Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Is this what a sage is? With just one sentence, he bestowed upon the tea the merits of Heaven, thus establishing its place in this world.

Thinking that he was only one minor level away from the Saint realm, Ling Chi felt a surge of excitement.

After drinking the tea and eating the ginseng fruit, Nuwa asked, "Ling Chi, how have you cultivated for the past few hundred years? How did you reach the quasi-saint level so quickly?"

Other sages listened attentively.

Ling Chi sighed inwardly. In front of a sage, any lie would be exposed instantly. He knew that he had no choice but to answer truthfully.

"To be honest, I have already found my own path in culinary arts. As long as my dishes receive the highest praise from diners, I feel happy and my cultivation progresses steadily. Over the past few hundred years, I have conquered the palates of countless people with my culinary skills." He turned to Zhen Yuanzi and gestured, "Brother, you can be my witness."

“Indeed.” Zhen Yuanzi nodded and said, “To be honest, not long ago, after tasting Brother Lingchi’s delicious food, I felt an unprecedented sense of pleasure. It was at that time that Brother Lingchi broke through to the Quasi-Saint realm.”

"Such a Dao fruit!?" The Six Sages were extremely shocked.

Back then, when they were in Zixiao Palace, their teacher said that there were three thousand Great Daos, and each one could lead to the Primordial Chaos. However, even with their teacher's abilities, he only summarized three methods for attaining the Dao. Of the three thousand disciples, only six of them eventually became saints. More than 90% of the other exceptionally talented individuals perished in various calamities, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Proving one's path to enlightenment is so difficult, yet Ling Chi, a mere chef, has managed to forge a path in culinary arts solely through his skills? It's simply unbelievable.

Lingbao Daojun couldn't help but ask, "Could this method be applied to others?"

“Of course,” Ling Chi said. “However, the art of cooking requires extremely high talent. In the tens of thousands of years I have lived, I have only met eight people with outstanding talent. Even so, they are still far from achieving the Dao. Moreover, the difficulty increases as you go further, because in addition to cooking skills and the quality of ingredients, you also need to be knowledgeable in other aspects.”

"What do you mean by 'other aspects'?"

"Taoist methods, Buddhist teachings, and the methods of all schools of thought—these all require study and integration. Without sufficient comprehension, one cannot create higher-level dishes." At this point, Ling Chi smiled bitterly and said, "Over the past tens of thousands of years, I have suffered a great deal in researching these things. Even so, I have only scratched the surface and am still far from perfect."

"I see." The six saints all breathed a sigh of relief and showed expressions of understanding.

That's more like it! If it were that easy to attain enlightenment, then the Way of Cooking would be far too incredible.

Lao Tzu's heart stirred, and he said, "Could it be that your Tai Chi sword was created by studying the Daoist arts?"

"Yes, Senior." Ling Chi nodded in acknowledgment.

The Sage who guided us suddenly asked, "So, you have also comprehended supernatural powers from my Buddhist teachings?"

"Replying to Senior, I am ashamed to say that I have only grasped some of the laws of cause and effect and reincarnation. I always consider the cause and effect before doing anything, which saves me a lot of trouble," Ling Chi said respectfully.

The Sage who guided them smiled slightly: "Good."

The cycle of cause and effect is precisely the fundamental principle of Buddhism.

Lingbao Daojun's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Have you studied the Fifty Great Daos, the Forty-Nine Heavenly Evolutions, and the one that is hidden away?"

Ling Chi nodded: "Although I have done some research, I only know the basics."

"It's alright, tell me about it," Lingbao Daojun urged.

Ling Chi said helplessly, "In my humble opinion, this is a way to survive in the face of death. Without great perseverance, great fortune, great wisdom, and great magical power, it is really difficult, very difficult!"

Lingbao Daojun laughed and said, "Cultivation is inherently going against the heavens. Once you embark on the path of cultivation, every day is a tribulation. Only the Dao fruit obtained through tribulations is worth being proud of."

