Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Carrying the Rainbow Fruit that emitted a seven-colored halo, Shi Yu and his group returned to the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest.

As soon as they stepped into the core area, the rich, sweet aroma spread like a tide, attracting the soul beasts along the way to stop, their eyes filled with longing and curiosity.

Shi Yu carefully placed the fruit on the open ground beside the Lake of Life, gazing at these fruits that seemed to have condensed the essence of the rainbow, and fell into deep thought.

There are countless ways to make desserts, but not every one can match such a dreamy ingredient as rainbow fruit.

Shi Yu recalled the plot of the original "Toriko" manga, in which Komatsu ultimately chose to make rainbow fruit into pudding, precisely controlling the temperature at 5 degrees Celsius. As time passed, the temperature of the fruit would slowly rise, and the taste would undergo a wonderful change.

However, Shi Yu always felt that this method of processing might not have fully unleashed the potential of the Rainbow Fruit, and its deliciousness deserved to be presented in a more exquisite way.

"Since we don't know the optimal solution, why don't we make a few different kinds of products for everyone to try first, and then make improvements after they've tasted them?" Shi Yu made up her mind and decided to make rainbow juice and rainbow pudding first.

The rainbow fruit is like fine agate; with a gentle press, its crystal-clear juice gushes out and drips into the container, making a crisp sound.

This small amount of juice alone was enough to make the surrounding air smell incredibly sweet. Shi Qiu'er couldn't contain herself any longer and leaned over to sniff the air, her eyes fixed on the container.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to drink it soon," Shi Yu said with a smile, then drew a large pot of clear lake water from the Lake of Life—he couldn't help but think to himself, "Could this be the Silver Dragon King's bathwater? But such pure lake water is perfect for pairing with rainbow juice."

He took out a long, thin dropper, carefully drew a drop of rainbow juice, and slowly dripped it into the large pot. A miracle happened instantly: the originally clear lake water was quickly dyed with a rainbow of colors, with red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple intertwining and flowing like a flowing galaxy. Immediately afterward, a rich, mellow, and sweet aroma burst forth, causing everyone present to swallow hard.

"Oh, this damn sweet and fragrant aroma! Shi Yu, hurry up and bring it up, I can't wait!" Shi Qiu'er stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to stare at the big pot, her little face full of eagerness, and her saliva was almost dripping down her chin.

"Wait a minute," Shi Yu stopped Shi Qiu'er, who was about to pounce on him. "If you want to drink pure fruit juice, go get some water from the side and add a drop of rainbow juice. I'm planning to make rainbow pudding out of this pot, so we can't just drink it like this."

"Oh dear, making pudding takes so much time, why don't I just have a good drink first!" Xiong Jun had somehow joined in, having already made himself a glass of juice, which he was drinking in large gulps, his face full of satisfaction, while urging everyone to hurry up.

"Hurry up, Shi Yu, I'm drooling over this juice! It's absolutely divine!"

"Uncle Xiong, delicious food requires patience, it can't be rushed." Shi Yu smiled and shook his head, refocusing his attention on the rainbow juice in the pot.

He recalled Komatsu's philosophy for handling rare ingredients: always preserve the original flavor of the ingredients, and use the gentlest cooking techniques to bring out the wildest and purest natural flavors of the ingredients themselves.

The preciousness of rainbow fruit lies in its unpredictable flavors and extremely high nutritional concentration. It must be cooked with extra care to avoid damaging its nutritional structure.

Shi Yu took out some fruit pulp, put it into a stone mortar, and gently pounded it into a fine pulp with a wooden mallet.

The fruit puree also displays a rainbow of colors, has a soft and smooth texture, and exudes an enticing aroma.

He spread the fruit puree evenly on the juice base in the large pot, silently pondering: the different colored pulps of the rainbow fruit will solidify at different temperatures. As long as a precise temperature balance point is found, the puree and juice can be perfectly blended to form a pudding with rich layers and an excellent taste.

