Chapter 1

A fine, sunny morning, at the foot of Divine Sword Peak of the Dao Yi Sect, this place belongs to the Menial Disciple area.

Ye Zhangqing sat at the gate of the small courtyard, looking somewhat listless; it had been half a month since he transmigrated, but the system father still hadn't appeared.

In such a fantastical world where demons run rampant and cultivators can fly through sand and mud, the consequences of having no system are obvious—no need to elaborate.

Not only was there no system, there was also no ring grandfather, and he wasn't an orphan, which left Ye Zhangqing seeing no glimmer of hope.

In his previous life, he was merely a cook who did relatively well, having struggled for years and opened a modest tavern; business was decent.

Who could have imagined that, while he was thinking about his spatula, a huge boom rang out, fire lighting the sky, and when he woke up again, he was already in this Dao Yi Sect.

What's even more infuriating is that, in his previous life he was a cook, and after transmigrating he still ended up as a cook.

At present, his identity is that of a Menial Disciple of Divine Sword Peak, one of the thirty-six peaks of the Dao Yi Sect, and he is in charge of the kitchen.

No need to elaborate on Menial Disciples or the kitchen; plainly speaking, it's just about cooking for people.

Cultivators can achieve inedia, but only after reaching Golden Core Stage; low-level cultivators still need to eat, so Ye Zhangqing's task is to prepare meals for those Outer Door Disciples.

Of course, even so, hardly anyone comes to this kitchen; Outer Door Disciples have their own dining places, who would trek all the way to the mountain base just for a plain meal?

They pursue longevity; who would waste their energy on eating?

Having perfectly inherited the predecessor's memories, he was born into a prominent family in a small town; called a prominent family, but it was merely a matter of a few mu of land.

As the family's sole son, his parents naturally hoped he would become a dragon; moreover, Ye Zhangqing's grandfather had some acquaintance with a steward of the Dao Yi Sect, said to have saved their lives, though the details are unclear.

Thus, when Ye Zhangqing turned fifteen, the Ye family spared no effort, even calling in that favor, and only then sent him into the Dao Yi Sect.

Unfortunately, the predecessor's Xiūliàn talent wasn't nonexistent, but it was scant; there was no hope of becoming an Outer Door Disciple, and after some maneuvering, he ended up as an honorable Menial Disciple.

He could barely Xiūliàn at the mountain's base, which could be considered getting a whiff of the immortal's flavor.

After just one year, the predecessor barely managed to break into the entry level of the Body Refining Stage; at that rate, even living to a ripe old age would at most achieve perfection in Body Refining, let alone the Energy Perception Stage.

On the path of Xiūliàn, starting from the most basic Body Refining Stage, then come Energy Perception, Meridian Opening, Golden Core, Purple Palace, and Nascent Soul...

One could say the Body Refining Stage hasn't even crossed the threshold of Xiūliàn.

"No system father, no ring grandfather, no one coming to break off an engagement, and with such weak talent, this immortal path seems hopeless—maybe I should go home and inherit those ten thousand mu of good farmland?"

He pondered whether to go home; since he couldn't become a cultivator, being a wealthy landlord sounded not bad.

After transmigrating, Ye Zhangqing hadn't not thought of trying hard, but cultivation values talent; without talent, no amount of effort avails.

As for the steward who had shown kindness to the Ye family, he did indeed look after Ye Zhangqing at first, but as time passed and Ye Zhangqing made no progress, the steward gradually grew distant.

Being able to get you into the Dao Yi Sect basically settles the previous favor.

But just then, a sudden 'ding' sounded in his mind, and instantly Ye Zhangqing felt his body shudder.

{Ding, system binding in progress. }

A few brief words, yet they seemed the most beautiful language in the world.

"System, introduce yourself."

As a transmigrator, Ye Zhangqing was naturally no stranger to such a system; he skipped the formalities and went straight to the point.

{This system is the Strongest Food God System.................. }

Just the system's first sentence left Ye Zhangqing stunned.

"Damn system, I'll give you another chance to organize your words—speak properly, what kind of system are you?"

"I've been wishing upon stars and moons, finally getting you here, and you tell me you're a Food God System? That's just cooking."

In the real world, giving such a system might be acceptable, but this is a fantastical world where demons run rampant; are you expecting me to slay demons with a spatula?

But soon, as the system explained, Ye Zhangqing's expression gradually changed.

It is indeed a food system, but this system is the fantastical version.

As long as the dishes Ye Zhangqing makes receive praise from others, he can earn rewards, including but not limited to talent, foundation, lifespan, and even cultivation.

{Strongest Food God System binding completed. }

{Host: Ye Zhangqing. }

{Identity: Menial Disciple of the Dao Yi Sect in Dongzhou, Haotu Shijie. }

{Cultivation: Entry level of Body Refining Stage. }

{Reputation: Obscure and unknown. }

{Newbie gift package being distributed. }

{Haotu Shijie Ingredient Knowledge Compendium. }

{Obtained recipe: Braised Noodles. }

The system also directly issued the newbie gift package, after which it fell into silence.

Ye Zhangqing only felt a sudden influx of countless pieces of information in his mind, taking about a quarter of an hour to fully digest them.

This is the Haotu Shijie ingredient compendium transmitted by the system to himself.

After all, this is not his previous life; Haotu Shijie has myriad demon beasts and spiritual materials, and using them as ingredients naturally cannot be viewed with the eyes of his former life.

And for a chef who wants to make delicious food, the first step is to have a detailed understanding of the ingredients.

As for the recipe, it is a reward from the system; obtaining the recipe means Ye Zhangqing has perfectly mastered that dish, and its flavor is unmatched.

He opened the introduction about braised noodles.

{Braised noodles, a simple and plain staple, made with the most ordinary alkaline noodles, paired with a sauce stir-fried from red-patterned pork; simple yet tasty, eating it strengthens the physique, albeit weakly. }

Red-patterned pork, Ye Zhangqing knows, is a low-grade demon beast; though called a demon beast, it is actually an existence between demon beast and ordinary wild animal.

It is quite common; even among mundane folk, many taverns use red-patterned pork as an ingredient, after all, its meat is far more delicious compared to ordinary wild boar.

There are also special effects; he couldn't help but feel an urge to try, wondering how this Haotu Shijie braised noodles differ from those of his previous life.

Feeling inspired, Ye Zhangqing immediately rose and headed toward the kitchen.

But as soon as he entered the kitchen, Ye Zhangqing froze; before his eyes appeared a series of prompts.

{Ordinary red-patterned pork hind leg, from a sow, five years old, slaughtered yesterday afternoon. }

An ordinary cucumber, nothing remarkable.

An ordinary scallion, nothing remarkable.

An ordinary wok, found everywhere.

An ordinary kitchen knife, found everywhere.

Anything related to a chef, Ye Zhangqing could instantly tell its quality, leaving him unable to help but stand there stunned.