Kitchen Apprentice

The true words of the Dao flowed through the lake of his heart like a stream, every word and sentence's profound meaning carved firmly into the depths of Jiang Xuan's soul.

At that moment, Jiang Xuan suddenly sensed a subtle obstruction.

He discovered that several parts of his breathing rhythm were faintly out of sync with the circulation route of the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method.

"The cultivation cycle of the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art is fixed, but the internal structures of human bodies differ in countless subtle ways... It is only natural that there would be incompatibilities when I cultivate according to the experiences of those before me..."

As a measure of understanding arose in his heart, Jiang Xuan sensed something else as well. Inspiration struck him, and while softly reciting the mnemonic verse, he slowly adjusted his breathing and made several subtle changes to the method's qi circulation route, making it increasingly suited to his own meridians and Root Bone.

"Exhale, inhale..."

Time slowly passed amid Jiang Xuan's adjustments, and before long, the time it took for an incense stick to burn had elapsed.

When he stopped adjusting, he was astonished to discover that the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method had become like his own breathing. With the slightest movement of his thoughts, it would circulate on its own without the slightest obstruction.

"Still not enough. To reach the minor attainment realm of this method, it must be able to operate endlessly on its own even without reciting the mnemonic verse, even when I am deep in sleep."

With that thought, Jiang Xuan subconsciously took several breaths.

And with each inhalation and exhalation, the dharma power within his dantian began circulating of its own accord. The cycle of the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method actually started operating naturally.

At the same time, a continuous stream of system notifications rang out beside his ears.

[You have activated the Dao Foundation Contract and successfully formed an exclusive Dao contract with the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method.]

[Available Dao Foundation Contract slots: 1/1]

[Method adaptation in progress... Adaptation complete! The Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method has been transformed into your exclusive natal qi-refining method.]

[You gained insight during the method transformation process. The Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method has broken through! Current realm: Second Realm · Proficient (19/4900)]

[You spontaneously circulated the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method once. Method proficiency +2]

[You spontaneously circulated the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method once. Method proficiency +3]

His breathing and the method's circulation had become completely synchronized, making Jiang Xuan's breaths long and steady. Yet now, every breath he took was equivalent to fully circulating the method once, drawing threads of heaven and earth spiritual qi into his body and refining them into natal dharma power that belonged solely to him.

And because it was perfectly compatible, Jiang Xuan's method progress increased by +2 or +3 with every breath.

"At this rate, breaking the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method through to the Third Realm and completely turning it into my instinct is just around the corner!"

Of course, this constant cultivation came with one unavoidable problem—blood and qi consumption.

Cultivation at the Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening stage ultimately could not bypass the fundamental process of refining essence into qi.

But after concentrating and sensing for a moment, Jiang Xuan realized that this problem was not impossible to solve.

First, when operating passively, Jiang Xuan's Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method remained in a low-energy state. Although his rate of refining spiritual qi would be somewhat slower in this state, its consumption would correspondingly decrease as well.

Second, the human body was constantly leaking life essence outward. Now that the cycle of circulation had begun, every pore across his body had closed, firmly locking within him the essence that should have escaped. It could conveniently serve as the foundational fuel for his method's passive operation.

"Though this kind of circulation will still create a slight blood and qi deficit... as long as I consume more spiritual meals, supplement them with Vitality Pills, and pause from time to time, I should barely be able to sustain it..."

Before the thought had fully turned over in his mind, Jiang Xuan shook his head.

Indeed, he could barely maintain the balance of his blood and qi by intermittently running the method in low-energy mode, but in that case, his cultivation speed would inevitably be greatly reduced.

And Jiang Xuan knew clearly that his current circumstances simply did not allow him to slow down.

—Though he had been rated outstanding, Jiang Xuan had not forgotten that he was among the last batch to receive that rating. In the Dao-Bearing Class, nearly forty people had cultivation higher than his.

Nor had he forgotten that the second round of assessments offered only around ten slots at the Star Daoist Academy.

Forty people were fighting over ten positions, and every person at the forefront had subordinates to support them. Taking Dong Hao's faction as an example, aside from Jiang Xuan, he still had Mu Yuan, Wu Chen, Fu He, and Nan Zhi assisting him.

