Chapter 5
Mission: Chopping Board Promotion Assessment
As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Xu heard a "ding" sound, which was the notification sound indicating that the task was completed.
Instantly, 10,000 experience points were transferred into Nan Xu's panel. As for the other 50 taels of silver, he would have to wait for the NPC to distribute it personally.
Seeing Wang Yiqing's face flush red and red, Nan Xu felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Being utterly crushed by a young, untrained chef apprentice using what he considered garbage ingredients, coupled with the fact that this guy himself lacked a firm commitment to the path, it was inevitable that he would develop inner demons.
If his inner demons are not resolved, his culinary skills will likely remain stagnant and make no progress whatsoever...
Of course, for someone like Wang Yi, who lacks both strength and a firm Dao heart, the probability of him being able to continue breaking through was already extremely low.
Nan Xu's actions only fueled the flames.
Soon, Wang Yi slunk away with his tail between his legs.
Only Nan Xu and Luo Qinzhu remained in the kitchen.
"I'm sorry," Luo Qinzhu said softly. "Uncle Wang... has a somewhat extreme personality. As the acting head chef of Baiwei Restaurant, I apologize to you on his behalf."
Read novels on 101 Reading Website, 101ks.com - a fantastic, fully-typed, error-free site.
Nan Xu shook his head: "This matter has nothing to do with Chef Luo. Besides, I've vented my anger enough."
"But even I can tell that he seems a little unconvinced by Chef Luo."
"In the kitchen, culinary skills should speak for themselves. In any case, you are the acting head chef of Baiweilou, and even if he is an elder, he should listen to your orders."
Luo Qinzhu sighed softly, "That makes sense, but... Uncle Wang has been with my father for a long time, practically watching me grow up. How can I use my status to pressure him?"
She then explained, "However, Uncle Wang and I both want Baiweilou to become better; it's just that our styles of doing things are a bit different. And when it comes to cooking, he always follows my instructions."
Upon hearing this, Nan Xu pondered silently.
In his previous life, Baiweilou had changed hands before the game was even launched, so rumors about the details only existed in the background, and he didn't know much about it.
However... there are rumors that, in addition to external factors, the change of ownership of Baiweilou was also related to the betrayal of someone within the building.
Nan Xu didn't know if the news was true or not, so he kept it to himself for the time being, but he kept a close eye on it.
He nodded, saying nothing more: "I see, it's good that Chef Luo understands."
"So, do I consider myself to have passed the test?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Qinzhu hesitated somewhat: "Your seasoning skills are excellent. Logically speaking, it's a great fortune for Baiweilou to have such a promising talent like you. However, if it's a water station..."
Before he could finish speaking, Nan Xu understood.
For a good dish, knife skills are more important than seasoning.
He raised an eyebrow, grabbed the cleaver from the cutting board, and deftly sliced a whole new batch of shredded radish!
With his LV1 knife skills as a foundation, this shredded radish was completely different from the first one he cut, with each strand perfectly neat.
Although the knife skills are still a bit immature, they are undoubtedly a world of difference compared to before.
"Is this alright?" Nan Xu looked at Luo Qinzhu, her expression calm.
Upon seeing this, Luo Qinzhu could hardly hide the surprise on her face!
Just now his finished product was still crooked and twisted, but in such a short time, it has become like this.
Was he hiding his true abilities? Or is he actually very skilled, but his cooking has become a bit rusty because he hasn't used a knife in a long time?
No, she could tell that Nan Xu was quite dedicated to cooking and would never do something so disrespectful to his culinary skills as hiding his talent.
It's even less likely that neglecting cooking skills for too long will lead to rustiness. No matter how much you regress, the muscle memory developed from learning to cook since childhood will never completely disappear.
After eliminating those two options, a somewhat absurd idea surfaced in Luo Qinzhu's mind.
Could it be that... he is actually a peerless genius, one in a million?
Suppressing her shock, Luo Qinzhu steadied herself and said, "Of course, welcome to Baiweilou."
"The white-walled courtyard behind the building is the cook's residence. You can stay in the third room on the left. I will also put the fifty taels of silver as a wager there later."
"Starting tomorrow, you can take charge of the water station. If you'd like, you can also practice your knife skills using leftover ingredients like radishes from the kitchen."
