Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1823 Nourishing the Essence of the Soil
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That's all for today (4/4)

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In recent years, the five chefs have also gritted their teeth and concentrated their resources to select the most promising talents.

For example, Tao Ruyin, the most talented member of the Tao family, was a fifth-level innate master. By her early twenties, she had already become a Soul Master and was able to enter the inner courtyard of the Heavenly Dou Duke's Mansion, where she had the opportunity to become a middle and right court attendant serving the young masters and ladies.

The goal was to capitalize on the surge in the overall strength of the Chen family and make the chef's spirit occupy a more important position within the family, so as not to fall too far behind the other types of life-related spirit masters.

This is precisely why they value Bao Ruoxi so much, even to the point that the two of them were willing to swallow their pride and snatch her away in public.

Consider Bao Ruoxi's innate level six soul power; that's already a solid threshold for becoming a "Di Sha Xing" (Earthly Fiend Star).

More importantly, her martial soul is a high-level martial soul with dual attributes!

Those two attributes are:

Earth attribute (leaning towards satiety/energy): This endows the steamed bun with strong basic energy reserves and recovery ability, which is the foundation of food-type martial souls.

Staple food attribute: This is the real treasure!

In the kitchen martial spirit system, the "staple food attribute" is extremely rare, representing a buff effect with no attribute bias or all attributes.

This means that Bao Ruoxi's Baozi can theoretically adapt to and enhance almost all types of Soul Masters, possessing the potential to become a top-tier battlefield support.

There's only one Oscar in Douyi.

In this competition, Chen Xiaojun has not seen a single food-type Soul Master.

Xin Shouyi glanced at Bao Ruoxi, then at Chen Xiaojun, who was calmly sipping tea. The embarrassment and helplessness he felt due to the low-level martial soul were gradually replaced by a stronger sense of anticipation and drive.

The young master saw the value of these "kitchen people" and was willing to invest resources to pioneer an unprecedented path.

To build a team that, while ensuring the chef's ability to provide support, maximizes both combat and support capabilities.

The road ahead may be difficult, but... it's worth the effort!
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"That's well said, but what does it have to do with Zijian from the Steel Bone Bull family? Young Master still hasn't hit the nail on the head," Gu Yuanchao muttered to himself.

Seeing Gu Yuanchao's frustrated expression as he hesitated to speak, Chen Xiaojun put down his teacup, tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and said with a teasing smile in his eyes: "Uncle Gu, when I say 'build up the team,' I don't just mean the matter of Soul Masters."

He leaned forward slightly and spoke frankly: "A war chef sounds like a combat profession, but first and foremost, it's a chef! And a chef who can adapt to the battlefield environment and ensure that meals are prepared well, quickly, nutritiously, and safely even under extreme conditions. That's the foundation."

Mai Zheling slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, "Hey! Young Master is right! Even without soul power, you can still practice swordsmanship, learn to control the heat, research field cooking utensils, and figure out how to make a big pot of food smell delicious in rain and wind! This skill is top-notch on the battlefield! Soul masters also need to eat their fill, don't they?"

Xin Shouyi stroked his beard and nodded, adding, "That's right. Those kids who don't have soul power but have talent and are willing to work hard can still learn real skills. Soul Masters are the vanguard, but the Battle Chef system is the foundation of a vast army!"

"Being able to revitalize logistics, ensuring hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of mouths have hot meals without getting sick, that achievement, I think, is no less significant than cutting down a few enemies on the front lines." Chen Xiaojun nodded in satisfaction: "That's exactly right. Xiao Jian seems like a reliable and hardworking person, and he's also interested in kitchen matters. He doesn't have soul power, but he can learn how to set up ten marching pots in the shortest amount of time, how to prepare the most balanced meals when resources are limited, how to ensure food safety and prevent spoilage during relocation, and even... how to use terrain to cover the cooking squad and reduce casualties. Which of these doesn't require real skill? Which of these isn't the core of a combat cook?"

