"That's right. I mean you. Don't think something like this is impossible. Mao, your talent is outstanding. Back then, I couldn't even compare to you."
"But I'm not telling you this to make you feel proud. On the contrary, I want you to stay alert at all times. In the culinary world, the more gifted you are, the more people will target you."
"Your talent surpasses mine, which means you'll have the chance to come into contact with those legendary kitchenware. But historically, once their inheritors started using those tools to cook, most of them didn't last long. A few uses were enough to cost them their lives."
"Unless you never touch them, once you become an inheritor and actually use a legendary utensil, you're basically signing away your lifespan. I don't want you to walk down that road."
Zhou Yu finally explained why he never wanted Liu Maoxing to use legendary kitchenware.
"Short-lived? Legendary kitchenware has drawbacks like that?" Liu Maoxing frowned. "If the risks are that high, then why do so many people still chase after them?"
"I know about this," Meili Zhou spoke up from the side. "I heard Master Ruoh mention it before. Supposedly, legendary kitchenware is connected to immortality. But that's impossible, right? From ancient times until now, no one has ever truly lived forever."
Unlike Liu Maoxing, Meili Zhou had elders guiding her, so she knew most of the basic knowledge of the culinary world. Mao was different. When Master Pai passed away, he was still very young.
Because of that, many things that were common knowledge to others were completely unfamiliar to him.
"That's right. Immortality," Zhou Yu said calmly. "It may sound vague and unrealistic, but as long as there's even a rumor of it, there will always be people willing to try."
He understood human desire all too well. He himself didn't care about immortality, but that didn't mean others felt the same.
After the discussion, Liu Maoxing promised he would never use legendary kitchenware. He had no intention of dying young either.
Just like that, three days passed in the blink of an eye. Kael never went out of his way to meet Liu Maoxing—there was no need.
Instead, he approached someone else.
Guan Qiulan.
She was the granddaughter Elder Guan had treated as nothing more than a tasting tool. From childhood, she had been forced to sample dish after dish every single day, to the point where it was practically abuse—worse than feeding livestock.
In the end, Guan Qiulan chose self-destruction as her form of revenge. She starved herself, drank heavily, and ruined her own body, all to spite Elder Guan.
In her eyes, if he only needed a disposable tool, then she would destroy that tool herself.
Honestly, Kael couldn't understand that mindset. Yes, it might hurt Elder Guan, but the price was her own life.
If you already have the resolve to throw your life away, then why not drag your enemy down with you?
Kael hadn't forgotten how Elder Guan had schemed against him either. He had never been the type to swallow losses in silence. Naturally, he had already thought of a way to retaliate.
He sought out Guan Qiulan. After talking with her, after pushing and guiding her thoughts, her desire for revenge only grew stronger.
Kael promised her that once the knife skills duel ended, he would cripple Elder Guan.
Wasn't Elder Guan fond of using his granddaughter as a tool? Fine. Then he'd turn Elder Guan into a cripple and let Guan Qiulan use him as a tool instead.
Whether it was Kael's words or something already brewing inside her, Guan Qiulan didn't hesitate at all. She agreed immediately.
Truth be told, even in the original story, Guan Qiulan already showed signs of falling into darkness. She knew her decisions could decide a chef's life or death, yet she still chose death without hesitation. By that point, she had already started taking revenge indiscriminately.
So with just a few words, Kael pushed her over the edge—away from hurting herself, and toward hurting the one who truly deserved it.
Of course, all of that would wait until after the knife skills duel. Kael was still waiting for Elder Guan to personally hand over the Ever-Soul Knife.
At the appointed time, the plaza in front of Daisen Temple was already packed. Two stoves had been set up, and a large crowd surrounded the area.
The Chefs' Union had deployed plenty of soldiers to maintain order, so things didn't descend into chaos.
"So that's him?" Rēn muttered as he looked at Kael. "Headquarters labeled him extremely dangerous. Dozens have already died at his hands. Even Shan fell to him."
Rēn hadn't openly betrayed the Dark Cooking Society yet, and because of what happened with pushing Luo Xie off the cliff before, Kaiyu had classified Rēn as one of their own. Naturally, he had access to this information.
But Rēn wasn't bothered. He wasn't sneaking up on Kael in the dead of night—this was a knife skills duel. Kael couldn't just erase him on the spot.
"The Seven-Star Knives…" Kael glanced at the bundle on Rēn's back. "They really bring back memories. Too bad. This set has lost its chance to evolve."
"Unless someone finds the other set Shan hid away. But the odds of that are practically zero."
Shan once had another set of Seven-Star Knives, but she was already dead. That set's whereabouts were unknown. It was even possible they had never been fully forged, or were still in the process of being made.
At this point in time, it wasn't even certain whether Luo Xie was alive or dead.
In the original story, Luo Xie forged the second set not for sacrifice, but because he fell into Shan's honey trap. Once the second set was complete, Shan killed him on the spot.
