The Monster is Coming

Chapter 333 A Feast of Heavenly Light, Fresh Blood (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Misty coastline, firefly lake.

This is a lake located 833 kilometers away from the entrance to the space node in a straight line.

under night.

The fluorescent ferns on both sides of the lake sway in the wind, scattering pale green light particles into the air, which intertwine with the fireflies flying all over the sky to form a flowing river of light.

A lone figure sat quietly among the amber-colored fluorescent ferns, the hem of his cloak submerged in the lake water, fishing with a rod in one hand.

The moonlight reflected the contours of his young face on the lake, his profile was thin, and his eyes were downcast.

The water rippled slightly, and the face blurred for a moment.

"too crazy."

A faint light flickered deep within Cheng Shan's pupils.

His dark eyes, which had been reflecting the lake's light, were now reflecting a different scene: the semi-transparent Evolution Shop auction interface was floating in his field of vision, and the four items on it were frozen at astronomical prices the moment the auction ended.

At this price, ordinary players simply cannot afford it at this stage.

Unless the player's combat power skyrockets in the future, the output of sacrificial power will also increase explosively.

"They're really rich. It feels like we're not even playing a game," Cheng Shan thought to himself.

He had seen posts on the forum analyzing players' financial resources by dedicated players.

When it comes to the wealth ranking among player organizations, the Gold Coin Merchant Guild is undoubtedly number one.

They earn the price difference from external customers, the intermediary fee from internal customers, and various service channels to generate revenue. As their scale expands, they are practically a money-printing machine.

Second on the list is the Divine Hall Guild, along with other top-tier alliances.

The next one will most likely be a little mage.

However, some players in the post disagreed, believing that the Gold Merchant Guild has unlimited potential in the future, but Little Mage is currently the richest player.

He controls a population of millions.

He also led the Spirit Breath Clan to open up multiple resource production channels. The current scale of the Gold Coin Merchant Guild may not be a match for the Little Mage.

Secondly, although the daily output of the Divine Hall Guild and other top guilds is high.

However, they generally convert their power into strength on the same day and do not choose to hoard sacrificial power, so they do not have much sacrificial power reserves that they can spend.

If it really comes down to financial resources, they're definitely no match for a little mage.

Different players have their own opinions on how to judge a player's financial resources.

Since there's no way to ask other players for information through the guide, the discussion about who has more money has never had a clear answer.

But one thing is certain: these players on the wealth list possess sacrificial power reserves far exceeding those of ordinary players.

With these players making moves in the newly launched Evolution Shop, ordinary players have absolutely no chance.

Just watching for the spectacle.

Cheng Shan withdrew his gaze, and in an instant, closed the official website page that was zoomed in on the upper left corner of his vision.

Our gaze returned to the lake.

He traveled a long way to this lake to fish because he found out while researching in the library that there is a rare and magical fish in this lake: the Moon-Hidden Silver Scale.

He personally explored this area, dispelling the fog of the map.

However, he is not a fishing enthusiast, but a professional chef.

This long journey was not accidental.

Three months ago, he decided to take on a challenge: to complete a top-tier spiritual food dish that no player had ever attempted before.

For the past three months, I have been working tirelessly on this.

Three days ago, he found a record of "Moon-Hidden Silver Scales" in the book "Rainbow Mist Coast - A Guide to Rare Aquatic Ingredients" in the library.

In search of this untouched lake, he spent two whole days exploring the unknown area south of the Misty Coast.

Now, only two more ingredients are needed to complete the "Heavenly Feast," the ultimate spiritual meal.

The moon-hidden silver scales are the core ingredient.

The flesh of this fish contains a special spiritual essence, making it a top-grade ingredient for preparing high-level spiritual cuisine, and it cannot be bought in the trading market at all.

For a player of the Spirit Chef game, venturing out into the mountains and rivers is a regular occurrence.

Being a "spirit chef" player sounds like a very lucrative profession.

When many players hear the words "Spirit Chef," they think of making a fortune and easily earning sacrificial power.

All they see are the exorbitantly priced dishes in the trading house, unaware of the countless days and nights of hard work behind each new spiritual food dish.

They are the kind of meticulous players who specialize in a particular field.

You need to remember the taste, effects, and dosage of each ingredient, and you need to study and learn these things in the library.

To become a top-tier spiritual chef, one must possess a vast knowledge base.

