Chapter 1094: [Immortal Chef Descendant] Lu Yunyang

"Master Lu, please look at that smiling cultivator standing in the corner whose eyes are completely hidden. His name is Xie Qi, a favorite to win this competition. He has never suffered a single defeat in a culinary duel!" Ma Bin, who worked as a vegetable cutter in the Imperial Kitchen, was doing his utmost to introduce the various spiritual chefs to Lu Yang on behalf of the Pastry Ma Family.

Xie Qi had a medicine jar strapped around his waist and wore a smiling countenance for everyone he met, looking as though his eyes were closed. He was highly renowned in the world of spiritual cuisine; even among five-star spiritual chefs, there were gradations of skill, and the other five-star chefs cast evasive glances toward him—a manifestation of their awe before the truly powerful.

Yet Lu Yang failed to notice that the other spiritual chefs were also quietly distancing themselves from Ma Bin.

Ma Bin himself was also a favorite to win the championship!

"Oh, he possesses such capability?"

"Xie Qi possesses an ability—whether born of a cultivation method or innate nature—that allows him to flawlessly mimic the movements of others."

"Furthermore, his tongue is extraordinary, possessing the ultimate sensitivity to the flavors of food. Even the minutest blemish becomes infinitely magnified within his mouth."

"Whenever anyone engages him in a culinary duel, he will completely replicate the opponent’s movements. Then, after tasting the finished dish, he will introduce improvements based upon that product."

"In this manner, the dishes he prepares are invariably a cut above his rival's!"

Lu Yang nodded; this was indeed a formidable opponent to contend with.

"Are there any others?"

"There is also that female cultivator dressed in an ice-blue gown. Her name is An Tong, and she likewise boasts an undefeated record, though she relies upon sheer innate strength. Although she was born without a sense of taste, her vision, touch, smell, and hearing far surpass those of cultivators at her same realm. Relying solely upon those four senses, she can create supreme delicacies!"

Lu Yang had seen this woman among the crowd gathered by Jin Tan, though he had not known her name until now: "So her name is An Tong."

Ma Bin introduced these spiritual chefs one by one, and not just the five-star ones; he covered the other four groups as well, for after all, the Cultivation Monthly could not solely report on the five-star competition.

With the sharp strike of a bronze gong, the grand culinary competition officially commenced. The five groups of spiritual chefs began their matches simultaneously, and Lu Yang and the others entered the arena in succession. The appearance of each illustrious spiritual chef elicited gasps of awe from the spectators.

"Look, quick! That is Master Golden Blade, Duan Lang!"

"That is the Poison Matriarch!"

"That is the Blade of the Imperial Kitchen, Ma Bin!"

"That is the Immortal Tongue, Xie Qi!"

"That is the Undefeated, An Tong!"

Yun Mengmeng listened for a long while but utterly failed to hear anyone shout her Second Master's name. She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, thinking the audience truly lacked vision; her Second Master was the heir to the Immortal Chef, a far more formidable figure than any Master Golden Blade or Poison Matriarch.

"That... that is actually the Heir to the Immortal Chef, Lu Yunyang!" Standing upon the spectator stands, Yun Mengmeng suddenly pointed toward Lu Yang, her face a mask of simulated disbelief.

Her expression was somewhat theatrical, but fortunately, the audience was entirely captivated by Lu Yang’s title and paid little heed to Yun Mengmeng's dramatic display.

"What 'Heir to the Immortal Chef'? Who dares claim such a grandiose title?"

"Where? Where is he?"

"What, do you not recognize him?" Yun Mengmeng asked, feigning immense astonishment.

"Who is he?" The spectators were all seasoned gourmands, yet though they racked their brains, they could not recall any spiritual chef ever being bestowed with such a heaven-defying title as 'Heir to the Immortal Chef.'

Yun Mengmeng spoke with an air of deep mystery: "Rumor has it that Lu Yunyang was instructed by an Immortal Chef within his dreams, learning techniques known only to the celestial host. His blade-work is at the absolute zenith, and his medicinal cuisine is without equal. The only reason his fame is not widespread is because the Immortal strictly charged him to endure in obscurity for a decade to temper his disposition."

"The ten years have now passed, and this sharp sword of his may finally be unsheathed!"

"Can this be true? Why does it sound so utterly fabricated?"

"Did this youth truly receive the legacy of an Immortal?"

Though Yun Mengmeng wove her tale with an air of gravity, the gourmands were no fools; they would not blindly accept whatever she declared.

In the world of spiritual cuisine, flavor alone reigned supreme!

Evidently, Yun Mengmeng did not possess Lu Yang's natural genius for deception.

The grand culinary competition consisted of three trials, testing blade-work, ingredients, and dishes respectively. It was an elimination tournament, where one had to pass the preceding trial to advance to the next.

