Chapter 68 | The Divine Ability Practitioner

In the inner courtyard of Thunderfire Hall, when Lu Jin and the others saw the twelve golden-eyed spirit fish that Lu Ming had brought back, they all fell into silence for a moment.

“Ah Ming, you didn't rob the Spirit Fish Pool, did you?” Second Uncle Lu Jinglei stared with wide eyes, his face filled with shock.

“I've heard of this Spiritual Fish Feast before. Usually, the anglers who participate are considered to have passed if they can catch three golden-eyed spirit fish. Your result of twelve is simply unprecedented,” Lu Qingyan also sighed in amazement.

Lu Jin, on the other hand, said, “For those Divine Ability Clans to actually allow you to take these golden-eyed spirit fish away, it seems Li Yan must have put in quite a bit of effort.”

Lu Ming shrugged and said, “I won't be able to participate next year.”

“You went so hard, how could they possibly dare to let you participate again?”

Lu Jin shook his head in amusement, then said to Zhong Ying nearby, “Starting today, cook one golden-eyed spirit fish for Ah Ming every day. Such resources are quite rare, and the effect should be even stronger than a Dharma Inscription Pill.”

Zhong Ying happily agreed. Being able to see her son be so promising, she was naturally overjoyed.

“It's just about mealtime, so I'll go make it for Ah Ming right away.” She picked up the fish basket and headed toward the kitchen. With such precious spirit fish, she naturally didn't dare to let outsiders handle them; she would only feel at ease doing it herself.

“Mother, make one for Father and Second Uncle as well!” Lu Ming added.

Lu Jin was already a Divine Ability Master, so the boosting effect of the golden-eyed spirit fish was not very significant for him.

Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei quickly spoke up to stop her. Because Lu Ming had matured the Moon Spirit Grass, Thunderfire Hall was no longer as strapped for cash and embarrassed as before, and Lu Jin had also begun to gradually restore their supply of Dharma Inscription Pills. They were already extremely satisfied with such changes, and these golden-eyed spirit fish were even more precious than Dharma Inscription Pills; eating them would be a waste.

“Father, Second Uncle, we still have a tough battle ahead of us at the beginning of next month, one where we'll be risking our lives. If we increase our strength even a bit more now, we'll have an extra layer of insurance then. I don't want to see either of you meet with an accident when the time comes; that would be a heavy blow to our Lu family,” Lu Ming said seriously.

Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei fell silent. The beginning of next month that Lu Ming spoke of was naturally the assassination attempt from the Peach Mountain Bandits. The opponent's overall strength was very formidable, not at all weaker than Thunderfire Hall's. Once they clashed, life and death would be unpredictable.

Lu Jin remained silent for a few breaths before nodding and saying, “Accept Ah Ming's good intentions. There's no need to stand on ceremony as a family.”

Hearing Lu Jin speak, Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei no longer refused.

Lu Jinglei rubbed his large hands together and said with some embarrassment, “Just one then. Any more would really be a waste.”

Zhong Ying spent half a shichen, and a sumptuous lunch was served. What attracted the most attention was none other than three bowls of spirit fish meat emitting a rich aroma. The fish soup inside was snow-white and thick, with a faint golden light flowing within it, actually radiating pure and gentle fluctuations of primordial energy.

“Bang!”

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Lu Mengmeng stood there yawning, but her eyes were wide open. She looked at everyone and accused, “What delicious food are you all eating behind my back?!”

Zhong Ying stepped forward in annoyance, tapped her on the head, and scolded, “You didn't even get out of bed until noon, and you still dare to complain!”

Lu Mengmeng scurried to the table with tiny steps, her eyes shining as she stared at the three bowls of golden-eyed spirit fish. She took a deep sniff, and her mouth instantly began to water. “It smells so good! Can I eat some?!”

“This is golden-eyed spirit fish, the spirit fish your brother brought back. The primordial energy contained within is too intense; you can't eat it right now,” Lu Qingyan quickly warned, deeply afraid that this greedy little foodie would eat the spirit fish as ordinary food.

“Just let me try!” Lu Mengmeng pleaded.

Lu Jin smiled and said, “Give her a bowl of fish soup to try.”

So Lu Ming scooped a small bowl of fish soup and handed it to her.

“Thanks, Brother.”

Lu Mengmeng happily reached out her small hand and took it.

