Chapter 191: Zao Shen
Xiang Yu and Li Yao stood in the center of a wide-open area, surrounded by an eager crowd of disciples who had gathered for the cooking demonstration. The space buzzed with anticipation as dozens of cooking stations had been arranged across the grounds, each equipped with individual stoves, complete sets of cooking utensils, cutting boards, and an impressive array of ingredients neatly organized in wooden baskets.
The disciples pressed closer, their faces bright with enthusiasm and curiosity. Some bounced on their toes, others whispered excitedly among themselves, and a few even rubbed their hands together in anticipation. Xiang Yu couldn’t help but smile as he observed their excited expressions.
His eyes swept across the sea of eager faces. He thought to himself that there were more people than he had expected. The turnout was honestly surprising, he had anticipated maybe a dozen interested disciples, but at least fifty had shown up. If he could successfully recruit disciples for each of the profession schools, it would really benefit the sect tremendously. After all, there’s only so much one person could accomplish alone.
With dedicated students like these, even if they wouldn’t reach high levels immediately, they could at least master the creation of basic stuff. Sure, the sect might not desperately need the low-level creations, but they could definitely use them for trading with smaller sects throughout the region.
The thought pleased him immensely. While the major deals had already been secured with the powerful sects for high-level resource exchanges, this would serve a different purpose entirely. This kind of widespread trade would significantly boost the sect’s prestige throughout the entire eastern region.
A particularly satisfying realization struck him, and his smile widened. As this system developed and expanded, all the resources from the Azure Cloud Sect would be directly associated with the Secondary Professions Pavilion. With this, he could finally wipe his name clean.
Clapping his hands together to capture everyone’s attention, Xiang Yu raised his voice. "Alright, everyone! Please get ready and pay close attention."
Instantly, every disciple straightened into attentive positions, their previous chatter dying away as all eyes focused intently on the Grand Elder. They had all heard the incredible stories about his legendary exploits during the recent battle. Although he wasn’t known for overwhelming cultivation strength, rumors claimed he had contributed more than anyone else to defeating the cult leader, supposedly the strongest person in the entire region.
Were secondary professions really that powerful? many of them wondered silently. Then why have we been constantly risking our lives fighting for cultivation resources when we could follow the Grand Elder’s path instead?
"I’ll begin by demonstrating how to prepare a basic dish," Xiang Yu announced, gesturing toward the cooking stations. "Afterward, I want all of you to attempt replicating what you observe."
Noticing the slight anxiety creeping into some of their expressions, he quickly added with a reassuring smile, "You don’t need to achieve perfect results or succeed completely in replicating it. Just give it your absolute best effort, I’m simply evaluating whether you possess natural talent for this profession."
Hearing this, visible relief showed on their faces.
Xiang Yu then moved toward the front demonstration area and selected one of the prepared stoves. "I’ll also take this opportunity to clearly show you exactly what NOT to do during cooking," he announced.
Turning toward Li Yao, he smiled and gestured for her to approach. "Come here."
Li Yao glanced around uncertainly, pointing at herself. "Me?"
"Of course," he confirmed with a nod.
Li Yao walked over and positioned herself beside him, looking somewhat puzzled by the request.
"Use that stove over there and try your best to replicate exactly what I’m doing," Xiang Yu instructed, pointing to an adjacent cooking station.
Li Yao nodded obediently.
Xiang Yu then turned back to address the assembled disciples with a completely serious tone. "I want to make this absolutely clear, under no circumstances should any of you attempt to do what she is about to do."
The disciples exchanged bewildered glances, staring at Li Yao and wondering what the Grand Elder could possibly mean by such a strange warning. However, once the actual cooking demonstration began, they instantly understood why.
Despite Li Yao’s obvious determination and her careful attempts to mirror every single movement Xiang Yu made, she somehow managed to get absolutely everything wrong. Within the first few minutes, she had somehow accomplished the seemingly impossible feat of melting her cooking pan. She consistently selected incorrect ingredients despite having identical supplies.
Even when she appeared to follow Xiang Yu’s exact motions step by step, the final result was invariably a completely charred, unidentifiable mess that would be considered criminal to even remotely classify as food.
"Senior brother, did I do well?" Li Yao asked with genuinely bright, hopeful eyes, looking at Xiang Yu while proudly holding up whatever indescribable monstrosity she had managed to create.
"Yes, you did very well," Xiang Yu replied gently, reaching out to pat her head affectionately.
