Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

"Wuhu, Shiyu, you're back!" Shi Qiu'er, who had returned with Yunbao, excitedly rushed towards Shiyu.

"Hey, Sister Xiaoya is back too! Want to try out my new special skill?" Yunbao's eyes lit up when she saw Tang Ya return.

"No, no," Tang Ya said, seemingly flattered.

"Oh well."

"Everyone, now that we're all here, let's discuss our next goal."

"What's the next goal?" ×7

Yes, upon hearing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Emperor also came out.

"Yes, Xiaoya, you should be very familiar with the next target, and Qiu'er is also very familiar with it."

A knowing glint flashed in Shi Qiu'er's eyes as she looked at the auspicious beast.

"Do I look familiar with this?" Tang Ya asked, puzzled.

"The place where you obtained your first spirit ring."

"You mean, BB popcorn is ready!"

"Yes."

"Wait, what is BB popcorn?" Zhu Lu asked.

"BB popcorn deep in the forest of the Dog is known as the 'King of Corns'. A single plant can grow as large as a mountain, and the kernels are so big they can cover a person. It needs to be heated gradually from a low temperature to 1200-1400 degrees Celsius to pop. Once popped, one kernel is enough to feed 100 people."

Everyone gasped instantly, their eyes filled with shock.

Rainbow Dash tugged at Shi Yu's sleeve with her mouth, her little face full of curiosity: "Shi Yu, what would the King of Corn taste like when popped into popcorn?"

"It has a soft and silky texture, a rich aroma, and a super appetizing effect, making you want to try other foods as you eat it."

The imperial mythical beast Qiu'er flicked its bushy tail, a hint of interest flashing in its golden vertical pupils.

Tang Ya rubbed her hands together, recalling the exquisite taste of the pufferfish sashimi she had last time, and couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

Zhu Lu gripped the specially made short blade at her waist, her eyes sharp as an eagle's, clearly prepared to deal with any dangers she might encounter before capturing BB Popcorn.

The Snow God Moth Martial Soul on Huo Yutong's shoulder gently flapped its wings, the icy blue patterns shimmering with a faint light. Her golden eyes lit up slightly, and she began to imagine how to cook this top-grade ingredient.

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Emperor are already drooling.

Shi Yu led everyone to the Forest of Dogs. Unlike before, this time they went straight to the center of the forest and headed towards the top of the forest.

As soon as they reached the top of the forest, they were speechless with astonishment at the sight before them—

All around, rows of BB corn stalks rise from the ground, their straight stems so thick that it takes more than a dozen people to hug them. The corn stalks are hundreds of meters tall, reaching straight into the sky, like green skyscrapers.

The corn's dark green husk is covered with hard ridges, and the pale purple silk hanging from the top sways in the wind, exuding a sweet fragrance that whets the appetite just by smelling it.

"BB corn has an incredibly hard outer shell, and ordinary soul power attacks are completely useless. But peeling off the outer shell doesn't mean you can get the kernels. To get the kernels, you have to use brute force to hit the corn cob and shake the kernels out with the force of the vibration."

After saying that, Shi Yu took the lead and opened the BB corn shell with a metallic sheen in his hand.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lu immediately stepped forward, a glint of fighting spirit flashing in her eyes: "Leave the corn kernel collection to me!"

With a light tap of her toes on the ground, she leaped up the stalk of one of the BB corn plants like a nimble cheetah.

Soul power flowed continuously into her arms, and Zhu Lu's palms glowed faintly. She found the corn cob, leaped high into the air, and slammed her fists down hard.

"Thump—!"

A dull, loud thud echoed through the dense forest, causing the corn cobs to shake violently, their pale purple silks swaying wildly, but the kernels showed no sign of emerging.

Zhu Lu was not discouraged. She adjusted her breathing, recalled the combo style that Shi Yu had taught her, and pounded the corn cob with her fists like raindrops.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The deafening thuds continued, and as time went on, the corn cob swayed more and more. Finally, with a crisp "crack," a golden corn kernel was knocked out and landed heavily on the ground.

"It's done!" Shi Yu's eyes lit up. "Sister Xiao Ya, go and collect them."

Tang Ya immediately created a martial soul, activated her soul power, and used Blue Silver Grass to form a large net, which steadily caught the corn kernels that were subsequently blasted away.

The corn kernels, heavy with moisture, fell into the blue-silver net with a "thump-thump" sound.

Zhu Lu pounded on the corn cob for a full half hour, panting heavily, before finally managing to shake off a full twenty-odd corn kernels.

She jumped down from the corn stalk, wiped the sweat from her brow, and grinned: "Done! Is this enough for us?"

