These meals really couldn't be skipped

Early the next morning, just as Chen An dished up the first batch of fried rice, six people arrived outside the courtyard gate.

Ning Fengzhi had already given them instructions, so the six did not wander around. They first greeted Uncle Zhou at the gate, and only after learning that this was Chen An's little kitchen did they enter the courtyard.

The young man leading them was called Shao Heng. He was tall and broad, and his cuffs still bore dust picked up during morning practice.

He was rather surprised to see Fang Ming setting out bowls.

"You're here too?"

"Yes. I came early, so I'm helping get things ready."

Fang Ming answered with a smile, his hands never pausing. Once he had arranged the bowls, he glanced toward the kitchen again.

Shao Heng was about to say more when Zhao Hai emerged beside him with a basin of fried rice.

"Eat first. Talk afterward."

There was nothing wrong with that. The six thanked Chen An, then each took a bowl.

The sect master had only said that the food would benefit their cultivation and told them to come eat for a few days. He had not explained exactly what those benefits were.

But looking at the fried rice in the basin, Shao Heng felt that even if it had no effect, this trip would not have been wasted.

Golden flecks of egg nestled among the grains of rice, the shrimp were plump, and the ham was finely diced. The fragrance of scallions mingled with the aroma of rice, relentlessly working its way into his nose.

He had already been hungry after a long morning practice, and now he could barely hold back.

He scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth. His movements paused for a moment, then he dispensed with even sitting down and began eating beside the table.

The other five were little better. For a while, none of the six, who had been rather reserved moments earlier, could spare a thought for courtesy.

Watching from the kitchen, Chen An was quite satisfied.

This was the sort of diner a cook liked: no pickiness, no nonsense, eating whatever they were given and leaving positive reviews afterward.

But by the time he carried out the second batch, he found it rather harder to smile.

The basin, which had held plenty of rice, was already almost empty.

How long had it even been?

They were invited here to eat, not to swallow the basin along with the rice.

"Xiao An, no rush. Take your time."

Even in the midst of his busy eating, Zhao Hai spared a moment to reassure him. Then his spoon reached into the basin again.

Seeing that the remaining shrimp were about to be scooped away, Shao Heng finally came to his senses.

"Didn't you just get another helping?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you getting more?"

"I'm not full."

He said it so naturally that Shao Heng looked at his own empty bowl and could no longer be bothered to argue. He grabbed another serving spoon and moved forward.

If he stood here reasoning with him, would he get anything to eat himself?

Fortunately, they had prepared plenty today. Chen An fried several more batches in succession, and everyone finally ate to their heart's content.

Putting away the Dragon-Transforming Pot, Chen An flexed his wrists. Although he had spent longer working, he no longer felt the aching arms of those early days, when he could barely hold the handle.

The physique rewards he had received these past days had certainly not gone to waste.

Meanwhile, Shao Heng set down his bowl and was about to help clear up when he suddenly realized that his legs felt much lighter than when he had arrived.

The stamina spent during morning practice had recovered, and even his weariness had faded considerably.

He had been too occupied with eating to notice earlier. Now, with a little movement, the feeling became clear.

"This fried rice can restore stamina?"

"Yes. It can gradually nourish your body too, but one bowl won't suddenly make you much stronger."

Chen An answered with a smile. Hearing that, Shao Heng could not help looking at the now-empty basin.

He had not expected to grow stronger after a single meal, but ordinarily he needed to rest after practice before catching his breath. Now, eating breakfast saved him a considerable amount of time.

No wonder the sect master had sent them here.

At that thought, Shao Heng glanced at Fang Ming and the others again.

Being delicious was one thing, but it even had this kind of benefit. These fellows had actually kept it hidden until now. Their lips really were sealed tight.

Fang Ming simply pretended not to notice, picked up the empty basin, and headed for the kitchen.

He was only following the sect master's arrangements too. What was there to say?

Once the courtyard had been cleaned and everyone had left one after another, system notifications sounded in succession beside Chen An's ears.

[Received one positive review. Reward: 1 physique point.]

[Received one positive review. Reward: 1 Soul Power point.]

Hmm?

Chen An had been watching the notifications before him. At that sight, he immediately went still.

Soul Power?

It had said before that positive reviews could increase Soul Power, yet after so many consecutive days of nothing but physique rewards, he had thought he would have to keep waiting.

It had finally arrived.

Soon, a gentle strand of Soul Power flowed into his body and merged with the Soul Power he accumulated through his usual meditation, without any discomfort.

It was not a great deal, but it was a genuine increase in cultivation.

Chen An examined the feeling carefully, and his smile immediately deepened.

Thirteen positive reviews from this meal: twelve had increased his physique, and only one had increased his Soul Power. Still, getting any was enough. It was better than slowly grinding away on his own.

If they kept eating like this, his second soul ring didn't seem so far away.

"Brother Chen An, Grandpa Sword is here."

Rongrong's voice came from the courtyard gate. Chen An collected himself, put away the panel, and followed her outside.

Happy as he was, he still had to practice.

What the system gave him was one thing. If he cultivated some more himself, wouldn't that make two portions?

At noon, all six came without a single one missing.

Not only were they all there, they were much more practiced than that morning. Shao Heng rolled up his sleeves outside the gate, then asked Uncle Zhou what needed carrying as soon as he entered.

Zhao Hai came out holding a basin of meat. At the sight, even his footsteps paused.

He'd learned already?

But he had no time to dwell on it. They had prepared considerably more Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin for lunch than yesterday. Getting everything to Xiao An first was what mattered.

