Chapter 17 The God of Cookery's Nine Tests, First Test: 3%
"I'm glad you like it."
Tang Chuan looked at the transformed rabbit in front of him, a hint of amusement spreading across his eyes.
This is how it always happens when a 100,000-year-old Spirit beast transforms: it retains its memories but not its brain. This is true for the Blue Silver Emperor, Xiao Wu, and the future Silver Dragon King and Emperor Auspicious Beasts.
She's as innocent as a blank sheet of paper; it's really not difficult to trick her into making a sacrifice.
Xiao Wu had no idea that Tang Chuan was thinking about her Spirit ring and Spirit bone at that moment. Instead, she nodded vigorously and moved a little closer.
I absolutely love it!
"Then, if I want to eat it again in the future, could I... um... trade it for something with you?"
Although she was easygoing, she knew it wasn't good to always freeload.
And with so many delicious radishes, it would be such a blessing to be able to eat them often in the future.
"Sure!"
Tang Chuan smiled as he looked at her greedy yet determined expression, trying to make a fair deal. "We're classmates and roommates. Just tell me when you want some."
"Very good!"
"Tang Chuan, you're such a good friend!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu's eyes curved into crescent moons, and she almost jumped for joy. "Don't worry, I, Xiao Wu, keep my word. From now on, I'll protect you at Notting Academy!"
"Anyone who dares to cause you trouble will have to get past me first!"
She waved her fist, looking very reliable, completely forgetting that she had just been beaten by Tang San and had promised to protect Tang Chuan.
"Thank you in advance!"
"Hehe, no problem at all!"
Watching Tang Chuan and Xiao Wu interact, the work-study students felt even more admiration for Tang Chuan.
Brother Tang was not only incredibly powerful, generous, and thoughtful, but also... extremely charming.
At this moment, all the work-study students regarded Tang Chuan as the true core and backbone of Dormitory 7.
A powerful individual with a thousand-year-old Spirit ring who could bring them tangible benefits and respect deserved their sincere following and support.
It was late at night.
The noise in Dormitory 7 gradually subsided.
Most of the work-study students had already fallen asleep, with only occasional mumbles and rustling sounds from turning over in their sleep.
Tang Chuan lay on the bed that Tang San had made for him, his hands behind his head, gazing at the cold moonlight outside the window, but there was no sign of sleepiness in his eyes.
His consciousness landed on the "Ingredients Illustrated Guide" in the sea of his mind.
Below the cover page of the illustrated guide, a progress bar that was originally blank had now been partially filled with golden light, clearly marked: [The God of Cookery's Nine Trials, First Trial: 3%]
"Three percent..."
"Where did the problem lie?"
Tang Chuan pondered for a moment, then quickly figured it out.
During these three months, Tang Hao, the father, scoured the Soul Hunting Forest near Notting City and brought back nearly a hundred kinds of Spirit beast ingredients, including many high-quality Spirit beast ingredients. This allowed him to push his first Spirit ring to 6,800 years, but the progress of lighting up the encyclopedia was only three percent.
What does this tell us?
This indicated that Tang Hao only brought back high-level Spirit beast meat that he considered valuable, while ignoring low-age plant Spirit beasts and wild fruits from the forest.
Moreover, due to limitations in carrying capacity and the need to avoid attracting attention, only the tip of the iceberg was brought back.
The species in the Soul Hunting Forest were definitely much richer than those that Tang Hao brought back!
Those low-level Spirit beasts, seemingly ordinary plants, and even some peculiar minerals and fungi... were probably all overlooked by Father.
And these very things could potentially unlock the encyclopedia entries.
He clearly remembered that Tang Hao had mentioned that there were many plant-type Spirit beasts under a hundred years old in the Soul Hunting Forest, such as the Honey Dew Vine that secretes sweet sap and the Jade Moss whose leaves can be used as vegetables... but he felt that they were not very valuable, so he did not bring them back.
"We can't wait for Tang Hao to come back."
