The Next God

After the spirit battle ended, Tang San remained unconscious for a long time. It was not until the next day that he slowly opened his exhausted eyes as if waking from a dream, gazing blankly at his surroundings.

It was a wooden cabin. Though its interior was not lavish, every detail spoke of refinement. The books on the wooden table seemed like a treasury of knowledge, while the displayed items further revealed the cabin owner's exceptional nature.

"Little San, you're finally awake!" Yu Xiaogang hurried over with a bowl of steaming medicinal soup, his face full of delight and concern. "Come, drink this medicine."

Tang San took the soup and tipped his head back, draining it in one go. The sound of him gulping echoed through the silent cabin. A trace of guilt filled his eyes as he said softly, "Teacher, I lost the spirit battle and disappointed you. I'm sorry..."

Yu Xiaogang gently patted Tang San's shoulder and comforted him. "What's there to apologize for? Victory and defeat are common in battle. Remember this: if you truly feel ashamed, if you truly feel sorry toward me, then pull yourself together and win it back in the next spirit battle!"

Tang San lowered his head slightly, his voice filled with discouragement. "But... Gu Hengzhi is just too strong. He... he has mastered too many soul skills. I have no way to defeat him..."

Yu Xiaogang turned around and stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze was like a deep night sky, gleaming with wisdom. "Very good. You successfully learned something from this spirit battle," he said calmly and firmly, as though stating an indisputable fact. "Gu Hengzhi does not possess that many soul skills. If I'm not mistaken, the techniques he used were self-created soul skills."

"Self-created soul skills?" A glimmer of curiosity flashed through Tang San's eyes, like discovering a ray of light in the darkness. "Soul skills created by oneself? Is that really possible?"

Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly and pulled a book from the shelf as though holding a precious treasure. "Of course! Among Soul Masters, there are some exceptionally gifted individuals. Like brilliant stars in the night sky, they create unique soul skills according to the traits of their Martial Souls and Soul Rings, relying on their own comprehension. Those are self-created soul skills." His voice was full of reverence, as if recounting a mysterious and magnificent legend. "This is also the second important piece of knowledge I intend to teach you."

Tang San opened the book and read it carefully, his eyes shining with a thirst for knowledge. "But self-created soul skills are so difficult. Doesn't that prove just how powerful Gu Hengzhi's talent is?" His brows furrowed slightly, as though he were pondering something. "Teacher, can I attach Soul Rings to my other Martial Soul? If I use two Martial Souls while Gu Hengzhi can only use one, wouldn't my chances of winning be much greater?"

"Have you forgotten what your father and I told you?" Yu Xiaogang's voice exploded beside his ears like thunder. His face darkened like the sky before a storm, and sparks of anger flashed in his eyes as he harshly rebuked him.

"Since ancient times, including you, there have only been three possessors of Twin Martial Souls. The first failed to cultivate properly and ultimately died when his body exploded. Do you want to repeat his mistake? Besides, in my view, if you can cultivate to a sufficiently high realm before attaching Soul Rings to your second Martial Soul, then that second Martial Soul may be equipped entirely with Myriad-Year Soul Rings or even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings!"

"Ah—so that's possible too..."

On the other side, Gu Hengzhi did not relax after winning the spirit battle. His eyes shone with determination, as if a flame that would never go out burned within them. He knew that his path of cultivation was still long and required constant effort and struggle.

Yet he now faced a major choice—the selection of his second god. Gu Hengzhi sat quietly, his brows tightly furrowed as he sank into deep thought. His gaze shifted between confusion and resolve, as though he were engaged in an intense debate with the voice in his heart.

After a long period of thought, Gu Hengzhi finally made his decision. A trace of resolve flashed through his eyes. It was as if he had made up his mind that, no matter how many difficulties and challenges lay ahead, he would press onward without hesitation.

"Kitchen God of the Eastern Kitchen, Nine-Spirit Primordial King, Fortune-Settling Divine Lord!" Gu Hengzhi's voice carried an indescribable firmness, as though he were announcing his choice to the entire world.

That was right—the Kitchen God. Gu Hengzhi had many reasons for choosing him, but the most important was that the Kitchen God was a support-type deity who could still play an important role even in the future. Secondly, Gu Hengzhi's ultimate goal was to overthrow the Douluo God Realm. To accomplish that, he had to establish a solid foundation among the common people and possess enough wealth to support future large-scale legion battles and god wars.