"The most crucial thing now is to control the temperature." Shi Yu raised his head and looked at the group of ferocious beasts surrounding him.

Most of them had transformed into human form, some leaning against tree trunks, others sitting on the grass, their eyes fixed on the rainbow juice in the pot, clearly filled with anticipation for the delicious treat that was about to be born.

"Does anyone here have the ability to manipulate ice-attribute soul power to lower the temperature in the pot to around 5 degrees Celsius?" Shi Yu asked.

The ferocious beasts looked at each other and shook their heads.

The Crimson King is a fire-attribute soul beast, and its body is always surrounded by dark red flames, so it's simply a pipe dream to make it cool down.

The Demon King is skilled at manipulating plants and toxins, but knows nothing about temperature control.

Xiong Jun is a purely strength-based ferocious beast; aside from fighting and eating, he has almost no other special abilities.

Although both Brigitte and Murasaki are powerful, they do not possess ice-attribute abilities.

As the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian controls the power of darkness and light, and is also unrelated to the ice attribute.

Even the demon spirits, who have a very low profile and are good at hiding and ambushing, shook their heads and said they couldn't do it.

Shi Yu was somewhat troubled. Should she give up on her idea of ​​making pudding? Just then, a proud yet excited voice suddenly came from behind the crowd: "Everyone, look at me! I have an announcement to make: I'm an ice-attribute soul beast!"

Following the sound, everyone looked and saw a plump, white silkworm, as big as a small mountain, crawling rapidly towards them. It was the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm that the ferocious beasts had forgotten in the core area.

Since the Star Dou Great Forest underwent a tremendous change due to the gourmet cells brought by Shi Yu, the cultivation speed of all the ferocious beasts has greatly accelerated. They no longer need to rely on absorbing the soul power of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm to break through bottlenecks. Over time, they have completely forgotten about this former "mobile experience pack".

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was delighted with this, and it returned to its previous leisurely life of eating and sleeping, living a very comfortable life.

It wasn't until the sweet aroma of the rainbow fruit wafted over that it was awakened from its slumber.

It originally wanted to come and join in the fun and taste this delicious food it had never smelled before, but it didn't expect that it would happen just in time for Shi Yu to need an ice-attribute soul beast to help cool down.

Looking at the group of ferocious beasts surrounding the large pot, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was actually a little scared, fearing that they would remember their identity as "experience packs" and come over to absorb their soul power again.

It wasn't until Shi Yu asked who could cool it down that it realized this was a golden opportunity to prove itself. If it could help, it might be able to completely escape its fate of being sucked dry.

"Oh, I almost forgot about you." Shi Yu suddenly realized and quickly waved to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, "Come here quickly, release your ice attribute soul power towards this pot, and lower the temperature to about 5 degrees."

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm immediately perked up, wriggling its plump body as it quickly crawled to the large pot. It released its pure ice-attribute soul power onto the juice and puree inside. A chilling aura instantly spread out, and the surrounding temperature noticeably dropped. Everyone instinctively took a step back.

Shi Yu concentrated, carefully sensing the temperature changes in the pot.

His Gourmet Demon Martial Soul grants him a perception of ingredients and environment far exceeding that of ordinary people, enabling him to accurately detect subtle fluctuations in temperature.

"Slow down a bit, the temperature is dropping too fast and it will ruin the texture of the fruit."

"Turn it up a little; it's already below 3 degrees now."

"Yes, keep this speed and slowly reduce it to 5 degrees."

Under Shi Yu's precise command, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm carefully controlled the output of soul power.

A few minutes later, Shi Yu finally spoke: "That's enough, stop now."

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm immediately stopped releasing its soul power and curiously peered over to the pot.

The rainbow juice and puree in the pot had completely solidified, forming a huge rainbow pudding with a smooth, mirror-like surface and clearly visible rainbow patterns. It looked like a fine work of art, emitting a faint sweet aroma that made one's mouth water.