What became of him after that, Kael didn't know.
If Luo Xie was still alive, then the Seven-Star Knives' evolution was impossible. Their evolution required Luo Xie's soul to merge into the second set, transferring its essence before fully dissipating.
This time, Kael hadn't brought the Seven-Star Knives with him. He wanted to see for himself just how strong the knife skills of someone acknowledged by the Ever-Soul Knife really were.
If he brought his own Seven-Star Knives, Rēn would probably lose all fighting spirit the moment he saw them, turning the duel into a farce. That wasn't what Kael wanted.
Although it was called a knife skills duel, in the end, the deciding factor was still the flavor of the dish. Of course, overwhelming knife technique was a given.
"Since everyone is here, the knife skills duel will now begin," Elder Guan announced. "The rules are simple. Use the ingredients provided to demonstrate your knife skills and create a dish. The winner will be decided by the result."
Kael wasn't surprised. This duel was bound to differ from the original story. After all, Liu Maoxing and Rēn had used half-wild-caught snapper back then. The timing had changed, so naturally the ingredients and format would change as well.
Kael looked toward the ingredient area Elder Guan pointed to. The most eye-catching items were various kinds of seafood—among them, a massive giant grouper.
It wasn't as large as the one Kael had caught before, but it was still impressive.
After scanning the rest of the ingredients, Kael already knew what he would make. His target was the giant grouper.
Rēn also chose fish—snapper, of all things. Kael found that interesting. Perhaps it was simply the inertia of fate.
So what would Rēn make? One of the ten dishes from the tenth trial? Ice Mountain Snapper Sashimi? Or something else entirely?
Kael suspected Ice Mountain Snapper Sashimi was the most likely. This time, Rēn would definitely be using the Heavenly Wolf Blade. Combined with the Seven-Star Knives, it would be the ultimate expression of knife skills.
After choosing his ingredients, Rēn returned to his station. But when he glanced at Kael's side, he froze.
Kael hadn't just taken the giant grouper. He had taken ham, marrow bones, old hens, abalone, and a whole array of other ingredients.
That dish took far too long to make. There was no way it could be finished today.
"Something's not right," Zhou Yu murmured from the audience. "Master Ruoh… those ingredients. Don't tell me he's planning to make that dish?"
"They're unmistakably the ingredients for Kunlun Abalone," Master Ruoh said, equally stunned. "But making it here? There's not enough time."
"Kunlun Abalone?" Liu Maoxing blinked. "That sounds familiar… I remember now. It's a dish from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, right?"
"A dish from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast?" Meili Zhou gasped. "Wouldn't that be incredibly elaborate? Does it really take that long to make?"
"Very long," Master Ruoh nodded. "Extremely long. Few dishes take as much time as this one. Depending on the chef and the techniques used, it can take anywhere from seven to fourteen days."
"Seven to fourteen days?!" Meili Zhou couldn't help blurting out. "Wouldn't it spoil by the time it's done?"
"It's not that simple," Master Ruoh shook his head. "The dish uses many special ingredients and techniques to prevent spoilage. Even after fourteen days, it's perfectly fine. Otherwise, it would never have been included in the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast."
"Wait… is he planning to use the Garuda Knife?" Zhou Yu exclaimed. "Is he really not afraid of dying?"
As Kael finished arranging his ingredients and drew his knife, the distinct auspicious phoenix pattern gleamed along the blade.
Master Ruoh turned just in time to see the Garuda Knife in Kael's hand.
"This…"
He was speechless. Historically, many inheritors had used legendary kitchenware only when forced by unavoidable circumstances. Kael, however, was using it of his own free will.
It wasn't just Master Ruoh who was stunned. The Chefs' Union elders on stage, the surrounding audience, even Rēn himself—all of them were dumbfounded.
Rēn's expression quickly darkened. He didn't care whether Kael lived or died, but once a legendary utensil entered the equation, his chances of victory plummeted.
Someone acknowledged by legendary kitchenware was no fool.
Still, Rēn steeled himself. Even if his odds were at their lowest, he would go all out. He refused to give up his chance at the Ever-Soul Knife.
He drew his Seven-Star Knives.
"Look! Rēn has drawn the Seven-Star Knives too!"
The crowd's attention snapped over immediately. A clash between the Seven-Star Knives and legendary kitchenware—even if the Seven-Star Knives lacked the Garuda Knife's fame, their presence alone radiated danger.
By comparison, the Garuda Knife looked almost plain, aside from the phoenix pattern on its blade.
"From appearances alone, the Seven-Star Knives seem more impressive," Liu Maoxing said.
"Legendary kitchenware isn't that simple," Zhou Yu replied. "Their blades subtly change depending on the ingredient. The changes are extremely slight, almost impossible to see, but that's why legendary kitchenware can handle every ingredient in the world."