In fact, whether it was Li Mingru, Ye Qingluan, Li Yaoxi, Li Miaoxin, or even Lin Xiaolu and Xiao Yuer, they did not need to eat. But Lin Xiaolu and Xiao Yuer were different, they still needed to eat.
Li Mingru smiled and said, "In a moment, I will take you to the Dining Hall for a meal."
Eating to fill one's stomach is also a very important matter that cannot be neglected.
"Speaking of which, I, the current Sect Leader, have not eaten spiritual food for over a hundred years already." Ye Qingluan's bright eyes lit up, "I've almost forgotten what food tastes like."
"Then let's eat together," Li Mingru said with a smile as he looked at Lin Xiaolu, "Xiaolu, later you must eat as much as possible, only then will you be able to endure the tribulation to the greatest extent."
"Boss, what exactly is this tribulation you're talking about?" Lin Xiaolu asked curiously.
Li Mingru just smiled without answering, and drank another sip of wine.
Soon, the group arrived at the Dining Hall. As soon as Li Mingru and Ye Qingluan, these two grandees, appeared, they immediately drew countless outer sect disciples coming to greet them.
The outer sect disciples in charge of cooking in the Dining Hall, as well as the shop attendants, were so frightened that they nearly wet themselves. They crawled and tumbled over to greet the two masters.
Ye Qingluan and Li Mingru did not put on airs. One drank wine leisurely, while the other smiled and told everyone to go on as usual.
On the contrary, when Li Yaoxi looked at the outer sect disciples, his face showed a hint of disdain, as if even giving them another glance would dirty his own eyes.
At the table, everyone took a few bites of the dishes, almost all watching Xiaolu and Lin Xiaolu eat.
Because of the presence of Li Mingru and Ye Qingluan, today's dishes were better than usual. It was evident that the outer sect disciples responsible for cooking had shown their best skills. Not only were the exquisite dishes full of color, aroma and taste, but the portions were also extremely generous.
Lin Xiaolu gnawed at a roast goose with great enjoyment, grinning from ear to ear. He laughed loudly while eating spiritual food, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, chicken soup, roast goose, braised beef—he gobbled down everything ravenously, leaving Ye Qingluan shocked.
She stared in astonishment, "Does this little guy have a storage artifact in his stomach? How can he eat so much!"
"Xiaolu practices martial arts, so naturally his appetite is much greater than ordinary people," Li Mingru said with a smile at the boy, "Today, do your teacher proud and eat as much as you can. Only with a full stomach will you have the strength to receive the tribulation I will impart on you."
"Hahaha, thank you Boss!" After speaking, Lin Xiaolu picked up a large bowl of chicken soup and started pouring it into his mouth, "gulu gulu".
After drinking the soup, he shouted boldly, "Drinking chicken soup is such a wonderful thing! Shop attendant, bring me ten more golden eight-treasure eggs! Grandpa recently feels weak and needs to nourish himself!"
Thinking for a moment, he shouted again: "Also an acre of chives! Grandpa needs to strengthen his yang!"
Li Miaoxin and Ye Qingluan laughed at the same time upon hearing this. Li Miaoxin scolded with a smile, "Our Sect Leader is here, child. Watch what you say."
Ye Qingluan laughed again and again, thinking this child was too interesting. She had not been so happy for a long time.
Fortunately Emei Sect was wealthy and powerful, otherwise who knew if they could afford him.
Li Mingru drank wine while smiling at Ye Qingluan, "Xiaolu is still an inner sect disciple. He doesn't need many resources, like artifacts, pills, talismans, etc. Just convert those into food for him to eat."
Ye Qingluan covered her mouth and laughed, "You're raising a little glutton!"
After a while, Lin Xiaolu finally ate his fill. Clutching his round belly with one hand and rubbing it with the other, he walked out of the dining hall, pointing at the roast duck and cured meat hanging in the kitchen window, humming:
"I'll stop here for today and come back to deal with you tomorrow."
