices and chunks of various heavenly herbs and ingredients all at once, tossed them into his mouth, chewed a few times—then his eyes went wide in astonishment.
According to the description, this dish was made purely from heavenly herbs and treasures. But the flavor in his mouth… tasted almost exactly like meat.
And not just the flavor—the texture too!
Because he had eaten several different kinds of ingredients in one bite, their unique textures combined in his mouth: sometimes soft and glutinous like collagen in meat, sometimes springy like pork skin, sometimes chewy like lean meat.
These different textures merged into a combination that truly felt like he was eating meat, causing Zhou Long's eyes to light up.
Heavenly ingredients that tasted like meat?
That was completely unexpected.
It wasn't like Zhou Long had never eaten the Medicine Hall's various pills before.
They smelled fragrant—clearly good stuff—but the taste… well, better left unmentioned.
To Zhou Long's surprise, this dish—made entirely from heavenly herbs and treasures—could be so delicious, tasting just like real meat. It completely whetted his appetite.
"Awoo!" Zhou Long stuffed another chopstick-full into his mouth, a look of pure satisfaction on his face.
He could enjoy gourmet food and break through in cultivation?
In that moment, Zhou Long felt as if he'd opened the door to a whole new world.
As expected, eating really does make you stronger, right?
While Zhou Long was busy feasting and growing stronger, he remained completely unaware that two old geezers were watching his every spirit power fluctuation in detail—occasionally exchanging hushed comments with each other.
"He hasn't even finished eating yet, and this dish is already purifying his spirit power," Tang Qianqiu remarked with a touch of surprise on his face. "This is interesting. Could it be that it really doesn't cause unstable foundations?"
"Keep watching," Qi Poxiao replied, carefully observing Zhou Long's meridians with a solemn expression. "His spirit power is indeed becoming purer. It's not much different from a regular breakthrough through cultivation. But he hasn't completely broken through yet—it's still too soon to make any conclusions."
They didn't have to wait long, though. Zhou Long ate much faster than their slow and refined pace.
Just a few minutes later, Zhou Long lifted his tray and drank down the remaining soup straight from the plate, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
However, the expressions on Qi Poxiao and Tang Qianqiu's faces were growing more and more serious.
Zhou Long's spirit power didn't show the slightest sign of instability. On the contrary, it had reached a level of purity that even surprised these two Limit Douluo.
Even when they had broken through the sixth spirit ring level back in the day, their spirit power might not have been this refined.
If Zhou Long had broken through through normal cultivation, there was no way his spirit power could have reached this level of purity.
So… this Dinghu Shangsu dish was completely different from what they had initially assumed. Not only did it not cause unstable cultivation foundations—it might even reinforce the foundations of spirit masters with slightly lower aptitude during a breakthrough?
Just as the two Limit Douluo continued their scrutiny, Zhou Long suddenly trembled all over, as a strange fluctuation of spirit power began to emanate from his body.
He couldn't help but be surprised.
He had just entered the breakthrough stage. By his own calculations, even with the dish's effects, it should still take some time to cultivate and push past the bottleneck. But right now—without even activating his spirit power—the bottleneck at level 63 was just… gone?
Feeling the thicker and more substantial spirit power flowing through his body, Zhou Long was left dazed.
Could it be… unstable foundation?
He quickly focused and scanned himself—and realized he had overthought it. Not only was his foundation not unstable, it was more solid than ever.
Uh, what…?
"Zhou Long, come here for a moment," a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Zhou Long's ear.
The Sect Master?
Zhou Long looked up in surprise and quickly stood up, walking over to Tang Qianqiu and respectfully bowing. "Sect Master!"
"Don't resist—I'm going to check the condition of your spirit power," Tang Qianqiu explained as he placed a hand on Zhou Long's shoulder.
Feeling a trace of Mysterious Heaven Skill internal power, identical in origin to his own, entered his meridians, Zhou Long stood still, feeling a bit nervous.
He could guess that the Sect Master's inspection had to do with the breakthrough he'd just experienced.
That was fine—after all, a cultivation breakthrough wasn't a trivial matter, and he wasn't completely confident. The Sect Master would surely know better.
Soon, Tang Qianqiu completed the inspection and nodded. "Your foundation is even more stable than before. It seems the Dinghu Shangsu really doesn't have any side effects."
Really?
Zhou Long was overjoyed. "Thank you, Sect Master!"
"No need. Now go finish your meal," Tang Qianqiu smiled faintly and waved him off.
Qi Poxiao, sitting nearby, didn't intervene.
Zhou Long was a Tang Sect disciple, so a spiritual sense probe was one thing, but if he were to use his spirit power for a deeper inspection, it would've been a bit impolite.
Tang Qianqiu, as the Tang Sect's Sect Master, had no such concerns.
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