A Bite of Douluo Continent

Qi Han remained calm throughout; he already knew the effects of Dongpo Pork Knuckle.

The modified version of Dongpo Pork Knuckle from Douluo Continent, made with precious ingredients, has special effects.

After eating Dongpo pork knuckle, your cultivation speed will increase by 50% for half an hour.

Originally, only recipes with three stars or higher would have a similar effect, but because the difficulty of making Dongpo Pork Knuckle did not reach three stars, it was eventually classified as a two-star recipe by the system.

Such a recipe is extremely rare among all two-star recipes.

After learning the situation, Qi Han couldn't help but marvel at his luck.

A two-star recipe that's comparable to a three-star recipe—it's terrifying.

The only regret is that none of the special effects of the recipes work for Qi Han.

After a minor incident, the news that Qi Han's Dongpo pork knuckle could enhance cultivation, like a rare and precious ingredient, spread like wildfire among his regular customers, and even reached many passersby who had never been to Qi Han's shop.

Passersby naturally held a skeptical attitude, but almost all the regular customers chose to believe.

There's no other reason than that the other dishes in Qi Han's shop also have the effect of improving cultivation, albeit only by a trace, almost negligible.

Only recipes rated three stars or higher can produce significant results, leading to a qualitative change from a quantitative one.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Four Branch Masters

After Zhou Long left, perhaps through word of mouth, the diners who came to the shop soon learned that there was a new dish in the shop that could increase the speed of cultivation.

Although a dish costing 100 gold soul coins is an astronomical price, if it can increase cultivation speed, then it is no ordinary dish, but rather something that can be considered a rare and precious treasure.

Looking at it this way, 100 gold soul coins are quite cheap.

For this reason, the high price did not deter diners' enthusiasm. After Zhou Long broke through to the Soul Emperor level on the spot after eating a Dongpo Pork Knuckle, almost half of the diners chose this dish to try it.

However, as it turns out, Zhou Long's situation is not something that everyone can replicate. Dongpo elbow was just the starting point; what truly helped Zhou Long break through was the foundation he had built up himself.

Other diners, unsurprisingly, praised the Dongpo pork knuckle after eating it, but no one else experienced a breakthrough like Zhou Long did after finishing it.

After seeing off the last customer, Qi Han gently closed the door, had the system create a bulletin board, and after a moment's thought, began to write on it.

Our shop is hiring one waiter/waitress.

operating hours:

Daily from 11:00 AM to 13:00 PM

17:00-19:00 pm

Salary negotiable.

After finishing writing, Qi Han took two steps back, pinched his chin, and admired his own elegant handwriting for a while. Then, he huffed and puffed as he carried the notice board out and placed it at the entrance of the small shop.

With a thought, Qi Han entered the training space.

The Dongpo Pork Knuckle was successfully completed, but that didn't mean Qi Han could rest. After finishing the Dongpo Pork Knuckle, Qi Han conveniently picked up a new recipe that he had been unable to obtain before.

Two-star recipe: Tomato Beef Brisket.

This is the first time the system has explicitly rewarded a specific recipe. Although the thrilling spinning wheel is gone, the joy of obtaining a new recipe is the same.

Cooking skills are interconnected. As Qi Han continues to cook, his control over the heat and his knife skills will improve.

Qi Han can now clearly feel that he is spending less and less time in the training space and making fewer mistakes.

I believe that as my cooking skills improve further in the future, I will spend much less time practicing recipes.

An afternoon passed quickly, and when Qi Han was reminded by the system to come out of the training space, his face showed more excitement.

The preparation of the tomato beef brisket went very smoothly. This recipe is simpler than Dongpo pork knuckle, and since they are both meat dishes, they have something in common, which greatly shortened Qi Han's practice time.

I'll practice in the training space for a while tomorrow morning, and I think this dish will be ready to be served by noon tomorrow!

How could Qi Han not be excited?

Pushing open the door, as expected, there were already many diners waiting eagerly outside.

This time, however, the atmosphere outside was a bit strange. Unlike before, no diners filed in as soon as the door opened, rushing to order food.

What's going on here?

Qi Han glanced at the diners outside the door and quickly discovered the source of the atmosphere.

Beside the shop entrance stood four elderly men with white hair. Two of them were robust, while the other two were tall and thin, and the third had a hunched back.

The four old men were all dressed in the black robes of the Tang Clan.

The black robe was embroidered with patterns in glossy black, bright yellow, deep purple, and dark green thread.

In the Tang Clan, white robes represent ordinary disciples, yellow robes represent the captains of mission teams, purple robes represent the deacons of each hall, black robes represent the branch hall masters of the four halls, red robes represent the head hall masters of the four halls and the elders, and the Tang Clan leader wears a gold robe.

In the various branches of the Tang Sect, the four hall masters are mainly eight-ring Soul Douluo, while only the head hall master is a nine-ring Title Douluo.

However, there are always exceptions. Shrek City is the number one city on the Douluo Continent, and the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy have a close relationship. Therefore, the Tang Sect Shrek City branch is second only to the headquarters in size. Even the four branch leaders are titled Douluo powerhouses just like those at the headquarters.

Although the branch hall masters are dressed in black robes according to the rules, and the four titled Douluo are no exception, their status is not to be underestimated by anyone.

And now, the four hall masters have gathered at the entrance of Qi Han's small shop. These are a total of four titled Douluo!

The four old men did not appear particularly serious; instead, they joked and laughed with each other.

However, the aura of a titled Douluo still made the surrounding atmosphere strangely tense.

Title Douluo!

This was the first time Qi Han had ever encountered a powerhouse of this level, and he couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that he had not offended anyone from the Tang Clan. On the contrary, many of the diners were Tang Clan disciples, and he had even purchased Tang Clan hidden weapons, making him a Tang Clan customer as well.

