The Cafeteria and the Chef

How should I put it?

Although Li Qi felt he wasn't rare, his identity was actually quite sensitive, so he was reluctant to reveal it.

But hiding it at this time would seem a bit too strange.

So, Li Qi changed his approach, looking troubled. "I don't cultivate the Human Path, so the difference is quite significant..."

"Oh, I see. You were told not to tell anyone else, right? Just like the way you contacted the Plague Lord? Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore." Liu Shenzhi waved his hand.

Others' scripts are inherently sensitive, and it seems Liu Shenzhi also knows not to ask too many questions, otherwise he won't be a good friend.

As for the Plague Lord? He revealed his own background and isn't afraid of being targeted. What he's really afraid of is his method of communication between two viruses that can be separated by thousands of miles.

This is the real pain point for the Plague Lord. It is likely that only he knows this. If others discover it, they can easily dismantle the Plague Lord's brain, causing him to instantly collapse from a collective mindset into countless viruses fighting their own battles.

At this moment, Liu Shenzhi suddenly stopped. "Ah, we've arrived at the cafeteria! Come, let me show you around!"

Li Qi immediately looked up and saw an ancient-style building with ornate windows and flying steps.

It occupies a hundred paces from east to west and twenty zhang from north to south, which looks like the size of a normal canteen.

A wooden sign hangs on the door, with the words "Canteen" written in bold characters.

Liu Shenzhi went straight in, and Li Qi immediately followed.

"Although it's a holiday, the things here are still here, and you can take them freely. There's a Law Treasure here called the Sea Cooking Pot. It's a fourth-grade Daoist, and the person who is most skilled in cooking is called Brother Guo. If you want to eat something, just choose the ingredients and give them to him."

"A pot? Is it Law Treasure that awakened its own thoughts?" Li Qi asked with some interest.

As Liu Shenzhi walked, he said, "Well, Brother Guo cultivates the culinary arts among the hundred arts of Human Path. His skills are excellent. If the ingredients are good enough, the dishes he makes can even have the same effect as the same grade of pills. Moreover, they are free of poison and are easily absorbed. They are very powerful."

"However, you'd better be clear when you order. He loves to explore new dishes. If you give him the ingredients but don't explain them clearly, he'll easily get creative. It's best to clearly state what flavor and cooking method you want, and don't let him make decisions on his own."

As they talked, the two walked inside.

The scenery before my eyes changed once again.

Before my eyes appeared the sky, fields, and a gentle breeze and sun.

Deer roam the ground, rabbits, pheasants, and other animals roam freely in the wilderness, and you can even see lions hunting zebras!

Fish, frogs, and other creatures like aquatic insects swim in the river.

These animals are countless, and there's something for everyone!

This place has a variety of natural environments.

There are grasslands, rainforests, swamps, plains, various types of forests, and even deserts and glaciers.

A vast 'world'.

This is absolutely a complete world!

The number of plants and animals was unexpectedly large, and their quality was extremely high!

Almost all of them are strange beasts without innate intelligence. The ordinary ones are not even graded, while the high-grade ones are even graded eight or nine. They are all beneficial to the body when eaten, and they are not ordinary meat.

These are all rare ingredients, each containing different kinds of energy. There are simply no known number of animals in this world.

Besides animals, there are also plants.

It is covered with all kinds of plants, trees, herbs, and grains, all filled with the fragrance of greenery. The sweet scent of various flowers and leaves is refreshing and delightful. All kinds of Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs and plants compete for beauty, and any plant can find a suitable place to survive here.

Some areas are fields, some are forests, some are cliffs, and some are seawater. The varying concentrations of air have given rise to different plants and animals.

All kinds of terrain that Li Qi knew and did not know were here, including extreme terrains such as spirit fields, demon abysses, and lava lakes. They were also home to creatures unique to these terrains, including plants, animals, insects, and algae.

Li Qi had never seen anything like this before. He stared wide-eyed at the beautiful world around him.

