Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Shrek Academy, deep within the Sea God Pavilion.

Xuanzi stood in front of Mu En, his posture upright, but his face showed a hint of undisguised anxiety. His hands were behind his back, and his toes unconsciously tapped the ground, making him look restless.

"Xuanzi, what's the matter that you're looking for me in such a hurry?" Mu En opened his eyes, his gaze falling calmly on him, his tone carrying a hint of understanding.

Xuanzi cleared his throat, straightened his back, put on a righteous and stern expression, and said in a loud voice: "Elder Mu, I have to leave the academy for a trip to the seaside."

Mu En raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes: "Instead of staying in your culinary department, what kind of trouble are you trying to cause? You seem to have it easy as the dean, always thinking about running off."

"That's not right!" Xuanzi immediately retorted, puffing out his chest even more, his tone full of righteous indignation.

"As the dean of the Culinary Arts Department, I naturally have to set an example! Most of the ingredients in the academy are ordinary goods from the outer ring of the Star Dou Great Forest and the mixed zone, which is hardly enough for research. My trip out is to capture some unique ingredients from the seaside and bring them back to the academy for everyone to research and innovate, so as to improve the overall level of the Culinary Arts Department!"

This sounds grand and dignified, but it's actually full of flaws.

How could Mu En not know what he was thinking? This guy was clearly just craving something, tired of the delicacies on land, and longing for the seafood in the sea.

Since the academy posted an announcement that ingredients could be exchanged for contribution points and gold soul coins, many students have flocked to the Star Dou Great Forest, bringing back a lot of novel ingredients, such as tender flying ducks and creamy mushrooms with a rich milky aroma. The academy canteen's menu has become much more abundant.

However, the special ingredients that Di Tian had mentioned before never appeared.

Moreover, the current state of the food industry is rather bleak.

In the chef training field, only nutritionist Lu Xiaoxiao is holding things together.

The field of training Gourmet Hunters is even more deserted, with no senior teachers willing to take the initiative. On the contrary, two young girls from the Inner Academy, Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo, volunteered to be instructors. The position of vice dean was given to Zhang Lexuan, which is considered a safe bet.

As for Xuanzi, the official dean, he's more like a mascot.

He possessed the strength of a Title Douluo and the title of Dean of the Gourmet Department, but he had little real power. He spent his days eating and cultivating his self-created soul skills.

The entire culinary department only has so few people, and the ingredients they can get their hands on are mostly ordinary. Xuanzi might actually stumble upon something good on this trip, adding some new flair to the otherwise quiet culinary department.

Thinking of this, even though Moon saw through his little scheme, she was too lazy to expose him. She simply waved her hand and said in a flat tone, "Alright, alright, I give you permission. Go early and come back early, and don't cause too much trouble."

Xuanzi's eyes lit up, and the seriousness on his face instantly crumbled, replaced by an undisguised joy.

He bowed to Mu En, then turned and rushed out in a flurry of speed, even faster than the younger disciples, showing none of the composure expected of a Title Douluo.

Moon watched his retreating figure, shook his head helplessly, but a smile appeared on his lips.

Since his last trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, Xuanzi was shocked by Di Tian's formidable strength and realized that his own strength was still too weak.

After returning, he devoted himself to cultivation, especially to his self-created soul skills, where he worked very hard.

His period of dedicated practice brought him unexpected joy.

His martial spirit, the Gluttonous Divine Ox, in addition to its core abilities of devouring and amplifying, has awakened a new talent—a sense of delicious smell.

Now, he can clearly smell the aroma of delicious ingredients containing rich energy within a radius of several miles, even those buried deep underground or hidden in water, none of which can escape his nose.

This ability was practically tailor-made for him.

Xuanzi flew through the air, heading non-stop towards the nearest sea area.

Before long, a salty sea breeze swept over us, and the azure sea came into view, with waves crashing against the rocks, making a rushing sound.

As soon as Xuanzi stepped onto the beach, her nose twitched slightly, and her eyes lit up instantly.

A sweet, fruity aroma, mixed with a pleasant sweetness, filled his nostrils.

The aroma was rich and pure, with an alluring temptation that made his mouth water instantly.

"Good stuff! Absolutely good stuff!" Xuanzi rubbed his hands together and followed the scent quickly toward the shallow sea area.

Looking out into the distance, a large group of colorful jellyfish floated on the surface of the shallow sea.

Their bodies are like transparent glass, each reflecting different colors. Under the sunlight, they refract a dazzling light, like a group of sea sprites, so beautiful that it is hard to look away.

The sweet fragrance that Xuanzi found so enticing emanated from these jellyfish.

