Realm Lord Di Tai once thought Bu Fang wanted to kill him with an explosion so he could inherit his art of nudity. Otherwise, how would he have cooked the Perishing Pot?
He knew the pot's terrible power very well. It could kill even a Little Saint!
Now... Was Bu Fang asking him to eat a Perishing Pot?
The realm lord's face turned red. He only asked Bu Fang to cook a Dried Pot, not a Perishing Pot.
When the people around saw the Dried Pot in Bu Fang's hand, they shuddered with fear. They could feel an extremely terrifying power in it, which was so strong that they didn't dare to resist.
They didn't know that the Perishing Pot was Bu Fang's great murderous weapon. Otherwise, they would have all fled, instead of craning their necks and looking curiously like fools.
However, there were many others who knew the Perishing Pot's power because they had seen it with their own eyes, such as Meng Qi and Gongshu Ban.
Meng Qi rolled her eyes. That was for the realm lord. She thought of a phrase which perfectly described Realm Lord Di Tai, 'If you don't do stupid things, they won't come back and bite you in the as*, but if you do, they most certainly will...'
'Why did you make Bu Fang cook Dried Pot? You know his Perishing Pot can wipe out a small world, and yet you still insist on tasting the feeling of despair. Well, your wish is fulfilled now, he has prepared the Perishing Pots...'
In the audience, Gongshu Ban's body and soul were trembling. "Is... Is Owner Bu... crazy..." He found that even his lips were shivering. He couldn't believe that Bu Fang had actually prepared Perishing Pots.
"Could it be..." He looked at Bu Fang, who wore a cold face, and his eyes shrank. "Could it be that Owner Bu was angered by Realm Lord Di Tai's theme, so he plans to blow everything up?"
No one could figure out the reason, no matter how hard they pondered. Even the realm lord himself, who didn't believe Bu Fang would come out with a Perishing Pot, was trembling...
"What if that thing is real? Should I taste it or not?"
The other participants didn't have so many different emotions as the realm lord. The only emotion that filled their hearts was despair.
They couldn't believe that their thunderclouds were scattered by just one bolt of lightning.
These chefs were gifted, and some of them were rare geniuses. However, these so-called geniuses were nowhere near as good as Bu Fang—that much was plain to see from this test.
From the lightning punishment attracted by a dish, one could tell its quality and the chef's level. The other dishes had attracted at most two lightning punishments, which were too weak compared to the one attracted by Bu Fang's dish. No wonder they were scattered.
The result was obvious.
The Great Demon King was indeed... the Great Demon King.
The participants couldn't help but sigh with mixed emotions.
Bu Fang paid them no mind. He walked slowly down the arena with three silver pots floating around him, one of them containing a powerful and terrifying fluctuation, and came in front of the three judges. The three people in charge of assessing his result were Realm Lord Di Tai, Pavilion Master Meng Qi, and Gongshu Baiguang.
The realm lord watched with wide eyes as Bu Fang placed the Dried Pot with destructive fluctuations in front of him, his face unsightly.
"Your Dried Pot Cabbage is served. Please enjoy it while it's hot," said Bu Fang. Clasping his hands behind his back, he smiled and gave Realm Lord Di Tai a meaningful look.
'So you want to be naughty, aren't you? Let's see how naughty you can be!' he thought.
The people around held their breaths. They knew that with the Great Demon King's cooking skills, he would surely pass with flying colors and become a Second Grade Immortal Chef, but they still wanted to witness the birth of a miracle.
There was not much difference between a Second Grade Immortal Chef and a First Grade Immortal Chef, if truth be told. It was their cooking skills that set them apart. However, if a Second Grade Immortal Chef wished to promote to the Third Grade, it would be a different story. The requirements for a Third Grade Immortal Chef were higher and tougher to achieve. In simpler terms, it was determined by the rank of the completed dish.
Normally, the food a First Grade Immortal Chef could cook was rank one to three immortal dishes. To become a Second Grade Immortal Chef, one must cook rank four to six immortal dishes, and to become a Third Grade Immortal Chef, the dishes must be between rank seven to nine. Finally, to become a Qilin Chef, one must cook rank ten immortal dishes.
This was how the Immortal Cooking Realm classified immortal chefs' strength.
And the easiest way to judge the rank of an immortal dish was through the immortal energy it exuded. The number of immortal energy streams it gave off represented its rank.
However, there were always exceptions. The Perishing Pot Bu Fang cooked today was one example. Although it didn't have a strong fluctuation of immortal energy, who dared to say that it was not a rank four immortal dish?
Three Dried Pots with hot steams rising were placed in front of three judges. At the same time, the Immortal Tree's branch swayed and shot three beams of light onto the pots.
Buzz...
The spirit of the Immortal Tree was growing stronger. Apparently, it was recovering well. The light blooming from the branch showed that Bu Fang's dish had clearly reached the rank of a Second Grade Immortal Chef.
The next step was tasting the food. The dish must be tasted by three judges, so the result was fair.
Bu Fang stood calmly in the distance, while the three judges exchanged glances. For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
All eyes fell on them. As the judges, they could not refuse to taste the food...
"Try it. My Dried Pot Cabbage will not disappoint you... I thought someone couldn't wait to taste my Dried Pot?" Bu Fang said.
Realm Lord Di Tai was reluctant to touch the silver lotus pot in front of him.
City Lord Meng Qi, on the other hand, didn't say anything but gave Bu Fang a deep look. Then, she took a pair of chopsticks from the table, reached into the Dried Pot, picked a piece of shining cabbage, and shoved it into her mouth.
