Chapter 36: Gourmet Chef

This world is home to many professions, and Gourmets are among them. These individuals are naturally sensitive to taste, capable of discerning flavors beyond the average person.

Although their cultivation might not be high, many restaurants and taverns hire them at high salaries to inspect the taste and quality of ingredients, making their income quite substantial.

However, this profession is considered low-class and not respectable.

There are thousands of professions in the world, categorized into upper, middle, and lower classes for better differentiation. Alchemists, Artifact Forgers, and Formation Masters are considered respectable and beneficial to martial cultivation, belonging to the orthodox upper classes. Gourmets, however, are seen as unconventional and fall into the lower classes.

To Shen Biru, the young man before her, who could effortlessly point out the flaws in the dishes and wines, could only be a Gourmet.

“You can think so!” Zhang Xuan didn’t explain further.

The Library of Heaven’s Path not only reveals a person’s cultivation but also exposes the flaws in these dishes with just a single taste. With this ability, dealing with a minor figure like Deacon Wu was simple.

“Thank you for helping me out today…” Shen Biru said, seeing his admission.

If the young man hadn’t possessed the ability to discern food, she would have been utterly humiliated today.

“It’s nothing!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

“You settled this meal, so it doesn’t count as my treat. I’ll treat you again next time!” Shen Biru offered.

“Treat me again?” Zhang Xuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Let’s not. I’d like to live a few more days!”

While dining with a beautiful woman sounded pleasant, he knew his own situation. With such a terrible reputation, she certainly wouldn’t be interested in him! He didn’t want to deal with others’ jealousy or find ways to counter her admirers, especially when he had so many other things to do and no time for such distractions.

“You…” Just as she thought he might speak normally, hearing that, Shen Biru felt a sudden surge of exasperation again, almost wanting to scream.

Countless people wished to invite her to dinner, and she refused them all. Yet, this guy, whom she invited, made it seem like she was begging him. Infuriating!

“Alright, we’ve eaten, and there’s nothing else. I’ll be going now; I’m very busy!” Without noticing her anger, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and started to leave.

“Don’t rush, I’m not finished yet!” Suppressing her irritation, Shen Biru took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes fixed on him. “Although your identity as a Gourmet played a significant role in helping me out today… it’s ultimately an unconventional path. A martial artist should still prioritize cultivation…”

Martial artists, once they reach a certain cultivation level, can generally forgo food, rendering gourmet pursuits useless. So, while being a Gourmet might yield some profit now, it’s not a proper long-term path.

After half a day of interaction, she realized that Zhang Xuan was not the good-for-nothing the rumors claimed. Perhaps his energy was entirely consumed by gourmet pursuits, which led to his dismal performance in the teacher qualification exam.

Despite being furious, she couldn’t help but offer a word of advice.

“Okay!” Knowing she meant well, Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

“Zhang Xuan, let’s see where you can run! You’re not leaving today!”

Immediately, a venomous voice rang out, as two people and a beast blocked their path.

It was Shang Bin and Cao Xiong.

Both of them now had a huge footprint clearly imprinted on their faces, one side of their faces swollen and their lips bloody, looking far from their previous dashing selves. Shang Bin, especially, whose injuries from the morning beating hadn’t healed, had now taken another kick. His mouth was twisted to one side, looking like two sausages hanging, completely devoid of any handsome appearance.

He had planned everything perfectly, intending to show off in front of his goddess. Who knew he’d end up like this, beaten so badly? His ties with the Hongtian Restaurant were severed, and he might even be reprimanded by his grandfather. How could he swallow such humiliation?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he charged forward directly!

“Shang Bin, what do you think you’re doing?” Shen Biru hadn’t expected him to follow and cause trouble. She couldn’t help but step in front of Zhang Xuan.

“Teacher Shen, step aside! This is a personal matter between Zhang Xuan and me!”

It would have been better if he hadn’t seen her, but seeing her protecting the academy’s notorious good-for-nothing made Shang Bin’s face twist with rage, almost exploding. Intense jealousy made him frantic. He glared coldly at the young man: “Zhang Xuan, are you even a man? If you are, don’t hide behind a woman! If you have the guts, fight me fairly in a duel!”

