Translator: E.3.3. Editor: Vermillion

  A golden gleam of light gushed out of the pitch-black pieces of round charcoals. It was a glint even more dazzling than that of an ordinary golden shimmer, fully capturing one’s eyeballs.

  As if it was a dormant bud suddenly blossoming, the pitch-black layers of charcoal began to peel off at a speed detectable to the naked eye. With that, the shine from the golden rays of light further intensified.

  A hot mist fluctuated with the golden shimmer. Such hazy fog created a backdrop of a wonderland, in which sat the gem-like streak of gold.

  A rich, simply irresistible aroma wafted past. The now fully roasted Lion Head Demonic Potato emanated an indescribable fragrance, one that was extremely concentrated and contained traces of a crispy burnt flavor.

  Once the layers of charcoal flaked off, it uncovered the reddish Demonic Potato flesh from within. The entire thing looked like a work of art delicately carved by God himself, both exquisite and bright, almost as marvelous as a precious piece of amber.

  The enshrouding hot steams spread from this amber-like flesh, tugging at one’s heartstrings and triggering one’s appetite.

  "Isn’t it beautiful?" Bu Fang clutched the Lion Head Demonic Potato with one hand and declared satisfyingly. The sweet aroma of the Demonic Potato even put a gentle expression on Bu Fang’s face.

  Duan Yun stared blankly at the steaming hot Demonic Potato. His nose couldn’t stop twitching. It was almost as if the fragrance had a magical power, luring him to inhale, and with each breath draw in all of the aroma permeating through the air.

  Hearing Bu Fang’s words, he nodded absentmindedly. Never had he imagined how bewitchingly exquisite a Lion Head Demonic Potato could look.

  This potato was a rare eighth grade spirit herb. Most folks used it for alchemy and brewing elixirs. Nobody other than the freak before his eyes could ever choose to cook with such a precious ingredient.

  But no matter what, though Duan Yun disapproved Bu Fang’s decision in cooking with the Lion Head Demonic Potato, he had to admit that it looked ravishing once fully roasted.

  "Give it a try. The taste is even better."

  A wisp of smoke twirled around Bu Fang’s wrist and the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife appeared in his hand.

  With a flash of the blade, half of the sparkling Lion Head Demonic Potato was sliced off and handed to Duan Yun.

  This is really edible?

  Duan Yun gulped. He flickered a glance at Bu Fang and took in a deep breath.

  Well, there was no point in missing out on food. Waves of true energy wrapped around Duan Yun’s hand as he grabbed the Demonic Potato. The steaming Demonic Potato flesh was scorching hot. Though his palm was protected by a shield of true energy, he still yelped at the heat. In fact, it totally stirred him up.

  Carefully clutching the Lion Head Demonic Potato with both hands, he blew at it gently to dispel the hot mists.

  Bu Fang paid no further attention to Duan Yun. His gaze landed on the Lion Head Demonic Potato in his hands.

  Roasted sweet potato was actually a form of light cooking. It entailed digging a hole in the ground, placing a couple of stones inside, and burying the sweet potato within. Lastly, one would light a fire on top with dry branches and use this heat to cook the sweet potato. Bu Fang remembered this as a cooking method from his previous lifetime.

  Of course, there were also other ways of cooking it, such as preparing a charcoal furnace and placing the sweet potato inside for roasting. Sweet potatoes done this way would end up with a dried, crispy layer of outer skin and burning hot, aromatically sweet flesh within.

  The taste was delightful.

  After peeling off the layers of charcoal on its surface, Bu Fang drew in a long breath and blew at the potato. Then, he sank his teeth into it hurriedly.

  The scorching hot Demonic Potato almost burnt his teeth off. As he took this bite and inhaled deeply, he could clearly detect its uniquely rich aroma.

  A sweet flavor enveloped his taste buds and teased every fiber of his being. His eyes immediately lit up that very instant.

  The texture of this Demonic Potato flesh was excellent. Most of the spirit essence was successfully retained, which meant it was infused with a strong dose of spirit energy. This small piece of Lion Head Demonic Potato was simply exploding with rich surges of spirit energy, much like a detonating grenade.

  Most importantly, Bu Fang discerned from the roasted Demonic Potato flesh a sensation that he had never detected from other dishes. It was a kind of inexpressible, indefinable feeling. It was comparable to a Path-Understanding epiphany, a state of enigma.

  Bu Fang concluded to himself that this was a kind of spiritual sagacity. Even though the roasted Demonic Potato flesh was simply made, it was…… distinguishable from all of Bu Fang’s other dishes in that it had an extra touch of spiritual sagacity.

  Though this dash of spiritual sagacity was faint, and perhaps barely discernible, with Bu Fang’s improved cultivation level, he had become more and more sensitive to such ripples of energy.

  The emergence of spiritual sagacity in cooked dishes was a whole new discovery for Bu Fang.

