Chapter 17 - 15: The Most Essential Need in the Land of Foodies

Hang Yu stored the materials into the Spirit Realm backpack through his phone assistant.[Top-Grade Mountain Chicken Breast], Level 1 ordinary ingredient, Spiritual Energy content: 2.

Description: Chicken breast collected from the Mountain Chicken King, tender and delicious, an exceptional top-grade among mountain chicken meat, suitable for various cooking methods.

[Top-Grade Mountain Chicken Leg], Level 1 ordinary ingredient, Spiritual Energy content: 2.

Description: Chicken leg collected from the Mountain Chicken King, tender and delicious, an exceptional top-grade among mountain chicken legs, suitable for various cooking methods.

Hang Yu continued to use Collection Skill to gather other mountain chickens.

This process consumed two blue berries to replenish Spiritual Power.

Harvested a large pile of ordinary chicken wings, chicken necks, chicken legs, chicken meat, and the like.

The meat from other mountain chickens is somewhat inferior. Although they are also Level 1 ordinary ingredients, they only have 1 point of Spiritual Energy content. However, they are still food infused with Spiritual Energy.

This chicken meat is incomparable to ordinary chicken meat.

They will be very important resources for survival in the future.

In fact, when the Spirit Realm mountain chickens appeared in the real world, their bodies were materialized under the influence of the real world’s Law.

Even if the ingredients are obtained through ordinary butchering methods, they can still be used, but this method is inefficient and inconvenient, and the materials collected are damaged. The butchering process causes Spiritual Energy loss, resulting in inferior materials.

Using Collection Skill to collect is different.

Each mountain chicken yields only one or two chicken legs or pieces of chicken meat at first glance, but they contain the concentrated Spiritual Essence of the entire chicken, preserving Spiritual Energy within the ingredients for a longer time, making their value incomparable.

"Hangzi, what kind of skill is this? It’s quite interesting!"

"This is not the place to talk, let’s go!"

Seeing people emerge from the trap set for the chickens, Hang Yu, adhering to the principle of doing good deeds without seeking recognition, immediately left with Pang Dahai and found a nearby 24-hour coffee shop.

As for the cashier girl’s expression facing a blood-stained Hang Yu with two holes torn in his shirt calmly ordering coffee, everyone can imagine it for themselves.

Pang Dahai took a big sip of iced watermelon juice: "Bro, I really can’t believe all this is real. Am I insane or just not awake yet? Can anyone tell me what’s going on!"

"Actually, these flowers and plants on the road, and the mountain chickens in the square, all seeped in from the Spirit Realm."

Hang Yu looked out the window. Although the city seemed a bit decadent and rundown, it was still operating normally. He explained: "Due to the seeping of Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Realm, the climate and environment will gradually change. The rapid growth and mutation of plants are also related to the seepage of Spiritual Energy—the more abundant the Spiritual Energy, the more obvious these signs are."

Pang Dahai was stunned: "What? The Spirit Realm!"

"Exactly, this erosion from the Spirit Realm, once it starts, won’t stop. It will deepen over time. Now is the early stage of the erosion; at most, creatures like mountain chickens appear, which are basically non-threatening monsters."

"Non-threatening, you say? These chickens are almost like eagles!" Pang Dahai caught the subtext in Hang Yu’s words, his small eyes immediately widening, "Hey, wait a minute. Are you saying that more terrifying things might appear in the future?"

"No kidding!"

"How is this different from the end of the world?" Pang Dahai felt weak and limp, "This is so damn messed up. Even TV shows don’t have plots this wild; I’ve only read about it in novels on ending novels site."

"Actually, it’s not that bad. While the Spirit Realm monsters pose a threat to us, we can also become stronger by entering the Spirit Realm."

Pang Dahai shrank his neck in embarrassment, "You have no idea how many times I died last night. No way am I going back to suffer again."

"Idiot, you won’t die permanently in the Spirit Realm. Even if you’re killed, you can revive. But if you die in the real world, you’re really dead!" Hang Yu said with displeasure, "If you don’t find a way to improve yourself, do you think you can survive in the future? Do you really want to rely on luck to live?"

Pang Dahai had firsthand experience.

He naturally knew Hang Yu was telling the truth.

"I understand the logic, but dying repeatedly is unbearable. Not everyone is a born warrior—I, Pang Fatty, am just a typical obese guy who can’t even get a girlfriend." Pang Dahai quickly asked, "Any better suggestions? You’re always full of ideas, let’s hear them!"

