The sun rose over the nameless mountain range, casting long, golden shadows through the forest of Crimson-Needle Pines. The air was crisp, filled with the scent of damp earth and the faint, metallic tang of the spirit-sap that bled from the ancient bark.

  Li Yu woke up with a groan, stretching his arms until his spine cracked in three different places. He sat up, shaking the dew off his traveler's cloak. For a brief second, he looked to his left, expecting to see his two traveling companions.

  There was nothing but a pile of rocks and a very large and very asleep centipede curled around the roots of a Thunder-Struck Cedar.

  "Right," Li Yu muttered, rubbing his face. "It’s a lonelier trip. Just me and Tekton."

  He nudged the armored mountain next to him.

  ‘Tekton. Wake up. We're burning daylight.’

  Tekton uncurled slowly, his mandibles clicking with the sound of grinding stones.

  'The sun is too loud,' Tekton complained. His mental voice croaking like a grumpy elder who had lost his dentures. 'And this soil is flavorless. It lacks... mineral complexity. It tastes like wet dust.'

  ‘It's just normal dirt, Tekton. It's not supposed to have complex notes.’

  ‘Come on. We’re heading towards the Cloud-Mist Peaks. It's our new home base and where the banquet is being held. I heard it's a jagged fortress of nature filled with ancient spirit veins. Plenty of un-chewed rocks for you. You can actually help them find all of those spirit veins.’

  Tekton perked up instantly. 'Ancient veins? That sounds... crunchy.'

  Li Yu recalled Tekton into the black bracelet form on his wrist and began his descent down the mountain path.

  He had several days before the Founding Banquet. At his full speed, he could be there quickly. But Li Yu wasn't in a rush since he didn’t want to help set up. He wanted to get there just in time so he could enjoy his travels a bit more.

  By mid-morning, Li Yu found himself on a wide trade road paved with crushed Blue-Stone. The road was lined with Spirit-Lantern Trees, whose glowing fruits provided light for travelers at night.

  The road was alive. It wasn't just warriors flying on swords overhead; it was the lifeblood of the continent mixing together. Beast tamers, wandering alchemists and merchant caravans moved in a steady stream.

  He came across a massive caravan that had ground to a halt. It wasn't an ambush; it was a mechanical failure—or rather, a biological one.

  A massive Cloud-Ox—a beast of burden the size of a small house. It was being used to pull heavy cargo and had simply sat down in the middle of the road. It was chewing cud with a look of absolute defiance.

  A merchant in colorful silks was pleading with the beast.

  "Please, Old Blue!" the merchant begged while waving a stalk of high-grade spirit-grass. "We have a deadline! The Alchemy Guild in Twin-River Town needs these herbs! Move!"

  The Cloud-Ox snorted and looked away.

  "Trouble?" Li Yu asked as he was walking up.

  The merchant wiped sweat from his brow. "Ah, Fellow Daoist. This beast is stubborn. He senses the humidity rising and refuses to walk because he thinks it will rain. He hates getting his hooves wet. He thinks he’s a delicate flower."

  Li Yu looked at the sky. It was perfectly clear.

  "He's a diviner?" Li Yu asked while being amused.

  Stolen story; please report.

  "He thinks he is," the merchant sighed. "He's usually wrong. But try telling that to three tons of beef. He’s pretty much grown up with me, there’s nothing I don’t know about it."

  Li Yu stepped up to the massive ox. The beast looked at him with a giant watery eye. With an aquatic bloodline Li Yu was able to quickly communicate with the beast.

  "Ah." Li Yu turned to the merchant. "Do you have any salt blocks? The mineral kind?"

  "Salt? I have a crate of high-grade Rock Salt for preservation, but..."

  "Give him a chunk."

  The merchant hesitated but was willing to try anything to get back on the road. He then grabbed a fist-sized rock of pink salt. He held it out.

  The Cloud-Ox’s ears perked up. It extended a long purple tongue and snatched the salt. Crunch. Crunch.

