Chapter 2173: Hope Restaurant’s Master

Lu Yin looked upwards. "The tribulation is quite impressive. It’s already larger than my last ones. I wonder which of Senior Brother’s stellular tribulations were this size, but I’m guessing that it was at least his third or fourth ones."

Lu Yin then turned around and made his way to the coast, followed by Kui Luo. Liu Bo, Yue Fan, and the other Envoys had also made their way towards the island’s coast. They only found Lu Yin and the other two, but the three people were basically ignored, as everyone believed them to be regular cultivators.

The location above the Middle Ocean that Qing Ping had chosen for his stellular tribulation was as far from the coast as possible, while also encompassing the fewest number of islands. It was in the center of an empty region that was the size of two or three of the Outerverse’s weaves. However, the tribulation had already covered the entire area, and it was still expanding without any sign of slowing down.

The more one looked at it, the more frightening the stellular tribulation became.

Liu Bo already felt stifled to the point where he couldn’t breathe. How could something this large only a seventh tribulation? It was clearly not an eighth, but rather a Semi-Progenitor’s stellular tribulation! How could anyone face this tribulation in this kind of place?

Yue Fan sent a message to Supervisor Qing Chen, informing the man of Qing Ping’s still-growing stellular tribulation. A successful tribulation meant that the Perennial World would gain yet another Semi-Progenitor powerhouse.

What did it mean to be a Semi-Progenitor? It meant that a person was able to stand at the very peak of the Fifth Mainland. Even in the Perennial World, Semi-Progenitors were rare experts who stood at the very top. Even the four ruling powers would get excited if they were able to recruit a Semi-Progenitor.

For example, while the White Dragon Clan was one of the four ruling powers, they only had two Semi-Progenitors: Great Elder Ni Huang and Long Laogui. Even though this was because the White Dragon Clan had the weakest foundation of the four ruling powers, it also showed just how rare Semi-Progenitors were.

Anyone who succeeded in becoming a Semi-Progenitor would instantly enter the ranks of the top experts of the Perennial World.

Yue Fan was not alone, as everyone watching Qing Ping’s tribulation was doing their best to spread the information, or even sell it.

Lu Yin saw what was happening, and there was no way to stop it. Too many people were watching Qing Ping’s stellular tribulation, and more were constantly arriving. On top of that, news of the tribulation had started to spread as soon as it had been triggered.

Lu Yin just hoped that the news would not draw the attention of any true powerhouses.

The stellular tribulation was still growing and spreading outwards, and it was close to reaching Cowry City. Ancestor Bei had already panicked slightly, and he had fled to Cowry City to evacuate the city.

Fortunately, the tribulation finally stopped expanding right when it was about to reach the Middle Realm itself, and so it did not cover Cowry City. Despite stopping, the size of the tribulation shocked even Yue Fan. He had witnessed a Semi-Progenitor’s breakthrough before, but the size of that tribulation had been about half as large as what they were observing at this moment.

Regardless of the thoughts and reactions of those watching, Qing Ping lifted his head to face the onslaught of his tribulation.

Average cultivators would never be able to trigger such a massive stellular tribulation, and the pressure and distortion that Qing Ping’s tribulation had created meant that only Envoys were able to barely observe anything at all.

The tribulation over Qing Ping's head surged, and it suddenly pierced through the void in the shape of a hand. Almost instantly, a hand appeared, and it looked like it belonged to a giant as it slapped down to crush Qing Ping.

This palm strike was incredibly powerful, and it matched the strength of a peak Envoy, but this level of power was useless against Qing Ping. He was an Envoy who could challenge Semi-Progenitors, and he had long since been capable of simply ignoring any attacks from Envoys.

Qing Ping held a blood-red bell in his hand, and shook it. The ringing rattled the void, and even caused the Middle Realm to tremble. Everything in sight was shaken, including the descending palm strike.

The attack shattered, but another palm strike appeared above Qing Ping almost instantly. Suddenly, numerous hands appeared, and they fell like a rain of giant hands, but somehow, it also gave the impression that only a single person was attacking. It appeared to be a single palm strike that transformed into 10,000 attacks.

"Palm of Thousand Skies was Wan Zhiyi's battle technique," an ancient voice commented some distance away.

