The Spirit Boat

By the time all ten fish were prepared and laid out on the grill, Gu Ningyun finally noticed the... soft pink bow tied around the fat duck's neck.

Combined with the way the fat duck tilted its head, staring intently at the grilled fish, it was actually quite adorable.

Gu Ningyun took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the laughter bubbling in her throat.

No, she had undergone professional Xiaoyao body-refining training. No matter how funny it was, she would not laugh.

She patiently flipped the Spirit-Heart Fish one by one, occasionally sprinkling on some seasoning.

As she focused, the spirit energy in the air followed her movements, cheerfully burrowing into the fish meat.

Before long, the fat duck caught the spicy, savory aroma, which was layered with the unique, fresh scent of the Spirit-Heart Fish.

It couldn't help but urge her, "Is it ready yet? Is it cooked? This great lord can already smell the fragrance!"

Gu Ningyun produced several plates, food boxes, and a dining table from the kitchen.

Just as she set up the table and chairs, the fat duck hopped onto a chair, squatting obediently and looking at her with an expectant, craned neck.

Gu Ningyun placed two grilled fish on a plate in front of the fat duck. "Careful, it's hot."

"Quack, quack, quack! This great lord is... cough, how could this great lord be afraid of heat?"

The fat duck used the tip of its wing to lift the plate and tilted it into its mouth, swallowing the two grilled fish whole.

After eating, it smacked its beak. "Quack, I ate too fast. I didn't get to taste the flavor."

It pushed the plate back toward Gu Ningyun. "Quack, quack, quack! Little girl, you definitely can't finish all these grilled fish yourself. This great lord will help you share the burden."

Before Gu Ningyun's hand could even touch a food box, she saw the duck's plate was already empty.

She glanced at the large platter of prepared Spirit-Heart Fish beside the grill, which were just waiting to be cooked, and suddenly felt a bit worried.

Surely this large basin of fish would be enough to eat?

When a plate full of grilled fish appeared before it again, the fat duck didn't swallow them in one gulp this time. Instead, it took an appreciative sniff of the aroma.

Then, using the tips of its wings to pinch the head and tail, it began to savor the fish meat slowly and elegantly.

Gu Ningyun was practically stunned watching this.

Senior Fat Duck actually had such a refined side?

Could it be that while she was serving the fish, something had actually possessed the senior?

Sensing Gu Ningyun's gaze, the fat duck put down the fish, extended the tip of its wing, and pulled the plate closer, shielding it in its embrace.

It raised its head and looked at her in confusion. "What? You don't have enough to eat? Well... if you don't mind that this great lord has used this plate, I could share one with you."

Gu Ningyun looked at the plate held tightly by the wingtips and silently looked away.

She was definitely overthinking it. Who could possibly commit possession on a floating peak of the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect?

Seeing that Gu Ningyun was no longer watching it and had gone back to grilling fish, the fat duck secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Its eyes darted around as it rummaged under its wing, eventually pulling out a palm-sized blue jade box and pushing it toward Gu Ningyun with its wingtip.

"Quack, quack, quack! Little girl, this great lord is giving you something good."

Gu Ningyun opened the box, and the fresh fragrance of tea leaves wafted toward her.

Her eyes lit up. "Mysterious-rank high-grade Moisturizing Meridian Tea?"

According to the spirit herb section of the Almanac of Heavenly Wonders, Moisturizing Meridian Tea grew in places with pure spirit energy. It had the effects of nourishing the meridians, smoothing out hidden injuries, and nurturing one's foundation and physique. It was extremely precious.

"The little girl certainly knows her stuff." The fat duck gave her an appreciative look. "Since your cultivation hasn't reached Foundation Establishment, you can drink it at most once a month, and only steep one leaf at a time."

Gu Ningyun immediately found a purple clay teapot in the kitchen and steeped two tea leaves.

She poured a cup for the fat duck first before taking a sip from her own.

