Xu Mu opened the Immortal Alliance Network once more. He navigated to the River City district forums and drafted a new thread.
[Hiring: Private Spirit Chef] I am looking to hire a Spirit Chef to manage my three daily meals. I will provide all necessary ingredients. Monthly Salary: 20 Spirit Stones. Requirement: At least First Rank Mid-Grade or above. Note: Private accommodations can be provided within the villa if the applicant prefers not to commute.
The villa was vast, with more than enough rooms to house staff. If the chef lived on-site, it would be far more efficient.
For a First Rank Mid-Grade Spirit Chef, a salary of twenty stones would be considered low in a commercial restaurant setting. In a professional kitchen, the hours were grueling and the volume of dishes immense, justifying a higher pay grade. However, being responsible for only Xu Mu's personal meals was a light workload, and the salary reflected that balance.
After posting the advertisement, Xu Mu entered the Cave Abode World. He headed to the Trading Platform and spent 10 Spirit Stones to purchase a Spirit Pet Contract.
These contracts were crafted by professional Beast Tamers to bind a Spirit Beast to a master. While the manufacturing process wasn't overly complex, the materials required made them costly. Xu Mu immediately applied the contract to the sleeping Thunder Cloud Leopard cub.
When used on a cub, success was virtually guaranteed; the greater the strength of the Spirit Beast or Yao Beast, the higher the chance of the contract failing.
As the contract took hold, the Little Leopard stirred from its deep slumber. It blinked its sleepy eyes, looking up at Xu Mu with a newfound sense of instinctive closeness. Xu Mu reached out and gently stroked its small head.
"Wu... wu..."
The Little Leopard opened its tiny mouth and let out a soft whine. Through their mental bond, Xu Mu felt a sharp pang of hunger.
"What exactly does a creature this small eat?"
Xu Mu quickly retrieved the feeding guide Liao Kai had provided. Fortunately, it addressed this very stage of development.
“Generally, Spirit Beasts can transition to raw meat after three months. However, as this Little Leopard has only just completed its first month, Beast Milk is the optimal choice.”
Xu Mu brought the cub back to the real world. He opened a food delivery app on his phone and searched for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion storefront. This was an official outlet of the Immortal Alliance, a hub for all cultivation-related commerce. While prices here were slightly higher than private trades or the Cave Abode World platform, it offered unparalleled variety and rapid delivery.
He ordered twenty Catties of First Rank Spirit Beast Milk, which arrived at his doorstep within half an hour.
Xu Mu poured a portion into a small bowl and set the Little Leopard beside it. Catching the scent of the milk, the cub dove headfirst into the bowl, lapping it up with desperate hunger.
Smack, smack...
The sound was loud and messy. The cub was clearly famished. Before long, the bowl was empty. Because it had plunged its entire face into the liquid at the start, its snout was now covered in white droplets.
"Wu..."
The leopard looked up at Xu Mu, its eyes pleading for more.
"For such a small thing, you certainly have an appetite," he remarked.
He poured a second bowl. The cub’s momentum didn't falter; it polished off the second serving just as quickly. Its belly, which had been flat, was now swollen and round like a small balloon. Xu Mu poked the tiny stomach; it was firm and bulging.
Whether from the sheer volume of food or a sudden "food coma," the Little Leopard wobbled for two steps before collapsing against Xu Mu's hand, falling back into a deep sleep.
Eating when awake and sleeping when full—it was an enviable life. Xu Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I didn't expect that as a single man, I’d be thrust into the role of a stay-at-home parent so early."
He carried the cub back into the Cave Abode World, settling it onto a soft blanket made of Gale Dog hide.
Xu Mu then lit a stick of Spirit Concentration Incense he had purchased and retrieved the First Rank Beast Tamer Legacy borrowed from the school. He began to study.
Most Cultivators, upon reaching the Mid-Stage of Qi Refining, would select a branch of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation for specialized study. Whether it was Pills, Artifacts, Formations, Talismans, Beast Taming, Puppetry, or being a Spirit Chef, there was no "superior" path—only what was most compatible with the individual.
Through grueling study or the use of Star Stones, a practitioner could advance their craft. Usually, by the Late Stage of Qi Refining, a Cultivator’s profession would reach First Rank Mid-Grade, allowing them to generate a stable income to fund their own progression.
Statistically, Pill, Artifact, Formation, and Talisman masters were the most numerous and highest-paid. Beast Taming, Spirit Plants, Puppetry, Wine-making, and Spirit Chefs followed.
For someone like Xu Mu—who was only in the Early Stage of Qi Refining but had already attained First Rank Low-Grade as a Formation Master and was now pivoting toward Beast Taming—his path was practically unheard of. The common wisdom was that "biting off more than one can chew" led to mediocrity. It was far better to master one craft than to be a novice in many.
But Xu Mu possessed the Reward Critical Strike Amplification System. As long as he pulled Star Stones from a chest, he could trigger an amplification. With enough resources, he could achieve total mastery across multiple disciplines.
He recalled his previous haul: a single Star Stone amplified twenty-fold. Ten stones had been enough to leap from unranked to First Rank Low-Grade Formation Master, leaving ten to spare. To reach Mid-Grade, he would need thirty stones. He wasn't sure when he would amass that amount, but with the Little Leopard now in his care, improving his Beast Taming skills was a logical necessity.
Xu Mu immersed himself in the lore of Beast Taming for five straight hours, only snapping out of his trance when his stomach growled.
Once a Cultivator reached Foundation Establishment, they could practice bigu—living without food. Even before that stage, one could use Bigu Pills to stave off hunger. However, Xu Mu had been eating three meals a day for over a decade and was fond of the habit. More importantly, Spirit Rice was simply too delicious to abandon for dry medicinal pellets.
He looked at the pile of ash where the Spirit Concentration Incense had burned out.
"This incense is remarkably effective. My efficiency in studying both Cultivation Techniques and the Hundred Arts has skyrocketed."
He realized that with constant access to such incense, his progress in Beast Taming would be significantly faster than his initial journey into Formations. This was exactly what he needed—he didn't lack resources, he lacked time. He had to compensate for the two years he had lost due to poverty. Only by catching up could he hope to excel in the Immortal Path Grand Examination and secure a spot in a top-tier Immortal Dao Academy.
The Little Leopard was still out cold. According to the feeding guide, a meal that size would keep it asleep for two days.
Xu Mu returned to his kitchen and, while preparing a simple meal, checked the Immortal Alliance Network. His hiring thread had three new comments. He skimmed them briefly and zeroed in on the third applicant.
This user didn't just have a Spirit Chef certification; their profile bore the official "Guchuan Academy Student" badge, just like Liao Kai.
Xu Mu sent a private message and added their contact details.
"Can I try your cooking first?"
Even with the academy credentials and a First Rank Mid-Grade certification, Xu Mu needed to verify the quality.
"Sure. Where do you live?" the applicant replied.
"Jiuming Lake, Villa No. 10."
"Understood. I’ll be there in twenty minutes."