C15 The Power of Five Pythons!

Chapter Fifteen: The Power of the Five Pythons

Lin Xi pulled Reed down to sit with him.

"Skipped breakfast, huh? Come on, eat with me!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Reed excitedly joined Lin Xi and started sipping the porridge.

Even Reed, who had the luxury of eating at restaurants, had never tasted the dishes Lin Xi had ordered.

Forget the cost of a kilogram of Demon Tiger meat; the price of just one of these dishes could deplete his family's savings of many years.

Such delicacies were typically reserved for the daring hunters who ventured into the Weeping Mountains to slay Demon Beasts, or the foreign trade groups that dealt in these rare materials.

Not even the heirs of the four great families could afford to indulge in such meals daily.

Reed's eyes reddened, and he was on the verge of tears.

"Xi, I..."

Lin Xi understood what was going through Reed's mind. He gently curved his finger and tapped Reed's forehead.

"Why the tears? If you ate like this every day, wouldn't you drown yourself?"

Lin Xi served Reed a few bites, knowing his frail body couldn't handle the shock of such potent energy, so he refrained from pushing him further.

Taking a bite of the dish, Lin Xi chewed thoughtfully. It was quite good, but it still paled in comparison to Chef Lin's culinary artistry.

Back when Chef Lin was around, he'd whip up several signature dishes for Lin Xi and Ke'er every day.

Those were happy times for Lin Xi.

Now, with his eyes closed, he swallowed a piece of tiger meat, filled with anticipation.

He theorized that the first time one consumed something, it transformed into vital essence and was drawn up by the eaves, eventually condensing into a drop of Green Dew. This single drop could propel him to the fifth level of the Realm of Might, the Warrior stage of the Five Pythons' power.

On his way to the Lucky Mug earlier, he had ingested all fifty-three Fasting Pills, which allowed the Green Dew to fully form, awakening the power of the four pythons within him. Even Lin Buji, the head butler by his side, only sensed a slight increase in his strength, oblivious to the fact that Lin Xi had reached the mid-stage of the Realm of Might Warrior.

As Lin Xi swallowed the Demonic Tiger meat, a burst of purple light erupted from the eaves on the left side of his mind. The meat was rapidly transformed into a surge of essence energy, which the eaves absorbed. A drop of Green Dew began to form, but contrary to Lin Xi's expectations, it did not condense into a perfect droplet.

Lin Xi was somewhat baffled by this. It was his first time consuming meat from a Level Two Demonic Beast, and the energy essence within it was vastly superior to the dried Demonic Beast meat that Ke'er had secretly stashed away the night before.

Even the finest of those dried meats, derived from a Level One Demonic Beast, had nearly propelled him to the second level of the Realm of Might.

Yet, after eating a piece of Level Two Demonic Tiger meat, he hadn't managed to produce a flawless drop of Green Dew.

Was it possible that the same Green Dew required varying amounts of energy depending on one's level of cultivation?

The Green Dew he was now producing seemed more concentrated than the previous droplets he had formed.

Growing impatient, Lin Xi abandoned his chopsticks and zeroed in on the tiger meat, neglecting the spiritual bamboo shoots. He devoured the three pounds of Demonic Tiger meat from the plate in no time.

With a resounding boom, the Green Dew spun amidst the eaves' purple glow, stubbornly refusing to fall.

Lin Xi's anxiety peaked. He realized that as a mid-stage Warrior, he needed much more energy to condense a drop of Green Dew than he did in the early stages.

In a display that astonished onlookers, Lin Xi crammed the remaining three plates of Demonic Bird and Beast meat into his mouth.

His body roared with activity, and a torrent of essence energy surged, vanishing into his mind. At last, the Green Dew dropped perfectly.

The Green Dew seeped into his skull, enriching and fortifying his muscles, blood vessels, bones, and meridians.

Overwhelmed by the immense energy, Lin Xi gripped his chopsticks, his mouth agape, as essence energy burst forth. His whole body shook involuntarily.

This alarming scene left Uncle Lin deeply concerned.

"Manager Lin, Lin Xi isn't overdoing it, is he? That's enough food to satisfy four mid-stage Warriors!"

He was secretly hoping that Lin Xi would overeat to the point of bursting, but given Lin Xi's unclear status, a death in the restaurant would be hard to explain, and he would be held accountable.

Lin Biyun couldn't help but sit up straight, tuning into Lin Xi's condition, his heart pounding with excitement.

"Is he about to level up again?"

Reed, unaware of what was happening to Lin Xi, frantically started to massage his back and belly.

"Xi, what's going on? Did you overdo it with the food?"

However, Lin Xi's stomach didn't swell up like a pot as everyone had expected.

It remained unchanged.

Where did all that meat go?

At that moment, Lin Xi felt an endless surge of energy flooding every cell of his body, the sensation of immense power intoxicating him.

Boom!

The bottleneck was broken, unleashing the power of five pythons!

Right then, Lin Xi wished he could just let loose a thunderous roar to express the wild joy he felt inside.

When he had left the Lin family estate, he was merely an early-stage Realm of Might warrior with the power of three pythons.

After arriving at the Lucky Mug and devouring four plates of meat, he had bypassed the power of four pythons he had gained along the way and ascended to the power of five pythons.

This astonishing rate of progression even frightened Lin Xi.

