Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

"Ah!?" Everyone exclaimed in unison. Xuanji cried out, "Impossible! There can't be anyone more powerful than Master."

Ling Chi chuckled lightly: "I've said it so many times, don't blindly worship. Xuan Xiao is indeed a genius, that's undeniable, but he's also a pitiful person. He was betrayed by the person he loved most, which led to him going mad with demonic possession. He was then frozen by the sect leader and elders, losing his freedom and youth. He's truly pitiful."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Tianhe, is your departure related to Xuanxiao?"

"Hmm." Yun Tianhe nodded and said, "Big Brother said he's about to break out of the ice, but to be on the safe side, he still needs the Three Cold Artifacts to suppress the Yang Flame within his body, so I want to go out and help Big Brother find the Three Cold Artifacts."

“The Three Cold Artifacts…” Ling Chi silently took out the Solo Fruit and said, “The Solo Fruit, one of the Three Cold Artifacts, is in my possession.”

"Ah!?" Everyone felt the icy coldness contained in the Solo Fruit and couldn't help but shiver. Han Lingsha said happily, "Great, now there are only two left."

Ling Chi shook his head, put away the Solo Fruit, and said, "Even if we find all three Cold Artifacts, it will be useless."

"Huh? Why?" Yun Tianhe was unwilling to believe it.

"Because the Yang Flame has already affected Xuanxiao's mind, he can still maintain his rationality while he is frozen in ice. Once he breaks out of the ice, I'm afraid Xuanxiao will immediately go into a state of demonic possession. Perhaps the Three Cold Artifacts can suppress some of the Yang Flame, but the heartache that Xuanxiao has suppressed for nineteen years is something that the Three Cold Artifacts cannot suppress."

"Ah? What should we do then!?" Yun Tianhe was extremely anxious: "Master, you must have a way to save my brother, right?"

"Of course, there's nothing in the world that Master can't do." Before Ling Chi could answer, Xuanji provided the answer for him.

Ling Chi patted her little head and said, "Although you always put your teacher in a difficult position, I do have a way to solve Xuanxiao's problem."

"Really!?" Yun Tianhe was overjoyed. "Master, please, you must save my elder brother. He's a good person."

"A good person?" Ling Chi smiled faintly. "Perhaps!"

What do you mean?

Ling Chi's answer and tone plunged Han Lingsha into deep suspicion.

“Leave Xuanxiao’s matter to your master!” Ling Chi said, “But you should also find the other two of the Three Cold Artifacts, just in case.”

"Yes, Master." Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha nodded in agreement.

"Xuanji, Mengli, you two come along too," Ling Chi said to the two women. "It'll be good to have two helpers if we encounter any danger."

Liu Mengli nodded and agreed.

"Hehe, Master, don't worry. With me on the case, Junior Brother and Junior Sister will be safe." Xuanji patted the airport happily.

"..."

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Gift of the Candle-Bearing Dragon

Finding the Three Cold Artifacts is no easy task, nor can it be accomplished overnight. Considering the potential dangers, Ling Chi was still uneasy. After they left, he entrusted Shang Xiuxun to follow behind and protect them secretly.

"Leave it to me!" Shang Xiuxun's culinary skills have reached a bottleneck, and further practice will yield little result, so she simply took the opportunity to go out and relax.

After Shang Xiuxun left, Ling Chi did not go to see Xuan Xiao immediately. After all, Xuan Xiao was in a forbidden area and could not enter without the Spirit Light Jade. Moreover, it would be useless for him to enter. Xuan Xiao could not eat until he broke out of the ice. Without food, how could Ling Chi cure Xuan Xiao's heart disease?

So there's no rush to cure the illness; the most important thing right now is to go to Buzhou Mountain and cook for the Candle-Bearing Dragon.

Ling Chi took Shuang'er and Huang Rong to Buzhou Mountain, while Xuanqin stayed behind in Zhujian Valley to look after the house.

……

Buzhou Mountain.

After enjoying another delicious meat feast, the Candle Dragon breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I have been guarding this place for nine thousand nine hundred years. Just as I am about to complete my merits, it is my good fortune to meet you all."

"Senior is too kind; I am unworthy of such praise." Ling Chi placed the large bowl of tea he had just brewed on the table in front of the Candle Dragon: "Senior, what do you mean by 'perfect merit'?"

"After guarding Mount Buzhou for ten thousand years, I can leave this place and go to the heavens to live a carefree life." The Candle-Holding Dragon, unfazed by the heat, gulped down a large bowl of tea. "But I'm hesitating whether to take you with me."

"Beyond the heavens?" The three of them's eyes lit up. Ling Chi asked, "What are you referring to as 'beyond the heavens,' senior? Is it the Immortal Realm?"

