My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Ji Ying smiled wryly and said, "Xiao Lan, you're right. Their methods are indeed not as good as ours, the Food Cultivator."

But do you remember why you were competing here? It was because Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying said that the spiritual food made by our Shansi Garden didn't taste good.

Ji Ying looked at the wooden stick left in her hand, which was still covered with oil and seasoning powder from the monster meat: "If you don't care about the gains and losses of spiritual energy and medicinal properties in spiritual food, whose food would you rather eat?"

The Food Hall serves only newly initiated disciples who have not yet practiced fasting. They are free from illness and concerns about spiritual energy, so if they had a choice, they certainly wouldn't choose us.

So it's true that our Shansi Garden's food preparation is not good enough.

Perhaps the monks at Shigutang once gave feedback that our medicinal cuisine was hard to swallow, but we ignored it. We didn't take the diners' feelings into account; we were just doing what we thought was good.

This is probably why our culinary arts at Shansi Garden haven't made much progress over the years.

The food in their cultivation world is incomparable to that of the mortal world. The spiritual energy contained in the spirit beasts and plants makes it impossible for mortal food to taste as good as spirit food, no matter how it is cooked.

However, if the ingredients were laid out in front of them now, Ji Ying suddenly realized that, in some cases, their culinary skills were not as good as those of ordinary chefs.

Ruan Chayan handed the last skewer of grilled meat to Luo Hanying, and the two of them quickly ate a few bites, savoring the fruits of their labor.

Tang Chaxian's Longhu Shrimp arrived late, and he smiled brightly: "Longhu Shrimp is a medicinal dish, and I'm sure everyone knows what it tastes like."

He asked with a hint of caution, "Any fellow disciples who want to eat here?"

For a moment, no one spoke; there was a two-second silence.

Luo Hanying raised her hand to indicate, "Me! Me! Me! I've been mentally exhausted from cultivating these past two days, and I really need this kind of medicinal diet!"

Tang Chaxian was a little surprised to see Luo Hanying's mouth glistening with oil, but she still handed over the Longhu shrimp she had prepared with composure and joy.

Luo Hanying accepted the gift and sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Tang, you've worked hard."

She saw Tang Chaxian sitting there all by himself, concentrating on controlling the heat. At that time, almost no one paid attention to him. This was probably the saddest thing he had ever done.

The success rate of Longhu Shrimp is very low. Since Tang Chaxian has made it his specialty and has a near 100% success rate, he has put in unimaginable hard work behind the scenes.

Tang Chaxian smiled gently: "This is what I should do."

It's my honor to know that someone needs it.

Ji Ying, watching Luo Hanying chew incessantly and Ruan Chayan remain unfazed by honor or disgrace, declared them victorious.

Wen Chenrui also stated that he would dispel the rumors in accordance with his previous promise.

Having obtained Wen Chenrui's promise, the two had achieved their goal. This was a place they intended to stay for a long time, and sometimes it was better to make some concessions for everyone's benefit.

Ruan Chayan took Luo Hanying's hand, and Luo Hanying patted her hand to encourage her.

Ruan Chayan took a deep breath and smiled: "Xiaoxue and I only know simple seasoning. In terms of the finished dishes, we can't compare with the food cultivators who can preserve the spiritual power contained in the ingredients. So even if we are better in terms of taste, in terms of the actual value we bring to everyone, we are still not as good as the seniors of Shansi Garden."

Therefore, I don't think we should say that we won; it should be considered a draw, as both of our actions had their advantages and disadvantages.

I'm not a food cultivator, and I don't know how to optimize the details, but Xiaoxue and I will share what we know without reservation. We hope that the seniors at Shansi Garden can learn from their strengths and discard their weaknesses, bringing a better future to Shiren Sect.

*

"What did you say?" Tao Man said incredulously, "You said that Shansiyuan's food cultivators not only lost the competition with them, but also cleared their names and even won over a group of people's hearts?"

Is this how your Hongyan Hall operates?

Wen Chenrui was a little embarrassed and argued, "Elder Tao, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on our Hongyan Hall. Your Discipline Hall also failed to find a foolproof solution."

How could I possibly know that Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying could actually make spiritual food that tasted even better than that from Shansi Garden?

Moreover, they all assumed that only food cultivators could process the spiritual energy in beast meat and spiritual plants to cook dishes. They never imagined that Ruan Luo and her companion could not only do it, but also make it taste excellent.

"You don't know, but I do?" Tao Man hurriedly distanced himself, not even caring about his own reputation. "It's because your Hongyan Hall has focused on the wrong thing!"

Wen Chenrui, look at you! You're supposed to be Ruan Chayan's own senior brother, how come you don't understand her at all?

Wen Chenrui chuckled, patted Wen Ya's back, and said with a smile, "Yes, it's all my fault. I failed to fulfill my responsibilities."

Elder Tao, you are the elder in charge of this matter. What do you suggest we do now? After all, even if we've been incompetent, we wouldn't have suspected that the claim of disrespect towards an elder was unfounded.

Tao Man flung his sleeves and walked a few steps away, no longer wanting to concern himself with it: "Don't ask me! Ask Jiang Shiren!"

Jiang Shiren was also a bit of a headache, but he wasn't as stubborn as Tao Man, who dared to casually curse even the personal disciples of Yu Ling Peak.

He said, "It's alright. Even if they manage to resolve this matter, we can still prepare for the next operation."

"There are only three days left until registration."

Wen Chenrui revealed a fact that made everyone's hearts tighten: "What if they don't leave the cave for the next three days?"

If they successfully register, given their cultivation levels, their rankings in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul groups will likely be quite high.

Tao Man came up with a brilliant but terrible idea: "Doesn't Luo Hanying go out at night to scout out our sect's patrols? If you ask me, it would be much easier to just arrest her."

Jiang Shiren had never been able to understand why his colleague had such a low IQ: "What happens after we arrest her? What will we do with Le Shu and Ruan Chayan?"

Both sect leaders have said that they should leave them to inquire, to inquire freely, and to use them as bait to lure out the forces behind them.

If we arrest them now, we won't know which specific force is trying to sabotage us from behind.

Now, by placing these three people in the open while we remain hidden, we have room to set up defenses and maneuver. If we reveal that we've discovered their scheme, they'll retreat to the shadows, making it virtually impossible to defend against them.

Wen Chenrui looked at the pensive Tao Man and chuckled, deciding to make him even more uneasy. He whispered his thoughts: "On the other hand, I am still quite worried that these three people are the enemy's way of deceiving us."

After all, it's not impossible that the enemy sent those three to distract us, secretly chipping away at our Shiren Sect.

Tao Man and Jiang Shiren felt a chill run down their spines. Hua Shiqing and Li Shuhe had their own suspicions, which is why they screened the disciples of Shiren Sect again and again, and sent people to keep an eye on the problematic disciples day and night, all to guard against the enemy's backup plan.

The Shiren Sect is a large sect with a history of a thousand years. With many people and various factions, how could it be as solid as a rock?