"A Dragon Chef? That's fantastic!"
Elder Guan and the others all broke into smiles. They didn't doubt Kael for a second. After all, he was a legitimate heir to a Legendary Kitchenware.
Someone like that should naturally possess this level of skill. There was no reason for him to lie about something like this.
"So, Elder Guan, what is it you need?" Kael asked.
He had already guessed they must want something. Otherwise, they wouldn't be treating him with such enthusiasm, nor would they be probing into his culinary level.
"You saw right through us, Mr. Kael," Elder Guan said with a chuckle. "In that case, we won't hide it. A few days ago, a genius chef who once left Yangquan Restaurant—Rēn—returned."
"Rēn was originally meant to be the next head of Yangquan Restaurant. When Master Zhou Yu retired, he planned to hand everything over to him."
"Back then, however, Rēn was still a bit too immature. So Master Zhou sent him traveling to train and broaden his horizons, intending for him to take over once he returned."
"At the time, I even agreed to a proposal from Master Ruoh. Because Rēn's talent with knives was unmatched, the Chefs' Union elders decided that once he came back, we would let him take charge of the Ever-Soul Knife."
"But who could have expected that this so-called genius would join the Dark Cooking Society—and even become one of their Lin Chefs? He's now known as the 'Seven-Star Knife.'"
"The reason he came back is simple. He wants the Legendary Kitchenware. After all, we once made him that promise. That's where the trouble starts."
"Our original plan was to have Master Zhou face him in a knife skills duel. But Master Zhou is also a Lin Chef. He's only one step away from becoming a Dragon Chef, yes—but his opponent is Rēn."
"Before Rēn left, his knife skills were only slightly inferior to Master Zhou's, and the gap wasn't large at all."
"Now that Rēn has obtained the Seven-Star Knives, the situation is even worse. Master Zhou's true specialty isn't knife work, but fire techniques. That's why, after hearing you were coming, we deliberately stalled Rēn."
"We want to ask you to take part in this knife duel. If you win, we'll hand over the Ever-Soul Knife. Of course, if you want to take it away, you'll still need to gain the Ever-Soul Knife's recognition."
Elder Guan finally revealed his true purpose.
After hearing all this, Kael paused for a moment. Earlier, his gaze had swept over Liu Maoxing—and he had also spotted Tang Sanjie.
Tang Sanjie was the first opponent Liu Maoxing faced after arriving at Yangquan Restaurant. Even though the two later became close friends, the fact that Tang Sanjie was still here meant Liu Maoxing hadn't been at Yangquan for long.
In the original story, when Rēn returned, Liu Maoxing had already become a Special-Grade Chef and had gone out to train on his own.
Yet now, at this point in time, Rēn had already returned.
After a brief thought, Kael understood why.
This had to be caused by his own presence. He had already obtained the Garuda Knife, and the Dark Cooking Society had targeted him multiple times. There was no way they would ignore the Ever-Soul Knife under these circumstances.
So Rēn returning early to make a move for it made perfect sense.
Still, Kael's impression of Elder Guan dropped another notch.
By Elder Guan's words, Kael would only obtain the Ever-Soul Knife if he won. And even then, taking it away would require the knife's recognition.
On the surface, it sounded fair—following the rules. But anyone with half a brain knew the truth. Throughout culinary history, the number of people who could gain the recognition of even one Legendary Kitchenware was already minuscule.
Gaining the approval of multiple pieces was practically unheard of.
In other words, Elder Guan clearly didn't want Kael to actually take the Ever-Soul Knife.
Unfortunately for him, he'd miscalculated.
This was Kael they were dealing with.
If he wanted the Kitchenware, it was already decided.
He'd been wondering how to bring up the Ever-Soul Knife himself. Now it had practically been delivered to his doorstep. Kael even suspected that his Auspicious attribute was at work again.
That Auspicious trait was somewhat similar to Food Luck from the Gourmet World—except Food Luck affected ingredients, while Kael's Auspiciousness applied to everything.
For example, during his journey to Guangzhou, he'd lost count of how many times he'd casually picked up money along the way.
And whenever the Dark Cooking Society tried to ambush him, Kael always sensed them in advance. Each time, right before they acted, something would go wrong—some small disturbance.
To ordinary people, those disturbances meant nothing. But to chefs with heightened senses, they were clear signals.
Kael's Auspicious attribute truly worked on every level.
He had just arrived, and the Chefs' Union immediately came asking for his help—while conveniently offering the Ever-Soul Knife along with it.
That had to be Auspiciousness at play.
As for whether he could defeat Rēn?
That wasn't even worth thinking about.
Kael had no weak points in his fundamentals. His overall culinary skill already surpassed Rēn's, and in processing techniques, the gap between them was a chasm.
There was no reason for him to worry about losing.
"Since Elder Guan has put it that way," Kael said calmly, "I agree."
Although Elder Guan was clearly trying to use him, the opportunity was right in front of him. Kael wasn't about to let it slip.
That said, he wasn't going to let Elder Guan off so easily either. He'd settle the score later.
As for how?
Elder Guan liked using his granddaughter as a tool? Then Kael would simply turn that back on him. He had plenty of ways to deal with people like that.
"That's wonderful," Elder Guan said, visibly relieved. "Then let's set the duel for three days from now. Mr. Kael, please rest and adjust your condition during these days. If you need anything, just tell the Chefs' Union. We'll do our best to provide it."
With that, the banquet came to an end. The Chefs' Union arranged lodging for Kael near Yangquan Restaurant—mainly so it would be convenient for him to eat there.
"Did you hear? I was nearby earlier. That Kitchenware heir is actually a Dragon Chef—stronger even than Master Zhou!"
After everyone left, the gossip at Yangquan Restaurant naturally centered on Kael.
