Lin Shen's "immortal" days passed quickly.
Under the indulgent "free-range" care of his three Masters, his daily tasks were simply eating, drinking, playing, having fun, and sleeping.
Yet his cultivation steadily increased amid this seemingly idle routine.
His early Refining Void into Dao realm had been consolidated to an incredibly solid degree.
All of this was thanks to his heaven-defying true form.
As the first innate ginseng spirit root in heaven and earth to take human form, his affinity with the Great Dao was maxed out.
Every breath he took exchanged spiritual energy with heaven and earth.
Every time he played, he frolicked with the laws of nature.
Not to mention the things his three Masters brought out to "feed" him.
Taishang Laojun's Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir was candy to him.
The immortal fruits Yuanshi Tianzun nourished with Ten Thousand Year Jade Marrow were snacks to him.
The Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow Tongtian Jiaozhu had "borrowed" from the East Sea Dragon Palace was his main course.
Of course, he could only eat a few bites, and the rest benefited his three Masters and the Ink Qilin mount.
With such top-tier resources piled onto him, even a pig could have been fed into Marshal Tianpeng.
Lin Shen's body was also becoming better and better nourished.
His skin was fair with a rosy glow, delicate enough to break at a touch, and he constantly exuded a refreshing fragrance that soothed anyone who smelled it.
The tiny ginseng leaf atop his head had become even greener and more lustrous, with Dao Patterns faintly flowing across it.
One day, Lin Shen woke from his afternoon nap, rubbed his eyes, and habitually called out:
"Yiya..."
His voice was soft and sweet, carrying the nasal tone of someone who had just awakened.
Almost the instant his voice fell, three figures appeared at his little bed at once.
"Beloved Disciple, you're awake?"
Taishang Laojun smiled as he handed over a small jade bowl containing several glittering golden pills the size of longans.
"Come, taste the Hundred Fruit Dragon Origin Elixir I just refined. It tastes wonderful."
"Big Brother, taking too many pills will always cause some internal heat."
Without changing his expression, Yuanshi Tianzun moved Taishang Laojun's bowl aside, then brought out a plate of sliced immortal fruit.
The fruit was crystal clear, like carved ice and jade, radiating a coolness that refreshed the heart.
"Lin Shen, come eat Second Master's Ice Soul Jade Pear. It clears the mind and moistens the lungs."
"Pills are too dry, and fruit is too cold! Children should eat something hot!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu squeezed straight to the front, holding a huge sea bowl filled with steaming soup.
The broth was golden, and its domineering aroma filled the air. Dragon Tendon, Phoenix Wing, and all kinds of top-tier ingredients floated within.
"Good disciple, look at the Dragon Phoenix Auspicious Soup Third Master stewed for you! It's incredibly nourishing!"
The three top powerhouses of the primordial world now looked like three ordinary old grandfathers competing to feed their grandson.
They stared eagerly at Lin Shen, waiting for him to "pick" one.
Sitting on the bed, Lin Shen looked at the three "delicacies" before him and fell into the sweet agony of choice.
Which should he eat first?
He looked at Taishang Laojun's pills and smelled their sweetness.
Then he looked at Yuanshi Tianzun's immortal fruit, which appeared so juicy.
Then he looked at Tongtian Jiaozhu's meat soup, which smelled... far too delicious!
As a former office drone, his craving for meat was etched into his DNA.
Without hesitation, he stretched out his chubby little hand and pointed at Tongtian Jiaozhu's bowl of Dragon Phoenix Auspicious Soup.
"Yiya!"
"HAHAHA!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu was instantly overjoyed and smugly glanced at his two elder brothers.
His expression seemed to say, See that? I'm the one who understands my disciple best!
He carefully scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and only then brought it to Lin Shen's mouth.
Lin Shen opened his little mouth and took a sip.
Fresh! Fragrant! Warm!
An indescribable deliciousness exploded across his taste buds.
Vast life essence flowed down his throat and into his stomach, making him squint in comfort.
The soup's savory flavor unfolded layer by layer in his mouth: first the springy chewiness of Dragon Tendon, then the tender smoothness of Phoenix Wing, and finally the rich aroma blended from all kinds of top-tier spices.
It was too good!
He urged Tongtian Jiaozhu on, drinking one spoonful after another until he had quickly finished nearly half a bowl.
