Closed Beta Begins, Players Arrive!

[Identity verified. Welcome to "Chef's Soul," you food seeker!]

[Searching for suitable birth locations for you, please wait patiently...]

Near Miaoshan Village, a small village surrounding Jixi County, is one of the starting points for new players in this closed beta test.

"Swish!"

The player with the ID "逍遥随风" suddenly found himself in a lush, dense forest.

He felt solid earth beneath his feet, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of the mountains. He clenched his fist, and the texture of the lines on his palm was clearly felt; everything felt incredibly real.

"Holy crap, this game is awesome!" Xiaoyao Suifeng couldn't help but exclaim.

He looked around at the other players; there weren't many, only about five or six.

After all, the map of "Chef Soul" is said to be a 1:1 replica of the real scale. Although there are tens of thousands of Chinese players participating in this closed beta, they are scattered in the newbie villages all over the country, so there are not many of them.

At this moment, they, like Xiaoyao Suifeng, were marveling at the game's realism:

"My goodness, the official Chef's Soul account wasn't lying..."

"The visuals and the tactile feedback completely blow away all other virtual reality games on the market, right?"

After jumping around curiously for a while, the players couldn't help but excitedly start chatting with each other.

"Yeah, this game is so realistic. Even the top game in the industry, Divinity Online, is a level below this one," a player said to Xiaoyao Suifeng.

Xiaoyao Suifeng glanced at the ID above the other person's head, which read "[Heavenly Mansion Boss]".

He nodded in agreement: "That's right, I've played hundreds of virtual reality games, and none of them can compare to Chef Soul!"

Tianfu's leader's eyes lit up: "So Brother Xiaoyao is a veteran? Is he a streamer or a professional gamer?"

"No, playing games is just a personal hobby. I was just incredibly lucky to get this qualification." Xiaoyao Suifeng waved his hand sheepishly. "Also, just call me Xiaoyao."

"If it's out of passion, then it's even more admirable," the leader of Tianfu said with a smile. "I'm the guild leader of [Tianxialou], wanna add each other as friends?"

"So it's you, Lord Lou! I've heard so much about you." Xiaoyao Suifeng was filled with respect and immediately accepted the friend request. "I remember your ID in 'God Realm' was 'Lord of the World Lou,' have you changed your ID?"

"Haha, after all, it's a food-themed game, so my ID is a tribute to my childhood." Tianfu Boss laughed.

"But then again, it's quite novel that this game doesn't spawn us directly in the starting village."

As he spoke, Xiaoyao Suifeng looked around. Just then, a system notification sounded:

[Ding! The beginner quest "First Steps" has been triggered. Please follow the map directions to "Miaoshan Village" and report to the village chief.]

"Oh? This mission just happened out of the blue. Brother, want to go on a mission together?" the leader of Tianfu asked.

"No, no, I'm just playing the game for fun, I'm not in a rush." ​​Xiaoyao Suifeng waved his hand. "I want to wander around here and enjoy the scenery first."

"Alright, I'll be going then." The leader of Tianfu didn't insist. "If you need any help with any missions, just call me!"

Tianfu's leader and several other players followed the system's guidance and headed towards Miaoshan Village, which was not far away, while Xiaoyao Suifeng randomly chose a direction and plunged into the forest.

Looking at the delicate textures of the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees, Xiaoyao Suifeng couldn't help but sigh:

"Ah, this light! Ah, these trees! Ah, this water!"

"It looks exactly like the real thing!"

He squatted on a rock, dipped his hand into the stream, felt the cool water, and sighed inwardly:

"I definitely made the right choice coming here! Before the tutorial starts, I can wander around while the guide is still active; there's no need to worry about getting lost!"

"Hehehe, let me explore this forest properly... It would be even better if I could trigger some hidden quest!"

But the next moment, he smelled an extremely rich fragrance.

"This fragrance...!"

For a moment, Xiaoyao Suifeng was somewhat lost in thought.

The aroma was so enticing that it was a wonderful experience he had never had in his life before!

Without saying a word, he climbed up from the rocks by the stream, sniffed, and followed the source of the fragrance.

"It smells so good! It smells amazing!"

Xiaoyao wiped away the drool that he couldn't help but drool, passed through layers of bushes, and finally arrived at a clearing.

There, a boy dressed in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, with eyes as bright as stars, was intently watching the roasting meat on the fire in front of him, occasionally turning it over gently.

The meat skewers on the fire glistened with tempting oil, and that irresistible aroma came from them.

Xiaoyao Suifeng subconsciously opened the other person's personal panel, but apart from a name, the rest of the information was undetectable question marks.

And that name made him gasp in surprise—

"—Nan Xu?!"

……

After bidding farewell to everyone at Baiweilou, Nan Xu, carrying the large and small bags that everyone insisted on giving him, embarked on his journey to Yangzhou.

He didn't choose to stay at Baiweilou for a few more days because in a few days, the closed beta test of "Chef Soul" would begin.

According to his memory, there were still quite a few spawn points for beta testers near the road from Shexian to Yangzhou.

In order to reap more experience points from the players, he dared not waste any time and set off the day after receiving Ding Baozhen's letter of recommendation.

Even taking into account the time wasted on detours to gather ingredients, he finally arrived near one of the beginner villages before the closed beta began.

But he didn't expect that he would encounter a player before he even entered the village.

Nan Xu took the skewers off the fire, looked at Xiaoyao Suifeng who had shouted, and showed a just-right look of confusion on his face:

Do you know me?

Xiaoyao Suifeng then realized his slip of the tongue and was speechless for a moment.

What should he say? He can't exactly say that he met you in the game's promotional video and knows you're an important NPC in the game, can he?

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and immediately came up with an excuse: "Yes...yes, I've seen your portrait. I heard you participated in a cooking competition before and won against a seventh-rank chef with your ninth-rank skills!"

"I see." Nan Xu nodded and said nothing more.

His gaze returned to the meat skewers in his hand, and he sprinkled them with spices.

Instantly, that alluring scent surged once more.

He handed the meat skewers to Xiaoyao Suifeng, who was drooling beside him, and gave him a friendly smile:

"It is fate that we met in these mountains and forests."

"My cooking skills have improved recently, and I've come up with a new seasoning recipe. Would you be willing to try it out for me?"