As he did so, he glanced at his other hand that was still surrounded by flickering phoenix flames and examined it thoughtfully. He thought to himself that the phoenix bloodline was really incredible. Although he couldn’t control this fire with the same precise accuracy as the Abyssal Void Flame, it was still significantly better than using ordinary fire.
He shook his hand, extinguishing the flames completely. Since he definitely didn’t want to reveal the Abyssal Void Flame’s existence, he decided to use the phoenix fire while teaching these students. With his current skill level, creating basic dishes should be perfectly manageable even without a true spirit flame.
Turning back to the captivated audience, he called out, "Alright, everyone! Did you observe everything clearly?"
The disciples nodded vigorously, many of them thinking to themselves that the Grand Elder certainly hadn’t been exaggerating when he promised to demonstrate what not to do. With Li Yao’s example, literally everything that could possibly go wrong had gone spectacularly wrong.
"Excellent. Now it’s your turn to try. Attempt to replicate what I just demonstrated. Remember, it doesn’t need to be absolutely perfect, just give it your best," Xiang Yu encouraged them warmly.
...
Xiang Yu watched attentively as the disciples scattered to their individual cooking stations and began their attempts at replicating his demonstration. The air filled with the sounds of chopping, sizzling, and the occasional frustrated grunt as they worked with intense concentration.
As he observed their progress, he reflected that the ninth-grade meals didn’t actually contain much spiritual energy. In fact, they were essentially just normal meals, albeit slightly more advanced in preparation technique . His eyes moved from station to station, evaluating each disciple’s approach. But he was not trying to test for ordinary chefs here. The meal he demonstrated was deliberately infused with spiritual energy, it could be considered a half-step eighth-grade spirit food.
He crossed his arms, continuing his mental assessment. They didn’t need to replicate it completely or achieve perfect results. As long as someone could create a meal containing even a trace of spiritual energy, that would be considered a successful demonstration of potential. He wondered if these disciples would understand the deeper meaning behind the test.
Suddenly, the distinct smell of burnt herbs wafted through the air. Xiang Yu’s nose wrinkled as he immediately tracked the source, walking toward the disciple whose pan was producing the odor. Thick black smoke billowed from the cooking surface, and the herbs had transformed into unrecognizable charcoal.
"Failed!" Xiang Yu announced.
"Noooooo!" the disciple screamed with such dramatic intensity that even Xiang Yu was taken aback. The young man’s voice cracked with genuine anguish, as if his entire world had just collapsed around him.
Is it really the end of the world if you can’t cook? Xiang Yu wondered, genuinely surprised by the extreme reaction.
The failed disciple stared at his burned herbs with complete devastation written across his face. No way. This can’t be happening, he thought desperately. If I can’t master cooking, how am I supposed to attract a beautiful, strong lady to take care of me like the Grand Elder has with the Sect Master? Am I really not fated?
Tears began streaming down his cheeks as despair overwhelmed him.
"Is he actually crying?" one nearby disciple whispered in disbelief.
"Lol, what a noob," another snickered.
"RIP bozo," a third added with barely contained laughter.
The surrounding disciples erupted into mocking laughter, pointing at their crying peer.
"Focus on your own dishes!" Xiang Yu shouted sharply, his voice cutting through the ridicule. The laughter died immediately as everyone hurriedly returned their attention to their cooking.
Xiang Yu approached the distraught disciple and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Grand Elder..." the boy spoke through his tears.
"Failing a single time doesn’t mean the end of the world," Xiang Yu said gently but firmly. "Even I failed repeatedly when I was starting out."
"Really?" The boy’s eyes brightened with sudden hope, tears still glistening on his cheeks. The Grand Elder is such an expert. Could it be that even someone of his caliber had experienced failure?
"That’s right. I failed more times than I could possibly count," Xiang Yu continued with conviction. "What does it matter if you fail a million times? You just have to get it right once"
"You’re right!" the boy declared, suddenly energized as he stood up and wiped away his tears with determination.
"Grand Elder, I want to try again," he announced boldly.
"Sure," Xiang Yu replied with an encouraging smile. This kid has the right attitude, he can definitely be taught.
The boy reached into his pocket and withdrew a clean white cloth, which he carefully tied around his forehead like a headband.
"I, Zao Shen, swear to become the God of Cooking!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his fist toward the sky.
The declaration caused renewed laughter to ripple through the crowd.
"What God of Cooking?" someone called out mockingly.
"Are you seriously saying you want to surpass the Grand Elder?"
"Zao Shen? Why do I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before?" Xiang Yu wondered.
...
Author’s Corner
Zao Shen should be one of the Chinese domestic gods. I think its the kitchen god