Chapter Six: This Is Shilin Temple

PS: The notice from the contract site has already been received. I will send out the contract during the day, so everyone can feel assured to bookmark.

After enduring countless hardships, Feng Xue finally entered the main hall. Wrapped up like a mummy by the staff, he was greeted by a man clad in a long robe, his braided hair wrapped around his head in a manner reminiscent of the Demon King Piccolo.

"Hello, I'm Zhou. You can call me Master Zhou. I will be teaching you the way of Culinary Righteousness."

"So, learning Culinary Righteousness—is this my task this time?" Feng Xue thought to himself. But he quickly realized that the man was speaking Japanese, so he switched his own language to Japanese as well.

Speaking of Japanese, it must be mentioned that in this era, all transmigrators are required to be proficient in at least four languages—Chinese, English, Japanese, and Universal Language. (It's ironic that although Area Eleven has perished in this world, its language remains immortal.)

The first three are self-explanatory, as almost all semi-planes use these languages. However, there are always worlds that defy convention, such as the myriad racial languages in the DND world, the Dragon Tongue in Elder Scrolls, or Elvish in Lord of the Rings. Communication is secondary; the real trouble comes when one acquires cultivation methods but cannot understand them (like foreigners confronted with ancient texts). That would truly be frustrating.

How to solve such problems? Initially, the "Comprehend Languages" spell was used, but not everyone can cast spells. Thus, a powerful rule-level expert from the Eastern Human race, using his mastery of "language rules," reverse engineered a Universal Language that could be understood by any race or civilization. Conversely, those who master Universal Language can comprehend all other languages—not speak, but understand, much like the main god's stone tablet, where the meaning is clear despite not recognizing the script. However, because many plot characters cannot grasp this situation—where they can't hear the words but understand the meaning—this often poses a threat to transmigrators. Thus, Universal Language cannot replace the other three. (Incidentally, Western Humans also possess a similar Universal Language, but its core differs.)

"Hello, my name is Feng Xue." Forcing a smile, Feng Xue bowed, immediately pulling at his wounds and grimacing in pain. "Do I not have to learn alongside those people?"

"No need. They are criminals sent here for forced retraining, while you volunteered to advance your studies. Naturally, the training methods differ. However... you've already witnessed the dangers of the Culinary Forest Temple. Are you sure you want to train here? Once you start, there's no turning back!"

Master Zhou smiled slyly, like a fox, and Feng Xue felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss—not from any killing intent, but from a powerful intuition given by his abilities.

"Of course, that's exactly why I came," Feng Xue replied with a bitter smile, inwardly cursing the Central Transmigrator Academy. Damn it, he had only just entered and was already battered and bruised, and now he had to complete the Culinary Forest Temple's training? Is this really the extraordinary-level assessment?

"Then let's begin tomorrow." Master Zhou led Feng Xue to a meditation chamber, and as soon as he entered, a plant wrapped itself around him.

"This is a Healing Tree. It can treat all kinds of external injuries." Master Zhou, wearing his foxlike smile, left, abandoning Feng Xue hanging in midair, speechless.

"Is coming here really the right choice?" At this moment, a dark line seemed to appear on Feng Xue's forehead.

The Healing Tree worked wonders, or perhaps the creatures of the Gourmet Hunter world were simply extraordinary. Gourmet cells, an omnipresent phenomenon, endowed creatures with unique qualities and exquisite flavors.

"Eh?" Released from the tree, Feng Xue immediately sensed something amiss—this was no ordinary meditation chamber.

There was only one reason—there were kitchen knives and cutting boards.

"They want me to practice culinary skills here? Is this the training of the Culinary Forest Temple, or the intention of the Transmigrator Academy—or both?" Stroking his chin, Feng Xue walked to the counter, picked up a kitchen knife, then...

"Ah!" With a scream, his right hand was instantly pierced by a wooden spike that shot out from the knife handle. The agony, running through his ten fingers, was beyond description.

"I forgot to tell you! The kitchen tools here are also made from materials like those in the Culinary Forest Temple. Without a heart of gratitude, you can't use them!" Master Zhou's voice drifted in from outside.

"Damn it!" Feng Xue mustered gratitude, and the wooden spike withdrew.

Fortunately, with the Healing Tree, Feng Xue's palm quickly healed.

"This place is really over the top..." He stood on the bed, tapping it carefully. Still uneasy, he deployed his AT Field, creating an orange, interlocking octagonal cushion. It was his first time actively deploying the AT Field, and the process was clearly awkward and unrefined. (AT Fields have passive and active states. Passive means spreading soul particles over the body surface, like phase-shift armor in Gundam SEED. In the original, apostles could ignore bombs without deploying AT Fields because of this. The reason the Angel of Strength's bandages are so sharp is due to an AT Field vibrating at high frequency, repelling everything it touches in two directions, similar to Orihime Inoue's shield in Bleach, earning it the title of rejection type. Active deployment forms a barrier, as in the original.)

