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

Black Iron Pot City, the venue for the semi-finals, the Biochemical Petri Dish Arena.

If the previous auction venue was a luxurious palace, then today's competition venue is... a septic tank (crossed out), a huge biochemical laboratory.

The entire arena was covered by a huge, transparent energy shield.

The demons in the audience all put on gas masks, and some even wore fully enclosed spacesuits.

The theme of today's competition is "Biochemistry and Fermentation".

In this field, there is an absolute king.

He is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Abyss, known as the "Merciful Father"—the King of Rot, Nurgle.

……

Players' area, Red team.

Nurgle did not descend in person (that would have caused the entire plane to collapse), but his head chef and avatar came instead—[Kugas the Great Impure One].

This is a green fat man who is 20 meters tall, swollen all over, oozing green pus, and with his belly ripped open, exposing his intestines.

It didn't look fierce at all; on the contrary, it kept laughing, and its fat jiggled all over.

Countless plump green flies swarmed around it, like a green cloud.

Its stove was a huge, rusty plague cauldron.

What was boiling in the pot were various rotting limbs, eyeballs, and maggots that were still wriggling.

"Oh, hehehe..."

The Great Impure One let out a kind (and disgusting) laugh, stirring the bottom of the pot with the filthy ladle.

"What a wonderful day."

"Life is born in decay and is sublimated in plague."

"Kids, would you like a bowl of Grandpa's special... [Father's Loving Soup]?"

……

Players' area, blue team.

Jiang Li and his group stood in front of the stove, their expressions serious.

"vomit……"

Er Gou (Chaos Devouring Dog) had already put on three gas masks, but he was still made to roll his eyes by the stench that was blowing in with the wind.

"Boss! This is incomparable!"

"That's a biological weapon! That's a virus repository!"

"We're cooking, they're making poison!"

Sun Wukong pinched his nose, and his golden cudgel transformed into a fly swatter, frantically swatting at the green flies that flew towards him.

"That fat guy is disgusting!"

"If I, Old Sun, were to smash it to death with this stick, wouldn't I get covered in shit?"

"Stay calm."

Jiang Li is preparing the ingredients.

His expression was extremely calm, even with a hint of excitement.

"Rotting is the end of life."

"But... fermentation is the rebirth of life."

Jiang Li looked at the large pot emitting green smoke opposite him.

"He used dead, rotten things."

"And what we need to use..."

"It's living decay."

"I want to make a..."

"A combination of sour, spicy, fresh, refreshing, hot... and [extremely pungent]..."

"【Abyss Nuclear Explosion Level - Snail Rice Noodles】".

……

[Deep Blue: Biochemical Counterattack Plan - Launched]

Step 1: Making soup (the snails' grievances).

"The soul of snail rice noodles lies in the soup."

Jiang Li took out the shells of the [Abyss Banshee Shells] that were left over from the first round of the competition.

There are also [oil snails] caught in heavy oil swamps.

"These seashells and snails, though dead, still retain the echo of screams inside their shells."

Jiang Li poured them into the Klein pot.

Add [Abyss Pig Bone] (the leftover battle axe bones from the Shura Blacksmith Shop).

Add the [Void Eel Bone] (leftover from the second round).

"Nezha! Fiery Strike!"

"Simmer these bones and snails until they're dissolved!"

"Let their resentment and umami flavors blend completely!"

Gumbling--

The fire raged fiercely.

The broth in the pot gradually turned white, then yellow, and finally became a rich, slightly earthy brown.

That's the taste of the deepest abyss.

……

Step Two: Pickled Bamboo Shoots (An Olfactory Nuclear Bomb).

"Next comes the real highlight."

Jiang Li took out a sealed black ceramic jar from the deepest part of his backpack.

As soon as the jar was taken out, the Zuan chopping board started screaming:

"Ah! Dad! Don't drive! Please! I'm still a child!"

"Shut up and get to work."

Jiang Li placed the jar on the chopping board.

Remove the sealing clay.

"Sizzle—"

There was no explosion.

Only a wisp of gas... indescribable in words, slowly drifted out.

That's a kind of...

It's so sour it makes your teeth ache, so smelly it makes your soul leave your body, yet it also has a strange, fermented plant aroma.