Lu Yin looked over, and he saw an old man in a white robe standing above the sea. The old man had an ordinary aura, and he seemed to just be an ordinary human, but he was able to clearly see Qing Ping’s stellular tribulation and even make out the exact battle technique. The old man was definitely not a normal person, as not even Lu Yin could make out the man’s strength.

"You?" Kui Luo was startled, and Lu Yin noticed that he was staring at the white-robed old man.

The man turned to look at Kui Luo and gave a small smile. "It’s been a long time, old friend."

Old friend? Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. The fact that this old man recognized Kui Luo and was still completely relaxed indicated that he was at least a Semi-Progenitor.

Even though Lu Yin kept a wary eye on the unknown old man, he was not overly concerned. After all, Kui Luo’s reaction indicated that this old man was not a threat, as otherwise Kui Luo would have already disappeared.

"Why aren’t you staying in Hope Restaurant? What are you doing here?" Kui Luo wondered.

The old man answered with a smile. "I was just out for a walk. Even though Hope Restaurant allows me to see what the Junior Progenitors are doing, none of them have done anything for quite some time, so it’s been rather boring over there."

As the old man spoke, he noticed Lu Yin, and the young man’s appearance caught the old man off guard. "What a handsome young man."

"Your clothes are quite unique," Progenitor Smoke remarked.

The white-robed old man only then noticed the woman, but seeing her caused his expression to change quite a bit. "Might I trouble you for your name, Senior?"

The old man was completely unable to see through Progenitor Smoke's strength.

Kui Luo shot the other old man an odd smile. "Old man, haven’t you claimed to have seen through all the mysteries in the world? What’s going on? Have you finally met someone who you can’t see through?"

The old man in white robes just laughed. "I told you that seeing through the mysteries of the world is not really seeing through anything, but rather understanding people’s nature through how they enjoy food."

"Are you the owner of Hope Restaurant?" Lu Yin blurted.

The old man in white robes nodded with a smile. He was not particularly concerned with Progenitor Smoke's identity, and he had only asked out of idle curiosity.

Lu Yin was surprised by the admission, as he had not expected to run into the owner of the legendary Hope Restaurant.

Hope Restaurant was on the Island of Hope, which was the only way to reach the Junior Progenitor Planets.

When the four Junior Progenitors had been selecting their teams for the expedition into the Dominion Realm, all of the most talented people in the younger generation had gathered on the Island of Hope and tried to pass by Hope Restaurant to reach the Junior Progenitor Planets. Hope Restaurant was a very magical place. As long as a person sat down, delicious food would appear. Only later had Lu Yin learned that the restaurant's food all came from the establishment’s owner.

There were many rumors concerning the owner of Hope Restaurant, but in the past, Lu Yin had simply assumed the person to be an Envoy. Therefore, he had not paid the rumors any attention. However, the man was quite clearly a Semi-Progenitor, and judging by the conversation that the man had had with Kui Luo, it seemed that the old man had been the owner of Hope Restaurant for many years and that he had observed many generations of Junior Progenitors.

"You know how to cook, don’t you?" Progenitor Smoke asked.

The old man nodded, and his attention returned to Progenitor Smoke. "Do you have any favorite dishes that you like? I’d be happy to make them."

Progenitor Smoke appeared to seriously consider the offer. "You aren’t able to make the food that I remember. You don’t give me that feeling."

The old man nodded. "That's true. While I believe that my food is the best in the universe, I can’t replicate the taste from another person’s memories. Even the memories of ordinary people are irreplaceable."

Off in the distance, Qing Ping was still ringing his bell and shattering the descending palm strikes. The battle between the two was distorting the Middle Ocean, causing powerful families across the entire Middle Realm, some of which even had their own Semi-Progenitors, to sense that someone was facing their Semi-Progenitor tribulation. Gradually, more and more people started arriving to watch.

When word of the breakthrough reached the Higher Realm, even the four ruling powers started to pay attention, and they sent out orders.

"Wan Zhiyi was a powerhouse who was at the very cusp of becoming a Progenitor, and his Palm of Thousand Skies integrated all kinds of different attacks that he experienced throughout his life. It’s a very difficult technique to deal with, and most people won’t face an attack like this during their Semi-Progenitor tribulation. This man is clearly a talented genius, and his combat strength is very impressive. He might have even been able to challenge Semi-Progenitors as an Envoy," the white-robed old man commented with evident admiration.

Kui Luo rolled his eyes. He really wanted to share the impossible requirements that Qing Ping had said that his master placed on all his disciples, but Lu Yin interjected. "Senior, did you know Wan Zhiyi?"

