Kael figured that the reason so many mutated beasts had appeared on Mt. Qingzhao was because of this auspicious attribute.
The logic was simple enough—what people called "mutations" were actually a beneficial form of evolution.
If Kael hadn't been around, capturing even a single mutated beast would have been terrifyingly difficult. In that sense, their existence itself was proof of evolution at work.
All of it had to be influenced by the auspicious Qi in the area. Which only made Kael want that attribute even more.
For the next stretch of time, Kael stayed behind to observe the auspice. Adding a special attribute to one's Qi was no easy task—especially when the source itself clearly wasn't something you could mess with casually.
Another month passed.
In the end, Kael finally succeeded in integrating the auspicious attribute into his own Qi.
After that, he left the cave. As for the qilin remains inside, Kael didn't take them with him. He could tell that the Qi lingering within the bones wouldn't last much longer—at most a few decades.
Once that Qi faded, Mt. Qingzhao would lose its current special state. Of course, because the mountain had already formed a unique ecosystem, the impact wouldn't be immediate.
Still, from then on, giving birth to new mutated beasts would become far more difficult.
Now, Kael's Qi carried the auspicious attribute as well—and unlike the qilin remains, his Qi was deliberate. The Qi from the bones simply leaked out on its own, but Kael could actively bestow his Qi upon others.
Not long after he stepped out of the cave, before Kael could even look for Master Yuxian, a massive gray eagle dove down from the sky—straight toward him.
Kael locked onto it instantly. There was no doubt about it: a mutated raptor. With its wings spread, it easily exceeded ten meters, its sheer size overwhelming.
"So this is the effect of auspicious Qi?"
Kael watched the eagle descend, genuinely surprised. Since the Qi was his own, keeping it within his body was like stacking layers of good fortune on himself.
So the moment he stepped out, a mutated beast practically delivered itself to him.
Of course, this was good luck only for Kael. For anyone else—Master Yuxian included—this would've been a disaster.
Auspice was always personal.
For Kael, this really was a blessing. A free ingredient knocking on his door—there was no reason to refuse.
The eagle closed to within three meters.
Kael's right hand sliced through the air.
In the next instant, the sharp light in the eagle's eyes went dull. Its massive body slid lifelessly to the ground, its head cleanly severed.
A single hand strike had taken its head.
The eagle probably never imagined that the human it had marked as prey possessed such terrifying strength. One exchange—and it was dead.
After storing the eagle away, Kael returned to Master Yuxian's residence. When he arrived, the old master was meditating inside the cave.
Meditation was something Master Yuxian did often. While meditating, he could not only refine his Qi, but also amplify his perception. He frequently used this method to search for Malyu's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, Malyu had hidden herself too well. No matter how hard Master Yuxian searched, he couldn't find him.
Even so, he never gave up. If not now, then maybe someday in the future.
This time, though—whether because he sensed Kael's presence, or because of the auspice—Master Yuxian exited his meditation almost immediately.
Once he entered that state, he usually stayed in it for quite a while. In the original events, even Liu Maoxing and the others couldn't wake him.
They had needed a dish—Black Hole Sweet-and-Sour Pork—to drag him out.
Kael, on the other hand, did nothing at all. Master Yuxian woke up on his own.
"You're back," Master Yuxian said with a smile as he opened his eyes. "Judging by your expression, you must've gained quite a bit this time."
"That's right. The harvest was huge. Inside the cave—"
Kael explained what he'd found. The qilin remains were essentially useless now, far too old and fragile to even be turned into kitchenware.
"I see. No wonder I sensed danger from within back then," Master Yuxian said, shaking his head. "Good thing I didn't go in myself. Getting out alive would've been nearly impossible."
After learning what lay inside, Master Yuxian felt no envy toward the qilin remains. In that environment, retrieving them was something only Kael could have managed.
After a brief discussion, the two decided to leave the cave alone and let nature take its course.
"By the way, Master Yuxian," Kael asked, "have you ever heard anything else about qilin?"
If there were remains, then living ones might exist too. Maybe even dragons or phoenixes.
"Before you found those remains, I'd heard plenty of stories about such creatures," Master Yuxian replied. "There were even rumors of divine dragons in certain places."
"But when I investigated, it turned out to be nothing more than a giant eel. Back then, I dismissed all those legends as misunderstandings—just mutated beasts."
"This qilin you encountered, though… that's different. Mutated beasts can't cultivate Qi, let alone possess auspicious Qi."
He sighed softly.
"Some of those legends may be real. Which ones? No one knows."
