Chapter 1095: The Excellence of Knife Skills

What is the point of a crowd of Foundation Establishment minor demons kneeling before you? the Immortal Fairy said disdainfully, feeling that the second-in-command truly lacked ambition.

Just wait, when the day comes that we find the Qilin Immortal, this Immortal will make him kowtow to you; after all, as the eldest senior brother of Xiao Ling and Lian Yi...

No, no, no, Fairy, what I meant just now was that this lad Song Tianjing is a man of meager blessings, so how could he possibly compare to me?

Is that what you meant?

That is exactly what I meant! Lu Yang nodded vigorously for the sake of his own life.

Well then, it seems this Immortal misunderstood.

Lu Yang took two deep breaths to banish all distracting thoughts, ignoring the commotion over on Song Tianjing's side and no longer thinking about his own doom; what he needed to do now was focus on demonstrating his knife skills.

He could just casually experience the other trials, but this first trial required him to fight with all his might.

As the saying goes, saber and sword share the same origin, and often a sword cultivator's skill with a blade is not lacking either; as a proud possessor of a Sword Spiritual Root and the number one sword cultivator of his generation, he could not lose face in this round!

The Five-Star Spirit Chef group was also in the colosseum, where the Soul Formation stage demonic beasts had broken free from their cages, wantonly releasing their overwhelming pressure.

The mere pressure was enough to frighten away a portion of the spirit chefs, leaving them too terrified to strike, their hands trembling as they held their knives.

Yet Lu Yang was absolutely not among them!

While the other Five-Star Spirit Chefs possessed their own unique, exclusive equipment, Lu Yang was different; for him, a single ordinary kitchen knife was more than enough.

The competition for the Five-Star Spirit Chef group differed slightly from that of the Two-Star group, as it included an additional thematic requirement.

Just now, Vice Alliance Leader Liu Xing said that our knife skills must reflect 'benevolence'.

While Lu Yang was still contemplating what exactly constituted the 'benevolence of knife skills', the other spirit chefs already had their own ideas and unleashed their blades one after another.

Look quickly, there is a miniature sun over there! The audience noticed the anomaly in the Five-Star Spirit Chef group.

No, that is not a miniature sun, it is Master Golden Knife; it is because his golden knives are carving too fast!

Master Golden Knife took the lead, selecting a feiyi, a species of the serpent clan with six legs and four wings, ranking fifth in dignity among the gathering of Soul Formation beasts!

Master Golden Knife repeated his old trick, stamping his feet as his muscles swelled with energy, and with a sudden toss, he hurled the feiyi high into the sky.

Boneless Knife Technique!

Two golden knives danced rapidly like a blazing sun, and wherever the sunlight touched, cleanly scraped snake bones and falling snow-white snake meat were left behind.

The benevolence of knife skills lies in not causing pain to the demonic beast; I accept your congratulations, Master Golden Knife said faintly, hanging the two golden knives across his chest as he was the first to land, followed by a shower of snow-white snake meat raining down into the dish.

In truth, Master Golden Knife possessed the strength to defeat the top four beasts, but he could not achieve an instantaneous kill, and failing to kill instantly would cause pain to the beast, which would not count as the benevolence of knife skills.

Why is there such a thick mist over there?

There is a silhouette in the mist, dancing so beautifully; is that a fairy dancing? The audience grew excited once again.

Only when the mist dispersed did they realize that it was no fairy at all, but clearly Poison Granny dissecting a poisoned Nine-Headed Lion.

Yun Mengmeng looked at the audience with a strange expression, wondering if there was something wrong with these people's eyes, seeing miniature suns one moment and fairies dancing the next.

During the competition, Poison Granny was temporarily exempted from wearing handcuffs and fetters, making her feel much lighter.

She let out a chilling laugh, having chosen the Nine-Headed Lion, a powerful existence ranked among the top three.

Poison Granny allowed the Nine-Headed Lion to bite her and tear off a piece of flesh; her poisonous blood flowed out, turning into a toxic mist upon contact with the air, plunging the Nine-Headed Lion into a wonderful dreamland.

The benevolence of knife skills lies in letting the demonic beast die in happiness!

