Gu Changyuan Arrives on the Scene

However, Gu Changyuan maintained a calm expression on his face and simply gave a faint reply:

"Acceptable."

Hearing this response, Chen Qianzhen was instantly overjoyed and hastily bowed again with clasped hands:

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Senior! This junior will immediately rush back to the Chen family to arrange the best judge's seat for you. I definitely will not let down your profound kindness!"

As if afraid Gu Changyuan might go back on his word, he quickly gave a rough overview of the tournament's schedule, time, and location for the next day. Then, he couldn't wait to bid farewell to Su Yunhao and Gu Changyuan, leaving the Fengyun Hall with hurried steps. Evidently, he was rushing back to make intense preparations.

Having a senior whose strength was unfathomable and suspected to be at the level of a Holy Land's patriarch serve as a judge would completely change the scale and significance of this year's Hundred Flavors Spirit Chef tournament.

Watching Chen Qianzhen's retreating back, Su Yunhao smiled and shook his head, saying to Gu Changyuan:

"Please excuse the display, Senior. This Chen Qianzhen is an honest man. The Chen family has studied the Dao of Spirit Meals for generations and enjoys an excellent reputation here in Fengling City, sharing a very harmonious relationship with our Su family.

Their tournament is indeed quite unique. If you have some free time, Senior, there's no harm in going to take a look, just to pass the time."

...

Gu Changyuan did not stay long in the Fengyun Hall. After chatting briefly with Su Yunhao and the others, he was respectfully led by the Su family members to the guest courtyard prepared for him, the Listening Bamboo Pavilion.

He walked into the inner room, looked at the large bed covered with soft cloud brocade, and almost without hesitation, lay directly on it.

In the Void of Disorder, one had to maintain the highest level of vigilance at every moment. Sleep was a luxury, and even more so, a fatal danger.

He had long been accustomed to substituting sleep with deep meditation, always splitting off a sliver of divine sense to guard his surroundings.

Now, he had finally returned to the relatively stable cultivation world, back to a place with a roof, a bed, and no need to worry about being torn apart by spatial turbulence or unknown enemies in the next second.

Cultivation?

With over thirty thousand disciples cultivating bitterly day and night to feed back to him, his cultivation base was growing at every moment. Sleeping wouldn't delay anything.

Right now, he just wanted to sleep fiercely and make up for the peaceful slumber he had missed out on for the past thousand years.

...

The next day, the sky was bright.

Gu Changyuan was awakened by the crisp chirping of birds outside the window and a rhythmic knocking on the door.

"Senior, are you awake? The Hundred Flavors Spirit Chef tournament is about to begin."

Su Wanqing's gentle and respectful voice came from outside the door.

Gu Changyuan slowly opened his eyes. The long-lost deep sleep made him feel refreshed, making even the sunlight outside the window seem a bit brighter.

He got up, tidied himself slightly, and pushed the door open.

Su Wanqing was already waiting in the courtyard. Seeing Gu Changyuan come out, she hurriedly bowed.

Today she had changed into a water-blue long dress, making her look even more elegant and refined.

"Let's go."

Gu Changyuan said lightly.

Guided by Su Wanqing, the two left the Su family mansion and headed towards the Hundred Flavors Square managed by the Chen family in the city.

Su Yunhao and the others had already gone ahead to the Chen family to arrange the relevant matters.

...

At this time, the Hundred Flavors Square was already packed with a massive crowd, people rubbing shoulders with one another.

The perimeter of the square was crowded with cultivators who had come to join the fun. From rogue cultivators to the elders of various families, everyone wanted to witness the birth of the top Hundred Flavors Spirit Chef with their own eyes.

Every time a spirit dish came out of the pot, the overflowing aroma would also carry spiritual energy, which was helpful for cultivation.

In the center of the square, five tall and wide jade stoves were set up, and next to each stove was a dazzling array of ingredients.

On the north side of the square, a row of judge seats raised several feet above the ground was set up, with over a dozen chairs placed there.

At this moment, representatives from the Chen family, the Su family, and several other prominent families in Fengling City had already taken their seats. As the host, Chen Qianzhen was standing beside the judge's area, his eyes constantly looking towards the entrance of the square, his expression carrying a bit of anticipation and nervousness.

But the most eye-catching thing was the position directly above the judge's seats—there, a chair made entirely of warm jade was suspended alone in the air, distinctly separated from the judge's seats below, making its transcendent status obvious at a glance.

The appearance of this special chair caused many cultivators present who were familiar with the tournament's procedures to show confusion and discuss in low voices.

In the judge's seats, aside from Chen Qianzhen and Su Yunhao, the representatives of the other families also exchanged bewildered glances, secretly guessing who this special seat belonged to.

Even some of the elders within the Chen family were completely baffled.

They only knew that the family head, Chen Qianzhen, had rushed back yesterday and ordered the addition of a special seat with far greater weight than an ordinary judge. He only said that a senior with unfathomable cultivation would come to oversee things, but Chen Qianzhen did not specify exactly who it was.

The time gradually approached the Si hour. The five participating cultivators below had long taken their places, and the judge's seats were full, yet that suspended special seat remained empty.

Even so, Chen Qianzhen and Su Yunhao showed no intention of rushing things, merely waiting quietly. Seeing this, the representatives of the other families didn't dare to make any moves either.

The entire square gradually quieted down, and everyone's gaze focused on that empty special seat.

Finally, the bell for the Si hour rang right on time.

At the exact moment the bell's sound faded, the space beside the suspended warm jade chair rippled slightly.

Gu Changyuan's figure appeared on the chair without any warning. His sitting posture was upright, his expression indifferent, and his entire body did not emit the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy, as if he had been sitting there from the very beginning.

Buzz—

This sudden entrance caused all the cultivators present to jolt violently, great waves of shock rising in their hearts.

Whether it was the ordinary cultivators in the square or the family representatives in the judge's seats, not a single person had sensed any spatial fluctuations or spiritual energy aura before his appearance.

Gu Changyuan ignored the commotion below and merely spoke faintly. His voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire square:

"Begin."

Chen Qianzhen's spirit rallied. He hurriedly stood up straight, cleared his throat, channeled his spiritual energy, and announced the start of the competition with a resonant voice.

As his words fell, the five participating cultivators immediately sprang into action.

Various colored spirit flames instantly ignited in the spirit fire stoves. All kinds of prepared spirit meats and spirit vegetables were taken out one by one. As knives danced, the ingredients were precisely cut into various shapes. Their movements were as smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds, mixed with faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.

A cultivator's culinary arts not only focused on taste but also aimed to preserve the spiritual energy within the ingredients as much as possible, and even to enhance the purity of the spiritual energy through cooking techniques.

Gu Changyuan sat upright in the highest seat, resting his chin on one hand, watching the scene below with great interest.

It was his first time seeing Void Training Realm cultivators cook. He didn't know much about the cooking aspect; he only understood eating.

And his only evaluations were: delicious, edible, and crap!