Chapter 1092: Somewhat of a Cultivator with a Hundred Immortal Arts At Hand

The kitchen was a chaotic tapestry of scattered pots, pans, bowls, and plates, interspersed with foodstuffs and medicinal herbs. Song Tianjing’s eyes were ringed with deep, dark circles. He had not slept in five days, his entire soul consumed by the Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts, completely losing all track of time.

Of course, this also had much to do with his fragile grasp on the boundary between dream and reality.

Song Tianjing pushed open the window. The early morning sunlight was not particularly intense, yet it still struck his eyes with a piercing, uncomfortable glare.

"Oh no, I was so utterly engrossed in studying these recipes! I almost forgot today is the Spiritual Chef Examination!"

To participate in the Grand Spiritual Chef Tournament, one first had to be a certified Spiritual Chef. This examination was an opportunity he absolutely could not afford to miss!

Abandoning any thought of tidying the kitchen, he dashed straight toward the examination registration grounds.

…

"Qian'er, the Clan Chief has already consented to our marriage. Soon, he will personally visit your Jade Rabbit Clan to propose. We are bound to cultivate a Great Demon Emperor of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage!"

"Young Master Wu, you would do well to sever that train of thought. There is no possibility of anything between us!" Qian'er wore a snow-white dress and matching socks, her attire radiantly bright. Even the long rabbit ears atop her head were of a pure, immaculate white without a single stray blemish—an exceedingly rare trait.

Hearing this, Young Master Wu grew agitated and grabbed her slender, porcelain wrist. "Qian'er, do you still not understand my heart? I truly love you!"

"Let go of me!" Qian'er struggled, her face etched with profound aversion to his touch.

"Qian'er, in truth, I—"

"Make way, make way!" With disheveled hair and a dirty face, Song Tianjing charged toward the registration desk. He had intended to bypass Young Master Wu and Qian'er, but having deprived himself of sleep for five days, his sense of distance and direction was entirely unhinged, and he accidentally collided with Young Master Wu, knocking him askew.

"I am so sorry, so sorry! Are you alright?"

"Are you blind? To dare bump into me! Do you have any idea who I am? I am the Holy Son of the Five Toxins Clan!" Seeing his golden opportunity ruined by this interloper, Young Master Wu flew into a rage. Qian'er, however, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, seizing the chance to wrench herself free from his grasp.

Song Tianjing inwardly cursed his misfortune. Since arriving in the Demon City, he had befriended a few demon cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and all of them had warned him that the one person in their tier he absolutely must never offend was this vindictive Holy Son of the Five Toxins Clan.

As for the young lady standing beside the Holy Son, he had crossed paths with her once before; she was Yu Qian'er of the Jade Rabbit Clan.

"Holy Son Wu, my deepest apologies. Time is running out. Please allow me to register first, and once the examination concludes, I will personally visit your residence to make amends!"

Ultimately, Song Tianjing managed to successfully register at the very last moment, just as the final stick of incense burned to ash.

Watching Song Tianjing’s frantic, retreating figure as he rushed to sign in, a cold, mocking sneer curled the corner of Young Master Wu’s mouth. "It seems he wishes to become a Spiritual Chef just like you and me."

"I shall make you understand the price of offending me!"

"Wu, I am warning you, you are not permitted to lay a hand on him!" Qian'er said nervously. Though it was unintentional, Song Tianjing had indeed delivered her from an awkward plight, and she could not bear to watch Young Master Wu scheme against him.

Seeing Qian'er plead on the boy's behalf only deepened Young Master Wu’s displeasure.

"Rest assured, Qian'er. He is a mere buffoon; I am not so petty a man." Young Master Wu offered a gentle, amiable smile, though inwardly he jeered.

Her warning had come too late. While Song Tianjing was distracted with registration, Wu had used a concealed venomous needle to infect him. The potency was mild, designed precisely to manifest just as the examination commenced, causing him to collapse headfirst onto his cooking stove. Surely, that spectacle would be highly entertaining.

Judging by the dark circles beneath the boy's eyes, he was clearly suffering from a severe lack of sleep. Even if he fell asleep during the test, no one would suspect foul play.

Yet, when the examination drew to a close, he was dumbfounded to see Song Tianjing emerge from the venue entirely unscathed, proudly wearing a two-star armband.

How could this be? Did the boy not succumb to the poison?!

"Young Master Wu, so you were still here waiting for me. I am terribly sorry about what happened earlier!" Spotting Young Master Wu, Song Tianjing hurried over to offer another sincere apology.

