"Yaoyao, would you be my cultivation partner?"
The quiet scene erupted as countless heads lifted in shock.
Yue Anyao stared blankly at the person before her, her mind echoing words she had only ever dreamed of hearing. After reaching out to touch Fang Zhiyi's face to confirm this wasn’t a dream, she nodded vigorously!
At that very moment, the bottleneck in her cultivation that had long resisted breakthrough showed the slightest sign of loosening.
Noticing this, Fang Zhiyi said, "Break through here. I’ll guard you."
Without hesitation, Yue Anyao sat cross-legged. The aura of her breakthrough rippled through the entire Cloud Sky Palace. When she opened her eyes again, the pressure of the Void Refinement stage emanated from her.
"Holy—! The Palace Master wasn’t lying! Finding a cultivation partner really helps with cultivation!"
"You’re wrong—you have to find the right partner!"
"Right, right!"
Ahem.
The gossiping disciples turned to see several elders standing behind them and immediately scattered.
Overjoyed, Yue Anyao threw herself into Fang Zhiyi’s arms. He simply held her and patted her gently.
"I’m slow-witted. You’ve suffered because of me."
"Don’t you all have anything better to do?" The Law Enforcement Elder barked, sending the lingering onlookers fleeing. The elders exchanged odd glances at the affectionate pair.
"Elder Kong, is it true that finding a cultivation partner aids cultivation?"
"Uh... I’ve never heard of it, but the Palace Master’s Soul Formation cultivation seems to have advanced again. Before, I could still sense his level, but now it’s completely beyond me."
"Tsk... I just remembered I have something to attend to. Excuse me."
A frenzy swept through Cloud Sky Palace. First, the outer disciples were mobilized—those skilled in cooking prepared meals, while the swiftest were sent down the mountain to gather ingredients. The kitchen disciples, originally responsible only for feeding the outer disciples, now had to cater to the entire palace. More outer disciples were eventually recruited to ease the burden.
Second, disciples who had once buried themselves in solitary cultivation now practiced in pairs. Those without partners grew frantic.
Fang Zhiyi was delighted. Every day, outer disciples delivered meals to him, and even some inner disciples joined in, inventing new dishes.
"What in the world is this? Watermelon stewed with beef?" Fang Zhiyi stared at the blood-red concoction before him.
The outer disciple delivering the meal explained, "Palace Master, this dish was invented by Elder Kong’s personal disciple. We thought you should be the first to try it, so we brought it here."
"......" Fang Zhiyi suppressed his reaction, eyeing the earnest disciple.
From that day onward, Cloud Sky Palace established a new rule:
"Dishes can be unconventional, but not outright bizarre. Anyone who wastes ingredients will spend a year in penitence at the Law Enforcement Hall!"
Yue Anyao’s mental state gradually stabilized, and cooking became her passion. She even built a small kitchen next to Fang Zhiyi’s residence to experiment—though the frequent explosions were unnerving.
"That’s the third time today, right?" Two patrolling disciples flinched at the latest blast.
"Fourth. There was one before your shift."
"Elder Yue isn’t cooking—she’s refining pills!"
"Hey! You two!" Yue Anyao appeared, her hair disheveled and face smudged with soot.
The disciples froze. "E-Elder Yue."
"Come. Taste this."
They nearly wept at the sight of the unidentifiable dish in her hands. To avoid wasting ingredients, Yue Anyao insisted on having someone sample her creations, calling it "taste-testing."
But who dared refuse? She was the Palace Master’s cultivation partner!
No one in Cloud Sky Palace escaped her culinary experiments—even the Law Enforcement Elder was once cornered into trying her food. Rumor had it he nearly lost a cultivation realm because of it.
Finally, protests arose. While Yue Anyao was away, six elders confronted Fang Zhiyi, who had been napping.
Hearing their grievances, Fang Zhiyi only grinned foolishly, refusing to say a word. No way am I interfering. Yue Anyao’s current obsession stemmed from her insecurity about not cooking as well as Zhong Ling'er. Who knew what might happen if she were stopped? He had no intention of letting her repeat past mistakes.
"Everyone, calm down." Seeing the elders grow agitated, Fang Zhiyi resorted to spinning a tale. He released a hint of his aura, instantly paling their faces.
"This... this..."
"Palace Master, you’ve reached mid-stage Soul Formation?"
Fang Zhiyi now resembled a cult leader. "As you can see, I’ve advanced swiftly to mid-stage Soul Formation. Why?" He cast a soundproof barrier and whispered conspiratorially, "Though Yue Anyao’s dishes may not taste good, they’re infused with passion. During one tasting, I glimpsed an indescribable truth—a revelation that propelled my breakthrough."
The elders looked skeptical.
"Ordinary disciples need worldly experiences to temper their hearts. As elders, your comprehension runs deeper. Embracing all flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy—is the path to the Great Dao."
When doubt still lingered, Fang Zhiyi nearly lost his composure.
Suddenly, Elder Kong smacked his thigh. "I understand! The other day, she made me try that charred meat—it was salty and bitter. But now I realize, I’ve only accepted the delicious dishes from disciples, ignoring the natural flavors that should exist!"
"Just as the world has tall and short, kind and wicked people! This is akin to ascetic training! I’ve attained enlightenment!"
Elder Kong was ecstatic, and the others seemed similarly inspired.
Fang Zhiyi exhaled in relief. Thank goodness these old-timers only know how to cultivate. They’ll overthink anything I say. His rapid advancement was actually due to no longer needing to transfer cultivation to Zhong Ling'er—plus his protagonist halo.
As the elders departed, Fang Zhiyi decided to advise Yue Anyao to add more rare ingredients to her dishes.
Rumors spread—from elders to personal disciples, then to inner disciples. Though some still recoiled, many now voluntarily sought Yue Anyao to "taste-test."
Though puzzled, Yue Anyao assumed her cooking had improved and was delighted.
With the food situation settled, Fang Zhiyi turned his attention to another matter: business.
Even Cloud Sky Palace was poor. As a cultivation sect, they cared little for mortal luxuries, so their funds were limited. Most income came from renting land and buildings to mortals for silver, used to recruit disciples and sustain the outer disciples’ livelihoods. Now, with a thousand mouths to feed, the treasury was running low.