85: Deadly Chef

"Ding-ding, ding-ding!"

"Oh!"

"It's done already?"

Zhou Yan looked at the large pot of steaming Fried Rice in front of him and couldn't help but swallow.

After rushing around all day and reporting to the Sect, he finally had some free time.

There were no chefs available at this hour, so Zhou Yan could only use his LV5 Cooking Skill to make something and try it out.

In his previous life, Zhou Yan had cooked before, but he was lazy and often preferred ordering takeout rather than cooking himself.

But now it was different. He looked at the massive pot of Fried Rice that had "dinged" into existence after just a quick stir-fry.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but exclaim.

"Even pre-prepared meals aren't this efficient."

"Wow! That smells amazing!"

Xiao Sheng smelled the aroma, lifted the kitchen curtain, and quickly walked in, reaching out to grab the rice in the pot, only to have his hand smacked away by Zhou Yan's chopsticks.

"I say, Old Xiao, do you still remember that you're a Daoist?"

"Alas, let's not talk about that, let's not talk about that."

"Is this the Fried Rice you made using the flood dragon egg?"

"You even have this kind of skill!"

After the Poetry Gathering ended, Xiao Sheng had nowhere to go, so Zhou Yan naturally took him in.

After taking him in, Zhou Yan told him about impersonating him earlier and even took out the flood dragon egg as proof.

He also offered to compensate him.

However, Xiao Sheng was very generous, stating that it was just a minor matter. He claimed he still had Trump Cards he hadn't used, and as long as he used them, he could defeat those enemies instantly.

But Xiao Sheng did not forgive Zhou Yan immediately; he made a request.

That was, Zhou Yan had to treat him to a meal, which is why Zhou Yan was cooking just now.

Seeing the way the other party's eyes were practically glued to the Fried Rice, Zhou Yan couldn't be bothered to complain anymore. He simply plated the Fried Rice and put it on the table.

"How could I possibly use the flood dragon egg for your Fried Rice? I still need that thing."

Zhou Yan pointed to a corner of the room, which finally made Xiao Sheng reluctantly shift his gaze toward it.

The flood dragon egg was currently placed in a nest carved out of stone, surrounded by a mysterious power.

Xiao Sheng could feel that the flow rate of time in that small space was different from its surroundings.

"Old Zhou, you truly have great means. With such a Divine Ability, that Secret Realm is definitely meant for you."

After observing for a moment, Xiao Sheng rubbed his hands together, immediately returned his attention to the Fried Rice, grabbed a spoon, and prepared to scoop some up.

"I'm curious, though, why didn't they invite you? After all, you stayed on the boat for several days. Aren't they more familiar with you than with me?"

Just as the spoon was about to enter Xiao Sheng's mouth, it suddenly stopped. Xiao Sheng looked embarrassed and quickly made three feigned movements in one second.

"This... this trump card of mine, this..."

Seeing that the other party didn't seem to want to talk about it, Zhou Yan didn't press the honest Daoist Priest.

"I was just asking out of curiosity. Let's eat first, let's eat."

Hearing this, Xiao Sheng looked as if he had been granted amnesty and immediately ate the rice on the spoon.

Zhou Yan also looked at the Fried Rice on the plate.

The freshly cooked Fried Rice was served on a White Porcelain Plate, with steam carrying the aroma rising upwards.

Every grain of rice was stir-fried until glossy and dry, distinct and non-sticky. The golden egg liquid didn't clump but coated the rice grains evenly, as if plating the rice with a warm yellow glow, occasionally hiding bits of slightly charred fried egg.

A handful of emerald green Scallions was sprinkled on the surface, fresh and bright, creating a simple contrast with the golden rice grains.

Just a sniff filled the air with the mellow fragrance of egg mixed with the toasted aroma of rice, full of Wok Hei. Just looking at its oily, separated appearance made one crave a spoonful immediately.

Seeing this made me hungry too. There's still some in the pot, I should go get another plate.

Just as Zhou Yan had this thought,

he suddenly realized Xiao Sheng wasn't moving.

Huh?

What's going on?

Is there something wrong with LV5 Cooking Skill?

It couldn't be that this dish, made in just a few seconds, was like those Special Effect Fashion Items—good to look at but useless?

Curious, Zhou Yan opened the panel that had recorded the results after he finished cooking the rice.