Aside from Lu Yang, there was one other person who had not moved from start to finish, and that was Ma Bin.

The benevolence of knife skills so that is what it means.

Ma Bin raised his hand and called over Vice Alliance Leader Liu Xing.

What is the matter?

I abstain.

Liu Xing revealed an astonished expression: You abstain?

Yes, the benevolence of knife skills lies in not killing; only by abstaining can one avoid killing!

Have you truly thought this through, is this your final answer?

Yes! Ma Bin nodded.

Very well, you may leave.

Did I pass the trial?

Liu Xing rolled his eyes, pointed at the spectator stands, and said: You have already abstained and yet you still want to pass the trial? Go sit in the audience.

...

This should not be happening; shouldn't Vice Alliance Leader Liu reveal a profound smile, say that only you understood the purpose of this trial, and then let him pass?

How could it end before the blade of my Imperial Kitchen had even made a name for itself?

Ma Bin was sent off to the spectator stands, while the competition continued.

Lu Yang finally made a move; he stood up slowly, clutching his ordinary kitchen knife, and strolled toward the beast king Kui Ox.

The Kui Ox felt as though it were facing a formidable foe, its bloodline instinct telling it that this was a deadly enemy capable of killing it!

Lu Yang raised his knife and brought it down, yet the Kui Ox stood frozen in place, completely unharmed.

What happened, what is going on? The audience was exceptionally baffled; was he just trying to scare the Kui Ox?

Is this the level of the descendant of the Immortal Chef?

No, look at what he is holding in his hand! Ma Bin did possess genuine skill after all, and quickly spotted the anomaly.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Lu Yang was holding a piece of paper so thin that it was nearly transparent under the sunlight.

Let me see, Liu Xing teleported over instantly, picking up the paper and feeling absolutely no weight from it.

He unfolded the paper, only to find that it was precisely in the shape of a Kui Ox!

You are...

I sliced the Kui Ox right down the middle, and then took another cut along the cross-section, thus obtaining this beef paper.

And the Kui Ox did not react at all before its wound healed up.

Lu Yang tore a small piece from the beef paper, placed it in his mouth to chew, and the aroma of Kui Ox beef flooded his palate.

I believe Fellow Daoist Ma Bin was right; the benevolence of knife skills indeed lies in not killing. Would Vice Alliance Leader Liu like a taste as well?

This beef paper was so thin that it became cooked just by being exposed to the sunlight!

No, your knife skills are exquisite, but the beef paper is too thin to even constitute a single dish; although you have demonstrated the benevolence of knife skills, you are not a qualified spirit chef. In matters of culinary spirit arts, Liu Xing was extremely strict.

How is that a challenge? Lu Yang laughed heartily, knocking the Kui Ox unconscious with the spine of his blade, raising his knife and bringing it down once more, whereupon a strip of beautifully marbled meat appeared in his hand!

Liu Xing's pupils contracted sharply, wearing an expression that screamed 'this is impossible'.

This time he had seen clearly; to an uninitiated outsider it appeared to be a single strike, but he saw clearly that Lu Yang had delivered eighty-one cuts!

After knocking the Kui Ox unconscious, Lu Yang sliced open its hide with one strike, scooped out the shank portion, and just as the cut of meat was removed, the Kui Ox's skin healed perfectly!

The Kui Ox was a Soul Formation stage demonic beast with immensely powerful healing capabilities; by the time it woke up, the missing part would have long since grown back!

And the Kui Ox would remain entirely oblivious to it!

"If Vice Alliance Leader Liu feels it is not yet enough to feast upon, you could seek out a few more Kui oxen; I can carve a portion from each, and pieced together, they should suffice to form a whole beast."

"You... you have passed," Vice Alliance Leader Liu stammered blankly. This was far more than a mere passing; it was the birth of a legend. In the sixty-thousand-year history of the Spirit Chef Tournament, the Five-Star Spirit Chef division had never witnessed such peerless blade technique.

"By the way, exactly how many strikes did you execute just now?" Vice Alliance Leader Liu suddenly inquired before turning to leave.

Lu Yang clasped his hands in a calm, composed salute and smiled softly.

"One hundred and eight strikes. I am honored by your concession."