Chapter 110: Wasting Talent by Not Barbecuing

"Three Flavors True Flame?" Lu Yang was puzzled. He wondered if his Senior Sister couldn't even distinguish between the characters "mèi" and "wèi." The two characters only looked similar; their pronunciations were entirely different.

Then, Lu Yang remembered that his Senior Sister's cultural level was likely higher than his own.

Lu Yang forced a calm laugh. "Hahahaha, Senior Sister, you're quite a joker. You taught me the 'Three Illusions True Flame,' so how could I have learned the 'Three Flavors True Flame'?" He insisted, "Impossible, impossible."

Yun Zhi offered no explanation. She beckoned the puppet, instructing it to retrieve a piece of demon beast meat from the kitchen.

Yun Zhi used some unknown technique to make the demon beast meat levitate and spin in the air. "Roast it with True Flame," she commanded.

Lu Yang exhaled True Flame. The demon beast meat sizzled and dripped with oil, and soon a fragrant aroma filled the air, making Lu Yang swallow hard.

Although Lu Yang's True Flame wasn't as potent as Yun Zhi's, its heat was far greater than ordinary flames. In no time, the demon beast meat was perfectly roasted.

"Try it yourself," Yun Zhi said.

Lu Yang used his finger like a sword, slicing off a small piece and placing it in his mouth. It was incredibly fragrant.

Despite having no seasonings, the demon beast meat gave Lu Yang the sensation of tasting salt for flavor, sugar for sweetness, and chili for enhanced aroma.

It truly was the "Three Flavors True Flame."

"Something must have gone wrong," Lu Yang analyzed seriously. He had followed his Senior Sister's instructions step by step, and with a powerful figure like her demonstrating personally, there was no way he could have made a mistake!

"Let me try again; I'm sure I can succeed!"

Yun Zhi nodded. "It's good that you're so determined. In that case, tonight's dinner is up to you. It will also help consolidate what you've learned today."

With that, Yun Zhi turned and returned to her cave dwelling to meditate, quietly awaiting Lu Yang's meal.

"No, wait, that's not what I meant..." Lu Yang felt that his Senior Sister had misunderstood his determination. However, by then, she had already walked away, leaving only the puppet to keep Lu Yang company.

Lu Yang sighed and motioned for the puppet to join him in the kitchen.

This was Lu Yang's first time in Tianmen Peak's kitchen. The puppet had always done the cooking; Lu Yang had never prepared a meal himself. After exhausting himself with daily training, he had no energy left for cooking.

As expected of his Senior Sister's private kitchen, it was larger than any stadium from his previous life. A dazzling array of ingredients was neatly arranged, and several-meter-tall demon beast carcasses were scattered about. The majestic appearance of these beasts suggested how incredibly powerful they must have been in life.

Unfortunately, these demon beasts were foolish in life, rampaging across the Central Continent until they encountered his Senior Sister. She killed them with a single strike before they even realized they were dead.

Lu Yang had some basic cooking knowledge, but that was only for ordinary ingredients. He didn't recognize any of the ingredients laid out before him.

"What should I make? What does Senior Sister like to eat? It seems like she always samples a bit of everything at meals, but I've never seen her show a particular preference for anything."

"Master's favorite food is barbecue," a sudden voice said, startling Lu Yang.

Lu Yang turned his head to see that it was the puppet speaking.

The puppet was made of wood, resembling a female figure but with no face carved. It had been by Lu Yang's side since his first day of cultivation, yet he had never known it could speak!

"Why are you looking at me?" the puppet spoke again, confirming to Lu Yang that he wasn't hallucinating.

"You can talk? Why haven't I heard you speak before?"

"Why would I talk to an idiot?"

"You..." Lu Yang was speechless. If only he could defeat it, he would surely dismantle this annoying puppet.

"You said Senior Sister likes barbecue? How come I've never seen her eat it?" Lu Yang eyed the puppet suspiciously.

He knew there was a magical art called Puppetry, and those who mastered it were called Puppeteers. There was even a First-Rank sect, the Yanshi Sect, composed entirely of Puppeteers.