Kael nodded. It was impossible to be sure. Many mutated beasts were enormous and possessed strange features beyond their species.
People mistook them for mythical creatures all the time—like calling a massive eel a dragon.
Stories passed from person to person inevitably grew exaggerated.
Someone catching a thief could, after enough retellings, turn into someone gunning down a murderer.
With myths, exaggeration was even more common.
For now, Kael set aside any thoughts of seeking out such beings. One auspicious attribute was more than enough for him.
"You didn't come back just to tell me this," Master Yuxian said. "You're planning to leave, aren't you?"
He handed Kael a letter.
"Take this with you. If you encounter the other Great Masters, show them this letter. For my sake, they'll teach you things I can't."
Each of the Great Masters had their own specialties and collections. If Kael met them with this letter, he'd gain valuable guidance.
The Great Masters kept in contact with one another. In a way, this letter was like several keys at once.
Master Yuxian had clearly explained Kael's situation inside. Any of the others with sense would choose to build a good relationship with him.
"Thank you, Master Yuxian," Kael said with a nod. "I'll keep an eye out for news about Malyu as well."
With that, they parted ways.
"Finally gone," someone murmured afterward. "A being as powerful as Kael… who knows how much chaos he'll stir up in the culinary world."
After spending time with him, everyone here understood what kind of existence Kael was. And once he returned to the wider world, the shockwaves were inevitable.
Especially since he was the inheritor of the Garuda Knife.
Anyone tied to legendary kitchenware was destined to attract endless trouble.
Kael didn't leave through a different route. He exited through the main entrance—he wanted to say goodbye to Arman.
"You're leaving, Kael?" Arman asked in surprise when he saw him.
"Yeah. I've been here long enough. I'm heading out, so I came to let you know."
"You really are something," Arman said with a wry smile. "Learning everything Master Yuxian had to offer in such a short time… Still, be careful. A lot of people out there have their eyes on you."
"Doesn't matter," Kael replied calmly. "You know what I'm capable of."
Arman nodded. With Kael's strength, threatening him with force was pointless unless an entire army showed up.
Even then, it wouldn't necessarily work.
Kael's stamina had limits, sure—but he could always disengage or fight on his own terms.
Unless he chose to stand his ground to the bitter end, no army could truly pin him down.
And if a battle really broke out, even tens of thousands would be wiped out by him alone.
After saying goodbye, Kael left.
As he did, he noticed numerous pigeons nearby—each with something tied to its leg.
Carrier pigeons.
He didn't care.
His departure wasn't something that needed hiding. And anyone with ill intentions would pay the price.
"So he finally came out," a woman said in a nearby town, smiling as she received the news. "I was starting to think he planned to live in that mountain forever."
Shan had been waiting here for quite some time.
Now that Kael was finally out, it was time to move.
A direct confrontation was impossible—Kael's combat power was absurd.
Competing with him in cooking was just as pointless. He had the Garuda Knife.
That left only two options.
The first was already in motion.
As long as someone was human, they needed rest. The plan was to drug him while he slept—or poison his food.
If that failed, Shan would act personally.
She even had a backup: a honey trap.
But that would only come into play if the first plan failed.
Soon, Kael arrived in town. Even before entering, he felt more eyes on him than before.
He found an inn and checked in. As for food, he had prepared plenty in advance. He didn't eat anything provided by the inn.
That made poisoning his meals impossible.
"This guy… If you say he's cautious, he carries a legendary utensil around openly. If you say he's reckless, he prepares all his own food."
Even Shan found it hard to tell whether Kael was careful or simply bold.
Since poisoning his food was off the table, all that was left was the night.
Shan was smart. Knowing Kael's strength, she didn't act personally. She sent a few expendable operatives instead.
After night fell, they quietly approached Kael's window and released sleeping gas inside—just like something out of a martial arts film.
Kael was already awake.
He could enter deep sleep instantly—or wake just as quickly, with complete clarity. He had noticed them long ago.
Watching their attempt, Kael felt more amused than anything.
He walked to the window and flung it open, dragging the agents straight into the room.
The sudden reversal shocked not only the attackers, but also the people watching from outside.
Those observers weren't just from the Dark Cooking Society. The Light Culinary World had people here as well.
They'd already noticed the Dark Cooking Society's movements.
They chose not to act immediately, planning instead to step in only when Kael was truly in danger.
That way, they could earn his goodwill—and possibly invite him to join their side.
As for whether they could handle the Dark Cooking Society? This wasn't enemy territory, and they had more than enough manpower.
There was nothing to worry about.