"So the legendary kitchenware can change like this too? That's incredible!"
After hearing the details about the legendary utensils, everyone was visibly shaken. At the same time, Rēn had already begun working on the snapper in front of him.
Kael guessed Rēn was planning to make Ice Mountain Snapper Sashimi. That dish required the Heavenly Wolf Blade, but before that, the scales still had to be removed and the flesh properly separated, so the blade couldn't be used yet.
Rēn picked up his Seven-Star Knives. The motion of his hands looked like a blade dance. While he wasn't as absurdly overwhelming as Kael, he was clearly extremely familiar with the rhythm and flow of the Seven-Star Knives.
That was only natural—the set had been custom-made for Rēn by Luo Xie himself. No knives suited him better.
The dazzling technique he displayed was known as Seven-Star Instant Severing Blade Dance.
But before long, everyone's attention was dragged back to Kael—because what he was doing was even more frightening.
Kael's cleaver moved so fast it left afterimages. No one could clearly see how his knife was moving at all.
Yet the ingredients in front of him were being processed at a terrifying speed.
The old hen barely touched his hands before every feather was stripped clean in an instant and the carcass was set aside. Slits had already been carved along the body—precise cuts meant to let the broth penetrate faster during stewing.
Meat processed by the Garuda Knife was purified as it was cut. That was its special trait.
One ingredient after another vanished under Kael's blade in the blink of an eye. This wasn't just "fast" anymore—it had crossed into the realm of secret techniques.
"Master Ruoh, have you ever seen anyone process ingredients this quickly?"
Zhou Yu stared at the scene in disbelief. He truly hadn't.
"Some secret techniques can achieve extreme speed," Master Ruoh said, shaking his head.
"The Dark Cooking Society's Bull Azure Dragon Slash is one such example. But whether what he's using now is a secret technique—or something else entirely—I honestly don't know."
Even with all his experience, this was the first time he had seen something like Kael.
"Amazing… just how is that even possible? Both of them are incredible!"
Liu Maoxing's eyes were shining as he watched the two chefs work.
Earlier, when Kael had taken out so many ingredients, people had doubted whether he could even finish processing them before time ran out. Now they realized how shallow that thinking had been.
Kael's knife work was outrageously strong.
In the time it took to blink, one ingredient was done. Rēn was still descaling his fish, while Kael already had neatly processed ingredients lined up beside him.
By the time Rēn switched knives and sliced open the snapper's belly, Kael had finished his last ingredient—the massive giant grouper.
Once everything was prepared, Kael set the Garuda Knife aside. This was the system-rewarded version, containing all the lifespan previously stored in the original Garuda Knife.
As for the other set of legendary utensil, Kael had no intention of releasing them. That thing was a disaster waiting to happen—unless he could completely remove its ability to drain lifespan.
Honestly, he wasn't greedy. If he could just find a way to transfer the enormous stockpile of lifespan out, that would be more than enough. After all, it was the accumulation of thousands of years. What the Taiji Cuisine Realm had used was barely a drop in the bucket.
"It looks like he really is planning to make Kunlun Abalone. But in such a short amount of time, how could that be possible?"
Master Ruoh frowned. "Even if you skip most of the complex steps, the dish would lose its essence and backfire instead."
From Kael's movements, it was clear what dish he was attempting—but the choice made no sense.
Was Kael deliberately throwing the match?
Even if he wanted to lose on purpose, there was no need to be this blatant.
Others who recognized Kunlun Abalone wore the same confused expressions. But soon, they understood why.
Once the ingredients were ready, Kael placed the first batch into a pot already filled with water. He didn't bother waiting for it to boil—there was no difference.
The moment the ingredients went in, Kael's right hand erupted with flame.
The fire surged several meters high, completely engulfing the pot. Through the blazing inferno, the onlookers could only vaguely make out the pot's silhouette.
"Fire?! He can create flames directly? What kind of ability is that?!"
The shock rippled through everyone present. Even Rēn froze mid-motion, staring at Kael in utter disbelief.
"Creating fire out of thin air… Explosive Flame?" Master Ruoh muttered. "No, that doesn't add up. Explosive Flame belongs to Leopard Head Arkan. And that ability only releases superheated steam. This—this is actual fire."
For the first time in years, Master Ruoh felt his mind struggling to keep up.
Explosive Flame produced extremely hot steam that could ignite objects—but Kael was generating fire itself.
"Explosive Flame? High-temperature steam? Leopard Head Arkan?"
