Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Zong Lian pondered for a moment, then said, "My greatest skill is sword forging, followed by talismans. Sword forging isn't very suitable for a woman, so I'll teach you talismanic arts instead!"

"Thank you, Master. Shuang'er is willing to learn."

"Then let's do it this way!" Zong Lian said. "Let's eat."

……

Late at night, in the Chef's Space, Huang Rong and Shang Xiuxun continued to hone their culinary skills. Shuang'er was about to go too, but Ling Chi stopped her: "Shuang'er, come for a walk with me!"

Shuang'er paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mm."

The two entered the ranch, which was much more lively than before. There used to be only a handful of herders, but now there were more than thirty.

In addition to the maids from Peach Blossom Island, there were also Shi Qingxuan, Shang Xiufang, Shan Meixian, Shan Wanjing, Zhu Yuyan, Wu Mingkong, and Shi Zhixuan.

Since Zhu Yuyan and Wu Mingkong arrived at the ranch, the rivalry between Shi Feixuan and Wanwan has ended. In reality, Shi Feixuan simply backed down. If it were just Wanwan, she could have fought to a standstill, but with Zhu Yuyan and Wu Mingkong involved, even the most confident Shi Feixuan wouldn't dare to act recklessly. Wanwan was also magnanimous and didn't use her numbers to bully her, making the ranch much quieter in recent years.

Now Shi Qingxuan and Shang Xiufang have become the newest stars of the farm and ranch, completely replacing Li Kuilei, the opera fan.

Although opera is lively, nothing compares to the beauty of the flute or the spectacle of song and dance. As a result, Li Kuilei has been in a bad mood for the past few years. His current situation is similar to that of an old artist who has spent his whole life performing opera and then encountering a pop music star. Unless the trend of pop music passes, he can only reminisce about the past.

Meanwhile, Shan Meixian and Shan Wanjing are currently learning blacksmithing from Pu Heng and Ou Yu. The Dongming Sect, which the mother and daughter used to run, was an armory. As the owners of the armory, they naturally possessed superb blacksmithing skills. However, compared to Pu Heng and Ou Yu, who are absolute grandmasters, their skills are still far behind. Moreover, as women, their natural lack of strength is also a disadvantage. Therefore, from the beginning, the two women have focused more on the 'high-quality' route.

To put it simply, it's about refining the finished weapons to make them not only incredibly powerful but also visually appealing. Of course, all of this is still in its early stages, and it will take some time to see results.

As for why Zhu Yuyan and Wu Mingkong were recruited, it was entirely because he didn't want them to cause trouble in the Tang Dynasty. Under his intervention, the Tang Dynasty had already gotten back on track and was only going to get better, so he wouldn't allow Wu Mingkong to overthrow it. Just as Wu Mingkong was fourteen and planning to enter the palace, Ling Chi recruited her, thus ruining Zhu Yuyan's decades of hard work.

Zhu Yuyan went insane after being traumatized by Wu Mingkong's sudden disappearance.

Perhaps by chance, or perhaps by fate, Shi Zhixuan encountered Zhu Yuyan, who was lost in thought on the street in Chang'an. He discovered that she had gone mad, so he took her to Peach Blossom Island and asked Ling Chi to treat her.

After a year of treatment, Zhu Yuyan recovered completely, and during that year, Shi Zhixuan took care of her every step of the way.

In fact, Zhu Yuyan had recovered by the third month of treatment and had noticed Shi Zhixuan's care for her. However, she still pretended to be dazed and confused. It wasn't until nearly a year later that Ling Chi saw through her act and had a deep conversation with her before she finally faced Shi Zhixuan in a normal state.

Back then, Zhu Yuyan was harmed by Shi Zhixuan, preventing her from reaching the highest level of the Heavenly Demon Technique. Her hatred for him ran deep. However, with Ling Chi's intervention, she regained her youthful beauty and broke through to the Grandmaster realm, gradually fading her hatred. Until the past year, Shi Zhixuan, perhaps out of guilt, took care of her tirelessly, which turned her hatred into love, making her feel that living like this for the rest of her life wouldn't be so bad.

Afterwards, Ling Chi talked to Shi Zhixuan again, asking him if he was willing to take care of Zhu Yuyan for the rest of his life. After receiving an affirmative answer from Shi Zhixuan, Zhu Yuyan returned to normal, and the two of them were recruited.