[Fried Rice]

[Quality: Elite]

Description: Great Master craftsmanship, rarely seen in the mortal world!

Looking at the description... there seems to be no problem?

"Old Xiao, is this... not to your taste?"

Xiao Sheng didn't answer Zhou Yan but remained stunned for a moment longer.

Then, he suddenly let out a strange cry.

"Mmm~ Ah ha."

Xiao Sheng trembled all over, then plunged his entire body onto the Fried Rice. He didn't even use the spoon anymore, grabbing it with his hands and shoveling it into his mouth.

"Awesome, Old Zhou! Awesome!"

"Peerless Grade, absolutely Peerless Grade."

Halfway through eating, he didn't forget to mumble a reply to Zhou Yan with his mouth full of rice.

Watching Xiao Sheng wolf down the food in front of him, Zhou Yan completely abandoned the idea he'd just had of going to the kitchen to scoop a bowl for himself.

That's terrifying. Is he eating Fried Rice?

I didn't add any Shells to it, did I?

A plate of Fried Rice was finished by Xiao Sheng in just a few moments.

Immediately after, he started licking the plate, sucking his fingers, and even picked up the grains of rice that had fallen on the floor to savor them.

Finally, after a comfortable shudder, a tear rolled down the corner of his eye.

"Ah!"

"It tastes like Mom's cooking!"

"Old Xiao, act normal! You're scaring me!"

Zhou Yan's expression turned sour. If he had known that LV5 Cooking Skill resulted in this kind of reaction, he would have just paid more money to hire two chefs.

After completing this series of strange rituals, Xiao Sheng first looked toward the back kitchen, then reluctantly looked at Zhou Yan.

"Old Zhou, don't you want to eat some of this delicious food?"

Zhou Yan understood the other party's meaning—he probably wanted to hog all the Fried Rice in the back kitchen.

Seeing this effect, Zhou Yan certainly didn't dare to eat it, so he might as well let Xiao Sheng eat it all.

So Zhou Yan laughed awkwardly.

"Haha, I only make this stuff, I don't touch it. Touching this stuff is bad for the brain."

Xiao Sheng didn't care what he said. Hearing that Zhou Yan didn't want it, he flipped over and crawled toward the kitchen on all fours, like a Licker.

Next, there was a loud clatter in the kitchen, clearly indicating that many Bowls and Chopsticks had been knocked over.

"Alas~ What a Sin. Did I... trick him again?"

"Old Xiao won't develop a Food Addiction, will he?"

Never mind, never mind. After all, this is just a Life Skill, how serious could it be?

Having lost the desire to eat, Zhou Yan got up and walked over to the flood dragon egg.

He checked its panel.

[flood dragon egg · Fragment]

[Rank: Second Rank]

[Quality: Excellent]

[hp: 3/460]

Abnormal Status: path of evolution (99%)

Description: A Stillborn nurtured by a Secret Method, forcibly resurrecting its Physical Body. Because it lacks a Soul, it cannot be fully resurrected.

When Zhou Yan first acquired this egg, he actually didn't care much about it.

This was because the profound ring contained a pile of Private Goods stuffed in by the Elders, which, although they were Materials sufficient for advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage.

They had also secretly included several Nascent Soul Stage Treasures, which, coming from a Major Sect, were definitely much stronger than this Pseudo-Fourth Rank Living Embryo.

Therefore, Zhou Yan wanted to give it directly to Xiao Sheng as an apology. It was only after Sage Xiao refused that Zhou Yan noticed the egg was a Soulless Object, meaning it wasn't Pseudo-Fourth Rank at all, but merely Third Rank.

In that situation, whoever got their hands on it would likely suffer at least a small loss.

But in Zhou Yan's hands, it gained a different meaning.

Under the experience of Zhou Yan's Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation and Proficiency, the speed of refining this flood dragon egg via the path of evolution was extremely fast.

Especially since Zhou Yan had also applied an 18x Acceleration to this area.

Therefore, the egg had already been refined just moments ago, needing only the final step.

Since he wasn't in the mood to eat, he might as well finish it now.

Zhou Yan forced a drop of Essence Blood out of his body, instantly reducing his hp by 1/10.

Then, wrapped and guided by Divine Sense, the Essence Blood merged into the egg, completing the final Soul Resonance.

At this point, a Button had appeared on the egg.

[Fusion]