"Once your knife skills reach the level of a ninth-grade chef, you can come to me for an assessment. If you pass, you can be promoted to a chopping board worker."
The notification sound for task completion rang out promptly, and another thousand experience points were added to Nanxu's panel.
Nan Xu nodded, then asked, "What benefits are there after being promoted to the chopping board position?"
Luo Qinzhu smiled and said, "First of all, the wages will be much higher, and also... every two months, you can borrow a culinary technique book owned by Baiweilou that is no more than the seventh grade."
Cooking skills?
Upon hearing those two words, Nan Xu's eyes lit up.
The world of "Chef Soul" is actually a world of high magic and high martial arts.
Divine beasts and celestial creatures that can summon wind and rain require extremely powerful force to defeat. Similarly, creating high-grade dishes requires supernatural methods.
Culinary skills can satisfy both of these needs at the same time.
In the Chinese world, cooking and martial arts are inseparable. Superb culinary skills are also akin to formidable martial arts prowess.
Therefore, the importance of culinary skills goes without saying.
The seventh-grade cooking skill is already at the very top level in the early game, so this reward is definitely not to be missed.
Moreover, he remembered that there were several "beginner's best skills" among the seventh-grade cooking skills, which were still very useful small skills even in the later stages of the game.
I wonder if Baiweilou has any of these items in its collection. If I could learn them here, it would save me a lot of trouble.
However, being able to borrow only one door every two months... that's far too inefficient.
Thinking of this, Nan Xu spoke up:
"If I pass the assessment within a week, can I bypass the restriction of only being able to borrow one subject every two months?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it made Luo Qinzhu's mouth slightly open, and she froze on the spot.
Within a week... how can one improve their knife skills from a beginner to a ninth-grade chef?
How could that be? To improve your basic culinary skills, you must practice diligently for many years; there are no shortcuts.
But after thinking about the speed of progress Nan Xu had just shown, Luo Qinzhu was a little unsure.
Who knows, he might actually succeed?
After hesitating for a moment, Luo Qinzhu still spoke up to remind her, "Actually, the restriction of only being able to borrow one cooking skill every two months is to prevent people from trying to learn too much at once."
"Even if you can actually do it, this reward... might do you more harm than good."
"Chef Luo is overthinking it," Nan Xu smiled. "If I can raise my knife skills to the ninth rank within a week, how could I be stumped by a few culinary skills?"
"Well... that's fine too."
Luo Qinzhu finally nodded.
There are always some geniuses who cannot be measured by conventional standards. Giving them a chance and letting them try is perfectly acceptable.
She then added, "However, if you feel strained, don't push yourself."
"Don't worry, Chef Luo, I know what's important." Nan Xu nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, a message popped up on the game panel.
You have triggered the quest: "Chopping Board Promotion Assessment." Do you wish to accept?
[Time Limit: Seven Days]
[Task Rewards: 6000 Experience Points, Position: Chopping Board Chef at Baiweilou, Favorability with Luo Qinzhu, Unlimited Access to Borrowing Baiweilou's Seventh-Rank and Below Culinary Skills]
Nan Xu immediately accepted the task. Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to the task's rewards.
He wanted this unlimited borrowing privilege not just to learn a few more beginner-level skills.
The more important reason is... when he was browsing his own panel, he discovered functions such as [Quest Issuance], [NPC Shop], and [Skill Transfer].
Cooking skills of the seventh rank and below are not considered closely guarded secrets at Baiweilou. It is perfectly acceptable to learn them and then pass them on to others.
In other words, he could learn several more cooking skills and then teach them to players after the server opens, in exchange for a huge amount of experience points!
In Nanxu's original world, pre-made dishes, semi-finished products, and nutrient solutions are all the rage, and culinary skills have gradually declined.
This is why "Chef Soul," as the only virtual reality game that can 100% simulate taste, has become more popular than anyone could have imagined.
According to statistics, about 70% of people worldwide have registered an account for "Chef Soul". In the China region, almost everyone is playing "Chef Soul".
For Nanxu, these players represent a vast blue ocean market.
If he can make a name for himself among the players, he might be able to use his experience points to climb to the top of the world!
However, all of this is based on the premise that he can raise his knife skills to LV10 or above within seven days.
Thinking of this, Nan Xu gripped the kitchen knife in his hand and took out a white radish from the basket.
