Twelve years later.

Qingyan Town gradually changed. From a peaceful frontier town, it turned into a busy, congested military fortress.

The whole town was covered in a blue-gray hue. In the past, it was pure blue, with blue tiles and white walls, bluestone and white steps, and the whole town was a simple and fresh look, like a paradise.

And now, all of that is gone. Because, the Cangling Kingdom and the Jianyan Kingdom are at war. The peace on the western border, which had lasted for 350 years, was broken.

Since the day the announcement of the war came, the whole town was in a panic. Most of the town's 18 villages have moved their families and fled to safe areas inland. The farmland was deserted, the mines were suspended, and even the fish and shrimp in the river were no longer touched.

Men sent by the military settled in the town and took over the entire town of Qingyan. Bands after groups of soldiers passed through the town and headed for the front line. Truckloads of supplies were brought to the town and stored in vacant houses. What was once a smooth and flat stone street has now been crushed to the ground. The streets were littered with garbage, and the walls of the houses were dirty. Few of the civilians who remained in the town dared to go out, except for those who had been drafted into the army to work. The war has just begun, and no one can guarantee that it will not fall here.

Of the town's original five restaurants, only one is still open. Even if it's the only one, it's just barely holding on. All the people are running out, so how can there be any guests?

"Ahem...... Ahem......"

Ye Hengyuan coughed vigorously twice, wiped the sweat on his forehead, bent down, and lifted the lid of the pot in front of him. The dish is not fully cooked. It's the same in another pot.

"Xiao Ye!" the proprietress shouted from the counter, "Make another plate of braised pork!"

"Well, okay!" Ye Hengyuan replied loudly, took out a large piece of pork from the bamboo basket on the right, washed it, threw it on the board, picked up the kitchen knife, and quickly cut it.

He cuts meat very quickly, faster than the average chef can cut vegetables. At this moment, if someone stood next to him, they would definitely find that on his right hand holding the kitchen knife, there were fluctuations of spiritual power from time to time.

"Dangdangdang......" The kitchen knife slammed into the board.

He never believed why he didn't have a martial spirit. Not only Grandpa, but almost everyone in the village could feel the incomparably abundant spiritual power in his body. What's more, from the age of ten, he himself can control the spiritual power in his body without any guidance.

But at the age of twelve, the dream he had been pinning on since childhood was shattered. Martial Spirit, the most precious, mysterious, and powerful thing in this Cangling Continent, has never appeared in him.

No one can tell him why. Grandpa can't, the friends in the village can't, the adults can't, and even the appraiser in the city just touched his head and sighed.

He only knew that without martial spirits, he would always be an ordinary person, just like everyone in this town, living an ordinary life. Not to mention in the village, even in the town, there are not many people with martial spirits. If there is a martial spirit, why stay in such a small place?

Or, just being a chef, okay? Since he came to this small restaurant three years ago to learn his art, no matter how much he suffers or how tired he is, he has never been unhappy. Whether it is the proprietress or the master in charge, or the other guys in the shop, no one does not praise his diligence and ingenuity. Half a year ago, the chef in charge left, and he became the head chef of the store. Just as he was just beginning to make his mark in the town, war came. The rest of the guys also ran away, leaving him and the proprietress alone.

He is still somewhat literate, at least he loves to read. From childhood to adulthood, his grandfather's entire bookcase made him go through it no less than ten times. He remembered that since the establishment of the Cangling Kingdom, there had hardly been a few years when there was real peace and stability. The Cuiyin Kingdom in the east, the Jianyan Country in the west, the Blazing Dome Country in the south, and the Canglan Country in the north have all been attacking the Cangling Kingdom in turn as agreed for thousands of years.

If it weren't for the fact that the Cangling Kingdom had the most abundant resources, the most powerful army, and the twelve spirit generals who were like gods, I was afraid of ......

"Xiao Ye!" the proprietress shouted again, "Okay?"

"Okay!

After the proprietress shouted this, she immediately walked out from behind the counter with a smile and a teapot to serve tea to the guests.