"The Immortal Realm is where human cultivators and plant spirits go after they have successfully cultivated, not my final destination," said the Candle-Holding Dragon. "What I am going to is the Thirty-Six Heavens of the God Realm, which was formed from the disintegration of Pangu's body. Once I enter the God Realm, I will have eternal life."

The Candle-Bearing Dragon spoke smugly, but Ling Chi and the other two didn't react much, which annoyed him: "Aren't you envious of me?"

"Of course we are happy for you, senior, but eternal life..." Ling Chi shook his head: "What good is eternity if one is not happy? What do you think, senior?"

"..." The Candle Dragon looked at him deeply and said, "You are indeed different from ordinary mortals."

"I just yearn for freedom more," Ling Chi smiled. "So, what you said about taking us to the God Realm and occasionally cooking a meal for you is fine. But if we stayed there forever, I think we'd all go crazy!"

"No." The Candle Dragon shook its head: "Once you enter the realm of gods, you will be without desires. If you have no desires, how could you go mad?"

"Without desires or wants?" Ling Chi frowned. "Then how is that different from gold and stone?"

“…You always say things that surprise me.” The Candle Dragon sighed, “Yes! If I were to become without desires after entering the realm of gods, why would I need to eat the food you make?”

"Does the realm of gods really make people without desires?" Huang Rong asked curiously. "But there are many love stories between gods and mortals in this world. It is said that even the Heavenly Emperor left behind stories in the mortal world."

"Oh?" The Candle Dragon seemed to ponder. "I have only heard that the God Realm is without desires and eternally indestructible, but I have never heard of the legends among your human race. If that is true, I am afraid that the God Realm will not deprive me of my desires, but will only control them."

"Can you stand being controlled, senior?" Ling Chi asked. "Given your greatness, who can control you?"

The Candle-Holding Dragon chuckled: "Although I am great, I am not as noble as the Three Sovereigns incarnations of Pangu. However, Shennong is missing, and Nuwa has turned against the Heavenly Emperor Fuxi because of the human race. Her fate is still unknown. If I were to go to the God Realm, even if Fuxi wanted to win me over, he would never restrain me."

"That's good." Ling Chi breathed a sigh of relief: "In that case, Senior can come down to the mortal realm to visit often, and I can entertain Senior at any time."

The Candle-Holding Dragon shook its head: "A day in heaven is a year on earth. If I were to go to the realm of gods, I'm afraid you would all die of old age by then."

"You can rest assured about that, senior." Ling Chi smiled and said, "I have studied cooking for many years and discovered several dishes that can increase lifespan. Although each time it can only add a few months, it adds up. Now I can be called a different kind of eternity."

"Oh?" The Candle Dragon looked at him in surprise, then at Shuang'er and Huang Rong, and nodded: "Indeed, your appearances have not changed at all in the past few years. I thought it was because of your cultivation, but I didn't expect it was because of the food."

“So senior doesn’t need to worry about us dying at all,” Ling Chi said. “Of course, if senior is still worried, you can give us some longevity pills or some protective treasures so that we won’t die in the event of danger.”

The Candle-Holding Dragon glanced at him and said, "I have neither elixirs nor any protective treasures. However, what you said makes sense. I will teach you a substitution technique to protect you all."

"The Substitute Technique?" The three were very curious: "What's so special about the Substitute Technique that you mentioned, senior?"

"The Substitute Technique allows you to have a substitute take the fall when you face certain death. However, after the substitute dies, your spirit and energy will be damaged, and your cultivation level will drop. But it is still much better than death," said the Candle Dragon.

"What an amazing substitution technique!" The three of them's eyes lit up. Ling Chi stood up and clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your generous gift, senior."

Shuang'er and Huang Rong hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, senior."

"Hmm." The Candle Dragon unleashed three beams of azure light, each entering the minds of the three individuals. Immediately, the three felt the cultivation method of the Substitute Technique appear in their minds.

After a brief assessment, it was discovered that this substitution technique was truly difficult to cultivate. It required using one's essence, energy, and spirit as a guide to condense a 'miniature' identical to theirs in the middle dantian, which can be understood as the nascent soul in cultivation novels.

This nascent soul will continuously absorb their essence, energy, and spirit. After 49 years of absorption, it will merge with them. It will remain inconspicuous most of the time, but when death comes, it will shield them from attacks and die itself.

Those who lose their nascent soul will suffer damage to their cultivation and a drop in their realm.

It's hard to say how much he'll fall, but it's certainly not a small amount. But as the Candle Dragon said, preserving his life is much better than falling in cultivation level. At least if he falls, he still has a chance to make a comeback. If he dies, then he has nothing left.