This cabbage was the finished product after Bu Fang blanched it with the Spring of Life and then stir-fried it.
Crunch!
It was hot, but as soon as it entered her mouth, it filled her nose with a meaty fragrance. The Fiery Heart Cabbage tasted excellent. It was crunchy, and the pork belly of the Eight Treasures Pig enhanced its flavor.
City Lord Meng Qi's eyes lit up slightly. She didn't expect the Dried Pot Cabbage to be so delicious. It was aromatic, and the flavor was original. Just as Bu Fang said, it didn't disappoint her.
There was a white flame burning beneath the Dried Pot, keeping the dish in its boiling state. This was the charm of a Dried Pot. As time passed, the soup kept boiling in the pot and eventually gave off a very strong fragrance.
She stirred the food with her chopsticks, causing the hot cabbage and pork belly at the bottom to come to the top. Wisps of hot steam rose, and in the next instant, everyone heard a loud boom.
Immortal energy suddenly shot out from the Dried Pot, transforming into six dragons and wheeling over the pot.
Six streams of immortal energy?!
All those who saw this gasped in shock.
The six streams of immortal energy told them that Bu Fang's Dried Pot Cabbage was a rank six immortal dish.
The participants were struck dumb. Indeed, comparisons were the thief of joy. When they were still working hard to cook a rank four immortal dish, Bu Fang could already cook a rank six immortal dish effortlessly. The fact that they were totally not on the same level filled their hearts with defeat and helplessness.
Gongshu Baiguang's curiosity was aroused when he saw Meng Qi stir up six streams of immortal energy, so he took a pair of chopsticks and stirred his Dried Pot Cabbage as well.
Sizzle…
The soup at the bottom was bubbling, and at the same time, steam and immortal energy rose, intertwining into a beautiful and colorful scene over the pot, attracting all glances.
Gongshu Baiguang picked up a piece of cabbage and a slice of pork belly together, then put them into his mouth. The crunchy cabbage and the soft, fragrant pork made him nod in satisfaction.
"Oh?"
Realm Lord Di Tai was tempted when he saw both Meng Qi and Gongshu Baiguang enjoy the dish happily.
'Maybe Bu Fang was just bluffing me. He wouldn't produce the Perishing Pot so easily, would he?'
At the thought, the realm lord gave Bu Fang a wry look. He remembered that this was how Bu Fang had bluffed the two Little Saints.
"You are very naughty, my little friend Bu Fang." Realm Lord Di Tai smiled, waving a finger at Bu Fang. He now believed that the simple and honest Owner Bu would not serve him the terrible Perishing Pot. Therefore, he impatiently reached out his chopsticks.
Although his Dried Pot gave him a different feeling, he could no longer withstand the enchanting fragrance coming out of it.
He would eat it as long as it wouldn't kill him!
He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and reached it into the Dried Pot. However, just as his chopsticks were about to touch the food, he looked up abruptly and saw Bu Fang gazing at him with interest.
That made his scalp go numb instantly.
He didn't hesitate for too long, though. The chopsticks went down and picked up a slice of pork belly. When the greasy pork went into his mouth and filled his nose with its aroma, the realm lord's eyes lit up.
"This is delicious! Very tasty!"
He picked up another slice, then another. There was no unusual movement in the pot, and he finally relaxed.
Realm Lord Di Tai thought he was right. How could Bu Fang be that petty? And so, he continued to savor the Dried Pot Cabbage.
Suddenly, Bu Fang twitched his mouth and glanced curiously at the realm lord.
Although he didn't draw the Explode Gourmet Array in the Dried Pot, he included the Imprison Gourmet Array in it. Of course, Dried Pot was not the best carrier for this array, but it could still work.
Bu Fang raised his hand as everyone looked at him in puzzlement. His move stirred their hearts.
Realm Lord Di Tai paused as an ominous feeling struck him. He instinctively turned to Bu Fang and saw the playful look on the latter's straight face...
"Imprison," Bu Fang snapped his fingers and said expressionlessly.
His voice and the crisp finger snap took everyone aback.
The next moment...
BOOM!!!
The Dried Pot in front of Realm Lord Di Tai burst into a dazzling white light...
This feeling...
Meng Qi and Gongshu Baiguang both twitched their mouths and sped away in a flash, avoiding any spot the white light shone. The realm lord couldn't avoid it at all. The white light dazzled his eyes and engulfed him...
Before too long, the white light faded away, revealing Realm Lord Di Tai.
There was no monstrous explosion nor terrible destructive fluctuation. The white light seemed like a flash in the pan and didn't change anything.
Realm Lord Di Tai's mouth was open, his neck craned while his hand held a pair of chopsticks with a slice of steaming pork belly between them. He looked like he was about to put the meat into his mouth. The pork even had a glistening juice flowing down its edge.
The delicious food was right in front of him, but he couldn't move at all. He could only sniff at the meaty fragrance that kept drifting into his nostrils. His body was frozen to the spot as if he had turned into stone.
"What happened? Why didn't the Realm Lord put the pork into his mouth?"
'It looks like the Imprison Gourmet Array has disabled his movements,' Bu Fang thought. His lips curved upward into a faint smile as he looked at Realm Lord Di Tai's funny pose.
"Eat it, Realm Lord... Why don't you eat it?" Bu Fang said.
The realm lord rolled his eyes. He wanted to move, but he couldn't. Cursing in his mind, he finally realized that he was wrong. He once thought Bu Fang wanted to kill him with an explosion, but it was not the case.
'Bu Fang is trying to torture me to death so he can inherit my art of nudity!'