Chapter 9: Sauce Trouble and Soul Power Pressure
Xiao Qiang could clearly feel Tian Meng's control over his digestive system kicking in. His bloated belly, which had been gradually expanding from the feast, slowly shrank. He exhaled in relief, inwardly sighing with satisfaction at the correctness of his earlier decision.
Currently, Xiao Qiang's soul power was only at level 32. Reaching level 40 in less than a year through training alone was nearly impossible.
After all, even Tang Ya, who possessed the devouring ability, had taken an entire year to break through from the third to the fourth ring. Under such conditions, if Xiao Qiang wanted to increase his cultivation quickly, he had to tap into every available resource and strength.
That meant fully developing not only his own potential, but also Tian Meng's.
He still remembered watching The Legend of the Dragon Kings back in his previous life, especially the part where Tang Wulin improved his physical fitness by eating absurd amounts of food. Back then, Xiao Qiang had envied that ability deeply.
So when his Martial Soul awakened and memories from his past life returned, he began researching how to enhance his physical body through food intake.
But unfortunately, as a mere Soul Master under level 30, Xiao Qiang couldn't create soul skills yet. And even if he could, they wouldn't be suitable for his current Martial Soul.
After dozens of trials and failures, he came to realize that he was lacking in one crucial aspect—control. Whether it was control over his body or his soul power, he simply wasn't proficient enough.
That's why, even before acquiring Tian Meng, Xiao Qiang had already made plans for what he would do after obtaining this ancient soul beast.
Whether it was extracting soul power from food or filtering substances that could enhance physical attributes, any method that could help him grow stronger was worth studying. So after bonding with Tian Meng, Xiao Qiang asked him to research how to gain strength through eating.
This method would at least marginally reduce the difficulty of his ambitious goal—rising eight levels within a year. Xiao Qiang wasn't sure just how much easier it would become, but even a slight reduction was worth it. After all, without Immortal Herbs, such rapid growth was nearly impossible—even with the advantage of having a "script" to follow.
"Alright," Tian Meng's voice echoed in his mind, "it's still just a prototype, but it's functional. I'll gradually improve it from here."
"You're amazing, Brother Tian Meng! I knew you could do it!" Xiao Qiang said with enthusiastic flattery, which made Tian Meng glow with pride.
Since they were now partners, Xiao Qiang had to keep up the act. Especially since he would need Tian Meng's assistance in the future, it was important not to let him lose confidence.
While Tian Meng continued enjoying the flavor of human food through Xiao Qiang's body, a man in a Shrek Academy uniform entered the barbecue restaurant. He raised his hand and motioned for the restaurant owner to come over, then whispered a few words in his ear.
The owner looked surprised for a moment, glanced at the Shrek uniform, and seemed to make a decision.
Soon after, the owner walked over to Xiao Qiang—currently under Tian Meng's control—and interrupted him mid-bite.
"Pay up," the owner said bluntly.
Tian Meng was instantly annoyed, ready to lash out, but Xiao Qiang quickly regained control of his body. He placed a gold soul coin on the table without protest.
In the Douluo Continent, the currency hierarchy was copper, silver, and gold soul coins—ten to one at each tier. One gold soul coin was equivalent to 100 copper coins, and since a single copper coin was worth about 20 yuan, this was more than enough for their meal.
"Tian Meng, calm down. Don't get angry just because someone interrupted your eating," Xiao Qiang said soothingly in the spiritual sea.
"But he interrupted me right when I was enjoying it the most!" Tian Meng snapped, frustrated.
"Brother Tian Meng, we are cultivators striving to become gods. We are far above ordinary people now. We shouldn't argue over trivial things like this. Besides, we did eat quite a bit. It's understandable if he got a little nervous about us skipping the bill."
As someone who had once lived at the bottom of society, Xiao Qiang understood the struggles of ordinary people. That's why he didn't mind the owner asking for the money upfront.
"This should cover it," Xiao Qiang said, gesturing at the coin.
"Enough, enough…" the barbecue owner murmured, taking the coin. But then, he glanced at the Shrek student standing nearby. Realizing this might be his only opportunity to build connections with Shrek Academy, he changed his expression.
The smile that came from receiving a gold coin disappeared instantly, replaced by a forced scowl filled with anger and malice.
"That's enough! Stop eating!"
He reached out again to stop Tian Meng, who was still chewing, and this time even Xiao Qiang frowned.
"Let's be clear," Xiao Qiang said, his voice growing colder. "We had 11 plates of beef, 11 plates of mutton, and 11 servings of lettuce. They're all just regular meats, not soul beast meat. At most, each dish costs 2 or 3 copper coins. The total shouldn't even exceed seven silver coins. Do you think I'm an idiot? Or are you running a scam here?"
The restaurant owner faltered at Xiao Qiang's imposing aura, but upon remembering the Shrek student's involvement, he braced himself and forced a reply.
"You used too much sauce!"
"…What?" Xiao Qiang was dumbfounded.
"Our Thousand Aroma Barbecue Sauce uses rare ingredients! The cost is enormous! Who told you to dip so much?!"
"…So that's why it tasted so good," Tian Meng said from within. Xiao Qiang was left speechless.
Clearly, Tian Meng's palate was underdeveloped, and he'd gone overboard the moment he tasted something decent.
With a sigh, Xiao Qiang took out another gold soul coin and placed it on the table. "Here. This should settle everything."
It wasn't a big deal in terms of money, and Xiao Qiang didn't want to waste energy dealing with this.
The owner quickly pocketed the second coin, but then—
"Get out. You're not welcome here," he said, pointing at Xiao Qiang.
He clearly knew what was more valuable: the possibility of befriending a Shrek student, or accepting a few gold coins.
"I've already paid," Xiao Qiang said coldly.
"I said get out!"
"I only ate half my food!"
"You're not welcome! Get out!"
"Return the gold soul coin."
"No! Leave!" the shop owner snapped and reached out, intending to push Xiao Qiang.
In that moment, Xiao Qiang's eyes turned crimson, revealing two tomoe—the distinctive form of the Sharingan.
Everything slowed in his eyes. He could see the shop owner's motion in crystal clarity. Calmly, he lifted a hand to block it, then grabbed a nearby empty bowl and slammed it into the man's face, sending him flying five meters back.
Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—suddenly appeared beneath Xiao Qiang's feet, rotating slowly as they radiated his pressure.
"Did you really think I'd keep giving you face?"