Ling Chi chuckled twice and said, "What you say is true, senior. However, I do not have your ambition. I just want to cook peacefully. It's better to be peaceful if I can."

Lingbao Daojun frowned immediately, but Yuanshi Tianzun smiled and nodded secretly.

The six sages' doubts had been dispelled, but they were very interested in what Ling Chi was about to do. Nuwa asked, "What are your plans for opening a cooking class at the foot of Mount Hua?"

"I just want to find some outstanding kitchen helpers for myself," Ling Chi said. "Being a chef is a tough job. Putting aside everything else, just preparing ingredients every day is very energy-consuming. It is absolutely impossible for me to do it alone. So I recruited eight kitchen helpers over the past tens of thousands of years, but eight kitchen helpers are not enough. I want to recruit more."

"How many do you want to recruit?" Nuwa pressed.

“Twenty more would be enough,” Ling Chi said. “Too many would be a waste.”

"I see." Nuwa nodded and asked, "You recruited five hundred people at once, are you going to select these twenty-odd people from among them?"

“No.” Ling Chi shook his head and said, “Out of five hundred people, there may not be one qualified to be a kitchen helper. Actually, when I recruited students for the first time, I just wanted to train them to become the world’s top chefs. After they graduate and return home, whether they open a restaurant or sell snacks, as long as they make a name for themselves, they will be able to attract a steady stream of high-quality students for me. That way, I can hope to find a kitchen helper that I am satisfied with.”

"You have a long-term vision." Nuwa smiled slightly and said, "I want to send a few people over there. Could you teach them cooking skills so they can cook for me in the future?"

Ling Chi readily agreed: "Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as their talent is decent, I guarantee that they will become the top chefs in the Three Realms."

"How do I compare to you?" Nuwa asked with a smile.

"Uh..." Ling Chi smiled awkwardly but politely.

Nuwa chuckled and said, "Alright, as long as it tastes good, nothing else matters."

Ling Chi breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Seeing that Nuwa had managed to get several people in with just a few words, the other saints couldn't sit still any longer. Lingbao Daojun said, "Lingchi, don't be biased. I also have a few Daoist disciples by my side. Help me teach them."

Ling Chi readily agreed.

Lao Tzu smiled and said, "In that case, may I also squeeze two people in?"

“Yes, yes.” Ling Chi nodded quickly.

Seeing this, Yuanshi Tianzun and the two Western Saints were not to be outdone and offered to send a few people over to learn cooking skills, which Ling Chi agreed to.

Make good connections!

Perhaps in order to give Lingchi some reward, the Six Sages stayed at Wuzhuang Temple for three years, during which time each of them preached the Dao for half a year.

To be honest, given the difficulty of a sage preaching, half a year would at most only give an outline, not even the basics. But Ling Chi listened intently. Even if it was just an outline, it was still the sage's way, a truth refined over countless eons, far superior to his mediocre skills. Regardless of whether he understood it or not, he listened first, thinking he might need it someday!

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. The Six Sages stopped preaching, and Zhunti waved his hand, teleporting everyone to the foot of Mount Hua.

At this time, thousands of creatures had gathered at the foot of Mount Hua. In addition to people, there were many strange and grotesque things that looked like demons and monsters.

If this were anywhere else, so many demons and monsters gathered together would definitely cause trouble, but at this moment, these demons and monsters were all extremely well-behaved, because Erlang Shen had actually brought two hundred grass-headed gods here to maintain order.

Why is Erlang Shen here? Of course, it's because of Yang Chan.

Yang Chan's temple is located at the foot of Mount Hua. Three years ago, after Lingchi transmitted the message to the Three Realms, Yang Jian knew that his sister was going to be in trouble. In order to prevent his sister from being disturbed, Erlang Shen brought the Grass God with him.

