Chapter 234: The Fifth Internal Test Begins

Inside the inner cosmos, a scene resembling a vegetable greenhouse lay. At its center, a plant grow light emitted a bright, gentle glow, illuminating three small, dark worlds circling it. These three small worlds, each a mere twenty cubic meters, were lush with green grass. Racks had been set up to support vibrant green vines as they climbed, flowered, and bore fruit.

Cluck cluck cluck!!On the grassy fields, "Funeral Chickens" scurried about, clucking loudly, hopping energetically across the landscape, full of life. Within these three farms, Xu Zhi had specially created one-cubic-meter storage rooms, stocked with soy sauce, salt, Laoganma chili crisp, mineral water... a full range of kitchen condiments.

“My inner world is a vibrant pastoral scene, a self-sufficient rural ecosystem! From now on, I won't need to buy rice from outside. I can fully provide for this glutton from my own orchard,” Xu Zhi murmured, looking at “Achilles” – the composite bio-bird, one of his most anticipated future powerhouses – eating dog food from a bowl beside him.

“I’ve been cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, and Meng Mei is secretly planning reforms… Di Qi will take a few more days to evolve. Perhaps I should use this time to launch the next public beta test. After all, Di Qi's new world is about to open, and it will need new species. Let's see what kind of talents emerge this time…” Xu Zhi sat in his chair, planning the future of his two sandbox simulations.

Suddenly, he reached out, and a Funeral Chicken materialized out of thin air.Cluck cluck cluck???Xu Zhi swiftly decapitated it, plucked its feathers, and with a flicker of fire in his hand, lightly roasted it.

At that moment, on the thirty-square-meter miniature sandbox, a group of players were evolving creatures. They also kept a watchful eye on the Creator, who sat on a distant chair, always observing him, fearing a hidden quest might appear.

“Holy crap! The Creator has been incredibly benevolent lately! Instead of catching Funeral Chickens, he just waves his hand and creates them out of thin air?”“My god! Akina Mountain Speed is finally saved!!”Within the thirty-square-meter space, featuring miniature mountains and rivers, bizarre and exotic species, and groups of plants, players gathered, whispering and exclaiming loudly.

“Needs some cumin.”Xu Zhi ignored them; they always made a fuss whenever he ate. He simply extended his hand from his chair.Whoosh!From his inner space, an uncapped bottle of cumin appeared. Its powder transformed into ethereal ribbons, spiraling out like tiny sparks or fireflies, coating the golden-brown roasted Funeral Chicken.

“Wow! What kind of magic is that? So beautiful! Sparkling like a magical girl’s sprinkle, it makes the Funeral Chicken look even more delicious!”“Glowing cuisine? I want to learn that!!”The players were heartbroken with envy; it was just too cool!

Xu Zhi was long accustomed to their reactions. He took a bite of the Funeral Chicken, satisfied. Its juices burst forth with each gentle chew, incredibly savory. He felt he knew how to enjoy life, but the next second, he looked at the sandbox, and his expression instantly froze!

“Hahaha, 'Mumu Doesn't Speak's' Magic Cuisine Restaurant is officially open! Come one, come all! The Creator's favorite dish – Funeral Chicken – now available! Various flavors, only five hundred sand coins per serving in the Wizard Community!!”Suddenly, a bizarre humanoid plant set up a small wooden stall by the roadside, selling grilled food. Behind it, live Funeral Chickens, clucking loudly, were tied up. Although the esteemed Akina Mountain Speed player wasn't around lately, everyone had thoughtfully helped raise the species he left behind, cherishing them to prevent their extinction.

Sizzle!Inside the stall, glowing red charcoal embers heated the stone stove to a fiery glow. A headless Funeral Chicken rotated over the flames, turning deep red, sizzling and exuding a meaty aroma. Dripping with oil, it looked like a perfectly crispy-skinned, tender-on-the-inside roasted chicken.

“Holy moly! Someone evolved into a seasoning?”Everyone was instantly stunned. While the deliciousness of the Funeral Chicken was renowned, becoming a regular delicacy enjoyed by all evolving bizarre species in the sandbox – every player raised them to eat – they had only ever eaten them plain, without seasonings, living like primitives.

