King of Beasts

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room erupted in astonishment.

Many people wore strange expressions.

From a rational standpoint, if a pet beast has mastered Culinary Intent, how could a Chef not use it while cooking?

But if that were true, then at least half of the fruit platter they just ate was cut by this dog!

“That’s hilarious,” She Pi and his companions tried to stifle their laughter in the corner as the truth came to light.

They were professionally trained, and usually wouldn’t laugh unless they couldn’t hold it in!

Actually, this wasn’t a big deal. It’s quite common for pet beasts to assist Chefs in cooking and handling complex ingredients.

When it comes to cooking with fire, no stove can control the heat as precisely as a fire pet beast.

Some special ingredients require extremely high temperatures that a regular stove can’t achieve.

There are also some fierce beasts with tough scales; slaughtering them with pure human strength is very difficult, so the help of pet beasts is necessary for dissection.

So, this is quite common.

The only slightly different aspect is that usually, pet beasts assist the Chef, while the Chef still primarily handles the cooking.

But a fruit platter… for a dog that has mastered Culinary Intent and can skillfully wield a knife, it seems like the presence of a human Chef doesn’t matter much.

Many guests felt a bit uneasy, thinking about having just eaten a dish entirely prepared by a dog.

“Just one more round! Then I can choose a resource. Three more rounds, and I can choose three!” At this moment, Lu Ran pretended not to hear the discussion, his eyes fixed only on the lucid fruit…

Who cares who cut the fruit, as long as it’s edible!

With so many people, relying on him alone as the Chef would be exhausting.

“Wait, as far as I know, using Culinary Intent to cook is very exhausting, both mentally and physically. This means that Master Wang and the sudden death king were not in their best condition when they took the stage…”

“Even so, to perform at such a high level is truly impressive.” Upon hearing this, the son of the city lord of Ning Chuan City couldn’t help but praise Lu Ran.

His words immediately sparked another round of heated discussion. Indeed, using Culinary Intent for dozens of fruit platters is like fighting dozens of battles. To still have the energy to compete after that is remarkable…

Many people looked at Lu Ran and general ha with newfound admiration, feeling their prowess was truly extraordinary.

“Master Wang, the sudden death king…” Bai Ling and the others finally couldn’t hold back their laughter. What kind of names was Lu Ran coming up with? Infinite City was truly impressive. Over these past few days, they had noticed that although Infinite City referred to this place as a historical projection, every life here seemed as real as any living person, each with their own thoughts.

How could Infinite City make them feel like their names blended in seamlessly? Did it change the world’s rules?

Although, to be fair, the culture of the Beast Taming Empire was indeed diverse…

The Star-Moon Continent was vast, no smaller than Blue Star, with a rich tapestry of cultures and races. There were yellow-skinned, white-skinned, and dark-skinned people among its citizens. Thinking of it this way, strange names weren’t entirely out of the question…

“Hahaha, Master Wang is indeed impressive.” At this moment, the City Lord of Ning Chuan City stood up and said, “It’s almost time to eat. I think, Master Wang, you should stop fighting.”

Lu Ran and general ha: ??

“Your strength is evident to all. If you keep fighting, you’ll waste too much energy. How will you prepare the fruit platter for our guests afterward?” He laughed and said, “Feel free to choose any three items from the table. I’m sure no one here would object.”

“Yes, yes.”

Many guests nodded in agreement. Lu Ran’s strength had already been displayed, and he could likely win continuously. Continuing to fight would just waste energy and affect the meal preparation later.

Bai Ling, She Pi, and the others: ?

“Damn it,” they muttered. “Lu Ran is definitely a cheating player, playing a hacked version. The rules set at the beginning can just be broken like that.”

These breakthrough secret realm people are just like real people, not rigid at all! Too cunning!

“Well… alright.” Faced with this situation, what could Lu Ran say? “Then I won’t be polite.”

The City Lord of Ning Chuan City smiled, “No need to be polite.”

Down below, seeing the envious expressions of She Pi and the others, Shopkeeper Long couldn’t help but laugh, “A Chef with potential is respected everywhere. Those who can cook exquisite cuisine can even become honored guests in the imperial city, easily becoming imperial chefs.”

“Yes.” Bai Ling and the others felt deflated.

They understood the logic, but it was still so difficult.

The second stage of energy shaping, shaping artistic conception, is already difficult enough.

Moreover, it requires flexibility in approach, being able to infuse artistic conception into the utensils…

And this is just one of the requirements for cooking exquisite cuisine or a peerless dish.

A strong Culinary Intent, superb Culinary Skills, and exquisite-level ingredients鈥”all these elements must be integrated to possibly create such dishes. This process is delicate; one mistake can waste those precious ingredients, which is why exquisite-level Chefs are so rare.

For the people of the Star-Moon Continent, mastering Culinary Intent might be slightly simpler.

After all, beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent can cultivate themselves, which makes it easier for them to reach the mystical state of Culinary Intent.

But for beastmasters from Blue Star, who cannot cultivate themselves, mastering such a power likely depends on forming a connection with their pet beast through Special Beast Taming Skills…

The difference in cultivation systems explains why, on the Star-Moon Continent, it’s typically the beastmaster who masters Culinary Intent, rather than the pet beast.

This is why general ha mastering Culinary Intent seemed so unusual to these people.

