Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs and Meteor Cutting Technique

"My host, congratulations for earning five hundred crystals and completing a short-term objective, you shall soon receive the system reward. The system reward is being released..."

The system's solemn voice rang out in Bu Fang's mind, startling him and waking him up from his slight intoxication.

He did not even realize that so many days had passed and he had already earned five hundred crystals. Even Bu Fang's expressionless face twitched and a smile appeared as the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Young man aiming to become the God of Cooking, congratulations for completing a short-term sales mission. You have once again taken a step to achieving your goal. Reward: Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs cooking method, Meteor Cutting Technique training method, and one fragment of the God of Cooking Set."

"Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs?!"

When Bu Fang heard the solemn voice of the system say this phrase, he subconsciously swallowed his saliva. He was very familiar with this dish, because it was one of his favorite dishes back on Earth.

Bu Fang was joyous that he finally unlocked a new dish and it was even the Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs. He was so excited that he was walking on air.

A delicious dish of Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs would be extremely fragrant and the meat would be tangerine in color. The taste would be sour-sweet and would be crispy on the outside while remaining tender in the inside. As one bit down on it, the rich fragrance of the meat would create an aromatic explosion in their mouths and mesmerize them.

The Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs was a dish that captivated people.

Bu Fang endured the urge to immediately start cooking the Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs and checked the training method for the Meteor Cutting Technique instead. Strictly speaking, he was not an amateur when it came to handling knives. After all, he had been cooking for many years and had grasped his own set of cutting techniques.

"Meteor Cutting Technique training method: As a young man aiming to become the God of Cooking, you need to be superb with your cutting techniques. The cutting technique training mode will now be activated. Completing the daily cutting technique training will award you with cutting technique experience points and improve your cutting technique. When you master the Meteor Cutting Technique, your knife will be as swift as a meteorite as you precisely and perfectly cut any ingredient into equal pieces."

Bu Fang was startled, then the character panel naturally appeared in his mind.

Host: Bu Fang

True Energy Cultivation Level: Third Grade (Has already achieved the ability to manifest true energy outside of the body. As the God of Cooking in the fantasy world, you will definitely need to make use of true energy when cooking. Work hard, young man.)

Cooking Talents: Yet to be unlocked

Skills: Level One Meteor Cutting Technique (0/100)

Tools: Fragments of God of Cooking Set (3/4)

God of Cooking overall rating: Apprentice Chef (You can finally cook ingredients with your true energy. Practice your cutting technique and the road to becoming the God of Cooking will open for you. Work hard, young man.)

System Level: Three Stars (Conversion ratio is at twenty-five percent, customers are allowed to bring ingredients lower than fourth grade.)

After Bu Fang finished reading the updated panel, he took a deep breath and exhaled to calm his agitation.

As he lifted up his hand and exerted his will, he felt a snake-like burst of energy swiftly flowing through one of the meridians in his body and gushing out from his palm like a stream of white gas.

Manifestation of true energy! That was the manifestation of true energy! Bu Fang's mouth was wide open in shock. He felt as if he was an expert in the novels and it felt unreal to him.

In order to become a third grade Battle-Maniac, he needed the energy of a hundred crystals and he had earned five hundred crystals. The conversion ratio, when the system level was Two Stars, was at twenty percent. After conversion, the true energy he gained was worth a hundred crystals. Thus, he was able to break through and become a Battle-Maniac.

Bu Fang had just become a second grade Battle-Master a few days ago, and now, he had just broken through once more. Even he found it to be slightly difficult to believe.

If someone else was to witness this, they would be even more astonished.

However, Bu Fang's astonishment did not last long and he quickly calmed down. He was different from the others. Even though his true energy level was at third grade, if he were to fight against Xiao Xiaolong, he would be easily defeated. That was to say that his cultivation level might be high, but his fighting prowess was worthless.

"However, so what if I am useless at fighting? I have Whitey," Bu Fang thought.

"System, how much true energy do I need to reach fourth grade?" Bu Fang asked.

"Fourth grade Battle-Spirit requires a thousand crystals. Fifth grade Battle-King requires ten thousand crystals. Sixth grade Battle-Emperor requires a hundred thousand crystals." the system solemnly replied to Bu Fang.

Bu Fang clutched his chest as he resisted the urge to vomit blood… How frustrating! How many plates of egg-fried rice would he need to sell to get a hundred thousand crystals? It was definitely more than enough for him to sell until his old age.

"It looks like my hopes of covertly acting conceited using my cultivation level in the future is dashed..." Bu Fang regretfully said with a sigh.

"If a sixth grade Battle-Emperor needed a hundred thousand crystals, then a seventh grade Battle-Saint would need a million crystals… My heavens, a million crystals! If it was piled into a mountain, it could even crush me to death.

