He Even Stole My Clan's Bloodline?

The illusions still crashed against his mind like waves, but Chu He's gaze remained clear.

The world in his eyes was no longer the slaughterhouse awash in blood and gore.

The writhing flesh of the "Nightmare Giant Python" had been completely dissected before his eyes.

The substances and energy composing its flesh appeared as the purest grayish white.

Woven and intertwined between those gray-white fibers were strands of silk that glimmered with a faint purple light.

That was the source of fear.

A mental poison potent enough to make even S-rank anomalies retreat.

But at that moment, in Chu He's eyes, the poison displayed an almost perfect sense of order, like the distinct, pleasing marbling on the finest wagyu beef.

A thought bordering on blasphemy surfaced in his mind.

Why did fear have to be a bad thing?

For anomalies, it might be the finest seasoning in the world!

Xia Yan froze.

What was this kid studying?

"Give me your knife."

Chu He suddenly spoke, his voice perfectly calm. His gaze fell on the enormous, door-sized bone knife in Xia Yan's hand.

Xia Yan was stunned. He even wondered if the fear energy had affected his ears and made him hear things.

"What did you say?"

"I said, let me use your knife."

"How else am I supposed to cook?"

Chu He repeated impatiently, as if speaking to a slow-witted kitchen apprentice.

Xia Yan's eyelid twitched violently.

He looked at the bone knife, steeped in the resentment and unwillingness of countless powerful creatures, then at Chu He's relatively slender frame. A cruelly mocking smile appeared on his face.

"You think you can even lift it?"

He held out the knife's handle, deliberately reminding him in the tone of an elder advising a junior, "Use both hands, kid. Don't show off, or you'll throw your back out. Yao Yao would be heartbroken."

He had personally carved the bone knife from the leg bone of a Primordial Giant Beast. It weighed over a hundred kilograms, and even an ordinary anomaly would have its mind shattered by the lingering aura of ferocity if it so much as touched it.

Yet Chu He merely reached out with one hand.

Isn't it just a little bigger than an ordinary knife? He makes it sound so outrageous!

He took hold of the handle with casual ease and lifted it effortlessly.

As expected, it was only a little bigger than an ordinary kitchen knife.

Xia Yan's pupils shrank to pinpricks as Chu He shocked him once again.

"Not bad. It's not too heavy."

Chu He hefted it in his hand and offered an assessment that nearly gave Xia Yan a heart attack.

Xia Yan stood there, completely frozen.

His mind buzzed. An unbelievable thought that made his soul tremble surged wildly through him.

This kid... By kissing Yao Yao, he didn't just copy the core ability of my clan's Eye of Nirvana!

He even "stole" my clan's bloodline power!

No wonder!

No wonder he could eat that lion's head made from a demon lion without changing his expression, then perfectly absorb its violent energy and make it his own!

This is just...

Absolutely insane!

Chu He had no time to care about his uncle's crumbling composure. He gripped the bone knife, and his entire presence changed abruptly.

He deliberately weakened the Eye of Nirvana's resistance to the pervasive fear illusions, letting those terrifying scenes, like collapsing mountains and raging seas, crash into his mind.

He cut away bone, trimmed the flesh, and separated it.

His movements were as swift as a specter, yet precise to the last detail.

Even he was a little amazed at how well his body and hands worked!

That demon lion meat really is good stuff!

I wonder if it improved everyone else's constitution too!

The bone knife, which carried such weight and force in Xia Yan's hands that it could cleave mountains and split rocks, became light and nimble in Chu He's. It was like the finest scalpel.

He didn't even use the blade itself to touch the snake meat.

With nothing but the fierce wind stirred by its edge, he peeled the purple "fear strands" from the gray-white fibers of flesh, one by one, leaving each perfectly intact.

The whole process flowed seamlessly, an exquisite blend of violence and skill.

The two S-rank Multi-armed Monsters in the kitchen had stopped working at some point.

All their dozens of arms were frozen in midair, and their dozens of eyes stared straight at Chu He as if they were watching a god walking among mortals.

Less than half an hour later, Chu He stopped.

Two things lay in clearly separated piles on the worktable before him.

On one side were the purple strands he had extracted to perfection, neatly arranged on a silver platter. They still emanated a terrifying, heart-stirring aura, like a handful of purple stardust.

On the other side was the pure snake meat, processed flawlessly and free of impurities. Its color was a tender pink, its texture distinct, and it glowed with a sacred light.

Chu He casually returned the bone knife to the nearby knife rack. Using the kitchen's stoves, which burned with eerie blue flames, he quickly roasted the purified snake meat over a peculiar fire, turning it into golden, crispy meat floss.

An indescribably rich meaty aroma instantly overpowered all the blood and rot in the kitchen.

He carefully plated the meat floss, piling it into a delicate little mound. Finally, he picked up the platter of "fear strands" and, as carefully as if handling the finest caviar, garnished the meat floss with a few strands.

When he was done, he carried the plate over to Xia Yan, who had long since been petrified.

"Uncle, please have a taste."

Smiling, he held out the plate.

Xia Yan looked down at the finished dish, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

He didn't eat right away. Instead, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What do these strands on the side mean?"

"The best ingredients should be served in a way that brings out their full flavor."

Chu He answered neither humbly nor arrogantly. His eyes held a hint of pity, as if he were instructing a junior who just couldn't get it.

"This fear is the soul of the Nightmare Giant Python, its essence. It would be a shame to throw it away. But everyone has different tastes, and their capacity for 'intensity' varies greatly."

"So the diners should decide how much seasoning they want."

"I think Yao Yao would like it too."

Xia Yan fell silent.

He gave Chu He a long, deeply complex look.

This kid wasn't just bold and skilled at cooking.

His understanding of ingredients, diners, and even the act of eating itself surpassed that of most so-called master chefs.

With thick fingers trembling slightly from shock, he pinched up a small amount of pure meat floss without any purple strands and put it in his mouth.

The meat floss melted on his tongue, its supreme savory flavor bursting across his taste buds before becoming a warm current that coursed through his limbs.

Xia Yan's chewing abruptly stopped.

Brilliant light blazed in his enormous eyes.

He pinched up another bit, carefully dipped it in one of the purple fear strands, and put it in his mouth again.

The next second, a bone-chilling fear shot straight through his skull. But close on its heels came a meaty aroma a hundred times stronger than before, magnified to its utmost intensity!

Fear sharpened every sense in the body, including the taste buds!

Xia Yan looked at Chu He and stayed silent for a long time, until the air nearly froze.

Finally, he forced a few words from his throat, his voice full of endless weariness and defeat.

"Your culinary skills, courage, and character... You've passed."

He pushed the plate back toward Chu He.

"Take it to Yao Yao."

"She'll like it."