The monster world has such abundant food that they have to keep learning until they die; there's always a long road ahead for them to climb.

Making money isn't easy.

In the world of spiritual chefs, simply having ingredients doesn't guarantee the creation of spiritual meals; failures can occur during the cooking process.

The carefully prepared spiritual meal, which required a great deal of effort, was ruined when all the ingredients were wasted.

This is the daily routine of a true culinary enthusiast: dividing time into three parts.

One-third of my time is spent out searching for ingredients, one-third is spent studying in the library, and the rest is spent preparing spiritual meals.

Although there is a trading post where you can buy ingredients, many rare ingredients are simply not available there.

This requires consulting the library, searching for information about the surrounding area, and then setting out to find it yourself.

Remember last month when he was besieged by lava lizards in the crater while searching for "Frostfire Pepper"? He died 18 times before finally obtaining the ingredient.

Two weeks ago, he chased a group of invisible "Mist Mushrooms" across half of the rainforest in the Misty Coast region before finally killing them and preserving them as food.

Sometimes, even after going through great lengths to find top-quality ingredients, the spiritual structure released by the entire pot of culinary delight can dissipate and turn into an indescribable mess, perhaps due to a slight miscalculation in the cooking process.

After the analysis is completed, the guide will helpfully provide processing suggestions:
[It is recommended to offer sacrifices to the Emperor's Mausoleum; a 7% refund of material costs will be provided.]

Those rare materials collected over days or even weeks will all turn into a discount as Emperor Zhao slashes his ankle the moment of failure.

This is the reality for Soul Chef players: outwardly glamorous, but secretly miserable.

But he just happens to love this line of work.

Every time he lifts the lid and sees a pot of spiritual food perfectly formed, he feels a great sense of pride and accomplishment.

He still clearly remembers the scene when he successfully made "Clear Stewed Moonflower Soup" for the first time.

The soup in the pot was as clear as moonlight, and the silver-tailed fish slices were faintly visible in the soup. The moment you drank it, it felt as if every pore on your body was breathing in the night breeze.

Throughout the process, challenger prompts kept ringing in my mind, including not only the body tempering level but also permanent attribute boosts.

This success made him proud for several days.

It was the success of this spiritual food that led him to enter the world of spiritual cuisine.

As he explored and learned more, he found the gameplay of the Spirit Chef to be particularly interesting.

There are often pleasant surprises.

For example, stewing Thunder Fruit and Tranquil Lotus together can neutralize the violence of lightning attributes, turning it into a gentle body-tempering medicinal diet.

Or perhaps it was discovered by chance that after three distillations, the bone-rotting grass could be refined into a special plant essence that combines with the spiritual energy in the air, a special process that even the extraction of life souls could not achieve.

These unexpected surprises hidden behind the ingredients are like unsolved mysteries, fascinating him.

Although you may feel frustrated, disappointed, or irritable at times, all negative emotions will become a boost to your emotional growth when you succeed.

As my thoughts raced, the buoy suddenly began to shake violently.

Realizing a fish had taken the bait, Cheng Shan flicked his wrist, bending the fishing rod into a dangerous arc.

Then, a burst of blue light erupted on the lake's surface, and a small, completely transparent fish leaped out of the water, its scales shimmering with a pale blue halo under the moonlight.

Cheng Shan flicked his wrist, and a golden kitchen knife appeared in his hand, drawing an arc in the moonlight.

The moment the blade touched the fish, time seemed to slow down.

As the light shimmered, the fish scales were completely removed.

The blade precisely cuts along the fish's gills, creating fine blue light particles as it moves between the fish scales and the air.

The first diagonal cut separated the fish head from the body, and it was still trembling slightly.

After the second horizontal slicing and a flick, the translucent fishbone was completely peeled off and lifted away like a work of art.

With a gentle twist of the third cut, the fish meat split open in mid-air into thirty-six slices as thin as cicada wings, each maintaining roughly the same thickness, revealing a texture like ice cracks under the moonlight.

As the dissected fish slices fell, Cheng Shan flicked his wrist.

Immediately, all the fish slices were neatly stacked on the surface of the knife.

From the moment the fish is taken out of the water to when it is sliced ​​into sashimi, the whole process takes less than two seconds.

This is his specialty.

Players from different systems have their own areas of expertise.

Monster players invest their sacrificial power into the growth of their main soul, while hunter players focus on perfecting their star vein system... and the biggest expense for spirit chef players is on crafting and upgrading rune resonance weapons.