This small restaurant is not very large, with only five tables in total, one large in the middle and four smaller ones around. Although it is a small shop, it is cleaned from the inside out, and there is not a trace of dust to be found. At this moment, the other four tables were empty, and only the large table had two guests seated. The guest on the left has long hair, a bun, a white robe, a pair of cloth shoes, and a folding fan in his hand. The guest on the right, dressed in a short coat made of animal skins and carrying a dagger pinned to his waist, has a rugged and bold appearance, and has a large beard that runs from the tip of his chin to his sideburns, and looks like a hunter.

While pouring tea for the two, the proprietress involuntarily glanced at the two. She couldn't help but wonder who these two men were. There was a war coming soon, and there were still literate people coming to this place, and they were with a hunter, and she even suspected that these two people were spies sent by the Jianyan country.

"Woo-"

Ye Hengyuan bent down, lifted the curtain at the kitchen door with his left hand, and held a large tray almost half the size of a small table with his right hand, walked to the big table in a few steps, and gently placed the three dishes in the middle of the table.

"Guest, the braised pork, kung pao chicken, and stir-fried kale you ordered, right? ”

The white-robed scholar raised his head, glanced at Ye Hengyuan's smiling face, lowered his head, picked up chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"How's it going?" the proprietress asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied?"

"Uh-huh," the white-robed scholar kept chuttering, nodding his head again and again, a satisfied expression on his face.

The short-clad hunter on the other side was already a little impatient and began to eat heavily. He pulled the plate containing the diced Kung Pao chicken directly in front of him, picked up the spoon and slashed it into his mouth, looking like he had been hungry for days.

"Young man," the white-robed scholar put down the chopsticks in his hand and turned his head to look at Ye Hengyuan, "Are you making these dishes?"

"Oh?" Ye Hengyuan was stunned for a moment.

"How old are you today?" the white-robed scholar said in a tone like an elder who cared about his juniors.

"I ...... I was eighteen years old. Ye Hengyuan scratched his hair a little embarrassed.

"Eighteen years old...... Uh-huh," the white-robed scholar smiled, "Do you have a martial spirit?"

"Huh?" Ye Hengyuan was so frightened that he took two steps back, his mouth wide open. He didn't expect this person to ask him this question out of the blue.

"Boy," the short-clad hunter looked up as well, putting down the spoon in his hand, "you've done a great job." Whether it is the heat or the knife skills, it is simply impeccable. My eldest brother and I have never eaten such a delicious dish. ”

"That's right," the white-robed scholar put his hand into the bag hanging from his belt, took out a snow-white handkerchief, and wiped his hands, "We don't believe that such a good dish would be made by an ordinary person who has no martial spirit and no psychic power." ”

"Oh, the two guest officers are really good at laughing," the proprietress smiled and waved the small fan in her hand, "How can there be a spirit master in our small place?"

"Hmm, hmm......" Ye Hengyuan's face turned slightly red, and he smiled and waved his hand, but there was a faint hint of loss in his eyes.

"yes," the short-clothed hunter picked up the wine glass on his right hand and drank all the wine in the cup, "In this world now, spirit masters have basically gone to become officials or go to war. ”

"There will be a fight here soon," the white-robed scholar also picked up his wine glass, but only took a sip, "Boss, I'm afraid you don't have any business here, don't you?"

"Alas," the proprietress sighed, "where are you going? to the city? I'm a woman, and I'm a helpless ......."

"Ah, boss lady," Ye Hengyuan pointed to the kitchen door, "Those baskets of steamed buns will be steamed immediately, I'll go and serve them." ”

"Okay," the proprietress waved her hand, "when it's steamed, take it out and put it in the cupboard." ”

Ye Hengyuan went back to the kitchen. The white-robed scholar and the short-robed hunter stopped talking, and buried themselves in their drinks. The proprietress stood behind the counter, bowed her head and pretended to tidy up her things, occasionally looking up at the two who were drinking.

"Squeak-bang-click-"

The half-hidden bamboo door was suddenly pushed open by a big hand and slammed into the wall on the other side, making a muffled and crunching sound.

Three soldiers stepped in through the door. On the left is a tall man with a crooked nose, triangular eyes, a large black mole on his forehead, and a very thin body, wearing a military uniform like a face pocket. On the right is a pudgy man, nearly a head shorter than the tall man, with a horizontal layer of flesh on his face and belly, and a beard like that of a short-clothed hunter. The man in the middle was of moderate height, neither fat nor thin, but with a pockmarked face, he looked fierce. None of the three of them were armed, but they all had a bullish expression on their faces, their nostrils pointing at their faces and their eyes on the ceiling.

