After transmigrating, I made a name for myself through my culinary skills.

There were fewer pedestrians on the street than before, making the whole street seem particularly wide. Ye Lan reached out and caught the falling snowflakes, watching them slowly melt in her palm, finding it quite interesting.

He only gave up on this childish game after several snowflakes had melted.

Jiang Ning reached out to set up a barrier, and Ye Lan asked him with a smile, "Do you think if we have white snowflakes on our heads, it means we've grown old together ahead of time?"

Jiang Ning took out a handkerchief to wipe away the water stains for him, and took Ye Lan's hand to warm it: "No need to mention it in advance, we will definitely grow old together in the future. It's cold, be careful not to catch a cold."

Ye Lan smiled and said, "It's alright if you get cold. We'll have hot pot later to warm you up."

As she spoke, she took Jiang Ning's hand and they walked together toward the place that sold spirit beasts. Before they even got there, they were attracted by the things along the way, and everything seemed interesting.

Little White stood on his shoulder, full of vigor, looking around curiously, and occasionally jumping onto the roof to see what lay ahead.

Recently, its cultivation level has increased dramatically, and the entire divine beast seems to have inexhaustible energy. It even wanders around the Green Mountain Sect at night.

Ye Lan didn't stop it. Anyway, with its current cultivation level, Xiao Bai could already roam freely in the Southern Continent, as long as it didn't encounter a Nascent Soul stage expert.

Looking at myself, I should prepare myself for a secluded retreat to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

Jiang Ning said that if Ye Lan can advance to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of twenty-five, she will be the number one in their generation. Just thinking about it is exciting.

The reason it is called this generation is because in the past, when spiritual energy was abundant, many geniuses who ascended to the Nascent Soul stage advanced to the Divine Transformation stage before the age of twenty-five.

Of course, that was over a thousand years ago, and it's said that there were such things as spiritual veins back then.

It is unknown when it began, but the spiritual energy gradually became thinner, which directly affected the cultivators of the Azure Sky Continent, and the rate at which everyone's cultivation increased slowed down considerably.

The Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent were relatively less affected.

Because of the volcanoes in Dongzhou, the annual volcanic eruptions bring forth spirit minerals. The major families there basically control spirit minerals, making them incredibly wealthy.

In addition to obtaining extraordinary magical artifacts, the disciples of aristocratic families in Dongzhou can also directly absorb the spiritual energy from spirit stones.

The Southern Continent, due to its climate and environment, has abundant spiritual plants, allowing cultivators to improve their cultivation through the use of these rare and precious materials.

Even so, the number of people who ascended to immortality from these two continents was extremely small, countable on one hand.

The person most likely to ascend to immortality on the Southern Continent right now is Jiang Ning's grandfather.

If Ye Lan can advance to the Nascent Soul stage before the age of twenty-five, there is a high probability that she will also become one of the outstanding individuals to ascend.

But Ye Lan wasn't very interested in ascension, because he was afraid that it would be like in the TV series, where one would have to be emotionless and without desires after ascension, while he had plenty of emotions and desires.

Putting aside his "lust," he can't give up his "appetite" either; he hasn't even tasted the entire Sky Continent yet.

Ye Lan plans to take Jiang Ning to the Eastern Continent for training after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, and then go to the Western Continent, ideally to travel all over the Azure Sky Continent.

I had heard Jiang Ning say before that the shumai in the main city where his maternal grandfather lived was delicious, made with pure mutton, and the mutton there was even more fragrant than that in Nanzhou.

Thinking of this, Ye Lan wanted to eat hot pot even more. When buying spirit beasts later, she definitely had to buy a sheep beast.

Instead of continuing to stroll through the streets, they went to the market where spirit beasts were sold.

Unlike the jewelry shops on the street outside, this market was filled with local people and looked quite lively. Besides hunters, there were also many stall owners selling things.

There are only three days left until Lunar New Year's Eve, so everyone should try to earn some spirit stones to buy New Year's goods to take home for the holiday. Those without spirit stones are bringing whatever they can from home to barter for other goods.

Ye Lan spotted a vendor selling bamboo baskets, and the craftsmanship was truly superb, with each basket tightly sealed. He bought several, some as vegetable baskets and others as flower baskets.

There were also shops in the market, and a lot of people were gathered in front of the shops selling New Year's goods. Ye Lan noticed that in addition to Spring Festival couplets, there were also various decorations, so she squeezed in with Jiang Ning.

Some families have suffered misfortune this year and don't plan to hang couplets, while others have been spared and are taking advantage of the New Year to buy some festive items to ward off bad luck.

As a result, this shop became the most bustling in the entire market, teeming with people.

“These Spring Festival couplets are well written, and those ‘Fu’ characters are nice. We can buy some to put up in our courtyard, and also buy some for Elder Xia and the others. This ‘Bai Shi Ji’ is also very pretty, so we can buy a couple more to make it festive.”

