Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy-Three: Just an Ordinary Day

Xin Aili Du.

The first city of the World Tree, located in the middle of Antarctica of the original continents.

Aside from traveling via sky aviation, almost no one can reach here.

In the center surrounded by land-edge ice and storms, the originally snowy world has long changed its appearance; on the land perpetually wrapped in glaciers, giant trees rise one after another, and on the towering mountains one can still see traces of snow.

At the feet and slopes of one mountain after another, various metal buildings merge with the mountains, and terrain and architecture together form an exquisite picture.

Terrain-integrated architecture is the highest realm of architecture.

In a utterly ordinary seven- to eight-hundred-square-meter villa on the mountainside, Jiāng Jiāng is researching a brand-new menu.

Because Chén Chén has revealed his "Dragon King" identity, Jiāng Jiāng can now try various ingredients with a clear conscience.

Martial artists train for survival, but cooking is Jiāng Jiāng's true profession.

As the saying goes, to capture a man's heart you must first capture his stomach; in this regard, Jiāng Jiāng considers herself quite successful.

Even though she spent two years training at Dragon Gate, she still carved out enough time to hone her cooking skills, and the top chefs who once made Jiāng Jiāng sweat now come to her for advice.

This once again proves that Jiāng Jiāng's talent in cooking surpasses that of a martial artist.

Well, actually it's because her mental power broke through to the planetary level, raising her cooking precision by another level.

Of course, the limit of cooking goes far beyond this; the vast Universe offers richer ingredients and seasonings, more distinctive methods, and more unique flavors.

Thanks to Babata's years of wandering the Universe, his miscellaneous accumulations are countless; recipes and some seed ingredients are, to Babata, mere trifles.

An excellent cook must start from cultivating ingredients, so the entire villa's yard has been turned into a vegetable garden by Jiāng Jiāng.

Chén Chén naturally enjoys this as well, after all he couldn't possibly go specially to Babata just for ingredients.

Although Huyan Bo is not a glutton, as an immortal deity he still has particularities about food; the reserves of his dedicated chef teams were naturally all reclaimed by Babata after Huyan Bo's death.

Although many of the things Jiāng Jiāng planted, although screened according to Babata's compiled planting encyclopedia, still need Chén Chén to ponder a while to grow in Earth's environment.

After all, integrating alien species into Earth's biological system also benefits Chén Chén's own future development.

After all, incorporating alien foods into Jiāng Jiāng's menu also benefits Chén Chén's own future life.

Of course, the time spent pondering cooking only takes up a short four hours of Jiāng Jiāng's day.

As someone approved by time-management master Ji Heng, Jiāng Jiāng also tightens her own schedule.

Unlike Chén Chén, who often sleeps in, and unlike Ji Heng, who has very precise demands for her own sleep time, Jiāng Jiāng tries to sleep as little as possible.

Sleeping is truly a waste of time; if one could avoid sleeping, that would naturally be best.

After reaching the planetary level, Jiāng Jiāng's demand is well satisfied: one hour of charging yields ultra-long standby, letting her make full use of the twenty-four-hour day.

Aside from the four hours spent researching cooking, there are twenty hours left for martial training.

After Chén Chén returned, he didn't even bother to mention the World Tree or Babata; having been away for a year and a half and even finding an exact double, all these phenomena prove that Chén Chén's identity is absolutely not simple.

Chén Chén's fiancée is very likely a major power within the cosmic civilization.

Because Chén Chén's family has fallen into decline, he intends to break off the engagement, but out of face he cannot say it directly, so he plans to secretly send assassins; fortunately Chén Chén has great fortune and relies on his ancestral heirloom……

Or perhaps give Chén Chén three hundred years, then the white dwarf star battle……

Or perhaps give Chén Chén a remote star to be exiled to, never to return in this lifetime……

I am still too weak now, and Chén Chén wouldn't conveniently tell me; Jiāng Jiāng understands all this.

Therefore, aside from going out to hone her cooking, Jiāng Jiāng's current primary task is still to train and level up.

The Spiritual Mind Master has smoothly broken through to the planetary level; although Babana goods obviously does not want to pass on the core inheritance of Moxing Star to me, fortunately the storage space still contains a large amount of Spiritual Mind Master cultivation secret manuals packed up to the Immortal level for me.

Master Huyan Bo, while alive, was considered a minor strongling among the Immortals, and evidently not a good person; he indeed collected many secret manuals throughout his life.

Babata had already helped me select several sets of cultivation secret manuals below the Realm Lord level before the network cutoff; otherwise, with so many secret arts I wouldn't know when to pick them.

