Chen Xu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Chen Xu (陈叙)
Gender	Male
Occupation/Role	County School scholar; cook; cultivator of the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll
Status	Alive
First Appearance	3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Three Essences: Essence 14, Vitality 18, Spirit 14	7	Allocates Free Attribute Points gained through diners’ praise; begins deliberately balancing his physical, vital, and spiritual foundations.
Three Essences: Essence 21, Vitality 21, Spirit 21	8	Reaches an even balance while training Wood Chopping in Embers Kitchen.
Wood Chopping Level 1 — 100/100, mastered	29	Breaks through after consuming Three Taels of Red Dust Crisp; can split a log into nearly one hundred pieces in an instant.
Three Essences: Essence 30, Vitality 30, Spirit 30	29	Nears the mortal limit and senses an incipient state of transcendence.
Three Essences Foundation Establishment	38	Unlocks the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll after reaching 1,000 Likes; Heart Fire and Essence mingle successfully.
Perfect Foundation Establishment; Qi Returns to Innate	39	Produces a wisp of Innate Qi and gains the status of Fire Worker Apprentice.
Vessel Meridian Realm, Early Stage 0.9%	39	Formal cultivation realm recorded after Foundation Establishment.
Vessel Meridian Realm, Early Stage 1.3%	39	Advances through cooking and cultivation in Embers Kitchen.
Vessel Meridian Realm, Early Stage 1.4%	46	Further develops Innate Qi and learns to restrain his aura.
Vein Opening Early Stage 2.9%	50	Refines thirty bowls of Five Reds Blood Nourishing Soup and raises all three core attributes by three points each.

Background / History

Chen Xu is a scholar from a humble farming family who studies at Jichuan County School. He supports himself in part by copying books, writing stories, and selling food, while living alone in Ping'an Alley. His right lower leg suffered a comminuted fracture, forcing him to rely on a cane and causing repeated difficulty with travel and examinations. 7 13 36

After awakening the Cauldron Scripture, Chen Xu discovers that praise for his cooking grants Likes, which yield Vitality increases, Free Attribute Points, and Firework Value. He turns cooking into both a livelihood and a path of cultivation, using Old Madam Lai’s sales network to distribute porridge and pancakes beyond his courtyard. 3 4 8

Lin Qi, formerly Chen Xu’s closest classmate, had secretly spent years stealing Chen Xu’s Fortune through evil arts. Lin Qi eventually attempts to complete a head-swapping ritual by using an avatar to decapitate Chen Xu in his sleep. Chen Xu breaks free, destroys the avatar, later uses Mr. Zhou’s method to erase Lin Qi’s soul, and learns that many of his past failures and misfortunes resulted from Lin Qi’s theft of Fortune. 9 10 22 25 26

Chen Xu passes Mr. Zhou’s Star Array through exceptional numerology, literary skill, and rapid reasoning. His encounter with Mr. Zhou broadens his understanding of cultivation, demons, evil arts, and the need to balance Essence, Vitality, and Spirit. 15 18 20 22 23

Appearance

Chen Xu is initially perceived as a poorly dressed, lame young scholar from a humble background. His right-leg injury leads him to walk with a cane, though it later substantially heals; he continues pretending to limp to avoid unwanted attention. 13 15 26

• Leaned on a cane before his recovery. 3 13
• Wore humble or poor-quality clothing during the Star Array gathering. 15 19
• After learning to restrain his aura, appears like a frail scholar with a jade-like face and graceful bearing. 46
• Possesses unusually sharp vision after cultivating in Embers Kitchen, able to discern minute details on a spider’s body. 35

Personality

Chen Xu is resourceful and pragmatic. Rather than giving food away freely, he trades egg pancakes for ingredients, employs Old Madam Lai to sell his dishes, and tests whether distant customers’ praise can still generate Likes. 5 8

He is cautious about revealing the Cauldron Scripture, regarding it as his greatest secret. He conceals his recovered leg, hides incriminating weapons, and avoids exposing his knowledge of the Fox Demon to Xuan Yi. 10 22 26 45

Despite his guarded nature, Chen Xu can be considerate and composed. He receives Xu Wenyuan’s request for aid without the mockery Xu expects, feeds him, and reassures him during their journey to the Star Array. 13 His experiences also lead him to reject passivity: he seeks the power to control his own destiny and acts against evil practices, including the Livestock Creation Art and the malevolent spirits in the Lin residence. 26 33 42

Abilities & Skills

Cauldron Scripture

A mysterious scripture that turns diners’ praise into Likes and supports Chen Xu’s cooking-based cultivation.