In the monster world, there are too many difficult-to-process ingredients, so having a good kitchen knife is more important than the growth of one's spirit.

With such shabby weapons, it would be difficult to even penetrate the defenses of the food.

Next comes the preparation of the ingredients.

Cheng Shan lightly twisted her wrist, sliding the fish slices stacked on the knife into the ice crystal cutting board she took out from her spatial bag.

He then took out three more items from his spatial bag: a small packet of salt, a bottle of morning dew flower condensate, and a few pieces of bright green scallion wrapped in oil paper.

The back of the knife struck the ice anvil, creating a cloud of frost. The fish slices tumbled in the mist, precisely landing on the star-studded ice shards.

He put down his fishing rod, picked up a scallion with his fingers, and gently pressed it down on the cutting board.

The cleaver moved swiftly up and down along the knuckles, turning the scallion segments into thin shreds in the blink of an eye, each one maintaining a uniform thickness like a hair.

The fish slices on the ice-jade plate have spread out like flower petals.

Cheng Shan dips a bamboo skewer in the condensed saliva and gently applies it to the center of each slice of sashimi, then sprinkles a little salt on top.

The moment the salt grains come into contact with the fish, they emit a subtle "sizzling" sound and glow with a faint blue light.

Finally, with a gentle rub of his index finger and thumb, he scattered the chopped scallion shreds onto the fish slices in a neat and orderly fashion.

It's like covering this "water snapper sashimi" with a thin veil.

This spiritual food dish doesn't require much skill to make, and the main ingredients are all very common, so there's no need to go to great lengths.

After it was finished, Chengshan glanced at it using the analysis tool:
【Water bream sashimi (for sale)】:
Spiritual food quality: Grade 2-47.

Players who create content: Even a dog wouldn't play this job.

……

After confirming the quality, Cheng Shan skillfully opened the trading platform interface, entered the price, and clicked "list".

The challenger notification sounded the next second, indicating that the item had been purchased by the player.

Cheng Shan was not surprised by this.

As the player base expands, the number of players who can cook spirit food is gradually becoming insufficient to meet the demand for spirit food.

This has led to a continuous rise in the price of spiritual food.

Secondly, in the monster world, as long as you make a name for yourself with your game ID, you'll never lack buyers.

Even when it comes to spirit food of the same quality and price, players will prioritize those spirit chefs who are famous.

For example, the recognized leader of their Spirit Chef Party, who is also the "master chef" who started the Spirit Chef gameplay, can sell his Spirit Food dishes at a premium.

Because the quality of spirit food has little to do with its taste, and skilled spirit chefs can give spirit food a more delicious experience, this is the core reason why players are willing to pay extra.

Delicious spiritual food has always been one of the best-selling product categories in the trading market.

As the faction grows, the amount of sacrificial energy players invest in spirit food also gradually increases.

This industry has a promising future.

Closing the trading interface, Cheng Shan turned his gaze back to the calm lake surface.

A night breeze blew by, carrying the faint scent of fluorescent ferns. The shimmering moonlight on the lake was broken into countless silver scales, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

With a gentle cast, the fishing hook traces a graceful arc before sinking into the lake.

The buoy swayed gently in the ripples, then quickly returned to stillness.

When the second fish was caught, it was just an ordinary spirit fish. He prepared it in the same way, cooked it into a meal, and put it on the trading house before continuing to fish.

As night deepened, the thin mist on the lake grew thicker.

The third and fourth casts... always yielded only ordinary spirit fish or strange aquatic monsters.

Cheng Shan calmly and methodically adjusted the fishing line and continued her efforts.

As the eighth cast of the rod was cast, the cries of night birds could be heard in the distance.

A swarm of fluorescent insects hovered above his head, like tiny floating lamps.

This time, we caught a water shrimp. It was completely transparent, and you could see the blue blood vessels flowing inside its body.

After analyzing the Chengshan, it was discovered to be a new variety. It was then processed into food and stored in the space bag.

As dawn broke, he still hadn't caught the moon-hidden silver carp.

We did consider jumping into the water to search.

However, Firefly Lake covers a vast area, and the Moon-Hidden Silver Scales is one of the rarest fish species there, making this akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

The most feasible method is to create a type of bait that Moonshadow Silverscale likes, so that it will take the bait willingly.