"Hey, boss!" The tall soldier on the left stretched out a big dirty hand, glanced at the boss, opened his loud voice and began to shout, "Bring us wine!"

The scholar and the hunter raised their heads at the same time and turned their gaze to the three soldiers. The scholar's eyes were very flat and emotionless, like looking at a stray dog, and he glanced at the arrogant tall soldier and turned his head back. The hunter's eyes were like two sharp knives, piercing straight into the eye socket of Humpty Dumpty on the right. Humpty Dumpty froze for a moment and took a step back. The three of them did not carry any weapons, and their courage was not as great as they appeared.

The proprietress naturally heard the soldier's shout, and looked up boldly. No one noticed that there was a trace of sadness and grief hidden in her Danfeng eyes, which had been faded by the years. Years ago, her husband, who was working in a silver mine, was shot to death by several drunken soldiers as enemies. She also has no children. It was the soldiers who left her alone.

"Hey!" she unnaturally put on a smiling face that didn't match her heart at all, "Bosses, what kind of wine do you want to drink?"

"Do you have any Huadiao wine here?" the tall soldier paced to the front of the counter, put one hand on the counter, raised his foot, and rubbed the masonry with his mud-stained shoes, "give us one of our brothers." ”

"Oh, Huadiao wine?" The proprietress tried to suppress the disgust in her heart, and shook her head with a smile, "I'm sorry, bosses, it's sold out." ”

"What? sold out?" the tall man immediately bared his teeth, clenched his fists, and glared at the proprietress directly, "What the hell?

"That's it," Humpty Dumpty also took two steps forward, and pinched his waist with both hands, which was half a circle wider than the average person, "Brother fights a war, is it easy to defend the family and the country? Can't you drink some good wine?"

"Yo, yo, boss, don't worry," the proprietress was still smiling, but she was already angry in her heart, "You also know, now there are few soldiers in this area, and there are few locals left, we don't have any business here at all, how can we prepare any Huadiao wine?"

"It's a fart!" the tall man slammed his fist on the counter, making the wooden counter rattle, "You don't give me face, do you?"

"Locals are people, and we are not people when we are soldiers?"

The short-clothed hunter raised his head, clenched his fists, and just wanted to stand up, but was stopped by the white-clothed scholar.

"Hey!" Ye Hengyuan opened the door curtain, walked out of the kitchen, and when he saw that the tall soldier was about to play tricks, he pointed at the tall soldier's nose and roared, "What do you want to do?"

"Xiao Ye!" The proprietress immediately showed a frightened expression, turned her head to Ye Hengyuan, and kept gesturing to him, signaling him not to cause trouble.

"Oops," the tall soldier crooked his mouth and smiled, pinched his knuckles vigorously with both hands, and walked towards Ye Hengyuan with one step.

"There's a little hairy guy here? What, is this your guy here?"

"I'm not a little hairy egg," Ye Hengyuan swallowed his saliva and carefully looked at this veteran ruffian who was about the same size as himself, "I'm the chef of this restaurant." Please don't cause trouble here. We really don't have Huadiao wine here, and it's too late to buy it now. ”

"Huh?" The tall man glared, raised his eyebrows, gritted a mouthful of yellow and black teeth, and walked towards Ye Hengyuan with his fists clenched, "You little kid still preaches Lao Tzu? Believe it or not, Lao Tzu cleaned you up today?"

"Xiao Ye!" The proprietress was a little anxious, shaking her head and waving her hand.

Ye Hengyuan stood in place as if he hadn't heard, spread his legs, bent his knees forward slightly, bent his waist down, and stared straight at the face of the tall soldier with his eyes. The tall soldier punched him directly to the left side of the face.

Ye Hengyuan swung his head to the right, his upper body sank down, just dodging the tall man's fist, his body rushed forward, and then tilted to the right, and his right shoulder just hit the tall man's chest. Immediately after, his right arm was lifted from below, and his right fist went straight to the tall man's chin.

