Divine Soul Realm’s assessment?
Bu Fang narrowed his eyes when he heard the notification . However, when he felt the energy in his body surge, he could not stop the corners of his lips from curling upwards .
He stood up from his seat, and his gaze swept past the others, who were either enjoying their meals or sipping their drinks . Then, he turned around and walked toward the kitchen .
He had not expected the Divine Soul Realm’s assessment to begin now as he had initially intended to rest . However, now that the assessment was set to start, he was going to take it .
Bu Fang had been expecting it for a long time, so he was not scared in the slightest .
The venue of the assessment was set to be in the kitchen . Logically, there was no other place in the restaurant where he would have been able to carry out the assessment .
Bu Fang walked into the kitchen . This equipment and decor here were the same as those in Fang Fang’s Little Store and Cloud Mist Restaurant . It was, indeed, the system’s preferred style .
Bu Fang also liked the kitchen’s set-up .
Anyway, after his cooking skills had leveled up, the system had said that he could design his own kitchen .
As Bu Fang walked into the kitchen, his Vermillion Robe fluttered . He took off the robe and headed towards the stove .
The system’s solemn voice resounded in his mind once more, instructing him on the forthcoming Divine Soul Realm’s assessment .
A dish appeared in Bu Fang’s mind . Its recipe was lengthy, and all that information was pumped into his mind . Since his spirit sea had now expanded, his mental energy had grown stronger as well . Thus, the lengthy recipe was no big deal to him, and he was not scared .
A glow emerged in his eyes, which was the system’s reminder .
Upon skimming through the recipe, Bu Fang realized that it was something special . The recipe’s patterns glowed and moved .
He walked up to a cabinet and pulled it open .
Rumble .
The aroma of meat began to waft outward .
There was a huge, featherless goose hanging inside this cabinet .
This was, no doubt, the main ingredient for this Divine Soul Realm’s assessment—Big Goose .
This big goose was a strong spirit beast . Its cultivation being the Divine Soul Realm meant that it was not weak in the slightest . Despite that, however, it was now an ingredient in his cabinet .
Bu Fang lifted his hands and took the big goose down .
He pinched the goose, finding out that its meat was really elastic . After prodding the bird for a while, Bu Fang’s eyes lit up .
It really is a good ingredient .
“In this assessment, you’re not allowed to use true energy . You can only use your mental energy…” The system’s solemn voice echoed around Bu Fang . Its instruction was strict .
Bu Fang was startled . Instinctively, he looked around once more and found himself in a place that resembled an examining room .
Bu Fang exhaled gently . Could he really not use true energy?
His expression turned stern . Over time, he had gotten used to processing and cooking ingredients with true energy, as well as making subtle changes during cooking .
But now, the system would not permit him to use it, which made the assessment more difficult .
Anyway, it is just a little difficult .
Bu Fang’s skill in cooking was not gifted to him by the system . Although the system had aided him with regular boosts, he had gotten this good because of constant practice .
Moreover, his skill was not simple, and he did not rely only on the system .
That being said, Bu Fang seemed to know why the system had set up such assessments .
It sought to help him become the God of Cooking, who would stand at the top of the food chain in this fantasy world .
To become the God of Cooking, however, he could not afford to limit nor restrain himself . He required an endless dedication from which he would promote his ability and competence levels .
When training to become the God of Cooking, one could not tread a path that their predecessors had set up .
For instance, the system had given him a recipe for the assessment, but he noticed that the recipe was too detailed, causing him to knit his brows .
Although the steps to prepare this dish had been outlined simply and clearly, the finished dish would just be bland because it was prepared by the book . Hence, it would not be a magnificent dish, and neither would people find it attractive .
Therefore, what Bu Fang needed to do was to tacitly revise the recipe and complete the assessment .
Bu Fang grabbed the goose by its head before walking over to the stove . The list of ingredients in the recipe suddenly appeared in his mind .
He took the ingredients out from the cabinet, then placed them on the counter .
After washing all the ingredients with clean water, Bu Fang waved his hand . A jet of gold light, which resembled a silk thread, emerged from the void and began orbiting his hand like a small windmill .
Chop . Chop . Chop .
The Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, with its knife spirit, moved so fast that the naked eyes could not grasp the moments it touched the cutting board .
After all the ingredients had been cut into thin, thread-like pieces, Bu Fang placed them on a porcelain tray . With the chopped ingredients on it, the blue-and-white porcelain tray looked quite beautiful .
After putting the tray away, Bu Fang grabbed the goose’s head and pulled the bird over .
The Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife moved, chopping down on the cutting board . Bu Fang’s hands reached out, moving fast on the skin of the bird as he meticulously plucked the remaining feathers on the goose .
He did not wish for any of it to remain because they would affect the texture of the dish .
After plucking the remaining little feathers and checking the goose several times, Bu Fang began to pat it rapidly .
His mental energy surged like rushing waves .
Bam . Bam . Bam .
As Bu Fang patted the goose, it slowly swelled, becoming bigger and rounder .
Bu Fang was pumping his mental energy into the goose, not his true energy .
The Black Turtle Constellation Wok appeared and landed on the stove with a bang . Bu Fang spouted out a ball of Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame, which then soared to the bottom of the wok, causing the temperature within the wok to increase immediately .
The Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water inside the Black Turtle Constellation Wok began to boil .
Burble . Burble .
Bubbles rose and burst within the wok .
The cool Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water was now boiling .
Bu Fang rubbed the goose briefly before shoving it into the wok .
Buzz…
The Black Turtle Constellation Wok vibrated, and the hot water inside it rippled rhythmically .
When the big goose had been submerged, its pores opened up, as though they were sucking in the boiling water .
Gurgle . Gurgle .
The goose’s beak opened up, and bubbles began to emerge from it .
Since Bu Fang was not allowed to use true energy, he was unable to precisely control the heat within the wok . Despite that, his mental energy kept surging, and soon, it covered the entire wok .
When the mental energy seeped into the wok, it turned into thread-like strands and coiled around the goose .
Swoosh .
A little hot water splashed out of the wok .
When Bu Fang brought the goose out of the wok, its rosy meat was revealed amidst the hot wisps of steam coming from it .
This assessment had brought about a huge pressure on Bu Fang’s mental energy .
If his mental energy had been just a point weaker, he would not have been able to pass the assessment . Generally speaking, the previous step showed off his culinary ability and talent .
Next, Bu Fang took out a golden syrup that the system had prepared . He slowly poured the syrup onto the goose, and shortly, the entire goose was coated .
As he poured the golden syrup, his mental energy acted as a brush, smearing the syrup all over the goose .
This syrup was no simple ingredient . It was made with the honey of a certain type of spirit bee .
After the goose was thoroughly smeared, it sparkled, and its meat became more delicate .
Bu Fang squeezed the goose’s beak open, then shoved the chopped ingredients down its throat and into its belly . After that, he took out a jar of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine and poured it down the goose’s throat .
Then, he placed the goose on the stove to be roasted .
His mental energy formed silk threads once more, which began to coil around every inch of the goose .
All he had to do from this point onward was to make sure that the goose had been smeared properly, as well as checking on its quality during the roasting .
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
As his mental energy seeped into the goose, the heat emanating from it became stronger . After a while, the goose was fully roasted .
The goose meat had turned golden and crunchy, and it gave off a pleasant aroma .
Bu Fang twirled the Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife in its hands, causing its cold golden light to flicker .
As the kitchen knife twirled around, golden light started to flash . This golden light actually came from the flame’s light that reflected off the blade, which made it look extremely dazzling .
The next thing he had to do was control the flame .
This time, he had to do it with his mental energy only . Since this assessment required him to use his mental energy much more than he had ever had to, he could not afford to make any mistakes .
If he did, the quality of the goose would change drastically .
Swish .
The Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen knife emerged above the stove, and it instantly made a small incision on the swollen golden goose .
Drops of light golden oil dripped from the incision .
One cut, two cuts, three cuts…
Bu Fang’s knife continually glided across the big golden goose, causing more oil to drip .
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
When the drops of oily juiced landed on the hot stove, thicker clouds of steam were produced .
Bu Fang patted the goose with his kitchen knife before spreading the wings open, all the while rotating it over the stove .
After that, Bu Fang brought out a fancy, flat blue-and-white porcelain bowl .
Swish! Swish!
He positioned his knife above the goose, ready to make a cut .
As he began to slice the goose’s meat, his mental energy vibrated gently, causing the sliced bits of meat to fall squarely on the porcelain plate . It was in this manner that he had chosen to present the aromatic, crunchy golden goose meat .
Each slice of goose meat was as thin as a cicada’s wing . When Bu Fang used a pair of chopsticks to lift a slice of goose meat, he could see through it .
The slice of meat was tender and soft .
Meanwhile, the goose was still being rotated atop the roasting rack, and Bu Fang was observing it carefully . His mental energy began to surge again, and from time to time, he swung his knife at the goose, slicing off more pieces into the bowl .
The rich aroma emanating from the goose permeated the air . It soon wafted out of the kitchen and into the restaurant .
Everybody went wide-eyed in astonishment .
Even Flowery was shocked . Her delicate nose sniffed, and the pleasant aroma in the air made her Tri-Flower Snake Eyes roll .
Chu Changsheng’s brows were raised, and his face held an expression of surprise .
This aroma… smelled different from the dishes Owner Bu makes!
The aroma seemed to carry with it something that was difficult to fathom—something that was spiritual in nature .
Could it possibly be that Owner Bu had advanced again?!
He had advanced again?!
Chu Changsheng almost choked on his glass of Sour Plum Juice at the thought . Bu Fang’s speed of advancement was just too fast .
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the knife made another graceful arc as it chopped off the goose’s head, which landed accurately atop the tray .
At that moment, only the goose’s skeleton remained atop the roasting rack .
Every bit of meat that was previously on it had been sliced off .
After a bowl of well-mixed ruddy sauce was placed beside the fancy blue-and-white porcelain tray, the dish’s radiance lit up the kitchen .
The Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife in Bu Fang’s hand dissipated into motes of scattering gold light .
Bu Fang removed the velvet rope on his head, gently letting his hair down . After exhaling, he remarked, “Divine Soul Realm’s assessment dish… complete!”