Now, Shi Zhixuan and Zhu Yuyan have a very good relationship, always together, even more affectionate than young couples, making many people envious. Only Shi Qingxuan feels uneasy and tries her best to avoid contact with them.

As for Wu Mingkong, he's been following Wanwan around. It's unclear whether the two women are destined for each other, but they felt very close to each other from their first meeting. After all, they are both disciples of Zhu Yuyan, so the two women have always called each other sisters. They even teamed up to double-team Ling Chi, making Ling Chi suffer 'unspeakably'.

Luckily, he ate the Demon Dragon Whip early on, otherwise his kidneys really wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

A witch and a sorceress, not to be trifled with, not to be trifled with.

With more herders, there are more and more livestock on the pastures. Fortunately, the grass on the pastures grows back every night, so there is no need to worry about the livestock not having enough to eat.

Because there are no wolves on the grasslands, herding livestock on the pastures is an easy job, so herders have more free time than farmers. This gives Shi Qingxuan and Shang Xiufang more time to hone their skills and become idol stars in the area.

The maids hadn't lost their skills either; they were all steadily improving. Thinking about it, almost every farmer and herdsman Ling Chi recruited possessed unique skills, which allowed them to develop many side businesses on top of agriculture and animal husbandry. For example, the textile industry—the clothes, hats, shoes, and socks worn by Ling Chi, Huang Rong, Shuang'er, and Shang Xiuxun were made by a dozen or so maids working together.

Not only are they exquisite, but they are also very comfortable to wear. However, no matter how exquisite or comfortable they are, they are still just ordinary items. Today, I received three sets of clothes from the Qionghua Sect. They are not only exquisite and comfortable, but they also have the effect of being dust-free and wrinkle-free. Even the person wearing the clothes will be spotless, and there is no need to take a bath.

Ling Chi planned to have the maids study it carefully. If they could achieve mass production, it would be a great achievement.

Ling Chi and Shuang'er walked hand in hand through the pasture. Having informed everyone beforehand, no one disturbed them. Stepping onto the green grass and feeling the gentle breeze, Shuang'er felt much more relaxed, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

“You must be under a lot of pressure lately!” Ling Chi suddenly said.

"..." Shuang'er looked at him and gave a soft "hmm": "A little."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Ling Chi said. "You've helped me much more than Rong'er and Xiu Xun. I've said it many times: anyone can be replaced, but no one can replace you."

Shuang'er felt a warmth in her heart and said, "Shuang'er knows." After a moment of silence, she said, "It's just that when I think about how Xiuxun's cooking skills are already at the purple-level advanced stage, while Shuang'er is only at the blue-level top stage, it makes me feel a little sad."

“Talent is always unreasonable,” Ling Chi comforted her. “In terms of talent, I can’t compare to Rong’er. I’m only slightly ahead of her because of the system’s suppression. If it weren’t for the system’s suppression, Rong’er might already be a red-level chef, which would be unfair to her. But that’s the rule of the system. There’s nothing we can do. Neither Rong’er nor I can do anything about it.”

"Hmm." Shuang'er nestled on his shoulder and said, "Brother, I can't help you much with cooking, so I want to excel in other areas."

"So that's why you learned talismans from your master?" Ling Chi asked.

"Mmm." Shuang'er said softly, "I'll be satisfied as long as I can help my brother even a little bit."

“As long as you’re by my side, that’s the greatest help you can give me.” Ling Chi stopped and hugged Shuang’er, saying softly, “Sometimes, I miss the days at the foot of Mount Hua. Back then, we were all alone, relying on each other for survival. We only thought about how to stay alive. Although life was tough, we were very happy.”

"Hmm." Shuang'er's eyes were also filled with deep nostalgia: "But Shuang'er was too young then to serve her brother. Now she can, but she's not the only one."

"Do you regret it?" Ling Chi asked.

"No." Shuang'er shook her head and said, "As long as my brother is well, I am well."

Ling Chi gently stroked her back and said, "I will always be alright, and you must be alright too."

"Ah."

After a moment of tenderness, Ling Chi said, "Let's eat some dishes that will enhance our appearance!"

"??" Shuang'er looked at him in confusion.