This is what Jiang Li made at the edge of the Death Black Forest: tender bamboo shoots from the Steel Demon Tree, soaked in the strong acid juice of the Ghost-Faced Lemon, and then added to the sour broth of the literati, marinating them for three whole days...

【Abyss·Demonized Sour Bamboo Shoots】.

"This is... the fuse of a nuclear bomb."

Jiang Li pulled out a dark, sour bamboo shoot.

Place it on the Zuan cutting board.

"Slice it into strips!"

"Shut up, or I'll throw you in and pickle you."

The cutting board, soaked with tears (wood pulp) and enduring the stench, worked in tandem with Jiang Li's knife skills.

brush brush --

The pickled bamboo shoots were cut into thin strips.

Each strand exudes enough power to knock out an elephant.

……

Step 3: Fry the dried bean curd sticks (a great way to absorb odors).

"Ergou! Stop throwing up!"

"Bring out that fried slime shell you made in the swamp!"

"Woof?"

Er Gou shakily spat out a few shriveled slime skins (which were his secretly hidden snacks).

After undergoing initial fermentation by Er Gou's stomach acid, these skins have become as thin as paper.

"Put it in the oil!"

Jiang Li threw it into boiling oil.

"Splash—"

The slime skin instantly expanded, turning into golden and crispy [Abyss Fried Tofu Skin].

The most distinctive feature of this type of dried bean curd is that it absorbs odors.

It can absorb all the pungent and savory smells in the broth, bursting in your mouth.

……

Step 4: Powder (carrier).

Jiang Li took out the [Plasma Rice].

It was ground into powder and then extruded through the Tree Demon's extruder to make... [Plasma Rice Noodles].

This type of noodle doesn't fall apart even after long cooking; it's chewy, smooth, and has a natural sheen.

……

Step 5: All-out attack (mixed attack).

at this time.

The Great Impure One opposite has completed its work.

That was a bowl of… [Nurgh's Blessing].

Eyeballs and pustules floated in the thick, green soup, which reeked of a nauseating, rotting corpse.

The smell was so strong that even the ghoul judges on the panel found it hard to stand.

"It smells...it stinks..."

"But...it feels full of life (of the virus)?"

……

It was Jiang Li's turn.

"The final step."

"Detonate."

Jiang Li scalded the rice noodles and placed them in a huge bowl.

Pour on a spoonful of the "Snail Demon Soup" that has been simmering for three hours.

Top with [Abyss Fried Tofu Skin], [Fried Demon Realm Peanuts], and [Shredded Wood Ear Mushrooms].

Drizzle with [abyssal chili oil that's almost black].

At last.

That's also the most crucial point.

Grab a big handful... [Abyss Demonized Pickled Bamboo Shoots] and put them on top.

"Sizzle—"

The moment the pickled bamboo shoots come into contact with the hot soup.

A chemical reaction occurred.

boom!!!

A visible yellowish-brown mushroom cloud shot into the sky from Jiang Li's stove.

The smell is no longer just a simple stench.

Rather, it is a complex, layered, and extremely domineering aggressive scent.

It starts with a sour left hook that makes your mouth water.

Then comes a nasty right hook that will leave you dizzy.

Finally, a vicious Rising Dragon Fist will blast your skull open.

……

"Cough cough cough cough!!!"

All the gas masks in the stadium were ineffective.

This smell is incredibly penetrating.

Even the Great Impure One opposite was stunned.

Its chubby face, which had been wearing a kind smile, suddenly froze.

It sniffed hard.

"What...what is this taste?"

"This level of decay..."

"It's even...pureer than my plague?"

"and……"

The belly of the unclean one rumbled.

Why... do I feel... hungry?

As an offspring of the King of Decay, it has only ever been interested in viruses and has never had any desire for food.

But now.

It stared at the bowl of noodles in Jiang Li's hand, glistening with red oil and emitting a strange, foul odor.

Saliva was actually secreted from its mouth, which was full of cavities.

……

[Dish Name: Abyssal Bio-Hazard Noodle]

[Level: Biohazard Destruction (The Delicious Kind)]

[Description: This dish combines the freshness of succubus shellfish, the stench of demonized pickled bamboo shoots, and the intensity of abyssal chili oil. It's an unparalleled bowl of stinky noodles that can awaken the dead and knock out the living.]

[Special Feature: It smells like an exploded septic tank, but tastes like paradise. That extreme tug-of-war between stench and fragrance is a Stockholm syndrome for the taste buds.]

