"It should be around here."
Following the map in his hand, Kael arrived at the approximate location.
Before long, he sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence—there was no doubt about it. That aura belonged to one of the Legendary Kitchenware.
After arriving in Shen City, the head of the Light Cooking World here—the controller of Longzhen Restaurant—had already been waiting for Kael to pay a visit.
After all, when you arrive in a new place, it's only proper to greet the local leader.
But Kael had no such intention.
The moment he reached Shen City, he went straight for the Turning Dragon Pot. In his eyes, Legendary Kitchenware mattered far more than building connections with people.
Besides, finding kitchenware was effortless for him, so it didn't take much time at all.
"Found it. The Turning Dragon Pot—the third piece needed for the Turning Dragon formation is mine."
Kael looked at the domineering dragon patterns emerging on the pot, along with the dragon shadow and Xu Ling's will that had already been devoured by the Gourmet Demon. He nodded in satisfaction.
Honestly, he couldn't help but admire Xu Ling.
That guy was on the same level as Orochimaru and Voldemort.
Voldemort created seven Horcruxes to revive himself. Orochimaru continuously transferred his soul through reincarnation. As for Xu Ling, he sealed fragments of his own will into one out of every ten pieces of kitchenware.
Perhaps he was worried something might go wrong. After all, once he died, he wouldn't be able to directly control his descendants. Who knew if, after a few generations, they would still acknowledge him as their ancestor?
To prevent his lineage from slipping completely out of his control, he embedded his will into the kitchenware, giving rise to Host Star Chefs.
Simply put, you had to earn his approval. Otherwise, Legendary Kitchenware in someone else's hands was no different from scrap metal.
Unfortunately for Xu Ling, the moment Kael obtained a piece, he devoured Xu Ling's will without hesitation, leaving no chance at all.
After securing the kitchenware, Kael returned to Shen City. Before he could even take the initiative to seek out Longzhen Restaurant's leader, he was already recognized by people sent by Longzhen Restaurant.
Kael's appearance was practically flawless, and his looks had long since spread throughout the culinary world. Only a handful of people wouldn't recognize him.
At this point, Kael was nothing less than a superstar of the culinary world. Every major faction had their eyes on him.
"Mr. Kael, you've finally arrived. Our master has been waiting for you for quite some time."
After confirming his identity, they immediately extended an invitation. Kael didn't hesitate. Since they invited him, he'd go take a look. It wasn't like he had anything to lose.
—
Elsewhere, aboard the Lou Lin Ship of the Dark Cooking Society, intelligence had also arrived—Kael had reached Shen City. However, Ensei and Arkan would still need two more days to arrive.
Judging by Kael's movements, it didn't seem like he would be leaving anytime soon, so the Dark Cooking Society continued to keep watch.
But they weren't the only ones watching him.
Another force, vast and hidden like an enormous web, was also observing Kael. Every move he made was being reported to an extremely special place—the Taiji Cuisine Realm.
"So after all these years, a chef capable of gaining recognition from multiple pieces of kitchenware has appeared again. Interesting… but it's not time for us to act yet."
Within the Taiji Cuisine Realm, several members of the Phoenix Eight Immortals had gathered. Two were absent.
One was Song Wan, the Cloud-Piercing Giant, who had been guarding the Eight-Spirit Pagoda for a long time. The other was Pei, the God-Speed Tai Bao, who was currently in hibernation—maintaining youth was no easy task.
"Chefs acknowledged by multiple kitchenware aren't unheard of. That alone isn't the real issue," Wu, the Divine Strategist, spoke up.
As the second-ranked among the Phoenix Eight Immortals and their chief tactician, he frowned. "The real problem is how badly the Dark Cooking Society has suffered at his hands. This man is too mysterious."
Especially Kael's ability to make people vanish without a trace. Just thinking about it made Wu's head itch, like his brain was about to grow another layer.
"Could it be some kind of special ability? Similar to my lightning?" Ramon asked.
The Taiji Cuisine Realm operated even more ruthlessly than the Dark Cooking Society. A clash with Kael was inevitable, and unconventional methods didn't seem viable.
"Who knows?" Jelan said, equally puzzled. "He already has flame abilities, yet he's only a Supreme Dragon Chef. His qi shouldn't be that strong. So how does he possess two special abilities?"
Historically, there had been people with multiple elemental abilities, but that was only because their qi was overwhelmingly powerful. Phoenix Eight Immortals like them each possessed only one ability precisely because their qi had its limits.
Kael, on the other hand, hadn't reached their level of cooking mastery, yet he wielded multiple abilities. It didn't make sense.
"Maybe it's like that Dark Cooking Society guy, Arkan," Ta suddenly said. "One ability he was born with, and the other comes from qi."
That possibility did exist. Arkan didn't even control qi, yet he possessed Explosive Flame—though cases like his were extremely rare.
"Either way, this guy is already a huge headache," Jinghua said, shaking his head. "The Dark Cooking Society keeps dragging its feet. We should be thinking about how to deal with him."
"Maybe we don't need to worry so much," Ramon said with a laugh. "Doesn't he love using Legendary Kitchenware? Use it a few more times and see what happens."
That was exactly what baffled them.