The Spiritual Mind Master's cultivation proceeds step by step, and the Primal Energy Warrior has finally reached the bottleneck of breakthrough, only one step away from the planetary level.

"Fortunately, before the network cutoff, a quick breakthrough method was specially left."

Saying it, doing it—Jiāng Jiāng immediately began practicing in the open space of the courtyard.

The breakthrough method left by Babata consists of nine movements, without specific names, but performing them feels like Guidance Art.

After the first movement ends, Jiāng Jiāng already feels her body's cells begin to boil, driving organs and internal circulation at high speed; her fair skin slightly reddens, and the scorching heat makes her seem about to exhale white vapor.

In the next movement, the hidden, remaining gene primal-energy cells that have not yet absorbed appear one by one, beginning to voraciously inhale the long-desired energy.

One movement after another, the body's gene primal energy gathers like water droplets into tiny streams, streams into rivers, rivers swirl and converge toward the abdomen, striking at the position of the "Void Dantian"……

The center of the "Void Dantian" gradually raises a vortex.

"Boom"

Just like the legendary cosmic big bang, at the center of the Void Dantian a singularity explodes open, and the originally nonexistent "True Dantian"—the actual location of the dantian—bursts open with a boom.

And that rotating gene primal energy continues to spin, spinning faster and faster.

The gathered primal energy expands, contracts, expands again, contracts again, its total volume shrinking ever more, settling into the dantian……

Jiāng Jiāng snaps her eyes open, feeling her whole body tremble.

After drawing a deep breath, Jiāng Jiāng knows she has succeeded.

Looking inward at the vast dantian, that is a tiny orbiting planet—should we say a fireball, or rather a small star?

Flipping through Babata's left-behind "Encyclopedia of Planetary-Level Abilities," according to the type, luster, and stripes of the condensed planet, the possessed abilities also differ.

This one of mine should be the fire-system control attribute ability; in the cosmic language it would be called "Fire Disciple," capable of driving flames to assist attacks, while one's own resistance to flames and temperature changes will be greatly enhanced.

Jiāng Jiāng finds this ability quite satisfactory; it is highly useful, and many cosmic dishes happen to require her to control high-temperature flames.

Jiāng Jiāng sweated all over, her clothes soaked as if drenched in rain; gently using her ability, steam rose from her whole body, and her clothes instantly dried.

Returning to the villa's first floor, she took a bath, changed clothes, and it was about time to make breakfast.

……

Xin Aili Du has no night; it truly lives up to its name as a sleepless city.

In the sky, gorgeous auroras arc like a river, seeming like a road leading to the heavens.

"At your age, how can you sleep so soundly in broad daylight!"

Hearing that voice, Chén Chén slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was Jiāng Jiāng lying on her side outside the blanket.

Seeing that Chén Chén had already woken up, Jiāng Jiāng also immediately opened her eyes, stumbled, and rolled up to the bedside:

"Breakfast is ready…… ready."

Having said that, she hurriedly left again.

Exactly, this guy is being shy.

As for the reason for her shyness, it's naturally not just because she's sleeping next to Chén Chén.

Since the last time she came back, Comrade Jiāng Jiāng has been quietly preparing a certain sacred plan, called the "Cooking Rice Plan," whose full name is the "Turning Raw Rice into Cooked Rice Plan."

However, although Comrade Jiāng Jiāng had this idea, because she hasn't read for many years, dislikes socializing, and has no time to learn cooking aside from cleaning and martial arts practice.

Exactly, Jiāng Jiāng's understanding of gender is basically zero.

So this guy simply doesn't know how to "turn raw rice into cooked rice," and every day, taking advantage of the moment after finishing cooking to call Chén Chén to wake up, she lies down beside Chén Chén to sleep, thinking she has accomplished something sacred……

Each time she also has to shyly run away (T＿T).

"This kid, just sleep if you want to."

Chén Chén rubbed his eyes and moved his body.

It's not that Chén Chén doesn't want to train diligently like Jiāng Jiāng, but the aftereffects of "Mending Heaven" left on his body are too severe; this human body has already directly crossed the ninth planetary stage, just one step away from breaking through to the stellar level.

Chén Chén's own martial realm is naturally sufficient, but such a rapid breakthrough isn't necessarily a good thing for him.

The human body bears the task of completing "Having a Name"; although a breakthrough in realm aids in comprehending the laws, Chén Chén's desire for this is not particularly high.

On the contrary, the essential progression from planetary to stellar is very important to Chén Chén; he needs more insight at this stage to fulfill the idea in his heart,

Thus directing the cultivation of Earth's martial artists toward a direction not too different from that of ordinary cosmic humans.