  As he had slowly reached the level of an intermediate chef, Bu Fang’s cooking skills seemed to have hit a bottleneck. Though he still managed to improve, the amount of progress made each time was clearly reducing.

  As a man who aspired to stand at the top of the food chain and become the God of Cooking in the fantasy world, Bu Fang was unsettled by his slow progress, as it set him back from his ultimate goal.

  He also knew very clearly that huge leaps were easily achievable in the beginning phases. As his cultivation level grew, his outlook broadened, and his cooking abilities sharpened, it would become increasingly difficult to further improve himself.

  Or perhaps, with each advancement, he needed to accumulate a much stronger level of depth.

  As Bu Fang munched on the roasted Demonic Potato, he fell into a deep contemplation.

  Nom nom! Nom!

  A rhythmic sound of chomping snapped Bu Fang out of his meditation.

  A gaze that gave Bu Fang an eerie sensation landed on him, prompting him to arch his eyebrows.

  As Bu Fang traced back to the source of the stare, he discovered Duan Yun, already up on his feet and leering at the Demonic Potato flesh in his hands with sparkling eyes.

  "What’s going on?" Bu Fang was taken by surprise.

  Duan Yun’s mouth continued to chew, until the Demonic Potato flesh was finally swallowed after a loud gulp.

  Then, he emitted a long breath.

  Duan Yun felt like he was just baptized. This was the first time he had ever tasted something so delicious. This gourmet delicacy provided him with the same gratification as devouring an eighth grade elixir.

  How bewildering!

  After being roasted, the Demonic Potato did not lose any of its spirit essence. Instead, everything was perfectly preserved. With a bite, the spirit energy and spirit essence all erupted in his mouth, making him feel as if he was surfing on the sea.

  This refreshing sensation simply intoxicated Duan Yun.

  "How can anything be this tasty?!" Duan Yun was silently screaming in his heart. "Now this is what you call a genuine gourmet delicacy!"

  He had never expected potatoes roasted with alchemic fire to taste this succulent. Duan Yun was feverish with excitement, suddenly thinking whether he should make a career out of alchemic fire roasted potatoes.

  However, this was just wishful thinking. Now, if his master ever found out he was cooking potatoes with alchemic fire, it was just a matter of time before his neck was twisted off.

  In the face of Duan Yun’s rapacious ogle, Bu Fang kept his poker face and gracefully crammed the rest of the Lion Head Demonic Potato into his mouth.

  Nom nom……

  This rhythmic munching made Duan Yun feel like all the energy in his body has been drained.

  Having gulped everything down, Bu Fang belched loudly. His burp released rich waves of spirit energy and spirit essence that pervaded the air.

  Suddenly, Bu Fang widened his eyes and slapped his own chest. He waved his hand and extracted a jar of wine from the system’s dimensional storage. Pouring a good mouthful of wine down his throat, Bu Fang finally breathed out in satisfaction.

  The Frost Blaze Path-Understanding Brew proved a good match for the roasted potato. The combination was lovely.

  As the concentrated fragrance of wine disseminated through the air, Duan Yun almost squeezed his eyeballs out of his sockets. This scent of wine…… was simply too damn fragrant!

  Bu Fang poured another mouthful of wine down his throat and merrily smacked his lips. Then, he caught sight of a gaping Duan Yun standing from a distance.

  "Um…… want a cup?" Bu Fang raised up the Frost Blaze Path-Understanding Brew in his hand.

  "Really…… could I?" Duan Yun’s eyes brightened as he asked abashedly. Yet his body couldn’t lie, as his feet quickly scurried to Bu Fang’s side.

  "Of course…… not." Bu Fang waved his hand casually and stored away the Frost Blaze Path-Understanding Brew back into the system’s dimensional storage. "This wine is extremely pricey……"

  Duan Yun found himself in an awkward situation. " What happened to the foundation of trust between people? What happened to sharing is caring? Aren’t we friends?"

  Having tasted the Lion Head Demonic Potato roasted with alchemic fire, Bu Fang was now intrigued by the capabilities of such exotic flames. His heart with burning with fervor, as he was now sure that possession of this fire could help advance his cooking skills.

  The mere use of alchemic fire was enough to instill a trace of spirit sagacity in the roasted Demonic Potato. Now what if he were to use…… Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flames, or Ten Thousand Bestial Flames to cook it?

  All of this was beyond Bu Fang’s imagination. He had originally come to the Hundred Thousand Mountains in search of the Ten Thousand Bestial Flames to activate the Black Turtle Constellation Wok. But now…… he was much more fascinated with obtaining the Ten Thousand Bestial Flames itself!

  This could well dictate whether he could reach a breakthrough for his cooking.

  Duan Yun watched as Bu Fang’s figure left. He licked his lips, and with sparkling eyes, tailed Bu Fang like an obedient puppy.