Only Host Star Chefs like themselves could use Legendary Kitchenware freely. Everyone else treated them with extreme caution.
Everyone except Kael.
He acted as if the side effects didn't exist at all.
"That is strange," someone agreed. "Logically speaking, after using a kitchenware once, you should feel your lifespan being drained. Physical discomfort is unavoidable."
"Let's just wait for more intel," another said. "See if he uses it a second time."
Unfortunately, the Dark Cooking Society was still around. The overall momentum still favored them. Even though they were already on the verge of collapse, it still wasn't time for the Taiji Cuisine Realm to act.
Ta sighed helplessly. The Phoenix Eight Immortals were holding back a lot of frustration. Back when the Dark Cooking Society betrayed them, it caused no small amount of trouble.
Once they recovered, the Taiji Cuisine Realm wanted nothing more than to wipe them out personally. But just as they were about to make their move, they received a warning from fate itself.
In this world, heaven truly existed—and higher-level chefs could sense it.
Back when Liu Maoxing dueled Arkan, it was the same. If not for that sudden rain, Liu Maoxing would have lost. Arkan knew it too—he knew heaven was helping Liu Maoxing, which was why he couldn't finish him off early.
The Dark Cooking Society wasn't the kind of villain that existed just to power up the protagonist. As one of the Five Tiger Stars, Arkan went straight for the kill. It should have been an easy victory, but heaven interfered.
That was destiny—inescapable.
The Taiji Cuisine Realm faced the same restriction. They wanted to reveal themselves, but every time they neared action, fate sent a warning.
As antagonists, they had to appear one by one. A powerful final boss couldn't step in before or alongside the weaker ones—otherwise, how would the protagonists grow?
So the Taiji Cuisine Realm had no choice but to wait until the Dark Cooking Society was completely destroyed.
That didn't make it any less infuriating.
They wanted revenge with their own hands. Instead, they were forced to wait until their enemies were already gone.
No one was angrier than Jelan.
Among the Phoenix Eight Immortals, her hatred for the Dark Cooking Society ran the deepest. The children she had personally raised and taught were taken over by the Dark Cooking Society and turned against her. In the end, she was forced to kill them herself.
That trauma never faded.
Left with no choice, the Taiji Cuisine Realm could only continue observing.
—
Meanwhile, under Longzhen Restaurant's hospitality, Kael stayed in Shen City as a guest, touring the area.
Not only was he the inheritor of Legendary Kitchenware, he was also a Supreme Dragon Chef—someone worth befriending at all costs.
Kael stayed in Shen City for several days.
On the surface, he was sightseeing and enjoying the city of this era. In truth, he was waiting—for the Dark Cooking Society.
He planned to hand over part of the map to them and let them retrieve some of the kitchenware for him.
As for whether the Dark Cooking Society would help—there was no doubt about it.
Their entire purpose was to seize the eight pieces of Legendary Kitchenware. There was no way they'd pass up this opportunity.
Even if they knew Kael was deliberately feeding them the map, they would still obediently go collect the kitchenware.
Kael's next objective was the pair of Jade Dragon Pots, hidden inside the imperial throne. The Dark Cooking Society would never find those, so he planned to retrieve them personally.
As for the White Tiger Cauldron and the Spirit Storehouse, he'd leave those to the Dark Cooking Society.
After waiting a few more days, Kael finally received an invitation from the Dark Cooking Society.
They were in a bind.
Kael was completely alone—there was no one they could kidnap to threaten him. Left with no other option, they sent an invitation instead.
If that failed, they'd think of something else.
"Mr. Kael, the Dark Cooking Society is no joke. Are you really planning to go?" Sanjie's father asked, clearly shaken when he heard Kael intended to attend alone.
Walking into the enemy's lair with Legendary Kitchenware in hand—what was that, if not walking into a tiger's den?
"Relax," Kael said with a smile. "I know exactly what kind of place the Dark Cooking Society is. How do you think I made it here alone, all the way from obtaining the Garuda Knife?"
That question left everyone stunned.
It was true.
From the moment Kael acquired the Garuda Knife, then the Ever-Soul Knife, all the way to now, he'd been alone. The Dark Cooking Society should have struck long ago.
Yet Kael was completely unharmed.
That alone explained everything.
Kael had his own way of dealing with the Dark Cooking Society—whatever it was, it was far beyond their ability to interfere with.
In the end, no one tried to stop him.
At the docks, Kael met the Dark Cooking Society's guide—a small boat meant to take him to the Lou Lin Ship.
"By the rules, please cover your eyes," the boatman said.
"That won't be necessary," Kael replied calmly. "Of course, you're free not to take me there."
He had no intention of being blindfolded. He had nothing to fear—after all, they were the ones who invited him.
The guide twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Right. They couldn't do anything to Kael.
And refusing to take him? He didn't have the courage for that either.
With no other choice, the guide took Kael toward the Lou Lin Ship.
Honestly, the blindfold was pointless anyway.
The Lou Lin Ship was constantly moving, and anyone boarding it would already know that. There was never any fixed location to hide in the first place.
________________
*The Bonus Chapter*
Every 100 Powerstones = 1 bonus Chapter