This doesn't seem to be of much use to Ling Chi, because the system will protect him and help him escape before he faces death, so he won't encounter any danger to his life.

However, it is still useful in the end. When Ling Chi does not want to leave a certain world, this nascent soul can allow him to stay in that world instead of leaving hastily.

The world he will face in the future will definitely be more and more dangerous, and this substitution technique can really solve a lot of trouble for him.

Unfortunately, the Substitute Technique can only create one at a time. Only after the current Substitute dies can the next one be created. The forty-nine years in between is too long.

But no spell is perfect; being able to save him from a deadly situation once is enough.

"Thank you, senior." The three bowed again.

"Hmm." The Candle Dragon nodded and said, "Go back and cultivate! The substitute needs to be refined day and night. You don't need to come to Buzhou Mountain until it is fully refined."

The three were taken aback for a moment, then Ling Chi said, "So, if you'd like to eat meat during this time, Senior..."

"I eat meat only to satisfy my appetite, not because I absolutely must," said the Candle Dragon. "Refining a substitute is more important, but it will only take forty-nine years, so it's fine."

“Then…” Ling Chi said, “I will trouble you to catch more demonic beasts, senior. I will do my best to prepare a feast for you this time, and I will make sure you are satisfied.”

The dragon holding the candle smiled and said, "You're not bad, kid."

He casually channeled a wisp of divine dragon's breath into Ling Chi's body, saying, "This is my divine dragon's breath, which can strengthen your primordial spirit and physique, and also has the effect of suppressing your realm during battle. In fact, its greatest effect is to prolong life, but it seems to be of no use to you."

Feeling the effects of the dragon's breath on his body, Ling Chi could clearly feel his body and mental strength being continuously strengthened. However, he was limited by his level, and all his values ​​had already reached their peak, making it impossible for him to improve further. But the dragon's breath transformed his energy into his potential, which would explode once he broke through his realm, thus greatly increasing his attribute values.

As the dragon's breath continuously gathered at his kidneys, making them even more indestructible, Ling Chi trembled with excitement and almost knelt before the Candle-Holding Dragon: "Thank you for your generous gift, senior. I am deeply grateful."

The Candle Dragon was somewhat surprised by his excitement. It was just a wisp of dragon's breath; there was no need to get so excited.

Having accepted Ling Chi's thanks in a daze, the Candle Dragon captured several hundred of the monsters from Buzhou Mountain that he thought had delicious meat, and then handed them over to Ling Chi to deal with.

When Ling Chi saw these hundreds of demonic beasts, he was completely dumbfounded.

Hundreds of demonic beasts, each larger than a water buffalo, with the largest even comparable to a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

With so many monsters, how long would it take to turn them all into food?

Faced with the expectant gaze of the Candle-Bearing Dragon, Ling Chi felt immense pressure.

Considering the generous gifts from the Candle-Bearing Dragon... I'll risk everything for these kidneys!

……

Ten days later, when Ling Chi, Shuang'er, and Huang Rong leisurely returned to the Sword Forging Valley on their swords, Xuanqin was startled: "Master, Uncle-Master, what happened to you all?"

"No...it's nothing..." The three of them looked like they were cultivating immortality late at night with boundless magical power. Shuang'er forced herself to stay awake and said, "I need to rest with your senior uncle and senior master. No matter who comes, don't disturb us."

"Yes, Master." Watching her master, senior uncle, and junior master enter the same wooden house to rest, Xuanqin was very worried: "What happened to Master and the others? They look so tired."

Fortunately, after the three of them entered the house and closed the door, they slept in the Chef God's Space for three days and three nights and finally recovered.

Only seven or eight hours had passed in reality. When they walked out looking radiant, Xuanqin was stunned, and her heart pounded wildly: "Master and the others look so healthy, could it be that they did...that thing?"

Thinking of this, Xuanqin's face turned even redder.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Upgrade, Breaking the Ice

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of the ordinary red diner Qingyang. Conquest count +1. Since the diner had already dropped the recipe, no recipe will drop this time."

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of the ordinary red diner Chongguang. Conquest count +1. Since the diner had already dropped the recipe, no recipe will drop this time."

"Ding, you have conquered diners of the same level 96 times and diners of lower level 415 times. The upgrade conditions have been met. Host Ling Chi's cooking skills have been promoted to red advanced level."

"Ding! Congratulations to host Ling Chi for advancing her cooking skills to advanced red level. You are rewarded with a one-time ordinary gold recipe, [Pulling Silk Merit]."

"Pulling Silk Merit: Common Gold Recipe, Merit +1, Cooldown Time 10 Days".

……

Bathed in the golden light of the upgrade, Ling Chi was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

It's been upgraded! Finally upgraded!