The old man sighed. "How could I not be familiar with the Wan family’s ancestor? If not for that unfortunate incident, he would have likely become a Progenitor. Such a pity. Such a pity."

Lu Yin wanted to say something more, but Kui Luo butted in. "Don't think that he feels bad for Wan Zhiyi, let alone the rest of humanity. He just regrets the fact that he wasn’t able to observe Wan Zhiyi’s breakthrough attempt. Regardless of what happened to Wan Zhiyi, this old man would have benefited from watching."

The old man in the white robes smiled. "That is indeed true. I never had any true friendship with Wan Zhiyi. If you attempt to become a Progenitor, please inform me before you do. If you also fail and die, I will pity you as well."

"Bah, you’ll never become a Progenitor, old man. You’ve stayed as a Semi-Progenitor for so long because you don’t have the courage to attempt your breakthrough. You deserve to fail to become a Progenitor with that mindset. All you’ll ever manage to be is a cook!" Kui Luo shouted angrily.

The old man just laughed. "Food is an instinctive desire for all humans, so what’s wrong with being a cook? Cooks are able to peer into the true meaning of life, but you don't understand. You can’t understand."

Kui Luo gritted his teeth and looked away, frustrated. He had spent many years wandering the universe, and he had rarely encountered anything that frustrated him. However, this man had always infuriated Kui Luo. The man just smiled and prepared food for his enemies. It was revolting.

The old man in the white robes looked back at Lu Yin again. "You aren’t very old, yet your cultivation is very impressive. What’s your name, little brother?"

Lu Yin offered the man a bow. "This junior is Yu Hao. Greetings, Senior."

Lu Yin was using Young Master Yu’s identity in the Perennial World, and the man’s real name was Yu Hao. Thus, Lu Yin had to introduce himself as Yu Hao, and the nickname of Young Master Yu was not something that Lu Yin could bring up himself, and it would have to be realized by others.

The white-robed old man replied, "Yu Hao, uncut jade… Such an impressive cultivation at such a young age is not much different from the Junior Progenitors themselves. Our meeting seems to be fate. Could I interest you in becoming a teacher or guest instructor for Virtue Archives? To help educate and train some juniors for a time?"

This offer surprised Lu Yin. His senior disciple brother was off in the distance, facing his stellular tribulation to become a Semi-Progenitor while he was being recruited by someone. Actually, this could not be regarded as a recruitment attempt, as the person asking had no connection to the person making the offer.

"Old man, why are you trying to recruit people for Virtue Archives?" Kui Luo wondered.

The old man answered with a smile, "I used to work for Virtue Archives myself, and my master was an instructor there as well. So, I of course maintain a connection with the academy."

Kui Luo then remembered something. "So that's how things were. It’s no wonder why the four ruling powers don’t dare to go after Virtue Archives too hard, not if they have a backer like that."

The white-robed old man laughed again. "I can't compare to the four ruling powers."

Kui Luo sneered. "Everyone knows that you’re able to face your Progenitor tribulation whenever you want, so who would be willing to push you too far? Anyone who tries will suffer, so not even the four ruling powers will overstep themselves. On top of that, Virtue Archives also has the Wen and Ce families, which makes for three Semi-Progenitors. If you actually do become a Progenitor, you people will have the same level of power as one of the four ruling powers."

"Don't even joke about such things!" For the first time, the white-robed old man became grave as he spoke.

Kui Luo let out an odd laugh. "Why not? Are you afraid? Hehehehehe, do you want me to make these things public? If I do that, not even an old man like you will be able to stay safe, haha."

The old man sighed. "It's a miracle that you’ve been able to survive this long."

Lu Yin picked up a hint of a familiar scent. Was this master of Hope Restaurant someone with great ambitions who was trying to lay low?

It seemed quite obvious that the old man was afraid to face his tribulation and attempt to break through to the Progenitor realm. Thus, he stayed on the Island of Hope and observed the Junior Progenitors’ progress while waiting for an opportunity to become a Progenitor himself. Years had passed, and the man was qualified to trigger his tribulation whenever he wished, which left others wary of the man. If he succeeded in becoming a Progenitor, offending him would lead to retaliation. This was why everyone left the old man alone, and this caution also granted Virtue Archives a measure of protection as well.

All in all, this man was even more aggravating to many people than Kui Luo.