After consulting relevant materials in the library, he made a bait using evening primrose, the aquatic plant that Moonlit Silver Scales like best, as the main ingredient, and chose to catch Moonlit Silver Scales by fishing.

But it seems to have failed.

It was already dawn, but he still hadn't managed to catch the crucial ingredient.

He put away his fishing rod and began making himself breakfast.

The Firefly Lake in the morning light has a unique scenery. The fluorescent ferns gradually dim, and the morning dew condenses into beads on the grass.

Cheng Shan sat on the ground and took out ingredients from his spatial bag.

These were all leftover scraps from making spiritual meals, and he would use them for his own enjoyment, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything.

Half a Red Glow Mushroom, three Mist Fruits with seeds removed, a small packet of Star-patterned Rice, and the last pinch of Golden Thorn Salt.

He rubbed his fingertips together lightly, and dark red powder fell from the Crimson Glow Mushroom.

The earthenware pot was placed on a stone, and the star-patterned rice was spread out at the bottom of the pot. As soon as it was heated, it emitted a mellow aroma similar to that of aged wine.

He cracked the mist fruit with the back of his knife, and the flesh oozed milky white juice, which shimmered with a pearly luster in the morning light.

While simmering over a low flame, Cheng Shan casually sprinkled the powdered red shiitake mushrooms into the jar.

The moment the powder came into contact with the juice, a mist carrying a scent similar to pine wood rose up.

He then took out a small piece of ice-crystal mint leaf from his spatial bag, and with a flick of his fingertip, it turned into tiny emerald-colored snowflakes that drifted onto the thickening porridge.

The Crimson Sunset Porridge displays a wondrous gradient of colors in the morning light.

The bottom layer is an amber color from the cooking of star-patterned rice, the middle layer is milky white mixed with the juice of misty fruit, and the top layer is a sunset red color from the red mushrooms.

When the golden thorn salt is sprinkled on, the whole bowl of porridge is immediately filled with a rich aroma.

Cheng Shan picked up the ceramic bowl, the steam blurring his face.

Although these scraps have had their most essential ingredients removed, they are still quite delicious.

Most importantly, it saves money.

While others have to spend money to buy spiritual food, he can make a delicious meal using only the leftover scraps of ingredients.

He picked up the scalding hot ceramic pot, gently stirred it with a wooden spoon, and then scooped up a spoonful.

The moment the porridge touches your mouth, the rich flavor of the red shiitake mushroom, the refreshing sweetness of the shiitake mushroom, and the smooth texture of the star-patterned rice unfold in sequence, with the coolness of the icy mint perfectly finishing off all the flavors. "Free things are always delicious."

Gazing at the lake surface shrouded in morning mist, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Cheng Shan squinted slightly, savoring the unexpected deliciousness.

A morning breeze swept across the lake, carrying the scent of damp grass and trees.

At this moment, the anxiety brought on by fishing for the moonlit silver scales subsided.

He suddenly remembered a post he had seen on a forum by a master chef when he embarked on his journey as a spiritual chef:

"Top-quality ingredients can certainly make a good dish, but it takes dedication to give a dish its soul. Even the most ordinary ingredients can shine in the hands of a focused artisan."

This statement also applies to the monster world.

Ingredients first, technique second, and dedication third – these three are the keys to a skilled chef creating delicious food.

Many players who are new to the Spirit Chef system generally only learn the first one.

Believing that the monster world has a wide variety of spiritual foods, and that many ingredients, even those that are natural, can have an excellent taste, they thought that as long as they collected top-quality ingredients, they could become top-quality spiritual chefs.

But they often overlook the most crucial point.

Even the most perfect ingredients require skilled processing techniques, and skilled chefs need to use their focus to awaken the hidden spirit within the ingredients.

After finishing a bowl of hot porridge, Cheng Shan felt warm all over.

He put away the pottery jar and sat cross-legged by the lake again.

As the morning mist gradually dissipated, the lake surface shimmered with tiny golden rays.

He changed to a newly prepared bait, mixing it with evening primrose extract, and cast the line into the water.

Soon after, the fishing line began to tremble.

But it was still not the ingredient he wanted, so he processed it on the spot and put it on the trading house, refining it into sacrificial power three seconds later.

The time came to noon.

The unsuccessful attempt to complete the project was somewhat frustrating.

"It seems the formula needs to be adjusted."