So Chén Chén now actually needs to maintain his current state as much as possible and avoid cultivating genetic primal energy.

The troubles left by "Mending Heaven" are even more in the mental realm.

It must be said that Chén Chén has already been inevitably affected by "Mending Heaven".

Ending the war early, establishing a brand-new Heartnet structure, the current work of perfecting and changing Earth's martial path draws much inspiration from "Mending Heaven".

Even moving specially to a house in New Elysee to live a two-person world with Jiāng Jiāng is actually also stemming from the resentment of "Mending Heaven".

Because of Chén Chén's emotional transmission on this side, Mending Heaven, on the other hand, has constantly envied the days of being able to live a daily life together with Jiāng Jiāng.

In a certain sense, Mending Heaven has indeed succeeded.

The completion of the "Heaven's Way" let Chén Chén recognize many mistakes, and also initiated the current plan.

First and foremost, the plan to unify Earth will still proceed as usual.

Unify Earth, not unify humanity.

Whether it's Chén Chén or Mending Heaven, neither believes in humanity.

Chén Chén's solution is to use humans as a cover, let Earthlings develop well, and he himself just reaps benefits behind the scenes; everyone remains unaffected, and even if their identities are exposed later, it's no big deal to go separate ways, having nothing to do with each other.

Mending Heaven's idea, however, is much simpler: life cycles, reincarnation, life originates on Earth and ends on Earth; the meaning of life's connection lies herein, and the meaning of life lies herein.

Earthly life is like a part of Earth's digestive system, helping Earth absorb energy from the universe, then returning it to Earth to enter the next cycle.

As Earth's "Heaven," once Chén Chén views the problem from a human perspective, whether favoring humanity, exterminating humanity, or leaning toward and exterminating other earthly beings, these are choices contrary to his own existence; these are the misfortunes brought about by Chén Chén choosing "humanity".

On this point, Mending Heaven is mostly correct, and has also fulfilled its own desired "Mending Heaven Plan".

Because of fearing the possible backlash from humanity, ignoring the death-return cycle in the life link, this is a case of "choking leads to abandoning food," self-maiming.

Whether it's due to guarding against relying lightly on life, or excessive favoritism and trust, or projecting oneself into it, these are all foolish choices.

【The creator cannot place himself at the same height as his creations, or he will only lose authority.】

【The creator ruling over his creations is perfectly natural.】

……

"Chén Chén, how does today's dish taste?"

Jiāng Jiāng asked full of anticipation.

Chén Chén was awakened by that call, only then feeling the taste already in his mouth.

"Delicious."

Chén Chén's fair evaluation, while saying it, he also picked up another bite and brought it to his mouth.

Jiāng Jiāng's eyes slightly narrowed into a slit, revealing a satisfied smile.

"Sauce, today's dish is different, I've added my fiery love (。】▽')."

"Mm-hmm, so it's a fire-type ability." Chén Chén said casually.

"That's right." Jiāng Jiāng said, giggling.

"I also discovered today that in the data left by Babata, it says there is another profession in the Universe called a spirit chef, which seems quite useful."

Spirit chef, as the name suggests, is just a cook, a cook with a bit of spiritual energy.

In a Universe where martial artists roam, there are naturally not only martial artists and fighting, but also various kinds of staff providing support.

A leap in life level will broaden life's perception; the taste of ordinary food will gradually become mundane in the perception of higher life forms.

Just as a cook who cannot perceive saltiness would naturally be unable to make a dish with the proper saltiness.

In the physiological needs of higher life forms, there is no need to replenish energy through eating; the sense of taste also gradually distances itself from ordinary food, so they naturally would no longer choose to eat.

However, in the vast Universe there are always foodies wanting to satisfy their cravings, and thus the profession of spirit chef came into being.

Not only must one adjust the surface flavors perceivable by the lowest life forms, but also organize the molecular flow in food, the changes in law, just like practicing a profound secret art, creating a tiny world.

In the long history of the Universe, the development of spirit chefs has progressed from planetary level to immortal, even higher; powerful spirit chefs can even let cultivators perceive changes in law through dishes, thereby achieving breakthroughs.

However, despite this, the essence of a cook is simply to make food; in the eyes of most higher life forms, it is merely a behavior that fails to adapt to their own life's elevation.

Therefore, spirit chefs are far less widespread than weaponsmiths or pharmacists; their transmission is also comparatively shallow and rare.

Later, if there's a chance, I'll help you look for it.

After all, Chén Chén is just a foodie.

「Okay(.'▽'.)」

Jiāng Jiāng really likes cooking.

(Chén Chén: I always feel like I forgot something important)