Ten-Year Highland Barley Wine

Not long after Xue Xi entered, the brewing gift package sent by Xu Xin arrived right on her heels.

Now possessing the strength of a peak apprentice, Xue Xi felt an inexhaustible supply of energy within her body, using her telekinesis to precisely place all the brewing materials into the chosen brewery.

She first entered the Virtual Culinary Practice Space to get some practice in; after all, one shouldn't waste ingredients. She selected a highland brewing environment, which was better suited for crafting authentic Highland Barley Wine. Outside, she could use the airtight brewing jars she had purchased as a substitute.

Xue Xi chose the barley grains, first soaking them in water to quickly wash them clean before scooping them out. She then poured the washed barley into a pot, boiling it until thoroughly cooked, draining the water, and then steaming it to remove any remaining moisture from the grain.

Xue Xi didn't stay idle during the process, occasionally reaching out with her small hands to pinch a grain. When it was eighty percent cooked, she took the pot off the heat and let it cool for half an hour, by which time the water in the pot had been fully absorbed by the barley.

The already plump barley looked even more rounded and translucent after absorbing the water, resembling tiny little jade beads.

Next came the crucial step of adding the brewing starter. This step required careful control of the barley's temperature; if it were too hot, it would kill the starter, but if it were too cool, the starter's vitality would be low, and its decomposition ability would drop. This required precise and skilled temperature control.

Xue Xi cheated by using her telekinesis to precisely measure the temperature between the barley grains. Once the average temperature reached 30 degrees Celsius, she added the Brewing Starter. She then packed the barley into a jar, sealed it to keep it warm, and waited for the barley to ferment and saccharify.

Clear steaming, clear mash, earthen jar fermentation, and clear distillation—logically speaking, Highland Barley Wine, being a light-aroma baijiu, shouldn't be stored for too long. But could the Catalog Recipe be wrong? Impossible!

As she adjusted the Time Dial in the brewing area, the space where the wine jars were stored in the virtual environment remained unchanged, but the jars inside began to change rapidly. It was as if they had been baptized by time; the paper strips stuck to their surfaces began to yellow and curl rapidly.

A minute later, a "ding" sound like a microwave rang out in the space. The time acceleration ended, and Xue Xi eagerly crowded up to the wine jar.

Because it was sealed tightly, she couldn't smell a thing. Xue Xi rubbed her hands together and, full of anticipation, unscrewed the seal on the Specialized Wine Jar.

With a "hiss," a rich aroma of highland barley wafted out. Smelling the fragrance—it was pure and clear, elegant and refined, with no extraneous scents.

Xue Xi used a ladle to scoop up some wine and poured it into the transparent glass in her hand. The clear, bright liquid flowed from the ladle into the glass. As the wine flowed, it had a visible density, clinging together as it dripped.

Even though Xue Xi didn't care for alcohol, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine!" A chef is always the first critic of their own dishes, and the same holds true for brewing.

She slowly brought the wine to her lips and took a small sip. Her tongue and palate felt only a soft, pure, and comfortable fragrance. As she swallowed it into her throat, she inhaled and exhaled, feeling a refreshing aftertaste.

After one mouthful, Xue Xi's cheeks flushed a seductive, rosy red, looking bright and succulent. She shook her head vigorously, using her telekinesis to dispel the tipsiness, before turning her attention to the evaluation provided by the great book: Highland Barley Wine (Desolate).

The brewing was a success! Although it was only the lowest Desolate Rank, it was still a success for Xue Xi, who had hardly touched alcohol before. Besides, given that the strongest beings on Earth currently didn't exceed the Stellar Rank, this effect was more than enough.

She immediately exited the practice space and followed the same procedure, preparing over a dozen large jars of barley ferment. She covered the area with the Time Regulator function newly added to the Gourmet Anchor and set it to maximum acceleration. She only needed to wait one day to harvest ten-year-old aged special brew.

After settling the wine, Xue Xi prepared ingredients for other dishes, especially the four new ones. She practiced in the virtual space until evening until she had fully mastered them all. Finally, she walked out of the kitchen, satisfied, carrying a small plate of Pear Syrup Candy. She turned off the lights on the first floor, leaving only the Gourmet Anchor emitting a faint glow to illuminate the small area in the center.

Walking up to the second floor, Xue Xi turned on the television, which was playing the inspirational success story of a certain War God.

Setting down the remote, Xue Xi went into the bathroom to bathe before wrapping herself in a bathrobe and lying on the sofa in front of the TV, watching a cartoon about wolves with great relish.

From time to time, she would pick up a piece of Pear Syrup Candy from the plate and put it in her mouth. The taste was sweet as honey, light and crisp, neither greasy nor sticky, and fragrant and delicious. "I really am something!" she thought, giving herself a small mental pat on the back.

Waking up the next day, Xue Xi used Myriad Manifestation Water and Culinary Spirit Fire, combined with the Magic Seasoning Pouch, to ponder how to upgrade the rank of her dishes in the virtual space. Culinary arts, like cultivation, are like sailing against the current: if you don't advance, you retreat.

Near the afternoon, it was almost a full day since she had started the time acceleration for the barley wine yesterday. Only then did Xue Xi leisurely exit the virtual space. A day of hard work had brought the four new combat dishes all to the Hong Rank, but strangely, no matter how she cooked them now, not a single dish had reached the Cosmos Rank, as if something important was missing.