“Drink slowly,” Lu Ming reminded her.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Mengmeng had already raised the bowl and drained it in one gulp, swallowing the golden-eyed spirit fish soup into her belly. Then, her little face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her little belly puffed up like a balloon being blown up.

Lu Mengmeng's body swayed, looking as if she were drunk, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

“Don't be so greedy, watch out that your belly doesn't burst from the primordial energy,” Zhong Ying said in annoyance.

“I-I'm fine! Look!”

Lu Mengmeng refused to back down. She reached out to rub her belly, and then her balloon-like bloated belly deflated bit by bit. Everyone could even clearly see a faint glow flowing over her stomach, eventually seeping into her flesh and blood.

Seeing this scene, let alone Zhong Ying, even Lu Jin and Lu Ming were somewhat surprised. “You actually absorbed the primordial energy? That concentration of primordial energy is much stronger than the Qi Refining Pills you take during your usual cultivation.”

“What's going on? When this girl cultivates on normal days, it takes her a whole day just to absorb one Qi Refining Pill. She's incredibly slow...” Zhong Ying also said, puzzled.

Lu Jin squatted down, gently poking Lu Mengmeng's little belly with the pipe in his hand, and said with a bit of confusion, “It doesn't look like normal absorption. Instead, it seems like it was simply digested by her...”

“Is there a difference?” Lu Ming asked.

“There is still some difference. Human cultivation relies on absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth to strengthen oneself. On the contrary, some special primordial beasts in the world can swallow everything into their stomachs, digesting it directly and converting it into primordial energy,” Lu Jin pondered.

“So Mengmeng was born with a primordial beast's stomach?” Lu Ming asked in surprise.

“That's not necessarily the case. It might be considered a small, unique talent. And it's not certain either; it could just be that she is simply capable of eating and digests quickly.”

Everyone was caught between laughter and tears. This girl was indeed a foodie; her only talent was entirely allocated to this.

“Can I have more fish soup?” Lu Mengmeng licked her lips, her face full of anticipation. This fish soup was extremely delicious, even better than pastries. If she could be like this every time she cultivated, how could she still be made to suffer so bitterly by the Qi Refining Pills?

“Since she can digest it, let her keep drinking it,” Lu Jin said.

So next, Lu Ming, Lu Qingyan, and Lu Jinglei all scooped soup for her.

Lu Ming didn't stay idle either. He couldn't wait to stuff the meat of the golden-eyed spirit fish into his mouth in large gulps. The melt-in-your-mouth texture and the instantly exploding tenderness made Lu Ming experience what true delicacy was for the first time.

And most importantly, along with the texture came an extremely pure and gentle stream of primordial energy, surging through his body.

These streams of primordial energy surged into his body, first absorbed and refined by the Fire Lotus imprint, which then fed back even more pure and robust primordial energy that poured into his Divine Ability Bone. Instantly, the Divine Ability Bone rumbled, condensing into profound traces of Dharma Inscriptions.

These Dharma Inscription traces grew more and more numerous. When they finally reached a certain critical point, light suddenly flowed, and the traces showed signs of fusing.

That was a sign that a complete Divine Ability Dharma Inscription was about to condense!

Ever since Lu Ming broke through to a Grand Divine Ability Practitioner, he had not relaxed his cultivation in the slightest during this period. Therefore, most of the inscription traces on his Divine Ability Bone had already condensed long ago. Now, because of the pure primordial energy of the golden-eyed spirit fish, the remaining inscription traces were instantly completed.

At the dining table, Lu Jin and the others suddenly raised their heads, looking at Lu Ming with pleasant surprise. At this moment, an unusual movement was coming from within his body, and his primordial energy fluctuations were rapidly strengthening.

This strengthening lasted for quite a while before Lu Ming finally let out an extremely comfortable breath. He smiled at Lu Jin and the others and said, “This golden-eyed spirit fish is truly a good thing. It helped me advance the condensation time of this fifth Divine Ability Dharma Inscription by more than half a month.”

“One Divine Ability Dharma Inscription in half a month?”

Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei exchanged a look, their eyes very complex, filled with both gratification and a sense of inferiority. In the face of Lu Ming's performance, they felt like eating this golden-eyed spirit fish was practically a crime.

“Not bad. According to your speed, if you absorb all the remaining golden-eyed spirit fish, you might be able to cultivate yet another Divine Ability Dharma Inscription,” Lu Jin laughed with satisfaction.