As he removed the hook, the splashing water from the struggling bone-eating fish dampened his sleeves.

After performing a ritual to help the spirit fish pass on to the afterlife, he brought up his friends list, ready to seek help from the big shots in the group chat.

In their group, there are many well-known "Spirit Chef" players who usually exchange information on how to process various ingredients and cooking techniques.

Among them was the "Silvertail Fish" caught in the Azure Star Sea back then, who pioneered the Spirit Chef gameplay.

Find the chef's profile picture, open the private chat, and he will share his thoughts.

The other party quickly replied, saying that they were not familiar with this ingredient and asked him to wait while they checked the library information and gave him a reply.

Two hours later, Cheng Shan received a message from the head chef.

Opening the message reveals a detailed list of recipes:

【Moonlight Concealed Silver Scales - Special Bait】:
Main ingredient: Evening primrose (3 grams).

Additional ingredients: Crescent grass juice (10 ml), star sand (1 grain).

Energy catalyst: Dew condensate (5 drops)
Note: I asked a professional angler for you, and he suggested that you wrap a root of a nearby fluorescent fern around your hook to simulate the form of natural food. Also, many fish are very sensitive to non-natural synthetic metals, so I suggest you try replacing the special hook with a bone hook.

……

He sent his thanks and Cheng Shan immediately took action.

The trading platform interface unfolded in my mind.

After entering "evening primrose", different quality and price of spiritual plants are listed in the trading hall interface.

Many of the images still have dewdrops on them; these were automatically captured by the trading house when players listed their items.

Stardust is readily available.

He took out a glass bottle from his spatial bag and poured out a pill.

The juice of the Crescent Moon Grass needs to be freshly squeezed. When Cheng Shan took out the stone mortar and crushed the two silvery-white grass leaves, a cool fragrance immediately filled the air.

Next, purchase Level 1 Spirit Material Dew Condensate.

Once everything was ready, Cheng Shan summoned a kitchen knife and cut a tender tendril from the root of the fluorescent fern beside him.

Pale blue sap seeped from the broken fern tendrils. He then mixed the sap into the prepared bait and kneaded it to make fish bait.

The final step is to change the fishhook.

He took out a bone from his bag; it was a toe bone he had kept from cooking the "Snow Spirit Deer" last time, and it was as hard as iron.

But it was no match for his cleaver, and was quickly shaved into the shape of a fishhook.

Finally, wrap the fluorescent fern tendrils around the bone hook.

Everything is ready, Chengshan throws the pole.

The arc of light drawn by the fishing line startled several birds, which fell into the water and created ripples that spread outwards.

Cheng Shan sat cross-legged on the shore, his hands loosely holding the fishing rod, his breathing slow and gentle.

The fluorescent fern tendrils unfurl in the water, swaying with the current like a real living creature.

Time seemed to stretch out.

After an unknown amount of time, the fishing line suddenly tightened.

It wasn't the brutal tearing like the previous bone-eating fish; it felt like something was tentatively tapping.

The eagle-headed demon's senses extended, and the underwater world quickly became clear in its mind.

The sun shines through the lake, creating hazy pillars of light in the depths.

A silvery-white spirit fish was gracefully swimming around the bait. Its scales looked like condensed moonlight, and each time it swung its tail, it left behind a trail of fine dust.

The eyes are like two moons, waxing and waning depending on the angle of observation.

This is exactly the Moon-Hidden Silver Scales he wanted.

Cheng Shan did not make any rash moves, but loosened the reel slightly, letting the Moon-Hidden Silver Scales swim near the bait.

Occasionally let it come forward and take a small bite, giving it plenty of space to swallow.

In the words of fishing enthusiasts: the more spiritual a creature is, the more space it needs to be given respect.

The faint glow of the fluorescent fern antennae traces a winding path underwater.

About three minutes later, when the fishing line trembled again, Cheng Shan suddenly exerted force with his wrist.

"You beast, get on here!"

The Moon-Hidden Silver Scale, which had just taken the bait, didn't even have time to flick its tail and escape before Cheng Shan forcibly pulled it out of the water with brute force.

As the moon emerged from the water, its silvery scales traced a perfect arc in the air, its tail slapping out water droplets.

With the Spirit Eye ability activated, the kitchen knife in his right hand shot out smoothly.

With a single strike, he severed the lifeline within Moonshadow Silver Scale's body, successfully killing it.

"Haha, it's done."

