The Cooking Master

five years ago..

Sorry guys for MIA these past few days.. Recently I got job interview to go abroad but I need to pay for the program fee.. After asking here and there working hard day and night, I failed to come up with the money.... Sad but true.. Not going to be depressed any longer, here's the next chapter.... 

Chapter 7 

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Because of some people have a hard time remembering the rank I will now use the english names. 

Level of power will be like this.. 

Da shi = grandmaster 

Shie zu= master 

Chu xue= apprentice 

Ding qi= regular 

Le se = trash but it sound too harsh so I will change it to unranked... 

For the beast rank we will make a new rank... 

Grandmaster level beast = god level 

Master level beast = calamity level 

Apprentice level beast = tempest level 

Regular level beast = storm level 

Unranked level beast = rain level 

As to make it more authentic, rather than using gourmet cell or Qi, from this chapter onwards it will be called chi. 

Also this chapter will be kind of info dump to make you get a grasp of the current world condition. 

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Dong Lian bring Yan Shao to the village in blindfold. Dong Xie and the other villager already waiting for them at the village plaza. 

"You can release his blindfold Lian." 

"Yes father." 

Lian opened the blindfold and Shao trying to cover his eyes with his hand due to the bright sun. 

"what's your name?" Dong Xie questioned Shao. 

"My name is Yan Shao. I'm a fifth rank regular from Wing Chu School." 

The villager all surprised hearing his reply. 

"fifth rank regular from Wing Chu school? I tought school require at least first rank apprentice to be taken as disciple." 

"May I know, how long have your village lived in seclusion?"(shao) 

"roughly eight years." (Dong Xie) 

Shao then nods. 

"If what you said is true then it make sense. Five years ago school start to take in regular people as their disciple it was because people of apprentice rank is harder to find. Five years ago the power balance in the world also silghtly changed." 

The villager all surprised hearing those word. 

"What do you mean?" 

"five years ago a disaster happened in the world. Mythical beast from storm level to the rarely seen god level attacked settlements all over the place. Only those with repelling stone is able to survive. Since that happened, our manpower reduced greatly so school all over the world lowered their standard. In any way, having more power is helpful in this kind of situation." 

"Did such things really happened? What about Bao city?" "What about Xue city?" "What about Lang city?" 

All of the villager busy asking for information of a city where their relatives may still alive. 

"I'm sorry I don't know much since I was taken in into a school afterwards. I was busy increasing my power for these past year. I was lucky to be able increase my rank every year." 

Dong Xie eyes widened. 

"Increased a rank every year? How can that be possible?" 

"It all happened five years ago. When usually a people Chi amount determined their power rank, we usually trained ourself for a long time to increased it. But since five years ago, by eating a mythical beast we could absorb some of their Chi. So now people are trying their best to absorb mythical beast Chi. However there's also a restriction that you could only absorb Chi from mythical beast of a same rank. If you exceed what you can absorb your body wouldn't be able to handle the Chi and will explode. This strange phenomenon started the same time with the apocalypse." 

Lian secretly make a hypothesis in his mind. 

"If that's so, is that mean the ticklish feeling in my stomach is caused by me absorbing the mythical beast Chi?" 

Xue Pan then happily said to Dong Xie while holding his shoulder. 

"Brother, that means we also could raise our rank." 

"Don't you hear what he say? We can't absorb chi surpassing our level. What's more rain level mythical beast is even rarer than god level." 

Mythical beast because of their strong heredity usually already born with storm level power. Rain level mythical beast is so hard to find until it was said as a legend or make up story. 

"I guess you can stay for the night and Lian could take you to leave tommorrow. You guys remember. We don't have any more connection with the outside world. Understand?" 

Hearing Dong Xie word the crowd slowly dispersed. Leaving only Lian and Shao there. Dong Xie who leave the scene earlier was followed by Cheng Yue. 

"My dear.. He said five years ago.. Is it a coincidence?" 

Dong Xie looked at her surprised. 

"Cheng Yue! There's a possibility.. Therefore don't tell about this to anyone." 

With a serious expression they returned to their home. 

"Brother Shao. You can follow me to my home." Lian said that with a smile. 

"Thank you very much Lian. I don't know if I could survive a night in the wilderness with my current condition. My body hasn't completely absorb the sabertoothed tiger Chi." 

"No problem. By the way brother Shao. If what you said is true, what can an unranked person do to reach the regular rank? What did you do to reach that level?" 

"Heheheh... Lian do you intended to be a grandmaster one day? Hahaha.. I'll tell you then. There's three way to reach a regular rank. The first one is by training your body so it can hold more Chi inside. The second one is by enrolled to some secret sect school that have special cultivation method. The third one is for a person to be blessed by heaven and earth and reached that level naturally." 

As being said before, people in the era doesn't know other factor such as nutrient intake and only consider it as talent or blessings. 

Hearing that, Lian wondered more and more. Which one of these category fits him? He clearly only do stamina training with uncle Pan so the first one is out of question. The second one doesn't even near. Does it mean he is blessed by the heaven and earth? 

That only makes him thinking more and more. 

"Lian is this your home?" 

Shao arrived at Lian home. It was besides the restaurant that his family run. 

"No wonder you are so talented in cooking. Your family have a restaurant." 

"It's not that big brother Shao and I can only help with simple task." 

"hahaha. Don't say like that. I clearly know how great your cooking is after eating the grilled saber toothed tiger." 

Lian just smile and bring Shao inside. 

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In the morning Shao is leaving the village while blindfolded by Lian again. It was only after it was far enough from the village he take it off. 

"Lian.. Are you sure you don't want to go with me? I'm sure people from Wing Chu school will take you in with an open arm." 

"I'm sorry I have to refuse. As you see I'm still too small and have to help out in the village. When my father couldn't cook anymore I may have to take over his duty." 

Lian bowed a little when he said that. Lian is still a little boy but he clearly think about the future of the village. Even if he want to be a grandmaster one day he still prioritize the village. Afterall it's where he grow up. 

"Very well. I hope we can meet again one day." 

"I by chance we meet again I'll cook you the best food you can eat brother Shao." 

"Hahaha. If one day you come to Wing Chu city make sure to visit the Wing Chu school. Afterall I'm one of their disciple with the brightest future. Even if I'm not there you'll be welcomed. Hahaha." 

"Very well brother Shao. Take care." 

With the silhouete of the young man dissapeared in the forest Lian come back to the village. 

Recalled the battle of Shao and saber toothed tiger in his mind, his brain is in turmoil. 

"How can I absorb the Chi from mythical beast? Am I really blessed by the heaven? Why the Chi absorbed increased if I cook it? What is happening five years ago?" 

Lian think of various things inside his mind but realized his shortage. 

"I'm still too small, I need to train my stamina first. The village future is still unsure, if father get sick one day I have to take over his duty. The world is vast and full of things I didn't know.. Let's just move forward one step at a time." 

Lian then goes back to the village and continue his routine. However since the day Shao come to the village, his father attitude is changed. 

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Fiuh... It's always hard writing in third person.. 

If you guys feel the grammar is lacking, please pm me if you're interested to help as an editor or proofreader it always appreciated.. English isn't my first language and i write from my phone.. 

What you think about the development of the story? I try to add some depth to it, do you think I succed? 

Anyway, thanks for reading, comment feedback and suggestion are welcomed..