At the very back of the bandits, a gloomy youth with low presence sat grinning foolishly on a tree trunk. He cradled a ball of colorless supernatural power. Clearly, the bandits' invisibility came from his ability.
The bandits charged. Yanat and the Guardians clashed with them fiercely. The heavily made-up woman drew a whip from her waist. She infused it with magic and cracked it toward the bandits. Crack! Crack! Crack! Magical light flared on their bodies.
She used Legion Magic—a technique born from large-scale wars. Most soldiers were barely Qi beginners. Only under this magic’s blessing could they sway battle tides.
Zhang Luan watched her spell with surprise. Bandits using this? It felt deeply wrong.
He stayed calm, standing beside the Magic Conveyance. Sen Luo blocked his view, gripping his greatsword tightly. His eyes stayed locked on the bandits, tense and alert.
Zhang Luan found the protection unnecessary. It just blocked his sight. He grabbed Sen Luo’s shoulder. "Go watch the pot," he said dryly. "Don’t block my view."
Chastened, Sen Luo stepped aside but kept his sword raised. He watched the bandits like a hawk, guarding against stray attacks on the Holy Son.
Yanat, fighting upfront, glanced at Sen Luo with approval. The rookie outshone others his age. He never held back—a promising seed. Without Zhang Luan, Yanat would’ve pinned his promotion hopes on Lin Jiu and Sen Luo.
The battle stalled. But the woman’s Legion Magic turned the tide. Yanat’s allies retreated. Only he held the line, crushing bandits under his gravity field. Zhang Luan checked his panel: Yanat’s Qi was down to a quarter. This wouldn’t last.
The pot stopped heating. Zhang Luan lifted the lid, ignoring the heat. An incredible aroma flooded the air. Fighters paused mid-swing, turning toward it. Gulps echoed everywhere.
"Sis... sister! I want... I want that pot!" The gloomy youth’s eyes widened. He licked his dry, black lips. His colorless power surged wildly. He leaped from the tree, dashing straight at Zhang Luan.
The woman craved the pot too but remembered her mission. Seeing him charge, she cursed him a fool and cast a net. He vanished instantly—invisible again.
Zhang Luan sipped the fish soup. Amazing. No wonder it was legendary. Truly... de-li-cious.
A skinny, tattooed arm shot out to grab the Culinary God’s Spicy Pot. The moment it touched the rim, scorching heat erupted. Red chili powder blasted out, forming a chili-red human shape in midair.
"Ahhh!!!" A scream drowned out the battlefield chaos. Zhang Luan covered his mouth, chuckling. He’d spotted the invisible kid earlier. His Force of Creation never missed odd presences. He’d just wanted to see what the fool would do—so he’d prepped the pot with extra chili.
But stealing a pot mid-battle? This guy’s brain must be fried.
Screams continued. The youth plunged into the water, scrubbing desperately. The chili clung like it was seeping into his bones. Of course—it wasn’t ordinary spice. Even stone would turn spicy. For a person? If it didn’t pickle him through, it wouldn’t deserve "legendary."
"Ahhh!! I’ll kill you!! Ahhh!!" The Chili Youth raised his hand. A mass of transparent power shot at Zhang Luan. Agony had boosted his speed. Zhang Luan raised an eyebrow. Stellar Flame snapped up a tower shield, blocking the blast.
Zhang Luan glanced at the youth’s stats. "Super Spicy" drained 0.5% HP per second. But the chili ran deep—HP dropped four times a second. At this rate, he’d collapse soon even without help.
Just then, the system chimed.
[A-Rank Quest Triggered: {Secret of the Tyrant of Southern Sect City}.
Quest: Tyrant Yin Ke Duo’s private troops raid the wilds. Eliminate them. Rewards scale with completion. Unlock next stage upon success. Accept?]
Zhang Luan smirked. He’d waited for this.
This quest was an early nightmare. A stage quest leading to a war across hundreds of cities. The spark? Yin Ke Duo’s daughter—the true first-version heroine: Melody Seeker Yin Meng.
Players weren’t united either. Later stages would force faction choices. Picking Yin Ke Duo meant player-vs-player wars, breeding endless grudges.
Zhang Luan wouldn’t choose him. As Holy Son, he could breeze through—but at a cost. In the original timeline, Yin Ke Duo won. No one knew Yin Meng had a level-100, fourth-tier Qi master from the Central World backing her. That master flicked a finger. Southern Sect City froze into an eternal ice prison. Trapped players faced permanent bans—forced to restart from zero.