Shi Yu stepped forward, looked at the golden, plump corn kernels in the soul power net, and nodded in satisfaction: "That's enough. Next, we'll go to Wulu Volcano—the essence of BB corn is to roast it using layered temperatures. Ordinary fire simply won't meet the requirements, and Uncle Chi Wang and the others can't control that temperature well."

Mount Wulu is a dormant volcano. From a distance, the entire volcano appears dark red, and the ground at its foot still feels warm. The higher you go, the higher the temperature becomes. Near the crater, the exposed rocks are glowing red from the lava, and the air is filled with a faint smell of sulfur, but this does not dampen anyone's spirits.

"BB corn kernels must be heated gradually from a low temperature to 1200-1400 degrees Celsius to pop," Shi Yu said, leading everyone to the edge of the crater. "The crater of Mount Wulu has a perfect temperature stratification, with the temperature increasing layer by layer from the low temperature zone on the outside to the magma zone in the core, which meets the requirements perfectly. Moreover, the volcanic ash contains natural salt, so there is no need for additional seasoning. The popcorn produced is naturally salty and fragrant."

Huo Yutong carefully took out the corn kernels and placed them on the low-temperature rocks outside the crater.

The initial low temperature causes the skin of the corn kernels to tighten slightly, and a faint sweet aroma begins to permeate the air.

As time went on, the group slowly moved the corn kernels towards the core area of ​​the crater, and the temperature gradually increased.

From tens of degrees to hundreds of degrees, and then to thousands of degrees.

The corn kernels grew darker, changing from golden yellow to deep yellow, and the skin began to bulge slightly.

When the temperature exceeds 1200 degrees, the first slight "pop" sound is heard, and the skin of a corn kernel cracks open, revealing the snow-white popcorn inside.

"It's popping!" Rainbow Dash shouted excitedly, her eyes fixed on the corn kernels.

Shi Yu held her breath and carefully adjusted the position of the corn kernels to ensure that each one was heated evenly. The moment the temperature reached 1400 degrees, the crackling sound suddenly became more intense, and the corn kernels burst open like lit firecrackers, turning into huge, fluffy white popcorn.

Popcorn started raining down from the sky, and at that moment the volcano erupted, volcanic ash fell on the popcorn.

These popcorn kernels are incredibly large, each about the size of a fist. They are fluffy and soft, exuding a rich, sweet corn aroma and a subtle volcanic saltiness that makes your mouth water.

What's even more amazing is that the aroma of popcorn seems to have a peculiar magic, making people's appetites whetted just by smelling it, and making them want to devour it immediately.

"Alright!" Shi Yu shouted, quickly using his soul power to scoop up the popped popcorn. "Try it! One kernel of this BB popcorn is enough for a hundred people!"

Everyone immediately gathered around, and Zhu Lu was the first to reach out, tear off a small piece of puffed rice and put it in her mouth.

The soft and silky texture melts in your mouth, with a perfect blend of sweet and salty flavors, carrying a unique volcanic aroma that leaves you wanting more.

What's even more surprising is that after taking a bite, it feels like there's a little hand tugging inside your stomach, making you want to eat more and your craving for other foods intensifies.

"Delicious! So delicious!" Zhu Lu couldn't help but exclaim, taking a large piece and stuffing it into her mouth.

Tang Ya also picked up a small piece, savoring it carefully, her eyes narrowing into slits: "Soft and silky, sweet but not cloying, with a hint of saltiness, this taste is absolutely amazing! And the more you eat, the more appetizing it becomes, the more you want to eat!"

Huo Yutong took a small bite of the rice puff, and the Snow God Moth Martial Soul gently rubbed against her shoulder, clearly enjoying the taste as well.

Qiu'er picked up a huge popcorn kernel, swung her tail rapidly, and ate it in big mouthfuls, her mouth covered with snow-white popcorn crumbs.

Rainbow Dash was eating with great gusto, her little mouth stuffed full, and she mumbled, "Shiyu, it's so delicious!"

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Emperor remained silent, continuing to eat.

Twenty-odd corn kernels popped into a huge pile of popcorn, enough for thousands of people to enjoy.

The group sat on the rocks in the crater, chatting and eating sweet popcorn. A warm breeze blew by, carrying the aroma of popcorn into the distance.

Tang Ya patted her round belly and sighed contentedly, "This baby popcorn truly lives up to its name as the king of corn; it's such a great deal!"

Seeing everyone's happy expressions, Shi Yu smiled and said, "To express my gratitude to all the ingredients in this world, let's eat!"