No!
Luo Sheng wished he could pry open Chen Xing'er's eyes and show her the world!
What kind of seaweed grows into this shape!
Abuse!
The only food abuse he had ever suffered in his life was today!
Luo Sheng had already lost all hope for the remaining dishes, but—
Luo Sheng watched as Chen Xing'er brought out the clear water fish from the kitchen in the next moment, raising an eyebrow. Its appearance was clearly much better than the previous two dishes.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Well, he couldn't ask too much of Chen Xing'er. With one dish that could go with rice, he could somehow manage to eat a bowl of rice by enduring it.
Comforting himself like this, Luo Sheng placed his chopsticks on the fish's belly—
?
Luo Sheng stared in shock at the scales he had peeled off with his chopsticks, then, still unwilling to give up, he thrust his chopsticks into the clear water fish's belly again—
Huh?
"Don't you clean the innards and scales?"
Chen Xing'er frowned. "The recipe doesn't have that step."
Because it's common sense!
Who would just throw the whole fish into the pot like that!
Luo Sheng took a deep breath. "Don't tell me it was still wriggling when you put it in the pot."
Chen Xing'er looked a bit surprised. "You've made this dish before too?"
"How did you know?"
Luo Sheng: ...
Luo Sheng was completely speechless.
He had considered standing up and taking his leave then and there, but—
Chen Fan gave him a warning look. "Finish your meal. Don't you dare waste it."
Luo Sheng took a deep breath.
For the first time in his life, he ate a meal of plain rice mixed with plain rice.
The feeling of fullness was extraordinary. Luo Sheng even felt that after this meal, he could directly abstain from eating for a month.
He couldn't wait to bid farewell to Chen Fan and the others.
And he swore that he never wanted to experience such a blessing a second time in his life!
...
Upon returning to the Luo Sect, Luo Sheng confined himself to his room for the next few days.
This was not due to the lingering trauma from Chen Xing'er's meal, but rather because ever since he had witnessed Chen Fan's display of power that day, he felt as though he had grasped something. He immediately locked himself in his room to meditate and comprehend.
He stayed there for three full days.
When he opened his eyes again, a sharp light blazed in Luo Sheng's pupils!
The spiritual energy surrounding him had become more concentrated!
The imposing aura that had been emanating from him due to his training in the black market instantly faded. If Luo Sheng of the past few days was like a drawn sword, then now, he had sheathed his sharpness.
He had broken through!
In just ten days, he had reached the Nascent Soul stage!
If someone had told him ten days ago that he would have such an opportunity, he would have scoffed at the idea of being tricked!
Such a cultivation speed, if it were to spread, would likely shake all of Europa!
"Young Master!"
Luo Yi's voice, though somewhat muffled, reached him.
Luo Sheng retracted all the overflowing spiritual energy and adjusted his state, calling out, "Enter."
Luo Yi had not seen him for some time. Looking at him now, he couldn't pinpoint what was different, but he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He quickly suppressed his curious thoughts and cupped his hands towards Luo Sheng, "The elders are waiting in the front hall for you to discuss tomorrow's assessment ceremony."
Luo Sheng nodded, rose from his seat, and walked towards the front hall.
Since the Vic Party's downfall, the Enforcement Hall had swiftly annexed several forces in the East District, propelling the Luo Sect to become the strongest mafia in Europa. The Elder Hall's attitude towards Luo Sheng had visibly shifted.
Luo Sheng was, after all, a descendant of the Luo family. If he could shoulder great responsibility, they did not wish to place their hopes on an outsider like Dai Wei.
Luo Sheng entered the grand hall.
The Elder Hall was seated on the left, while Dai Wei and others were on the right.
Luo Sheng smiled and unhesitatingly stepped forward to sit in the main seat. "Regarding tomorrow's assessment, what are your thoughts?"
The current spokesperson for the Elder Hall was named Qin.
He nodded at Luo Sheng and handed Luo Sheng an invitation that had been prepared earlier. "This is the invitation list I've drafted. I've invited some forces friendly with our Luo Sect to observe."
Luo Sheng glanced at it, and upon seeing the Mars family at the head of the list, he showed a look of surprise. "Why have we invited the Five Great Families this time?"
After all, in Europa, the Five Great Families had always disdained associating with forces like theirs.
Elder Qin, prompted by his words, showed a hint of gratification in his eyes. "After the merger of the East and West Districts, the Luo Sect can be considered a significant power in Europa. Naturally, the Five Great Families will seek to forge connections."
If there were a power pyramid in Europa, the original Luo Sect belonged to Level Three, while the Five Great Families would undoubtedly belong to Level Two. The distinction was clear, and there had never been any interaction between them.
This was the first time the Luo Sect had engaged with members of the Five Great Families.
But this absolutely proved that the Luo Sect was moving towards becoming a Level Two force, which was a good thing.
Luo Sheng smiled and set the invitation aside. "Thank you for your trouble, Elder Qin."
Dai Wei, listening to their exchange, wore a cold expression.
"Elder Qin, won't this backfire?"
"Don't forget, Luo Sheng will also be participating in this assessment. If the people from the Five Great Families see that our young master is a martial artist of such caliber, aren't you afraid of making a laughingstock of us?"
Elder Qin frowned. He looked at Luo Sheng, who was seated at the head. "Has Young Master made any progress recently?"
Luo Sheng smiled. "Naturally."
"This time, I will not disappoint you."
The Elder Hall had indeed been wavering in recent days. Seeing Luo Sheng now, who bore a strong resemblance to the demeanor of the former Luo Sect Master—
They exchanged glances.
The Luo Sect had suffered from internal strife for a long time. Now was the time to take sides and end everything quickly, so that they could move forward without reservation.