The others, Zeng Jun and Su Linyin, were the same.

Only Jiang Xuan stood alone, without support or anyone to rely on.

He even owed Dong Hao many favors, meaning he would have to lend a hand in the later assessments.

"..."

"I was among the last batch to advance, I'm weak and isolated, and I still have to divide my attention to repay favors. There are too many disadvantages. Even with the profession panel's help, if I do not open up another path, there will still be some danger in the second round of assessments."

Thinking this, Jiang Xuan resolved to keep the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art running around the clock. As for the additional blood and qi consumption caused by the method's operation, he had also formed a vague solution.

"At the Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening stage, the core of replenishing blood and qi lies in one word: 'eat.' And eating hinges on no more than two points. First is food quality. Only high-energy spiritual ingredients and spiritual meals can make up for cultivation's enormous consumption. There is no need to worry about that. The Spirit Stones I won from the wager, the resource rewards for my outstanding rating, and occasionally plucking some wool from Dong Hao's sheep—I will not lack spiritual meals or pills in the short term."

"The second issue is digestion. Only when what one eats is thoroughly digested and fully absorbed by the body can it be transformed into one's own blood and qi essence."

Aristocratic Clan descendants such as Zeng Jun and Dong Hao held massive amounts of resources, yet they had failed to pull ahead of the gifted poor disciples. The core reason lay precisely here—there was a limit to a person's ability to digest and absorb. No matter how many spiritual meals or how excellent the pills, if they could not be digested, one simply had no blessing to enjoy them.

And Jiang Xuan had found a way to break the deadlock for both problems.

With that thought, Jiang Xuan moved his mind and summoned the attribute panel again. This time, his gaze locked firmly onto the empty slot for auxiliary professions.

With Spirit Pivot Condensation and the rise in his rank, he had gained not only another main profession slot, but an additional auxiliary profession slot had also been unlocked.

And the method he had thought of for breaking the deadlock was hidden right here.

"Buzz..."

As he stared, a densely packed list of auxiliary professions, along with their respective requirements, appeared before Jiang Xuan's eyes.

Apprentice Painter, Apprentice Calligrapher, Kitchen Apprentice, Apprentice Blacksmith, Streamside Angler...

His gaze swept quickly over the list before finally settling on the life profession of [Kitchen Apprentice].

"A Kitchen Apprentice is essentially a kitchen helper, and a chef's core ability lies in using cooking to transform spiritual ingredients and spiritual beast meat that the human body finds difficult to absorb into nutrient-rich spiritual meals that are extremely easy to absorb. This happens to solve the issue of resource quality."

However, compared to cooking for himself, Jiang Xuan cared more about another advancement path on this profession line.

"Cooks and diners are two sides of the same coin, inseparable from one another."

"If I remember correctly, in the Celestial Immortal Realm, the Kitchen Apprentice's advanced professions include an exceptionally special route. It is called—the Gourmet!"

This profession's core trait in the game was that when eating the same food with beneficial effects, a Gourmet gained effects thirty percent stronger than other professions, while the duration of those benefits was likewise extended by thirty percent.

Furthermore, the Celestial Immortal Realm had a fullness mechanic. Characters who became Gourmets possessed a fullness limit far beyond that of other professions, allowing them to eat more food.

"If translated into reality, the Gourmet's trait should mean that when consuming any spiritual food, pills, or spiritual fruits, my absorption and conversion efficiency will greatly increase. More importantly, my digestive capacity will undergo a qualitative transformation and be able to withstand a greater intake of resources."

"And this profession's ceiling is extremely high. No one in this world can escape the word 'eat.' Even those cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao have the ancient saying: 'Those who eat water swim well and can endure cold; those who eat earth are without hearts yet wise; those who eat wood possess great strength yet are violent; those who eat grass walk well yet are foolish; those who eat leaves produce silk and become moths; those who eat meat are brave and fierce; those who eat qi are divine and long-lived.'"

"When first advancing to Gourmet, one merely eats tangible spiritual meals. After advancing further, one can directly devour all manner of qi veins between heaven and earth. At the pinnacle, one can even transform into a sacrificial lord who devours all spirits, and even swallows the concepts of the Great Dao."

"I'll choose this!"