{This chapter and the next chapter, both are bonus chapters.}
Leo left his cozy home after sharing a delightful breakfast with his wives. With a familiar stride, he made his way to the market, a place he knew like the back of his hand. The market, split into two parts, had an outer area bustling with regular folks and an inner area reserved for cultivators and high-ranking families.
In the outer section, Leo strolled past various stalls selling toys, jewelry, rock betting, candy, garments, perfumes, and books. But it was the inner area that held the real intrigue. Here, stalls offered items exclusively meant for cultivators – magical objects, pills, secret arts, and even a battle ring for those seeking a good fight.
Leo ventured deeper into the outer area until he reached the spot where his small restaurant stood. To his surprise, it was situated right on the edge of the outer region, occasionally attracting cultivators seeking a meal. Leo's restaurant had a unique history – he had bravely opened it in a no man's land, fully aware of the risks involved.
Not everyone dared to serve these powerful individuals, capable of dispatching a normal person with a mere flick of their fingers. Leo, undeterred by the potential dangers, persisted in running his restaurant.
Not even a single soul approached his restaurant, which made him sit lazily on his chair.
Minutes passed, hours passed, and then finally the first day came to an end.
It didn't stop there when the second, third, and the fourth day passed quietly.
Days turned into weeks, and it was finally after a month passed when James realized that the money from his broken system had eventually come to a dead end.
Leo prepared a quick meal that consisted of a porridge. After gathering courage, he went straight for the battle ring where there were always people who would die, become crippled or lose a limb or even lose their bets.
The battle ring was not just a source of entertainment but also a life and death determining spectacle.
Leo looked at countless cultivators being beaten away by other cultivators, but so far he had never seen a death match.
He had made a small portable set up for carrying his food. All thanks to him being a medical student with a bit of basic knowledge on mechanics when he was on earth, he created a simple table from scraps of wooden planks and a few ropes.
Carrying the small table in his right armpit with both of his hands holding an iron kettle and a sealed container.
The kettle had a hot cinnamon tea and the container also filled with a spiced porridge.
He offered his delicacies only to a few cultivators, and he only got refused by them.
They refused, obviously because they didn't want to miss a fight or two just because of a normal porridge made by a weak mortal.
After offering his meals for a whole three hours, Leo had given up and sat down in a corner while looking at the battles.
He started leaving after watching dozens of matches.
Leo came back to his restaurant with a disappointed expression on his face, and he immediately started reheating the porridge and tea so that he could satisfy his hunger.
A series of steps entered the restaurant and rested in the seats. Three men had arrived and with their expressions and how happily they were looking at the place, it was safe to say that they were harmless.
Leo swiftly presented the porridge and tea in the most presentable manner he could, placing them on the table with a wide smile on his face.
The three young men looked at his smile and said politely, "Boss, we will only sit here for a moment."
Leo's wide smile was soon replaced by a pitiful expression, and then it immediately returned to the former one before he said," It's on the house!" with his eyes shining with hope.
The three men looked at each other and shrugged before sipping a bit of tea. They all felt a warm energy reaching their very own souls, refreshing their body.
They broke through the first level of soul cultivation realm that very few could achieve in this small town, Crimvile.
The three men had a similar thought, "The boss is a master!"
They looked at the still warm cinnamon tea in their hands and gulped it down immediately. This resulted in making them breakthrough the second and third level and only stopping when their souls reached the peak of third level soul realm.
After three continuous breakthroughs in the soul realm that they had never practiced as body cultivators, their body started giving off a strange feeling; another breakthrough.
They reluctantly left with a gentle bow, "Thank you for your hospitality, Boss. We have something important to do, so we will take our leave."
Leo looked at the still hot porridge and sighed dejectedly when another cultivator came in.
In just a few days, Leo had showcased his culinary skills to a handful of cultivators. Word spread, and soon, a trickle turned into a stream, growing to a hundred and more cultivators. Leo's restaurant had become a gathering place for these extraordinary beings, a testament to his culinary prowess in this unique no man's land.
The three men named Tom, Rick, and Harry were the first ever to receive benefits such as four breakthroughs for the first time. This was followed by many with reaching the peak of a minor realm or breaking through a minor realm once.
The trio were treated by Leo like colleagues, as they were never acting arrogant and almighty with him.
One person respected the trio, while the latter feared the former one's nonexistent strength.
***
Present Day.
Leo looked at his restaurant that he had closed down for months when he was still reminiscing about his master.
He smiled gently and looked up at the signboard above his restaurant, "Grateful Flavors." and was shocked to notice that it was clean and tidy.
"Boss, you're finally here!" A strong yet familiar voice was heard and Leo looked behind to notice his favorite trio standing while tears were welling up in their eyes.
"I think you really took care of my restaurant very well." Leo said with a grin on his face while pointing at the signboard.
"Well, we did what could be done." Tom spoke with a wide grin on his face, similar to a dog asking for a treat.
"Fine, Let's start the cleanup." Leo said before opening the doors only to be welcomed by dust and cobwebs.
[Author: Anyone else out there who thinks that the name Drakara doesn't match with my dragon waifu? Please do comment a name that starts with "Dra".
We need to enter the top 50. Add the book to your libraries. Shower some Power Stones]
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