Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A terrible aura enveloped the driver as if the sky was about to collapse, making him shiver all over and dare not move.
Bu Fang stared coldly at him and asked, “What did you say?”
The driver turned pale with fright. He did not expect such a strong reaction from his passenger, and he did not expect the strength of this easygoing young man to be so terrible. He thought the aura was much stronger than that of a Nine-revolution Great Saint.
“I… That… The young master of King Pingyang is going to host a ‘Beast Appreciating Feast’ and has invited various famous experts…” the driver said in a trembling voice.
“A Beast Appreciating Feast? They’re going to appreciate a Seven-colored Sky Devouring Python, an ancient spirit beast?” Bu Fang finished the words for him.
The driver nodded hastily. He got the news from a passenger yesterday, who was a steward in the King’s palace. He had thought of selling it for some money, but that appeared to be wishful thinking. He would be lucky if he could keep his life now.
“Young master… I… I don’t want your money, just let me go… I’ve made a mistake. I shouldn’t talk so much…” He began to weep, fearing that Bu Fang might kill him in a fury. This was actually very common in the Divine Dynasty’s capital, and drivers were considered the lowest occupation in the city.
Bu Fang glanced at the driver and waved a hand, signaling him to leave. Then, he took out a source stone fragment and gave it to the driver. It was provided by Mu Hongzi, who told him that the currency in the Divine Dynasty was neither Nether crystals nor Immortal crystals, but source stones, which was also the universal currency of the universe.
‘A Seven-colored Sky Devouring Python… Could she be Flowery?’ Bu Fang narrowed his eyes.
Flowery had taken the form of a young girl now, which matched what the driver had said—that after the python transformed, she proved to be a fair pretty girl.
The driver shed tears of gratitude after he took the source stone from Bu Fang, then he gave the dragon horse’s back a lick of his whip and sped away. He did not want to stay with Bu Fang for even an extra moment. Who knew if this young man would suddenly go back on his word?
“Whether she is Flowery or not, I’ll have to go to that King Pingyang’s palace and have a look… If she is indeed Flowery…”
Bu Fang’s eyes shone brightly. If the python proved to be Flowery, he would not stand by and do nothing. She should be with Lord Dog and Nethery. If something happened to her, then it meant…something happened to Lord Dog as well. That was not what Bu Fang wanted to see.
Standing where he was, Bu Fang became lost in thought. After pondering for a long time, he finally raised his head and murmured, “The driver said the feast will be held in King Pingyang’s palace there days later… Who is this guy? Whatever king you are, if you really captured Flowery…”
Bu Fang furrowed his brows, his eyes flickering. He had just arrived in the Divine Dynasty’s capital, and since he was totally unfamiliar with the place and the people, it made it difficult for him to act. Besides, he needed to open a restaurant in this city.
Fortunately, he still had three days. He decided that he would visit King Pingyang’s palace three days later. Now, however, he was quite interested in the inheritance of the so-called ancient Heavengod. He raised his head and looked at the tall building in the distance.
“The Divine Chef Temple…”
Bu Fang clasped his hands behind his back and led Whitey toward the building with a straight face.
The capital of the Divine Dynasty was grand and prosperous. All kinds of tall buildings towered into the clouds, and the Divine Chef Temple was one of them. It was constructed of a strange material, and a mighty aura lingered around it.
As Bu Fang approached it, the crowd grew thicker and noisier. He found most of them were chefs. Some looked high-spirited, while others were chained and being driven into the building like a herd of sheep. It was obvious that those chained chefs were abducted from different remote places.
According to the driver, chef trade nowadays was very profitable in the Divine Dynasty. A chef was worth one source stone, and if he was chosen by the Divine Chef Temple, he would be worth five times more.
The extravagant profits had lured countless people into the trade, who employed all kinds of means to get chefs, including but not limited to cheating and abducting. In fact, many officials of the Divine Dynasty had joined the trade as well, since the expert behind the Divine Chef Temple would accept any chefs.
Bu Fang walked slowly with his hands behind his back. Before long, he was in front of the Divine Chef Temple. The building was very tall. When he looked up, he could see that it contained at least dozens of stories.
The main door was opened, and people were coming and going. Bu Fang stepped through it. As soon as he was inside, a cacophony of loud noises greeted him. It was as though he had walked into a slave market.
That made Bu Fang frown slightly and feel somewhat uncomfortable. He did not like even a bit that chefs were being traded like slaves.
The lobby was divided into two parts. On one side was the noisy trading platform, which looked no different than a slave market. Some people were happily counting source stones, while others were negotiating prices with sales personnel.
The other side was quieter and more high-class, where a platform was set up to welcome those chefs who came voluntarily. Bu Fang walked toward that platform.
