"The initiation trial? I'd like to see for myself just how hard the trial that killed Uncle Niu really is!"
Mo Qi made to leave, but his sudden surge of power was more than he could control.
He'd only meant to take a single, light step, yet his whole body shot forward like a cannonball.
BOOM!
He smashed the entire house, and the wall outside it, to smithereens.
THUD!
Mo Qi landed hard, his feet sinking deep into the earth and creating two foot-deep pits.
"This…"
Staring at the ruins of his house, Mo Qi gave a wry smile. A sudden explosion of power wasn't always a good thing.
After some practice, Mo Qi could finally walk normally again. His control over his strength remained clumsy, however, and a careless step would occasionally crack the earth beneath his feet.
Fortunately, he lived in a remote area to keep the secrets of the Chaos Scripture from being discovered, so no one witnessed his strange display. Otherwise, he would have surely been branded a monster.
He went to the Hall of Miscellaneous Affairs to find Fang Min's father—the Chief Steward of Miscellaneous Affairs—to resign from his post as head chef and register for the initiation trial.
Along the way, every servant who saw Mo Qi pointed and whispered, their gazes filled with pity and ridicule.
They had watched Mo Qi and Fang Min grow up together. How could they not know what had happened between them?
They didn't dare to discuss it openly because of Wang Hao, but that didn't stop them from enjoying the show.
Some sympathized with Mo Qi, and others felt he'd been wronged, but most just scoffed and sneered, thinking he was delusional and out of his mind.
A mere Kitchen Hand with no talent for Cultivation had the audacity to think he could end up with Fang Min.
Who was Fang Min?
She was a genius who had achieved a score of 70 in the trial, shocking the entire Void Sect. What's more, she had caught the eye of Wang Hao, the Third Elder's own grandson. She was one of heaven's favored daughters!
In comparison, Mo Qi seemed utterly pathetic and laughable.
Mo Qi paid their stares no mind and went straight to find Fang Min's father, Steward Fang Hua.
Thanks to Fang Min's outstanding performance, Fang Hua was now living a life of utter comfort.
Before, any random disciple could look down on him, but now, even some Elders treated him with a measure of respect.
Moreover, Wang Hao had promised to send him a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill in a few days, which would allow him to set foot on the path of the Martial Dao. Wang Hao would also arrange a good post for him within the Sect.
Fang Hua was overjoyed. He had immediately sealed the deal, accepting this son-in-law and wishing he could send Fang Min to Wang Hao's bed that very night.
Upon seeing Mo Qi arrive, Fang Hua's face darkened with displeasure. In the past, he would have greeted him with a smile, but not now.
In his eyes, Mo Qi was a stain on his daughter's life. If not for Mo Qi's astonishing culinary skills—so good that many founding masters specifically requested his dishes—Fang Hua would have wanted to kill him and wipe him from the face of the earth.
"What are you doing here? Is your work finished?" Fang Hua asked coldly.
Although Mo Qi had prepared himself for this, Fang Hua's heartless change of face still stung.
He still remembered how Fang Hua used to call him 'Nephew Mo' with such warmth and affection.
In that moment, Mo Qi finally understood. In this world, the only things that would never betray or deceive you were your own sweat and strength.
Only with sufficient strength could one earn the respect they deserved.
'Maybe I really was too naive, Uncle Niu. To earn the title of Kitchen God, cooking skills aren't enough. You need immense strength to back it up. No wonder you were so dead set on joining the Void Sect all those years ago.
'In that case, I'll just knock down anyone who stands in my way, and then I'll let them taste my cooking!'
At this thought, Mo Qi's heart grew calm.
He looked at Fang Hua, his gaze placid. "Steward Fang, I've come today to inform you that I'm going to take the initiation trial."
"What?" Fang Hua thought he'd misheard. He then sneered, "Mo Qi, you waste of space, you can forget about it. Never mind that you could never pass the trial—even if you did, Min'er would never look twice at you."
He assumed the only reason Mo Qi wanted to take the initiation trial was that he was still foolishly hoping to get together with Fang Min.
"Look at yourself! What can you do besides cook? Min'er's talent and future achievements are beyond your wildest dreams. Young Master Wang Hao has taken a liking to her, and she's about to become the Third Elder's granddaughter-in-law. What do you possibly have to compete with him?"
"Just go back to doing what you're supposed to do. Don't be like that idiot Niu and make a spectacle of yourself!"
Mo Qi's gaze sharpened, and his eyes turned ice-cold as he grabbed Fang Hua by the throat.
He could endure any insult or mockery directed at himself, but he would not allow anyone to dishonor Uncle Niu.
Fang Hua's face went pale with shock. He couldn't believe that the normally simple and honest Mo Qi had actually laid a hand on him. His strength was terrifying; it felt like his neck was about to snap.
"Fang Hua, for old times' sake, I'll let you off this time. But I'd better not hear you speak another ill word of Uncle Niu. Otherwise, you'll have to bear the consequences!"
"And another thing. Your stone-hearted daughter? Whoever wants her can have her. I, Mo Qi, couldn't care less. I'm not about to be made a fool."
With that, Mo Qi released Fang Hua and turned to leave.
Fang Hua gasped for breath, his old face flushed crimson—whether from pain or from rage, it was hard to say.
He felt that today's Mo Qi was completely different, as if he were a changed man.
But none of that mattered now. All he wanted was for Mo Qi to die.
"You damned waste of space! Just you wait! I'll make you pay for this!"
...
The Void Sect's initiation trial, open to servants, consisted of five stages. Challengers were awarded points based on their performance in each stage, with a maximum of twenty points per stage. The sum of the scores from all five stages determined the final completion score.