A Bite of Douluo Continent

Several invisible small vortexes appeared around Qi Han's body. The vortexes were like bottomless black holes, frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and pouring it into Qi Han's meridians.

Streams of heat surged through his meridians, automatically circulating throughout his body, and his soul power level soared at a visible speed.

Soul power, level seventeen!

Qi Han clenched his fist, a hint of joy on his face. At this moment, his soul power was more than double that of when he was at level twelve.

Now, if I use the first soul skill again, I can use it four or five times in one go.

At this rate, with my soul power increasing by five levels each time I complete a mission, it won't be long before I become a Title Douluo.

That's too narrow-minded, Qi Han.

What's so special about being a Title Douluo? Just add a few more levels and you'll easily become a god.

[Please stop dreaming, host. Because your current soul power level is too low, the reward for this mission is relatively high. As your soul power level increases, the level of rewarded soul power will decrease.]

Before Qi Han could even think of what title to choose, the system poured cold water on his head.

So... is it because I'm too weak that I'm getting so many rewards for reaching the Soul Power Realm?

【Yes. 】

Fine.

Qi Han rolled his eyes and then claimed 1 two-star selectable recipe fragment and 1 three-star random recipe.

Qi Han had already accumulated three two-star selectable recipe fragments. He only needed one more to exchange for any two-star recipe. He quickly set his sights on the three-star random recipe.

Get a random three-star recipe!

This will be the shop's first three-star recipe, and three-star recipes are bound to have special effects, which makes Qi Han extremely excited.

Upon receiving the Samsung random recipe, Qi Han instantly entered the system space.

Now, a spinning wheel appears in front of him.

This wheel is somewhat similar to a random recipe drop, except that every single square on it is purple.

Just as the system said.

The purple turntable was spinning rapidly. Qi Han closed his eyes tightly, and with excitement and anticipation, he shouted.

"stop"

As he opened his eyes, four large characters were clearly written on the purple block in front of him, along with a picture.

Fish with a sheep hidden inside.jpg

hiss!

Qi Han couldn't help but gasp, then watched as the system space instantly transformed into a training space.

To be honest, I think I've had incredible luck this time.

The menu of this small shop includes pork, beef, and mutton, but notably, there's no mutton. Of all the animals that fly, walk, and swim, the only one missing is the one that swims.

Now, with a dish of fish belly stuffed with lamb, he has made up for both of his regrets.

Is it difficult to hide a sheep inside a fish's belly?

Of course it's difficult; the challenge of completely and neatly deboning a whole fish has stumped countless chefs.

Qi Han had a premonition that he would be spending a long time in the training space this time.

But no matter how long you have to stay in the training space, it's all worth it as long as you can learn this dish.

After all, this is supposedly the freshest dish.

Note: Fish and mutton are fresh!

Back on Earth, Qi Han had eaten fish stuffed with mutton a few times, but some of the attempts were exaggerated and poorly executed. However, one particular attempt left a deep impression on him.

It was an unassuming little restaurant, where he tasted a flavor he had never experienced before in his life.

The system's hidden treasures are probably better than those found there.

He wasn't in a hurry to learn anymore. At this moment, all he wanted was for the illusory figure to cook a fish stuffed with lamb, and then, as a diner, to savor it and see just how delicious the three-star recipe from the system really was.

However, this time, Qi Han suddenly discovered that the phantom that appeared in the training space was no longer the same one.

It was a somewhat short and thin phantom, dressed in an ancient robe, with a slightly hunched figure. Although it was illusory, its clear eyes seemed to be real, quietly watching Qi Han.

what happened?

"system?"

Qi Han was somewhat bewildered by the sudden turn of events. The illusory figure seemed to be able to see Qi Han, its gaze carrying a hint of profound meaning, something that previous illusory figures had never shown before.

The phantom image was like a pre-programmed robot that would simply demonstrate the cooking steps to Qi Han, then serve the dish to him before disappearing.

This time...

Qi Han had a vague feeling that things weren't so simple.

[A recipe reaching three stars is incredibly precious, embodying the full energy of its creator. Therefore, recipes of three stars or higher will be taught personally by the remnant soul of the recipe creator.]

[Samsung Recipe: Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb, first created by Yi Ya, the royal chef of Duke Huan of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. This dish combines fish and lamb, and has been passed down through the ages, becoming the origin of the character "鲜" (fresh/delicious). The original character for "鲜" was composed of three fish characters, as fish is considered the most delicious of all, and three fish characters amplify its freshness. Yi Ya's creation, Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb, is even more delicious than fish meat itself, hence the character "鲜" was modified and has been passed down to this day.]

[Special effect of fish belly containing sheep: After consumption, one can enter a deep meditation for 24 hours.]

As soon as the system finished speaking, Qi Han's gaze towards the illusory figure instantly changed.

So...the person standing in front of me is Yi Ya, the imperial chef from the Spring and Autumn Period?

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Ten-Day Expectation

Yi Ya looked very old, but when Qi Han saw how he deboned an entire fish with a knife in the blink of an eye without any residue sticking out, only four words came to his mind.

