Da Zaojun

Chapter 195 Escaping the Ant Realm

Aside from the changes to the Three Treasures, the biggest surprise was that the Seven Methods of the Kitchen God were fully unlocked.

Originally, Song Wuji was wondering if he was missing some fragment of a divine essence, and if he could refine more to increase the origin of his soul. Now it seems that he was only missing a [Talisman Golden Pill] as a carrier. To be precise, this Talisman Golden Pill also carries the core of Song Wuji's soul, which is the manifestation of divine authority, the source of all divine methods, and represents the laws of heaven and earth that he comprehends and imitates.

Of the seven methods, lighting fires and building stoves were previously learned. One was a magic technique, and the other was a method for establishing temples. Now, they have become supernatural powers. Although they do not belong to the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends, they are still the embodiment of the humanistic laws of the Kitchen God's way.

The remaining methods, including the knife-sharpening method, the wood-chopping method, and the White Tiger formation, all relate to sharpness and are derived from Song Wuji's Earthly Fiend Divine Power, the foundation of the Five Elements in his talisman and golden elixir: the knife-swallowing technique.

Originally, after becoming an eighth-rank official and taking charge of the stove, one could learn the knife-sharpening technique. However, Song Wuji had never sharpened a knife before. Otherwise, after sharpening it ten or eight times, he would have naturally mastered this technique, which is a supernatural skill used to sharpen weapons.

The key to the wood-chopping principle lies in the word "chopping." It's like Yang Jian splitting Peach Mountain or Chen Xiang splitting Mount Hua, which requires a special weapon: an axe.

However, Song Wuji only had a primary weapon and no secondary weapon. He didn't have a suitable axe. Otherwise, let alone chopping wood, he could easily slice demons in half with a single blow.

Using other knives, like a machete, would work, but it's not as convenient as using an axe.

Furthermore, this wood-chopping method is particularly effective against wood. Now that Song Wuji has learned this method, he can even cut down the Hungry Ghost Wood. Not to mention the Hungry Ghost Wood, even the Heavenly Jianmu (a type of ancient Chinese tree) can be chopped down by Song Wuji with perseverance.

The same applies to opening a pot. Song Wuji did not forge his own pot, so he did not learn the ritual. The pot-opening ceremony is similar to the stove-worshiping ceremony. There is a saying that "the universe is vast inside the pot." After transforming into supernatural powers, it involves array formations, spatial principles, and also includes the method of refining and consecrating utensils. It is not only for pots, but also for wooden pot lids, spatulas, etc. These can all be consecrated by the pot-opening ceremony to bestow blessings upon the stove god. It is specifically for kitchen utensils.

Just like Xiao Fugui's eighteen golden kitchen utensils, even an ordinary person with average cooking skills can make dishes with special effects by using the pots and pans blessed by Song Wuji, as long as they strictly follow the recipe and order. They can even cook automatically.

The cookbook even reveals a method for crafting magical kitchen utensils.

Five-flavor pot, Qiankun spatula, butcher's knife, Yin-Yang scissors, fish-dragon basin, kitchen cabinet, fortune and prosperity bowl...

Even everyday items like ladles for scooping water, carrying poles for carrying water, buckets, and water vats all have complete refining methods, all derived from "opening the pot" and "building the stove".

The rest were responsible for carrying water and fanning the flames.

Carrying water is a powerful technique and a method of maintaining balance. It uses a carrying pole, so there is another way to use it, called "Carrying Pole Skill". After it is transformed into a supernatural power, one can carry mountains.

If we're talking about the complete Kitchen God, the God of the Eastern Kitchen in the Nine Heavens, he could carry not only mountains, but also the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty on his shoulders.

Fanning oneself is self-evident. Song Wuji possesses the supernatural power of "summoning wind," which is similar to fanning oneself. However, summoning wind involves invoking the wind that exists in the natural world, while fanning oneself involves creating a strong wind that is under one's control. It also requires a fan, such as a banana leaf fan, a palm leaf fan, or a folding paper fan.

This method is most compatible with "starting a fire," as it relies on the wind to fan the flames. Even Laozi, when refining elixirs, needed to increase the fire's intensity and required two attendants to fan it. It doesn't actually possess great power, although his two banana leaf fans were quite formidable. It borrows a "meaning," specifically the meaning of "Xun wood" in the Eight Trigrams.

This fan, it draws upon the laws of wind, the great path of Xun wood in the Eight Trigrams, and when it stirs up a vortex, it becomes a tornado.

"It turns out that you don't need any magical tools to start a fire or build a stove. Sharpening a knife requires a whetstone, carrying water requires a carrying pole and a bucket, cooking requires a sacrificial altar, chopping firewood requires a mountain-splitting axe, and fanning the flames requires a banana leaf fan..."

The Kitchen God has so many treasures!
It's not that the Kitchen God has many treasures, but rather that he has too many kitchen utensils. Putting all that aside, even the most prestigious item, the "Nine Tripods," is actually just a cooking utensil. This is what a truly luxurious household looks like.

Furthermore, the Ruyi rolling pin that the Beggar Clan elder mentioned earlier is just a rolling pin. Even if it's not a rolling pin, it could be a rag or a cloud-patterned cloth.

Whether a deity receives offerings depends on whether they are practical or not.

Since even deities need to see this, the magical treasures they use must be the most frequently used and the most powerful, serving as symbols of their authority.

The seven necessities of life are: food, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Which of these is not related to "eating"?

Aside from the fact that the Kitchen God is somewhat weaker in terms of "wealth," restaurants have always been the main businesses that have opened shops. It's just that nowadays restaurant owners worship the God of Wealth instead of the Kitchen God.

Song Wuji only now realized that he was actually a "penniless pauper"!

