I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Deep within the Black Forest of Death, in the Forest of Bones.

After bidding farewell to the group of contestants who were still gnawing on tree roots by the roadside, Jiang Li and his group piloted the Tree Demon (World Tree Ark) and continued their journey towards the core area of ​​the forest.

The further you go in, the dimmer the light becomes.

The once menacing steel demon trees gradually became scarce. In their place, a chilling white color appeared.

The trees, rocks, and even the ground here are covered with a thick layer of white, filamentous material.

From a distance, it looks like a heavy snowfall.

But that wasn't snow.

That's... a spider web.

The dense, layered spider webs have wrapped the forest into a giant white cocoon.

Hanging on those spiderwebs are countless "packages" of varying sizes. Some are still wriggling slightly, those are freshly captured prey; others are already shriveled, just skin and bones.

Location: Web Domain.

[Danger Level: Nightmare Zone in the Preliminary Rounds.]

[Warning: Tiny, sticky fibers float in the air here; inhaling too much can cause lung adhesions.]

……

"Achoo!"

Er Gou (Chaos Devouring Dog) sneezed, and a clump of white silk stuck to his nose.

"Woof! What the hell is this place?"

"Why is there this sticky stuff everywhere? I can't shake it off!"

The dog tried to paw at its nose, but its paw got stuck. The more it struggled, the tighter it got tangled, until it finally bound itself into a white ball of yarn.

"Don't move."

Jiang Li walked over and gently ran his Occam's razor (concept chef's knife) along the blade.

"Sizzle—"

The spider web snapped in two.

"This is no ordinary spider web."

Jiang Li picked up a silk thread and rubbed it in his hand.

"Its toughness is ten times that of steel wire, and its adhesiveness is a hundred times that of super glue."

"and……"

Jiang Li put his finger in his mouth and tasted it (as part of his professional ethics as Shennong, who tasted hundreds of herbs).

"Um……"

"Sweet."

"Sweet?" Nezha's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"That's right."

Jiang Li nodded.

"This is a type of... high-protein sugar fiber."

"That guy who spits silk must have a huge... sugar conversion gland inside him."

……

Just then.

"Shhh..."

From the white canopy overhead came an extremely faint sound, like the rustling of silk.

On Tang Sanzang's (the cyber monk) data sunglasses, red light flashed wildly.

"Amitabha."

"There's a demonic aura about it."

"And it's... a powerful demon."

"Right above our heads."

Everyone looked up.

Deep within the layers of white spiderweb, eight... purple compound eyes lit up.

Followed by.

A massive figure, as large as a small mountain, slowly descended.

It has the upper body of a spider, but the lower body is a huge, swollen abdomen with a distorted human face pattern on it.

Its eight long legs are like black spears, and each leg hair is like a barbed dagger.

Purple venom was dripping from its mouthparts.

[BOSS: Arachne the Shadow Weaver]

[Rank: Abyss Lord (Highly Poisonous)]

[Identity: Queen of Predation in the Black Forest / Candy Maker (fake)]

[Abilities: Invisibility, deadly poison, and... turning prey into "human flesh candy."]

……

"Hiss..."

Arachni emitted a chilling hiss.

"welcome……"

"Come to my...candy house."

Its voice was sweet yet chilling, like honey laced with arsenic.

"What fresh ingredients..."

"That monkey looks quite chewy..."

"That fair-skinned monk... would be perfect for making into a lava candy..."

"As for that cook..."

Arakny's eight eyes were fixed on Jiang Li.

"Your scent... is very unique."

"I want to...wrap you in a cocoon and slowly drain you dry."

……

"Drain my master dry?"

Sun Wukong was displeased upon hearing this.

"You ugly eight-legged monster, don't you even look in the mirror!"

"Those seven spider demons from the Spider Cave were much prettier than you back then, but in the end, I, Old Sun, still burned them all to the ground!"

"Awesome!"

Wukong roared, and his golden cudgel transformed into golden light, striking straight at the heart of the enemy.

"when!"

The golden cudgel struck Arachni's leg.

It actually made a metallic clanging sound.

This spider's legs are harder than steel!

"Hehehe..."

Arachni let out a mocking laugh.

"Violence...cannot solve problems."

"Especially on my network."

"Spitting silk!"

puff!puff!puff!

Its huge abdomen suddenly contracted.

