Forced to become a top influencer, I rely on my tu cao to ruin the cultivation world.

The twilight at Nantianmen was enveloped in an unprecedented fragrance.

This aroma is neither the delicate fragrance of peaches nor the medicinal scent of elixirs, but rather a blend of chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, butter, cumin, and various spices that react violently at high temperatures—the aroma of everyday life.

Jia Zhuang's "Qingyun Heavy Industry · Heavenly Court Branch" is already taking shape. Several blue prefabricated houses have sprung up in the South Heavenly Gate Square like building blocks, at a speed that defies architectural aesthetics. Although these corrugated steel panels look out of place, even a bit "rustic," against the backdrop of the magnificent and misty Heavenly Court, the smell wafting from the gaps in the prefabricated houses makes every passing deity stop and take a deep breath.

"It smells so good... What is this smell?"

A wandering immortal, who was originally on his way to the Tushita Palace to listen to the Dao, was now like a headless fly, following the fragrance to Jia Zang's construction site.

At the construction site, the "Xuantie mixer," originally used for mixing cement, was being thoroughly cleaned, its interior churning with a bright red liquid. Several enormous "Kunpeng-class industrial drones" hovered in mid-air, with huge stainless steel barrels suspended below them, each barrel bearing prominent red lettering:

"Qingyun Heavy Industry Special Supply: Samadhi True Fire Self-Heating Hot Pot"

"Come on over! Nantianmen delivery, mission accomplished!"

Wearing an apron stained with oil and holding a large ladle, Jia Zang stood next to the blender and shouted, "Today's special! Self-heating spicy hot pot! Iced sugary drinks! Only nine spirit stones! Even immortals would be dazed!"

"Nonsense! Absolutely nonsense!"

A furious shout came from the clouds. There, Laozi, riding a green ox, slowly descended. He had sensed unusual fluctuations in the spiritual energy here (actually, the spiciness was too strong), and had come down specifically to investigate.

"Jia Zang! What are you doing in this sacred Heavenly Court? This...this is outrageous!" Laozi pointed at the blender churning red oil, his beard trembling with rage. "That's filth from the mortal world! It's filled with foul air!"

"Laojun, you're mistaken," Jia Zang said innocently, scooping up a spoonful of chili oil and handing it over. "This is called 'Refining the Heart in the Mortal World.' You spend your days refining elixirs, focusing on the timing of the heat; my hot pot also emphasizes the timing of the heat. Smell it—this beef tallow contains the spiritual power of billions of living beings on earth; it's incredibly nourishing!"

Lao Jun subconsciously sniffed.

That one inhale was all it took; the domineering aroma instantly penetrated to the top of his head. As a top-tier chef (alchemist), Lao Jun's nose was extremely sensitive. He could distinguish the rich flavor of Pixian chili bean paste, the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, and...

"Hmph! Stop spreading these false rumors!" Laozi abruptly flicked his whisk, trying to suppress the cravings in his stomach with his willpower. "Mortal food is too coarse and unappetizing; how could it possibly meet the standards of my immortal family?"

"Crude?" Jia Zang chuckled. "Laojun, you haven't experienced the power of industrialization. System, send the samples!"

Jia Zang snapped his fingers, and a drone immediately buzzed, carrying a freshly cooked self-heating hot pot, and slowly landed on the back of the green ox in front of Laozi.

"This is our 'Samadhi True Fire Self-Heating Hot Pot,' specially made by Qingyun Heavy Industry. No fire, no electricity, just a cup of water, and it can bring out the deepest flavor of the ingredients. It contains mortal beef slices, tripe, beef aorta... oh right, and also 'spiritual root vegetables' that I specially sourced from the Peach Garden... cough cough, from legitimate channels."

As Laozi's mount, the green ox had long since become sentient. Its large eyes were fixed on the hot pot, two streams of hot air came out of its nostrils, and saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, wetting Laozi's boots.

"You beast! You're a disgrace!" Laozi cursed, but his eyes darted around.

Just then, several Golden Guard soldiers who had just finished their shifts gathered around. They had just received "overtime meal vouchers" from Jia Zang, and each of them was holding a steaming bowl of instant noodles, eating with great relish.

"Slurp—Awesome! This is what life should be like!"

"Those fasting pills I ate in Heaven were practically tasteless! These 'golden thread wrist wrapping' (instant noodles) in the mortal realm are much better!"

"Hey bro, do you have any soup left? I've finished my 'Forget-Me-Not Water' (Cola)!"

The heavenly soldiers ate in an extremely exaggerated manner, and their sense of satisfaction and happiness could strike straight to the soul, even through the screen (if there were a live broadcast at that moment).

Laozi looked at the heavenly soldiers and then at the greedy look on the green ox's face, and his defenses began to crumble little by little.

"Really... edible?" Lao Jun asked tentatively.

"Of course! Laozi, you are the patriarch of alchemy, and you understand the meaning of 'heat control' best. This hot pot is all about 'the Dao'!" Jia Zang pressed his advantage and opened the hot pot lid. A thick red mist instantly rose up, transforming into a miniature fire dragon that hovered in the air.

The aroma was extremely overpowering.

Lao Jun finally couldn't resist any longer. He shakily stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a piece of tripe, dipped it in the chili oil, and then put it in his mouth.

