Chapter 57

Nine energy wheels condensed, and everything happened naturally. Awakening understood, and that was it.

This is a very subtle thing, something that can only be grasped intuitively and not explained in words.

When I don't know who I am, I am myself, speaking freely. When I know who I am, it seems like a definition, but in fact, I am no longer myself.

If you understand, you understand; if you don't, you won't.

Awakening opened his eyes, then closed them again, but the scenery before his eyes remained unchanged.

"What is my aura, and what is the weather?" Awakening didn't know. Although the energy wheels had condensed, he had no idea what his aura looked like.

...

The main kitchen was pitch black. At the round table where the ten head chefs sat, Gao Lao had his legs crossed, his eyes dark and sinister.

"Bang!"

The door was suddenly slammed open, and a tall figure entered, bathed in light.

"Gao Lao!" the tall figure roared.

"What's wrong? Li Butcher, you're so agitated. Who provoked you?" Gao Lao turned around, his emaciated hands clasped together, supporting the table, his hooked nose facing the tall figure.

He was Li Dazui, the taboo-named Li Butcher!

"What's going on!" Li Dazui stormed to the round table, his large hand slamming down on it.

With a thud, a depression appeared in the table, with a wooden plaque inside.

"Oh? The wooden plaque for the ingredients of the Tyrant Crocodile? Did Awakening not take it?" Gao Lao glanced at the wooden plaque in the depression and said calmly.

"Looks like you know!" Li Dazui shouted, his face turning dark.

"Know? Of course, because I did it." Gao Lao smiled sinisterly, picked up the wooden plaque, and said to Li Dazui, "Since Awakening didn't take it, he disobeyed the order. You take it and find a reason to kick him out."

"Sure enough, it's you!" Li Dazui's gaze immediately turned dark, and a powerful aura of the Ghost Officer realm rose, creating an illusion behind him of a slaughterhouse with silver knives and iron hooks, pigs being slaughtered, and blood everywhere.

"What's wrong, Li Dazui, Head Chef Li!" Gao Lao said coldly.

Suddenly, it felt like cold water was poured over Li Dazui's head, and he immediately sobered up, his aura slowly dissipating.

"You didn't handle it well, so I did it for you. What are you still unhappy about?" Gao Lao asked, his sharp, eagle-like gaze fixed on Li Dazui.

"I dare not," Li Dazui gritted his teeth and said, lowering his head.

"Good, remember, you are now a chef, the head chef of the tenth seat in the main kitchen!" Gao Lao emphasized "tenth seat" and "head chef."

"But Awakening is only at the sixth level of the Ghost Soldier realm. You're asking him to hunt a Tyrant Crocodile, which is a death sentence!" Li Dazui said.

"Hmph! How many Ghost Servants have died in the ingredient area? Did I order them to die?" Gao Lao turned the black ring on his emaciated finger and said coldly.

The ring seemed to be made of iron, unremarkable and ill-fitting on Gao Lao's finger, but it was unclear why he wore it despite his high status.

Li Dazui glanced at the additional iron ring on Gao Lao's finger and thought to himself: This old fox, he will eventually show his true colors!

"Li Dazui, Head Chef Li, have your intentions changed? Are you hesitant to kick out Awakening?" Gao Lao said slowly.

"Seeing Awakening now, do you think of yourself in the past? Are you moved by the scene? I can tell you, Awakening's potential is enough to compete for the position of head chef, and you are the last in the line. The outcome is obvious."

"Being pushed out of the head chef position!" Li Dazui was stunned, his face turning pale. As a head chef, he had bullied many other chefs. If he were really pushed out, his future would be bleak.

"Follow my instructions, forget about the old woman Yue Li, and ensure you advance to the eighth seat in the year-end competition of the main kitchen! Awakening's potential is too terrifying; he should be kicked out as soon as possible." Gao Lao said, his face dark and fearsome.

"What about Mei Ling?" Li Dazui hesitated and asked softly. Mei Ling was the head chef of the eighth seat.

"Of course, the sixth seat!" Gao Lao said confidently.

"The sixth seat!" Li Dazui exclaimed, the higher the seat, the stronger the chef. The rankings rarely changed, even in the year-end competition of the main kitchen, which was only limited to the last four seats.

Moreover, the year-end competition of the main kitchen was personally supervised by the City God, and there was no way to cheat, nor would anyone dare to cheat in front of the City God of Fengdu!

However, from Gao Lao's tone, it seemed he could interfere with the year-end competition and promote his allies to the top seats!

Gao Lao glanced at Li Dazui, seemingly seeing through his thoughts, and said calmly, "You're overthinking it. In my view, both you and Mei Ling have made great progress, which everyone can see. You can naturally advance to the top seats. Didn't I and the old woman Yue Li climb step by step?"

"Is that so?" Li Dazui felt a chill, half-believing, half-doubting. He didn't think Gao Lao had the nerve to manipulate the competition in front of the City God of Fengdu.

"Go and do it. Kick Awakening far away, and don't let me see him in the competition!" Gao Lao's voice turned cold, and he suddenly shouted.

"But..." Li Dazui hesitated.

"What now!" Gao Lao's sinister face showed a hint of displeasure.