Meili Zhou looked completely lost, as did the others beside her, including Liu Maoxing.
"You should've heard of Leopard Head Arkan," Master Ruoh said. "One of the Dark Cooking Society's Five Tiger Stars."
That jogged their memories. No wonder the name had sounded familiar.
"I've heard of him," Tang Sanjie said quietly. "They say his fire techniques are the strongest on the continent."
"Correct. His fire control is unmatched. All thanks to Explosive Flame. With it, the hardest aspect of cooking for other chefs becomes a tame pet in his hands. Even Yangquan Restaurant's Firecraft Core Essence is insignificant compared to him."
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Firecraft Core Essence was Yangquan Restaurant's foundational secret—something every generation's leader had to master.
Yet even that paled in comparison to Explosive Flame.
"But Kael's ability isn't the same," Liu Maoxing pointed out. "He's creating actual flames."
"Exactly. That's what I can't understand," Master Ruoh said slowly. "But the world is full of anomalies. Perhaps Kael truly has the power to control fire itself."
"At his age, he's already a Dragon Chef, possesses a unique ability, and is recognized by legendary kitchenware. If he didn't rely on it, the Four Great Masters might soon become the Five."
There was genuine regret in Master Ruoh's voice.
Chefs on the level of the Four Great Masters only appeared once every few centuries. Kael had the potential—but he was openly using the Garuda Knife.
They didn't know that the knife in Kael's hands was no longer the original. Nor that even if it were, Kael would never allow it to drain lifespan.
Kael heard every word. His enhanced Divine Hearing made sure of that.
He didn't bother responding. Once they saw him use the legendary kitchenware freely without consequence, their expressions would be priceless.
For now, he focused on his dish.
A recipe that normally required seven to fourteen days of cooking was being forced into overdrive by Explosive Flame.
Long stewing was simply a way to draw essence into the broth. Kael had plenty of ways to accelerate that.
By infusing Explosive Flame with qi, a process that should've taken days was completed in mere minutes. All that remained was removing impurities.
When the flames subsided, Kael added more ingredients, repeatedly extracting their essence through fire and pressure until it fully merged with the soup.
At the same time, he used Explosive Flame to dry-roast the giant grouper's skin. He needed it dehydrated so it could later absorb as much broth as possible.
Multiple tasks, all at once.
The flames obeyed him like loyal pets.
At that moment, Kael looked like a god of fire.
"His control over fire surpasses Leopard Head Arkan," Master Ruoh said in shock. "We're standing this close, yet we don't feel any heat at all. He's isolating the temperature."
The earlier flames had already been astonishing. This level of control was even more unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Rēn finally forced himself back into his own cooking. If not for sheer professional pride, he might've dropped his knife and walked away.
This wasn't a duel anymore.
It was a one-sided massacre.
No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, Kael surpassed him in every aspect. He had legendary kitchenware—and a flame ability even stronger than Arkan's.
Rēn knew exactly how monstrous Arkan was. That man was a walking fire god.
Yet compared to Kael, even a fire god had to step aside.
After taking a deep breath, Rēn steadied himself.
He wanted the Ever-Soul Knife to oppose the Dark Cooking Society. If Kael obtained it, then the knife would still be used against the Underworld.
Kael and the Dark Cooking Society were already enemies to the death.
The Underworld would never let Kael go. And Kael certainly wouldn't let them go either.
In that case, letting Kael take the Ever-Soul Knife wasn't such a bad outcome.
With that thought, Rēn resolved himself.
No matter what, he would give it his all.
He took out his eighth knife—a disposable blade forged from deer antler: the Heavenly Wolf Blade.
Unlike others, Rēn grabbed it with his bare hand.
"That's the Heavenly Wolf Blade," Zhou Yu said sharply. "The Dark Cooking Society's ice knife. But he's gripping it barehanded—his hand will be ruined."
"He really is insane," Master Ruoh sighed. "Against anyone else, he might've won. But against Kael? Victory is nearly impossible."
Rēn was prepared. If Zhou Yu were in Kael's place, he might've lost.
But Kael's terrifying presence couldn't be matched by a single knife.
"What a waste…" Zhou Yu murmured. "Why did he have to join the Dark Cooking Society?"
Rēn was clearly someone willing to give everything for cuisine. His future should've been limitless.
But he was a traitor to Yangquan Restaurant. An Underworld chef.
Zhou Yu's pain eased when he glanced at Liu Maoxing.
At least… there was still an even more outstanding successor.
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