"This is the canteen. Pick what you want to eat yourself, then bring it to Brother Guo," Liu Shenzhi said casually, before walking into the nearby field and pulling up a few huge grains that Li Qi didn't recognize.

It was truly enormous. It looked like a grain of rice, but it was extremely long and thin, a full foot long and two fingers wide.

He pulled up two stalks and got up from the field. "Alright, we'll eat golden tooth rice today. Brother Li, what do you want to eat? It's my treat today!"

Li Qi was still immersed in the grandeur of the cafeteria when he suddenly heard these words, snapping him out of his reverie. He looked astonished and asked, "Huh? You have to pay for food?"

Liu Shenzhi rolled his eyes. "Nonsense, what place doesn't charge for food?"

Then he continued, "However, the price is already very cheap. Where can you find a fourth-grade chef to cook for you outside? Not to mention the Spirit Plant and exotic beasts of this entire world. This place has formed an ecosystem. It can operate on its own without special maintenance. It was built by a powerful Shaman Path who spent a lot of money to hire the chief priest. It was built entirely according to the way of Heavenly Dao. The ecosystem operates automatically and stably, so the cost is very low and the effect is good. It is much better than eating outside."

As he spoke, Liu Shenzhi raised his head and recited. "Food nourishes people entirely from the five grains. If the food is of the finest quality, the body will be plump and long-lived. If the diet is rich and delicious, the body will be strong and the spirit will be healthy. With a strong body and spirit, there is a solid foundation. Therefore, the sage said, 'One should not be too particular about the fineness of the food, nor about the delicacy of the meat.'"

"Eating is a crucial part of cultivation, and it should not be underestimated. I can tell from your small body that you haven't been eating well. You'll need to make up for it in the future, like this Golden Tooth Rice that I'm eating."

"This rice is born from the earth's energy and the metal's energy. When it is born, it is like a small sword, straight and long. Eating it allows you to experience the essence of metal. As a refiner, I need to deal with metal and iron all day long, so this is the best thing for me." He introduced himself, holding the long rice in his hand.

Then, seeing that Li Qi didn't speak, he pointed to the distance.

In the distance, there were two large bulls, each four zhang tall at the shoulder and more than ten meters high, majestic and enormous, looking like they were not to be trifled with.

However, there was a man beating these cows.

The battle was extremely violent, a head-on clash. The two bulls were beaten bloody by a pair of fists and howled in pain, but the man did not let up. He grabbed the horns and slammed the two bulls like windmills before smashing them to the ground!

Once the oxen were completely dead, he carried them, one in each hand, and dragged them away into the distance.

Liu Shenzhi pointed and said, "Look, that's someone who practices martial arts. He needs to eat meat with abundant Qi and Blood. What kind of martial arts do you have? Go and choose the right one."

Looking at this scene, and then at the golden tooth rice in Liu Shenzhi's hand, Li Qi understood. "So that's how it is, I get it now."

I understand. Human Path places great importance on diet, believing it to be a great supplement to cultivation, and it seems to be true in practice; they can effectively improve and consolidate their cultivation through eating.

Throughout a person's life, all external forces are exhausted to support the body's own needs.

It is indeed in line with Human Path, drawing from the outside world to nourish itself.

However, the practice of Shaman Path does not focus much on eating. They have no need for food and it doesn't matter if they don't eat. Eating is mostly just to satisfy their appetite.

Looking at it this way, the Shaman Path really is... without desires or wants. Li Qi then realized that, having cultivated to this point, he didn't need much in terms of various resources or Law Treasure, and seemed to be completely indifferent to external resources.

His Dao Path is entirely about constructing his own personal microcosm, building this inner world bit by bit from the rules, constantly adding his own understanding of the Dao, and then perfecting his world through his understanding.

They completely follow their own path, demanding far more of their character than of their resources.

It seems that as long as there are rules, power appears out of thin air.

Is the power that comes from one's own personal microcosm something that comes out of Creation from Nothing?

The amount of resources he acquired was completely disproportionate to his abilities.

He didn't do anything like frantically absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Li Qi has never pursued quantity in the Qi he has truly drawn from the outside world. Just like drawing Qi from the Four Symbols of heaven, a single wisp is enough. This wisp is like a sample.

Once you have this sample, you can construct this kind of energy within your own microcosm, and your inner world will be filled with this kind of energy.

Although he couldn't produce it, Li Qi could sense that this energy truly existed. The microcosm within the human body had indeed become stronger as a result, and it could also unleash different divine abilities, such as the Five Sacrifices Spirit Qi he had used before.

Martial arts and Human Path are completely different things; it seems that they have as much as they eat.

But what he possesses is far more than what he eats.

Li Qi couldn't help but feel doubt and surprise at the Shaman Path methods he had taken for granted.

Where did this extra part come from?

For example, during the Guangyang Grand Sacrifice, he absorbed a portion of the hundreds and thousands of energies of Guangyang and replicated Guangyang within the microcosm of his human body.

What is this? Pure idealism? Creation from Nothing?

Or is it just a scaled-down model, and the feeling that there is a Guangyang is just an illusion?

I can't understand it.

The Cultivation Method that I used to find familiar now seem strange.

His own Cultivation Method... hides secrets he cannot understand?

Through comparing the path of humanity and the path of Human Path, Li Qi not only sensed the differences between the two Dao Path, but also felt increasingly confused.

He is capable of understanding Human Path.

After all, the principle of drawing strength from the outside world to nourish oneself is very simple and aligns with his understanding of certain forms of cultivation.

But the Shaman Path requires nothing yet can become stronger and stronger. Where does this extra power come from, and what is its origin?

I can't figure it out.

However, now is not the time to shut himself away and ponder. Seeing that Liu Shenzhi had picked some more fruits and vegetables and was carrying a rabbit, preparing to go find "Brother Guo", Li Qi had to keep this doubt in his mind.

I'll think about it when I get back.

So, Li Qi casually used his own cultivation techniques to prepare some crops, wanting to test their effects.

He was most familiar with the Qi of the Four Seasons, which was the foundation upon which he established his Dao when he entered the Ninth Rank. This was how he collected the divine Qi of the four seasons to Heaven Creation.

As the saying goes, "Viola yedoensis is used for spring meals, millet syrup for summer meals, gourd sauce for autumn vegetables, and white wine to ward off winter cold." These are pickles that contain the Qi of the Four Seasons. Just add some meat, catch a few fish and a chicken, and that's it.

Both the fish and the chicken resisted, especially the chicken, which was almost at the ninth rank. It resisted fiercely, pecking at people at a speed that almost reached the speed of sound. Fortunately, Li Qi was already at the eighth rank, so he took it down with just one reach.

He took a look and saw that the price was indeed not expensive, only a little over a hundred yuan. Compared to the luxurious cost of the place, it was really the price of a student meal.

And since it was someone else paying, there was even less pressure.

Having selected the ingredients, Li Qi followed Liu Shenzhi forward for over twenty miles before finally seeing the 'pot'.

Frankly speaking, Li Qi prefers to call it a spherical radio telescope rather than a pot.

You know what a celestial eye is, right? It's that kind of thing.

This takes up way too much space! Even the mountains look tiny under this pot, it's like you could put the ocean in to make soup. How do you cook anything in this thing?

If you walk a little further in, you can see students gathering there.

These were probably students who stayed after the holiday to take extra classes. There were about thirty of them, four or five of whom were from other Dao Path, and the rest were all martial arts students.

Uh... it must be that Wudao can eat a lot and is reluctant to leave the big cafeteria, right?

That guess seems quite reasonable.

As we walked to the radio telescope, we saw a portly, fat man.

This fat man looked to be in his thirties or forties, but he had a fair complexion, no beard, and delicate skin. His flesh was like a water balloon, and his skin was fair, thin, and jiggled, making it feel great to the touch.

Moreover, there is more than one fat man.

Dozens of identical fat men each headed in different directions and struck up conversations with different people.

Some of them were heading towards Li Qi.

The fat man, his belly jiggling, looked over with a smile and began to wave from afar:

"Hey, Master Liu, aren't you one of the first to run away as soon as the holidays start? What brings you here during the break? What a rare guest! And who's this next to you?"

"New student, Li Qi, here to get acquainted with the college. Come on, Brother Guo, here's some golden rice, dragon branch millet, red beans and hemp seeds. I'm having porridge today, so add less water and more firewood! Come on, Li Qi, say hello to Brother Guo and tell him what you'd like to eat."

"Li Qi, right? Alright! Come on, tell me what you want to eat. There's no dish in the world I can't cook without you, Brother Guo! Today, I'll let you taste my cooking!" With that, the chubby guy put his arm around Li Qi's shoulder. "With you, Brother Guo, here! If you have any problems in this cafeteria, just come to me. There's nothing I can't handle!"

Li Qi now understands why he's called "Brother Guo".

This pot is so quaint.

"Ahem, Senior Peng Hai..." Li Qi looked embarrassed and tried to say something politely, but this only made Sea Cooking Pot angry.

"Hey! Are you getting too distant? Why are you calling me 'senior'? Come on, call me Brother Guo!" He patted Li Qi on the head.

Okay, whatever makes you happy...

Regardless of the Brother Guo's temperament, after Li Qi called him "Brother Guo," he happily took away Li Qi's ingredients and went to process them.

Li Qi also learned the other person's name, which was reversed: Guo Penghai.

It's true... puns will get you fined.

Soon, Brother Guo had prepared the delicious food.

The kind that glows.

It really does glow.

The tableware that was brought over contained Liu Shenzhi's porridge.

As soon as the lid was lifted, a dazzling light shone through the air, almost unrecognizable, and white mists appeared in the Celestial River, along with faint five colors.

"This is... porridge?" Li Qi's eyes twitched, his expression subtle.

"I already told you, Brother Guo skills are very good. By the way, I remember you chose fish? What other dishes did you order?" Holding his porridge, Liu Shenzhi looked at Li Qi.

"I didn't order anything, I said anything is fine," Li Qi replied.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shenzhi gasped in shock!

Then, he stopped drinking the porridge and grabbed Li Qi, ready to run away. "You said anything?! Didn't I tell you! You must say what you want to eat, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not say anything!"

"You can still leave now, but once the food is served, you won't be able to escape. Brother Guo hates it when people leave food behind!"

Li Qi was bewildered.

Judging from the aroma and the glow just now, it should taste really good. So what if it's a new dish?

But before he could run two steps, Liu Shenzhi suddenly let go of Li Qi, silently turned around, ran to the side, and ate his own porridge.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still here. I've been looking all over for you. Here, the fish you wanted! I used the method of refining the Qi of the Four Seasons, and then used chicken broth as a base to enhance the flavor. It's absolutely delicious!" Brother Guo carried a plate of fish and walked excitedly toward Li Qi.

Li Qi naturally expressed his gratitude. "Thank you... Brother Guo."

"No need to thank me, try it!" He excitedly handed the covered plate to Li Qi, rubbing his hands expectantly.

Li Qi was also very curious about what it was.

Then, he opened the lid and took a look.

A dazzling golden light! As always, it was so bright that Li Qi couldn't open his eyes the moment he opened the lid.

Li Qi couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

What would it be like if everyone came to the cafeteria to eat together during the school term?

Will this place turn into a disco? Like those flashing, chaotic disco balls in a nightclub?

That's very possible.

As he was thinking this, the light gradually faded, and a pie appeared in front of him.

It should be a pie, but the filling is on the surface of the crust, not inside.

The fish he had just caught was chopped in half and stuck on a pie, its eyes fixed intently on him.

It was truly piercing and spirited, not dull and lifeless. There was an eerie light flickering in its fish eyes, as if its eyes could speak, which sent a chill down Li Qi's spine.