[Efficacy: Fighting poison with poison. After consumption, you will gain an "immune to all poisons" constitution, and... you will become addicted and never be able to give up this stench for the rest of your life.]

……

Review process.

The judging panel for this event is truly impressive.

In addition to the previous giant fat worm, there is also a [Plague Doctor] (with a bird-beak mask) and a [King of Smell Hounds] (a dog with three noses).

These three are all titans of the extreme taste world.

First is the filthy's Plague Soup.

The plague doctor took a bite.

"Hmm... the virus activity is very high, and the texture is smooth, but... besides being disgusting, there's nothing else to it."

The big fat worm took a bite.

"It's so-so, it's like drinking foot bath water."

……

then.

It's Jiang Li's turn to make [snail rice noodles].

When the bowl of noodles was served.

The king of smegmatine dogs' three noses twitched simultaneously, and then... his fur stood on end.

"Woof!!!"

"This flavor! This flavor is too strong!"

"Is this a biological attack?"

Although it says no, its body tells a different story.

It couldn't resist leaning closer and sticking out its tongue to lick a mouthful of soup.

"Slurp—"

That instant.

The king of hounds' eyes... went wide.

Followed by.

It started wagging its tail frantically and buried its head in the bowl to eat voraciously.

"Woof woof woof! It's delicious! It's so delicious it'll kill the dog!"

"That sourness! That spiciness! That stench!"

"This is the pinnacle of a dog's life!"

……

The plague doctor also picked up his chopsticks, took a mouthful of rice noodles, and wrapped it with a few pickled bamboo shoots.

Place it under the bird-beak mask.

"Slurp—"

"Cough cough cough! It's so spicy!"

"But... I can't stop!"

"These pickled bamboo shoots... are simply a stroke of genius!"

"It rotted so perfectly, fermented so thoroughly!"

"This is more fascinating than the viruses I've studied my whole life!"

……

The giant fat worm even swallowed the bowl whole (it was capable of swallowing whole anyway).

"Ugh—"

"These dried bean curd sticks! They're soaked in all the broth! They burst with flavor in every bite!"

"These peanuts are so crunchy!"

"And this powder... it's still bouncing around in my stomach!"

"Perfect score! It has to be perfect!"

……

[System notification: Congratulations to Jiang Li of Team Deep Blue for winning the semi-final championship!]

[Score: 30 (out of 5) (Only Nurgle voted for himself).]

[Reward: Nurgle's Ladle (Legendary Kitchenware Fragment 2)]

[Advanced to the finals!]

……

The whole place cheered (even though everyone was coughing while cheering).

The unclean one opposite watched the judges fighting over the last drop of soup.

A forlorn expression appeared on its chubby face.

"We lost..."

"In the art of decay... I have actually lost to a human being."

It walked up to Jiang Li.

Its massive body cast a shadow.

"Humans".

"In your bowl of noodles..."

"What kind of virus did they release?"

"Why do you even want to eat me?"

Jiang Li wiped the red oil from the corner of her mouth.

He smiled.

"It's not a virus."

"It's...time."

"The stench of pickled bamboo shoots is the fragrance bestowed by time."

"All you know how to do is create death."

"But without understanding..."

"Incubation"

The Great Impure One was stunned.

It looked at Jiang Li thoughtfully, and then...

He stretched out that filthy, large hand.

"Give me...a bowl."

"I'll buy it."

……

Jiang Li served this "benevolent father" a huge bowl (extra spicy and extra pungent).

Seeing the unclean one sitting on the ground, slurping rice noodles like a child, Jiang Li knew that this was a sure thing.

"alright."

"The semi-finals are over."

Jiang Li put away the [Nurgle Spoon], which he had acquired as a trophy (this spoon has the attribute of "accelerating fermentation").

Look towards the highest point of the arena.

There.

His final opponent awaited him.

That is... [Abyss Chef Harpie (Glutton)].

That is, the organizer of this competition.

"The final battle."

"The questions for the final round..."

Jiang Li glanced at the large screen that had just been used to display the information.

There are only two words on it:

[Divine Feast].

"A divine feast?"

Jiang Li touched his chin.

"It seems..."

"We need to bring out some...hidden gems."

"Ergou, go get that thing from the Tree Demon..."

"thaw."