As the elder’s gaze swept across the room, Spines stiffened involuntarily. Even those who tried to avoid looking at him found their hearts trembling.
Finally, his eyes settled on the young man.
The elder’s lips curved into a polite smile, but his spiritual pressure swelled subtly, pressing downward like a giant unseen hand.
Most would have faltered instantly.
Yet Yu Liang who was still in the Body Tempering realm, sat upright with a cup in hand, a relaxed smile still resting on his lips.
The weight was crushing, but his face didn’t so much as twitch, as a deep in his memory was another day, In the great hall.
A day when he had once stood before a Golden Core elder in his sect, an existence whose aura was vast and boundless. Compared to that suffocating might, this Foundation establishment elder’s pressure was like a breeze before a storm.
Even his senior brother, a mere inner sect disciple, had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, to say nothing of the elder before him. The sheer disparity between those with a backing and those without was enough to make anyone sigh.
So now, even as his body screamed with strain, the young man’s expression remained as calm as a placid lake.
The elder’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Young sir." His voice was measured and slow. "Food Heaven is grateful for your... generosity today. However, custom requires that accounts be settled before guests depart."
Dozens of eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Finally!
The moment had come!
Then the elder reached into his sleeve and produced a jade slip. Densely written characters could be seen across its surface as he read aloud.
"There were one hundred and twenty cultivators dining in this restaurant today."
"Each one of them ordered from our list of signature dishes, the most extravagant items in Food Heaven. The average cost of these delicacies stands at approximately two hundred thousand low grade spiritual stones per person."
Gasps erupted.
"Two hundred thousand each...?"
"That’s robbery!"
"No, no, he is right, those are the prices of true signature dishes. I myself have ordered one just now..."
The elder continued calmly.
"Furthermore, each of them requested the Dragon’s Blood Wine, each jar priced at three hundred thousand low grade spiritual stones. Those who did not finish their share have expressed the wish to take the remaining away."
He let the words sink in.
The dining hall was dead silent now.
Finally, he declared, his voice steady, "Altogether, the total sum amounts to sixty million low grade spiritual stones."
The words slammed into the crowd like thunder.
"Sixty million!?"
"Even great cultivators would hesitate to spend that much in a single night!"
"Does this brat truly have such wealth!?"
Some looked shocked. Others sneered, waiting for the young man’s facade to crack. More than one pair of eyes burned with hidden schadenfreude, eager to see him squirm under shame.
Yet the youth only smiled faintly. He set his jade cup down, the sound was crisp and clear amidst the silence.
"Sixty million..." he repeated softly, as if tasting the number. Then he raised his head, his tone light, almost casual.
"Very well. I shall settle it now."
A wave of incredulous gasps shook the hall.
The young man reached into his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, the ring on his finger shimmered, and a cascade of spiritual light flashed out.
Piles of low grade spiritual stones tumbled onto the floor in an endless stream, glittering like rivers of starlight. The mountain of wealth spread outward, filling the hall with a blinding radiance.
"This..."
"This is sixty million!?"
"He really brought it out!?"
Even the elder’s expression wavered for the first time, a flicker of astonishment breaking through his calm.
The young man leaned back, one arm resting on the table casually. His lips curled into the same relaxed smile he had worn since the beginning.
"Manager," he said evenly, "please count it at your leisure. And should there be any excess, consider it this young master’s tip."
The hall exploded.
"Tip!?"
"He’s tipping Food Heaven after spending sixty million!?"
"Where in the heavens and earth did such a monster of wealth appear!?"
Cultivators eyes blazed with shock, envy, admiration, and greed.
As soon as the last stone of payment touched the floor, a faint chime echoed in his mind.
[ Ding! Host has spent 70,000,000 low grade spiritual stones ]
[ Multiplier Triggered: 200x ]
[ Host receives 14,000,000,000 low grade spiritual stones ]
He glanced at the system display only he could see. Quietly opening his inventory, long strings of numbers appeared. The sight brightened his mood in a way no wine could. His lips curved slightly, though his expression outwardly remained calm.
Meanwhile, the elder manager finished the count. His spiritual sense swept over the mountain of stones like a tide, measuring every spiritual stone with precision. In less than a breath, the tally was complete.
"Seventy million exactly... including the extra ten million more." His voice carried across the hall, the corners of his mouth lifting into a satisfied smile. "Young sir, Food Heaven, thanks you for your generosity. A tip of ten million stones is no small matter."
The hall stirred once again. Exclamation and disbelief mixed into the murmurs of the crowd.
Yu Liang waved his hand lightly, as though brushing away dust. "It is only a few stones. Let the workers here also eat their fill. They may even take food home if they wish."
The words fell into silence.
Even the servers, who had stood rigidly with professional discipline, trembled.
Many lowered their heads quickly, hiding their expressions, but the redness around their eyes betrayed them. For attendants who lived modestly on small stipends, the chance to dine freely on Food Heaven’s signature dishes was something beyond dreams.
The elder manager’s smile twitched faintly. His eyes flickered, and a thread of spiritual voice slipped across the air, audible only to Yu Liang.
"...The number of workers, including serving staff and kitchen hands, comes to around three hundred and forty. Are you certain esteemed guest?"
His smile did not falter. "It is fine. Only a little money."
The elder paused, studying him with a deeper gaze. To speak so lightly of feeding hundreds on such dishes was something even wealthy clans would hesitate to attempt.
Still, Yu Liang reached out a hand. "Elder, lend me your space ring."
A moment of confusion passed over the elder’s face, but he removed a simple jade ring from his finger and placed it forward respectfully. Then Yu Liang accepted it, commanding the system to put the spiritual stones in the ring. In an instant, stones piled up like a mountain into the elder’s ring in neat order.
"Check it," the young man said calmly, sliding the ring back across the table.
The elder’s consciousness probed within. His composed demeanor slipped for the first time as he staggered slightly, dazed by the sight before him.
"It... it is exact," he said softly, then louder for all to hear. "The amount is complete."
The system chimed again.
[ Ding! Host has spent 170,000,000 low-grade spiritual stones ]
[ Multiplier Triggered: 100x ]
[ Host receives 17,000,000,000 low grade spiritual stones ]
The figures flowed into his inventory, adding to the already vast string of numbers. His heart grew lighter, but outwardly, his expression remained unchanged, truly trying his best to not lose his demeanor.