"That's not all. I heard he'll be replacing Master Zhou in the knife duel against Rēn!"
Another server chimed in.
"It can't be helped. Rēn is a Lin Chef too, and knife work is his specialty. Master Zhou is strong, but knife skills aren't his main focus."
"Yeah. This is about a Legendary Kitchenware, after all. Being cautious is never a bad thing. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to seeing that bastard Rēn lose."
"I heard that when Dark Cooking Society members lose, the price they pay is huge. That traitor deserves it. He's an embarrassment to Yangquan Restaurant."
The servers were full of anger whenever Rēn was mentioned.
After all, Rēn had come from Yangquan Restaurant. Even if, strictly speaking, it wasn't their fault, people still spread rumors outside.
And they couldn't exactly deny it—Rēn really had left from here. Now people were saying Yangquan Restaurant had raised a talent for the Dark Cooking Society.
Their reputation had taken a hit because of it.
"Meili, is Rēn really that kind of person?" Liu Maoxing asked quietly as he listened.
"I don't know," Meili Zhou said with a sigh. "At first, when I heard he joined the Dark Cooking Society, I thought maybe he was forced. But later, he made a name for himself—and even showed signs of obtaining the Seven-Star Knives."
"After becoming a Lin Chef of the Dark Cooking Society, he never thought about coming back. This time, he returned only for the Legendary Kitchenware."
"I don't even know which Rēn is the real one anymore."
Meili sounded exhausted.
The Rēn she knew as a child had been full of justice and compassion. Yet that very person ended up joining the Dark Cooking Society.
In truth, Rēn was a selfish man.
He had a sense of justice and compassion, yes. But none of that changed the fact that he was selfish.
People always have both strengths and flaws.
When Rēn joined the Dark Cooking Society, it was purely to pursue higher culinary skill. He never once considered how his actions might implicate Yangquan Restaurant.
When he pushed Luo Xie off a cliff, it was driven by selfishness and greed. And even after returning to the Light Culinary World, he never confessed what he had done.
So Meili's understanding of him wasn't wrong.
There are no perfect people in this world.
Even Liu Maoxing was no exception.
He excelled in almost every way, but his real problem was that he was too soft-hearted.
That kind of kindness might not hurt him much when he suffered losses himself—but it could seriously affect the people around him.
As for the so-called "mama's boy" label, that was just nonsense.
Liu Maoxing's mother had died when he was very young. Of course he would miss her. His sense of taste preserved everything about her, which was why he spoke of her so often.
That didn't make him a mama's boy.
Seeing Meili so conflicted, Liu Maoxing offered a few words of comfort.
Compared to Rēn's true nature, what Liu Maoxing cared about more was the knife duel three days later.
He couldn't help but wonder what a knife battle between a Lin Chef and a Dragon Chef would look like.
It had to be incredible.
"All of you, stop gossiping and go clean the kitchen," Master Zhou Yu said as he stepped out.
His feelings toward Rēn were complicated as well. Based on what he knew, Rēn might have joined the Dark Cooking Society purely to improve his cooking.
But now Rēn had returned on behalf of the Dark Cooking Society to claim a Legendary Kitchenware. That was something Zhou Yu couldn't understand.
Still, there was no point in dwelling on it.
Whatever Rēn had become, talking about it now was just a waste of time.
Zhou Yu also found himself growing curious about Kael.
Kael was a Legendary Kitchenware heir. While such heirs often met short ends, there was no doubt that their culinary skills were extraordinary.
Especially those recognized by Kitchenware.
Kael had been acknowledged by the Garuda Knife. That meant his knife skills had to be terrifying.
Now that he also knew Kael was a Dragon Chef, Zhou Yu felt like an ordinary man standing next to him—hardly a "genius" at all.
A real genius was someone like Kael.
Seventeen or eighteen years old, yet already a Dragon Chef.
And he was already in his thirties. Though still in his prime with room to grow, there was simply no comparison.
What had he been doing at seventeen or eighteen?
Back then, he hadn't even been a Special-Grade Chef.
Then there was Liu Maoxing.
The talent Liu Maoxing displayed was equally frightening. He was only thirteen, yet already close to becoming a Special-Grade Chef.
In Zhou Yu's eyes, with just a bit more guidance, Liu Maoxing would reach that level.
A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Special-Grade Chef…
Zhou Yu didn't even dare imagine the impact that would have.
And yet, that made him uneasy.
He was afraid Liu Maoxing might become another heir to the Legendary Kitchenware.
"Ah-Mao, come here for a moment."
With that thought, Zhou Yu called Liu Maoxing over.
Yangquan Restaurant currently had two apprentices—Liu Maoxing and Tang Sanjie—but in Zhou Yu's view, Tang Sanjie wouldn't be staying long.
Tang Sanjie carried deep psychological scars. Without resolving them, he was destined to remain mediocre.
Besides, Tang Sanjie was the heir to Longzhen Restaurant. His stay at Yangquan was temporary.
In the end, Liu Maoxing would be the only true apprentice.
Given Liu Maoxing's potential and talent, inheriting Zhou Yu's position was only a matter of time.
That was why he felt it was necessary to make things clear in advance.
"Master Zhou, you called for me?" Liu Maoxing said as he hurried over.
"Listen carefully, Mao," Zhou Yu said seriously. "If in the future you come into contact with a Legendary Kitchenware—and if it recognizes you and makes you its heir—you must never use that Legendary Kitchenware to cook any dish. Do you understand?"
"Legendary Kitchenware? An heir? Me?"
Liu Maoxing stared at him blankly.
He didn't understand why Zhou Yu would suddenly say something like that. Those things felt impossibly distant—far beyond someone like him.
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Every 100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter