"Smoking Method" was not as simple as putting meat in smoke and calling it done. Quite a bit of preparation was needed beforehand.
Li Xiuchang was only trying it out, so he kept everything simple. He spread some auxiliary ingredients over the surface of the yellow ox meat, gave it a simple marinade, then placed it in the thick smoke to cure.
Smoked Spirit Meat took some time, but practicing the Blanching Method at the same time did not delay him in the slightest. One used fire, the other smoke, so they did not interfere with each other.
"Maybe I can even gain double the 'Length Value'." Li Xiuchang mused inwardly.
He was effectively practicing the Smoking Method and Blanching Method at the same time. In theory, he should gain double the experience.
Time passed bit by bit. After failing several times in a row while practicing the Blanching Method, Li Xiuchang paused briefly and summed up his experience.
His "Length Cheat" only increased "Length" according to his proficiency in each art. It did not itself help improve his skill level.
It was unlike the so-called "proficiency panel," where practicing a certain number of times would guarantee reaching a particular realm.
Therefore, improving his skill level still required Li Xiuchang to comprehend and summarize things on his own.
Practicing without using his brain was inefficient, achieving half the result with twice the effort. It was also detrimental to the growth of his "Length."
After summarizing his experience, Li Xiuchang took down the piece of meat that had been smoked the entire time.
The meat was already stained with a layer of smoky color, and it carried a faint fruity wood fragrance.
More importantly, the Spiritual Power within it had not dissipated. Instead, it was no longer as active and violent as before, having become gentler!
The faint toxins in the smoke had not seeped into the meat, either.
It worked!
Li Xiuchang's eyes lit up. He had not expected his Charcoal Attribute Mana to truly be usable for smoking Spirit Meat.
This was also a form of development and application of Charcoal Attribute Mana.
At the same time, Li Xiuchang's thoughts began to stir, and numerous ways to earn Spirit Stones surfaced in his mind.
"Smoking Spirit Meat for others would definitely be the most profitable method. But I don't know whether the smoke produced by my current Cultivation Level can smoke Demonic Beast Meat. If it fails, I'll have to compensate them for their meat. I can't afford that."
"It's safer to smoke some dried meat myself first and take it out to sell."
This definitely could not compare to directly using "Length" to earn Spirit Stones—it was neither as simple nor as brutally effective—but it had the advantage of being safe and risk-free.
He could practice at the same time as smoking meat and accumulate some Length.
Li Xiuchang threw away the piece of meat in his hand that was only halfway smoked and merely twice as thick as a cicada's wing. He instead cut off a piece of yellow ox meat two fingers thick, spread Spirit Salt along with various seasonings and spices over it, and placed it in a basin to marinate.
He then swallowed a Grain-Aversion Pill and continued practicing the Blanching Method.
After a day, the Spirit Meat had absorbed the marinade. Only then did Li Xiuchang take it out, dry off the moisture, support it on a rack above the fire stove, and first smoke it with thick smoke.
A day later, he switched to slowly smoking it with light smoke.
Amid his hectic work, the day for Li Xiuchang to take part in the disciple-recruitment trial arrived in the blink of an eye.
Added together, Li Xiuchang had slept for less than ten hours over the past few days. He had spent all the remaining time practicing the Blanching Method.
By now, his Blanching Method had basically become proficient, and he rarely failed.
During the last five days, perhaps because he had also been practicing the Smoking Method, his Length Value had increased faster than before.
Li Xiuchang glanced at the lower-left corner. The number there had already become "1.49."
In five days, it had risen from 1.28 to 1.49—an increase of 0.21!
At this rate, it would not take long for him to accumulate two inches of Length.
Li Xiuchang took down the smoked meat. After several days of smoking, the piece of beef had finished curing.
Smoke and grease had mixed across the surface of the smoked meat, leaving it black and glossy. A fresh, non-greasy fragrance of meat mingled with the scents of smoke and fruitwood.
The Spiritual Power within the meat was stable. Not only had it not dissipated, but under the smoking of the spiritual smoke, it had actually become somewhat more abundant.
"It worked!"
Li Xiuchang's face lit up with delight. He knew that the smoked meat had basically been a success.
Meat processed with the Smoking Method was already equivalent to a semi-finished product. It only needed some simple processing afterward before it could be eaten.
After washing the piece of smoked meat clean, Li Xiuchang steamed it in a pot. He cut off a small piece and chewed it twice. Its fragrance filled his lips and teeth, leaving him incomparably satisfied, while the hunger in his belly vanished completely.
"This Spirit Meat really isn't something ordinary dishes can compare with." Li Xiuchang smacked his lips, savoring the lingering taste.
"Eating a few more bites has an effect comparable to a Grain-Aversion Pill. It even slightly replenishes mana."
Li Xiuchang's eyes shone as he caught a whiff of a business opportunity.
The dishes made by a Spirit Chef had two things of utmost importance.
The first was their effect, and the second was their taste.
Without any effect, they were merely ordinary dishes.
If they tasted bad, one might as well eat pills.
This smoked meat had the effect of a Grain-Aversion Pill and could even replenish mana. As an unranked spirit dish, its effects were acceptable.
Its taste was also quite good.
It was already a qualified product.
Next, he only needed to see whether there was room for profit.
Li Xiuchang counted out the costs on his fingers.
Grain-Aversion Pills were unranked pills. A bottle contained ten pills, and the market price was about one low-grade Spirit Stone.
The large piece of yellow ox meat he had bought had also cost only one Spirit Stone, while the smoked meat produced from that large piece of yellow ox meat was enough to replace fifty Grain-Aversion Pills.
Even if he sold it at the same price as Grain-Aversion Pills, that would still be five Spirit Stones—a full fourfold profit!
In reality, the enjoyment it brought to the taste buds and the satisfaction of eating meat were things Grain-Aversion Pills could never possess. Moreover, it had the additional effect of replenishing mana. Though that effect was minuscule, it was still better than nothing.
Therefore, the value of smoked meat was definitely higher than that of Grain-Aversion Pills. There was no doubt about it.
"If I sell it at one and a half times the price of Grain-Aversion Pills, it should sell well. That would be a 6.5-fold profit. Even after deducting the cost of auxiliary ingredients and other losses, keeping a sixfold profit shouldn't be difficult."
There was money in this!
Normally, a Spirit Chef Apprentice could not create much value. The materials used for practice at this stage were basically pure losses. Yet Li Xiuchang had actually tinkered out Smoked Spirit Meat while still an apprentice.
That way, he could earn Spirit Stones, practice his Spirit Chef Arts, and accumulate Length. He was reaping three benefits at once, making an absolute killing.
"I'll first go to the summit of Wangping Mountain to take part in the disciple-recruitment trial. After it's over, I'll go to the market to buy some supplies. Hmm, I should buy more Spirit Meat, and get several more sets of fire stoves and kitchenware to increase production."
"This time, I can also buy some Tier 1 Demonic Beast Meat and give it a try. If I can smoke Tier 1 Demonic Beast Meat, I'll really make a killing—enough to leave my whole body tingling!"
As he planned, Li Xiuchang put the remaining smoked meat into his Storage Bag and extinguished the flames in the fire stove.
He walked to the entrance of the Eastern Geng District and looked up at the sky. He did not see Senior Brother Wang Long descending from the heavens, so it seemed he would have to walk to Wangping Mountain.
The good news was that Wangping Mountain was not far away.
The bad news was that it had snowed for several days earlier, and the snow on the road was already above his knees.
Although the Registered Disciples had been organized to shovel snow in the sect over the past two days, many sections of road were still covered in snow.
This did not affect most disciples of the Immortal Dust Sect. It only affected new disciples like Li Xiuchang who could not fly.
It also gave a large number of Tier 1 Talisman Masters in the outer sect a chance to earn Spirit Stones. They had all taken up part-time work as "flying-boat drivers."
Li Xiuchang had not gone far when three flying boats descended beside him.
"Junior Brother, where are you headed? I'll take you there. It only costs four Spirit Sand within the sect!"
"I only charge three Spirit Sand!"
"I'll take you there and bring you back for five Spirit Sand."
The three of them actually started competing in front of Li Xiuchang.
Li Xiuchang remained unhurried and asked, "Are all of you Tier 1 Talisman Masters?"
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