  It stood up immediately after it was done chewing and was looking refreshed. Clearly it was ready to work again.

  "Incredible!" the merchant gasped. "How did you know? Do you practice Beast Taming Arts?"

  "I speak fluent cow," Li Yu lied smoothly. "Safe travels sir. I wish you the best of luck."

  He walked away to the sound of the merchant praising the heavens, leaving the mundane but vital struggle of logistics behind him.

  By noon, Li Yu arrived at a bustling settlement called Double-Fork Town. It was a transit hub where two major rivers met. When such a thing happened it meant one thing: Food. Lots of delicious seafood that was fueled by both rivers.

  Li Yu’s stomach gave a mighty roar that frightened a passing rat that was on the road.

  "Lunch," Li Yu declared. "We need substance."

  He found the town square which was currently the scene of a heated standoff.

  On the north side of the street, under the shade of a Golden-Leaf Gingko, was a restaurant called "The Golden Dragon Noodle House." A burly cultivator in a yellow apron stood outside and was holding a ladle that radiated a faint golden Qi.

  On the south side, beneath a Weeping Shadow-Willow, was "The Heavenly Spicy Pavilion." A thin, wiry woman with red pepper stains on her sleeves stood there and wielding a cleaver that glowed with heat.

  "Your broth tastes like dishwater, Fat Zhou!" the woman screamed. "Cultivators need spice! They need fire to cleanse the impurities! They want to feel their soul burn! That gives them strength!"

  "Your noodles are soggy, Pepper Liu!" the man bellowed back. "Cultivators want texture! They want the Golden Bounce to strengthen their teeth! Spice is just a mask for incompetence!"

  A crowd of hungry travelers and low-level cultivators had gathered, watching the feud but afraid to enter either shop for fear of offending the other.

  Li Yu pushed through the crowd eventually to see what was going on. His eyes were shining with the intensity of a Grandmaster evaluating a duel.

  "Excuse me," Li Yu announced suddenly. He walked to the middle of the street.

  "I will judge," Li Yu declared.

  "Who are you?" Fat Zhou demanded.

  "A traveler with an empty stomach and an honest tongue," Li Yu said. "Bring me your best bowls. If I am satisfied, I will pay double. If not, I will leave."

  The two owners exchanged a glare and then rushed into their kitchens. They both had never seen him before so he was fair enough of a judge. Ten minutes later Li Yu sat at a table in the middle of the street.

  In front of him sat two massive bowls. One was filled with a rich golden bone broth and thick hand-pulled noodles. The other was a cauldron of red oil, chili peppers and thin silky noodles.

  Li Yu picked up his chopsticks. The town held its breath. He tried the Golden Dragon first.

  Slurp.

  He chewed thoughtfully.

  "The noodles," Li Yu analyzed aloud, channeling his inner Bai Ruo. "Excellent elasticity. The spirit-wheat has been kneaded with internal energy. The broth is savory, deep... but it lacks a high note. It is heavy on the dantian."

  Fat Zhou looked anxious.

  Li Yu tried the Heavenly Spicy.

  Slurp.

  "The spice," Li Yu noted, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Invigorating. It uses Fire-Breath Peppers, doesn't it? It wakes up the meridians. But the noodles... they are too soft. They vanish in the mouth before the flavor can register."

  Pepper Liu bit her lip.

  Li Yu sat back. He looked at the two bowls.

  'Tekton,' he whispered mentally. 'What do you think?'

  'The red one smells like liquid pain,' Tekton offered helpfully. 'The yellow one smells like boiled marrow. Combine them. Chaos breeds perfection.'

  Li Yu grabbed the red bowl and dumped it into the yellow bowl. The crowd gasped. It was culinary heresy. Not only culinary heresy but the owners of those two bowls were like water and oil. Combining them together was like slapping them in the face.

  He mixed them together vigorously. The golden broth turned a rich sunset orange. The thick noodles coated themselves in the chili oil. Li Yu took a massive bite.

  His eyes widened.

  "Perfection," Li Yu whispered.