"It's a success!" Shi Yu smiled with satisfaction. "Everyone come and try it, and see how this rainbow pudding tastes."

Upon hearing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, who had been standing guard nearby, could no longer resist. She stretched out her plump silkworm feet and scooped out a large piece of pudding, stuffing it into her mouth.

The next second, its eyes widened instantly, its face showed an extremely exaggerated expression of happiness, and its body rolled around on the ground involuntarily.

"It's so delicious! The flavor has changed four times in my mouth!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm shouted excitedly.

"At first, it's an intense sweetness, like the concentrated sweetness of hundreds of ripe mangoes, rich but not cloying; then, a refreshing tartness emerges, even more refreshing than lemon and kiwi, perfectly balancing the sweetness; next comes a honey-like, creamy sweetness with a hint of floral fragrance; and just then, the crisp sweetness of pear appears—the layers are so rich!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it couldn't resist taking another big bite, its expression even more delighted: "Oh! The fifth change has appeared! This time it's the soft, sweet flavor of chestnuts, with a hint of nutty aroma!"

Tianmeng Bingcan reluctantly swallowed the pudding in her mouth, tears streaming down her face—tears of ultimate happiness: "The sixth time! The moment it slid down my throat, an explosive sweetness spread out instantly, coursing through my entire body with the flow of blood. Every cell was rejoicing. This feeling is amazing, simply indescribable!"

Seeing the exaggerated performance of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, the ferocious beasts, Shi Qiu'er, and Tang Ya could no longer suppress their desires and swarmed forward to "attack" the rainbow pudding in the pot.

Xiong Jun grabbed a large piece with his hand and stuffed it into his mouth. He swallowed it after a few swallows, muttering incoherently, "Delicious! So delicious! Old Xiong has never eaten anything so delicious!"

Not to be outdone, Shi Qiu'er held a piece of pudding in her little paws, munching on it with a satisfied smile, constantly muttering, "Sweet but not cloying, and with so many different flavors, it's even better than roasted whole pig!"

Tang Ya was initially a little reserved, but under the temptation of the pudding, she couldn't help but take a bite.

In an instant, she felt as if she were in an orchard full of flowers, with all kinds of sweet flavors intertwining and blooming in her mouth, making her forget all her troubles and worries, leaving only pure enjoyment for her taste buds.

"Hey! Leave me a bite!" Shi Yu shouted helplessly as he looked at the group of guys who looked like they were starving ghosts reincarnated.

He had been watching the pudding's condition the whole time and hadn't even had a chance to taste it yet. Before he knew it, there was hardly any pudding left in the pot.

A few minutes later, the rainbow pudding in the pot was completely gone, leaving only a few crumbs at the bottom.

The ferocious beasts, Shi Qiu'er, and Tang Ya all patted their round bellies, their faces beaming with satisfaction. Nine synchronized sighs rang out simultaneously: "Oh, I'm satisfied!"

Shi Yu looked at the last small piece of pudding left in the pot, feeling like crying but having no tears.

He carefully scooped out a small bite of pudding, put it in his mouth, and closed his eyes to savor it. Instantly, a rainbow of flavors bloomed on his tongue, like a grand feast for the senses. Each flavor was just right, complementing each other without interfering with one another, bringing the ultimate enjoyment.

At the same time, a gentle energy slid down his throat into his abdomen, nourishing his body and soul power, making him feel full of strength.

"This wonderful feeling, this ever-changing flavor, I feel my body has become stronger!" Shi Yu exclaimed sincerely.

Just then, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm beside it suddenly began to flash with dazzling colorful light, which grew brighter and brighter, enveloping its entire body.

The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged upon it like a tide, surging into its body.

Tianmeng Bingcan's face showed excitement, and tears streamed down her face again: "This feeling! This feeling is too wonderful! My life level seems to have been further improved, and the soul power in my body has become more refined. I am one step closer to my goal of transforming from a cocoon into a butterfly!"

