Snap, snap!
"It's time to showcase real skills."
Chen Qi donned his apron and began chopping vegetables.
Each knife stroke was swift, precise, and fierce. In less than ten minutes, ingredients enough for twenty people were neatly placed in bowls.
Next, Chen Qi started the stove, sprinkled the seasonings, and began stir-frying.
Secret technique, single-handed wok toss!
Under high heat, each stir was like a dancing note, his actions incredibly skillful.
The aroma was already coming out.
Plating.
Finally, using his dark skills, he concocted a sauce with the soul seasoning and poured it!
In an instant, the fragrance of the meat and vegetables danced like a culinary goddess in the flames, beckoning everyone.
The onlooking craftsmen couldn't help but drool.
Even An, who was engrossed in her book, couldn't resist taking a sniff!
This was the complete version of Transcendent cooking, coupled with the power of soul seasoning!
Chen Qi completed a series of dishes in one go.
Braised abalone, strawberry jam bread, potato-sauce roasted beef ribs, vegetable soup, egg pudding, lobster, stir-fried pork...
The once empty table was instantly filled.
The overlapping aromas became even richer!
Couldn't resist anymore! The dwarf craftsman was the first to speak:
"Everyone, I'm a simple man, forget dining etiquette, I'll start first."
"Me too!"
...
"Take your time."
Chen Qi smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment when someone wanted to eat the food he'd made.
After days of practice, his skills had greatly improved!
The dwarf craftsman took a bite of the beef rib mixed with potato sauce, his cheeks turning a mesmerized red.
Fragrant, so very fragrant!
The dwarf craftsman praised:
"Buddy, you're amazing, not only is your food delicious, but you can also pass through Train No. 8."
The others joined in.
"Yeah, I wonder if you have a chef rating, I heard there's a chef competition in Moonstone City, and the winner gets top-tier ingredients, you should totally join!"
"The chef competition, that's in more than a month, right? I'll find time to participate."
Chen Qi didn't chat much, he started preparing the last transcendent ingredient.
Even though his constitution had far surpassed ordinary people, the Phoenix Firebird ingredient could still provide a significant boost.
Therefore, he decided to showcase his complete culinary skills!
Add devil's chili and Phoenix Firebird!
Under high heat, a dish was perfectly formed!
[You have cooked Stir-fried Devil's Chili Phoenix Firebird (Extra Spicy Version), gained 150 Spiritual Points!]
An looked at the final dish, her blue eyes flashing red.
This dish was full of chili peppers.
No, to be accurate, the chili peppers had a little bit of dish!
What should she eat next?
An lifted her head and stared at Chen Qi with kitten-like eyes, calmly saying:
"Shouldn't there be some sugar?"
"No need!"
Chen Qi gave a cool smile, adding some chili powder with soul seasoning, professionally explaining:
"This transcendent ingredient has a fire attribute, it perfectly matches with the devil's chili, the spicier it is, the more it can stimulate the ingredient's power!"
An couldn't argue, softly saying:
"Indeed, transcendent power always comes at a price..."
Not a problem, just one dish, An tremblingly picked up a chopstick, grabbed a bird leg, and ate it.
"It should be fine..."
Chen Qi tried it as well.
The next second, their tongues burst into flames!
Powerful! Chen Qi reacted quickly, taking a gulp of water.
Though it was a bit spicy, overall, it tasted pretty good.
His condition was bearable!
Chen Qi curiously asked:
"How is it?"
"Not bad, I can handle spicy foods pretty well, and I've had professional fire resistance training..."
An, at this moment, had turned into a white, crying kitten's head because of the spiciness.
More precisely, a burning, crying kitten's head.
Spiciness and transcendent power erupted on their taste buds!
"Wooo..wooo..."
Thud!
The usually calm An was rolling around on the ground.
This was the price of extracting transcendent power!
Chen Qi stifled his laughter.
A moment later, a prompt appeared before him.
[You consumed the transcendent ingredient Phoenix Firebird, Constitution +3, gained minor burning resistance.]
Now, Ghost Fire Oil had become an important weapon coating for Chen Qi.
Minor burning resistance was quite a decent attribute boost.
Moreover, the meat of the Phoenix Firebird was really good.
If it weren't for the devil's chili, it would've been a really nice dish.
Deliciousness and pain coexisted.
The two of them regained their composure and started eating the normal dishes.
Out of control... An calmed down, blushing, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes, and sat back on her small chair.
An was born into a commoner family, and to avoid being looked down upon at the Royal University, she always paid great attention to her manners.
She didn't expect that the etiquette she had maintained for years would be defeated by a dish.
Fortunately, the other dishes were really tasty!
"Delicious."
An happily ate a piece of fruit pudding and asked: "By the way, Qi, who commissioned you to go to Train No. 8, was it that Navy Admiral Old Bai Ou?"
"!"
Chen Qi was shocked that she knew about this.
"Yes, after finishing the meal, I'm planning to head back to Moonstone City, go to the navy office, and find Old Bai Ou to complete the commission."
An curiously asked:
"What's the commission? Is it a second-tier occupation card?"
Although it seemed unbelievable, in An's spiritual vision, Chen Qi already possessed the strength to advance to the second tier!
You guessed it too accurately... Chen Qi nodded:
"Yes, it's a Lamp Phase occupation card..."
Lamp Phase! An was taken aback.