"If I continue calculating, an eighth grade War-God… Good heavens!"

Bu Fang shuddered and did not dare to continue thinking about it. He calmed down. Whatever seventh grade or eighth grade was something completely unrelated to him at this point. There was no need for him to think about it right now. Bu Fang felt that his current life was not bad.

After the opening hours was over, Bu Fang immediately closed the store's entrance and headed into the kitchen to do some research on the tantalizing Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs.

...

Great Hall of the imperial palace.

The doors of the majestic Great Hall were wide open as row upon row of slim and beautiful court ladies entered while carrying delicious dishes into the hall.

As the sound of the pipa[1] resounded in the air, the sound of the se[2] responded in kind.

The scene within the Great Hall was filled with festivity.

At the highest point in the Great Hall, the emperor was sitting on a gold-colored wooden zen chair[3]. The table in front of him was filled with delicious dishes while two beautiful court ladies were gently waving a fan.

Seated below the emperor, on the left was the handsome and talented Great General Xiao Meng and the smiling crown prince, Ji Chengan. On the right was the second prince, King Yu, and the third prince, Ji Chengxue; the mood between the two princes was slightly cold and awkward.

Further below them were the court officials of the Light Wind Empire and the prestigious guests invited to the feast.

The family members of the Xiao and Ouyang families were seated together. Ouyang Xiaoyi was sitting next to Xiao Yanyu and was chatting with her.

Xiao Xiaolong, on the other hand, was excitedly staring at a sapphire jar that was storing the wine, the Bejewelled Nectar.

Like Xiao Xiaolong, the three barbarians of Ouyang were licking their lips as they stared at the wine jar.

There was a similarity between the two families and that was the dishes in front of them, which were relatively untouched. It was a strange sight within the Great Hall.

These dishes were all personally prepared by the imperial kitchen's chefs. The taste was definitely delicious and it could be said to be the most delicious food within the Light Wind Empire. However, the Xiao siblings and Ouyang siblings all stopped eating after they each took a single bite.

"This dish tastes really bad. It's far worse than the smelly boss' food..." Ouyang Xiaoyi said as she disdainfully used her chopsticks to play around with a piece of fish. She had no appetite at all.

Even though the same disdainful look did not appear on Xiao Yanyu's beautiful face, there was no sign that her chopsticks were going to move. She was only calmly watching the scene within the Great Hall.

"The only reason that we're here is for the Bejewelled Nectar Wine. If it wasn't for the fact that Owner Bu's store doesn't have wine, I wouldn't even bother to come to the feast today. These dishes can't even compare to Owner Bu's Egg-Fried Rice!" Xiao Xiaolong said with a sigh.

When the three barbarians of Ouyang heard what he said, they fiercely nodded and Ouyang Zhen said, "Owner Bu's Lees Fish is truly delicious, even people like us with bland taste buds were subdued!"

"Tch! You're just exaggerating. How could a lousy store like that have any delicious food?" Zhao Ruge was just elegantly sitting nearby. When he heard the conservation, he immediately sneered at them.

"What are you laughing at! If I say it's delicious, then it's delicious!" Ouyang Zhen said while angrily staring at Zhao Ruge.

"The chefs of the imperial kitchen were personally selected by His Majesty from among famous chefs within the empire. They went through numerous strict screening to become an imperial chef. How could a mere chef from a restaurant in an alleyway compare to them? If you're praising him, are you suggesting that His Majesty is unable to discern talent?" Zhao Ruge simply said.

Even though Ouyang Xiaoyi felt that the smelly boss was a terrible person, she did not like it when someone said bad things about him. Her large eyes were staring at Zhao Ruge as she poutingly said, "Have you eaten smelly boss' dishes? If you haven't eaten it before, then be quiet!"

Zhao Ruge's expression froze and he felt as if an invisible arrow had pierced into his chest.

"The next dish, the Bejewelled Nectar Wine!"

Just when Zhao Ruge was about to retaliate, the sharp voice of a eunuch resounded out. Then all of the guests started cheering as the climax of the feast finally arrived.

Zhao Ruge snorted, then pointed toward the sapphire jars that were stacked together and said, "Do you see the Bejewelled Nectar Wine? Just this wine is enough to compare against all of the dishes in that entire restaurant!"

Bejewelled Nectar Wine was the number one wine in the Light Wind Empire… He was that confident in it!

[1] Pipa(琵琶) - It is a Chinese string instrument that is also known as Chinese lute.

[2] Se(锦) - It is a Chinese plucked zither.

[3] Zen chair(禅椅) - It's a short wooden chair with a low back, where people would sit cross-legged on it.