Chapter 1077: Inquiring about Intelligence

In the backstage area of the Spirit Chef competition, Vice Alliance Master Liu Xing anxiously awaited the arrival of the Alliance Master.

“The competition is about to begin, why isn't the Alliance Master here yet?”

Ever since they arrived in Demon City, the Alliance Master had been out of sight. Liu Xing had been largely responsible for organizing both the Spirit Chef examination and the competition.

“Liu Xing, what's the rush? I'm here, aren't I?” A hearty, aged laugh echoed in Liu Xing's ears. A cool breeze swept past, transforming into a white-bearded old man – none other than Daoist Ming Yuan, the Alliance Master of the Spirit Chef Alliance.

Daoist Ming Yuan hailed from a small island in the East Sea. He had no remarkable background, but after several fortuitous encounters, he cultivated to the Integration Stage in the East Sea. Unlike other human cultivators who would seize large islands and become island masters, he chose to travel extensively, exchanging culinary skills with renowned chefs from various restaurants. He rarely returned to the East Sea. It was this behavior that not only honed his cooking skills but also earned him excellent connections, allowing him to smoothly become the Alliance Master of the Spirit Chef Alliance.

“Alliance Master, you're finally here! Where have you been these past few days?” Upon seeing Daoist Ming Yuan, Liu Xing felt as if he had found his anchor, and a great weight lifted from his mind.

“I was handling some matters outside the city. It was a bit troublesome, but it's almost resolved. You've gone through a lot of trouble these past few days.”

Liu Xing sighed deeply. “My troubles are nothing; I just heard that Jin Tan intends to initiate a challenge for the Alliance Master position and seize your title!”

Daoist Ming Yuan's eyes flickered with surprise. “The last time Jin Tan lost to me was three hundred years ago, wasn't it? It seems his culinary skills have improved significantly over these three centuries?”

“I don't know if his culinary skills have improved, but I do know he's developed an exquisite dish. However, its preparation is extremely difficult and requires legendary ingredients from our Alliance's food inventory. That's why he hasn't challenged you until now.”

“This is the first I've heard of it. So, he's sent someone to this competition, hoping to obtain those ingredients as a prize for winning?”

“Yes, it's said he's been preparing for today for a full three hundred years.”

The more Daoist Ming Yuan listened, the more confused he became. “Then why didn't he just exchange for them directly? We didn't know his exquisite dish required legendary ingredients before; we wouldn't have stopped him from exchanging for them, would we?”

“Perhaps he thought we knew?”

The two exchanged bewildered glances.

“By the way, Alliance Master, you know Lu Yang, right?”

“Of course, I do. Didn't I invite him?” Daoist Ming Yuan looked at Liu Xing as if he were an idiot, feeling that if he weren't the Alliance Master, the Spirit Chef Alliance would truly be beyond saving.

“Oh, right, you did invite him. You'll never guess who he met after I took him to the inn!” Liu Xing had been holding back this information for days since Lu Yang met the Demon Emperor, and now that he saw the Alliance Master, he simply couldn't keep it to himself any longer.

“Who did he meet?”

As Liu Xing was about to speak, Zhu Tian's nascent Dao Fruit of the Law of the Jungle, which commanded "do not speak of the meeting," took effect. Neither direct speech nor implication was possible.

“I can't say who he met, but I saw many beautiful dancers outside his door. They must have been sent for him!”

“Are you implying that Lu Yang is inherently lustful, and we need to bribe him with women too?”

Liu Xing originally wanted to say, "Guess who sent them to Lu Yang?" but that would have been an implication. Under the effect of the nascent Dao Fruit of the Law of the Jungle, Liu Xing couldn't speak and could only nod vigorously.

Seeing Liu Xing nod, Daoist Ming Yuan gasped. Could it be true, then, that the rumors about Lu Yang's visit to the Lunar Laurel Palace and the subsequent pregnancies of numerous celestial maidens weren't just rumors?

“Look quickly, that's Master Golden Blade! He's here too, just as expected!” Master Golden Blade was known for boning ox demons in the market every day, throwing them into the air and performing with his knives. His theatrics created the biggest stir, and after a few days, his reputation was the loudest in the market.

Master Golden Blade stood shirtless, two golden knives hanging on his chest. Their blades exuded an intense, ominous aura, stained with who knew how much demon beast blood. Among the many five-star Spirit Chefs skilled in ingredient preparation, this intimidating presence was particularly striking, and many consciously kept their distance from him.

“And that one, wearing a hood, is Granny Poison. Rumor has it she cultivates both alchemy and poison. Her medicinal cuisine can cure all ailments, but if she wants to poison someone, it's just a matter of a word!”

“Look, there are two cultivators behind her. Judging by their attire, they're from the Great Xia official government. It seems she's leading them. Does this mean she's now serving the imperial court?”

“She's even wearing handcuffs and leg shackles. Is she practicing with weighted restraints, and will she remove them for the official competition, leading to a huge surge in power?”

Listening from the side, Lu Yang couldn't help but interject, “No, this looks exactly like she's been arrested by Great Xia and is participating in the competition while serving her sentence, doesn't it?”

“Now that you mention it, I recall hearing something about her being arrested by Great Xia on suspicion of poisoning.” The passerby paused mid-sentence, realizing something was off.

“Wait a minute, who are you?”

Their previous conversation had been so familiar, as if they were friends, that he hadn't immediately realized he didn't know this person.

“Hello, my name is Lu Yunyang.”

“Oh, hello, hello. My name is Ma Bin... wait, no, who are you?”

“I'm here for the competition, but I'm not familiar with these people. I was hoping you could introduce me to some of them.” Lu Yang pointed to his five-star armband, which served as proof of his status, while thinking about how he would write his article later, having coincidentally encountered a passerby who seemed to know everything.

Ma Bin rolled up his sleeve, revealing his own five-star armband, and said disdainfully, “We're competitors. Do you really think I'd share information with you?”

Lu Yang pondered for a moment. It did seem a bit improper to directly ask for information without offering anything in return, so he prepared to take something out to offer a benefit.

Ma Bin noticed Lu Yang's slight movement and sneered, “Don't think you can bribe me with spirit stones! This is a sacred Spirit Chef competition; don't defile this contest with your measly spirit stones!”

Lu Yang hadn't even intended to use spirit stones. He produced his identity jade token, which served as proof, and said, “Actually, I'm Lu Yang from the Dao Seeking Sect. I'm here to write a newspaper article. If you help me identify the participants in the competition, I'll praise you in the newspaper.”

Ma Bin looked at Lu Yang indifferently, adjusted his collar, and formally introduced himself:

“My name is Ma Bin, and I am a royal chef from the Great Xia Imperial Kitchen. I specialize in steamed dishes, including pastries, and the use of various seasonings for complex flavors. I was born into the Ma family of pastry makers, and from a young age, I was passionate about cooking, reading extensively. My culinary journey began with my family's traditional recipes.

“As time passed, I not only inherited my family's pastry-making techniques but also continuously learned new cooking methods and trends, refining my skills. After joining the Imperial Kitchen, I diligently practiced my knife work, eventually mastering it to an extraordinary degree, earning me the title 'Blade of the Imperial Kitchen'.

“I've taken leave to participate in this Spirit Chef competition to become a Gold Star Spirit Chef and bring fame to the Ma family of pastry makers in the culinary world. Just a few words of praise would be fine, but it would be best if you could mention our Ma family of pastry makers.”

Lu Yang quietly wrote down a single line: “Ma Bin, from the Ma family of pastry makers.”