Having made his choice, Gu Hengzhi focused as intently as he had when carving the Earth Deity. Determination gleamed in his eyes, as if he were having a silent conversation with his Stone Statue Martial Soul. The Soul-Carving Blade swept across the Martial Soul, every stroke seeming to carve a mark into the depths of his soul. The bone-deep pain made his brows knit tightly, but he clenched his teeth and endured it all with the experience he had gained from carving the Earth Deity.

Time quietly passed amid the tense atmosphere. Like an impassioned symphony, the Soul-Carving Blade struck the Stone Statue Martial Soul again and again. Finally, after a long wait, the statue of the Kitchen God appeared perfectly before Gu Hengzhi after one kun-hour—that was, two and a half hours—like a dazzling pearl.

The statue had a ruddy, radiant face like a ripe apple, giving off an alluring glow. His smile was as warm as spring sunlight, carrying the kindness of an elderly neighbor and making people feel immensely close to him. Yet the fine lines at the corners of his eyes resembled mysterious patterns, concealing his scrutiny of good and evil in the world. His red robe and black gauze cap displayed the majesty of divinity, while his three long strands of beard drifted in the wind, lending him an air of approachability. Seated upright with a jade tablet in hand, he resembled both an elder protecting the household and a judge recording virtue and vice—solemn and dignified, inspiring awe.

He was none other than—the Kitchen God of the Eastern Kitchen, Nine-Spirit Primordial King, Fortune-Settling Divine Lord—the Kitchen God!

Once the carving was complete, Gu Hengzhi did not dare delay in the slightest. He immediately began preparing the ritual offerings to invite the god's descent. He carefully cooked several dishes he excelled at, each one emitting an enticing fragrance, as though expressing his sincerity to the Kitchen God. Then he brought over a plate of exquisite sweet pastries and a bowl of clear wine. Everything appeared solemn and sacred.

Following the guidance of the God-Sealing Record, Gu Hengzhi softly recited the recorded incantation. As the chant slowly spread through the air, a strange red energy surged forth like a mysterious torrent, tightly enveloping the altar and isolating it from the surrounding world. Within that powerful energy, even time seemed to freeze.

Before long, the Kitchen God statue at the center of the altar began to emit a dazzling red light, like a red sun rising in the east. The radiance grew brighter and brighter, gradually gathering into a divine phantom. As the phantom upon the statue gradually solidified, a majestic and solemn figure appeared before Gu Hengzhi—the Kitchen God of the Eastern Kitchen, Nine-Spirit Primordial King, Fortune-Settling Divine Lord—the Kitchen God had finally descended.

The next instant, the God-Sealing Record within his sea of consciousness suddenly shook violently. Startled, Gu Hengzhi hurriedly calmed his mind and entered his sea of consciousness to investigate. The God-Sealing Record opened on its own, then turned to the second page. A lifelike portrait appeared upon it—the Kitchen God. Beneath the portrait, a line of golden seal-script-like characters emerged automatically like nimble spirits: [God-Sealing Record, Page Two: Kitchen God of the Eastern Kitchen, Nine-Spirit Primordial King, Fortune-Settling Divine Lord]

Gu Hengzhi bowed. "This junior, Gu Hengzhi, greets the Kitchen God."

"Please rise, young friend. This old man cannot accept such a grand courtesy," the Kitchen God said hastily. To him, Gu Hengzhi, who had summoned him into this world, had bestowed upon him the grace of rebirth.

"Hahaha—" Laughter rang out within Gu Hengzhi's sea of consciousness. "So it's old man Kitchen God! It's been a while. Have you been well?"

"Y-you're Earth Deity, old brother Tu! When did you take in a mount?"

The two gods began chatting within Gu Hengzhi's sea of consciousness. Gu Hengzhi could not get a word in edgewise, so he could only check what abilities the Kitchen God had brought him.

After examining them, he could only say that his feelings were mixed. The abilities the Kitchen God brought were Fire Element Affinity and Culinary Grandmaster. Fire Element Affinity had no combat ability; it could only sense the type and temperature of flames. Its benefit was that it made controlling the heat while cooking easier. As for Culinary Grandmaster, it meant exactly what it sounded like: the dishes he made would be exceptionally delicious.