Chapter 1078: Immortal Kitchen Successor Lu Yunyang

"Master Lu, please look at the smiling cultivator in the corner whose eyes aren't visible. His name is Xie Qi, and he's a top contender to win this cooking competition. He has never lost a spiritual chef duel!" Ma Bin, a vegetable cutter from the Imperial Kitchen and a member of the Ma family of pastry makers, was diligently introducing various spiritual chefs to Lu Yang.

Xie Qi had a medicine pot tied around his waist and always smiled, seemingly without opening his eyes. He was renowned in the spiritual chef world. Even among five-star spiritual chefs, there were distinctions in skill, and other five-star spiritual chefs would avert their gaze when looking at him, a sign of reverence for a stronger opponent.

However, Lu Yang didn't notice that other spiritual chefs were subtly moving away from Ma Bin.

Ma Bin himself was also a strong contender for the championship!

"Oh, so he's that capable?"

"Xie Qi possesses an ability, whether from a cultivation technique or innate, to mimic others' actions."

"Furthermore, his tongue is extraordinary, exceptionally sensitive to food flavors. Even the slightest flaw is magnified endlessly in his mouth."

"Whenever he enters a spiritual chef duel, he completely imitates his opponent's movements. After tasting their finished dish, he improves upon it."

"This way, his dishes are always a cut above his opponent's!"

Lu Yang nodded, acknowledging that this was indeed a formidable opponent.

"Anyone else?"

"There's also the female cultivator in the ice-blue dress. Her name is An Tong. She also has an undefeated record, but she relies on sheer skill. Although she was born without taste, her sight, touch, smell, and hearing are far superior to other cultivators at her level. She can create exquisite dishes using just her four senses!"

Lu Yang had seen this woman among the group gathered by Jin Tan but didn't know her name. "So, her name is An Tong," he murmured.

Ma Bin introduced these spiritual chefs one by one, not just the five-star ones, but also chefs from the other four groups. After all, the Cultivation Monthly couldn't just focus on five-star chef competitions.

With the clang of a gong, the spiritual chef competition officially began. All five groups of chefs started their contests simultaneously. Lu Yang and the others entered the arena one after another, and each appearance of a renowned spiritual chef drew gasps of admiration from the audience.

"Look, it's Master Golden Blade, Duan Lang!"

"That's Granny Poison!"

"That's Ma Bin, the Blade of the Imperial Kitchen!"

"That's Immortal Tongue Xie Qi!"

"That's Undefeated An Tong!"

Yun Mengmeng listened for a long time but couldn't hear anyone shouting the name of the second-in-command. She pouted, feeling that the audience had no taste. The second-in-command was an heir to an Immortal Chef, far more impressive than any Master Golden Blade or Granny Poison.

"Th-that's actually Lu Yang, the Immortal Chef's heir!" Yun Mengmeng stood in the stands, abruptly pointing at Lu Yang with a look of disbelief.

Her expression, however, seemed a bit exaggerated. Fortunately, the audience was captivated by Lu Yang's title and didn't pay too much attention to Yun Mengmeng's reaction.

"Immortal Chef's heir? Who dares claim such a grand title?"

"Where? Where?"

"What? You don't know him?" Yun Mengmeng was very surprised.

"Who is he?" The audience members were all seasoned food connoisseurs. They racked their brains but still couldn't recall any spiritual chef being given such an extraordinary title as "Immortal Chef's heir."

Yun Mengmeng mysteriously said, "Rumor has it that Lu Yang received lessons from an Immortal Chef in his dreams, learning techniques only immortals possess. His knife skills are unparalleled, and his medicinal cuisine is unmatched. His low profile is simply because the immortal instructed him to endure for ten years, to temper his character."

"Ten years have passed, and his sharp sword can finally be unsheathed!"

"Is that true or false? It sounds so fake."

"Did this kid receive the inheritance of Immortal Yingtian?"

Although Yun Mengmeng spun a convincing tale, the connoisseurs weren't foolish; they wouldn't believe everything she said.

In the spiritual chef world, taste was everything!

Clearly, Yun Mengmeng wasn't as gifted at deception as Lu Yang.

The Spiritual Chef Competition consisted of three rounds, testing knife skills, ingredients, and dishes, respectively. It was an elimination tournament; only by passing the previous round could one advance to the next.