Enough talk, let's get this over with!
Instantly, 10,000 experience points were transferred into Nan Xu's panel. As for the other 50 taels of silver, he would have to wait for the NPC to distribute it personally.
Seeing Wang Yiqing's face flush red and red, Nan Xu felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Being utterly crushed by a young, untrained chef apprentice using what he considered garbage ingredients, coupled with the fact that this guy himself lacked a firm commitment to the path, it was inevitable that he would develop inner demons.
If his inner demons are not resolved, his culinary skills will likely remain stagnant and make no progress whatsoever...
Of course, for someone like Wang Yi, who lacks both strength and a firm Dao heart, the probability of him being able to continue breaking through was already extremely low.
Nan Xu's actions only fueled the flames.
Soon, Wang Yi slunk away with his tail between his legs.
Only Nan Xu and Luo Qinzhu remained in the kitchen.
"I'm sorry," Luo Qinzhu said softly. "Uncle Wang... has a somewhat extreme personality. As the acting head chef of Baiwei Restaurant, I apologize to you on his behalf."
Read novels on 101 Reading Website, 101ks.com - a fantastic, fully-typed, error-free site.
Nan Xu shook his head: "This matter has nothing to do with Chef Luo. Besides, I've vented my anger enough."
"But even I can tell that he seems a little unconvinced by Chef Luo."
"In the kitchen, culinary skills should speak for themselves. In any case, you are the acting head chef of Baiweilou, and even if he is an elder, he should listen to your orders."
Luo Qinzhu sighed softly, "That makes sense, but... Uncle Wang has been with my father for a long time, practically watching me grow up. How can I use my status to pressure him?"
She then explained, "However, Uncle Wang and I both want Baiweilou to become better; it's just that our styles of doing things are a bit different. And when it comes to cooking, he always follows my instructions."
Upon hearing this, Nan Xu pondered silently.
In his previous life, Baiweilou had changed hands before the game was even launched, so rumors about the details only existed in the background, and he didn't know much about it.
However... there are rumors that, in addition to external factors, the change of ownership of Baiweilou was also related to the betrayal of someone within the building.
Nan Xu didn't know if the news was true or not, so he kept it to himself for the time being, but he kept a close eye on it.
He nodded, saying nothing more: "I see, it's good that Chef Luo understands."
"So, do I consider myself to have passed the test?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Qinzhu hesitated somewhat: "Your seasoning skills are excellent. Logically speaking, it's a great fortune for Baiweilou to have such a promising talent like you. However, if it's a water station..."
Before he could finish speaking, Nan Xu understood.
For a good dish, knife skills are more important than seasoning.
He raised an eyebrow, grabbed the cleaver from the cutting board, and deftly sliced a whole new batch of shredded radish!
With his LV1 knife skills as a foundation, this shredded radish was completely different from the first one he cut, with each strand perfectly neat.
Although the knife skills are still a bit immature, they are undoubtedly a world of difference compared to before.
"Is this alright?" Nan Xu looked at Luo Qinzhu, her expression calm.
Upon seeing this, Luo Qinzhu could hardly hide the surprise on her face!
Just now his finished product was still crooked and twisted, but in such a short time, it has become like this.
Was he hiding his true abilities? Or is he actually very skilled, but his cooking has become a bit rusty because he hasn't used a knife in a long time?
No, she could tell that Nan Xu was quite dedicated to cooking and would never do something so disrespectful to his culinary skills as hiding his talent.
It's even less likely that neglecting cooking skills for too long will lead to rustiness. No matter how much you regress, the muscle memory developed from learning to cook since childhood will never completely disappear.
After eliminating those two options, a somewhat absurd idea surfaced in Luo Qinzhu's mind.
Could it be that... he is actually a peerless genius, one in a million?
Suppressing her shock, Luo Qinzhu steadied herself and said, "Of course, welcome to Baiweilou."
"The white-walled courtyard behind the building is the cook's residence. You can stay in the third room on the left. I will also put the fifty taels of silver as a wager there later."
"Starting tomorrow, you can take charge of the water station. If you'd like, you can also practice your knife skills using leftover ingredients like radishes from the kitchen."
"Once your knife skills reach the level of a ninth-grade chef, you can come to me for an assessment. If you pass, you can be promoted to a chopping board worker."