He looked at Gu Yuanchao with a serious expression: "Uncle Gu, don't worry. Sending Xiao Jian to learn isn't about sending him to be cannon fodder in frontline hand-to-hand combat, but about letting him learn the most advanced battlefield logistics and culinary system, to learn real 'craftsmanship'!"

"Once he completes his training, he will be an indispensable 'master' and 'stabilizing force' in the logistical support for our Chen family's future large-scale operations. This position is stable, important, and has a bright future. Isn't it a hundred times better than doing odd jobs in the manor?"

"Besides, the future team of chefs will need to have our own people."

As Gu Yuanchao listened, the struggle on his face gradually faded. The young master's words, spoken in such detail, resonated deeply with him.

Stable, important, and promising—or learning real skills to become a "master chef"... Isn't this exactly the path he, as a father, hoped his son would take? He was only intimidated by the title of "Master Chef" before.

He rubbed his hands together, chuckled a little sheepishly, and said, "Young Master... now that you mention it... I understand! I was overthinking things and got stuck in a rut! He has to study! He absolutely has to study properly! If he doesn't turn out well, I'll break his legs!"

"That's more like it!" Xin Shouyi chuckled from the side, nudging Gu Yuanchao with his elbow. "Old Gu, once Xiao Jian has got you all set up in the logistics system, you'll be proud as his father!"

Mai Zheling laughed heartily: "Old Gu, I, Mai, will give him a private lesson later and teach him how to build a field stove that saves firewood and produces less smoke! This kind of experience is not necessarily available in the academy. At the very least, Xiao Jian should become a top-notch war cook and a leader."

Chen Mu smiled and shook his head. Lao Liu's ability to "deceive"... no, to "reason" was becoming more and more refined. He managed to coax a worried old man into smiling and believing that the future was bright.

Chen Xiaojun picked up his iced tea and calmly took another sip. Done.

Chen Mu chuckled mischievously, "Sixth Brother, you have such a mouth... you can talk the dead back to life. What 'master' and 'star of stability'? Uncle Gu must be bubbling with joy right now."

Chen Xiaojun glanced at him sideways, a faint smile curving his lips, and softly uttered two words: "The truth."

Chen Mu: "..." Fine, whatever you say.

Gu Yuanchao snapped out of his daze, a wry smile on his face: "Young masters, what's going on here..."

Chen Mu retorted, "Sixth Brother, stop teasing Uncle Gu. You didn't say this this morning."

Gu Yuanchao cast a questioning glance at Chen Xiaojun.

Chen Xiaojun asked calmly, "Uncle Gu, has Xiao Jian practiced your family's 'Mountain Steel Bone Technique'?"

The Mountain Steel Bone Technique, also known as the Thick Earth Steel Bone Technique, is a dual-attribute (earth and metal) mental cultivation method tailored for the "Steel Bone Bull" martial spirit. It does not seek to be flashy or varied, but only to maximize defense, strength, and resilience.

It represents the Gu family's inherited spirit of "rooted in the earth, transformed into steel, as stable as a mountain, and as swift as a bull." It is a simple yet powerful defensive mental cultivation method that can build an iron wall on the front lines of battle.

The Gu family's Soul Masters who cultivate this mental technique are typical heavily armored warriors/defenders, and are undoubtedly the cornerstones and heavy hammers of the team.

An, Yuan, Qiu, and Gu form the renowned Hou Tu Four Families in the high-ranking ranks of Chenlin Village. Their inherited techniques all originate from the Chen family's modified version of "Hou Tu Pei Yuan Gong," sharing a common foundation among the four families.

This time, if the Three Friends of Earth Listening had a frontal defender from the Gu family, complementing Yuan Run's flexible earth-elemental defense, and with Qiu Qingquan's stealth/agile attack and An Mingyuan's assault/control, their defensive capabilities would be multiplied.

(End of this chapter)