With the AT Field beneath him, Feng Xue dared to sit cross-legged on the bed—who knew what hidden dangers lurked? If anything were to go awry while meditating, he feared he'd be left with psychological scars for life!

"Food is life. Gratitude for food is gratitude for all things, gratitude for life itself!"

Feng Xue recalled the words of Master Zhenzhen from the original story, slowly settling into a meditative state.

To Feng Xue, training in Culinary Righteousness closely resembled the Mind Like Still Water technique—especially in eliminating unnecessary movements and maximizing effect with minimal force. The only difference was that one required a mind free of distractions, while the other demanded a heart full of gratitude.

...

Nine months passed, and Feng Xue's progress in Culinary Righteousness was barely at the beginner stage, leaving him perplexed.

"Where is the problem?" Using five-meter-long chopsticks, Feng Xue picked soybeans into a bowl. After nearly two hundred seventy days, he was well-acquainted with the routine. In less than half an hour, a bowlful of soybeans was neatly picked; his control over strength had reached a new level. Yet his comprehension of Culinary Righteousness remained elusive. Moreover, he had spent most of the past half-year training with soybeans; aside from the pine brush grass in the mornings, he hadn't encountered any of the other items from the original story. According to the original, those ingredients were for advanced training—in other words, Master Zhou deemed him unqualified for that stage.

However, maintaining the AT Field during meditation and rest produced an effect similar to the Cold Jade Bed in Condor Heroes, greatly increasing the production and control of his soul particles.

"What am I missing?" Feng Xue compared himself to the protagonist from the original, "What do I lack compared to Aru?"

"Is it combat power? Or activated gourmet cells?" He quickly dismissed that notion; Komatsu in the original also lacked gourmet cells at this stage but mastered Culinary Righteousness quickly because of his chef's identity. Why?

"That's it! I don't have Aru's passion for food!" Suddenly inspired, Feng Xue turned to Master Zhou, "Master Zhou, could you please cook a dish for me?"

"Oh? So you've realized?" Master Zhou didn't seem surprised; perhaps he'd seen Feng Xue's flaw long ago. But in the path of cultivation, many things must be understood personally, so he offered no hints.

"Yes. Until now, I've never tasted a dish that made me truly grateful from the heart." Feng Xue nodded. He could cook, but always followed recipes mechanically, never investing emotion. In industry terms, he was merely a cook, not a chef. As a diner, he lacked any fervor for food—whether gourmet cuisine or instant noodles, it was all just sustenance. How could such an attitude yield Culinary Righteousness?

"In that case, allow me to show my humble skills!" Master Zhou brought out a flowerpot, and Feng Xue recognized it as containing ham rose seeds, which only bloom when one feels deep gratitude. Yet when Master Zhou picked up the pot, the seeds immediately blossomed into flowers with petals like slices of ham.

Master Zhou approached the cooking station and prepared them simply—just blanching the ham rose petals in plain water. He then brought out a bowl of white rice, not the luxurious egg rice, just ordinary rice, but paired with the fragrant ham petals, it exuded irresistible allure.

"Ham rice bowl, please enjoy."

Feng Xue picked up the unassuming bowl without a hint of disdain—after all, Stephen Chow's legendary soul-soothing rice was also just a rice bowl.

He reached out with his chopsticks to pick up the ham.

"What's this?" His sensitive touch immediately detected something unusual.

"So soft!" The ham broke easily under the chopsticks, its tenderness rivaling cake.

The fragmented ham, together with a bite of rice, entered his mouth. The abundant juices produced a polarizing sensation, and the chewy texture provided a powerful contrast.

"This is..." Feng Xue ate bite after bite, unable to stop. All thoughts of trials, the Central Transmigrator Academy, faded from his mind. At this moment, all he wanted was to finish this bowl of rice!

"Ah..." Soon, the bowl was empty, and Feng Xue let out a satisfied breath. His whole body radiated vitality, warm and fulfilled. If he didn't know he wasn't native to this world, he would have believed his gourmet cells had awakened.

"So it's true—one can be moved to tears by a meal!" Feng Xue wiped the tears streaming from his eyes, unable to stop them. His tear ducts burst like broken pipes, sending forth endless droplets.

His thoughts ceased; only one feeling remained—gratitude.

Grateful he had drawn the Culinary Forest Temple as his trial, grateful to Master Zhou for preparing such a delicious bowl, grateful the ham rose could unleash such flavor, grateful...

"Thank you so much for your cooking," Feng Xue said, turning, hands pressed together, bowing.

"No need for that. As long as you approach ingredients with gratitude, they will reward you," Master Zhou replied, his foxlike smile unchanged. "Now, let's begin today's training!"

"Yes!"

After eating the ham rice bowl, Feng Xue's training expanded greatly—plain white fish, egg rice, camel pudding, all sorts of gourmet ingredients came into view. His progress accelerated daily, and before he realized it, his mastery of imaginary concepts had more than tripled, and his soul's strength reached the limit his body could withstand. With another breakthrough in physical cultivation, he would advance to Extraordinary Upper Rank—from Ordinary Upper Rank at entry!