"Awakening completed the task you assigned under my name!" Li Dazui said, finding it hard to believe himself.

"What!" Gao Lao's eyes widened, and his emaciated hand slammed on the table, breaking it. The wooden plaque for the Tyrant Crocodile's ingredients fell to the ground with a thud.

"You mean a mere sixth-level Ghost Soldier took down a Tyrant Crocodile, which is even ferocious at the Ghost Officer level, and cut off its tail, delivering a top-grade ingredient?!"

Gao Lao suddenly stood up from his chair, pointing at Li Dazui, his temples throbbing, his face twisted in rage.

Li Dazui didn't speak, just nodded.

"How is that possible!" Gao Lao turned around, shouting in anger, almost tearing the sturdy round table apart.

"When I heard about it, I also found it incredible. I was puzzled about when I assigned this task, but the result stunned me. How could a sixth-level Ghost Soldier complete a top-grade ingredient task!?" Li Dazui said, the shock was so great that his jaw almost dropped.

"No, nothing is impossible!" Gao Lao suddenly turned around, now terrifyingly calm.

"According to the ghost at the ingredient counter, he lived in the ingredient area for several days, completing many first or second-grade ingredient tasks without a scratch. He might have some secret means."

"Moreover, he might now be at the seventh level of the Ghost Soldier realm." Gao Lao said gravely, his face serious, now fully taking Awakening seriously.

"Seventh level of the Ghost Soldier realm?" Li Dazui's eyes flashed. If Awakening's potential was truly that great, given time, he could become a Ghost Officer and even a head chef, which was not impossible.

He suddenly understood why Gao Lao was so determined to kick out Awakening. He saw the terrifying potential in Awakening and felt a threat to the second seat of the head chefs!

Could Awakening really take the second seat of the head chefs, standing at the pinnacle of the culinary world in the underworld? Li Dazui found it hard to believe. In his view, the first seat of the head chefs, held by Old Woman Yue Li, was an unbreakable myth, and the second seat was the pinnacle and ultimate goal for chefs!

Currently, the second seat, below the myth of Old Woman Yue Li, was held by the emaciated old man in front of Li Dazui—Gao Lao!

How strong Gao Lao was, Li Dazui, also a head chef, couldn't fathom. It was like one was the sky and the other was the earth, impossible to compare.

"Fine, put it aside for now, and focus on the year-end competition!" Gao Lao's eyes turned cold, and he said with a hint of reluctance.

"I'll go now." Li Dazui whispered and was about to leave.

"Head Chef Li, don't have any illusions. You are no longer the old you; you are now the tenth seat of the main kitchen!" Gao Lao suddenly shouted, then softened his tone, "Awakening might think you set him up to die..."

"..." Li Dazui stood with his back to Gao Lao, silent for a moment, his fists clenched tightly.

"I understand." Li Dazui said and stormed out.

With a bang, the meeting room returned to darkness, leaving Gao Lao alone at the round table, lost in thought.

"Awakening..."

Awakening was in the chef's apartment. At that moment, the metal intercom in the corner of the room sounded.

"Awakening, come to the first-floor hall, a female ghost wants to see you." The metallic voice echoed through the intercom, transmitted from the first floor to Awakening's room.

"A female ghost wants to see me? When did I provoke a female ghost?" Awakening said, puzzled, scratching his head.

"It's probably not Yang Qing Shui. If she wanted to see me, she would just knock on the door." Awakening muttered and went to the first-floor hall.

There, a rather attractive maid stood, tapping her small feet, waiting for Awakening.

"Did you call me?" Awakening asked, reflecting that he hadn't provoked this maid.

"Are you Awakening?" The maid lifted her chin and sized up Awakening.

"Yes." Awakening nodded, his lips twitching slightly. The maid's intense gaze made him uncomfortable.

"Not bad, not bad. No wonder the boss wants to see you." The maid finished her inspection, licked her red lips, and said.

"What!" Awakening's jaw almost dropped, thinking he had heard wrong.

"Nothing, you recently beat Head Chef Zhang in the main kitchen, didn't you? You're quite the talk of the town." The maid said.

"Just a fluke in knife skills!" Awakening frowned, emphasizing that he didn't seek attention; it was just that Head Chef Zhang and others came to him.

"No one cares about how you won; they just know you beat Head Chef Zhang in the main kitchen. I heard you also helped Head Chef Li at the 'Mountain Delicacies and Sea Flavors' banquet, making a significant contribution." The maid shook her head and said.

Awakening's frown deepened: "I just carved a few hundred tofu flowers for 'Mountain Delicacies'!"

"None of that matters! Just tell the other ghost servants that you beat Head Chef Zhang in the main kitchen and made a significant contribution at the 'Mountain Delicacies and Sea Flavors' banquet!"

The maid looked at him with a mix of frustration and disappointment, her voice tinged with anger.

"What does this have to do with you finding me?" Awakening got straight to the point, asking bluntly.

"My boss hopes to see you at the banquet in a few days." The maid answered succinctly.

"Who is your boss?" Awakening asked, a hint of interest in his smile.

"Dong Mei!" The maid said proudly.

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