……

An hour later, Cheng Shan returned to Dizhong Village.

Prepare to begin creating the Heavenly Light Feast.

He spent more than three months preparing for this, searching for rare ingredients everywhere.

As for the last ingredient, he has already borrowed it from a friend through a chat group.

Now everything is ready, and the safe Teizuka Village is the perfect place for cooking.

Far from the teleportation area where the most players were, he arrived at a secluded open space in the eastern part of Emperor's Tomb Village.

In the blink of an eye, streaks of light flashed, and the entire set of kitchen utensils appeared out of thin air.

The first thing to be placed is the Fengmu cooking station, made from the heartwood of a ten-thousand-year-old Fengmu tree.

The wood grain naturally forms flame-like golden patterns. When food is placed on the countertop, the wood automatically secretes amber-colored sap, which can perfectly lock in the freshness and essence of the food, allowing the food to release more spiritual substances during cooking.

Next up are five stoves of different shapes.

Next are the ingredients that were prepared in advance.

He personally sourced all three main ingredients.

They are:
Moonlit Silver Scales (Firefly Lake), Frostfire Dragon Heart (Volcano Secret Realm), Starry Sky Ray Wings (Catch in Azure Star Sea).

Ingredients include: thorny snow forest, frost fire pepper, mist-hidden mushroom, golden thread bamboo shoot, seven-colored clams, earth vein fat...

There are also various spices, totaling 39 ingredients.

Cheng Shan stood in front of the Fengmu cooking counter and took a deep breath.

The aroma of sandalwood gradually calmed his mind, allowing him to enter the optimal state for cooking.

The first fish to be dealt with was the Moon-Hidden Silver Scale. After activating the Spirit Eye trait, the flow of moonlight spiritual energy within the fish meat was clearly visible in the field of vision.

Without damaging the structure of the spiritual veins, the cleaver moved swiftly along the veins, breaking the fish into seven slices as thin as cicada wings, each slice retaining its complete spiritual energy circuit.

The fish bones were removed separately and put into a large pot to simmer in advance.

Next came Frostfire Dragon Heart, whose right hand ignited with dark flames while his left hand exhaled icy mist.

As ice and fire alternate, the ice crystal cracks and flame patterns on the surface of the Dragon Heart gradually extend and intersect.

Cheng Shan suddenly swung the cleaver, and the Dragon Heart was instantly split into twelve pieces, each cut surface displaying a perfect alternation of ice and fire spiritual patterns.

This method, which he learned from the library, can lock up the spiritual dissipation of the Frostfire Dragon Heart.

As time went by, one spiritual material after another was processed.

The hard outer shell of the thorny snow forest has been removed, revealing its snow-white core material.

Roast the frost-covered peppers over a low flame until the surface flare disappears and a rich aroma is released.

As the mist-shrooms soak in the morning dew, the toxic powder on their surface gradually dissolves.

He used a rune-resonating kitchen knife to shave the golden bamboo shoots into golden threads the thickness of a hair...

During the production process, Cheng Shan was completely focused and dared not be distracted in the slightest.

He didn't want his efforts of more than three months to turn into scrap metal after his brother Di Zhao suffered a cut to his ankle.

After processing all the ingredients, Cheng Shan placed the Moon Shadow Fish Bones into a stone urn, added lake water brought from the Misty Coast, and simmered it slowly with the gentlest flames released by the earth's firestone. The soup gradually became clear and bright under the high temperature.

The prepared sashimi is laid flat on the cutting board and lightly roasted with the residual heat.

The Frostfire Dragon Heart is first pan-fried and then roasted, with strict control over the timing of the heat transition to ensure that the high temperature does not damage the texture of the meat and locks in its tenderness.

The starry ray fins are steamed directly, with star grass placed at the bottom of the steamer to preserve their flavor.

Filter the prepared broth nine times until it is completely clear, then add the ground spice powder and stir to combine at a specific temperature.

Chengshan keeps every step of the production process in mind.

Looking through recipes is a waste of time and can easily lead to mistakes in the order of steps.

He dared not be careless in the slightest when it came to such important ingredients.

During this period, Cheng Shan broadcast the entire event live.

The people in the live stream were all friends from the chat group, all watching as he created this most lavish feast to date.

After 4 hours.

Cheng Shan breathed a long sigh of relief.

At this moment, a lavish feast was laid out on the jade plate in front of him.