"I cannot fathom why, but before registering, my mind was utterly foggy. Yet the moment I finished signing up, my head suddenly cleared. My culinary performance during the test was better than ever, and the examiners were full of praise for my dish."

Young Master Wu’s heart jolted. Absorbing toxins and converting them into strength—was that not the defining trait of the Myriad Toxins Sacred Body?

What kind of joke was this? Did this unremarkable boy possess the very sacred physique that most absolute countered his Five Toxins Clan?

Qian'er blinked. She was no fool; she surmised that given Young Master Wu's vengeful nature, he had undoubtedly poisoned Song Tianjing, never expecting the youth to neutralize it so effortlessly.

Song Tianjing might appear ordinary, but he certainly harbored no shortage of secrets.

After Song Tianjing and Qian'er departed one after the other, Young Master Wu revealed his own two-star armband.

"At tomorrow’s Grand Spiritual Chef Tournament, I shall personally take the field. I would see just how much capability you truly possess!"

…

"Tomorrow is the Grand Spiritual Chef Tournament. Xiao He, are you not participating?" Yun Mengmeng had, as was her custom, purchased a vast bounty of spiritual delicacies to share with Xiao He—all of them treats she had sampled and deemed delicious.

When she returned home tonight, she would share them all over again with the Second Chief.

Yun Mengmeng’s heart swelled with delight. Sharing once brought double the joy; sharing twice meant quadruple the happiness!

"Regrettably, I cannot leave this place," Xiao He sighed. Ever since the battle of the Western Heaven Temple concluded, she had been bound by a restriction placed upon her by Hui Doudou, rendering her unable to step outside the little shop.

"What a shame. Our Second Chief is participating in the tournament, and I had so hoped to introduce you to him."

"Your Second Chief is also participating?" Xiao He frowned upon hearing this. Mengmeng had mentioned before that the "Second Chief" had only reluctantly come to the Demon City out of respect for Mengmeng’s wishes. If he possessed the qualifications to compete in the Grand Spiritual Chef Tournament, how could his presence be deemed reluctant?

This Second Chief was deceiving someone as pure-hearted as Mengmeng; he was truly no good man!

…

Over these past days, the cuisine within the Qiongqi Clan had been magnificent. Guided by a nine-star Spiritual Chef, overseen by the Little Ancestor, and executed by a five-star Spiritual Chef, they dined upon an array of exotic demon beasts, with no two days ever featuring the same dish.

Within the miniature world of the Azure Peak Sword, nothing remained but a floor carpeted in white bones. The meat had all been consumed by the Qiongqi Clan, and Lu Yang’s culinary prowess had visibly soared.

"It is time to head to the tournament."

Lu Yang donned his armband, fully prepared. Upon the band were five black, five-pointed stars, signifying his prestigious status as a five-star Spiritual Chef.

Lu Yang could now be considered a cultivator possessing one of the hundred immortal crafts, even if this particular status had been granted through the backdoor courtesy of the Taotie Clan.

When Lu Yang emerged from his reclusive training at the Qiongqi Clan, Yun Mengmeng was waiting faithfully at the gates to accompany him to the tournament ground.

The Immortal Master had demonstrated a few of her own techniques, and unfortunately, Jin Caiwei had succumbed to food poisoning, leaving her unable to accompany Lu Yang.

"So many Spiritual Chefs! There are far more here than at the marketplace." Yun Mengmeng had never witnessed such a gathering in all her life. She only lamented that she was not a judge, denied the chance to sample so many exquisite delicacies.

The registration grounds were a vast sea of humanity. The Spiritual Chefs presented themselves in all manner of eccentric guises: some were bald and bare-chested, a pair of meat cleavers dangling from their necks; others bore massive cooking pots upon their backs, a ring of kitchen utensils belted around their waists; and some, though youthful in countenance, possessed blackened fingers and arms as withered as dry wood.

Compared to this colorful assembly, Lu Yang and Yun Mengmeng appeared entirely conventional, looking somewhat out of place by contrast.

"The Grand Spiritual Chef Tournament is the grandest festival in the culinary world, held once every decade. The champion receives a scarlet armband, representing the absolute pinnacle of excellence among peers of the same rank."

"The Spiritual Chefs we encountered at the marketplace a few days ago were merely a fraction. A vast number of them never left their quarters, choosing instead to sharpen their skills in seclusion until the very last moment."

"So that is how it is," Yun Mengmeng murmured.

Including myself, Lu Yang silently added in his own mind.