Mud Pellet Puppet

Chen Xu was in the Embers Kitchen, his qi settled in his dantian, his thoughts drifting into the void.

With Three Essences Foundation Establishment, qi returned to the innate state. Only then had this wisp of Innate Qi come into being.

He carefully contemplated the mysteries of this wisp of Innate Qi. At the same time, several new descriptions concerning his own cultivation appeared in the Cauldron Scripture.

[Divine Lord Seat: Chen Xu]

[Title: Fire Worker Apprentice]

[Cultivation: Vessel Meridian Realm (Early Stage 0.9%)]

[Special Status: Perfect Foundation Establishment, Qi Returning to the Innate State]

The God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll contained explanations of cultivation realms in varying degrees of detail.

The broad outline covered the major realms, for which only the names and rough descriptions were currently available:

Mortal Fetus, Vessel Meridian, Core Condensation, Spirit Gathering, Void Transformation, Into the Subtle, Return to Truth, Conform to Dao.

The detailed explanation concerned the Vessel Meridian Realm.

Qi circulated through the heavenly circuit, a hundred meridians flowed freely, blood was forged like mercury, and life renewed itself without end.

That was the cultivation goal of the Vessel Meridian Realm.

The first volume of the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll described the Vessel Meridian cultivation method. For Chen Xu to unlock the Core Condensation cultivation method in the second volume, he still needed to fulfill new conditions.

At the same time, new prompt entries appeared in the Cauldron Scripture:

[1. The path of the God of Cookery lies amid the kitchen; improving culinary skill can help one break through cultivation bottlenecks;

2. For every 20 Likes collected from diners, one Free Attribute Point can be obtained;

3. Accumulate 10,000 Likes to unlock Volume Two of the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll.]

A new goal had appeared!

Chen Xu silently guided the Innate Qi within his dantian. Its rhythm was lively and nimble, while his heart surged like a rising tide.

After shedding the Mortal Fetus and entering the Vessel Meridian Realm, he discovered that not only had his qi returned to the innate state, he had also gained the ability to look inward and examine himself down to the finest detail.

Put simply, this ability meant two things: first, his perception of his own condition had become far sharper; second, he could directly sense the limit of his lifespan!

[Lifespan: 18/120]

The Vessel Meridian Realm surpassed the limits of the Mortal Fetus, granting a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years.

Was that short?

No. For most ordinary people, that was an exceptionally long life.

But if one took immortals as one's goal, it was far too short.

In the struggle for the Great Dao, not a single moment could be taken lightly.

No one disturbed him that afternoon. Chen Xu remained in the Embers Kitchen for a full twelve hours before returning to reality.

Then he entered the Embers Kitchen again, repeating the cycle over and over.

[Accumulated Likes: 1065]

[Free Attribute Points: 40]

[Firework Value: 346]

His Accumulated Likes had changed once more.

After spending 9 Free Attribute Points, he still had 40 remaining.

His Firework Value was still insufficient. Chen Xu opened the Firework Archive and discovered that he could unlock two new skills.

[1. Summon Wind. Wind fans the flames—how could one control fire and tend the cauldron without understanding the language of the wind?]

[2. Draw Water. Water is the source of all things; the highest goodness is like water.]

Summon Wind required 300 Firework Value to unlock.

Draw Water required 500 Firework Value to unlock.

In addition, Fire Control Level Two also required 300 Firework Value to unlock.

Firework Value was far too scarce. Everything required Firework Value.

Yet when Chen Xu entered the Embers Kitchen again this time, it was neither to learn Summon Wind nor to learn Fire Control Level Two, but to make a Mud Pellet Puppet!

After stepping into the Vessel Meridian Realm, without needing to deliberately study it, he had naturally acquired an ability through the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll.

The Cauldron Scripture called this ability: Spirit Imbuement.

By using spiritual ingredients to make pastries, then imbuing them with spirit, he could obtain Puppet Dao Soldiers unique to himself.