But he didn't know the limits of Puppetry. Could it grant such high intelligence? Perhaps it was only natural for his Senior Sister's puppet.

"Master does not have a habit of revealing personal preferences to outsiders," the puppet said, still in a disdainful tone towards Lu Yang.

"Do you see the Kui Niu on your right? Cut off its thigh. Master likes to eat that part."

"I'll trust you this once." Lu Yang felt the puppet had no reason to trick him.

He drew his Azure Edge Sword and swung it at the Kui Niu's thigh. The Kui Niu's body glowed, instantly repelling Lu Yang, who flew straight into a pile of flour, emerging covered in white.

"Cough, cough," Lu Yang sputtered. "What level was this ox in life?" He was certain that the ox's cultivation was incredibly high, so much so that even in death, he couldn't inflict the slightest damage.

The puppet didn't reply. It shattered the Kui Niu's golden protective aura with a single punch. "Try again," it said.

"Chop!" Lu Yang used the 'Chop' incantation, creating a superficial wound.

The 'Chop' incantation was less powerful than the 'Break' incantation, but its advantage lay in its wide range and multiple uses.

"Chop!"

"Chop!"

Lu Yang used the 'Chop' incantation three times in a row, depleting his spiritual energy. The puppet, at the opportune moment, fed him a Grand Restoration Pill.

"Chop!"

"Chop!"

"Chop!"

Grand Restoration Pill.

And so, through a repetitive cycle of "Chop, chop, chop, Grand Restoration Pill — chop, chop, chop, Grand Restoration Pill," he finally managed to cut off enough meat for one meal.

As soon as the ingredients were prepared, Lu Yang was so exhausted that he lay sprawled on the ground, panting. The puppet continued to feed him Grand Restoration Pills.

Lu Yang found this scene strangely familiar.

It had to be said, the Grand Restoration Pills were truly effective. After taking them, Lu Yang regained his vigor and continued cooking.

"Use sword qi to break up the meat fibers," the puppet beside him instructed.

The tip of the Azure Edge Sword pierced the Kui Niu meat, releasing sword qi, but Lu Yang felt as if the sword qi was a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir even a ripple.

"Come on, come on. You're the best." The puppet cheered Lu Yang on, but its flat tone offered no encouragement whatsoever.

Lu Yang fumed, "Can't you show some emotion?!"

The puppet readily complied: "Lu Yang, although your cultivation is very low, you mess up everything you learn, and you can't even beat me, you've tried very hard! Keep it up!"

Lu Yang's veins bulged as he continuously increased the power of his sword qi. The sword qi finally managed to penetrate the Kui Niu meat, slowly severing the fibers.

After completing the entire process, Lu Yang was too exhausted to even be annoyed with the puppet.

When it was time to roast the meat, Lu Yang continuously gulped down Grand Restoration Pills while cooking with his "Three Flavors True Flame." The aroma of the meat quickly wafted out of the kitchen.

"That smells delicious, what is that aroma?" Old Man Ba walked into the kitchen, tracing the source of the scent, and saw Lu Yang grilling.

"Old Man Ba, why are you here?" Lu Yang asked, surprised.

Old Man Ba chuckled, pulling out a tea caddy. "The Enlightenment Tea just finished brewing, and I was planning to bring some to Yun Zhi. Then I caught this delicious smell and came to see what was being roasted. So it's Kui Niu! With your cultivation, that must have been quite a struggle, eh, boy?"

Lu Yang laughed sheepishly.

"Oh, right, you were asking about Old Ninth earlier. Do you know where Old Ninth is now?"

Thinking that his master was about to finish seclusion anyway, Lu Yang saw no harm in telling Old Man Ba. He then recounted his master's seclusion in the pine forest.

Old Man Ba's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Evil doers always get their comeuppance," he thought. That darned Old Ninth was finally locked up by Yun Zhi!

He set down the Enlightenment Tea and promptly left. "I have something to do; I'm off now."

He needed to quickly tell his junior brothers about this so they could all go watch Old Ninth!