"Bai Shi Ji" is composed of oranges, persimmons, and cypress branches. The cypress branches are broken off and placed in a plate, on which oranges and persimmons are arranged, hence the name "Bai Shi Ju" (柏柿橘), which is a homophone for "Bai Shi Ji" (百事吉).

The person who made "Baishiji" used spiritual power to preserve it, so even in winter, this dish looks especially fresh and beautiful.

Ye Lan walked ahead, carefully selecting items. If she couldn't carry them herself, she would turn around and toss them to Jiang Ning to carry. After browsing around the store, both of them were carrying quite a few things.

When they were queuing to pay, the waiter saw that they were wearing the robes of the Green Mountain Sect disciples and told them that he would not charge them.

The waiter said to them, "You two are disciples of the Green Mountain Sect. Our boss said that you have protected the people and have done us a favor. If you come to buy something, we can just give it to you."

Ye Lan wasn't short of money at the moment, so she took out a high-grade spirit stone and placed it on the table: "How can this be? We've taken quite a lot of things, we can't just take them for free."

The waiter looked troubled: "Oh dear, please don't make things difficult for me. If the boss finds out, I won't be able to explain myself."

Ye Lan laughed and said, "This is to collect money, not to ask us to skip out on the bill. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Just take it."

As he spoke, he tossed the high-grade spirit stone into the shop assistant's pocket, and together with Jiang Ning, they used their spiritual power to run away in a flash.

Once outside, the two hadn't gone far when they saw a shop selling firecrackers and fireworks.

Ye Lan had been in this world for several years and hadn't set off fireworks yet. He stuffed the New Year's goods he bought into his spatial storage and then pulled Jiang Ning over there.

Not only has he never set off fireworks since he came here, but fireworks and firecrackers are also banned in the city where he used to live, so he hasn't seen fireworks for a long time.

Upon entering the shop, one is greeted by a variety of strangely shaped firecrackers, including those made in the form of various animals, large round balls, and long, thin bamboo strips.

Jiang Ning asked the shopkeeper which of the fireworks was the most beautiful. The shopkeeper then took out a square, flat mirror. Ye Lan leaned closer and saw the fireworks reflected in the mirror.

He exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, you can actually watch it directly?"

The shopkeeper said with pride, "Of course! This is a great item I bought from Dongzhou last year. You see, it emits a vision just by getting close to the items I sell."

The shopkeeper brought the ritual implement close to the rabbit-shaped firecracker, and sure enough, the firework burst into the shape of a rabbit.

Ye Lan found it very novel; this thing was somewhat similar to the functions of the tablets she used to have.

Presumably because they were disciples of the Green Mountain Sect, or perhaps because they thought Ye Lan and his group were wealthy, the shopkeepers were especially patient with them, to the point that they barely paid attention to the other customers.

As Ye Lan looked at them one by one, she felt that they were all good and she wanted them all.

Just as Ye Lan was hesitating, Jiang Ning took out a bag of high-grade spirit stones and asked the shopkeeper to buy all the fireworks and firecrackers in the shop.

Ye Lan stopped his extravagant spending: "If we buy so much, how will we ever store it all?"

Jiang Ning shrugged indifferently and said, "Don't worry, there's still Jiang Nan and the others. Even if they don't come, we can put it off until next year. We'll eventually finish putting it off."

Nangong Yue is currently homeless. She is a disciple of the Qingshan Sect and told Yun Zhi a few days ago that she wanted to stay at the Qingshan Sect for the New Year. Su Bo has not returned yet, so he probably intends to stay as well.

All my good friends stayed at the Green Mountain Sect, so they'll be able to have a lively New Year this year.

Of course, this is also the first year since Jiang Ning and Ye Lan became Daoist partners, so Jiang Ning attaches great importance to it and hopes that Ye Lan can have a good time.

Hearing Jiang Ning say this, Ye Lan no longer refused his "spendthrift behavior" and let the shopkeeper pack up all the items.

Because they bought a lot, the shopkeeper even gave them a magic bag to put all the fireworks and firecrackers together.

The two had just received the items from the shopkeeper when they heard Jiang Nan's voice from behind them.

"Ye Lan!"

Ye Lan turned around and saw him walking towards her with Yun Zhi. The Golden Flame Beast lagged behind them, staring at the vendor selling candied hawthorns.

Due to the influence of the demons, this vendor is probably the only one selling food on the entire street; the usual stall owners selling wontons and sesame cakes haven't come out.

Of course, it's also possible that it's snowing, which is why there aren't many food vendors setting up their stalls.

The vendor selling candied hawthorns looked like a middle-aged man in the Foundation Establishment stage. He even set up a simple barrier to prevent snowflakes from falling on the candied hawthorns.