Chen Xin came over at lunchtime too.

Seeing an extra table in the courtyard, the old man first examined Chen An's complexion, then asked about his exertion that morning. Only after learning that he really could manage the work did he pick up his chopsticks.

With Sword Douluo present, Shao Heng and the others initially restrained themselves a little. But once the Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin entered their mouths, they soon cast that restraint to the back of their minds.

A bite of meat, a bite of rice, with sweet-and-sour sauce mixed into the grains-they could not bear to leave even what remained at the bottoms of their bowls.

Toward the end of the meal, the aching in Shao Heng's shoulders and back from morning practice eased somewhat too. Only then did he realize that the morning's bowl of fried rice was not the whole story.

"This meat has an effect too?"

"It nourishes the muscles and eases soreness. It's just right after practice."

Zhao Hai answered for Chen An, then glanced at the hand Shao Heng still had resting on his shoulder.

"Take your time rubbing it. I'll get some more."

Hearing that, Shao Heng immediately lowered his hand.

To hell with rubbing it. Eating made him feel better. Could standing here rubbing for ages possibly do more than another two pieces of meat?

As for the others, who had still felt somewhat embarrassed moments earlier, they could no longer spare a thought for that.

They still had to cultivate this afternoon. What was wrong with eating a little more?

Chen Xin watched these disciples without saying anything. He simply waited for Chen An to finish eating, then took him outside.

The bowls and chopsticks were left for them to clean.

They had eaten with such vigor; surely they had enough strength left to wash a bowl.

Over the next two days, nothing went wrong in the kitchen. It was just that whenever mealtime arrived, all ten disciples assembled without fail, and none showed any intention of giving up his spot.

That senior brother of Fang Ming's never did get his chance.

Once, Shao Heng lost track of time while practicing with a companion. After returning and changing clothes, he was about to rest when he suddenly remembered it was time to eat. Without even stopping to dry his wet hair, he took a towel and headed outside.

When his companion called to him, he tossed back a reply without turning around.

"Talk after I eat."

The man watched his retreating figure, finding it more familiar the longer he looked.

Hadn't Fang Ming and the others developed the same habit before?

Still, these men had not slacked off in their cultivation.

The food helped them recover. In the past, aching, swollen arms meant a long rest, but now they recovered quickly, and when they practiced again in the afternoon, they were in better condition than before.

Having experienced the benefits themselves, they were naturally willing to put in more effort.

After hearing how they were doing, Ning Fengzhi had a clearer picture. He did not rush to send more people to the kitchen, only telling them to keep practicing as usual.

As for Chen An, his gains over these few days were even greater.

With more positive reviews, Soul Power rewards appeared one after another. Combined with his unwavering daily meditation, his Soul Power, which had already been gradually filling out, finally advanced another step.

On the afternoon of the third day, Chen An finished cultivating and opened his eyes. His first act was to examine the changes within his body once more.

Compared with yesterday, his Soul Power was noticeably more substantial, and the faint obstruction he had felt earlier had vanished.

Rank thirteen.

Joy filled Chen An's eyes, and he hurriedly looked at Chen Xin beside him.

"Grandpa Sword, I broke through."

The old man had already noticed. Now he reached out, took Chen An's wrist, and examined him carefully, a smile appearing on his face as well.

"Yes, rank thirteen. A little faster than I expected, and your Soul Power is very stable."

With that confirmation, Chen An truly felt reassured.

Since obtaining his first soul ring, he had cooked and meditated every day, already building up a considerable accumulation. With the Soul Power provided by the system these past few days added to it, all that effort had finally paid off.

And these positive reviews really were a good thing.

If someone ate another bowl, he only had to toss the wok a couple more times; if another person came, he could benefit throughout the entire day.

At that thought, Chen An could not help saying,

"Grandpa Sword, how about adding a few more people?"

Chen Xin glanced at him.

"You've only just broken through, and you're already thinking about cooking?"

"It doesn't interfere with cultivation."

Chen An said this with complete confidence. Not a single meal he had cooked had gone to waste.

The old man did not refuse outright. He merely told him to first become accustomed to his newly increased Soul Power. As for adding people, he would discuss it with Ning Fengzhi in a few days.

Chen An nodded in agreement, but he had already begun calculating inwardly. As his Soul Power increased, cooking would become easier and easier.

These days truly held something to look forward to.

But only after returning to the kitchen did he remember that Grandpa Sword had taken him away right after lunch, leaving one thing he had not had time to check.

He opened the system, and sure enough, a new notification was waiting there.

[Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin positive review progress: 100/100.]

[New recipe unlocked: Dongpo Pork.]

Chen An immediately smiled.

His cultivation had risen, and a new dish had arrived too. There really had been plenty of good things today.

After reading through the recipe, he went out front to find Uncle Zhou and asked him to have tomorrow's delivery bring some suitable pork belly. It needed the skin on, and the balance of fat and lean would have to be chosen carefully.

Before Uncle Zhou could respond, Zhao Hai, who was wiping a table, had already turned his head.

"Xiao An, are you making a new dish?"

"Yes, Dongpo Pork."

"Tomorrow at noon?"

"It needs enough time to braise. We'll eat it tomorrow evening."

The smile on Zhao Hai's face immediately froze.

Tomorrow evening?

It was only afternoon now.

Seeing that Chen An had already begun discussing how much meat to set aside with Uncle Zhou, Zhao Hai opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words.

If the wait was going to be this long, couldn't you have waited until tomorrow to tell us?