Bella Bai had suffered an accidental injury when she was very young.
This hidden injury never fully healed. It lurked deep within her body like a dormant beast.
Every year, the injury would flare up, causing her unbearable pain.
Even after joining the Nine Soul Sect and becoming a cultivator, her condition didn't improve much.
But now...
Bella had merely sniffed the aroma of this Hot Pot.
And the hidden injury inside her body actually showed signs of healing.
She was shocked.
Her condition hadn't improved in years. Even her Sect Leader, Gary Gongsun, said that curing it would require a pill refined from several rare Heavenly Treasures.
"Could it be... that this messy pot of ingredients is actually filled with Heavenly Treasures?"
Bella couldn't help but think this wild thought.
Meanwhile, everyone else's expressions were changing rapidly.
"Eh? Just smelling this scent makes my blood and Qi flow so smoothly. I feel completely refreshed!"
Lance Xu was amazed.
"My cultivation, which has been stagnant for years, seems to be stirring as well," Emperor Dominic remarked.
Everyone present felt a distinct change just from the smell.
Hidden injuries were soothing. Stagnant blood was flowing. Bottlenecks were loosening.
The younger generation—Dustin, Bobby, and Serena—were flushed red, their energy overflowing.
"Don't just stand there. Dig in!"
Quinn Ye urged them. He picked out a piece of meat for himself and ate it with relish.
Hot Pot was his favorite dish in his previous life.
Since coming to this world, he had made it a few times, but always ate alone (or with Big Fuzz).
Eating Hot Pot alone was lonely. It just didn't feel right.
But this time was different.
So many people gathered around a big wok.
This was satisfying. This was the right vibe.
"Sect Leader Xu, Your Majesty, I won't be polite then!"
Princess Tiffany giggled. She reached in with her chopsticks and picked up a shiny, soft piece of... something (probably tripe).
She didn't know what it was, but it looked delicious.
She popped it into her mouth.
Instantly, Tiffany's face turned bright red.
"So spicy!"
She exhaled sharply, fanning her open mouth with her hand. Haa... Haa...
Seeing her reaction, the others hesitated.
"Is it that spicy?"
Lance frowned.
He always preferred a bland diet and disliked heavy flavors. Naturally, he was averse to such spicy food.
Tiffany was too spicy-shocked to speak.
"Dad, let me try first."
Serena Xu couldn't wait. She grabbed a piece of beef and stuffed it in her mouth.
"Delicious! But so spicy!" Serena screamed in surprise.
Her face, like Tiffany's, quickly turned a rosy pink.
Dustin Lee and Bobby Zhao followed suit. They handled the spice better than the girls and focused more on the flavor.
"This is too delicious!"
Bobby, the little fatty, exclaimed repeatedly.
He was the biggest foodie of the group. But this Hot Pot? It was a flavor profile he had never experienced before.
Texture, taste, heat—everything was novel.
He couldn't stop praising it! And he couldn't stop eating!
"Is it really that good?"
Lance looked suspicious, but his curiosity was piqued.
"Master, you have to try it! It's amazing!" Dustin urged.
"Fine. I will try it. But if it is too spicy, I will stop."
With that dignified thought, Lance solemnly picked up a single green vegetable leaf.
He didn't want meat. He figured a vegetable leaf would be lighter and less spicy.
Quinn saw this and wanted to warn him, but he was too late.
The leaf entered Lance's mouth.
Lance's face changed instantly.
Holy crap!
This is too spicy!
No! I must hold it in!
I am a Grandmaster! A Sect Leader! I absolutely cannot show weakness in front of the Emperor and the juniors!
Lance forced himself to chew slowly, suppressing the urge to scream. He nodded slightly.
"Hmm. Not bad."
Everyone stared at him.
"Master... your face..." Dustin stammered.
"What about my face?" Lance asked, trying to keep his cool.
"Dad, your face is redder than mine. You're sweating buckets," Serena pointed out mercilessly.
Lance: "..."
Quinn laughed. "Sect Leader Xu, the leafy greens in Hot Pot are actually the spiciest. They absorb the oil and the flavor the most. All the heat gets trapped in the leaves."
Lance's mouth twitched. He almost cursed out loud.
Why didn't you tell me earlier?!
Now he was stuck in this awkward situation.
"Haha! Interesting, interesting. I want to try too."
Emperor Dominic couldn't resist anymore.
"Your Majesty, let your subordinate taste it first," Julian quickly interjected (checking for poison).
"No need. Sect Leader Xu and the others are eating. Why can't I?"
Dominic waved him off and put a piece of meat in his mouth.
He chewed twice, and his eyes lit up.
"Truly delicious!"
As an Emperor, he was tired of royal delicacies. But this Hot Pot gave him a sensation he had never felt before.
Indescribable.
Spicy, but comfortable.
Despite the chaos of ingredients in the pot, nothing clashed. Instead, they blended into a unique, divine flavor.
"This is truly a supreme taste of the mortal world!" Dominic praised.
Julian was shocked. His Majesty hadn't shown such an expression in years. He quickly grabbed a bite too. "Tsk tsk, it really is good."
Now, only Bella Bai hadn't touched her chopsticks.
It wasn't that she didn't want to eat. She really wanted to try.
But...
She looked at the boiling red oil, the messy mix of vegetables, and everyone dipping their chopsticks into the same pot.
Germaphobia kicked in.
She had been a clean freak since childhood. Eating from a communal pot with others was something she physically struggled to accept.
"Bella, aren't you eating? It's so good," Tiffany asked, sweat beading on her forehead and lips red from the spice.
Bella smiled awkwardly.
"I... I'll pass. You guys enjoy."
"Alright then."
Tiffany went back to stuffing her face.
Quinn was happy to see everyone enjoying the food. It was much livelier than his usual meals.
Unfortunately, Big Fuzz and the Bald Rabbit sat by the side, waiting and waiting, but getting nothing.
Soon, the giant pot of food was wiped clean.
Bobby Zhao didn't seem satisfied. He picked up the wok, intending to drink the soup base.
Quinn quickly stopped him.
"Bro, you are hardcore. That's pure soup base. Do you want to die of sodium poisoning?"
Denied the soup, Bobby put the pot down reluctantly.
"Is everyone satisfied?" Quinn asked with a smile.
"Satisfied! Very satisfied!"
"Delicious!"
"This is the happiest meal I've ever had!"
Everyone praised him, still savoring the aftertaste.
Suddenly, Dustin Lee's face changed.
"My cultivation..."
BOOM!!!
Dustin felt a fire burning in his dantian.
In the next second, his cultivation rank broke through directly.