Seeing that the Golden Flame Beast wanted to eat, Yun Zhi generously bought all the candied hawthorns from the middle-aged man's hands. When it came to food, she truly made sure not to mistreat the Golden Flame Beast.

The middle-aged man was surprised that he sold out as soon as he set up his stall. He happily accepted a high-grade spirit stone from Yunzhi.

When he heard Yunzhi say that there was no need to look anymore, his face lit up with a bright smile, and he even gave her the straw target for making candied hawthorns.

Yunzhi asked Jiang Nan to help her hold the grass target. She squatted down and brought a string of yam and candied hawthorn berries to the mouth of the Golden Flame Beast.

The Golden Flame Beast had never eaten candied hawthorn before. Just as it was hesitating whether to eat the stick along with the fruit, it heard Yun Zhi call out to it to open its mouth.

It opened its blood-red mouth wide, and Yunzhi placed the candied hawthorn horizontally to its mouth, letting it take a small bite. Then she tore off the skewer, and it ate the candied hawthorn whole.

It's sweet, doesn't taste meaty, but it's still delicious.

"Let me try the red one too."

The Golden Flame Beast raised its head and directed Yun Zhi to give it food. It ate two skewers and wanted to eat more, but Yun Zhi refused to give it any more.

She was a princess after all; it was so embarrassing for her to squat on the street feeding spirit pets. She stood up and walked quickly toward Ye Lan.

Jiang Nan and the other girl had rosy cheeks, looking like they had just come from a warm place. Ye Lan teased, "You two, did you go out to eat something delicious behind our backs?"

Jiang Nan, surprised that she had guessed correctly, asked, "How did you know we went to eat?"

Ye Lan originally wanted to trick him into a beating, but she didn't expect Jiang Nan to be so honest, so she said, "The smell of food on you is still there, I can smell it."

Jiang Nan raised her hand and sniffed twice: "It seems to really be true."

Both the Golden Flame Beast and the Little Phoenix were extremely greedy and hadn't had a decent meal recently. With the restaurant reopening these past two days, he and Yun Zhi discussed it and decided to go there together to give the two of them a good meal.

It was cold outside, and seeing the thin layer of sugar crystals hanging on the yam and bean candied hawthorn skewers, Ye Lan reached out and took two skewers. She tasted one herself and gave the other to Jiang Ning.

The cooked yam beans coated in syrup have a soft and fluffy texture, unlike the sweet and sour taste of hawthorn, which has a unique flavor.

After finishing one skewer, he stopped eating and quickened his pace, intending to go around to the other end of the market to buy ingredients to go back and have hot pot.

Why go around in circles? Of course, it's because they're afraid the shopkeeper at the New Year's goods store will return the spirit stones.

As the four walked along the road, some passersby recognized them and greeted them. The four responded politely, showing no airs of cultivators.

When they arrived at the place selling spirit beasts, Yun Zhi was the happiest when she heard Ye Lan say that she wanted to eat hot pot.

Ever since Third Sister-in-law made hot pot, she has been able to eat it many times every winter, and even in the summer she will lower the room temperature so that she can comfortably enjoy a hot pot meal in the summer.

So when Ye Lan suggested buying meat, she immediately took out her Qiankun bag containing spirit stones and bought whatever Ye Lan pointed to.

That look suggests they're bound to sweep the market clean, even more extravagant than Jiangning.

The vendor selling spirit beasts was in a good mood today, having received several big customers. He could finally have a good New Year.

After buying their things, the group stopped wandering around and flew back to the Green Mountain Sect on their flying swords.

Ye Lan has now moved to live in the same courtyard as Jiang Ning, but when it comes to eating hot pot, he would definitely prefer to go with Elder Xia and the others, where he can eat more comfortably.

Just then, someone in Elder Xia's courtyard was playing chess with him. When he saw four or five juniors coming to visit his friend, he was about to leave when he heard that they were going to have hot pot. So he got off the chair and refused to leave.

This friend was Elder Chi Fei, who was usually in charge of looking after the Green Mountain Sect's medicine garden. He had a good relationship with Elder Xia and often played chess together.

When he came here at the beginning of last year, Elder Xia asked him to stay and have hot pot together, and he was completely amazed.

But when he asked Old Man Xia to give him a piece of that so-called "hot pot base," Old Man Xia refused, insisting that it was all gone, leaving him longing for it all winter.

Now that he's heard they're getting to eat hot pot again, of course he's going to stay.

Elder Xia could have made the decision to let him stay on his own, but he still asked Ye Lan for his opinion first, mainly because he was afraid that with the elders around, the young people wouldn't dare to eat as much as they wanted.

Ye Lan naturally agreed, and bought a great deal of food today, more than enough to eat.

If there are too many people, we can just split them into two tables. Anyway, he has a different kind of fire, so it wouldn't be difficult for Jiang Ning to refine another pot.