Seeing that the guy had lost his mind, Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with hiding behind a woman? That’s what you call capability! If you’re capable, find someone to hide behind too!”

“You…” Shang Bin nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Any man, when insulted as gutless and relying on a woman’s protection, should feel humiliated and angry enough to retaliate, right? Why did this guy not play by the usual rules? What was incredibly shameful in others’ eyes was, according to him, perfectly normal and even righteous? Damn it, how could he be so shameless?

“Teacher Shen, I’ll leave these two to you. I have other things to do, so I’ll be going first!”

As a transmigrator, what kind of situation hadn’t he seen? Shamelessness? Don’t be silly. In his previous life, in that era of advanced information… who cared about saving face? If someone else could solve a problem, he was too lazy to bother. It wasn’t fear; it was just that his current cultivation wasn’t convenient to expose. Furthermore, the opponent’s grandfather was an elder. If things got out of hand, he wouldn’t have time for such bother. Since someone was already blocking the way, he was naturally happy to save himself the trouble.

“…” Seeing the young man’s shamelessness, Shen Biru was speechless.

She had just been afraid that Shang Bin might provoke him into a duel, but now it seemed she had overthought things… If this guy could get angry enough to duel, pigs would fly!

“Zhang Xuan, stop right there! If I don’t kill you today, I’m not Shang Bin!”

Seeing the young man’s attitude, Shang Bin became even more agitated, veins bulging on his forehead, his face green with fury. Seeing Shen Biru blocking his way without any intention of moving, he roared, “Skyflame Lion, kill him! If you act, I’ll take you to eat delicious food every day! And, you can have the Nourishing Pellet my grandfather just gave me!”

As a Level 6 savage beast, the Skyflame Lion, being tamed by humans, could already understand normal human speech. As his grandfather’s pet, it only protected him from harm and generally ignored his commands. To make it act, he had to promise all those benefits in one go.

“Roar!” Indeed, upon hearing his promises, the Skyflame Lion’s eyes lit up.

Savage beasts that reach the Aperture Opening realm don’t open acupoints the same way humans do, by circulating true qi. They rely on physical transformation to gradually increase their strength. If they have the help of a Nourishing Pellet at this stage, their strength can undoubtedly increase by a significant margin!

The Nourishing Pellet is a specific elixir prepared for martial artists at the sixth stage, designed to nourish acupoints and allow one to progress further in the Aperture Opening realm. Shang Bin’s current strength had reached the peak of the fifth stage of martial arts, the Dingli realm, just one step away from Aperture Opening. That’s why Elder Shang Chen had spent a fortune to acquire this elixir, hoping to assist him.

Shang Bin hadn’t originally wanted to use it, but recalling how he had been utterly humiliated by a good-for-nothing, he couldn’t hold back any longer! If he didn’t kill Zhang Xuan today, he feared he would never be able to hold his head high in the academy again! Especially this goddess before him, who would likely never even look at him again! How could he possibly tolerate such a situation!

“Shang Bin, what are you doing? Harming a fellow teacher within the academy is a grave offense…” Shen Biru’s pupils contracted, not expecting Shang Bin to be so insane as to order the Skyflame Lion to attack. She tried to rush forward to protect Zhang Xuan but was blocked by Shang Bin, and she couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

Within the academy, teachers are forbidden from fighting to the death among themselves; doing so is a violation of the rules and a major crime.

“It was Zhang Xuan who tried to kill me! The Skyflame Lion is merely retaliating to protect me. This is self-defense, what can anyone say about that?” Shang Bin’s eyes were bloodshot, his entire being consumed by madness. “Skyflame Lion, what are you hesitating for? Attack now!”

“You…” Shen Biru’s heart turned cold.

How shameless! If he truly claimed that, and with Elder Shang Chen’s support, this matter might indeed be downplayed, or even completely swept under the rug! He might not even receive the slightest punishment! As for Zhang Xuan, he would very likely die! After all, that was a Level 6 savage beast; even ordinary Aperture Opening realm experts were no match for it. How could a person who ranked last in the teacher qualification exam possibly withstand it?

“Roar!” Just as she was panicking, the Skyflame Lion roared and charged towards the young man. Before it even reached him, its powerful aura generated a fierce wind, pressing down the surrounding grass and leaves.