Mu Xuanyin.
Li Ying stood in front of the wooden house.
"What do I need to do, Master?" He asked.
"We can talk about that later. First, tell me can you cook?" A feminine voice replied, coming from the wooden house.
"Master, I have lived a solitary life ever since I left my ancestral village. I am good at cooking." Li Ying replied.
"Good." She sounded satisfied.
The wooden door swung open. A figure stepped out of the door.
'Master.' Li Ying was shocked.
Her face was concealed, but she looked too elegant. A slim figure and a silky white robe covering the whole body. A thin veil masking the face. Long and black hair, flowing down the back like a waterfall. She was stunning, even with her face concealed.
"How long are you going to stare?" She asked, sounding playful and teasing.
Li Ying came to his senses, and lowered his head.
"I am sorry, Master." He said, as he looked down. He was afraid if he looked again, he would be mesmerized again.
"Don't blame yourself too much. I am sometimes amazed by my beauty too." She said, jokingly.
"…" Li Ying was speechless. She was not exaggerating her beauty at all.
"I hope your cooking skills are not disappointing." She said as raising her hand, pointing her finger at the herd of Flame Horn goats behind Li Ying.
Golden qi flowed from her fingertips, like a stream of liquid gold.
Li Ying turned around, and saw the light move and envelop one of the enormous Flame Horn goats. The goat was lifted in the air, as if it weighed nothing.
Cut. A beam of light sliced its neck, and blood spurted out. The goat's head fell to the ground, it was dead.
The other Flame Horn goats witnessed all of this, but they did not seem surprised. They continued to graze on the grass, as if nothing had happened. They were used to her killing and eating them. She was nourishing them with the best resources, the dense spiritual qi and rare herbs that grew in this field. She had given them a new life, but also a new purpose.
'You have to be kidding me…' Li Ying thought correctly.
These giant Flame Horn goats were not ordinary beasts. They had reached the cultivation level that could cause commotion on the whole continent if they went out. She was raising them to eat them, treating them like livestock.
The golden qi did not stop there. It stripped the skin of the hovering carcass. After the skin was removed, the blood and organs were separated from flesh and bones.
The light cut off the ribs, and the rest of the flesh was blended with wastes floating in the air. The bones were crushed into powder, and the organs were liquefied into juice.
The waste material began to move while levitating in the air. It moved to a place above a large flower. The flower was purple and red, it looked like a carnivorous plant.
Suddenly, the flower spread its petals and extended its stem to grab the waste floating over it. Its petals wrapped around the remains, and its teeth bit into them. It swallowed the waste and returned to its original position.
A big vessel and some cooking utensils, a table and a stand materialized in front of Li Ying. The sliced meat was placed in the big vessel.
'Space manipulation.' Li Ying was surprised.
"Cook." She ordered.
Li Ying was still amazed by all the events that had happened. He looked at his master's slender figure, and said, "Yes, Master."
"Wait, normal flame can't cook this meat."
She pointed at one of the Flame Horn goats that was grazing nearby. "You, come here."
The Flame Horn goat complied and came forward.
She continued, "Reduce your size and bring your horn below the cooking stand."
The cooking stand was simple but firm, made of iron rods that formed a tripod with a circular ring on top.
The Flame Horn goat did what she said. It reduced its size to that of a normal goat, and brought its horn below the cooking stand. The flames of its horn ascended above the cooking stand.
"Increase the flame. You useless beast, what have I been feeding you for!" she screamed at the regular sized goat.
The Flame Horn goat quivered and the flame from its horn flared with more force.
Li Ying watched the scene with wonder and disbelief. He thought silently, 'These foolish Flame Horn goats who are famous for their idiocy can comprehend human speech? What has Master done to them? Is it because they have attained a higher realm?'
Li Ying let go of the thoughts and reached for the vessel and grabbed some meat from it. He placed it on an iron plate and held it over the flame of the goat's horn. He smelled the aroma of the meat, and felt his mouth water. He wondered how it tasted.
His master was watching him from a distance, sitting on a plush cushion that she had summoned with her space manipulation. She looked comfortable and relaxed, as she waited for the food to be ready. She did not say anything, but her eyes followed his every move. She seemed to be curious and amused by his cooking skills.