"Great! I've already made a gain as soon as I arrived!" Xuanzi was overjoyed. Without thinking twice, he flashed into the jellyfish swarm like an arrow.

His gaze locked onto a red jellyfish, and with a swift movement, he reached out and grabbed it. He figured that since the jellyfish looked so beautiful, it must taste delicious.

However, just as his palm was about to touch the jellyfish, something unexpected happened!

The red jellyfish suddenly emitted a blinding blue light, followed by a powerful electric current that shot out from its body and struck Xuanzi's hand.

At the same time, the jellyfish's soft tentacles quickly coiled around Xuanzi's wrist like venomous snakes, and the dense, venomous stingers on the tentacles mercilessly pierced his skin.

"hiss--!"

A piercing pain instantly shot through my hand, like countless steel needles stabbing into my bones.

The numbing sensation from the electric current was secondary; after all, Xuanzi was a Title Douluo with a powerful physical body, and this amount of current couldn't harm him in the slightest.

But the neurotoxin injected into his body spread rapidly like a leech, causing him so much pain that the veins on his forehead bulged and his face turned pale.

"You damned thing!" Xuanzi was both shocked and furious. He never expected that this seemingly beautiful jellyfish would be so dangerous.

He suddenly flung his hand, sending the red jellyfish flying. At the same time, his soul power surged, and he unleashed a soul skill without hesitation.

With a muffled thud, the red jellyfish was struck by the soul power and instantly turned into a pool of turbid liquid, dissipating into the seawater.

Xuanzi thought it was just a minor incident, but he never expected that it would bring him such huge trouble.

In the ocean, the scent of death of one's own kind is the most stimulating signal for social creatures.

Almost the instant the jellyfish died, the jellyfish in the surrounding waters became agitated.

They were originally floating slowly, but now, as if receiving some kind of command, they all changed direction and surged towards Xuanzi's location.

The dense jellyfish, like a colorful dark cloud, pressed down, blotting out the sun.

Among them are many enormous, deep-colored jellyfish that have lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. If you were stung by a ten-thousand-year-old jellyfish, you would probably die here.

"Damn it!" Xuanzi cursed under his breath, his face turning completely grim.

Before he could react, an overwhelming surge of electricity erupted from the jellyfish swarm, blue lightning weaving into a giant net on the sea surface.

At the same time, countless soft tentacles lashed out like whips, their venomous stingers gleaming coldly, posing a deadly threat.

Electric currents surged, venomous spikes gleamed, and an overwhelming pressure descended, making it difficult for Xuanzi to breathe.

At this moment, even if Xuanzi were stupid, he would understand—these jellyfish are social creatures and extremely vengeful; he absolutely could not attack them again! Otherwise, he might be doomed here today!

"withdraw!"

Xuanzi acted decisively, without any further hesitation. He pushed his soul power to its limit, and the earthen-yellow light protected his entire body like a barrier.

He stomped his foot, unleashing a powerful surge of soul energy that sent the jellyfish that had been clinging to him flying. Then, without looking back, he sprinted toward the shore.

The jellyfish relentlessly pursued him, raining electric currents and stingers upon him with a crackling sound.

Xuanzi gritted his teeth, withstood the attacks, and rushed towards the shore with all his might.

Fortunately, these jellyfish cannot come ashore.

As Xuanzi stumbled onto the beach in a disheveled state, the moment his feet touched the land, the swarm of jellyfish that had been chasing him stopped at the edge of the shallow sea.

They floated on the surface of the sea, their tentacles waving incessantly as if issuing a warning. After a brief standoff, they slowly dispersed and returned to the deep sea.

Xuanzi slumped on the beach, panting heavily, his soul power somewhat disordered.

His right wrist was covered with tiny red dots, which were clearly visible. The toxins were still spreading, and he was in so much pain that he was grimacing.

He didn't dare to delay, so he quickly rummaged through his storage soul tool and pulled out several bottles of antidote pills. He unscrewed the caps and poured them all into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a cool sensation flowed down the throat into the abdomen, slowly spreading to every part of the body.

However, these antidotes seemed to have limited effect on the neurotoxins of the rainbow jellyfish, only relieving the pain slightly; the deep, piercing pain still hadn't completely disappeared.

Xuanzi sat on the shore for a full half hour before his complexion improved slightly.

He raised his head and looked at the colorful jellyfish still floating on the sea in the distance. A hint of unwillingness flashed in his eyes, followed by a sly glint.

"Hmph, so what if it's poisonous?" Xuanzi stroked his chin, a stubborn glint in his eyes typical of a foodie. "Once we remove the poisonous tentacles, the rest should be edible, right?"

Sunlight shone on his face, illuminating his eyes that gleamed with greed, making him look every bit the cunning old fox.