The five groups competed simultaneously, facing identical tests.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Song Tianjing's forehead. This first trial was purported to test blade-work, but from the looks of it, that hardly seemed the case.

In the two-star spiritual chef competition, all the participants were confined within a colosseum. As a succession of cages swung open, countless Foundation Establishment demon beasts slinked forth, baring their fangs and glaring at the two-star chefs, viewing them as mere fodder.

"What is this? Surely you are not unable to defeat even a demon beast?" Young Master Wu remarked, catching sight of Song Tianjing’s terrified state. A cold sneer curled his lips; it appeared Song Tianjing amounted to very little, and would likely be eliminated without anyone even needing to target him.

Young Master Wu and Yu Qian'er were both two-star spiritual chefs who had come to participate in this grand festival.

Yu Qian'er explained to Song Tianjing: "The Spiritual Chef Alliance believes that to be a qualified spiritual chef, one must first conquer the ingredients. If one cannot even defeat the ingredients, what right does one have to process them?"

"Therefore, the first trial is invariably a test of how you defeat and butcher a demon beast."

Having spoken, Yu Qian'er tarried no longer and charged toward an armored spiritual rhinoceros. The more difficult the spiritual beast was to handle, the higher the score would be during the final evaluation after the three trials. This rhinoceros ranked within the top ten among the gathered beasts, making it a rival well worth challenging.

Song Tianjing's eyelids twitched. He possessed absolute confidence in his blade-work, but the issue lay in his lack of combat experience; he had never once fought a demon beast.

What should he do? What could he do?

Song Tianjing's gaze inadvertently swept across the spectator stands and caught sight of Yun Mengmeng. His heart leaped in shock; why were the people of the Heavenly Court Sect here?

Could it be that the Young Sect Master had arrived as well? Had he come to watch his performance?

If his performance proved too wretched, would he be obliterated by the Young Sect Master?

The more Song Tianjing pondered it, the more plausible it seemed. He would risk everything; rather than being executed by the Young Sect Master, it was better to boldly battle a demon beast. He was, after all, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, so it was impossible for him to lose to a single beast.

Song Tianjing selected a purple marten. The creature stood upon its hind legs, its front paws tucked into its plush fur, blinking its small eyes in a manner that appeared entirely harmless to man and beast alike.

Noticing that Song Tianjing had chosen it, the Purple Sky Marten instantly bared its fangs, its eyes turning a ferocious crimson, its claws scraping against the ground to leave deep gouges.

The spectator stands erupted into a sudden commotion, all eyes converging upon the two-star spiritual chef section.

"Who is that man? How does he dare choose the Purple Sky Marten?!"

"The Purple Sky Marten is surely the strongest among that pack of beasts, is it not?"

"Indeed, that is the King of Beasts!"

The two-star spiritual chefs also noticed Song Tianjing’s choice, and a chorus of mockery and ridicule ensued.

"The Purple Sky Marten carries the bloodline of an ancient primordial demon; its ancestors boasted a Great Demon Emperor of the Tribulation Transmutation stage. Its movements are swift as lightning, utterly impossible for divine sense to capture."

"More than that, its claws are exceptionally sharp; a gentle swipe can sever a head. To choose it is to court death!"

"The King of Beasts, the Purple Sky Marten... even I would not dare select it as an opponent," Young Master Wu could not help but burst into laughter.

Song Tianjing quietly slipped his hand into his robe, touching the Grand Compendium of Culinary Arts to bolster his courage.

Yet the very moment his fingers brushed against the volume, the Purple Sky Marten—which had been poised to launch an attack—suddenly seemed to perceive something. The crimson hue faded from its eyes, and it prostrated itself upon the ground.

That was a terror rooted deep within an ancient bloodline that could never be extirpated, a magnificent will that no demon beast could ever hope to resist!

"What has happened to the Purple Sky Marten?"

"No, it is not just the Purple Sky Marten—look at the other demon beasts!"

Cries of astonishment echoed continuously across the stands, and some spectators were so shocked they stood straight up.

Every single demon beast in the colosseum extended its front paws forward, flattening themselves against the earth, kneeling in reverence toward Song Tianjing.

Yu Qian'er lightly pressed a hand over her small mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with boundless shock.

"Is it because of this Grand Compendium of Culinary Arts?" Song Tianjing immediately grasped the crucial point. His family's ancestral rubric, a mere remnant copy of the compendium, had never once caused demon beasts to feel dread. Could it be that only this original version possessed such a capability?!

Surely, this would be enough to satisfy Young Sect Master Lu?

The commotion on Song Tianjing's side was simply too vast; it was impossible for Lu Yang not to notice.

No, a book casually given away by the immortal had such an effect, so why have I never enjoyed this kind of treatment?!