“This guy is hardcore! He worked his butt off, even going bald, just to evolve into a seasoning and improve life!”Everyone couldn't help but turn their heads, gazing with admiring eyes.

“One serving!”A pink octopus passed by on the roadside.“What flavor would you like? Spicy, garlic, yogurt, soy sauce, stinky tofu…” The humanoid plant hadn't expected a customer so quickly.

“One spicy Funeral Chicken,” the octopus said.“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, calloused skin from its foot.

Rip!He tore it into fragments and sprinkled the skin flakes onto the Funeral Chicken. Immediately, a pungent, spicy aroma wafted forth, inviting appetite.Octopus: ???Its face instantly turned dark.“What are you doing? Holy cow!! You're seriously peeling off layers of foot skin and calluses and sprinkling them on it? Are you a pervert?!”

“My spicy flavor evolved from horseradish, so it's naturally buried in the soil under my feet to maintain the best taste!” The plant said with an innocent expression, pointing to its feet. “My feet are horseradish.”It pointed to its twisted, spiraling, garlic-clove-like arms. “My hands are garlic flavor.”Then it raised a hand and pointed to its vine-like explosion of hair. “Soy sauce flavor.”

Everyone stared at it, utterly shocked.Was this a plant that had spilled a whole spice rack over itself?

The octopus felt a headache coming on. Looking at the eccentric chef and the spicy roasted chicken, it debated whether to take a bite. Then it spoke, “This spiciness... it seems to have a malty aroma.”“An expert, eh?” The humanoid plant’s eyes lit up as if it had found a kindred spirit, and it began to explain enthusiastically: “This is my unique spicy flavor. It’s somewhat like a cross between mustard and chili, but also infused with the aroma of malt and peanuts. I guarantee you’ll love it.”

“It really is too fragrant; I can’t resist, whether it’s from feet or not!” Hearing this and smelling the aroma, the octopus instantly gave in. In reality, this player was a huge foodie. The scent was simply too enticing, irresistible. It immediately took a bite, and after just one taste, tears streamed down its face with emotion!

Delicious!It was simply too delicious!!Spicy and fragrant, it felt as if its entire being was floating. Like entering a culinary paradise, the spicy flavor was infused with the rich aroma of malt. It even seemed to surpass existing chili varieties; truly a precious gem among seasonings!

“For a plant player to evolve such a delicious spicy flavor, they must truly understand food.”Immediately, its impression of the plant player changed!

“This is amazing!!” It immediately began devouring the chicken, no longer caring where the spice came from; it was utterly delicious. Then, the tree next to it, with innocent eyes, couldn't help but ask the rapidly eating octopus, “Hey, big brother, this is the first time an outsider has eaten it. Can you give me a review? Are my feet delicious? Is my foot fungus spicy enough to make your eyes water?”

Halfway through eating, the octopus slowly pulled a chicken bone from its mouth and stared at the plant, seemingly choking. The onlookers also widened their eyes, feeling incredibly awkward, already imagining the inner struggle of the one consuming it.

However, the octopus was indeed a veteran foodie. The moment it tasted the flavor, it was completely captivated. It couldn't help but eat more, and after finishing, it still wanted more, saying, “Big brother, give me another spicy one! Extra chili!”Everyone looked on, thinking, “This guy is also hardcore!”He'd disregard anything for food.

“Coming right up!” The humanoid plant quickly got to work, swiftly tearing off more of its foot skin. But as everyone watched the two of them enjoying themselves, and the delicious aroma permeated the entire stall, smelling the tempting roasted chicken, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva and approach.

“Brother, you are hardcore; I surrender. One garlic flavor, please.”“Alright, you win. One mustard flavor.”But no one ordered the spicy flavor! Which player present wasn't a clever one? This person was too insidious, too malicious. They were afraid of getting addicted like the octopus player, becoming irreversibly enthralled by his foot skin, and becoming his "vassals."

Instantly, everyone was engrossed in the deliciousness, eating heartily. It was simply too good. Each seasoning offered a uniquely superb taste, and they kept trying other flavors, feeling utterly exhilarated.

Suddenly, someone else said, “Alright, big brother, I’ll have a stinky tofu flavored one.”“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 located?”