• Every 10 Likes raise his Vitality by 1. 4
• At 100 Likes, it unlocks the Essence Gate and Spirit Gate. 4 5
• Likes generate Free Attribute Points and Firework Value. 8 49
• Firework Value buys Embers Kitchen access, recipes, and skills. 8 11 39
• At 1,000 Likes, it unlocks the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll. 37 38
• After Foundation Establishment, each additional Free Attribute Point requires at least 20 Likes. 46

Embers Kitchen

A virtual cooking and training space accessible through the Cauldron Scripture.

• Twelve hours inside correspond to roughly fifteen minutes in reality. 8 12
• Provides an environment for skill practice, spirit-food refinement, and cultivation. 6 29 50
• Can store ingredients, including unusual spiritual materials. 10
• Allows Chen Xu to isolate dangerous items such as Lin Qi’s fate-linked hairs. 25

Culinary Arts and Spirit Food

Chen Xu’s cooking earns praise, provides income, and directly advances his cultivation.

• Sells egg pancakes, meat porridge, scallion-meat pancakes, congee, layered pancakes, and other food. 5 8 13 36 47
• Refines Three Taels of Red Dust Crisp, which helps him master Wood Chopping. 29
• Brews Lotus Flower Wisdom-Enhancing Soup, improving his memory and perception. 35
• Refines Five Reds Blood Nourishing Soup using Blood Agar to enhance Vitality and cultivation. 50
• Treats cooking as a means of understanding broader principles, including governing principles and the Dao. 36 45

Wood Chopping Saber Technique

A saber art learned and refined in Embers Kitchen.

• Refines excess Vitality into his limbs and bones, stabilizing surging strength. 7
• Lets him identify weaknesses as though discerning wood grain. 9
• Enables him to sever Lin Qi’s Soul-Cutting Silkworm Silk and decapitate Lin Qi’s avatar with a kitchen knife. 9
• Reaches mastery after he comprehends its principles through Red Dust Crisp. 29
• Its Level 2 effect, Microscopic Vision, allows him to perceive subtle flows of energy and minute physical details. 35 37

Fire Control

A fire-manipulation skill purchased with Firework Value.

• Initially requires painful training and leaves his hand blistered. 11 12
• Enables increasingly precise control of stove heat while cooking. 47
• Reaches Level Two, allowing control of external fire and a connection to heaven and earth. 50
• Can be used against ghosts if Chen Xu is personally present. 42

Innate Qi

Innate Qi is born after Chen Xu’s Perfect Foundation Establishment and is tied to his Essence.

• Powers Mud Pill Dao Soldiers and allows him to subdue malevolent spirits. 39 42
• Can circulate and regenerate after depletion. 43
• Supports highly precise manipulation through Microscopic Vision. 39
• Is strengthened through cultivation and spirit-food refinement. 46 50

Mud Pill Dao Soldiers

Small Dao Soldier puppets molded from Millet Paste Mud Embryo left by Lin Qi’s inferior avatar.

• Chen Xu can shape and arm them with simple armor and spears. 39
• Can be remotely controlled over great distances as though they were extensions of his body. 42
• Allow Chen Xu to perceive and hear ghosts and gods beyond ordinary mortal senses. 42
• Used with Innate Qi to kill ghosts and subdue malevolent spirits in the Lin residence. 42 43
• One Dao Soldier develops a degree of sentience and can grow independently. 46
• Chen Xu can currently control only one at a time; the Dao Soldier is weak against water. 46

Summon Wind

A technique Chen Xu learns after attaining Foundation Establishment.

• Learned for 300 Firework Value. 46
• Uses Innate Qi, with the wood element giving rise to wind. 46
• Deepens Chen Xu’s understanding of Innate Qi. 46
• Lets him restrain and conceal his aura, making him appear like an ordinary frail scholar. 46

Numerology and Literary Reasoning

Chen Xu has exceptional talent in numerology, memory, topology, and couplets.

