Chapter 7

Often, what determines everything is one's attitude. With the right attitude, pressure can be transformed into motivation, leading to success. Life is fair; although it cannot be said that every effort will yield a corresponding reward, without effort, there will certainly be no reward.

Yue Yuan used to not believe this statement very much, but during his year of culinary studies, he thoroughly acknowledged its accuracy.

Recalling the details of his entry into Juxia Lou, this year's experience could even be compared to his previous life...

The next day, after a night of recovery, Yue Yuan, whether due to adequate rest or the effect of Master Abe's soup, had his health restored to 73%, and his stamina was nearly full.

When Master Abe saw Yue Yuan standing before her, she was surprised by his recovery ability. After a thorough check, finding no major issues, she led him into Juxia Lou's kitchen with a hint of puzzlement.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, a wave of heat rushed towards Yue Yuan, who was stunned by the intense scene. Although he had memories of the kitchen at Yuebai Lou, it paled in comparison to Juxia Lou, the top restaurant in Sichuan.

Master Abe led Yue Yuan around, introducing him to the chefs. She stopped in front of a tall young man with long hair, smiling as she introduced him: "Yue Yuan, this is your senior, his name is Shao An. He came here to learn seven years ago."

Then, she pulled Yue Yuan over, placed her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him forward, explaining to Shao An: "Shao An, from today on, you are Yue Yuan's senior. Take good care of him."

While Master Abe was introducing him, Yue Yuan was also observing this tall man: Is this the first small boss? The one who caused Master Abe's early death. It's five years before the plot begins, so in three years, when he is twenty, he will become a top chef and take away two chefs and all the salary, truly a white-eyed wolf.

Shao An, hearing this, showed no concern and said with disdain, "Master Abe, why would you have time to take in a brat like him as a disciple? You should spend more time teaching me new dishes."

"Shao An, how can you speak like that? Yue Yuan, Shao An is not usually like this. Come, let me start teaching you now." To ease the tension between Shao An and Yue Yuan, Master Abe led Yue Yuan to a corner piled with various fresh vegetables and began to teach: "Now I will start teaching you culinary skills. Yue Yuan, do you know what the most basic skills a chef must master are?"

"Knife skills and heat control," Yue Yuan answered without hesitation, influenced by the information explosion of his previous life and his memories.

"Correct, knife skills and heat control are indeed the basic techniques that test a chef's ability. However, selecting the most suitable ingredients before cooking is also a very important skill." After explaining, she began to teach Yue Yuan how to choose the right ingredients.

After explaining all the key points, she smiled and said, "Just talking won't do. Yue Yuan, as the son of a famous chef, you should practice to master the key points I've taught you. Start with these bamboo shoots."

Not long after Yue Yuan began practicing, a figure appeared behind him.

"Hey, brat, if you know what's good for you, you should leave early. Being a chef isn't something a talentless person like you can do. Leave now."

"Whether I have talent or not isn't up to you, Senior Shao An," Yue Yuan said, slightly displeased, looking at the person behind him.

Shao An didn't say much more, picked up a knife, and started slicing the bamboo shoots. After a flurry of knife movements, the bamboo shoots were finely sliced. He said arrogantly to Yue Yuan, "What do you think, brat? Why don't you learn from me? It's better than wasting your time here."

"Top Chef Shao An wants to teach you cooking skills. Do you accept?"

Cooking (Level 1)

Level: D

Priority: 11

Effect: Makes a dish have special abilities.

Passive: 3% chance for dishes to bring out mission world items.

Cost: 20 stamina, 10 energy

Note: Cooking skills taught by Top Chef Shao An, with extraordinary power.

Although the skill was very attractive, Yue Yuan still refused, countering, "Your skills are good, but you learned from Master Abe. Have you surpassed her? I don't think so. I'll continue learning from Master Abe."

"You'll be crying when you leave Juxia Lou," Shao An seemed to be angered by his words, threw out a remark, and turned to leave.

"Provoking a small boss on the first day, I'm really getting the main character treatment. Too bad about that skill. I hope my choice is right, and the days ahead will be peaceful."

Days passed, and Master Abe continued to teach Yue Yuan culinary skills, but Yue Yuan still received no skill notifications.