The front desk was made of a smooth stone, and behind it sat a beautiful blond girl in a uniform. When she saw Bu Fang, a warm smile came over her face.
“How can I help you?” she asked mechanically.
Bu Fang was expressionless. Although the girl was very pretty, she could not move him. “I heard the Divine Chef Temple is recruiting chefs?” he asked.
“The chefs trading platform is on the other side of the lobby. If you are here to sell chefs, you can proceed there. Our friendly sales personnel will talk to you,” the blond girl said with a smile.
Bu Fang shook his head. “Chefs should not be traded. You are insulting the profession.”
The girl froze. She did not expect Bu Fang to say that. Her eyes lit up in an instant, and she nodded in agreement and said, “I feel the same way.” She then went on and asked with a warm smile, “Are you a chef? Are you here to sign up for the examination of the Divine Chef Temple?
“If you’re an independent chef, you will be treated much better than those who are sold to us after passing the examination. You will enjoy the professional services and noble status provided by the Divine Chef Temple.”
For some reason, the blond girl felt a unique charm in Bu Fang. It was the charm of confidence, which came from his confidence in his cooking skills. She had sensed it in those top chefs she had served in the past. And now, this young man was giving her the same feeling, which was unbelievable.
“Yes, please sign me up.” Bu Fang nodded. He was very interested in the culinary inheritance of the ancient Heavengod.
A Heavengod chef was most likely the top-level chef and should not be too far behind the God of Cooking. Perhaps, he or she was the God of Cooking.
The blond girl’s eyes lit up, and then she produced a crystal. Bu Fang needed to fill all his basic details in it with his divine sense. However, when he saw the field that asked him for his cooking grade, he paused.
“Oh? What are the cooking grades here?” he asked, frowning.
That surprised the girl. ‘How could he not know the cooking grades?’
“Aren’t you from Xiayi Divine Dynasty?”
Bu Fang shook his head. “I came from a newly established great world. The cooking grades there are different from here.”
‘He’s from a newly established great world?’ The girl’s warm face turned cold in an instant. She finally knew where the confidence in Bu Fang came from. It originated from the fact that he had not suffered any blows yet.
“There are three cooking grades in the Divine Chef Temple: Spirit Divine Chef, Earth Divine Chef, and Heaven Divine Chef. You can estimate your grade and tell me about it.
“A Spirit Divine Chef must have the cultivation base of a Demigod and be able to skillfully cook any dishes with the Power of Law.
“The cultivation base of an Earth Divine Chef must reach the level of a low-grade God, and he must be able to fuse the Power of Law with his dishes.
“The cultivation base of a Heaven Divine Chef must reach the level of a mid-level God, and he must be able to at least fuse all the Laws he had comprehended with his dishes.”
Although her enthusiasm for Bu Fang had diminished considerably, she still gave him a conscientious explanation. However, she did not have any high hopes in him. After all, Bu Fang came from a newly established great world, which meant a third-class great world. To put it simply, Bu Fang was a bumpkin.
She did not need to be too warm to a bumpkin. How could she expect a bumpkin to be a Divine Chef? She had worked here for many years and seen hundreds of Divine Chefs, and most of them were Spirit Divine Chefs.
There were hundreds of millions of people in the whole Xiayi Divine Dynasty, but there were only hundreds of Divine Chefs. That alone showed how rare Divine Chefs were.
After hearing the blond girl’s explanation, Bu Fang became lost in thought, and a long time passed before he raised his head.
“According to what you said, I should be a Spirit Divine Chef,” Bu Fang finally said.
The girl froze, while some of the officers on duty around them also turned to look at Bu Fang.
A Spirit Divine Chef? Did this guy think too much of himself?
To be a Spirit Divine Chef, one must be a Demigod in the first place. In addition, he had to study in the Demigod realm for countless years and must have a thorough understanding of cooking before he could become a Divine Chef.
The Divine Chefs the blond girl had met were usually old men. She had never seen one as young as Bu Fang. Her red lips parted, and she was about to say something when Bu Fang touched his chin, frowned, shook his head, and said, “No… I don’t think I’m a Spirit Divine Chef.”
The girl breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that. ‘That’s more like it. How could there be such a young Divine Chef? By the looks of it, this guy is only about thirty years old. A thirty-year-old Divine Chef? Whether he is really a Demigod is still a question…’
However, just when she picked up a cup of water and took a sip to calm herself, Bu Fang looked up and said vexedly, “According to what you said, I might be an Earth Divine Chef… but my cultivation base is slightly weaker. I’m just a Demigod…”
When he had finished speaking, the blond girl’s eyes went wide, and water spurted out of her mouth.