A fresh, gentle spirit energy seeped into her meridians, flowing toward every part of her body.

Gu Ningyun felt as if she were standing amidst the purest spirit energy in the clouds; her entire body had never felt so clear and comfortable.

Unlike the spirit spring that removed impurities or the body-refining spirit herbs that nourished through tempering, the Moisturizing Meridian Tea sought out every weak point in her body. Even the minor muscle tears caused by swinging her sword thirty thousand times a day were nourished and restored to their original state.

The fat duck didn't refuse either. With one bite of fish and one sip of tea, it leisurely enjoyed the delicacies.

Once Gu Ningyun had finished her tea in a few gulps, she heard the fat duck say, "The little girl's introduction to food cultivation lessons were well spent."

"After being grilled with your food cultivation techniques, these Spirit-Heart Fish not only taste more delicious, but their mind-calming and spirit-settling effects have been pushed to the limit. They even have an effect on someone of this great lord's cultivation level."

Gu Ningyun immediately caught the key point. "Senior, didn't you have me catch Spirit-Heart Fish before because of their effects? From what you just said, could it be that the previous fish were useless to you?"

The fat duck's downy feathers puffed up slightly. "That's not important! This great lord's point was the food cultivation technique!"

"Alright, alright, I understand, Senior."

Gu Ningyun used food boxes to pack the newly grilled fish. She soon filled four boxes to share with Wen Xuan and the others tomorrow.

By the time the person and the duck finished the grilled fish, the moon was already high in the sky.

The fat duck elegantly pulled a cloud-white handkerchief from under its wing, wiped its beak and wingtips, and tilted its head to peek at Gu Ningyun.

It nodded in satisfaction, but after a moment, it gave her a look of disdain.

Gu Ningyun was busy tidying up the grill and the table and didn't pay attention to its strange behavior.

The fat duck waddled over to her side and tutted twice. "Little girl, your cultivation won't do. It's too low."

"Senior, forcing things isn't good." Gu Ningyun used a Cleaning Technique to deal with the oil stains and fish bones before putting the utensils into her storage bag.

The fat duck handed over the oil-stained handkerchief, signaling with its eyes.

Gu Ningyun obligingly cast two Cleaning Techniques on both the handkerchief and its owner.

The fat duck was satisfied.

"Little girl, once you reach Foundation Establishment, use this feather to contact this great lord. I'll take you to Dingyuanzhou to eat good food."

It tucked the clean handkerchief away and plucked a feather from its wing.

Gu Ningyun took the feather. "Senior, are you going to be delayed by other matters again and unable to come by?"

The fat duck raised its head and said loudly, "That's right! This great lord is very busy; I can't just come and go as I please!"

Watching the fat duck vanish with a flap of its wings, Gu Ningyun nodded and didn't think much of it.

Three days of cultivation passed in a flash, and the Resource Management Hall at Governing Peak finally returned to its usual tranquility.

Only then did Gu Ningyun head to Governing Peak to claim her rewards from the competition.

Sitting cross-legged in her cultivation chamber, Gu Ningyun looked at the resources spread across the floor, her lips curling into an unstoppable smile.

She first took the mysterious-rank top-grade spirit boat and performed the blood-binding according to the instructions on the attached note.

As the refining of the spirit boat was completed, Gu Ningyun received its full information—

Mysterious-rank top-grade spirit boat. First: It can adjust its size according to the owner's will, with a maximum capacity of one hundred people. The larger the spirit boat, the more spirit energy it consumes.

Second: One can choose to use spirit stones or directly input spirit energy to control it.

Third: The spirit boat's maximum speed is comparable to the sword-flight speed of a peak Foundation Establishment sword cultivator. The faster the speed, the more spirit energy it consumes. Note: Except for wind-attribute sword cultivators.

Fourth: This spirit boat is equipped with a defense array. When activated, it can withstand a full-strength strike from a peak Foundation Establishment sword cultivator.