Over the years, he had come to know that his sister had feelings for Ling Chi, and that Ling Chi was not necessarily heartless towards his sister either, otherwise he wouldn't have opened a school at the foot of Mount Hua. Adults' feelings are easy to understand. Yang Jian was working so hard to maintain order because he wanted to demonstrate the strength of his maternal family so that his sister wouldn't be looked down upon after she got married.

Marriage is inherently a game of strategy. Only when the power between husband and wife is balanced can the marriage last. In any marriage, if one side is strong and the other is weak, either the weaker side will swallow their anger or the stronger side will be gentle and considerate. Otherwise, the marriage will definitely not last long. This has been proven by countless real-life cases.

You can date anyone, but when it comes to marriage, for the sake of a stable life after marriage, being well-matched in terms of social standing is ideal. Otherwise, you can only pray to God for better luck.

Yang Jian initially believed his younger sister was more than a match for Ling Chi, but as Ling Chi's voice spread throughout the Three Realms, indirectly proving his Quasi-Saint cultivation, he realized his sister might not be worthy of Ling Chi. But what could he, as her older brother, do if his sister liked Ling Chi? He could only do his utmost to support her.

He, Yang Jian, the Jade Emperor's nephew and the God of War in Heaven, risked everything for his sister's happiness.

……

Time flies like an arrow; before we know it, Lingchi's chef training school has been open for three hundred years.

Over three hundred years, the school has enrolled exactly one hundred batches of apprentices. Except for the first class which only enrolled five hundred people, the remaining ninety-nine classes each had more than a thousand students. Over the past three hundred years, more than five hundred people have become successful and stayed on to work at the school. Those who returned to their hometowns after completing their studies have also made a great name for themselves. In short, everyone who graduated from the culinary school became a wealthy person after returning home, changing not only their own destiny but also the destiny of their descendants.

Over three hundred years, the total number of apprentices exceeded one hundred thousand. Among these one hundred thousand people, Ling Chi selected more than ten people as his new kitchen helpers. To his surprise, these people were all characters who had not appeared in Journey to the West, and of course, they were all women.

These people's culinary talents are one in a million in the training school. If we extend that to the whole world, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are one in a million. But perhaps because they haven't received the favor of this world, their culinary talents can only be compared with Shang Xiuxun and others. None of them are on par with Huang Rong, let alone surpass her.

Throughout countless worlds, Huang Rong's culinary talent has always been at the pinnacle of the kitchen helpers, unmatched by anyone.

Although he had acquired more than a dozen assistant chefs, he was still ten short of the twenty-four positions. However, Ling Chi did not intend to continue running the chef training school because, as time went by, the spiritual energy in the world was becoming increasingly scarce, and the quality of the new students was declining year by year. In particular, in the last three sessions, out of more than five thousand apprentices, not a single one was selected by him as an assistant chef.

Once is never enough. Since no culinary genius at the assistant chef level has appeared for three consecutive years, Ling Chi has no intention of continuing. Moreover, after raising his experience points to 99% over the past three hundred years, he could no longer increase them. According to the system's prompts, the last 1% of experience points can only be obtained by conquering the stomach of a saint. Furthermore, dishes below the saint level, even with 100% completion, cannot conquer the stomach of a saint.

In short, given Ling Chi's current culinary skills and the quality of the ingredients she has access to, she simply cannot make a top-quality diamond-colored dish. Since she cannot make it, she is naturally stuck here.

However, he has already maxed out all the basic attributes of a Quasi-Saint peak. He can now proudly declare that he is the number one person below the Saint. Even Kong Xuan, who uses the identity of Confucius, is no match for him.

Although Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light can brush away anything, he can only brush away things related to the Five Elements. Ling Chi, on the other hand, is different. His true innate divine power is the Law of Space. As one of the two heaven-defying laws, the Law of Space is precisely the nemesis of the Five-Colored Divine Light.

A few years ago, Kong Xuan came here to dine and dash, and Ling Chi put him in his sleeve and gave him a good beating. If Zhunti hadn't suddenly come over to plead for Kong Xuan, he would have definitely pulled off Kong Xuan's tail.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Ending

With the graduation of its 100th class, the 300-year-old Culinary Training School announced its closure to the Three Realms, causing an uproar.

