At this time, in the practice room in the rear of Yu Jiaojiao’s villa.

Su Clan’s Sixteen was still helping Song Shuhang with his training.

Just as they were practicing, Song Shuhang received Venerable White’s call and discovered that Senior White would come back soon. In addition, he mentioned that he was somewhat hungry and wanted to eat something delicious.

When food was mentioned, Song Shuhang immediately thought of Immortal Fairy Bie Xue.

The immortal dishes from the last time were so good that he wished he could keep eating them forever.

Thereupon, Song Shuhang decided to give Immortal Fairy Bie Xue a call.

The phone was quickly picked up, and Bie Xue’s voice echoed. “Hello, little friend Song? Do you need something from me?”

“Yes, I wanted to ask you something, Immortal Fairy. How much does it cost to book a set of immortal dishes of average quality?” Song Shuhang asked.

“I don’t want spirit stones. Just cut a part of Lady Onion’s sprout and give it to me. I’ll prepare you a set of immortal dishes in return.” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue went directly to the point.

“…” Song Shuhang.

He could already feel the size-reducing purse shaking due to Lady Onion trembling inside.

Elder Sister Bie Xue, please stop tempting me to cut off Lady Onion’s sprout. I might really end up doing it one day if you keep tempting me like this! Song Shuhang thought to himself and sighed.

“You don’t want to? Anyway, under normal circumstances, even the most average set of my immortal dishes has a starting price of 50,000 spirit stones of the Fifth Stage. But since it’s you, I can give you a 50% discount and round it off to 20,000 spirit stones of the Fifth Stage,” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue said with a smile.

She was the best immortal chef in the world of cultivators. Therefore, her dishes were very expensive. Actually, the starting price of 50,000 spirit stones was already discounted.

Song Shuhang collapsed. He had obtained forty spirit stones of the Sixth Stage after his recent transaction with Daoist Priest Horizon, and even if he were to convert them to spirit stones of the Fifth Stage, they amounted to only 400 spirit stones! He couldn’t even afford the crumbs of Bie Xue’s immortal dishes!

“If little friend Song doesn’t have the necessary spirit stones right now, you can buy on credit and pay me later when you have them,” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue also added. Little friend Song had just reached the Third Stage Realm. Therefore, she guessed that he might not have too many spirit stones with him. But if he really wanted to eat one of her meals, she could let him buy on credit for Venerable White’s sake. After all, it was just a set of immortal dishes and not that much effort for her.

Song Shuhang secretly heaved a sigh. If he were to buy on credit, he would be immediately in debt of 20,000 spirit stones of the Fifth Stage!

Immortal Fairy Bie Xue’s dishes were simply too expensive for him. It wasn’t a price that the current Song Shuhang could afford.

Although he would have liked to let Venerable White eat something delicious, he might have to settle for ordinary table delicacies given his current financial situation. Perhaps he could ask the chefs in Yu Jiaojiao’s house to prepare something delicious or get two boxes of bayberries—it should be enough to make Venerable White happy, right?

“Thank you, Immortal Fairy… but you can forget about my request.” Song Shuhang sighed.

“Hehe. You aren’t interested even if there is no deadline and you can repay me whenever you want?” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue said.

Song Shuhang was somewhat moved after hearing these words.

But before he could say something, Immortal Fairy Bie Xue asked another question, “Right. Little friend Song, why did you suddenly decided to order one of my sets of immortal dishes?”

“Oh, about that… it’s because Senior White is coming back,” Song Shuhang replied truthfully. Immortal Fairy Bie Xue was currently staying in the Jiangnan area, and she would immediately sense it if Senior White came back riding his flying sword. Therefore, he was unable to conceal the truth from her—not that there was a need to.

“…” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue.

After a short moment, Immortal Fairy Bie Xue clenched her teeth and said, “I can prepare you a set of immortal dishes at the non-discounted price of 50,000 spirit stones of the Fifth Stage… there is no deadline for the repayment, and even if you have the spirit stones later and don’t want to pay, it’s fine. In short, you buy on credit, and you don’t need to return the money if you wish, how about it?”

Although she said ‘buy on credit’, it was essentially free…

Song Shuhang accepted without hesitation and said, “Good.”

“When is Fellow Daoist White returning?” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue asked.

“There shouldn’t be much time left before his return. Senior White is riding his flying sword as we speak. Even if he is on the other side of the world, he will come back rather quickly given his incredible flying speed,” Song Shuhang said.

“Wait for me. I’ll finish the dishes as soon as possible,” Immortal Fairy Bie Xue said and hung up the call.

❄️❄️❄️

Song Shuhang shrugged his shoulders and put away his mobile phone. “Now I suddenly owe Immortal Fairy Bie Xue 50,000 spirit stones of the Fifth Stage.”

Su Clan’s Sixteen laughed. With her hearing, it wasn’t a problem to listen to the conversation between Song Shuhang and Bie Xue.

“Right. I almost forgot about it. Sixteen, take this,” Song Shuhang said as he took a seed out of his size-reducing purse, handing it over to Sixteen.

It was the seed of the Seven Colors Wonder Fruit that Song Shuhang had received yesterday from Uncle Zheng De of the Immortal Farming Sect.

Back then, he thought of giving it to Su Clan’s Sixteen as soon as they met… but when he made his appearance to give her a surprise, Sixteen almost ended up killing him. Therefore, he forgot about the seed.

Su Clan’s Sixteen took the seed and asked in puzzlement, “What’s this?”

When she touched the seed, she suddenly felt free from worries, just as though some hidden danger within her body had been removed.