The plant honestly pointed to its behind. “There’s a tree hollow here, and this sandbox world has microorganisms. I put things in there to ferment, and it took a long time to get 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 choke people to death!?The person stared blankly at the plant's behind, instantly feeling withdrawn. They felt they would have psychological trauma every time they ate stinky tofu from then on, and hurriedly exclaimed, “Big brother, I’m afraid I *won’t* be able to stop after one bite, so I dare not try… I’ll stick with a garlic flavor instead.”

Xu Zhi was also stunned. He hadn't looked at the small sandbox in a long time, and yet another player of this caliber had appeared? This person was openly releasing poison! Their ability was terrifyingly strong; they could actually make people addicted to eating their foot skin? In a sandbox evolution game, another talented individual had found a new way to play, evolving themselves into a seasoning. Xu Zhi found it rather frightening and didn't dare try it himself, fearing he might also succumb.

“However, speaking of food, I’d actually like to create a small world dedicated to cuisine. My inner cosmos would be an excellent environment for it.” Xu Zhi suddenly said, “After all, if all the myriad worlds were just about combat, they wouldn't be very diverse. It would be better to have some small worlds… Intelligent Sub-Brain, this creature has infinite potential, a transcendent species comparable to a phoenix. 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 redemption. Luckily, he had taken a look himself; otherwise, such a peerless genius might have been overlooked instantly. Indeed, a thousand-mile horse is common, but a discerning judge is not. He would have to observe the evolution sandboxes more often in the future, lest he miss other potentially powerful species. He understood more clearly now that the Intelligent Sub-Brain was too dull and ultimately 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 been awarded an achievement!“Holy crap! That guy who talks so much nonsense, whose foot fungus makes your eyes water, actually got an achievement?”“Oh my god!! That scumbag, always spouting outrageous things, actually succeeded?”“There's a conspiracy, definitely a conspiracy!”Instantly, the entire sandbox was shocked!

“I can too?!”Even the player himself was surprised. He hadn't been able to evolve powerful combat species, only seasoning-type creatures with no fighting ability, and yet happiness had arrived so suddenly!

Xu Zhi, however, was calm. He had looked up the player’s real-world information and found out he was a master chef. For the sake of his culinary passion, he had painstakingly studied evolution theory, losing a significant amount of hair to evolve this species. His heart, so dedicated to gastronomy, made Xu Zhi feel a deep connection and immense admiration for such talent.

“He’s a genius chef! His cooking is as exaggerated as poisoning people, 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 sense of anticipation. He thought he could secretly give him a special advantage; such talent shouldn't be wasted. “Should I send him to the Wizard World or the Ancient Barbarian World? Both worlds have rather crude culinary cultures; perhaps he could develop many new recipes there…”

Xu Zhi knew that no matter how delicious the ingredients, without chefs to develop recipes and tailor their cooking, the true flavor of those ingredients could not be fully unleashed. Currently, he had several farms growing produce in his inner cosmos. While naturally tasty, it was still a waste of potential. Now, he could place his hopes on this player to develop an entirely new culinary genre!

“Ahhh ahhh ahhh!”In the sandbox, at that very moment, ‘Mumu Doesn't Speak’ cried out excitedly, “Great Creator, I want to treat you to spicy Funeral Chicken 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 gourmet dishes!”Xu Zhi’s face gradually darkened.Those around him were also dumbfounded, murmuring among themselves.

‘Mumu Doesn't Speak’ was a well-known super foodie. Although he hadn't gained much fame, he was notorious for stirring up trouble, always the most boisterous one in a crowd. Before, when the Phoenix met the Creator, he was the one who secretly tried to pluck its feathers. It was also him who offered to lick the Creator’s feet and then opportunistically tried to acquire foot skin. According to the whispers among the players, this guy’s clear goal was to eat phoenix feathers! He even wanted to taste the Creator’s foot skin! He wanted to know what it tasted like, even if it meant eating a god.Xu Zhi: “…”He paused, stunned for a moment, listening to the surrounding discussions about the player’s past actions and record. He watched the overjoyed humanoid plant spinning around happily on the spot, then shook his head. “Forget it, for such a showman, I should just send him to outer space and let him discuss life ideals with Di Qi.”