"Huh?" the tall man was taken aback, but nimbly stepped back to avoid the uppercut. Humpty Dumpty and Mazi rushed up from both sides at the same time and stood on either side of him.

"Stinky boy, you don't want to live, do you?" Humpty Dumpty scolded loudly, "Believe it or not, Lao Tzu smashed your store today?"

The proprietress leaned against the counter in fright, her hands clutching the bulge on the counter, her body began to tremble, and she gasped for air. Once again, the white-robed scholar stopped the hunter who was about to stand up.

"Hmph, hmph......" The tall man was not angry but happy, waved his arms twice, opened his arms, put on a posture, and looked at Ye Hengyuan carefully, seeing the turquoise eyes from his spiritual short black hair, and then seeing the pair of strong and not fat legs from his pair of sturdy forearms.

Just as there was an ugly and strange laugh between his lips and teeth, a faint, disordered, and mixed spiritual power spread out from his body, quickly enveloping Ye Hengyuan's body. Immediately after, a wooden stick about half a meter long and half a fist thick appeared in his hand. He raised his arm, lifted the stick, and swung it twice. A stream of spiritual power slowly poured out of his body and converged on the wooden stick.

Ye Hengyuan's body trembled involuntarily, and he stepped back little by little. He didn't expect that this obscene-looking veteran ruffian turned out to be a spiritual master with a martial spirit.

He remembered that it had been written on the books in his grandfather's bookcase. In the entire Cangling Continent, everyone has spiritual power, but less than one-tenth of them can possess martial spirits and become spirit masters. The spiritual power in the human body is divided into eight levels, and each level is divided into eight levels. The initial strength of spiritual power at birth is different for each person, but it is between the first order and the first order and the eighth order. Since ordinary people can't cultivate, their spiritual power will never be able to break through the second order, and even if they master the method of using spiritual power, it will be difficult to obtain any powerful power, and at most they can only use spiritual power in their own lives.

He still remembered his grandfather's extremely disappointed and sad expression when the spiritual power appraiser in the city told him that the spiritual power in his body was a first-level and eighth-order.

He could also feel that the spiritual power of this veteran ruffian in front of him was not strong at all, nor was it strong, or even unorthodox, and there were many impurities in it. His martial spirit is also the lowest-level wooden stick, which means that his strength will not exceed the second order and second order at most, and it is impossible for him to break through the third order in his life.

But even so, he is much more powerful than an ordinary person like himself...... If he throws a stick at his head, maybe his brain can be used to make tofu brain......

"Quack!" The laughter of the tall veteran ruffian became more and more harsh and arrogant, "What's the matter, little hairy egg? Are you scared? Kowtow to Lao Tzu, call Lao Tzu Grandpa, and Lao Tzu will let you go!"

At this moment, the white-robed scholar suddenly turned around, faced the tall veteran ruffian, and coldly raised his right hand. A milky white spiritual wave only the thickness of his little finger flew out from his fingertips and hit the wooden stick in his hand.

In the next second, the black-gray wooden stick suddenly turned into a milky white color exactly like the spiritual power wave, and then disappeared. The tall soldier also weakened his legs, and the whole person collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Ahh

"Ahh

Humpty Dumpty and Fat screamed in horror at the same time, and at the same time sat down on the ground, staring at the white-robed scholar who was still elegant a second ago, as if he was facing the verdict of death, his whole body trembled, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead and neck at the same time.

Ye Hengyuan was even more dumbfounded, staring blankly at the slender, white, and clean right hand of the white-robed scholar.

With only the simplest fluctuation of spiritual power, he smashed other people's martial spirits? This person must be a master...... Maybe...... He's still ......

"You've gone too far. ”

The white-clothed scholar took out the handkerchief again, gently wiped his right hand, and stood up from his seat, looking down at Humpty Dumpty and Pock, who were almost frightened.

"That's what happens to bullying. Brother, are you done eating? Let's go. ”

"Hmm. ”

The short-robed hunter followed the white-robed scholar and slowly walked out the door. The two kept walking and disappeared at the intersection.

This was the first time Ye Hengyuan had seen the power of a true spirit master. But he would never have imagined that many years later, the power he had in his hands would be far more powerful than that