Chapter 96: The Doomed Fate of Rabbits Across the Continent
In Qian Renchuan's memory, the chefs of the Tang Sect in his previous life would prepare rabbit by skinning it fresh, placing the meat on clean yellow earth to sun-dry, then washing it the next day to remove the gamey smell.
Standing less than one meter tall, Qian Renchuan easily wielded a large cleaver. Thanks to his Xuan Tian Gong internal power—which, for some reason, had already reached the peak of the first layer and couldn't progress further, perhaps due to this world's rules—he managed with surprising ease. According to theory, perhaps he needed to absorb a soul ring to break through.
With Spirit Hall's power, acquiring rabbits was easy. Rabbit-type soul beasts, as herbivores and bottom-tier creatures on the food chain, existed in overwhelming numbers.
Before reaching ten thousand years in cultivation, these low-tier soul beasts didn't even possess intelligence.
Qian Renchuan took a Lightning Rabbit. His eyes turned purple—Purple Demon Eye activated. In one swift motion, he struck the rabbit's nape, killing it instantly without a sound. A white soul ring appeared, barely the size of an adult's arm radius.
A pathetic ten-year soul ring—so weak that even if it appeared on the streets, no soul master would bother picking it up.
He proceeded to slit its throat, drain its blood, and skin it. With the aid of his Purple Demon Eye's insight, he peeled the rabbit cleanly, with hardly any blood sticking to the flesh.
Next, he split the body in two and finished processing it.
"Little Master, your knife skills are incredible."
The chef beside him was stunned. To see a child just over three years old handle a knife so precisely—he couldn't look away.
"You flatter me. Just sun-dry the rabbit meat to remove the odor by tomorrow."
Clear Sky Sect, Clear Sky Hall.
Tang Xiao had summoned the Six Elders.
Second Elder had now broken through to Title Douluo, reaching level 91. Tang Xiao himself was at level 94 peak. The elder faction had grown stronger, and their need to respect the sect leader diminished.
But a sect leader was still a sect leader, and some formality had to be observed. Tang Xiao wouldn't summon them all without reason.
"Sect Leader, what have you called us old folks here for?"
"This is a challenge from Qian Xunji. Four days from now, during the Upper Three Sects' annual meeting, he'll bring people to challenge our disciples."
Tang Xiao used soul power to flick the letter—like a knife—into Second Elder's hand.
His brow furrowed. "Four days? That's when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect are visiting. Spirit Hall wants to step on us again to raise their prestige and suppress us further."
Tang Lie roared, "Bastard! Do they think the number one sect under heaven is a pushover? Tang Hao lost to Qian Xunji because of his own arrogance. At equal levels, our Clear Sky Hammer wouldn't lose to some Six-Winged Angel! Even Qian Daoliu once lost to our Uncle Tang Chen!"
Since Tang Hao's humiliation, his reckless Nine-Ring Detonation had killed countless people, and the sect's reputation plummeted. Disciples training outside began dueling with others—always winning at equal ranks. The Clear Sky Hammer remained an undefeated legend.
Though Tang Xiao was angry, he didn't refute it. "Elders, we have four days. Any internal grudges must be set aside. Our enemy is Spirit Hall."
"If we defeat their people during the summit and win beautifully, we can restore the Clear Sky Hammer's honor and reclaim our place atop the soul master world."
The elders all nodded. On major sect matters, they were always aligned—so long as it didn't mean war with Spirit Hall.
Back at Spirit Hall, during dinner…
After a day of sun-drying, the rabbit meat's odor was gone. On the table were various dishes made from hundred-year-old rabbit soul beasts—Lightning Rabbits, Soft Bone Rabbits, and more.
"Rabbit meat?"
Qian Renxue was surprised. Looking at the spicy rabbit head, she noted, "I've never seen rabbit served in Spirit Hall or Spirit City before… but it smells amazing."
Qian Renchuan said, "Mom, Sis, rabbit meat doesn't make you fat. Eat as much as you want—it won't affect your figure."
Ah Yin asked, "Little Chuan, where did you learn that?"
He couldn't answer. He couldn't exactly say "In my past life, at Tang Sect." As for why rabbit meat was diet-friendly, he honestly wasn't sure.
Qian Xunji added, "Rabbits are low on the food chain. Constantly fleeing predators and reproducing. Their bodies store little energy but are packed with muscle—so yes, it's lean."
"But why have I never seen rabbit dishes before in Spirit City?"
"Dad, you just skin them, drain the blood, and sun-dry for a day. That removes the odor."
Qian Renchuan marveled at his father's wisdom once again. He hadn't even eaten rabbit before, but could deduce its dietary traits so accurately.
This dinner ended up being the longest they'd ever had together. Ah Yin was especially enthusiastic—because when she was still a Blue Silver Grass, rabbits were her predators. Tonight, she devoured them with glee.
It was Qian Xunji's first time trying it—and he saw opportunity. Low fat, high reproduction rate, easy to raise, delicious—perfect for the market. Rich noblewomen and female soul masters would adore this dish.
The two empires didn't know how to remove the odor, but Spirit Hall did. With so many soul masters under their command, this could be a practical training task—have them cleanse the meat with soul power under the pretense of honing energy control.
Sun-drying was too obvious and easy to replicate. Soul power methods were more subtle—and for now, profitable.
As for the chefs who discovered the sun-drying trick? Qian Xunji kept them safe inside Spirit Hall—lest anyone leak the secret and crash the market worth tens of thousands of gold soul coins daily.
Then, rabbit meat was distributed to high-end restaurants across the continent—under Spirit Hall's brand, marketed as lean, beautifying, and healthy. It instantly became a gourmet sensation.
Top restaurants smelled profit and began raising rabbits, but they didn't know how to de-odorize the meat. Sales flopped.
Meanwhile, Spirit Hall's already-wealthy treasury soared—earning tens of thousands of gold soul coins per day. The only cost? Killing thousands of rabbits daily.
When the sun-drying method eventually became public, the daily rabbit death toll would multiply—until no rabbit on the continent would be safe.
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