Seeing Lin Shen eat so happily, the smile never left Tongtian Jiaozhu's face. His tail was practically raised to the sky.
Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun, however, did not look very pleased.
Taishang Laojun looked at the pills he had painstakingly refined and fell into thought.
Was the flavor not good enough?
The next time he refined pills, should he add more honey?
Yuanshi Tianzun looked at the plate of Ice Soul Jade Pears, his brows tightly furrowed.
He felt that his fruit's appearance, taste, and effects were all top-notch. Why had it lost to his third brother's messy bowl of meat soup?
Could it be... that it was not hot enough?
An invisible "cooking" competition quietly began among the Three Pure Ones.
From that day onward, the methods the three Masters used to "feed" Lin Shen became increasingly varied, and their competition grew intense.
Taishang Laojun was no longer content with refining pills.
He began researching Medicinal Cuisine.
He combined all kinds of top-tier spirit roots and immortal herbs with grains and cereals, stimulating them with magic power to create a series of nourishing foods that were perfect in color, aroma, and flavor, such as Ginseng Fruit Porridge, Yellow Central Plum Cake, and Immortal Brew of Peaches of Immortality.
Yuanshi Tianzun also stopped limiting himself to chilled immortal fruit.
Making use of his mastery of formations, he created a treasure called the Five Elements Brazier, specifically for cooking.
He arranged ingredients according to their five-element attributes and used the power of formations to draw out their original flavors, creating beautifully presented and deeply symbolic "artistic dishes" such as Five-Colored Qilin Steak and Bagua Phoenix Wings.
Tongtian Jiaozhu took the wildest approach.
He believed that the Great Dao was simple, and his cooking style could be summed up in one word: bold.
He directly set up a huge pot on the sword platform.
Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, immortal birds, strange beasts—whatever it was, he tossed it all in, then added all sorts of spices plundered from the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands.
Using his sword intent as firewood, he stewed everything fiercely.
He called it One Pot Wonder.
Thus, strange scenes unfolded every day atop Kunlun Mountain Peak.
At Eight Sceneries Palace in the east, the fragrance of pills mingled with the aroma of food and drifted for hundreds of miles.
At Yuxu Palace in the west, rosy light intertwined with the scent of dishes, and auspicious qi stretched in a thousand streams.
At Biyou Palace in the center—the temporarily built kitchen—the aroma of meat soared into the sky while sword qi spilled everywhere.
Lin Shen's happiest time every day was mealtime.
Like a little emperor, he would sit in his exclusive baby chair.
Before him were the carefully prepared "children's meals" of his three Masters, enough to make the great powers of the primordial world fight until their heads bled.
Today he would taste First Master's pastries, tomorrow he would gnaw on Second Master's roasted wings, and the day after tomorrow he would drink Third Master's meat soup.
He was busy having the time of his life.
The three Masters, meanwhile, would determine their day's "results" based on the degree of Lin Shen's favor.
"Haha, Lin Shen ate three pieces of my Yellow Central Plum Cake today! Big Brother, your Medicinal Cuisine is nothing special after all!"
"Hmph, he was only sampling it. Look, he finished the entire Qilin steak I made! That proves my dish is the real main course!"
"Stop arguing! He still drank a whole bowl of my soup in the end! This is called Original Soup Transforms Original Food. That proves my soup is the finishing touch!"
Daoist Duobao watched from the side as the three elders argued until they were red in the face over whose food their little junior brother had eaten.
He felt his worldview being refreshed day by day.
Were these really the three Dao Ancestors whose power shook the primordial world, whose words manifested reality?
Why did they feel like favored concubines in the mortal world competing for affection... Cough, cough, no, like cooks competing to show off.
Still, thanks to his little junior brother, he also got to share in the benefits.
Every day, the "scraps" left over by the three elders were enough to leave his mouth gleaming with oil and send his cultivation soaring.
Such immortal days were enough to make him wake up laughing from his dreams.
As for Lin Shen, he was fed into a fair, plump little dumpling amid this increasingly heated "cooking competition."
The baby fat on his body had grown another layer thicker.
He felt that he had not come to the primordial world to cultivate immortality. He had come to a top Michelin restaurant's gourmet tasting event.
He had even begun looking forward to what new dishes his three Masters would come up with next to crush one another in their competition.
Life truly was full of anticipation and delicious food!
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