Hang Yu said directly, "Go with the production route. Isn’t your innate skill a production skill?"

Pang Dahai’s innate skill was called [Blessing of the Kitchen God].

[Blessing of the Kitchen God], the Trial Taker gains the blessing of the Kitchen God, thereby obtaining the following abilities: 1. Learn the skill Beginner Cooking, which grows with level increases. 2. There is a 5% chance of a beneficial mutation occurring when using Cooking. The chance increases by 1% for every 3 levels the Trial Taker gains!

Simply put,

Pang Dahai’s innate skill is a production-type skill.

Production-type innate skills are subdivided into many types: Collection, Artifact Refining, Planting, Medicine Refining, Alchemy, etc., with over a dozen branches, and it’s a skill in the cooking domain.

This innate skill provides Pang Dahai with two effects.

First, it lets Pang Dahai learn Beginner Cooking, a skill that doesn’t require additional Spiritual Qi to level up, nor does it need extra Skill Stones to learn advanced cooking skills. It’s essentially a skill that grows with Pang Dahai’s level.

Second, the food Pang Dahai cooks has a chance of beneficial mutation, and as his level increases, this chance also increases.

"Come, try out your skill now!"

Hang Yu took out two chicken wings and placed them on the table.

Pang Dahai, having never used this innate skill since acquiring it, was somewhat skeptical, "Is this really reliable?"

"Just try it when I tell you to. Why so much nonsense!"

"Alright then!"

Pang Dahai applied Cooking Skill to the two chicken wings.

Light released from Pang Dahai’s body instantly enveloped the chicken wings, lifting them into the air, and at that moment, he suddenly had an indescribable wondrous feeling.

He seemed to sense every tiny change in the chicken wings and could control some mysterious force to process them, gradually roasting the chicken wings to perfection.

The process was smoother than any magic trick.

An incredible aroma quickly filled the coffee shop.

This aroma was unlike anything anyone had ever smelled, and just catching a whiff was an immense pleasure.

"It actually works!"

Pang Dahai discovered that the two fresh roasted chicken wings, under his power, turned golden yellow with crispy skin and tender meat inside in less than five minutes, with such enticing aroma that it made people drool with anticipation.

Hang Yu picked up one of the roasted wings, using the Spirit Realm assistant to check its details, and the information displayed as follows.

[Roasted Mountain Chicken Wing], ordinary food, Spiritual Qi +0, mountain chicken wings cooked with Cooking Skill, the method is very basic without any seasoning, containing trace amounts of Spiritual Qi.

"Are you sure this is edible?"

"Why don’t you taste it and see for yourself!"

Pang Dahai was hugely excited by this supernatural ability. After all, it was his own creation, so he wasn’t afraid to eat it. Most importantly, the aroma was too tempting!

He stared at the golden, crispy roast wings, with a layer of grease steaming on the surface, and couldn’t resist taking a bite.

The roast wings had no added seasoning, just the natural tenderness and deliciousness of the food itself, but it tasted unbelievably good.

"Aha, Fatty isn’t specifically targeting anyone, but all the chicken wings you’ve ever eaten are absolute trash!" Fatty Pang laughed boisterously, "KFC? McDonald’s? You’ll all bow down and tremble before Fatty’s roasted wings from now on!"

Hang Yu tasted the mountain chicken wing in his hand.

He had to admit, the taste was indeed superb.

Spirit Realm food is of very high quality, infused with Spiritual Energy that enhances the flavor. The higher the Spiritual Energy content, the better the taste. Plus, the Cooking Skill itself enhances the food’s flavor, far beyond what ordinary mortal cooking techniques can achieve.

This holds true even without any additional seasoning.

Not even a Michelin three-star chef could make better-tasting roasted wings.

"You have a Collection skill, and I have a Cooking skill." Although Pang Dahai appeared dull and naive, he was actually quite astute. Understanding the hard demand for Spirit Realm food in the future, he eagerly suggested, "If we work together on a business, it’ll definitely go big."

In a country known for its love of food, culinary delights are always the top demand, not to mention Spirit Realm food infused with Spiritual Qi?

Hang Yu had sought out Pang Dahai with cooperation in mind.

However, his considerations went much deeper than Pang Dahai’s; the two of them quickly hit it off and got down to action.