The notification sound for task completion rang out promptly, and another thousand experience points were added to Nanxu's panel.
Nan Xu nodded, then asked, "What benefits are there after being promoted to the chopping board position?"
Luo Qinzhu smiled and said, "First of all, the wages will be much higher, and also... every two months, you can borrow a culinary technique book owned by Baiweilou that is no more than the seventh grade."
Cooking skills?
Upon hearing those two words, Nan Xu's eyes lit up.
The world of "Chef Soul" is actually a world of high magic and high martial arts.
Divine beasts and celestial creatures that can summon wind and rain require extremely powerful force to defeat. Similarly, creating high-grade dishes requires supernatural methods.
Culinary skills can satisfy both of these needs at the same time.
In the Chinese world, cooking and martial arts are inseparable. Superb culinary skills are also akin to formidable martial arts prowess.
Therefore, the importance of culinary skills goes without saying.
The seventh-grade cooking skill is already at the very top level in the early game, so this reward is definitely not to be missed.
Moreover, he remembered that there were several "beginner's best skills" among the seventh-grade cooking skills, which were still very useful small skills even in the later stages of the game.
I wonder if Baiweilou has any of these items in its collection. If I could learn them here, it would save me a lot of trouble.
However, being able to borrow only one door every two months... that's far too inefficient.
Thinking of this, Nan Xu spoke up:
"If I pass the assessment within a week, can I bypass the restriction of only being able to borrow one subject every two months?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it made Luo Qinzhu's mouth slightly open, and she froze on the spot.
Within a week... how can one improve their knife skills from a beginner to a ninth-grade chef?
How could that be? To improve your basic culinary skills, you must practice diligently for many years; there are no shortcuts.
But after thinking about the speed of progress Nan Xu had just shown, Luo Qinzhu was a little unsure.
Who knows, he might actually succeed?
After hesitating for a moment, Luo Qinzhu still spoke up to remind her, "Actually, the restriction of only being able to borrow one cooking skill every two months is to prevent people from trying to learn too much at once."
"Even if you can actually do it, this reward... might do you more harm than good."
"Chef Luo is overthinking it," Nan Xu smiled. "If I can raise my knife skills to the ninth rank within a week, how could I be stumped by a few culinary skills?"
"Well... that's fine too."
Luo Qinzhu finally nodded.
There are always some geniuses who cannot be measured by conventional standards. Giving them a chance and letting them try is perfectly acceptable.
She then added, "However, if you feel strained, don't push yourself."
"Don't worry, Chef Luo, I know what's important." Nan Xu nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, a message popped up on the game panel.
You have triggered the quest: "Chopping Board Promotion Assessment." Do you wish to accept?
[Time Limit: Seven Days]
[Task Rewards: 6000 Experience Points, Position: Chopping Board Chef at Baiweilou, Favorability with Luo Qinzhu, Unlimited Access to Borrowing Baiweilou's Seventh-Rank and Below Culinary Skills]
Nan Xu immediately accepted the task. Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to the task's rewards.
He wanted this unlimited borrowing privilege not just to learn a few more beginner-level skills.
The more important reason is... when he was browsing his own panel, he discovered functions such as [Quest Issuance], [NPC Shop], and [Skill Transfer].
Cooking skills of the seventh rank and below are not considered closely guarded secrets at Baiweilou. It is perfectly acceptable to learn them and then pass them on to others.
In other words, he could learn several more cooking skills and then teach them to players after the server opens, in exchange for a huge amount of experience points!
In Nanxu's original world, pre-made dishes, semi-finished products, and nutrient solutions are all the rage, and culinary skills have gradually declined.
This is why "Chef Soul," as the only virtual reality game that can 100% simulate taste, has become more popular than anyone could have imagined.
According to statistics, about 70% of people worldwide have registered an account for "Chef Soul". In the China region, almost everyone is playing "Chef Soul".
For Nanxu, these players represent a vast blue ocean market.
If he can make a name for himself among the players, he might be able to use his experience points to climb to the top of the world!
However, all of this is based on the premise that he can raise his knife skills to LV10 or above within seven days.
Thinking of this, Nan Xu gripped the kitchen knife in his hand and took out a white radish from the basket.
Enough talk, let's get this over with!