The bottom layer is laid with a grid woven from golden bamboo shoots, the middle layer is arranged with three main ingredients in a triangular symmetrical structure, and the top layer is garnished with mist mushrooms and frost peppers... Finally, a carefully prepared sauce is drizzled on top.

The essence of all the ingredients blends perfectly, shining like stars in the night sky, giving the whole dish a soft and harmonious glow.

The pale blue moonlight hidden in the silver scales, the red and white glow of the frost-fire dragon's heart, and the starlight of the starry sky ray wings... all flow and intertwine in the plate, like a starry sky scene.

The sauce flowed down like a galaxy, perfectly blending the essence of the three main ingredients.

The mesh woven from golden bamboo shoots shimmered with tiny golden light, like the latitude and longitude lines that carried the starry sky. The mist-hidden mushrooms adorning it emitted a pale purple halo, while the frost-fire peppers continuously emitted a faint red and white glow, like the aurora borealis... The spiritual energy emanating from various ingredients intertwined, giving Cheng Shan the feeling that he had created a running array.

As a final step, he took out a small jade bottle containing "Kong Lu" that he had collected from the Kongyuan Peak region of the frigid winter plains.

He carefully dripped two drops:

The first drop landed on the moon-hidden silver scales, and the moonlight on the fish meat instantly solidified like silk.

The second drop fell into the Frostfire Dragon's heart, and the ice and fire patterns immediately came to life.

This top-tier feast is now officially complete.

The next second, the challenger's prompt sounded in his mind:
[Challenger's Note: Congratulations to player "Even Life Skills Dogs Don't Play" for creating the server's first "Delicacy-Level" Spirit Food Meal, "Heavenly Feast," and receiving a Sacrificial Power reward of 1000 points.]

Heavenly Feast (Spiritual Food):

Quality: Delicacy Grade - 89
(PS: Quality levels from low to high: Crude, Ordinary, Fine, Exquisite, Delicacies, Masterful, Spiritual, each level has a rating of 1-100)

Consumption effects: Body tempering level +49292 points, gain Water Element Affinity Talent (Intermediate-Permanent), Tidal Sensing (when in contact with water, one can sense the fluctuations of aquatic life within a radius of 3 kilometers), Water Spirit Divine Body (lasts for 192 hours after consumption)...

……

Looking at the series of effects displayed in the analysis, Cheng Shan wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned broadly.

The live stream chat had already exploded.

The guys in the group were cheering, giving him a thumbs up or a middle finger for his success.

Looking at this masterpiece that took more than three months of hard work.

Although it lacks the exaggerated sound and light effects found in anime and TV dramas, every detail reflects his hard work.

The night breeze in the Imperial Tomb Village carried the aroma of food far away.

The appearance of the all-channel notification made him famous.

Inquiries flooded in via private messages.

Although I really want to try it myself to see what it tastes like.

But the cost of this spiritual food exceeded 12 sacrificial energy, so he really dared not take a bite.

At this price, calculated at the current rate, you could buy a luxury mansion anywhere except in Eclipse City.

Whoever is covered in Luo Qi is not a silkworm breeder.

As a player of the "Spirit Chef" game, I usually eat mostly scraps and leftovers.

After much hesitation, he decided to list it on the trading house.

Two hours later, a post appeared that left Cheng Shan feeling quite helpless.

[A spirit food meal sold for 35 sacrificial power has appeared! It seems that being a spirit chef is the most profitable playstyle. Brothers, I'm going first! Getting rich is just around the corner!]

Just like the domineering performance of the damage-absorbing style on the battlefield.

To ordinary players, the only thing that matters to players who are skilled in cooking is the success.

But they don't understand that only those top-tier chefs who can endure loneliness can truly appreciate the deliciousness of food.

It took him more than three months to successfully prepare this spiritual meal.

Ordinary players have no idea what true deliciousness is; it originates in a corner of the trading market that you can't see.

The price achieved by the "Heavenly Feast" auction sparked a wave of enthusiasm among players to switch to Spirit Chef training.

Of these new players who flocked to the scene, only one in ten ultimately survived.

But those who endure the tedium and failures and choose to stay will become the fresh blood that nourishes the lineage of the Spirit Chef.

This will provide an additional boost to the production of spirit food, which is increasingly unable to meet the needs of players.

　I think I've caught COVID again. My throat hurts, and my head is spinning—it's awful!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)