• Is regarded by County School peers as far surpassing them in numerology. 14
• Memorizes nine Star Array questions at once to enter the bamboo forest. 15
• Later memorizes fifty of sixty bamboo slips. 18
• Uses Spirit to increase his thinking efficiency under timed trials. 19 20
• Solves the Yin Yang Twin Jades topology problem that defeats Cui Yunqi. 20 21

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Cane — used due to his right-leg injury. 3 13
• Broad-bladed kitchen knife — used to defeat Lin Qi’s avatar. 9
• Wood-chopping saber — training weapon for the Wood Chopping Saber Technique. 7 29
• Lin Qi’s short saber — gold- and gemstone-inlaid weapon hidden by Chen Xu after the attack. 10
• Shedding Calyx Fruit — spiritual fruit that eases the pain in his burned hand and injured leg. 12
• Three fox hairs — received from Hu Xi; usable in a healing powder for cultivators. 45
• Ghost mask — held while Chen Xu realizes the circulation of Innate Qi. 43

Relationships

• Lin Qi (Lin Muxian) — Former closest classmate and secret enemy. Lin Qi steals Chen Xu’s Fortune and attempts to take his body through head-swapping; Chen Xu ultimately destroys his soul. 3 9 25 26
• Xu Wenyuan — Classmate and former rival from a similarly humble background. He seeks Chen Xu’s help with the Star Array and gradually comes to trust and respect him. 12 13
• Wang Mochuan — Senior County School scholar who initially misjudges Chen Xu, later apologizes, supports his studies, and offers a Qi-storage method in exchange for mathematics instruction. 15 36 38
• Mr. Zhou — Renowned scholar encountered after the Star Array. He teaches Chen Xu methods against evil soul arts and stresses the balance of the Three Essences. 21 22 23
• Old Madam Lai — Food-selling partner who distributes Chen Xu’s dishes in South Market and brings him praise-generated Likes. 8 13 39
• Hu Xi — Fox Demon who approaches Chen Xu peacefully after the Lin-family events. Chen Xu discusses the Dao with him and urges him to retain his integrity. 43 45
• Xuan Yi — Young Daoist searching for demons. Chen Xu conceals his knowledge of Hu Xi from him. 45 46
• Rat Demons Xiao Shu and Ninth Master — Regular diners whose appreciation supplies Likes; Ninth Master advises Xiao Shu not to pry into Chen Xu’s affairs. 3 10
• Wu Zhengze — County School instructor who explains Literary Fame and Literary Fortune as the basis of Confucian cultivation. 49

Story Role / Major Arcs

Awakening the Cauldron Scripture

Chen Xu learns that diners’ praise makes him stronger and begins selling food in South Market. He unlocks the Essence and Spirit Gates, enters Embers Kitchen, and begins training Wood Chopping. 3 5 6

Lin Qi’s Betrayal

Lin Qi’s avatar attacks Chen Xu with Soul-Cutting Silkworm Silk and attempts to swap heads. Chen Xu uses his enhanced Three Essences and saber technique to survive, then discovers the “Lin Qi” he killed was only an incarnation. 9 10

Star Array and Mr. Zhou

Seeking access to the renowned scholar Mr. Zhou, Chen Xu enters the Star Array, surpasses competitors from the Prefectural City, and solves its numerological and topological trials. Mr. Zhou becomes an important source of cultivation knowledge and survival techniques. 12 15 18 20 22

Settling the Debt with Lin Qi

Chen Xu learns that Lin Qi had stolen his Fortune for years. Using Mr. Zhou’s method, he destroys Lin Qi’s soul and receives Firework Value from the Cauldron Scripture for “eliminating evil and settling debts.” 25 26

Foundation Establishment and Dao Soldiers

After reaching 1,000 Likes, Chen Xu unlocks the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll, completes Perfect Foundation Establishment, and gains Innate Qi. He creates Mud Pill Dao Soldiers and uses one to confront ghosts connected to the Lin family. 37 38 39 42

Dao, Demons, and Further Cultivation

Chen Xu meets Hu Xi, discusses the Dao as something found in everyday conduct, and avoids involving Xuan Yi in the Fox Demon’s affairs. He later learns Summon Wind, refines spirit food, and continues advancing through culinary cultivation. 45 46 50

Notable Quotes

“If the heart's fire can reach, all things become firewood.” 9

“I don't believe in fate!” 24

Trivia

• Chen Xu cannot generate Likes by praising his own cooking. 3
• His eighteenth birthday falls on the same day as Lin Qi’s twenty-second birthday; their shared birth date contributed to Lin Qi choosing him as a target. 26
• He continues to feign lameness after his leg substantially recovers in order to avoid drawing attention. 26
• He regards Free Attribute Points as comparable to elixirs, but with precise control and no risk of impurities. 46