Chapter 415 - 396: A Bite of Guixi Sect

Chapter 415: Chapter 396: A Bite of Guixi Sect

Su Ling’er watched the newcomers, who were moved beyond words by her gesture of paying with Spirit Stones, and was stunned herself.

’I got careless. I was so focused on resorting to drastic measures that I forgot to be more discreet when paying the bill!’

’What is wrong with this place! It used to be free, but now they’re charging. And with a price tag, is anyone really going to eat this god-awful food?’

’I just hope... I just hope the Abyssal Squirming Brain, a dish even I didn’t dare to touch, can crush their naive fantasies with its horrifying appearance!’

Once the payment was complete, the player who had been AFK started moving again. "Thank you for your patronage," he called out, then began to ladle out portions of the indescribable substance.

Soon, over three hundred servings of Abyssal Squirming Brain were brought out and placed on the tables before the newcomers.

In that instant, every pleasant aroma of food within the Dining Pavilion was replaced by a bizarre stench.

The crowd finally got a clear look at the "wonderful treat" Miss Su had "splurged" on for them.

It was a bowl of... no, a glob of... black, paste-like matter. Its surface pulsed rhythmically, something wriggled constantly within it, and you could even see tiny tentacles slowly extending and retracting from its surface. A few eyeballs from some unknown creature were embedded in it, staring intently at each and every diner. It was a hundred times more terrifying than the grilled brains commonly eaten by mortals.

Everything about the bowl, from its appearance and smell to the very aura it projected, seemed to be screaming one message: ’I am poison! Eat me, and not only will you die, you might not even be able to reincarnate!’

The smiles on the faces of the newcomers, who had just been overcome with emotion, instantly froze.

’Wait... can you actually swallow this stuff? Miss Su... did she spend Spirit Stones just to kill us? If she wanted us dead, did she have to go through such a complicated process?’

’Could it... Could it be that she wants us to have a condemned man’s meal before we die, using this thing to disgust us while she enjoys our pained expressions and twisted groans?’

’That... can’t be it, right? Right?! It can’t possibly be what I’m thinking, can it?!’

The spies from the righteous sects stared at the bowl, their stomachs churning and their jaws clenched tight. ’No way in hell is this meant for human consumption,’ they thought. ’The Guixi Sect really is a demonic sect!’

The spies from the demonic sects were also dumbfounded. They were still waiting. ’According to the usual demonic sect playbook,’ they thought, ’a test like this starts with the stick to test your obedience, then you get the carrot as a show of combined authority and grace.’

’The stick... is here. But this stick looks a little too brutal... So where’s the carrot? Please, where is the carrot? Don’t tell me... it’s all stick and no carrot? You’re not even giving me a chance to prove my loyalty?!’

For a long moment, over three hundred people stared at the "delicacy" before them, but not a single one dared to touch their chopsticks.

As Su Ling’er watched their expressions shift from touched to shocked, from shocked to terrified, and finally from terrified to utter despair, a long-absent feeling of satisfaction finally welled up in her heart.

’Finally! You’re finally scared! Yes! Just like that! Petrified, aren’t you? When I first saw this thing, I didn’t dare touch my chopsticks either. In the end, I opted for a bowl of braised pork instead. Now it’s your turn!’

Though she was relieved, thinking this should be enough, she put on a contemptuous sneer. "Hmph! You can’t even withstand a simple test of your Dao heart? It seems your aptitude is mediocre at best!"

"The Guixi Sect does not accept disciples who don’t even dare to eat! If you can’t handle it, you can get off the mountain right now! There’s no need to feign resolve here and tarnish the Guixi Sect’s reputation!"

Her words seemed to be the last straw.

They could endure being forcibly paired with a monstrous Dao companion; after all, it meant getting a powerful battle pet to increase their strength. They could also endure hundreds of grueling, exhausting tasks. But this... this was forcing them to eat a bowl of something that was obviously lethal, just to prove their "Dao heart"?

This wasn’t a test anymore. This was a reckless disregard for human life!

Within the crowd, some people’s legs were trembling, their faces ashen. A powerful urge to retreat filled their eyes. It seemed they were truly about to give up.

Su Ling’er took it all in, a wave of sheer ecstasy washing over her.

’Yes! That’s the look! That’s the despair! Just a little more of a push, and you’ll work up the courage to flee down the mountain! It’s so close!’

And yet, just then—

A young man in the crowd, who looked a bit dim-witted and reckless, was unconvinced!

He shot his head up, his face beet red!

"I... I!" he stammered, pointing at himself. "We are cultivators! We seek the Longevity Dao and temper an unyielding Dao heart! How could we be frightened away by a mere bowl... a bowl of food?!"

"Miss Su, you underestimate our devotion to the Dao!"

With that, he defiantly picked up the bowl of Abyssal Squirming Brain. Amidst a collective gasp from the crowd, he squeezed his eyes shut, brought it to his lips, and took a huge swig! GULP! GULP! GULP!

