Chapter 10. The legacy tower.

"Damn it!" Li Chen grumbled as he gazed at the ruined meal before him, from which a toxin so potent was emanating that it began dissolving the other ingredients, reducing them to a soggy mess.

"Fuck!" He swore again, hastily backing away.

Fortunately, he had preemptively donned a mask; otherwise, he would have inhaled the toxic fumes, which could have been fatal.

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Attempt to cook the demonic inferno stir-fry delight has failed.

_Reason: Inability to control the toxin from the Two-faced demonic lotus flower.

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Li Chen paid no attention to the alert on the screen as he hastened to leave the cultivation room, slamming the door behind him as he darted into his bedroom.

Sigh!

"Why do I feel like the system is trying to kill me?" Li Chen vented, frustration lacing his words.

He followed the recipe with confidence, even after recognizing the challenging ingredients, since he had observed the positive effect seasoning the wok had on the wok. But after two failed attempts at making the demonic inferno stir-fry delight, he was beginning to doubt his judgment.

Firstly, the Two-faced demonic lotus flower reacted too violently the moment he placed it into the wok. Although the runes etched on the wok after seasoning tried to contain the toxin, Li Chen found himself losing control of it at some point.

Without any delay, Li Chen settled on his bed, sinking into deep thought, troubled by his two unsuccessful tries.

Li Jing had managed to procure only five petals of the Two-faced demonic lotus flower for him, falling short of the twenty he had requested. It wasn't that she couldn't obtain more; there were simply only five petals remaining in the clan's treasury.

The Two-faced demonic lotus flower might be common, but its high demand and the difficulty in harvesting due to its toxic nature made it scarce. Li Chen knew that if he waited, more would arrive in the clan's treasury, but he felt impatient to start leveling up and didn't want to trouble Li Jing further.

With just three petals left after his two attempts, Li Chen realized he needed to succeed at least twice more, or he would be back to square one.

However, the problem was that Li Chen, from his past efforts, didn't seem to be improving. He would need at least a dozen more tries for a breakthrough, but he lacked the luxury of that many attempts.

As he was lost in thought, a soft voice suddenly whispered near his ear, "Why don't you try to challenge the legacy tower?" Fluffy suggested.

Li Chen was taken aback, "Legacy tower? What is that?" he couldn't resist inquiring.

Immediately after his question, an image of an enormous tower flashed in his mind. The image was blurry, and all Li Chen could discern was the silhouette of a massive tower and nothing more.

"Is that the tower? What's it about? How would it help me now?" Li Chen asked upon seeing the image.

Fluffy appeared unfazed by the barrage of questions from Li Chen, and instead, he began to explain calmly, "The legacy tower is located within a treasure space,"

Before Fluffy could finish his explanation, Li Chen interrupted with a voice tinged with astonishment, "A treasure space?"

Treasure spaces, as the name suggests, are unique realms that system users unlock. They obtain a ticket to a treasure space, which allows them transport to a realm that, while some may be barren, others are brimming with spiritual herbs, pills, and countless other treasures. Li Chen was astounded to hear of a treasure space; how would he find such a place?

Sensing the question in Li Chen's mind, Fluffy began to clarify, "The treasure space I'm referring to is not like the others. This one is directly connected to the system," he elaborated.

'What! Directly linked to the system?' Li Chen exclaimed silently.

Though he wasn't fully aware of the implications, Li Chen surmised it would be beneficial.

Noticing Li Chen's curiosity, Fluffy continued, "The treasure space seems promising, but I can't detect much about it since it's still locked," Fluffy informed him.

"How do you know it could help me when you say it's still locked?" Li Chen inquired, intrigued.

Fluffy replied, "Well, I've established a slight connection with the treasure space," he revealed. "I may not know the specifics of how it will assist you, but I sense that it has the potential to aid you in your current predicament," Fluffy added.

Li Chen's brows knitted together at this, yet what other option did he have?