Three hundred years ago, cooking was merely a pastime for the upper class in the Three Realms. Good chefs were almost monopolized by the aristocracy, and ordinary people struggled to even have enough to eat, let alone care about whether the food was delicious. However, since the opening of the Culinary God Training School, gourmet food has gradually moved from the aristocracy to the tables of the general public.

While ordinary people can't afford fancy meals, the snacks from roadside stalls are quite delicious. Moreover, with some simple home-style dishes becoming a mandatory course for brides, even the poorest people can enjoy relatively palatable meals. All of this is thanks to the changes brought about by the Culinary God Training School, which has a huge reputation and influence among the lower classes in the Three Realms. But this school that has changed the dining tables of the Three Realms is about to close down.

Many uninformed people are discussing it, and some even have darker intentions, suggesting that the culinary training school was forced to close down due to suppression by some powerful forces.

Most ordinary people at the bottom of society simply don't have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. When someone says this, many people believe it and even imagine that the perpetrators are some powerful and influential figures.

Some people said it was the Three Pure Ones, some said it was the Buddha, and some said it was the Jade Emperor. In short, almost all the top figures worshipped by the human race were suspected, which made the big shots of the Three Realms both angry and amused.

It was clearly Ling Chi who wanted to close the door, so why is she blaming them?

The powerful figures of the Three Realms are not so easily swayed by the trolls of this world. With a thought, they can instantly identify who is spreading rumors. Then, with a single thought, the rumor-monger screams and explodes to death. And that's not all; after death, the rumor-monger's soul is thrown directly into the Tongue-Pulling Hell of the Eighteen Levels of Hell, condemning them to eternal damnation.

When Ling Chi saw this scene, he felt a pang of sadness. The trolls in this world are truly pathetic. If it were on the modern internet... sigh! They were born in the wrong era!

"What are you thinking about?" Yang Chan asked, holding a string of candied hawthorns, when she saw him lost in thought.

"It's nothing." Ling Chi took a bite of the candied yam and said, "What's your decision? Are you coming with me?"

Yang Chan paused in her work and asked, "After leaving, can you never come back?"

"I don't know." Ling Chi shook his head. "That's how it is now, but who can say for sure what will happen in the future?" He paused for a moment. "I can't give you any guarantees. The only thing I can give you is to experience the wonders of different worlds together."

"I understand." Yang Chan was silent for a moment, then said, "I want to say goodbye to my second brother."

"it is good."

……

The Heavenly Court, Taiwei Yuqing Palace.

"You're taking all the imperial chefs with you?" The Jade Emperor frowned, his mood not very pleasant.

“Indeed,” Ling Chi said. “Now I am at the peak of Quasi-Saint, but I have been unable to break through to the Saint realm. The reason for this is that there are no higher quality ingredients in this world. Therefore, I wish to take Rong’er and the others away from this world to search for higher quality ingredients in a wider world. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission.”

These words made the Jade Emperor tremble. Ling Chi had only stayed in the mortal realm for eight hundred years. In just eight hundred years, he had broken through directly from the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal to the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm. Such talent... had never been seen since Pangu created the world.

Now, Ling Chi is even more dissatisfied with the quality of the ingredients in this world, which does not meet his needs, and wants to go to other worlds. Is this any way to make people live?

"Which great world do you wish to travel to, my dear minister?" the Jade Emperor asked.

"I don't know." Ling Chi shook his head and said, "I can only say that I will go to a world with higher quality ingredients."

The Jade Emperor sighed, “My dear minister, you are confused. Although there are three thousand great worlds in the universe, the highest level world is here. There is no other world higher than this one.”

"Your Majesty misunderstands," Ling Chi said with a slight smile. "It's just that I didn't mention it. Does Your Majesty know where I come from?"

"..."

A moment later.