Zhang Ye watched in a daze as Leona waved her hand, causing a series of high-grade seasonings—Heavenly Spirit Olive Oil, special sauces, Fire Cloud Chili, Lightning Szechuan Peppercorn, Red Crystal Salt, and more—to appear around her.
“That should be a space ring on your index finger, right? Why is it stuffed with a bunch of seasonings?”
With a flick of Leona’s hand, a fire pit appeared on the ground. The Water Magic Pig was then enveloped by her mana. The entire process—slaughtering, dehairing, gutting, butchering, and seasoning—was executed in one fluid, seamless motion. She moved with the poise of a master chef.
Soon, the Water Magic Pig was transformed into a whole pig being roasted over the fire.
A brush of olive oil, a sprinkle of chili and peppercorns crushed and mixed in mid-air—the roast pig was soon sizzling and emitting an intoxicating aroma.
As the special sauce was applied, the fragrance intensified. Zhang Ye’s mouth began to water immediately.
This smelled incredible!
This red-haired lioness of a woman wasn't just beautiful; she was such a good cook too. He was truly falling for her.
Before long, the whole roasted pig was done.
Without waiting for Leona to call him, Zhang Ye leaned in. He had even used magic to condense a set of metal cutlery, ready and waiting.
Leona’s lips curled into a grin. The roasted pig floated up, moving away from Zhang Ye.
“What are you doing? This is for me,” Leona said, looking at Zhang Ye with a teasing smile.
Zhang Ye’s face fell. “Don’t be like that. I didn't mean to make you crave the magic cores earlier... They really are delicious...”
Leona waved him off. “Then go eat your magic cores.”
As she spoke, she flicked her hand. A piece of roasted meat was sliced off by mana. The crispy skin made a satisfying crunching sound, and the tender white pork was dripping with juices.
The meat was delivered into Leona’s small mouth.
A look of pure bliss immediately appeared on her face, and she even let out a deliberate, enticing moan.
“Mmm~ roasted just right. The skin separates from the meat, crispy but not burnt. The fat under the skin has rendered perfectly and been absorbed by the meat. Combined with the naturally tender texture of the Water Magic Pig nourished by water mana, it’s rich but not greasy. It’s as smooth as milk in the mouth.”
“Truly delicious~”
“Too bad someone only likes eating magic cores.”
Zhang Ye’s mouth hung open, drool practically dripping.
His body was full of energy, but his stomach was still empty!
Stimulated by the scent of the roasted meat, he was suddenly ravenous.
Adding in Leona’s highly effective commentary, Zhang Ye’s mouth flooded with saliva, and his stomach let out a loud growl.
“Leona, look, I fought for so long earlier, I’m hungry too...” Zhang Ye rubbed his hands together, leaning in with a fawning smile.
Leona extended a finger and pressed it against his forehead. “Don't you like magic cores? Weren't they lychee-flavored?”
“Move aside. Don't interrupt my meal.”
With a flick of her finger, Leona sent Zhang Ye tumbling back.
Zhang Ye scrambled up from the ground, looking indignant. “Fine, if I can’t eat it, I won’t! I, Zhang Ye, would rather be chased by a Berserk Bear, hunted by a Blade-tail Tiger, or jump into a river and drown before I eat a single bite of your meat!”
Leona gave him a surprised look, then waved her hand.
Unranked—【Flavor Enhancement】!
Instantly, the aroma of the roasted meat exploded, becoming dozens of times stronger. The moment the words left Zhang Ye’s mouth, his drool started dripping again.
Zhang Ye: “...”
Wait!
Why does a Saint-tier fire mage know such strange and specific magic?!
Zhang Ye analyzed it first, then ran back to Leona’s side with a fawning smile.
“Leona?”
“What?”
“Can I have some?”
“Where’s your pride?”
“I turned it into soup.”
“...”
Seeing Leona ignoring him, Zhang Ye began to act coy.
“Leona~”
“Leona~”
“Le~ o~ na~~”
Looking at Zhang Ye’s bashful act, Leona felt a wave of revulsion. She shuddered and quickly cut him off.
“Eat, eat, eat! Just eat!”
Zhang Ye cheered immediately. He ran over, tore off a piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth with a look of pure happiness.
“Oh man, this is so good!”
Seeing him like this, Leona couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. The two of them began to feast on the roasted pig.
To be fair, Leona’s cooking was exceptional. Zhang Ye ate until his face was covered in grease, feeling wonderful.
“Leona, where did you learn to cook like this?” Zhang Ye asked while eating.
“I figured it out myself,” Leona said between large bites of meat. “I used to train in the forest all the time. If I wanted to eat, I had to hunt and roast it myself.”