Li Ying finished cooking the meat and put it in a bowl. He walked towards his master and gave the bowl to her.
She took the bowl from his hands. Closing her eyes she sniffed the meat.
"What do I do now, Master?" Li Ying asked.
"Do I have to spell it out for you? Cook the rest of it." She pointed at the huge amount of meat that formed a mound over the large vessel.
'What.' Li Ying was shocked. He looked at the stack of meat and felt overwhelmed. 'You want me to cook it all! It will take a day at least.''
She got up from the cushion and walked back to the house with the bowl in her hand.
Before entering the house, she looked back at him and said, "Don't eat it, your body can't handle it."
The next day.
Li Ying sighed in relief. It was finally over. He prepared the meat in small portions, careful not to ruin the flavor.
The Flame Horn goats watched him as he cooked their kin's flesh. Li Ying was fearless. He often glared at them, as if to say, "do you dare to challenge my master?"
He arrived at the wooden hut's entrance and said, "Master, I have completed the task."
A voice replied, "Well done."
As soon as the words were spoken, everything vanished, including the food he had prepared, but the Flame Horn goat stayed where it was, obedient to the master's command.
Li Ying asked, "What should I do next?"
The wooden door opened and a voice came, "Come inside."
Li Ying obeyed and went inside.
The house was built from primordial timber and refined bamboo, and its roof was curved and covered with spirit grass. It had only one chamber, but it was cozy and snug, with a furnace of jade, a bed of silk, and a desk of wood. It was a simple dwelling, but it had a strange qi that Li Ying had never felt before.
"Don't absorb the qi here." A woman reclined on a cushion inside the house said. She continued, "sit down."
Li Ying complied without hesitation and knelt on the ground.
"Master, is it true that I have to become the strongest on the continent in 100 years?" he asked.
"Yes, and there are rules that you must abide by." she went on, "First, you must not reveal this place or me to anyone. Second, you must not disclose that you have tenth-grade aptitude, if the sacred lands snatch you away, even a swine can cultivate to become strongest with tenth-grade aptitude with their help. Lastly, I can alter the rules as I please."
"I will obey," Li Ying agreed as he wondered about the purpose of these rules.
"As your master, I will grant your one request each year and I can reject them too based on your request and performance."
'She will listen to my one request once a year, this is too good.' Li Ying thought while grinning.
"I can clearly hear what you are thinking, you can't ask for treasures and cultivation manuals."
'Tsk.' Li Ying wanted to click his tongue.
She tossed a jade token to Li Ying, "Here take this, it will allow you to pass through the barrier. It will also allow you to contact me anytime no matter where you are."
Li Ying was stunned. 'A contact token with unlimited range. This is a treasure.'
"If you disturb me while I am cultivating, I will kill you."
"Master, how will I know if you are cultivating or not?"
"You can gamble on your luck."
She continued, "You don't have to pick those low-level cultivation manuals. I have a supreme technique that will boost your cultivation speed immensely."
She pointed her finger to Li Ying's forehead and said, "Close your eyes and focus."
Li Ying did as he was told and felt a purple qi enter his mind.
Li Ying muttered, "Spiritual Qi Reaping Arts..."
She nodded, "Yes, this is a very powerful technique. You won't find anything like it on this continent."
"Thank you, Master." Li Ying thanked her sincerely, but he was secretly ecstatic.
"You can use your annual request now, since we won't meet again anytime soon once you leave."
Li Ying decided to take a gamble and said, "Master, I want to see your face."
He was thinking, 'I am too familiar with the cultivation world, there is nothing I need her help with, at least for a year. On the other hand, will I be able to live without knowing what my master looks like.'
She flatly refused, "Not happening."
Li Ying asked, "Why not, master?"
She chuckled, "I am too beautiful, your cultivation journey will end before it even begins, if you think about me all day."
Li Ying was annoyed, but he also wondered if she was telling the truth. He didn't press the issue and said, "Then can you at least tell me your name, master?"
She asked, "Is that your request?"
Li Ying realized that he had to use his request to learn her name. He said, "Yes, it is."
She said, "My name is Mu Xuanyin. Remember it well."