During the day, he helped in the kitchen, watching intently whenever Master Abe demonstrated her skills. Whenever a new dish appeared, he eagerly tasted and analyzed it.

Yue Yuan, with his quick hands and eager to learn, became well-liked among the people at Juxia Lou. Except for Shao An, who seemed to have a grudge due to their first conversation, Yue Yuan had become an integral part of Juxia Lou.

At night, when everyone was asleep, Yue Yuan would quietly get up and practice basic skills.

He filled a pot with rice and practiced flipping it, grinding the rice until it changed color. He practiced every day, rain or shine, until the rice in the pot turned uniformly black. After adapting to the weight, he gradually increased the load, intensifying his arm training. When he made some progress, he began practicing knife skills.

Thanks to his new body, he could sustain the dual efforts of day and night. After each exhausting session, he could recover quickly, and this physical condition supported him through six months of training.

However, Yue Yuan, who had not received any skill notifications for six months, relied on his busy daily work to dispel his frustration, immersing himself in the joy of learning culinary skills.

In the seventh month, after tasting a new dish from Master Abe and giving a detailed critique, the system voice, which had been silent for six months, finally appeared—

"Congratulations, player has tasted over a hundred top dishes and identified the ingredients with an 80% success rate. Super Taste has awakened."

Hearing the notification, he was initially stunned, then checked the awakened talent—

Talent: Unknown

Partial Awakening—Super Touch (omitted)

Super Taste: Additional Skill: Food is Heaven (Note: Number 6510, tasted over a hundred top dishes, and analysis accuracy exceeded 80%, recognized by a top chef, and self-realized super taste, able to trace the ingredients used in dishes.)

Food is Heaven (Non-upgradable)

Level: D

Priority: Influenced by talent ability

Effect: Increases food effects by 50%

Cost: None

Note: Mom, I won't worry about being hungry anymore.

It turns out that the awakening of Super Taste relies on eating and tasting. So, other senses like smell, hearing, and sight must be developed through smelling, listening, and seeing. Are there any special conditions?

This awakened talent's additional skill did not meet the completion conditions of the second main task. It seems that additional skills that do not occupy the skill bar do not count towards the task. However, the awakening of the talent encouraged Yue Yuan, proving that his path was correct.

In fact, the awakening conditions for the five senses were not wrong. Just before the one-year apprenticeship, the third sense awakened—Super Vision.

One evening, to reach Master Abe's level of knife skills, Yue Yuan practiced knife skills, following the movements he remembered from Master Abe.

Standing on a table, he held a knife in his right hand and a white radish in his left. The knife flew in his hand, slicing the radish into thin, translucent pieces that looked mysterious and beautiful under the moonlight.

Yue Yuan held the radish slices up to the full moon, and the moonlight shone through them into his eyes.

Yue Yuan took a deep breath and couldn't help but wave his arms, excitedly shouting in his heart, "I can finally slice the moon halo! This is a big leap!"

The moon halo radish refers to the radish slices from Longzhen Restaurant, an original plot in the animation. The father of the Three Heroes (Ah Q) said, "The slices must be thin enough to see through but not break. Looking at the moon through the radish should look like a moon halo, which is the perfect thickness for melting in the mouth."

To achieve knife skills like Master Abe, the moon halo radish had always been his test standard, and today he finally reached it.

Just as he was excited, the system voice, which had been silent for half a year, sounded again.

"Congratulations, player has observed and imitated Master Abe's knife skills for a year (87% completion), awakening Super Vision."

Talent: Unknown

Partial Awakening—Super Touch (omitted), Super Taste (omitted)

Super Vision:

(Note: Number 6510, after a year of observation, imitated Master Abe's knife skills, awakening Super Vision, able to instantly replicate an opponent's actions (only actions) and perfectly reproduce their skills.)

The first year in the world of Chinese Cuisine passed, and Yue Yuan felt deeply satisfied. Although the skill was still not visible, there was still plenty of time.

Recalling the rich experiences of the past year, Yue Yuan couldn't help but close his eyes and fall asleep with a smile.

At this moment, there were still 3 years, 342 days, 22 hours, 16 minutes, and 26 seconds left until the end of the game.

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