Chapter 46: Meat Without Wine

In the pitch-black and desolate tunnel, all was silent, save for the shimmering radiance glowing upon the walls at the far end.

This indicated that this was no simple or barren place.

Cheng Buzheng stood before the broken carcass of a Earth Mole Beast.

He raised his hand, and a streak of gray mana shot from his fingertips. As his thoughts shifted, the mana danced rapidly across the broken corpse of the demon beast.

Before long.

A large chunk of demon beast meat floated before him.

Following this, two blood-stained pelts hovered in the air. Under the cleansing of his mana, they became incredibly clean, devoid of a single trace of blood. Finally, with a pulse of mana, the pelts dispersed and dried, becoming incredibly fluffy as if they had been meticulously processed.

Only useless remains, such as internal organs and blood, were left on the ground.

With a wave of his sleeve, Cheng Buzheng sent a flame to burn them all away cleanly.

Having finished processing the battlefield within the tunnel, he looked at the demon beast meat before him. Having lived a bland existence for a long time, a sudden impulse stirred in his heart.

Shortly after.

A makeshift barbecue tool crafted from rock appeared before his eyes.

The rock-crafted apparatus consisted of six stone pillars: four short and two long.

The four short, thick stone pillars were arranged in two sets, with two pillars crossing at a center line. A small hole was drilled through them with mana, allowing a short, thin stone pillar to be inserted, forming two stone racks. The two longest, slender stone pillars were then laid horizontally between the two racks.

After a bit of polishing, the freshly made grill appeared before him.

Looking at this masterpiece, a hint of nostalgia flickered in Cheng Buzheng's eyes; this barbecue tool looked remarkably like the grills from the bonfires of his previous life.

He then spread the two pelts on the ground and sat cross-legged upon them, immediately sensing a distinct sensation.

Having long been accustomed to the chill of sitting directly on the ground, he now felt a touch of warmth once again.

Without much hesitation, he raised his right hand and shot out a streak of mana.

Instantly.

Cold light flashed, dancing up and down and swaying from side to side.

A large chunk of demon beast meat was sliced into strips of uniform thickness.

His knife skills had improved vastly compared to his previous life, reaching a level that could be called master-class. Now, it was time to showcase his grilling skills; he wondered if his craftsmanship had regressed.

With a solemn expression, he waved his sleeve. The long, thin strips of demon beast meat danced in the air, and the orderly rows were threaded one by one onto the two long stone pillars, sliding in as smoothly as a stone pillar entering water, without any sense of resistance.

The next steps concerned the art of grilling and allowed for no carelessness.

With a flick of his finger, Cheng Buzheng sent a tiny flame toward the underside of the grill.

This flame was not cast as a spell, but was rather a basic ability of a cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root—much like how a Water Spiritual Root cultivator could summon a splash of water. Though it lacked destructive power, it was extremely practical for daily life.

Seeing the flame about to extinguish beneath the grill due to the lack of combustible material, Cheng Buzheng shot out a streak of mana without hesitation.

Suddenly.

The fire flared up brightly, illuminating a three-zhang radius within the tunnel like a lamp.

Sitting cross-legged before the grill, Cheng Buzheng's solemn expression was clearly visible under the light, with his shadow cast to one side.

He raised his hand and shot a streak of mana that wrapped around the two long stone pillars, causing them to rotate continuously in accordance with his will.

The great fire below burned steadily, yet not a single trace of smoke appeared.

The two long, slender stone pillars rotated continuously, much like high-speed motors.

Despite the high-speed rotation, the hard stone pillars showed no sign of fracturing. Because the heat was distributed evenly, there was not a single scorched mark on the demon beast meat.

As time passed, a tender yellow hue gradually appeared on the meat, and a faint, delicate fragrance began to spread through the tunnel.

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng raised his hand, shooting wisps of mana from his fingertips into each strip of meat to organize the spiritual essence within, ensuring it was distributed evenly.

This ensured a better texture; every bite of the meat contained an equal amount of spiritual essence, making it incredibly succulent.

Though conditions were limited, the meat was eaten in its original, pure, and natural state; had seasonings been added, it would have offered an entirely different flavor profile.

Under the roasting flames, the aroma of the meat skewered on the motor-like rotating pillars grew increasingly rich.

A thin layer of grease gradually surfaced on the strips of demon beast meat.

Observing the texture of the meat, Cheng Buzheng noticed a slight disharmony, as if some parts had not fully integrated.

With a solemn face, he flicked a streak of mana, splitting it into countless threads that continuously patted against the strips of meat.

As the irregularities gradually vanished, the fragrance began to fade. He knew this was the sign that the grilling was nearing completion.

Once the meat ceased to emit any fragrance, this grilling session reached its perfect conclusion.

Before long.

The strips of meat no longer showed any visible texture. The entire surface of the meat glistened with a layer of oil, looking golden and enticing, yet not a single scent escaped. This was the legendary state of reaching the ultimate: returning to simplicity.

At the moment of peak texture, he waved his hand, and the fire beneath the grill gradually diminished. The long stone pillars tilted slightly upward while continuing to roll, maintaining the optimal texture.

A strip of meat, glowing with a golden spiritual light, floated before him.

His right hand was coated in a layer of mana, acting like a glove, as he grasped the golden, tempting strip of meat hovering before him.

Cheng Buzheng narrowed his eyes and took a gentle bite.

Instantly.

A rich meat aroma exploded across his taste buds; it was truly fragrant. Without hesitation, he took another bite, chewing rapidly with a look of pure satisfaction.

In the blink of an eye, a strip of demon beast meat was eaten clean.

"Not bad... as expected of demon beast meat, the texture is incredibly tender and the taste is excellent...

Adding a bit of mana truly makes it spiritual food; the quality is incomparable to that of mundane beasts.

A pity... meat without wine!"

Cheng Buzheng shook his head and sighed.

However, his current grilling skills had undoubtedly reached a historical peak; the minute changes within the demon beast meat could never escape his eyes.

After another moment of lamentation, he did not hesitate to summon another strip of meat and began eating happily once more.

Before long.

An entire demon beast, two feet in length, was eaten clean by him, leaving his mouth glistening with oil.

At this moment.

He lay leisurely upon the fluffy pelt of the beast, savoring the taste of moments ago.

Half an hour later.

Having finished his rest, he began today's mining task.

At this moment, he was full of vigor, swinging his pickaxe to strike the rock walls, mining piece after piece of irregular spirit stone ore.

He mined for a full three hours, finishing today's task ahead of schedule. After all, the time lost to grilling could not be taken from his cultivation time; it could only be taken from his mining time.

After all, advancing his cultivation was his primary goal.

Carrying the spirit stone ore he had mined today and gripping his pickaxe, he flew directly toward the secret chamber, filled with the joy of his harvest.