The group returned to the mid-levels of Pluck Stars Peak. Li Miaoxin, Li Yaoxi and Xiao Yuer stayed behind while Lin Xiaolu followed Li Mingru and Ye Qingluan up the mountain. All the way, he kept chattering and asking Li Mingru what kind of tribulation he was going to impart on him, but Li Mingru just laughed without answering.
In fact, Ye Qingluan also didn't know what Li Mingru had up his sleeve. In her view, Lin Xiaolu's lack of spiritual energy meant that artifacts were useless to him, including most pills and talismans. So she was also very confused about what kind of tribulation Li Mingru had prepared.
When they reached the snow-covered peak of Pluck Stars Peak, Li Mingru led Lin Xiaolu to a circular pit in the ground.
This pit was at least half a meter deep, and about one meter in area.
There was no snow accumulated in the pit at this time since it was not snowing.
"Later you will sit in this pit and not come out without my order, understand?"
Lin Xiaolu nodded blankly.
Next, Li Mingru smiled slightly, waved his palm, and a piece of translucent gauze-like cloth fell into the pit.
"Take off your clothes and sit inside."
Lin Xiaolu obediently did as told, took off his robes and shoes and socks, wearing only a pair of white pants, and sat cross-legged in the pit.
He found that the pit seemed to be padded with a thin layer of something. Although he was sitting on the ground, he did not touch the soil directly, yet could still feel the existence of the soil.
Next, Li Mingru waved his hand again, and a transparent barrier enveloped the entire pit.
Then he looked at Lin Xiaolu in the pit and said, "No matter how painful it is later, you must endure it and not come out, understand?"
Lin Xiaolu looked at Li Mingru and Ye Qingluan outside the pit blankly. A thought struck him and he asked in horror, "Boss, you're not going to bury me, are you?"
Li Mingru: ......
"Pfft hahahaha!" Ye Qingluan burst out laughing when she heard this, her fragrant shoulders shaking with laughter.
Li Mingru glared at this little rascal, then a bright light flashed from his right palm, and a stream of fiery crimson blood sprayed out from his palm towards the pit.
Lin Xiaolu was stunned. Just as he was about to ask what this was, his body was touched by the hot blood, and he immediately felt a violent, scorching pain!
"Ah!" He was about to jump up from the pain, but Li Mingru sternly shouted, "Endure it!"
Ye Qingluan watched as Li Mingru continuously sprayed out blood plasma from his palm, a look of astonishment on her exquisite face, "Mingru, what is this?"
"This is the blood of a Red-Eyed White Tiger."
"Red-Eyed White Tiger!" Ye Qingluan cried out in shock.
"Li Mingru, have you lost your mind? You want Lin Xiaolu to soak in the tiger blood of a Foundation Establishment stage demonic beast? He's only eight years old, he can't withstand it!"
Li Mingru smiled and blinked at her, clearly meaning: That's why I asked you to come, to watch this kid with me and prevent any mishaps.
He slowly explained, "According to the ancient fragments I obtained, whether mortals or cultivators, soaking their bodies in the blood of powerful demonic beasts, or consuming their blood and flesh, will have two results.
One...the body cannot withstand it and explodes!
Two...the physique experiences massive enhancement!"
He looked at the pool almost filled with tiger blood, "Over thirty years ago, I once saw a hunter who had accidentally soaked in the blood of a Foundation Establishment stage beast. Not only did he not die, but his body became exceptionally strong—he could lift up a buffalo! Although still not comparable to cultivators, his freakish strength and ability to withstand blows had increased to the point where he was like a human-shaped demonic beast. Later, without any martial arts training, he made a name for himself as one of the top martial arts masters in the jianghu.
This time, I want to have Xiaolu soak in the blood of a demonic beast more powerful than Foundation Establishment. As long as he endures it, his physique will rapidly grow. After that, I will have him ingest the remaining tiger blood to make his physique leap again, completely transcending ordinary martial arts!"