"In other worlds, I'm just ordinary, but in this world, I'm already a bit ugly." Ling Chi smiled helplessly: "There's no way around it, you have to keep up with the times!"

Shuang'er chuckled softly, "Then, how much should we eat?"

"At least..." Ling Chi thought for a moment, "...a little better looking than the average person!"

After some discussion, the two decided to focus on improving their looks until midnight. At midnight, their looks were considered above average in the Qionghua Sect – not too outstanding, not too ordinary, just right.

However, they couldn't eat until midnight all at once, otherwise the change would be too drastic and attract attention. After discussing it, they both felt that increasing their appearance by one point every six months would be ideal; a gradual change would avoid drawing attention.

After making the decision, the two first went to eat 0.5 of the appearance. They didn't look much different, but their facial features and face shape were modified to a certain extent, making them look more refined.

Seeing Ling Chi and Shuang'er start eating dishes designed to enhance their appearance, almost everyone in the space cheered them on.

Those who once said they would never eat recipes designed to enhance appearance, are they now secretly enjoying them?

Ling Chi was speechless, but Shuang'er had a smile on her face.

Having resolved her inner conflict, Shuang'er became cheerful again.

The next day, Zong Lian was slightly taken aback when he saw the changes in Shuang'er. He nodded and said, "From today onwards, I will teach you the most basic immortal techniques of the Qionghua Sect. Once you have a solid foundation, I will teach you other skills."

"Thank you, Master."

Chapter Four: The Four Heavenly Kings of the Qionghua Sect

Six months later, at the Qionghua Sect, in the Sword Casting Valley.

"The key to Taoist elixirs lies in the Divine Water Pool. Divine water is used to generate white gold, which then turns into gold, and gold into purple gold. The purple gold then flows and solidifies to form the elixir. The method of making such elixirs requires observing the yin and yang and the five elements of heaven and earth. It is so complex that even the Xuanpu and Yuying schools, the two most skilled alchemists among the eight schools of Kunlun, cannot fully master it."

After learning and solidifying the basic immortal techniques of the Qionghua Sect, Zong Lian also compiled the Qionghua Pill Refining Manual and handed it over to Ling Chi, Huang Rong, and Shang Xiuxun, giving them some guidance: "Therefore, alchemy requires a very high level of talent. If you cannot refine a seventh-grade pill within five years, then give up!"

"Yes, Master." Ling Chi looked at the thick handwritten copy in his hand, knowing that Zong Lian had personally written it stroke by stroke, and couldn't help but feel a little moved: "Master, this is such a thick book on alchemy, you must have spent a long time copying it, right?"

“Not long,” Zong Lian said. “These three portions of yours only took ten days to prepare.”

"Ah!?" Huang Rong exclaimed, "Master, these three documents must be over 300,000 words long! You wrote so fast!"

No wonder she was shocked. In ancient times, people used brushes to write. How fast could you write with a brush? Even in modern times, apart from professional typists, how many people can type 300,000 words in ten days?

“How could your master possibly copy it personally?” Zong Lian shook his head and said, “Your master used talismans to summon three Kui Zhao and copied it day and night until it was finished.”

Ling Chi: "..."

Huang Rong: "..."

Shang Xiuxun: "..."

Cultivating immortality is so great! It's so convenient.

Shuang'er asked, "Master, is Kui Zhao a talisman?"

“Not bad.” Zong Lian nodded, took out a thick handwritten book, and said, “This is the method of talisman cultivation. Take it and study it. If you don’t understand anything, come and ask your master.”

"Yes, Master." Shuang'er took the book of talismans and hugged it to her chest with great care. This was the direction in which she could help Ling Chi in the future, and she cherished it very much.

"You are all exceptionally talented geniuses, among the most outstanding in the history of the Qionghua Sect. I hope you can guard against arrogance and impetuosity, cultivate diligently and steadily, and contribute your due strength to the Qionghua Sect," Zong Lian instructed.

"Don't worry, Master!" Ling Chi said, "As long as the sect leader doesn't cause us any trouble, we will definitely contribute our share to the Qionghua Sect."

Over the past six months, Ling Chi and his group have generally had a smooth time. The only annoying thing is that Su Yao, the petty sect leader, always makes things difficult for them, which annoys them to no end.