Lu Ran didn’t hesitate. He went up and took three lucid fruits, expressing his gratitude to the City Lord of Ning Chuan City.

“If my culinary skills improve, I will surely come back to thank you, City Lord.”

“Haha, good.” The City Lord of Ning Chuan City noticed that Lu Ran had taken resources that temporarily enhance comprehension and learning abilities, recognizing Lu Ran as someone eager to learn.

Such a culinary genius would find it hard not to achieve great things in the future.

…

After two rounds, Lu Ran returned to the kitchen and exchanged a glance with general ha.

“Whine…” general ha’s expression was bitter. So, it’s time to cut fruit again?

For general ha, this process was torturous.

The reason wasn’t that the training was too harsh, but because it was hard to resist taking bites of the fruit while cutting it.

Out of professional integrity, Lu Ran and general ha naturally couldn’t eat the prime parts and had to satisfy their cravings with peels and scraps… tasting them to sample the flavors.

But the more they tasted, the more they craved, easily getting addicted.

Therefore, the process of cooking also became a test of willpower.

“Let’s get to work!” Lu Ran was already satisfied. With the resources in hand, what more could he ask for?

As the banquet continued, the main courses began to be served, and the guests temporarily forgot about the fruit platter.

At the Frost Moon Pavilion, besides Lu Ran, there was another chef who had mastered Culinary Intent, Shopkeeper Long’s father. Today, he was also in action, overshadowing Lu Ran for a moment. However, their Culinary Intents were different, and naturally, their culinary flavors were also distinct.

Meanwhile, the banquet competitions were still ongoing. She Pi and the others couldn’t resist and went up one by one to join the fun.

But without exception, they were all soundly defeated.

Only Bai Ling, using the “heavy water trait” and recklessly employing the “energy recovery” beast taming skill, managed to let her Albino Bengal Tiger win three consecutive matches, barely securing a rare resource from Blue Star.

Bai Ling’s White Tiger is a water-type pet beast. The heavy water trait allows the water it condenses to have an extremely high weight; even a single drop could potentially weigh several tons in the future, making it a formidable weapon in combat.

Additionally, Bai Ling’s beast taming skill, energy recovery, is versatile, allowing her to restore her pet beast’s stamina with her own power. This means her White Tiger can endure more battles and training.

This was also why Pluto later couldn’t compete with her on the divine beast leaderboard. Pluto’s chosen traits leaned more towards growth, which in the short term couldn’t match the advantages brought by the heavy water trait.

“Impressive,” Shopkeeper Long couldn’t help but be amazed after watching Bai Ling and the others finish a round of battles. The strength of Lu Ran and Bai Ling was a pleasant surprise.

At this moment, Shopkeeper Long seemed to have made up his mind about something…

In the kitchen.

As Lu Ran sliced the melons, Shopkeeper Long’s voice of praise came through, “Your Culinary Intent can now be retained in the ingredients for five minutes. Not bad.”

“Shopkeeper Long?” Lu Ran looked over at her and grinned, “So, when we go back, I can start the second stage of training, right?”

Previously, Shopkeeper Long had mentioned that once his sword intent could be maintained externally for three minutes, he could move on to the next stage of training. However, due to the rapid progress made by Lu Ran and general ha, and to better prepare for this banquet, Lu Ran’s next stage of training was postponed for two days.

“Hmm.” Shopkeeper Long smiled slightly and said, “To become a great chef, both Culinary Intent and Culinary Skill are indispensable. You have a natural talent for Culinary Intent, but it’s clear that you are not very proficient in Culinary Skill.”

“Your knife technique seems magical, but it’s actually entirely supported by Culinary Intent. The technique itself is more suited for combat.”

“When you go back today, I’ll teach you my father’s ‘fine edge blade technique.’”

“Fine edge blade technique?” Lu Ran was taken aback.

“It’s a Culinary Skill that, through brain domain training, allows you to control your strength with extreme precision. It’s highly useful for handling ingredients. Of course, if you want to use it in actual combat, that’s possible too.”

“Thank you, Shopkeeper Long!” Lu Ran was delighted, knowing that this was a technique exclusive to the beastmasters of the Star-Moon Continent, one that humans could learn. He wondered if it could be reverse-engineered through super beast mimicry to teach his pet beast…

“Unfortunately, there’s not much more the Frost Moon Pavilion can teach you.” Shopkeeper Long shook her head. Lu Ran was the youngest chef she had ever seen who had mastered Culinary Intent. Such a genius wouldn’t stay in Canglan Province for long and would eventually head to a bigger stage like the imperial city.

Moreover, Lu Ran’s time at the Frost Moon Pavilion was only until the superior assessment. So, teaching him her father’s signature fine edge blade technique before parting was also Shopkeeper Long’s investment in Lu Ran.

When Lu Ran becomes a prominent figure in the future, the Frost Moon Pavilion would also gain fame.

“No, I’m already very grateful,” Lu Ran said politely.

At the same time, he felt a bit strange. After a few days, he was starting to blur the line between reality and illusion. Everything felt too real.

Thinking about the place he was in, possibly lost in the annals of history, Lu Ran felt a sense of melancholy.

Ah, whether this world is real or an illusion, he is just a passerby…

He couldn’t understand those people on the forum who, in just 30 days, were willing to get married or marry into families in the breakthrough secret realm for resources. He definitely wouldn’t stoop so low…