All five groups competed simultaneously, and the challenges were identical.

Song Tianjing's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. This first round was supposedly about knife skills, but it didn't look like it.

In the two-star spiritual chef competition, all two-star chefs were confined to an arena. As cages opened, countless Foundation Establishment demonic beasts emerged, baring their fangs and glaring at the two-star chefs, viewing them as prey.

"What, you can't even defeat a demonic beast?" Young Master Wu sneered, seeing Song Tianjing so frightened. It seemed Song Tianjing wasn't much, and he'd be eliminated even without direct targeting.

Both Young Master Wu and Yu Qian'er were two-star spiritual chefs and had come to participate in this grand event.

Yu Qian'er explained to Song Tianjing, "The Spiritual Chef Alliance believes that for a spiritual chef to be qualified, the first thing they must do is overcome the ingredients. If you can't even defeat your ingredients, what right do you have to prepare them?"

"Therefore, the first round often tests how you defeat and process demonic beasts."

After speaking, Yu Qian'er didn't hesitate, charging towards an armored rhinoceros. The more difficult the spirit beast chosen, the higher the score in the final evaluation after the three rounds. This rhinoceros was among the top ten strongest demonic beasts, a worthy opponent.

Song Tianjing's eye twitched. He was very confident in his knife skills, but the problem was his lack of combat experience; he had never fought a demonic beast before.

What should I do? What should I do?

Song Tianjing inadvertently spotted Yun Mengmeng in the audience. His heart skipped a beat. Why were people from the Heavenly Court Sect here?

Had the Young Cult Master come too? Was he here to watch his performance?

If he performed too poorly, would the Young Cult Master eliminate him?

The more Song Tianjing thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He decided to go for it. Rather than being eliminated by the Young Cult Master, he might as well bravely fight a demonic beast. He was, after all, at the late Foundation Establishment stage; he couldn't possibly fail to defeat a single demonic beast.

Song Tianjing chose a purple mink. The purple mink stood on two feet, its front paws tucked into its fur, blinking its small eyes, looking harmless.

Noticing Song Tianjing's choice, the Purple Sky Mink immediately bared its fangs, its eyes turning a ferocious red, and its claws scraped against the ground, leaving scratches.

The audience immediately stirred, their attention fixed on the two-star spiritual chef group.

"Who is that person? How dare he choose the Purple Sky Mink!?"

"The Purple Sky Mink is the strongest among these demonic beasts, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's the Beast King!"

The two-star spiritual chefs also noticed Song Tianjing's choice, and mocking laughter filled the air.

"The Purple Sky Mink carries the bloodline of an ancient great demon. Its ancestors included a Tribulation Transcending Demonic Emperor. Its movements are as fast as lightning; divine sense can't even catch it."

"That's not all; its claws are also exceptionally sharp. A single swipe can sever a head. Is he out of his mind choosing it?"

"The Beast King Purple Sky Mink... I wouldn't even dare pick it as an opponent." Young Master Wu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Song Tianjing quietly reached into his robe, stroking the "Compendium of Culinary Arts" to bolster his courage.

However, the moment he touched the compendium, the Purple Sky Mink, which had been preparing to attack, suddenly sensed something. The red in its eyes faded, and it prostrated itself on the ground.

It was a fear rooted deep in its ancient bloodline, an insurmountable terror, an irresistible will that demonic beasts could not oppose!

"What happened to the Purple Sky Mink?"

"No, it's not just the Purple Sky Mink. Look at the other demonic beasts!"

Gasps of astonishment erupted from the audience, with some spectators so shocked they immediately stood up.

All the demonic beasts in the arena extended their front paws forward, prostrated themselves on the ground, and knelt before Song Tianjing.

Yu Qian'er lightly covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with boundless astonishment.

"Is it this 'Compendium of Culinary Arts'?" Song Tianjing immediately grasped the crucial point. His family's inherited fragmentary copy of the compendium had never made demonic beasts fearful. Could it be that only this original version possessed such an ability?!

This should satisfy Young Cult Master Lu, right?

The commotion from Song Tianjing's side was too great for Lu Yang to ignore.

Wait, the book the Immortal gave away casually has this effect, but why have I never enjoyed such a privilege?!