"So, how do I unlock this treasure space?" he asked, eager to learn more.

"Soul crystal," Fluffy answered simply.

Hearing this, Li Chen's expression grew contemplative. He recalled spotting something about a soul crystal when he had checked his stats the previous day, but he was unsure of its nature or how to obtain it, especially since he remembered not having any.

"What is a soul crystal, and how can I obtain it?" he questioned.

"Soul crystal is essentially the system's currency. It can be used to unlock treasure spaces, and purchase items in the shop," Fluffy explained.

"There are numerous ways to earn soul crystals. One of the simplest is by receiving reviews from people about your cooking," Fluffy went on.

As soon as Li Chen heard this, a name sprang to mind: Li Jing.

* *

In Li Jing's gazebo.

"Senior Brother Li Chen, you've returned," Li Jing remarked, her brows creased in concern. "Were you poisoned by the Two-faced demonic lotus flower?"

It hadn't been long since Li Chen had departed her quarters with the Two-faced demonic lotus flower, and his swift return led her to one immediate concern.

"No, no, I've come for a happy reason," Li Chen assured her with a smile.

With a flick of his wrist, a mooncake materialized in his hand.

"Uahhh!!" Li Jing exclaimed at the sight of the mooncake. Without hesitation, she snatched it from Li Chen's hand and bit into it eagerly.

"Uahhhh! Delicious!" she declared after taking a bite.

At that moment, a notification screen materialized before him.

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Li Jing has given you a 3.4-star review for your meal.

_Reward: You have received 10 soul crystals.

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Upon seeing this, Li Chen was conflicted. He needed fifty soul crystals to unlock the treasure space and the legacy tower. The fact that Li Jing's review had granted him 10 soul crystals was a start, but he was still far from his goal. Should he feel pleased with the progress or disheartened by the distance still to cover?

Although ten soul crystals might seem to bring him closer to his goal of fifty, given that he had no other known means of acquiring more, it was still insufficient.

As he grappled with his thoughts and emotions, Li Jing's voice jolted him back to reality. "Brother Li Chen, where did you get this?" she inquired.

"Oh, this? I made it myself," Li Chen replied, snapping out of his reverie.

Li Jing's attention shifted from the mooncake back to Li Chen. "Why would you?" she asked curiously.

Li Chen smiled at her question. "Well, I figured that since you helped me today, the least I could do was try to make something you'd enjoy in return," he said, bending the truth.

"You didn't have to do that," Li Jing responded, slightly touched.

"But I wanted to," Li Chen said, his smile unwavering as he reached out and gently caressed Li Jing's face.

'Sorry for lying to you, Xiao Baobei. I promise to make it up to you later,' Li Chen apologized internally, but he maintained his warm smile as he continued to stroke her cheek.

Li Jing's face lit up with a deep smile as she focused again on the mooncake and took another bite.

At that moment, another system notification appeared before him.

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Congratulations! Li Jing has updated her review to a 4-star rating.

_Reward: You have received 15 soul crystals (Additional bonus of 5 soul crystals).

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Li Chen stared at the screen for a moment before dismissing it. With thirty soul crystals now in hand, he needed only twenty more to unlock the treasure space.

After spending a few more moments with Li Jing, he bid her farewell and returned to his room.

Back in his quarters, Li Chen delved into deep contemplation about his next steps. Although it seemed he had earned more than half of the required soul crystals, the remaining twenty presented the greatest challenge.

With Li Jing having already provided a review of the meal that earned him soul crystals, there seemed to be no other immediate method to gather more.

As he pondered this, Fluffy made a suggestion. "Why don't you try selling something to the system in exchange for soul crystals?"

"Wait, I can do that?" Li Chen asked, surprised by the suggestion.

"Of course, yes. Why not?" Fluffy confirmed. "Though not all items can be sold to the system," he cautioned.

Li Chen's brows furrowed in thought before he inquired, "So, what can I sell?"

"How about your seasoned wok?" Fluffy proposed.