It's as if the fish will jump up and bite him in a moment...

"Uh... looking up, Looking Up at the Stars?" Li Qi murmured subconsciously.

This so-called new dish looks so similar!

"Looking Up at the Stars?" Upon hearing this name, Brother Guo fell into deep thought.

Then, he clapped his hands and laughed, exclaiming, "Hahaha! What a great name! Looking Up at the Stars, seemingly lost in the clouds, one sees wild geese flying by and stars like ribbons. What a beautiful scene, what a wonderful imagery! It perfectly captures the essence of my dish. Good brother, you've come up with a truly excellent name! From now on, this dish will be called 'Looking Up at the Stars'!"

Seemingly pleased with the name Li Qi had chosen, he patted Li Qi on the shoulder. "Good brother! I'll remember this favor you did for me by naming my new dish. Eat up!"

Li Qi looked down at the pie.

He gave an awkward laugh.

You have to eat the food you ordered, even if it's with tears in your eyes.

However, he picked up a piece with his hand and put it in his mouth.

"Hmm?" Li Qi chewed a few times.

This tastes really good.

It is fresh, fragrant, tender, and has no fishy smell at all. It is incredibly delicious, with a rich and mellow flavor and an excellent texture. It doesn't have the texture of a flatbread at all; instead, it feels more like eating fish maw, which is very bouncy and tender.

Moreover... a pleasant Qi of the Four Seasons flowed into the body through the mouth, nourishing the microcosm within.

Was I exaggerating?

Li Qi swallowed a piece and couldn't help but exclaim, "This stuff is actually quite delicious."

"Delicious?!" Liu Shenzhi, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief!

"I don't believe it!" He rushed over immediately, tore off a small piece with his hand, and put it in his mouth.

Then, his face turned pale, and he quickly covered his mouth, ran out, and vomited violently, vomiting all over the ground, as if he was about to throw up bile.

Li Qi was very puzzled.

He picked up another piece from the Sea Cooking Pot and ate it.

It is indeed delicious, slightly salty and savory, soft and chewy, and tastes quite good.

"Is this... really that exaggerated? Isn't it delicious?" Li Qi frowned, feeling somewhat puzzled.

I think my sense of taste is pretty average.

On the other hand, the Sea Cooking Pot was trembling with excitement!

"Like a high mountain and flowing water, a kindred spirit throughout the ages! I originally thought that this Imperial Academy was full of ordinary people, and that my refined and elegant skills would go unrecognized. I never expected to meet a true kindred spirit today!"

"Throughout the vast past and into the present, over three thousand years have passed, witnessing countless rises and falls. This sentiment is meant only for kindred spirits! My good brother! Brother Li, you are my kindred spirit!" Sea Cooking Pot exclaimed excitedly, "Finally, someone has been able to appreciate the wonders of my new Dao Path!"

"From now on, you can eat here for free! When you go out, tell everyone that Guo Penghai is your fellow Daoist, and I'll protect you from now on. Only you in this world can understand me. Although your cultivation is still shallow, you are my only fellow Daoist!"

"Brother Li! Let's ignore that vulgar Liu Shenzhi. Come, let's have a good talk. I have plenty of food waiting for you to enjoy!"

Sea Cooking Pot was in a great mood and pulled Li Qi to leave.

Li Qi glanced back at Liu Shenzhi.

This guy is still lying on the ground, vomiting violently, and he probably won't recover anytime soon.

Uh... I shouldn't bother you, right?

Since he couldn't very well refuse Guo Penghai, he might as well go in and have a meal, and then come out and look for Liu Shenzhi after he finished eating.

Since the decision has been made, then so be it.

Li Qi did not refuse, but simply carried the plate Looking Up at the Stars as he moved forward with the Sea Cooking Pot.

Sea Cooking Pot pulled Li Qi along, and in just a few flashes, they arrived at the edge of the large pot.

Here, Li Qi saw a great many kinds of ingredients.