Countless white spider silks shot out like a torrential rain.

The spider silk wove together in the air, instantly enveloping everyone.

"Get out of the way!"

Nezha spewed out Samadhi Fire, intending to burn the spider web.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The flame touched the spider silk.

The spider silk did not burn to ashes.

Instead... it melted.

It turned into a golden, incredibly viscous...caramel-like liquid.

Holy crap!

Nezha shouted.

"This stuff is fireproof! It's turned into syrup!"

The melted syrup landed on everyone, instantly solidifying and becoming even harder and stickier than before.

Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels got stuck and couldn't spin anymore.

Wukong's feet were stuck to the ground and he couldn't pull them out.

"It's over!"

Two dogs (ball-shaped) roll over here.

"We're all going to turn into flies trapped in amber!"

……

"Fire prevention?"

"Turn into syrup?"

Trapped in the net, Jiang Li not only didn't panic, but instead showed an expression of... "I see."

He reached out and dipped his hand in the "caramel" that Nezha had burned.

Put it in your mouth.

"Click."

Crispy.

Sweet.

It has a slightly burnt aroma.

"really."

Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

"This is not ordinary spider silk."

"This is... [Bioprotein Sugar]."

It melts when exposed to fire and solidifies when exposed to cold.

"This is practically... a natural marshmallow ingredient!"

……

"Great Sage!"

Jiang Li shouted into the mental channel.

"Stop smashing it with brute force!"

"This net is soft; the more you hit it, the more tangled it becomes!"

"What should we do then?" Wukong was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks.

"Use your old skills!"

Jiang Li pointed to the spider silk flying everywhere.

"roll!"

"Make the golden cudgel thinner and longer!"

"Then... start spinning!"

"Like...making marshmallows!"

……

"roll?"

Wukong was stunned for a moment.

Immediately, his clever monkey brain understood Jiang Li's meaning.

"Hehe! I get it!"

"I'm good at this!"

"Big, big! Long, long!"

The golden cudgel instantly extended, transforming into a thin, long golden thread.

"Forward this to me!"

Wukong flicked his wrist.

The golden cudgel began to spin at high speed.

Buzzing—

The centrifugal force and airflow generated by the rotation instantly form a vortex.

The white spider silk that was originally heading towards the crowd was drawn towards the golden cudgel by the airflow.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

One lap, two laps, three laps...

The spider silk, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, frantically wrapped around the golden cudgel.

The faster Arachnid vomited, the faster Goku rolled up.

"What's going on?!"

Arakny was stunned.

Its prized hunting net was taken away by that stick...?

and……

As the golden cudgel rolled up and thickened.

That huge white ball of silk really looked like a... super marshmallow.

……

"Nezha! Cooperate!"

Jiang Li gave the order.

"Use a low flame!"

"Bake it under that 'marshmallow'!"

"Give it...color! Add flavor!"

"Okay!"

Although Nezha couldn't move his feet, he could still breathe fire.

"call--"

A precise burst of Samadhi Fire shot out beneath the spinning golden cudgel.

The originally white spider silk begins to undergo the Maillard reaction when baked at high temperatures.

It turned into an enticing golden yellow.

The sweet, fishy smell in the air instantly transformed into a rich caramel aroma.

……

"Done!"

A few minutes later.

A giant golden candy ball with a diameter of ten meters was already wrapped around the golden cudgel in Wukong's hand.

And on the opposite side is Arachni.

My stomach is all deflated.

It can no longer produce silk.

"You...you all..."

It looked at the group of people in terror.

Is this still prey?

These are clearly a bunch of robbers! They even steal its saliva!

"Have you finished spitting out the silk?"

Jiang Li walked out from behind "Cotton Candy".

He was carrying Occam's razor in his hand.

"Since there's no more candy."

"Then it's time...to eat meat."

Jiang Li looked at Arakny's eight thick, long legs.

"I heard..."

"This long-legged creature."

"The texture is similar to king crab?"

……

"Eat me?!"

Arakny was furious.

"I am the Lord of the Abyss! I am the Queen of Poison!"

"I'm going to poison you all!"

It opened its huge mouth, and two enormous fangs spewed out two jets of purple venom.

"Be careful!"

Tang Sanzang was about to activate his shield.

"Don't move!"

Jiang Li stopped him.

He took out a huge glass bottle.

"Ergou! Catch!"

"Woof?"