Incredible skill.

This was truly divine skill. Qi Han's entire impression of knife skills was completely shattered by Yi Ya's swift and powerful blades.

Yi Ya's knife is extremely fast, yet it can scale, gut, and debone a live fish without even breaking its skin.

The remnant soul has greater freedom than the phantom. Yi Ya's cooking process took place right next to Qi Han, and Qi Han could easily see every detail.

This kind of learning is undoubtedly more efficient than before.

Marinate the fish and mutton, blanch the diced bamboo shoots and mushrooms, stir-fry the mutton, mushrooms and bamboo shoots together, stuff the fish belly, wrap it with pork caul fat, wrap it with aluminum foil, and bake it in the oven.

The process was carried out step by step right under Qi Han's nose. At each crucial moment, Yi Ya would slow down his movements and operate from the angle that Qi Han could see most clearly.

Soon, Yi Ya brought a dish of mutton hidden inside a fish belly to Qi Han.

A bright green lotus leaf is placed on the plate, and in the very center of the lotus leaf, a fish with its surface completely roasted to a light golden brown lies quietly on its side.

The lotus leaves not only add color, but also bring out the fragrance of the fish and lamb stew, creating a unique aroma that blends the original flavors of fish and lamb with the mushroom fragrance.

Qi Han carefully used chopsticks to pry open the fish's belly. As the belly was opened, the aroma of mutton inside burst forth, filling the entire kitchen with an irresistible fragrance.

Taking a deep, greedy breath, Qi Han picked up a piece of fish and mutton with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

Upon tasting, the delicate sweetness of the fish and the rich aroma of the mutton permeate each other, creating distinct layers of umami. The pork caul fat also brings a wonderful caramelized aroma, making the fish crispy yet not dry, with a tender and elastic texture.

Lamb retains its natural gamey flavor, but it's not overpowering. The subtle gamey taste blends perfectly with the lamb's natural umami flavor, giving it a unique taste that distinguishes it from beef and pork.

As expected of the fish belly stuffed with lamb produced by the system, the freshness was something Qi Han had never experienced before.

The fish belly stuffed with mutton quickly entered Qi Han's stomach, leaving not a drop.

Unfortunately, the special effect of hiding a sheep in the fish's belly still had no effect on Qi Han, otherwise Qi Han really wanted to try out what this deep meditation experience was like.

For Soul Masters, deep meditation seems to be a rare and precious opportunity.

"System, what's the price of the fish belly stuffed with mutton?"

[1000 Gold Soul Coins/Serving]

Good heavens! The most expensive Dongpo pork knuckle in the shop used to cost 100 gold soul coins, but now the price of the fish belly stuffed with mutton has increased tenfold.

Is this the Samsung recipe? I love it!

However, considering the delicious taste of the fish belly stuffed with mutton and its special effects on Soul Masters, Qi Han felt that the price was not excessive at all.

The dish of "Sheep Hidden in Fish Belly" was completed, and Yi Ya's remnant soul gradually dissipated. However, unlike the chef's phantom, before this remnant soul dissipated, it gave Qi Han a deep look, with an encouraging gaze that warmed Qi Han's heart.

Subconsciously, Qi Han bowed to the dissipating remnant soul of Yi Ya. When he raised his head, Qi Han seemed to see a slight curve at the corner of the mouth of the remnant soul of Yi Ya, which had dimmed to the point of being almost invisible.

After a moment of silence, Qi Han spoke softly.

"System, what happens when the remnant soul dissipates?"

After teaching the host, the remnant soul contained within the recipe will dissipate and return to the world.

Returning to the heavens and earth...

Qi Han let out a soft sigh and walked towards the cooking area where he was the only one left.

The "Hidden Sheep in Fish Belly" training begins!

[An error has occurred; deboning the whole fish has damaged the flesh. Please start over.]

[An error has occurred; deboning the whole fish has damaged the flesh. Please start over.]

[An error has occurred; deboning the whole fish has damaged the flesh. Please start over.]

...

Even after the business opened in the evening, when Qi Han came out of the training space, he still hadn't been able to perfectly debone the whole fish without damaging the skin and flesh, as required by the system.

"As expected of a three-star recipe book." Qi Han sighed slightly, then looked at Fuya, who had arrived earlier, "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

When Fuya arrived, she had already changed into a maid outfit. Upon hearing this, her face flushed slightly. "Fried rice with egg and beef brisket with tomato."

Fuya is no longer as reserved as before, but she still feels a little embarrassed every time she orders.

She really wanted just a plate of fried rice, but every time she did, Qi Han would take it upon himself to add another dish for her.

Finally, Fuya realized that her boss really didn't lack that much, and she finally gave up struggling.

After several days of eating the boss's delicious cooking, Fuya felt that she was getting too much nutrition. She could only channel her shame into her nighttime cultivation, trying her best to absorb all the nutrition and convert it into soul power.

In just a few days, Fuya felt that level 43 was very close, and she might be able to break through it soon.

Thanks to her, Ying Shuangshuang also began to feel a sense of crisis, and her cultivation frequency increased significantly.