“To make it taste better, I spent my free time figuring out how to cook magical beasts. Over time, I just got good at it.”
“I even came up with 【Flavor Enhancement】. It can triple the flavor and increase the aroma dozens of times over!” Leona raised her chin proudly.
Zhang Ye gave her a big thumbs up.
That was incredible!
How many magical beasts did she have to eat to develop such skills?
She even developed a spell for it; she was truly one of a kind.
After eating several pounds of meat, Zhang Ye was full. He watched as Leona continued to feast, eating quickly and with great relish.
The massive Water Magic Pig was soon half-gone. Leona stored the remaining half in her space ring, saving it for the next meal.
Zhang Ye held a few pig ribs, looking thoughtful.
He wondered—if devouring magic cores enhanced his cultivation, would devouring bones enhance his bone density?
“What, is it so good you want to eat the bones too?” Leona teased.
Zhang Ye nodded immediately. “Mhm!”
Then she watched as Zhang Ye actually stuffed a bone into his mouth. With a series of loud crunches, he actually ate the forearm-length rib!
Leona: “...”
As it turned out, Zhang Ye’s theory was correct.
Once Devour was activated, his teeth became exceptionally strong. He could chew through pig bones as hard as iron.
And as he devoured the bones, Zhang Ye felt a warm sensation throughout his body. His bones were clearly being strengthened.
Leona was stunned. She couldn't help but say, “Even if it's delicious, you don't have to go that far, do you?”
Zhang Ye grinned. “I can't let anything Leona cooks go to waste.”
With that, he crunched down and finished all the leftover bones he had just eaten.
Seeing this, Leona shook her head with a smile.
This kid...
“Now that you're full, let's begin mana control training,” Leona said to Zhang Ye as she stood in an open space.
“There are many ways to train mana control. For example, evenly coating the surface of your body with mana to form a thin film called 【Mana Skin】, which can be used to isolate yourself from the outside environment. Or you can condense mana into threads for precise control.”
“However, what I’m going to teach you is the most effective training method—Circle Inscription!”
“Circle Inscription?” Zhang Ye asked curiously. “Inscribing magic circles?”
Leona nodded. “Exactly. But I don't want you to do ordinary inscription. I want high-intensity, precision Circle Inscription!”
“What you need to do is condense your mana into threads, then use those threads to inscribe magic circles in mid-air. Furthermore, you must control multiple mana threads simultaneously!” As she spoke, countless red mana threads, as thin as hair, appeared around Leona.
The threads drifted around her, then their tips hovered in front of her. With the injection of mana and the rhythmic movement of the threads, a magic circle was rapidly inscribed. In less than a second, the circle was complete!
Zhang Ye’s pupils constricted.
Tier Eight—【Fire Rain from the Heavens】!
The magic circle glowed and rotated slowly, signifying that it could be activated as long as mana was injected!
The speed of inscription was incredible. There were at least a hundred mana threads working simultaneously, yet there wasn't a hint of chaos or disorder. A Tier Eight magic circle had been inscribed in an instant. Zhang Ye was filled with wonder.
“You try it. First, condense a Mana Thread,” Leona said.
Zhang Ye nodded. “Alright, I’ll try!”
He began to exert full control over his mana. Mana gathered in his hand, and then a Mana Thread slowly extended outward.
To call it a thread was generous; it was more like a rope. This Mana Thread was far too thick, completely incomparable to Leona’s hair-thin threads.
Zhang Ye wasn't discouraged. He continued to refine his control, and the Mana Thread grew longer and thinner.
After a few moments, a Mana Thread as thin as a hair was drifting in front of Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye looked pleased. “How’s that? Does it work?”
Leona was inwardly shocked.
His rate of improvement was too fast!
When she had first condensed her first Mana Thread and refined it to the thickness of a hair, it had taken her an entire day.
And Zhang Ye?
Less than ten minutes!
This... he was simply a monster!
However, she didn't praise him. Instead, she said, “You’re far from it. You need to be able to condense at least a hundred threads this thin and control them freely to be considered passing!”
“Now, keep practicing!”
“Oh, and don't forget to simultaneously cover your body with a thin layer of mana to form your 【Mana Skin】. You must do both at the same time so you can improve your mana control faster!”
“I’ll set up a Mana Gathering Circle, so you don't have to worry about running out of mana.”
“By the end of today, I want to see you condense ten Mana Threads simultaneously while maintaining 【Mana Skin】 over one of your arms!”
Hearing this, Zhang Ye nodded with a determined expression. “Understood!”
Rate on N.U.