The entire hall fell dead silent. Everyone stared at him as if he were a dead man, already picturing the gruesome scene of him bleeding from every orifice and collapsing in convulsions.

The young man finished his gulp. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He smacked his lips, then froze.

"Huh? ...It’s... not as hard to get down as I thought? It’s even... kind of tasty? Why does it look so disgusting? It’s not actually like brain, is it?"

He took another tentative sip, smacked his lips again, and savored the taste.

The crowd stared at him, holding their breath. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed... Not only did he not foam at the mouth, but his face took on an expression of... wanting more?

Then, to everyone’s utter astonishment, he tilted his head back and—GULP! GULP! GULP! GULP!—finished the entire bowl in a few seconds!

After he finished, he felt a powerful warmth explode from his Dantian and instantly spread throughout his entire body!

He immediately cupped his fist toward Su Ling’er, his face a mask of excitement and shame. "Thank you, Miss Su, for this celestial meal! This disciple’s Dao heart was weak, and I nearly missed your blessing! I am ashamed to receive it..."

"..."

With the first person to take the plunge not only surviving but thriving, the fear in the others’ hearts was gradually replaced by curiosity and desire.

One of the recruits nearby cautiously took a small sip.

"Hey? This is actually pretty good!" His eyes lit up.

Following the first young man’s example, he began to chug it. GULP GULP GULP...

"Holy crap! This is delicious! It’s packed with Spiritual Qi! Another bowl!"

At first, only a few people tried it. When they saw nothing bad happened, more and more joined in.

In the end, even the spies, after observing for a long time and confirming that the dish’s only truly startling qualities were its appearance and its stench, could no longer resist and picked up their bowls.

The spies from the righteous sects took a sip and were stunned.

’This... this is actually Spiritual Food! It’s just... its appearance is utterly terrifying! Miss Su... she gave us something so precious, why didn’t she say so sooner! We almost misunderstood her kind intentions!’

The demonic sect spies also took a swig, then froze completely.

’I thought this was the stick... but it turns out this was the goddamn carrot?! They’re giving out the carrot right from the start? The Guixi Sect... is way too generous!’

For a moment, the entire Dining Pavilion was filled with nothing but the sound of gulping and a chorus of rising praise.

"Thank you for your blessing, Miss Su!"

"We will never forget your immense kindness, Miss Su!"

The tsunami of gratitude was so loud that it even caused a few senior Guixi Sect disciples eating in the Spiritual Food Area to poke their heads out.

"Whoa, Su Ling’er’s doing great! She’s making quite a splash as a guide. She’s barely started and has already won everyone over?!"

Su Ling’er: "..."

’But I didn’t!!!!’

She stood there in a daze, watching the joyous, harmonious scene of feasting before her, feeling as if the entire world had turned its back on her.

’Wait a minute... should I not have said all that to provoke them? Or maybe I should have waited until after I left the Dining Pavilion? Would they have refused to drink it then?’

’And don’t you people find this thing terrifying?! It’s moving! It has eyes! Even I didn’t dare to eat it, so how could you possibly stomach it?!’

’And... it’s actually beneficial? Could it be... that what Senior Brother gave me back then was truly a delicacy? What... what have I been missing out on?’

She looked at the crowd, who were weeping with gratitude, then down at her own empty hands. A profound sense of having missed out on a fortune washed over her.

And so, forcing herself to maintain a cold and aloof expression—even letting out a chilly hmph for effect—she silently took out another Spirit Stone, walked over to the player, and bought a serving for herself.

But this act, when seen by the crowd, pushed the atmosphere to an even greater height!

"Did you see that?! Miss Su... Miss Su waited for all of us to drink before getting one for herself!"

"What magnanimity! What righteousness! She’s a living saint, one who puts the worries of the world before her own and finds joy only after others do!"

Someone even burst into tears on the spot, their eyes welling up.

’What do you mean, "Miss Su"? She’s no distant fairy! She’s our Miss Su! I must join the Guixi Sect!’

"Miss Su is so righteous!! Miss Su is so benevolent!!!"

"Miss Su is a true role model for us all!!"

Su Ling’er held the bowl of slightly squirming, unidentified matter. Amidst the chorus of heartfelt cries of "Miss Su," she felt like she was about to ascend to the heavens right then and there.

She looked at the glob in her bowl, a substance that challenged the very limits of human physiology, then at the deeply moved faces all around her. Steeling herself, she squeezed her eyes shut.

’It’s just food! I’ll eat it! I’m going to find out exactly what this stuff tastes like!’

She held her breath and took a large gulp—GULP GULP GULP—but the fishy, bitter, slimy sensation she had braced for... never came.

The moment the indescribable substance slid down her throat—

BOOM—!!!

Su Ling’er felt an unbelievably delicious flavor explode across her tongue!

In that instant, she seemed to see herself walking across a constantly pulsing abyssal brain. Gradually, countless stars coalesced before her, and a sudden torrent appeared, washing over her entire body!

’What... what in the world is this experience!!! Was this the delicacy Senior Brother brought me back then?!’