"Click..."

In that instant, Laozi's eyes widened.

Numb! Spicy! Fresh! Delicious!

The four flavors exploded in his mouth, as if a grand feast of peaches was unfolding on his tongue. That stimulating sensation instantly dispelled the dullness and monotony accumulated over thousands of years of cultivation.

"Excellent! What a wonderful 'Refining the Heart in the Mortal World'!" Laozi couldn't help but exclaim. "The texture is crisp, tender, and chewy, even more so than my Nine-Turn Golden Elixir... even more irresistible."

Looking at Laozi's "it smells so good" expression, Jia Zang's lips curled into a sly smile.

He knew he had won.

This is not just about selling a hot pot; it's about "cultural invasion."

The gods in Heaven, high above, had severed all emotions and desires, believing this to be the "Tao." But Jia Zang told them that the human world has fireworks, spicy food, and the carbonation stimulation of iced cola—this is what makes life vibrant.

When the gods begin to crave the flavors of the human world, they cease to be the lofty gods and become "humans" with desires.

"Laojun, since you think it's good, can we talk about cooperation?" Jia Zhuang handed over a bottle of ice-cold cola. "This is another flagship product of our 'Qingyun Heavy Industry'—'Forget-Worry Happy Water'. It's even more refreshing when it's ice-cold."

Lao Jun took the dark liquid, looked at the bubbles rising from it, and hesitated.

"What...what is this? It looks like poison."

"Poison? No, no, no, this is pleasure." Jia Zang pulled the tab.

"Sizzle—"

With a crisp sound, white mist gushed out.

Lao Jun mustered his courage and took a sip.

The bubbles burst on his tongue, instantly releasing dopamine from the sugar. That cool, stimulating, and sweet sensation gave this ancient sage, who had lived for countless years, a long-lost feeling...like first love.

"Awesome!" Laozi couldn't help but exclaim, "What is this thing? How can it have such miraculous effects?"

"This is called 'Cola,' which means 'to be happy,'" Jia Zang said with a smile. "Laojun, just imagine, if you could open a 'Laojun Hot Pot Restaurant' in the Tushita Palace and use this cola as a condiment, wouldn't the incense money... oh no, the turnover, increase several times over?"

Lao Jun's eyes lit up.

As the financial director (part-time) of the Heavenly Court, he is very sensitive to the matter of "money".

"Immortal Jia... no, Mr. Jia!" Laozi's attitude underwent a complete 180-degree turn, and he warmly grasped Jia Zang's hand. "I think your suggestion is very forward-thinking. The delicacies of the mortal world do indeed contain great wisdom. How about this, I can clear a piece of land in the Tushita Palace specifically for... researching this art of 'refining the mind in the mortal world'."

"Of course! This is a powerful alliance!" Jia Zhuang laughed. "From now on, the Heavenly Court's food delivery business will be handled by 'Qingyun Heavy Industries.' Whether it's the Lingxiao Palace or the Guanghan Palace, as long as an order is placed, it will be delivered by drone within half an incense stick's time!"

[Livestream chat]

[Hahaha! Even Laozi (the God of War) has fallen for it! This is the power of delicious food!]

[Hey, this isn't food, it's a sugar-coated bullet!]

[It's over, Heaven's defenses have completely collapsed. Should they start selling snail rice noodles next?]

[Jia Zang is awesome! He's turning Heaven into a food court!]

As Laozi's words proved true, the other deities at the South Heavenly Gate also couldn't sit still any longer.

Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, arrived after smelling the aroma. His eyes lit up when he saw the enormous drone: "Jia Zang, your aircraft is truly marvelous. Could you sell me a few? I'd like to use them for... cough cough, for patrolling."

Erlang Shen Yang Jian also arrived with his celestial dog, Xiaotianquan, who was wagging its tail wildly at the "mortal sausage" in Jia Zang's hand.

"This dog...this mythical beast seems to really like this stuff," Yang Jian said somewhat awkwardly. "I wonder about this sausage..."

"Like it? It's yours!" Jia Zhuang waved his hand generously. "Brother Yang Jian, I see your Howling Celestial Dog has extraordinary bones. How about trying our new 'Supreme Dog Food'? It contains peach pit powder; it'll make its fur shinier!"

In an instant, Nantianmen Square was transformed into a giant vegetable market.

Standing on the bulldozer, Jia Zhuang looked at the crowd of immortals surrounding him and listened to them discussing the proportions of hot pot broth and the sweetness of cola. A great sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart.

Without firing a single shot, he breached the Heavenly Court's strongest defenses with just a hot pot meal and a bottle of cola.

"Family members," Jia Zang whispered to the invisible camera in the sky, "Do you see this? This is 'soft power.' When the gods start to go crazy for the mortals' appetites, the majesty of the Heavenly Court ceases to exist."

[System Notification: Cultural Invasion Progress 10%. The Heavenly Gods' favorability towards the mortal realm has greatly increased. Achievement obtained: "The Culinary Delights of Heaven".]

"Next," Jia Zang said with a meaningful smile, looking at the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden who was still sulking in the distance but couldn't help but sneak glances in their direction, "it's time to send this proud God of War a 'special' takeout."

"After all, you need to be full to have the energy to argue."