“This is…”
Looking up at the sky, the group of master chefs quickly made a new discovery.
Heavens, that’s no ordinary Tribulation Lightning.
“This is… Heaven’s Jealousy Tribulation!”
Tribulation Lightning is proof of the will of the Heavenly Way, and most of the time, it represents a test or a punishment. But in extremely rare cases… it’s out of jealousy.
Heaven’s Jealousy Tribulation isn’t controlled by the department in charge of tribulation lightning in the Tribulation Immortal Hall.
Instead, it arises spontaneously from the Heavenly Way itself, appearing only when the Celestial Rules sense the power of the Dao Realm and feel challenged or offended, at which point it delivers retribution.
Normally, this only happens when a grade nine or higher artifact or pill emerges, or when a Grand Primordial Treasure appears in the world.
Even then, Heaven’s Jealousy Tribulation is mostly symbolic—striking twice at most, and not like this, where it gathers power so seriously… as if it has encountered a true adversary.
But… this is just a dish!
Everyone was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Why was Tribulation Lightning taking a dish so seriously?
Could it be that, in its view, this dish was even more threatening than those Grand Primordial Treasures?
Under the thunderclouds, Jiang Ke’er showed not a trace of fear.
She gripped her kitchen knife and leisurely cleaned the fish, removing its scales and innards.
“Boom—”
As if it sensed being ignored, the first Tribulation Lightning struck down in rage with a deafening crash!
The master chefs were dumbfounded by what they saw.
Jiang Ke’er raised her knife to meet the lightning and actually stripped away ninety percent of its force, leaving only a single, refined Thunder Tendon, letting it thread into the fish!
She actually used Tribulation Lightning as an ingredient?!
This… this defied all reason!
The fish meat, tempered by the Thunder Tendon, was already exuding a mouthwatering aroma.
And because that strike had been Yin Lightning, the temperature wasn’t high, leaving ample room for further culinary technique.
Only now did the master chefs realize that Jiang Ke’er hadn’t even lit a fire.
How was she cooking without fire?
Could it be, she still intended…
In the blink of an eye, a blinding, searing Yang Lightning crashed down!
But Jiang Ke’er had already sliced up a potful of scallions, ginger, and garlic, sprinkled them into seasoned oil, and hurled the wok toward the lightning!
With practiced ease, she stripped away the excess heat from the Tribulation Lightning.
“Sizzle~”
The power of the Tribulation Lightning penetrated from outside to inside, instantly releasing the most intense fragrance from the ingredients in the wok.
The master chefs of all the restaurants swore—this was the richest wok-fried aroma they’d ever encountered in their lives.
After receiving the Yang Lightning, the boiling hot wok landed precisely on the stove. Taking advantage of the residual heat, Jiang Ke’er swiftly tossed in the half-cooked fish meat.
Another explosive sizzle rang out.
The rich, toasty scent of protein could no longer be hidden.
As Jiang Ke’er poured in her sauce and seasonings at lightning speed, the assembled master chefs—who hadn’t felt hunger in half their lives—suddenly felt their stomachs ache with hunger!
It was clearly just a simple Red Braised Yellow Croaker, the ingredients completely ordinary, nothing like a heavenly treasure that could compete with the cosmos, yet it was so utterly irresistible, conquering both body and mind, making it impossible for anyone to refuse.
“This is truly a Dao Realm dish!” Before even touching his chopsticks, the Thousand Lantern Restaurant’s master chef was already kneeling on the ground, face in his hands, weeping. “Those senior judges retired too soon!”
The Dao Realm—a mysterious power akin to the Celestial Rules.
It’s a strength attained through a cultivator’s powerful heart and dedicated study, reaching or surpassing the limits of the Heavenly Way’s understanding.
Precisely because it transcends the boundaries of Shenzhou’s Heavenly Way, it dares to claim the title of Dao, standing in opposition to the Celestial Rules!
And so, every time a Dao Realm is born, Heaven grows jealous, delivering Heaven’s Jealousy Tribulation to destroy it.