In Shell Country, besides the news agency and the Bei Country Meteorological Bureau, almost no other large-scale Lamp Phase organizations existed.
And these two exclusive organizations, even with their small numbers, still had a shortage of internal occupation cards.
Some seniors with enough experience and strength had waited ten years without receiving the promised promotion occupation card.
And the White Tower Federation, which controlled the origin-level Hunter organization [Lighthouse], had no intention of recruiting outsiders in this era.
Even at Bei Country Royal University, Lamp Phase wasn't very popular.
As a novice mentor, An had rarely seen Lamp Phase occupation cards:
"Are you sure? Lamp Phase organizations are very rare, and maintaining the Lamp Phase principles means you can't live a peaceful life."
Unlike the first choice, the nature of a second-tier occupation card was crucial.
It was like choosing a major in university.
Although the book Extraordinary Path recorded that there were ways to remedy a wrong nature choice.
The cost of making such corrections was prohibitively expensive, not something an ordinary person could bear.
Chen Qi smiled bitterly.
In An's eyes, choosing Lamp Phase had a bleak future and made it hard to live a peaceful life.
Where the heart goes, so goes the nature.
Sometimes, a person's nature choice disregards the future.
Besides, in Chen Qi's eyes, the world was heading toward destruction and the peaceful era was ending.
In such times, only those who kept moving forward could reach the pinnacle.
Peace, what was that? Fighting and adventure were the real deals!
Lamp Phase was a pretty good choice.
To Chen Qi, it was one of the best choices.
Chen Qi looked up at the slightly bright moon in the sky:
"This world is vast, I still want to see more."
Not satisfied with a peaceful life? An recalled many legends of the sea: "I see..."
In fact, her intuition told her that Lamp Phase was indeed a good choice.
Lamp Phase was both an explorer and a guide.
In An's memory, there were quite a few legendary figures in the Lamp Phase.
Legend had it that the Ice Witch's occupation card was a legendary-grade Ice Lamp Phase card.
The strength of Lamp Phase Transcendents was not weak.
Due to the lack of support from transcendent organizations, the hardest part of the Lamp Phase path was the difficulty of advancing.
But in the Crack Tide, personal advancement no longer depended on transcendent organizations or noble patronage but on one's own strength.
Under the Crack Tide, anything was possible.
Even without joining a transcendent organization, unimaginable monsters could still be born, just like the legendary Deep Sea Hunter.
Not a bad choice, An shifted the topic, requesting:
"By the way, Qi, can you give me a ride to Moonstone City later? I happen to be heading there as well."
Chen Qi asked curiously: "Going to Moonstone City, for what?
An patted her empty pockets:
"Do you know about the recent major navy operation?"
Chen Qi asked puzzledly: "Major navy operation?"
An explained: "In the Crack Sea, according to the meteorological bureau's findings,
a large number of cracks have formed in the forbidden Sea Demon Gorge due to the Sea Demon's song, many powerful figures have fallen there, which means, besides the cracks themselves, there are many sunken relics, attracting countless adventurers."
An looked out to the distant sea:
"I'm also planning to go to the Sea Demon Gorge to make some money."
"Sea Demon Gorge?"
Chen Qi took out a sea chart from his backpack card.
Sea Demon Gorge was located beyond the near sea, further into the Crack Sea.
From the game forums, he remembered it was a place with many dungeons.
But at the same time, it was home to many dangerous sea beasts.
The most famous of which were the Sea Demons that resembled humans.
The Sea Demons' songs were powerful mental attacks, capable of driving people to kill each other!
An continued explaining:
"Personally, I can't pass through the dangerous Sea Demon Gorge, so I'm planning to go to the navy office in Moonstone City and hitch a ride on the navy ships.
My spells should be quite helpful."
"Teacher An, your spells can outperform fifty cannons no problem."
Chen Qi said, while assessing his own strength.
With his current strength, he should be able to safely set foot in the Crack Sea.
An leaned in closer, softly saying: "Moreover, according to the latest White Dove newspaper report, the Witch is likely to head to the Sea Demon Gorge."
"Do you think I won't encounter the Witch? Although the possibility is low since the Witch is always mysterious."
An finished eating a whole piece of fruit pudding.
The dwarf craftsman eating beside them suddenly said:
"You better hope not, if any of you meets the Flower Witch, there might not even be a corpse left, turned into residue in her alchemy pot."
Witch, how terrifying.
To the life-cherishing dwarf craftsman, he wished never to encounter such powerful beings in his life, regardless of their nature.
"Hmm..."
An was silent for a moment, then nodded, raising her glass to Chen Qi:
"Let's hope neither of us encounters the Witch, cheers to surviving!"
I've already been targeted by the Witch, Chen Qi thought bitterly, raising his glass:
"Yes, cheers to surviving!"
Clink!
In the midst of everyone's cheers, the clinking glasses produced a crisp sound!
Unknowingly, night had deepened.
The food on the dining table was finished by everyone, even the plates licked clean.
Chen Qi returned to his small houseboat and slept for a while.
The next day at noon.
"Qi!"
At the dock, An had changed into a convenient white shirt and trousers, holding a wooden magic wand taller than herself, and waved to him.
She lightly stepped onto Chen Qi's small boat.
"It's time to collect the reward."
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Chen Qi started the small houseboat, heading to Moonstone City.