The ingredients are all suspended in the air, with a hot vapor constantly swirling around them, as if they are being cooked.

This... is the Sea Cooking Pot?

Just as they had settled down, they saw the Sea Cooking Pot bring out several dishes of food. With a wave of his hand, a table appeared, and then these strangely shaped foods were placed on it!

"Come, come! Brother Li, let's eat! Since you are my kindred spirit, there's no need for words. Let's talk over food!" Sea Cooking Pot said, looking at Li Qi with anticipation.

What else could Li Qi say?

If I say I won't eat it now... I'll probably get beaten to death, right?

However... the presentation of these foods is really not that great.

The food he served mostly exuded an eerie aura, much like Looking Up at the Stars, and it was obvious at a glance that it came from the same cooking method.

"Come on, eat up, don't be shy!" Sea Cooking Pot urged Li Qi, while waiting for him with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Uh, Brother Guo, before we eat, I want to ask, what... what's going on?" Li Qi was completely baffled by this sudden turn of events, and his appetite was almost gone.

"You eat, and I'll talk as you eat! We're kindred spirits, so I won't hide anything from you!" Sea Cooking Pot waved his hand and promised.

Seeing this, Li Qi didn't know what to say. What else could he say?

Let's eat.

He started eating, and he had to admit that although the dishes in front of him looked strange, like Cthulhu-style roasted chicken and octopus, Looking Up at the Stars, strawberry mango mapo tofu, etc., they actually tasted surprisingly good.

While eating, he listened to the explanation of Sea Cooking Pot.

According to Sea Cooking Pot, this is a new attempt in his Dao Path.

He is Way of Food.

As the saying goes, among Human Path, the nation is the greatest.

Within a nation, the people are the foundation, and food is the most important thing for the people; it is the most vital necessity for the fate of the nation.

And the Way of Food is further divided into two.

One path leads to agriculture, where there are agricultural monks who are responsible for things like land management and breeding.

Another one is called "food service," which was called "Cuisine Officer" or "Head Cook" in modern times. It was one of the food officials.

There was an ancient sage named Hou Ji, who was the official in charge of food. The character "Ji" in "the Altar of Earth and Grain" comes from this, referring to food.

Sea Cooking Pot follows the second path, the Way of Cuisine.

The Cuisine Officer charge of the king's food, drink, meals, and delicacies, to nourish the king, queen, and crown prince. He can identify the names of meats and distinguish all kinds of dishes.

The king's offerings consisted of six grains for food, six kinds of sacrificial animals for meals, six kinds of clear drinks, one hundred and twenty kinds of delicacies, eight kinds of rare ingredients, and one hundred and twenty jars of sauces. The king would eat once a day, using twelve tripods, with each item having its own table, to accompany the meal with music. The cook would present the Cuisine Officer offerings, and after tasting the food, the king would eat.

The person who thoroughly prepares the food is also called the baker. When talking about the chiefs, the baker is the official who belongs to the chief. The chief and the diners are both named after the official.

This is enough to show that even the earliest "slaughter" was a food official.

The Prime Minister, as he is known today, all evolved from the position of food official.

The original meaning of "zai" is to "slaughter meat". After slaughtering livestock or bringing back prey, the person "zai" needs to be responsible for the distribution. He slaughters the meat and distributes it to everyone.

This shows how high the status of the food official was.

Although the position of the Cuisine Officer was not as high as that of the steward, it was not too low either.

Ancient texts record. "The Cuisine Officer personally prepares the Cuisine Officer offerings, which are the most honored part of the meal."

This is the origin of the Sea Cooking Pot.

Of course, this is just a general overview. Sea Cooking Pot would never reveal the details of his background, such as where his Cultivation Method came from or how he acquired them. These things are certainly not something he would tell Human Path.

Moreover, since he possesses Law Treasure artifacts with spiritual power, he naturally wouldn't talk about these things outside.

What does 'following' mean?

The Dao Path of life, from where it begins, through what it passes, and along the way, all bear the imprint of your footsteps.

