Chapter 527: Returning the Knife

Chapter 527: Returning the Knife

In fact, the strongest aspect of the Sixth Princess was not her treasured sword, but the fact that she had already mastered the control of Samadhi True Fire.

While she couldn't control it as effortlessly as Di Nufeng, even a short burst of her divine fire against equally matched opponents could serve as a formidable weapon of annihilation.

The next contestant was the Thirteenth Prince. At merely sixteen years of age, he had a youthful appearance. His smooth, fair skin and warm, kind smile made a favorable impression on everyone present.

His weapon was a gold-edged folding fan, and his entire demeanor was refined and cultured.

Because of this, the second Daoist monk from Cold Cloud Temple underestimated him. He figured that even with their strongest senior brother already defeated, a win in the next two matches would still mean victory for them. To him, the Thirteenth Prince's presence felt significantly less imposing than that of his sister.

With the confidence that he would win this fight, the Daoist monk didn't hold back as his senior brother had and launched into an aggressive attack right from the start! As he leaped into action, an apparition of a mighty tiger sprang forth from behind him!

The Thirteenth Prince's eyes suddenly narrowed, and with a swift snap of his fingers, a burst of purple-gold flames ignited in the air before him.

He had also mastered Samadhi True Fire!

Although he possessed the Divine Fire Spirit, to have mastered Samadhi True Fire at such a young age was considered an extraordinary talent even among the imperial family.

While this single spark couldn't do much, he unfolded his fan and gently waved it.

Boom—

The tiny spark instantly transformed into a raging flame!

As the flames roared to life, the fierce tiger apparition charged ahead, only to be caught off guard and engulfed by the fiery blast in the blink of an eye!

"Ah—" the Daoist monk immediately let out a scream.

Before the guardians around the arena could intervene, the Thirteenth Prince quickly stepped forward, flipped his fan, and extinguished the divine fire.

Fortunately, the flames flickered out quickly. The Daoist monk's robes were scorched and his skin burned, yet the Samadhi True Fire hadn't reached his inner body. The Thirteenth Prince quickly snuffed out the fire and channeled qi into him to alleviate his injuries.

"I apologize for not holding back during the match," he said gently, placing a small jar on the table. "This is a rare healing medicine for treating burns. I hope you'll accept it as my way of making amends."

"You're too kind, Thirteenth Prince. Injuries are a normal part of the fight; there's no need to blame yourself," a member from Cold Cloud Temple that went onto the stage to help the Daoist monk down the stage responded courteously.

It was just as the members of the Cold Cloud Temple had said. Even if there weren't a thousand people injured today, there would be at least a hundred. And given how polite the Thirteenth Prince was, they naturally held no resentment.

It turned out that the thieves had thrown an enchanted tool into the Sword Forging Sect's furnace, causing a powerful explosion. The sect leader, Zhang Bailian, was slightly injured, while the disciple, Zhao Tietou, was severely wounded. During the chaos, the thieves managed to steal numerous valuable materials and weapons, resorting to particularly unscrupulous methods to carry out their theft.

However, no one at Sword Forging Sect had seen the thieves' faces, which made it impossible to put out a wanted notice. Even when the Imperial Supervisory Bureau used the Shadow of Radiance technique to recreate part of the scene, they only saw two shadowy figures in black robes moving suspiciously.

The only conclusion they could draw was that these two were experienced criminals.

Of course, the Assembly of Immortal Sects was always the time when thieves were most rampant, and the citizens of the capital were used to it. Especially since this time the target was a sect and not the people, the news of the explosion was swiftly overshadowed by the buzz of the second day of the assembly.

No one cared.

In an unnoticed corner, Chu Liang quietly slipped into the Famous Chef of the World.

He avoided the front door, not wanting anyone to tie him to the recent chaos. Sneaking in seemed like a good idea; after all, with the restaurant having lost its most precious cleaver, there was little chance they'd have increased their security, right?

When he reached the second floor, Chu Liang decided to stop hiding and approached one of Xue Yipin's disciples, requesting to see the master.

The disciple, having seen Chu Liang with the Imperial Supervisory Bureau earlier, didn't hesitate and immediately went to inform Xue Yipin.

The renowned chef of Yu soon appeared, his steps heavy with sorrow. Upon seeing Chu Liang holding the knife he had lost, he nearly fell to his knees in gratitude.

Concerned that the floorboards might break under the weight, Chu Liang quickly stopped Xue Yipin from kneeling.

"No need for such formalities, Chef Xue! I only happened to discover a couple of clues and tried to recover the knife—it's hardly anything," Chu Liang said quickly.

"Young Hero Chu, your effort in retrieving my beloved knife is truly a generous act. I honestly don't know how I can ever repay you," Xue Yipin admitted, visibly moved.

"There's no need for grand gestures of repayment. I have a fellow disciple who adores good food and has long been eager to try your famous Gourmet Banquet Platter. If you could prepare a meal for us, that would be more than enough," Chu Liang replied.

"Absolutely, that's no problem whatsoever," Xue Yipin said with a grand wave of his hand. "I'll arrange it right away. From now on, every time Young Hero Chu visits my restaurant, all dishes will be on the house—free for life! And for all Mount Shu Sect disciples, everything will be half-off!"

"You don't have to go to such lengths," Chu Liang quickly added. "I just hope that you don't publicly mention that I was the one who found the Famous Yipin Knife. After all..."

Since Chu Liang had already explained how he retrieved the knife, Xue Yipin quickly grasped the reason behind his request.

It was clear that Chu Liang wanted to avoid any additional trouble. And so, he nodded and assured, "Will do."

With a grin, he added, "I'll have my disciples get the ingredients ready for an exquisite Gourmet Banquet Platter, just for you, Young Hero Chu!"