Oh well, once we've refined the Good and Evil Jar and the Ascension Cloud, we'll have the basic Kitchen God's entourage. We can add the other things gradually.

Upon closer inspection, Song Wuji discovered that he possessed quite a few supernatural abilities.

A systematic approach: the Seven Methods of the Kitchen God, which consist of seven methods.

Next is the Fire Talisman Golden Elixir: there are nine of them. Then comes: Summoning Wind and Rain. This should form a system later, belonging to the Dragon God series, along with Driving Thunder and Lightning. It should be a set. If it is a Golden Elixir cultivated with the Heavenly Gang Great Divine Power as its core, it should be the Five Thunder Talisman Golden Elixir, or perhaps the Water Virtue Talisman Golden Elixir related to riding the clouds and summoning wind and rain.

But he belongs to the element of fire, so what he summons is hot wind and fire rain.

Next came the calling of names and opening of the wall, which were even less systematic, although Song Wuji used them a lot and they were very effective.

Thus, there are a total of 20 supernatural powers. However, apart from the Seven Methods of the Kitchen God which have the potential for growth, the Samadhi True Fire of the Fire Talisman Golden Elixir is quite powerful. The others are either Earthly Fiend Supernatural Powers or Minor Supernatural Powers. Although they have some use, they are still not as good as the Heavenly Gang Great Supernatural Powers. To continue cultivating and transform the Talisman Golden Elixir into an [Immortal Talisman], it is necessary to continue to increase the number of supernatural powers and refine them to obtain higher quality.

However, Song Wuji mainly relied on the stove grid and the stove god ritual to increase his strength. The cultivation of this supernatural power system was only accumulated naturally in the process of killing powerful demons and turning them into delicious dishes.

However, it's still better to have a cultivation system. At least the Fire Talisman Golden Pill allowed Song Wuji to break through to the seventh rank without going through the seventh-rank ritual.

So, can other people also try spiritual practice?

But thinking about it carefully, the requirements for the Talisman Golden Elixir Method are quite demanding. How could an ordinary person cultivate so many supernatural powers? Song Wuji's talent for stealing was basically like having it on and off at the same time.

Lin Fajing is also a Daoist at the Iron Pillar Palace Grotto-heaven level. He is repairing the Six Jia Qimen Golden Elixir, but he has not yet broken through to the seventh rank and is still honing his supernatural abilities.

It would probably take an ordinary person twenty or thirty years to comprehend a single supernatural power, and even accumulating essence, energy, and spirit to condense the Primordial Golden Elixir would require a vast amount of resources.

In comparison, these rituals are incredibly simple and accessible; once completed, one can gain power.

Song Wuji estimated that even if everyone cultivated, the ninth rank would be the limit for ordinary people, and the eighth rank would be something only a genius could achieve.

As for the seventh rank and beyond, one needs good fortune.

Just like in cultivation novels, nine out of ten cultivators in the world are Qi Refining cultivators, and most of the remaining ten are Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those who can condense Golden Core are considered to be figures of their own.

Of course, there may be those later stages where Golden Core cultivators are everywhere and Nascent Soul cultivators are as insignificant as dogs, but for now...

According to Song Wuji's estimation, Chen Xiu, for example, is already at the eighth rank and still has the dual ritual. If he doesn't find the seventh rank ritual and relies solely on his own efforts to cultivate, he will have no chance of reaching the seventh rank in this lifetime unless he has a fortuitous encounter.

If that's the case... then will the demons and monsters that follow... only be able to survive with the support of a small number of strong individuals?

Or perhaps it's about selecting the strongest, like raising a venomous insect.

Song Wuji's thoughts drifted far away.

"Lord Song?"

Lin Fajing saw Song Wuji examining his own changes and didn't disturb him at first. But now that he saw Song Wuji lost in thought, he wondered: "Having cultivated the Golden Core, he is a first-rate True Immortal on Earth. How can he still be distracted?"

Song Wuji came to his senses: "It's nothing, I just had a lot of feelings. The difference between the eighth and seventh ranks is so great. I feel like I could crush the Luohu python or the tiger demon with a single finger."

Lin Fajing said, "In fact, the difference between human immortals and earth immortals is not only so great, but there is also a world of difference between earth immortals."

Song Wuji sighed, "No wonder I heard that there are only three realms in the cultivation world: the Ant Realm, where everyone below me is an ant; the Fellow Daoist Realm, where those around me are called Fellow Daoists; and the Senior Realm, where everyone stronger than me is called a Senior..."

Lin Fajing found these words amusing, but upon reflection, they were also a stark truth. So he said, "Then congratulations to Lord Song. At least you have escaped the ant realm. Now that you have cultivated the Golden Core, apart from the old monsters in the blessed lands and the great demons who are suppressed and cannot yet emerge, and the immortals and gods in the Heavenly Court and the Underworld who have not yet perished, you can be considered a shepherd in the human realm."

Upon hearing this, Song Wuji felt it wasn't a consolation, but rather a response: "You've only managed to escape being an ant among mortals, but in their eyes, you're still an ant."

A deep sense of crisis swept over him. Taking a deep breath, Song Wuji said, "Alright! Let's return to Taichang Realm, make some preparations, and then descend to the Netherworld to pass through the Five Trials and feast the ghosts and gods!"

"It's a pity that my spirit hasn't emerged yet, and I haven't learned the art of communicating with the underworld, otherwise I would definitely have followed Lord Song to the underworld to broaden my horizons."

"It is said that the underworld is in complete chaos. The ghost kings of the eighteen levels of hell have escaped, and only the Wheel of Reincarnation is still in operation. Everywhere is filled with smoke and dust. Rebel kings, ghost heroes, and emperors and generals of past dynasties have all gathered their troops, formed strongholds, and are trying to fight their way back to the mortal world!"

(End of this chapter)