Tang Chuan pondered in his mind. "His focus is on high-level ingredients, but the encyclopedia needs breadth. Lighting up the encyclopedia requires a large number of basic ingredients."
"I have to go to the Soul Hunting Forest myself."
The studies at the Academy were not difficult for Tang Chuan. He had looked at the class schedule with Wang Sheng and others during the day. The students had plenty of free time, which allowed the work-study students to have time to work.
Tang Chuan could use this time to expand his ingredient encyclopedia in the Soul Hunting Forest.
However, the risks must also be taken into account.
The Soul Hunting Forest allows Spirit Masters to hunt, but only Spirit Masters who have obtained a warrant issued by the Spirit Hall can enter the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Spirit Beasts.
Although there were also intruders.
However, in the Soul Hunting Forest, there is a special enforcement team from the Spirit Hall that checks warrants at any time. Once caught, the consequences will not be good.
Obtaining the warrant is not difficult.
First, you need the approval of the Spirit Hall to confirm that your Spirit power level has reached the level that requires a Spirit ring to advance. Then, you need at least three nobles to vouch for you.
That's easy to say.
His first Spirit skill can replicate any food, and the token can be used as ore for the Blue Silver Grass to devour, making it easy to replicate.
But you need to get a warrant first.
Tang Chuan thought of Xiao Wu.
During the daytime fight between Xiao Wu and Tang San, she did not have any Spirit rings on her body.
He could use the excuse of helping Xiao Wu hunt for a Spirit ring to ask a teacher at the Academy to act as a guarantor, and he should be able to get a warrant.
"I'll talk to Xiao Wu tomorrow."
Tang Chuan made up his mind, stretched, and pondered his next plan. "Once we've collected enough basic ingredients from the Soul Hunting Forest, we'll go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."
"The real highlight is the rare medicinal herbs."
"But we can't rush things now; we have to wait for Tang Hao to come back."
"Although Dugu Bo is known as the gatekeeper of Title Douluo, he can easily kill anyone below Title Douluo, and he has an eccentric personality, so there's no need to gamble on him."
Tang Chuan had already decided that he would invite Tang Hao and Tang San to go together.
As for the reasons?
The first of the God of Cookery's Nine Tests is about 'tasting hundreds of herbs, eating hundreds of flavors, and distinguishing all kinds of materials,' so it's perfectly reasonable for it to point to a direction where there are Immortal Herbs.
This was also one of the reasons why Tang Chuan and Tang Hao had a good relationship since childhood.
He didn't have any cheat codes after transmigrating; his father, Tang Hao, being a Title Douluo was his cheat code.
Moonlight deflected.
Faint chirping of insects came from outside the window.
"Let's start tomorrow and see how many ingredients that can be lit up are hidden in Notting Academy."
Tang Chuan devised a plan to enhance the food ingredients catalog and planned to conduct a campus food ingredient scan.
He closed his eyes, his mental energy scanning the blurry entries in the encyclopedia, muttering to himself as if flipping through a snack list:
"In the Soul Hunter Forest."
"It's safest to start with plant-based Spirit beasts."
"Honey Dew Vine, Jade Moss, Moonflower... these are all less than a hundred years old, easy to find and won't cause any trouble."
"Wild fruits should not be overlooked either."
"Star-patterned fruit, sour berries... and the sugar-heart berries that Tang San mentioned last time. He said they're incredibly sweet when you bite into them, so maybe we could sell them as snacks to generate some income."
Tang Chuan had specially categorized the entries; they were all plant-type Spirit beasts that Tang San had encountered when he accompanied Tang Hao to hunt for Spirit rings last time.
At the time, Tang Hao only explained it to Tang San and did not bring it back to Tang Chuan.
In Tang Hao's eyes, these low-priced Spirit beasts and wild fruits could not increase the age of Tang Chuan's first Spirit ring, and bringing them home was just taking up space.
Since there's space in the package, why not bring back another thousand-year-old Spirit beast?
[end of the chapter]