Chapter 232

Inside his inner world, a scene resembling a vegetable greenhouse unfolded. At its center, a plant grow light emitted a bright, gentle glow, illuminating three dark miniature worlds surrounding it. These three miniature worlds, each only twenty cubic meters in size, were covered in lush green grass and fitted with racks for verdant vines to climb, bloom, and bear fruit.

Cluck, cluck, cluck!! On the grassy expanse, numerous squawking Chickens of Finality hopped and scurried, filling the landscape with their energetic movements. In each of these three farms, Xu Zhi had specially sectioned off a one-cubic-meter storage room, filled with kitchen seasonings like soy sauce, salt, Laoganma chili crisp, and mineral water.

"My inner world is truly a pastoral landscape of flowers and fruits, achieving a self-sufficient rural ecosystem!" Xu Zhi thought. "From now on, I won't need to buy rice from outside. I can supply food and drink for this glutton in my orchard myself." He looked at "Achilles," the aggregate biological bird eating dog food from a bowl beside him, one of the future's strongest combat forces on whom he placed great hope.

"However, I'm cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art, and Meng Mei is secretly planning her reforms," Xu Zhi mused. "Emperor Qi will take a few more days to evolve. Perhaps I should use this time to launch the next public beta test. After all, Emperor Qi's new world is about to open, and new species will be needed. I wonder what kind of talent this new wave will bring..." He sat in his chair, planning the future of his two sandbox worlds.

He suddenly reached out, and a Chicken of Finality materialized out of thin air. Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck??? Xu Zhi deftly removed its head, plucked its feathers, and then a swirl of fire in his hand lightly roasted it to perfection.

At that moment, on the 30-square-meter sandbox, a group of players evolving creatures watched the Creator sitting on a distant chair, observing his every move, fearing a hidden quest might appear. "Holy cow! The Creator has been incredibly generous lately! Instead of catching a Chicken of Finality, he just waves his hand and creates one out of thin air?" someone exclaimed. "My heavens! Autumn Mountain Speed is finally saved!!" Within the 30-square-meter world of miniature mountains and rivers, a group of bizarre and exotic species, some standing in small clusters like plants, began whispering and exclaiming loudly.

"Needs some cumin," Xu Zhi muttered. He ignored the players, who always made a fuss when he ate something, and simply reached out from his chair. *Woosh!* From his inner space, an uncapped bottle of cumin appeared. Its powder transformed into ethereal ribbons, spiraling out like sparkling fireflies, blanketing the golden-brown roasted Chicken of Finality.

"Wow! What kind of magic is this? It's so beautiful! Sparkling like a magical girl's sprinkle, it makes the Chicken of Finality look even more delicious!" one player exclaimed. "A glowing dish? I want to learn that!!" The players were beside themselves with envy, finding it incredibly cool!

Xu Zhi, long accustomed to such reactions, took a bite of the Chicken of Finality. He was very satisfied; with a gentle bite, the juices burst forth, incredibly delicious. He felt he truly knew how to enjoy life. But the next second, he looked at the sandbox, and his expression instantly froze!

"Hahaha, 'Mumu Doesn't Speak' Magical Cuisine Shop is officially open! Come one, come all! The Creator's favorite dish—the Chicken of Finality—now available in various flavors, only five hundred sand coins per serving in the Wizard Community!!" a bizarre humanoid plant announced, having suddenly set up a small wooden stall by the roadside, grilling food. Behind him, live Chickens of Finality were tied up, clucking loudly.

Although the master "Autumn Mountain Speed" was not around recently, everyone thoughtfully helped him cultivate and cherish the species he left behind, ensuring it wouldn't go extinct. *Sizzle!* In the makeshift greenhouse, red-hot charcoal glowed in the stone stove. A beheaded Chicken of Finality rotated over the coals, turning reddish-brown, sizzling and exuding a meaty aroma, dripping with rich oil. It looked like a superb roast chicken, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"Holy moly! Someone evolved seasonings?" Everyone was instantly stunned. While the deliciousness of the Chicken of Finality was widely praised and had become a regular delicacy for all players' evolving bizarre species, everyone had only eaten it plain, without seasonings, leading a life akin to primitive people.

"This person is hardcore! He worked his butt off, even went bald, just to evolve into a seasoning and improve his life!" The crowd couldn't help but turn their heads, looking on with admiring gazes.

"I'll take one!" said a pink octopus passing by on the roadside.

"What flavor do you want? I have spicy, garlic, yogurt, soy sauce, stinky tofu..." The humanoid plant hadn't expected to have a customer so quickly.