But seeing how this young lass handled the tribulation…
Her method for dealing with Heaven’s Jealousy Tribulation was far beyond mere familiarity!
Her mastery of Culinary Arts could even turn Tribulation Lightning to her own use… What ease—just how many thousands of times have you done this before?!
In that moment, all the surrounding master chefs finally understood why this little girl insisted on cooking outside the city in such a vast, empty place.
Because she knew full well: when she cooked seriously, Heaven’s Jealousy Tribulation would surely descend. She came out here to avoid hurting innocent bystanders.
It meant everything happening now was no coincidence—she had long since reached the Dao Realm of Culinary Arts. This wasn’t a breakthrough on the spot.
That was even more crushing.
Up until now, Shenzhou’s history had seen all kinds of Dao Realms: the Dao Realm of Sword Dao, the Dao Realm of the Fist, and more. But never before had there been a Dao Realm in Culinary Arts.
She was probably the very first in Shenzhou’s history.
The master chef of Thousand Lantern Restaurant gripped his chopsticks, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
Just one bite? No, that’s not enough!
He had to carefully consider which part of the fish to start with. If he chose wrong, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
But he quickly realized a simple truth—no matter which part he chose, he’d regret not having picked another, because every part had its own unique qualities, each one supreme in enjoyment.
“Wait.”
Just as he settled on his target, about to go for the succulent flesh under the dorsal fin, Jiang Ke’er stopped him.
“Masters, I can give you this dish, and if it’s not enough, I’ll prepare a plate of Smashed Cucumber for each of you… but I have one request.”
“Please speak, Senior!”
All the master chefs suddenly dropped to their knees in unison, replying with a single voice.
Knowledge knows no rank, and the accomplished come first—at this moment, Jiang Ke’er was the most worthy of their reverence.
Looking at the group, Jiang Ke’er’s heart was filled with emotion—Shenzhou’s cultivators could learn a thing or two from these chefs about understanding life.
“Please, masters, rise. It’s really nothing major,” Jiang Ke’er said with a smile. “I just hope that everyone here can help me keep this a secret.”
“Why keep it secret?” they asked in confusion. “With your abilities, your name would surely go down in history!”
“I’m a little embarrassed to say,” Jiang Ke’er scratched her head awkwardly, “Culinary Arts is just my hobby, so I don’t want to spend too much energy on it.”
“…”
A hobby.
Heavens!
The assembled master chefs’ expressions collapsed. The Thousand Lantern Restaurant’s master chef’s eyes rolled—one up to the left, one down to the right—clearly he’d given up trying to comprehend it all.
“If all the masters here agree to keep this secret, I’ll make each of you a Smashed Cucumber. It’s how I express my gratitude.”
Jiang Ke’er pursed her lips and bowed to everyone present.
The group of master chefs scattered in a panic, unable to bear such an honor, raising their heads to the sky with sighs of “Heaven is heartless,” “Squandering heavenly gifts,” “Life is unfair,” and so on.
In the end, though, they agreed.
Not just for the Smashed Cucumber.
But also because, if Jiang Ke’er’s cooking spread across Shenzhou, diners everywhere might never be able to eat another chef’s food again! Unemployment among chefs would be the least of it—at that point, there could be a disaster leading to culinary extinction!
…But mainly, it was for the Smashed Cucumber.
After sending off the various chefs, each carrying their Smashed Cucumber home in tears, Jiang Ke’er finally let out a sigh of relief.
“This dinner really was full of disasters and difficulties.”
“What’s for dinner tonight?” Si Lian asked curiously.
“Fish. Red Braised Yellow Croaker, Steamed Sea Bream, Pan-fried River Fish, Star Grouper Soup, and Pufferfish Sashimi.”
“Why is it all fish? Isn’t one enough?” Si Lian frowned. In truth… she didn’t really like fish.
“So that there will always be ‘plenty, plenty, plenty, plenty, plenty’ every year~” Jiang Ke’er put her hands on her hips and declared with perfect confidence.
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