It was a bright and peaceful morning at the foot of the Divine Sword Peak of the Dao Yi Sect, an area belonging to the servant disciples.
Ye Xuan sat at the doorway of a small courtyard, looking rather dejected. It had already been half a month since he transmigrated here, yet his so-called "golden finger (system)" still hadn't shown up.
In a fantasy world filled with demons and cultivators who could destroy the universe with just a snap of their fingers, the consequence of not having a system was obvious.
Not only did he have no system, but there wasn't even an old grandpa in a ring to guide him. Worse, he wasn't even an orphan like some typical startup MC in the cultivation novels he read. Everything felt hopeless.
In his previous life, he was just a fairly successful chef who had spent years working his way up until he owned a modest restaurant that did decent business.
Who could've expected that while he was still holding a wok spatula, a sudden explosion would engulf him in firelight, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself already in the Dao Yi Sect.
To make things even more absurd, he had been a chef before, and now after transmigrating, he was still a chef.
His current identity was that of a servant disciple in charge of the kitchen at Divine Sword Peak, one of the thirty-six peaks of the Dao Yi Sect.
There wasn't much to explain; being a servant disciple was basically being an errand boy, and working in the kitchen just meant he was a glorified chef again.
Cultivators could practice fasting techniques to survive without food, but that only worked after reaching the Golden Core Realm. Below that realm, cultivators still needed to eat, so Ye Xuan's job was to prepare meals for the Divine Sword Peak disciples.
However, hardly anyone came to this kitchen. Outer and inner disciples had their own dining areas, and no one would bother climbing all the way down the mountain just for an ordinary meal. They sought immortality, not culinary delight.
After that, Ye Xuan completely inherited the memories of this body. He came from a small town where his family was considered one of the strongest around, a so-called noble family; though calling them "noble" was a bit exaggerated since they only ruled the town and a few acres of land.
As the only son, his parents naturally placed all their hopes on him. Plus, Ye Xuan's grandfather had once saved the life of a Dao Yi Sect deacon, though the details were unclear.
Thanks to that favor, when Ye Xuan turned fourteen, his family exhausted all their resources and used that old connection to get him into the Dao Yi Sect.
Unfortunately, his cultivation talent wasn't completely absent, but it was far from impressive. Becoming an outer disciple was hopeless, and after some maneuvering, he ended up as a humble servant disciple.
At least he could train a little at the mountain's base and catch a faint whiff of the cultivation path.
After a whole year, he had barely managed to reach the early stage of the Body Tempering Realm. At this rate, he'd be lucky to reach the late stage of Body Tempering before dying of old age. As for the Qi Gathering Realm, he might as well dream on.
The path of cultivation began with Body Tempering, followed by Qi Gathering, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation...
"No system, no old man in a ring, no fiancée to break off an engagement, and such lousy talent. Guess this cultivation path isn't for me. Maybe I should just go home and inherit the family estate?"
He pondered the idea seriously. If he couldn't become a cultivator, living as a rich man didn't sound too bad.
After transmigrating, Ye Xuan had tried to cultivate diligently, but this world ran on talent. Without it, no amount of effort mattered.
The Dao Yi Sect deacon who owed his family a favor had helped him a little at first, but once he realized Ye Xuan had no potential, the man gradually stopped paying attention.
Getting him into the sect had already settled the old debt, after all.
Just then, a crisp ding echoed in his mind, making Ye Xuan's body tremble with excitement.
[Ding, system binding in progress...]
That prompt sounded like the most beautiful melody in the world to Ye Xuan's ears.
"System, introduce yourself," Ye Xuan said immediately. As a transmigrator, he knew the drill; skip the nonsense, get straight to business.
[This system is the Divine Chef System…]
Hearing this, Ye Xuan froze on the spot.
"WTF! I'll give you one more chance to rephrase that. What system did you just say you are?"
He had waited half a month for this moment, and now it told him it was a food-related system? Cooking?
In the real world, maybe that would make sense; but this was a fantasy world filled with cultivators. Was he supposed to fight someone with a spatula?
But as the system continued to explain, Ye Xuan's expression slowly changed. It was indeed a Divine Chef System; but a cultivation-world version.
As long as the dishes Ye Xuan made received positive feedback from others, he would earn rewards such as talent, spiritual roots, and even cultivation levels.
[Ding! Divine Chef System successfully bound!]
[Host: Ye Xuan]
[Identity: Servant disciple of Dao Yi Sect (East Continent of the Starry World)]
[Cultivation: Body Tempering, early stage]
[Reputation: Obscure and unknown]
[Ding! Beginner's gift pack automatically issued!]
[Reward: Encyclopedia of Starry World Ingredients]
[Recipe acquired: Braised Noodles]
The system didn't waste time; it sent out the rewards and then went silent.
Ye Xuan suddenly felt his mind flood with a massive stream of information. It took him a full fifteen minutes to absorb it all.
The Encyclopedia of Ingredients detailed all the foods and ingredients of the Starry World. Unlike his previous world, this world had countless spirit beasts and mystical ingredients, and they couldn't be treated like mundane food.
For a chef, understanding ingredients was the first step to creating delicious dishes.
As for the recipe given by the system, Ye Xuan instantly mastered it. The taste of his version would be unparalleled and delicious like no other could make.
He then opened the description for Braised Noodles.
[Braised Noodles: A simple and humble staple made from basic alkaline noodles, paired with a sauce stir-fried using Red-Striped Pork. Simple yet delicious. Eating it enhances physical strength slightly.]
Ye Xuan instantly recognized the Red-Striped Pork through the Encyclopedia. It came from a Red-Striped Pig, a low-tier beast. Not quite a true spirit beast, more like a cross between an animal and a beast.
It was quite common; even in the human world, restaurants used it. Its meat was much tastier than regular pork.
"And this noodle dish even has a strengthening effect?" His hands began to itch with excitement. He couldn't help but wonder how braised noodles in this world compared to those from his old life.
Motivated, Ye Xuan stood up and walked into the kitchen; but the moment he stepped inside, he froze. A series of floating notifications appeared before his eyes.
[Ordinary Red-Striped Pig hind leg meat, from a five-year-old sow, slaughtered yesterday afternoon.]
[Ordinary cucumber, nothing remarkable.]
[Ordinary scallion, nothing remarkable.]
[Ordinary frying pan, common quality.]
[Ordinary kitchen knife, common quality.]
Everything related to cooking now came with visible details of its quality. Ye Xuan stood there in shock, realizing that his eyes had just been enhanced as well.