"I figured you wanted a taste of this. That was why you set up the contest. So I decided to gift this to you as an appreciation for letting me have an opportunity for the Rain Leaf. It's my way of saying thank you..."
The Duke's eyes grew watery with emotion while staring at the soup. "How did you...?"
Ren smiled. "No need to ask. You honestly don't need to know. I'm a cultivator after all. I know lots of things."
The Duke gasped as he stared at the soup. He was moved by emotion. The look, the aroma, everything looked as he recalled.
He didn't even ask the guards to taste it or anything. He took a spoonful of the soup, and then another, and another.
He felt it. That particular feeling which he couldn't describe. The one he had been looking for for so long. He felt it right here in its most complete state.
And he felt complete. He smiled. "That's it..." A teardrop ran down his cheek.