Er Gou (ball-shaped) was kicked away by Jiang Li.

It held the glass bottle in its mouth and precisely caught the two streams of venom.

"Sizzle—"

The venom was poured into the bottle, releasing purple smoke.

"nice one."

Jiang Li called Er Gou back and closed the lid.

"This is... [Abyss Purple Poison Vinegar]."

"Highly poisonous, but also extremely delicious."

"As long as it is heated at high temperatures, the toxicity will be transformed into a sour and spicy taste."

"Perfect for dipping crab legs."

……

The battle ended quickly.

Arachnid has lost both its spider silk and its venom.

Under the combined attack of Wukong and Nezha, it was quickly reduced to its original form (a giant dead spider).

……

Cooking time.

Location: Center of the Spider Silk Domain.

First course: Appetizer - Golden Caramel Marshmallow.

Jiang Li pointed to the giant candy ball on Wukong's golden cudgel.

"This thing doesn't need to be cooked."

"Just tear it apart and eat it."

The crowd swarmed around, and each person tore off a large piece.

"Click."

It's crispy on the first bite, then melts into a rich syrup.

"sweet!"

Wukong licked his fingers.

"This tastes much better than the clouds in Heaven!"

"And I feel so energetic after eating it!"

Second course: Main dish - Steamed Abyss Eight Legs.

Jiang Li removed Arakni's eight long legs.

Each leg is three meters long and as thick as a tree trunk.

Its outer shell is dark and shiny.

"This level of ingredient doesn't require complicated cooking."

Steaming is the best way to preserve the original flavor.

Jiang Li set up the Klein pot.

Add plenty of water.

Add ginger slices and scallion segments (from the previous stock).

Add a little more cooking wine.

Place the steamer on the rack (made of maggot tree branches).

Place eight long legs on it.

Steam over high heat for fifteen minutes!

……

The third course: Dipping sauce - Purple Poison Vinegar.

Jiang Li poured the collected venom into the small pot.

Heat to a boil.

The purple venom turned bright red.

Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and sugar (the spider silk sugar from before).

Mix well.

A tangy, spicy, and savory aroma wafted through the air.

……

Fifteen minutes later.

"Open the lid!"

Steaming hot.

Those eight long black legs had now turned into an alluring bright red.

A rich, sweet aroma, similar to that of top-quality king crab, filled the entire forest.

"Dinner's ready!"

Jiang Li took out a specially made large pair of pliers (used to break the crab shell).

"Snap!"

A leg was crushed.

Push hard.

A three-meter-long, fair and tender leg, still trembling, was completely pulled out.

The meat was translucent and had a delicate texture.

"Dip it in some sauce."

Jiang Li rolled the meat in the purple poison vinegar sauce.

Put it in your mouth.

"Um……"

Jiang Li closed his eyes.

"fresh!"

"It's so fresh!"

"These abyssal creatures move around all year round, resulting in firm and bouncy flesh."

"Paired with this tangy and spicy vinegar, it's an absolutely perfect match!"

……

The crowd couldn't hold back any longer.

Er Gou hugged a leg that was bigger than itself and gnawed on it furiously.

"Woof woof! This meat is sweet!"

Nezha ate with his mouth full of oil.

"Ten thousand times tastier than the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the Dragon Palace!"

Even Tang Sanzang couldn't help but break his vows (since he was in the abyss, the Buddha couldn't see him).

"Amitabha."

"Although this spider is poisonous, its flesh... does indeed possess a certain Zen-like quality."

……

We finished a whole crab feast (spider feast).

All that remained on the ground was a pile of empty shells.

[System notification: Target achieved.]

[Loot obtained: Shadow Weaver's Venom Sac, High-Toughness Spider Silk Gland.]

[Quest Item Obtained: Preliminary Round Completion Token (found inside the spider's belly).]

Jiang Li wiped his mouth.

A black metal plaque was picked up from the wreckage of Arachni.

It has the word "qualified" engraved on it.

"You've passed the preliminary selection."

Jiang Li carefully put the token away.

"Next."

"It's... the main competition."

He looked towards the end of the forest.

From there, the lights of the Black Iron Pot City can be faintly seen.

And that towering, kilometer-high... Chef's Hat Building.

"I heard about the first round of the main competition."

"It's... [team competition]."

"We don't know who our opponent is..."

"What delicious food is it this time?"