"Give me a spicy Chicken of Finality," the octopus replied.

"Alright, one spicy serving, please wait a moment." The plant calmly lowered its head, drew black roots from the ground, and slowly, with its hand, peeled off a piece of old, hardened foot skin.

*Rip!* He tore it into pieces and sprinkled the fragments of foot skin onto the Chicken of Finality. Instantly, an enticing spicy aroma filled the air, whetting the appetite. The octopus's face instantly darkened. "What are you doing? Holy cow!! You're peeling off serious foot skin and calluses, layer by layer, and sprinkling them on my food? Are you a pervert?!"

"My spiciness evolved from horseradish, naturally buried in the soil under my feet, to maintain optimal texture!" The plant said innocently, pointing to its feet. "My feet are horseradish." It pointed to its twisted, spiral arms, resembling garlic cloves. "My hands are garlic flavor." Then it raised a hand and pointed to its vine-like explosion of hair. "Soy sauce flavor."

The crowd looked at him, instantly shocked. Was this a plant that had overturned all five spice jars onto itself?

The octopus felt a headache coming on. Looking at the bizarre chef and the spicy roasted chicken, unsure whether to take a bite, it suddenly said, "This spiciness seems to have a malty aroma."

"An expert, indeed!" The humanoid plant's eyes lit up as if it had found a kindred spirit, and it enthusiastically explained, "This is my self-created spicy flavor, somewhat a cross between mustard and chili, also mixed with the aroma of malt and peanuts. I guarantee you'll love it!"

"It truly smells amazing, I can't resist it, whether it's foot or not!" Hearing this and smelling the fragrance, the octopus couldn't hold back anymore.

In reality, this player was a huge foodie. The scent was so irresistible, so tempting, that he immediately grabbed it and took a bite. Just one taste brought tears to his eyes! Delicious! It was simply too good!!

Both fragrant and spicy, he felt as if his entire being was floating. It was like being transported to a fairyland, the spiciness imbued with the mellow aroma of malt. It even felt superior to existing chili varieties—a true gem among seasonings! "This plant player, to evolve such a delicious spicy flavor, definitely knows food," he thought. Instantly, his impression of the plant player changed for the better!

"This is amazing!!" He immediately began to gobble it down, no longer caring about the origin of the spiciness. It was utterly delicious.

Instantly, the tree next to him couldn't help but ask the gobbling octopus, its eyes wide with innocence, "Brother, this is the first time an outsider has eaten it. Can you give a review? Are my feet delicious? Is my athlete's foot spicy enough to sting your eyes?"

Halfway through his meal, the octopus slowly pulled a chicken bone from its mouth and choked, staring at the plant. The onlookers widened their eyes, feeling immense discomfort, already imagining the internal struggle of the person involved.

But the octopus was indeed an experienced foodie; having instantly tasted the flavor, it was completely captivated. It couldn't resist eating more, and even after finishing, it still craved more. "Brother, give me another spicy one! Add more chili," it said.

Everyone looked, thinking, *This guy is hardcore too!* He'd abandon all scruples just to eat.

"Alright!" The humanoid plant became nimble, quickly tearing off more of its foot skin.

But as everyone watched the two of them enjoying themselves, and the delicious aroma of roasted chicken permeated the entire greenhouse, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva. One by one, they approached. "Brother, you're hardcore, I concede. Give me a garlic one," said one. "You're impressive, give me a mustard one," said another. But no one ordered the spicy flavor! Which player present wasn't a clever one? This person was too insidious, too venomous. They were terrified of getting addicted like the octopus player, unable to extricate themselves from beneath his foot skin, becoming his "subordinates."

Instantly, everyone was engrossed in the deliciousness, gobbling it down. It was incredibly tasty; each seasoning had a uniquely superb texture. They continuously tried other flavors, feeling utterly delighted.

Suddenly, someone else said, "Alright, brother, I'll take a stinky tofu flavor."

"Coming right up, please wait a moment," the plant replied.

"Wait," the person suddenly stopped him. "First, tell me, where is your stinky tofu flavor?"

The plant honestly pointed to its behind. "There's a tree hollow here. This sandbox world also has microorganisms, so I put ingredients in there to ferment. It took a long time to develop this flavor. It's incredibly delicious, I guarantee you won't be able to stop after one bite!" Everyone: ??? Fermented? Is it biogas fermentation? You're called Mumu Doesn't Speak, but when you do speak, you can choke people to death!?