What was the origin of that half-archway in his mind? How could it be so miraculous?

After a moment of shock, Lin Xi's heart settled a bit. He looked around at the onlookers, his willpower reigning in the tumultuous energy, acting as if he wasn't the one who had just been trembling.

"What are you staring at? Never seen a big eater before?"

Lin Boqun and the rest were internally cursing and filled with fear.

How did this good-for-nothing suddenly develop such an insatiable appetite overnight?

Was he planning to eat enough to make up for over half a year's worth of food from the restaurant?

Lin Xi eyed the remaining delicacies on his plate.

Spiritual Bamboo, Fresh Mushrooms, Jade Lingzhi.

Each one was a Level Two Precious Material, and he hadn't had the chance to try them since his meridians had been cleared.

Could consuming these Precious Materials trigger another advancement?

The power of six pythons represented the pinnacle of the mid-stage Realm of Might!

So, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Xi once again picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, muttering to himself as he did so.

"A true hero masters the art of using chopsticks well. Hmm... delicious..."

Reed could only manage a couple of bites before he was full.

He couldn't fathom what had gotten into Xi, whose appetite seemed like an endless void.

With concern etched on his face, Reed continuously patted Lin Xi's stomach.

"Xi, take it easy, eat slowly..."

However, Lin Xi felt disheartened because, despite consuming several Level Two Precious Materials and condensing a drop of Green Dew, both the size and purity paled in comparison to the previous drop.

This experience reaffirmed for Lin Xi that the Green Dew required for the sixth level couldn't be achieved with these Level Two Precious Materials.

It served as a reminder to Lin Xi that, despite having access to a miraculous half-portal, the energy needed to condense a drop of Green Dew would significantly increase as his cultivation and strength improved.

Even now, despite this being his first time eating food prepared with precious medicinal herbs, it was still challenging to fully condense the Green Dew.

Wait...

Lin Xi suddenly recalled that he had consumed fifty-three fasting pills on his way here, which only served to complete the last drop of Green Dew and successfully unleash the power of the fourth python.

The issue was that the fifty-three fasting pills only managed to perfect the Green Dew that was already eighty percent complete.

This indicated that eating more fasting pills in the future wouldn't easily result in condensing a Green Dew.

Clearly, the fasting pills were concocted from precious medicinal herbs.

This meant that without a substantial supply of higher-grade meats and herbs, he couldn't ensure his steady progression.

Level Three Demonic Beast Meat!

At that moment, Lin Xi realized that to condense the Green Dew in his mind with Level Two Meat, he would likely need to consume dozens, if not hundreds, of dishes.

With no better options, Lin Xi resigned himself to this course of action.

However, given the availability of higher-grade Demonic Beast Meat at the restaurant, he wasn't concerned about failing to condense the sixth python's power.

It was time to call it quits on this meal!

Lin Xi, now a fifth-level Warrior in the Realm of Might, stood up.

"Uncle Lin, I've had just enough to eat. Time to get to work..."

Lin Buji stared intently at Lin Xi, as though probing for his secret.

Lin Xi briefly closed his eyes, signaling affirmation.

Lin Buji began to tremble involuntarily.

"Do you know? Your son has had an incredible stroke of luck and has risen rapidly. You can rest easy now."

Tears welled up in Lin Buji's eyes as he thought of Lin Xi's mother's fate and his own unspoken affection for her. He could no longer bear to stay.

"Alright, alright, alright. Get back to work. I'm heading to the old house."

Watching Lin Buji hurry off, Uncle Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Having seen Lin Xi's voracious appetite, Uncle Lin was more convinced than ever that a dramatic transformation had occurred within him.

He quickly took care of the restaurant's affairs and sent a trusted runner with breakfast for Young Master Lin, using it as a pretext to probe for the truth.

Upon Lin Xi's arrival in the kitchen, all the cooks and servers exchanged uneasy glances.

In the six months since Chef Lin's disappearance, they had tormented Lin Xi to curry favor with Young Master Lin Dong.

Though unaware of Lin Xi's newfound formidable power, they knew his status had changed, and his appetite had become extraordinary.

This development left them feeling both bewildered and uneasy.

Each returned to their tasks, while Reed stood shoulder to shoulder with Lin Xi.

"Xi."

Lin Xi offered a reassuring smile.

"Don't ask, don't tell. Just know that by sticking with Xi from now on, you'll never be subjected to bullying or abuse again."

Reed nodded emphatically, feeling as though a ray of sunlight had pierced the gloom of the kitchen.

...

An hour later, Lin Erpo, seething with rage to the point of nausea, left the Lucky Mug under the pretense of buying demon beast meat at the town market, only to enter a dimly lit room.

A stooped old man with eyes as cold as a serpent's gaze fixed on Lin Erpo.

"Did that good-for-nothing really devour all four plates? And the porridge too?"

Lin Erpo clenched his teeth in anger.

"He didn't touch the porridge, but I think..."

The old man was Elder Qiu, summoned by Lin Dong. He had previously instructed Lin Erpo to meet him here.

Learning of Lin Xi's actions at the restaurant, Elder Qiu felt an urgent need to eliminate Lin Xi.

He fished a small paper packet from his storage bag and passed it to Lin Erpo.

"Just mix this powder into the dish Lin Xi is going to eat, and by the time lunch is over, that good-for-nothing will be dead. Do you have the guts to do it?"