At its current beginner level, Chen Xu's Puppet Dao Soldiers could possess the two traits of Concealment and Great Strength. Their weakness was water. Once splashed with water, the Mud Pellet Puppets would gradually melt away and dissolve, eventually losing their spirituality and becoming ordinary pastries.

But this minor flaw was not enough to dampen Chen Xu's enthusiasm for Puppet Dao Soldiers.

Upon entering the Embers Kitchen for the second time, Chen Xu immediately fetched the spiritual ingredient he had on hand: Millet Paste Mud Embryo.

It was rather interesting. This Millet Paste Mud Embryo had been left behind by Lin Qi's inferior incarnation. After Chen Xu killed it, he had never had the chance to use the Millet Paste Mud Embryos.

Millet Paste Mud Embryo could be used to make Mud Pellets, and now it could also be used for Chen Xu to create Puppet Dao Soldiers.

Chen Xu immediately took two catties of Millet Paste Mud Embryo, mixed it into three catties of flour, added water, and kneaded it into a smooth dough.

Kneading, resting, degassing, shaping.

At first, he was not particularly skilled. Yet perhaps because of his God of Cookery talent, after some time, Chen Xu suddenly found countless insights and experiences concerning dough-kneading constantly flickering through his mind.

For example, the direction in which to exert force with his arms and the proportion of flour to water—Chen Xu could naturally adjust and resolve such matters.

After the Millet Paste Mud Embryo was mixed into the flour, the dough gradually began to slip. Then, in one sudden instant, inspiration struck Chen Xu, and he mobilized the Innate Qi within his body.

A mysterious power surged into the dough, smashing it apart, suppressing it, kneading it...

Round it, flatten it—myriad forms followed his heart.

If a mirror had stood before him in the Embers Kitchen at that moment, Chen Xu would have discovered that as he kneaded the dough, he had suddenly acquired a peculiar aura.

It was as if he was no longer kneading dough, but the mortal world, the course of life, and the fate of the future.

Calm and composed, as though all things lay within his grasp.

Within his dantian, that wisp of Innate Qi circulated slowly. Within his hundred meridians, Vital Blood surged, Essence rose upward, and his Divine Soul converged.

[Cultivation: Vessel Meridian Realm (Early Stage 1.1%)]

[Cultivation: Vessel Meridian Realm (Early Stage 1.3%)]

...

Sure enough, his cultivation had improved amid the kitchen!

At last, Chen Xu shaped a gray Dao Soldier around one chi tall. To give this Dao Soldier greater combat power, he even fashioned simple armor and a long spear for the tiny soldier.

Unfortunately, Chen Xu's shaping technique was still not refined enough.

Though he possessed talent, and Innate Qi allowed him to control his strength down to the finest detail, he had simply practiced too little.

It was not perfect. He had to keep striving.

That evening, Chen Xu emerged from the Embers Kitchen just as Granny Lai came over to divide up the copper coins earned that day with him.

Chen Xu accepted the coins and chatted with her for a few moments. He heard her say, "Young Master Chen, have you heard? There's a Lin Family in the western city. Starting tomorrow, they'll set up a ritual ground stretching across an entire street before their home, and they'll hold a flowing banquet for seven days to entertain all the city's people.

Such a grand and dazzling display is only to send off the second young master of that family for burial!"

As she spoke, Granny Lai clicked her tongue repeatedly. "What a life cut short! It's not as though some elderly person died. He was a young lad, not even married, practically still a child. Isn't that dying young?

Who ever sets up a ritual ground like this? Who knows whether the deceased... Heh, I wonder if he can bear it."

After that bit of gossip, Granny Lai hurriedly covered her mouth, her eyes rolling wildly.

People of this age believed the dead deserved the greatest respect. Though Granny Lai was old and worthy of respect herself, after speaking ill of a dead man, even she felt somewhat guilty.

But Chen Xu's heart stirred as he listened, recalling that he was supposed to go to the Lin Family tomorrow morning to offer condolences—

No, why wait until tomorrow morning?