It excitedly wriggled its body and rushed towards Shi Yu, wanting to climb onto him to express its gratitude.

"Hey! Don't come any closer, you big white worm!" Shi Yu looked at the giant silkworm rushing towards him and subconsciously took a step back, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm froze instantly. It looked at Shi Yu with a wronged expression, clearly understanding that Shi Yu disliked its soul beast form.

However, its eyes soon lit up, and a flash of colorful light appeared on its body, instantly transforming the originally plump white silkworm into human form.

She was a blonde, mature woman in a long white dress, her skin as white as snow, her long golden hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, especially her pair of blue eyes, which were like the purest icy lake, full of allure. Even more striking was her incredibly hot figure, with its curvaceous body, a perfect hourglass shape, enough to drive any man crazy.

The blonde, mature woman walked straight up to Shi Yu and pulled him into a tight embrace. The softness of her chest made Shi Yu blush instantly, his heart racing. "Why do you dislike Sister Tianmeng's true form?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice became charming and alluring, tinged with a hint of grievance. "Isn't a plump, white silkworm pretty? So cute!"

Feeling the soft warmth in his arms, Shi Yu coughed lightly and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, it's quite pretty, but it was still a bit scary to suddenly have such a big bug rushing towards me."

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm gently rubbed against Shi Yu's cheek, her full breasts intentionally or unintentionally brushing against his arm, her tone carrying a hint of coquetry.

"Oh, my dear Xiaoyu, from now on I'll be following you! Do you know, I'm the only million-year-old soul beast in the world, incredibly powerful with limitless potential! How about that, aren't you excited? From now on, you just need to take care of my food and lodging, and I'll protect you!"

"You're taking things along with your food?" Shi Yu said helplessly.

"Hey, how can you say that?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm glared at him reproachfully, her tone tinged with pride. "I'm a million-year-old soul beast! There's not another one like me in the entire Douluo Continent! It's your honor that I'm willing to follow you! So many people would kill for that!"

"But besides being a portable refrigerator to help me cool down when making desserts, you don't seem to have any other use."

To be honest, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's combat power is indeed not outstanding among the ferocious beasts.

"Waaaaah, you're hurting my feelings by saying that!" Tianmeng Bingcan hugged Shi Yu tightly, pressing her cheek against his face, her voice filled with deep grievance.

"I don't care, I'm sticking with you from today onwards!" Tianmeng Bingcan said stubbornly, refusing to let go of Shiyu's arms.

"Although you are a million-year-old soul beast, you are actually quite weak." Shi Yu mercilessly exposed her.

"Hey, how dare you talk like that!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said defiantly, "I'm weak now only because I'm in my initial form! Once I develop my extraordinary abilities and successfully transform from a cocoon into a butterfly, I'll definitely become the strongest soul beast in the Douluo Continent!"

"First of all," Shi Yu pointed to the sky, his tone somewhat helpless, "you should be able to feel that the aura of tribulation lightning has already gathered above your head. A million-year-old soul beast that wants to break through further will suffer divine punishment, and whether it can successfully transform into a cocoon is still a question; secondly, you are a silkworm, and after transforming into a cocoon, you will only become a moth, not a butterfly."

"I'm sure I can turn into a butterfly!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said stubbornly, completely ignoring the increasingly dense aura of tribulation lightning above her head. "I'm a million-year-old soul beast, I can definitely create a miracle!"

"Look, you don't care about the tribulation lightning above your head, you only care about whether you can turn into a butterfly." Shi Yu shook his head, but in his heart he tacitly agreed to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's following.

Having a million-year-old soul beast by your side, even if its combat power isn't top-tier, is still a powerful ally. It can also serve as a mobile refrigerator and food preservation room, which seems pretty good.

Tang Ya, standing nearby, watched this absurd and bizarre scene with complete numbness.