“This is the seed of the Seven Colors Wonder Fruit. Uncle Zheng De from the Immortal Farming Sect asked me to give it to you. You can consider it an apology. Although it’s just the seed of the Seven Colors Wonder Fruit, it can still help heal the wounds the heavenly tribulation caused if you eat it,” Song Shuhang said.

“What a strange uncle.” Su Clan’s Sixteen nodded and put away the seed. “I accept his good intentions… Shuhang, if you meet him again, thank him on my behalf for his good intentions.”

“Sure,” Song Shuhang said with a smile.

❄️❄️❄️

Several breaths later.

Su Clan’s Sixteen started to teach Song Shuhang two magical techniques of the Third Stage that suited him, the Lightning Drawing Technique and the Fire Summoning Technique.

As first thing, Su Clan’s Sixteen gave Song Shuhang two thick booklets. These two books illustrated the principles behind the two techniques. Even if they were rather simple magical techniques of the Third Stage rank, several thousand characters were needed to describe the principles behind them, how to execute them, and the other various things that one needed to pay attention to.

Song Shuhang estimated that several complicated steps would be needed to display the two techniques.

As such, he started trying out the two magical techniques under Su Clan’s Sixteen’s guidance.

“Sixteen, are all techniques of the Third Stage this complicated?” Song Shuhang asked while testing the Fire Summoning Technique. He discovered that his talent was so-so when it came to learning magical techniques. Although he had tried using the Fire Summoning Technique several times already, not even the tongues of the flame appeared.

“They aren’t that complicated. Magical techniques of the Third Stage rank are all as complex as the Lightning Palm you already studied,” Su Clan’s Sixteen said. Before reaching the Fourth Stage, all magical techniques had more or less the same degree of complexity. At most, some required more mental energy or strength than others.

“How is that possible?” Song Shuhang exclaimed. He remembered that when Venerable White taught him the Lightning Palm back then, he only told him how to draw the lightning (雷) character, and even the method to draw the character was rather simple and required only thirteen strokes. Afterward, he only had to condense his qi and blood energy—or true qi—in one hand and use it to draw the lightning (雷) character on the palm of the other, using his mental energy to activate the power within the character and display the technique.

It was nothing like the Fire Summoning Technique before his eyes. While using this technique, he first had to use his mental energy to visualize the runes of the ‘Fire Summoning Technique’ in his mind and combine them together. Then, he had to use a special method to revolve his true qi and use it to draw the four runes of the technique in the air. After that, he had to maintain the runes with his mental energy and use his true qi again, pouring it into the runes. At last, he had to use his mental energy to bring out the power inside the runes… only after all these steps could he finally display the technique.

“My Lightning Palm only requires two steps, while this Fire Summoning Technique requires five!” Song Shuhang said.

“Your Lightning Palm requires only two steps? How is that possible? Which Lightning Palm are you even talking about?” This time, it was Su Clan’s Sixteen’s turn to be surprised. “Can you let me take a look at your Lightning Palm?”

After hearing Sixteen’s words, Song Shuhang immediately understood what was going on… F*ck, the version of the Lightning Palm I studied must have been a special one!

It was surely Venerable White’s own revised version of the technique!

No wonder the ‘ghost general’ he met back then in Grandpa Tubo’s hometown—one of the leftovers of Altar Master’s organization—was so surprised after seeing him use the Lightning Palm… because the normal version of the Lightning Palm wasn’t something that a cultivator of the First Stage like Song Shuhang could learn or use.

“I think that Senior White modified the version of the Lightning Palm I studied,” Song Shuhang said as he used his left hand to quickly draw the lightning character on the palm of the other hand. Afterward, he used his mental energy to activate the character, and a mass of crackling lightning appeared in his hand.

The whole process had required only two steps and was basically instantaneous.

“…” Su Clan’s Sixteen.

Well, Venerable White was indeed Venerable White. He had managed to simplify the Lightning Palm up to this point!

At this time, Song Shuhang thought to himself, Isn’t it better if I learn the Lightning Drawing Technique, Fire Summoning Technique, and the advanced version of the Lightning Palm—the Heavenly Lightning Palm—from Venerable White?

Perhaps Senior White had a simplified version of each of these magical techniques!

Using such complex magical techniques in battle was impractical. Senior White’s simplified version was better since it was much faster to execute.

❄️❄️❄️

At this time, the sound of laughter was transmitted from outside.

“Wahaha! Little friend Shuhang, I’m here.” The sound of Scholar Xian Gong’s laughter echoed.

Scholar Xian Gong was an old senior of the Nine Provinces Number One Group, a powerful man that could resist a point-blank nuclear explosion. If not for the nuclear bomb affecting his condition back then, he might have already advanced to the Venerable realm.

Song Shuhang and Su Clan’s Sixteen smiled and went out to welcome him. Yu Jiaojiao and Daoist Priest Horizon also came out together to greet Senior Xian Gong.

After seeing Senior Xian Gong, Song Shuhang discovered that he was nothing like how he’d imagined him.

The dao name ‘Xian Gong’ made him believe that the opposite party was perhaps an old man, while the title ‘scholar’ made him think that he might have the aura of an intellectual.

But Scholar Xian Gong turned out to be a 190 cm tall man with a red face and full of bulging muscles.

“Little friend Shuhang, the demodragon has yet to arrive, right?” Senior Xian Gong asked, somewhat worried.

Song Shuhang faintly smiled and said, “Yes, it has yet to arrive.”

“Excellent.” Scholar Xian Gong heaved a sigh of relief.