Hmm... there doesn't seem to be any need to panic.

Thinking this through, Qi Han regained his composure and looked at the four elders, "May I ask, what brings you four hall masters here?"

The leader of the Power Hall, whose black robe was embroidered with glossy black thread, laughed heartily, “We’re here to eat, of course. I heard your little shop has dishes that can speed up cultivation? Little kid, quickly bring one for each of us four old folks.”

With that, he strode into the small shop.

Beside the leader of the Power Hall, the equally robust figure of the leader of the Imperial Hall paused for a moment beside Qi Han. His voice was not as loud as that of the leader of the Power Hall, but rather somewhat deep, "Little brat, I've heard that almost all the disciples of our Imperial Hall are your regular customers?"

Qi Han smiled confidently, "This shows that the dishes in our shop have been recognized by the disciples of the Imperial Hall."

Master Yutang lowered his head, looked at Qi Han seriously, and nodded. "Interesting little kid, let me see what magic your little shop has."

After the head of the Imperial Hall, the tall, thin old man from the Min Hall did not speak. He twirled his goatee with a reserved air and strolled into the small shop. The last to arrive was the head of the Medicine Hall, who was leaning on a cane and had a somewhat hunched posture.

The head of the medicine hall seemed more interested in Qi Han. He looked at Qi Han with great interest and asked, "Young man, do you add rare and precious herbs to your dishes?"

rare and precious materials?

Qi Han thought for a moment and shook his head. "I did not add any rare or precious ingredients to my dishes."

"Nothing?" The head of the medicine hall was slightly taken aback, and his interest in Qi Han intensified. "You can improve your cultivation without rare and precious materials? Interesting, very interesting."

With that, he walked in with a cheerful smile.

The head of the hall was naturally not short of money. He only glanced at the menu before turning to Qi Han and said, "Little kid, bring four servings of each of the dishes on this menu."

Upon hearing this, Master Yutang chuckled and said, "Old Monkey will treat us today."

Mintang and the head of the medicine hall, who were lagging behind, also smiled and nodded, and the four of them quickly sat down around a table.

The other customers then entered the shop one by one, and the aroma of the food instantly melted away the awkward atmosphere.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Excited Head of the Pharmacy

Soon, Qi Han brought out the dishes that were meant for the four hall masters.

The four hall masters were all powerful figures at the Title Douluo level. Having lived for decades, they boasted that they had tasted many delicacies from the Douluo Continent, but they still lost their composure in the face of Qi Han's dishes.

Even the most reserved Master Mintang couldn't help but move his Adam's apple.

Master Mido looked at the dishes in front of him, swallowed hard, and was about to have a big meal when he discovered that there were no knives and forks on the table, only spoons and a strange kind of tableware.

Is this the kind of tableware called chopsticks?

The disciples of the Imperial Hall come here the most, so the Imperial Hall Master has heard of this small shop located opposite the Tang Sect. He has long heard that this shop uses a strange kind of tableware called chopsticks, which is very convenient.

As a result, many disciples in the sect's dining hall began to complain that the knives and forks were inconvenient to use.

Having reached the level of a Title Douluo, one naturally possesses one's own reserve. The Hall Master of the Imperial Hall did not ask how to use it, but instead looked at the other diners who were about to start eating.

Using chopsticks is not difficult; for a strong person like him, he can roughly master it after just a couple of glances.

Seeing how quickly Master Yutang mastered the use of chopsticks, the other three masters suddenly realized what was going on and followed suit.

"I never imagined that two small wooden sticks could become tableware, and so conveniently at that." Master Mintang stroked his goatee, a look of surprise on his face. "I think this could be promoted in our sect's dining hall."

Master Mintang has a refined and elegant demeanor and is fond of elegance. These chopsticks are much more elegant than knives and forks, which makes him very fond of them.

However, the words of the head of the Mintang Hall did not receive a response from the other three old friends. He was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly became furious, "Old monkey, take your chopsticks off my elbow!"

"This is a pork knuckle, not yours." The head of the Litang Hall pursed his lips. "It's alright, we can just order another one later. Old Sparrow, don't be stingy."

"You..." The head of Mintang was speechless with anger, while the head of Yaotang slowly savored the Dongpo pork knuckle with his chopsticks, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"Interesting. This is a hundred-year-old Osmanthus-scented pig. It seems to be cooked using some kind of secret method. The essence of the hundred-year-old soul beast is completely locked inside, without any leakage."

The Pharmacy Hall was originally a hall within the Tang Sect that researched various rare and precious herbs and poisons. It also conducted considerable research on edible spirit beasts, so discovering the ingredients for Dongpo Pork Knuckle was naturally a given.

"However..." The head of the pharmacy took a few more bites, a hint of uncertainty on his face. "This Osmanthus-scented pork seems unusual. Why does it feel so much more concentrated in essence than normal Osmanthus-scented pork? Could it be a thousand-year-old one?"

"No, impossible." Not long after, he dismissed his own guess. "It should still be a hundred years old. Perhaps the breeding method is somewhat special. Could it be that they are specially bred Guixiang pigs for consumption?"

The head of the medicine shop was muttering to himself, but Qi Han, who happened to be passing by with a dish, overheard him and his heart skipped a beat.

As expected of a titled Douluo-level expert, he was able to guess so accurately. This Gui Xiang pig is indeed systematically bred, which is why it is completely different from the Gui Xiang pigs outside.

"Little one, did you raise your own food?"

Upon discovering that Qi Han was right beside him, the head of the medicine hall suddenly looked up at Qi Han, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

Qi Han nodded, and was about to say something when the system's voice suddenly appeared.

When diners have questions about the ingredients, the host has an obligation to provide detailed answers.

What kind of rule is this?