Chapter 3 Chef's Training (Part 1)_1

If Nian Bing had continually cultivated fire magic, when he reached the realm of Intermediate Mage, perhaps his ice constitution would have indeed disappeared due to the overwhelming presence of the fire element. However, at this point, Nian Bing had acquired the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone. As a top-tier magic gem, the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone nurtured the purest aura of ice element, which quietly stirred Nian Bing's ice constitution, and forced the original fire magic power to the other half of his body. Nian Bing's fire magic power wasn't really pure originally and was always influenced by his ice constitution. When the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone appeared, the fire magic power within Nian Bing's body precisely separated the ice element that was growing stronger, thus, whether it was ice or fire magic power, it was now extremely pure.

Nian Bing began cultivating magic at the age of five and he had been practicing for five years now. The number of mages in the Yangguang Continent was extremely rare. The fundamental reason was that the cultivation of magic was too difficult. Whereas a martial artist could see some accomplishments in three years, reaching at least the Xiao Cheng Level, for a mage, without ten years of meditation at the beginning, it was impossible to reach the level of an Intermediate Mage. Even an Intermediate Mage may not be able to win in a one-on-one fight against a martial artist who had practiced for only three years. The spent time reciting spells was the greatest drawback. Therefore, there were very few people who chose to cultivate magic, and even fewer who succeeded in communicating with magic elements and became Intermediate Mages. However, the existence of mages was obviously necessary. Although they didn't have the upper hand in one-on-one fights, in the case of legion level battles, they were indispensable. Especially, the large-scale destructive magic released by the Advanced Level Mage often changed the entire battlefield. Therefore, no matter how hard it is to cultivate magic, there was always a reason for its existence.

Last year, Nian Bing successfully reached the realm of a Junior Mage, which in Rong Tian's view was already quick. However, he didn't know that Nian Bing's natural talent for magic was excellent and if not for the influence of his ice constitution, his progress would have been even faster. At this point, under the influence of the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone and the Fire God Stone, the longstanding problem finally disappeared. As he was only a Junior Mage, neither the fire element nor the water element was very intense, so they could temporarily balance each other inside his body. Although the previous problem had disappeared, a new one had already arrived. Ice and fire countered each other, so what would happen if he continued to meditate like this? Would they always be able to coexist peacefully? Nian Bing didn't know the answer and he didn't know what to do. Cultivating magic was indeed difficult, but it was even harder to give up one type of magic power within his body. Unless a mage three levels higher than him helped, he would never succeed. But where could he find a mage at this point?

Nian Bing, lying flat on the bed, was constantly thinking about these issues. The feeling of being cold on one side and hot on the other was not comfortable, but it didn't cause him too much discomfort. What should he do? Continue meditating like this? Although there wasn't much of either the ice or fire magic power, they felt very solid. Perhaps this was the effect of the two gemstones. There was no other option now. To avenge his family, he needed great power. Since he couldn't give up cultivating magic, he could only continue, finding his way as he went. Perhaps when his magic grew stronger in the future, he would find a solution. Thinking of this, Nian Bing no longer hesitated and finally began his first meditation after differentiating between fire and ice. The two magic elements, ice and fire, quickly coalesced around his body, with the help of the two gemstones, swiftly plunging him into a settled state.

At dawn, the chirping of insects and birds filled the entire Peach Blossom Forest, and Cha Ji, who hadn't slept all night, got up early.

"Little lazybones, time to get up," Cha Ji pushed open the door.

Nian Bing had recently awakened from his meditative state and was feeling fresh and invigorated, an unusual sense of comfort prompting him to groan with satisfaction. Without thinking, he stretched lazily. Among his feelings of comfort, there were some strange sensations. The different temperatures on either side of his body seemed to have become more distinct.

Seeing Cha Ji, Nian Bing smiled slightly and said, "Master, you're up so early!"

Cha Ji was initially worried that his hypnotism might not have worked. Hearing Nian Bing call him master, he heaved a sigh of relief and smiled slightly, saying, "Early? Not really, get up fast. From today on, I will formally start teaching you to cook."

"Okay." Seeing that Cha Ji didn't seem to doubt him, Nian Bing quickly got up and, while Cha Ji wasn't looking, carefully placed the two gemstones away. After quickly tidying up the room, he followed Cha Ji out.

"Master, what are we starting to learn from?" Nian Bing asked curiously. Because he had understood his feelings of hatred, he appeared much livelier today than yesterday. The childlike heart that yearned for novelty was undoubtedly revealed.

Cha Ji smiled faintly and said, "I thought about it yesterday and I arranged a daily learning program for you. Under the current circumstances, you just have to follow this program. Nian Bing, do you know what you need to go through first in order to become a good chef?"

Nian Bing shook his head puzzledly, "I've never learned before, so how am I supposed to know?"

Seriously, Cha Ji said, "To become a good chef, you must go through a process—the process of getting to know food. Only by completely being familiar with the various tastes of food and knowing how to appreciate and taste them, can you become a qualified chef. Therefore, from today onwards, you need to taste every dish I make to train your sense of taste and smell."

Nian Bing was stunned for a moment, but the clever boy quickly reacted, "Master, do you mean that all I have to do every day is eat? Will this equip me with good culinary skills?"

Cha Ji grinned, saying, "Culinary is an art, as is eating. Do you think eating is that simple? Not only do you need to eat, but you also need to decipher the essence of what you taste, and you need to tell me what exactly you tasted in your food."

Nian Bing laughed, clapping his hands, "Well! Isn't that simple? When do we start eating, Master? I'm already hungry." Due to the hypnotism from the night before, he hadn't eaten anything apart from the initial bowl of porridge; how could he not be hungry?

Cha Ji grumpily retorted, "Is it simple? Well, you'll find out later whether eating is an easy thing to do or not. Eating involves two stages. Once you have mastered these, you can truly start learning how to cook."

The curious Nian Bing asked, "What are these two stages?"

Cha Ji answered with a wry smile, "These two stages are transitioning from thin to fat and then back to thin."

Although Nian Bing was intelligent, he still didn't understand what Cha Ji meant. Seeing his puzzled gaze, Cha Ji said, "You don't need to understand it now, just follow along and you will get it gradually. Alright, let's start with the first meal. I've prepared your breakfast in the kitchen. Go and eat."

The breakfast was simple: a large bowl of porridge along with a few small plates of side dishes. Nian Bing was already hungry, and given Cha Ji's culinary skills, he finished his meal as quickly as he could.

Cha Ji sat next to Nian Bing, watching him eat happily and asked, "So, how was it?"

Nian Bing expressed his satisfaction, "It was so delicious. Master, you truly are the Ghost Chef. Nobody can compete with your cooking."

Cha Ji sighed and said, "It's a pity my wrist is damaged, and I can only cook the simplest dishes. Hm, no, wait a moment, you little brat, do you really think you can dismiss me with just saying it was delicious? Did you forget what I just asked you? What I need to know is how this breakfast made you feel."

Nian Bing stared innocently at Cha Ji, "Feel? Isn't it just about tasting good? Isn't that enough?"

Cha Ji gave Nian Bing's head a tap, "Idiot, of course it's not enough. If you just know it was tasty, how are you different from any regular person? You need to express what made it taste good."