The Dao Path is one that is walked step by step.

If your background is discovered, it means that every trace of your Dao Path will be clearly revealed. If you have enemies, then it's basically hopeless.

In short, due to this natural background, the Dao Path he pursued was how to make more exquisite 'food', and to achieve this, the food must be properly balanced and harmonious.

It is necessary to list the following kinds of foods: glutinous rice, wine, dates, chestnuts, maltose, honey, violets, powder, elm, rabbit, barley, mulberry, marrow, and fat.

And then there are the categories of soup, stew, sauce, and fermented meat.

It is also known as removing meat, making fish, peach bile, and saving pear.

There are differences between Mi Jing, Ji Xuan, Pi Ji and Wan Pi.

Its methods are despicable and tedious, much like the food compilations passed down through generations. In short, it can be summarized in one sentence:

"Use the finest and most exquisite things of heaven and earth, and the most abundant things from land and water, to form the foundation for self-cultivation."

It is a manifestation of Human Path drawing upon all things to sustain itself.

Sea Cooking Pot has been making rapid and steady progress on this path. After all, he is just a pot. Along the way, he has successfully broken through to the fourth rank and can even cook at the Imperial Academy.

This is an unparalleled honor. The Imperial Academy not only has students, but also many teachers. The Chancellor himself is a high-ranking official of the third rank. Cooking here would be very beneficial for him. He could also occupy a world of delicious food to refine his skills. It seems like a wonderful job.

He used to think so too.

However, after working here for over three thousand years, he had a smooth journey and broke through to the fourth rank, but he was stuck here.

No matter what, we can't move forward even a single step.

When faced with adversity, one must seek change. Sea Cooking Pot realized that the problem might lie with him, and began to try 'new dishes,' which marked the beginning of his exploration of new directions.

Clearly, these new dishes were causing the students great distress, to the point that Liu Shenzhi was terrified of them. But new methods must be tried little by little.

Li Qi, on the other hand, was someone who had taken the top position but hadn't given it back.

So, Sea Cooking Pot grabbed Li Qi's shoulder and said excitedly, "Brother Li! You're the first person to say my new dishes are delicious! What does that mean? It means that someone finally understands me! It means that my efforts weren't in vain, they really worked!"

Li Qi could understand the other person's excitement.

It's like you've been doing research for three thousand years and haven't achieved anything, but suddenly, results come, and there's hope.

It can be said that Li Qi was his lifeline.

"Brother Guo! Brother Guo! Give me a hard grip!" Li Qi was being gripped by the neck, and although he didn't need to breathe, he felt like his bones were about to break.

"Oh, sorry, I got a little excited. Come on, Brother Li, from now on, you can eat whatever you want here. But after you eat, I'd like to hear how you feel. Tell me in detail."

"Take the 'Looking Up at the Stars you ate today, for example. How would you describe it? What did it make you feel?" He looked at Li Qi expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"I didn't have any particular feeling, I just thought it was pretty delicious, savory, tender and soft. I don't know why I felt it differently from them, but the feeling of the Qi of the Four Seasons in it was very nice, it had a very soothing feeling." Li Qi savored the food and expressed his feelings about the meal.

"Anything else? For example, is there no spiciness? I use chili peppers to generate Fire Qi, to correspond with summer in the four seasons, but you didn't taste any spiciness?" he asked again.

Li Qi shook his head. "It has absolutely no spiciness."

"Okay, I understand. Next, do you feel any tightness in your mouth?"

"Huh? What's that?"

"It's something that makes your mouth feel tight."

"I don't feel that way."

"Besides that, what does it taste like when you eat it? Is there a sweet or bitter aftertaste?"

"It has a sweet aftertaste, but very little."

The conversation between Li Qi and the Sea Cooking Pot continues.

The two engaged in a question-and-answer session, with the chef constantly asking Li Qi for his feedback on the meal.

It looks like this is going to last for a while.

As promised, here's a double update, now presented as a combined post.