Until two months ago, Su Yao actually slapped Shang Xiuxun in public. Ling Chi was not far away at the time. When he saw this scene, he instantly lost his mind, drew his Dragon Slayer Blade and chased Su Yao across eighteen mountains. If Zong Lian hadn't stopped him, Su Yao would have been hacked to death by him.

As a result, Ling Chi repented in Sifan Valley for a month, and Su Yao dared not cause trouble again.

This incident spread Ling Chi's fearsome reputation throughout the Qionghua Sect, but many disciples did not reject him; on the contrary, they secretly admired him.

Su Yao was simply too strict and jealous of talent. Among the new disciples who had recently entered the Qionghua Sect, she had found fault with anyone who was exceptionally talented. However, although these people were talented, their strength was not high, so they could only silently endure it. Ling Chi's sudden outburst gave these people a chance to vent their anger.

If it weren't for the elders of Qingyun Sect suppressing the matter, Su Yao would have had no face to continue serving as the head of Qionghua Sect. Even so, her prestige within Qionghua Sect plummeted, and few of the new disciples respected her. Huang Rong, Shuang'er, and Shang Xiuxun, in particular, hated her to the core. If it weren't for Zong Lian constantly keeping them in check, they would have turned against Su Yao long ago.

After this incident, Su Yao dared not order them around anymore, and they, along with Ling Chi, were called the 'Four Heavenly Kings of Qionghua Sect' by the disciples of Qionghua Sect.

The Four Heavenly Kings of the Qionghua Sect are highly powerful and do not submit to the sect leader's authority.

This is understandable. Su Yao is currently only a top-tier purple expert, still some distance from red, while Ling Chi and Shuang'er have already reached the peak of top-tier purple, just one step away from advancing to red. If Su Yao had spoken kindly to them from the beginning, they would definitely have cooperated. It's just that, as the leader of a sect, she is jealous of talent and constantly causes trouble for them. If it weren't for Zong Lian's sake, they would rather leave the Qionghua Sect than let her go.

The fact that we can live in peace right now is already the greatest act of forbearance.

Upon hearing Ling Chi's words, Zong Lian sighed: "The sect leader has limited talent. If our sect hadn't experienced such a dramatic change, she would never have become the sect leader. That's why she was jealous of talent and insecure after taking office, fearing that she would be replaced."

“Master, it’s definitely not a good thing for this kind of person to become the sect leader,” Ling Chi said. “Why not replace him? If all else fails, Master, you can take over yourself!”

“I am too old to shoulder this responsibility.” Zong Lian shook his head. “Among the disciples of Su Yao’s generation, she is currently the most outstanding disciple.” He paused. “If you had joined our sect three years ago and survived the calamity, perhaps you would be the sect leader.”

“Let’s not talk about such assumptions,” Ling Chi said. “After all, we didn’t even enter the sect three years ago, but we will work hard to cultivate in the future and carry forward the Qionghua Sect.”

Zong Lian nodded with satisfaction: "That's good."

After a pause, Zong Lian took out three dazzling longswords from the sword box on his back and said to Shuang'er and the other two girls, "I have forged three swords for you. Please accept them!"

"Wow! What beautiful swords! Thank you, Master." The three women were delighted to see that the three longswords were all shimmering with a bluish-white light and full of spiritual energy, and they couldn't bear to part with them.

Zong Lian smiled and said, "This sword is spiritual, but it requires someone with profound inner strength to tame it, and eventually one can achieve the state of oneness between man and sword. The inner strength of the three of you is unmatched even by the sect leader, so taming this sword is more than enough for you."

"No wonder I felt like the sword was resisting me when I held it. It's already sentient." The three women were even more surprised and immediately used their inner strength to suppress the sword spirit and slowly tame it.

Ling Chi was also amazed. Zong Lian truly lived up to his title as the Sword-Holding Elder. Putting aside everything else, his sword-forging skills alone had already surpassed Pu Heng's.

Pu Heng's greatest masterpiece to date is the Dragon Slayer Blade. Since then, there has been no work that surpasses it. Yet Zong Lian casually forged three swords of the same level as the Dragon Slayer Blade. That skill is amazing!

but……

"Master, where's mine?" Ling Chi pointed to himself. "Where's my sword?"