The person stared blankly at the plant's backside, instantly feeling mortified and realizing he'd now have a psychological complex about eating stinky tofu. He quickly and eagerly said, "Brother, I'm just afraid I won't be able to stop after one bite, so I dare not try it... I'll stick with a garlic flavor instead."

Xu Zhi was also stunned. He hadn't checked the small sandbox in a long time, and now such a talented player had appeared?

This person was openly "poisoning" people! Their ability was terrifyingly strong, actually making people addicted to eating his foot skin?

In a sandbox evolution game, another talented player had found a unique twist, evolving himself into a seasoning! Xu Zhi found it rather terrifying and dared not try it himself, fearing he might also become addicted.

"However, speaking of food, I actually want to create a small world dedicated to cuisine. My inner world would be an excellent environment for it."

"After all, if all the myriad worlds were just about combat systems, they wouldn't be very colorful. It would be better to have some small worlds..." Xu Zhi suddenly spoke, "Intelligent Sub-Brain, this creature has infinite potential, a transcendent species comparable to a phoenix has appeared, why didn't you tell me?"

The Intelligent Sub-Brain gave a mechanical reply: "This creature, the 'Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree,' has average potential."

"Nonsense, it clearly has infinite potential." Xu Zhi felt that the Intelligent Sub-Brain's intelligence was beyond saving. Good thing he took a look himself, otherwise such a peerless genius might have been overlooked. Indeed, a thoroughbred is common, but a discerning judge is rare. He would have to keep a closer eye on the evolution sandboxes in the future to avoid missing potential species.

He increasingly realized that the Intelligent Sub-Brain was too dull and, after all, not omnipotent.

The next second, Xu Zhi issued an announcement himself.

Announcement: Congratulations to player "Mumu Doesn't Speak" for evolving the species "Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree," which possesses great potential and has received an achievement reward.

"Damn it! This guy, who could choke someone to death and whose athlete's foot stings your eyes, actually got an achievement?" "Oh my God!! This scoundrel, full of crude remarks, can actually achieve this?" "There's a conspiracy, definitely a conspiracy!" Instantly, the entire sandbox was in shock!

"I can too?!" Even the player himself was surprised. He had never been able to evolve powerful species, only seasoning species with no combat ability, and he hadn't expected such sudden happiness!

Xu Zhi, however, remained calm. He investigated the player's real-world identity and found that he was a master chef. For the sake of his culinary pursuits, he had painstakingly studied evolution, even losing a significant amount of hair, to evolve this species. His passion for food made Xu Zhi feel a kindred spirit and immense admiration for such talent.

"He's simply a genius chef! His cooking is as outlandish as poisoning, and he even comes with his own seasonings. What would happen if I sent him to research cuisine for a few hundred years?" Xu Zhi himself felt a bit excited, thinking he could secretly open a backdoor for him, not allowing such talent to go to waste. "Should I send him to the Wizard World or the Primordial World? The culinary cultures in both worlds are relatively unrefined; he might just be able to research many new recipes..."

Xu Zhi knew that no matter how delicious the ingredients, without a chef to research recipes and tailor cooking methods, their true flavor couldn't be fully realized.

Currently, he maintained several farms in his inner space, and while the produce was naturally delicious, it was essentially being wasted. Now, he could place his hopes on this player to develop a culinary style!

"Ahhh!" In the sandbox, at that moment, "Mumu Doesn't Speak" excitedly cried out, "Great Creator, I want to treat you to a spicy Chicken of Finality to express my gratitude! I'm so happy! If I could go to the myriad worlds, I would definitely eat my fill of them! Slice them all up and turn them into delicacies!"

Xu Zhi's face gradually darkened. The surroundings were dumbfounded, and discussions erupted.

"Mumu Doesn't Speak" was a renowned super foodie. While not prominent, he was infamous for causing trouble and was often the most boisterous in a crowd.

Previously, when the Phoenix met the Creator, he was the one who secretly tried to pluck its feathers. It was also he who offered to "lick the Creator's feet" and then tried to get foot skin in the process.

According to the players' private speculations, this character's goal was clearly to eat phoenix feathers! He even wanted to taste the Creator's foot skin! He wanted to sample what they tasted like, demonstrating he'd eat even a god if given the chance.

Xu Zhi: "..." He too was startled for a moment. Hearing the discussions around him about the player's past actions and antics, and seeing the jubilant humanoid plant spinning around in delight, he immediately shook his head. "Forget it. For this kind of show-off, I'd rather send him to outer space to chat about life's ideals with Emperor Qi."