Chương 1109: Chapter 1107: A Quiet Kitchen

The Fiery Lotus Pavilion kitchen remained a bustling center of heat and coordinated activity. Dozens of chefs in crisp white robes moved between the roaring stoves while carrying heavy iron woks and baskets of fresh ingredients to cook for the guests. The fragrant aromas of roasted spirit pork and simmering herbal broths filled the air to create a welcoming atmosphere for anyone stepping through the rear doors.

Li Yu stood at his reinforced iron station and stared at a fresh slab of spirit beef resting on a thick wooden cutting board. He held a simple iron cleaver in his right hand and took a slow breath to center his mind once more. The ambient temperature in the room was high due to the constant cooking fires but Li Yu only felt the chaotic heat from himself. He wanted to slice the meat into thin strips for a quick sear.

He limited his physical strength as he lowered the blade and let the natural weight of the metal do the work. The cleaver slid through the spirit beef like a hot knife through soft clay but it also slid right through the thick wooden cutting board and buried itself deep into the solid stone counter beneath it once more. A loud crack echoed across the cooking station as the heavy stone fractured into two neat halves.

The sturdy counter groaned and collapsed onto the tiled floor while a cloud of white dust rose into the air. Several bowls of prepared vegetables tumbled to the ground and spilled their contents across the broken rubble but barely anyone reacted to such a scene anymore. Everyone here had grown accustomed to such a sight and had turned to wonder what kind of issue this expert was having. Li Yu released the handle of the embedded cleaver and let out a tired sigh.

He brushed the stone dust off his plain gray robes and looked over at the clan leader standing a safe distance away.

"Add it to my tab," Li Yu said with an apologetic smile. Ding Tung chuckled and waved a hand in the air to dismiss the concern. The Half King realm cultivator held a small jade ledger and etched another tally mark onto the glowing surface.

"It is no trouble at all, senior," Ding Tung replied while signaling a few kitchen assistants to clear the rubble.

"That is only your fourth stone counter this week. We have plenty of spares waiting in storage rings and your control is actually improving quite a bit, I think... You did not vaporize the meat this time and the cut was very clean before the stone gave way." Li Yu stepped back to let the assistants sweep up the broken pieces. He would have done it himself but Ding Tung had insisted his people clean up after him so Li Yu had no choice.

He felt a genuine sense of gratitude toward the Ding Clan for their endless patience towards him. Li Yu owed them for over hundred ruined woks and a dozen shattered counters but they never showed a single ounce of frustration. Having a Creation Lord practicing in their kitchen provided a shield against any local threats and the clan leader clearly viewed the property damage as a very cheap fee for security. A new stone counter was quickly pulled from a storage ring and set into place.

Li Yu thanked the staff and moved over to a different station to try a new culinary technique. He wanted to practice the Internal Heat Channeling method he had read about in the Culinary Sovereign's manual. The technique required a chef to map the internal energy pathways of an ingredient and thread a thin line of fire directly through the meridians. It was a complex method meant to cook the food from the inside out while breaking down tough connective tissues.

A senior chef brought over a beautiful silver scaled fish harvested from the nearby pens in the river that the Ding Clan had. The fish possessed a strong water aligned nature so the manual dictated a gentle and simmering heat. Applying too much fire would shatter the delicate spiritual energy and turn the tender meat sour.

"Listen to the oil, senior," the head chef called out from a neighboring stove. The older man offered a respectful nod while tossing a wok full of fiery peppers.

"Do not use your divine sense to look at the heat. Your spiritual scan has been too heavy and it disrupts the natural flow of the ingredients. Use your ears to hear the sizzle and trust yourself." Li Yu nodded and closed his eyes a bit to steady himself. He stopped relying on his overwhelming divine sense and focused his mundane hearing on the iron wok resting before him. He heard the faint popping of the hot oil and the gentle bubbling of the spiritual herbs lining the pan.

He extended his hand and summoned his natal flame. The bright orange fire bloomed above his palm and the lethal tri colored lightning immediately began to crackle along the edges. The black purple and white arcs hissed in the air and demanded to be unleashed upon his enemies. Li Yu grit his teeth and forced the chaotic lightning to compress into a tiny glowing thread. He slowly guided the thread of fire toward the silver scaled fish and pushed the heat directly into its primary meridian.

The fierce lightning fought against his restraint and tried to surge forward to vaporize the meat. Li Yu held his breath and used every ounce of his willpower and control to keep the flame steady. He felt like he was wrestling a wild dragon inside a porcelain shop and one wrong move would end up destroying his food. The intense focus required to maintain the gentle simmer was far more exhausting than fighting an expert in open combat.

The fish began to sizzle softly from the inside out with his flame while also being cooked by the oil on the outside. The tough connective tissues rendered down and the rich juices infused with the surrounding oil to add additional favor. The fragrant aroma of perfectly cooked seafood rose from the wok and filled his station for the first time since he's come here.

'He was actually doing it!' Many of the chefs thought to themselves. He was cooking the fish without causing an explosion and without shattering the elemental balance. A wide smile spread across Li Yu's face as he prepared to pull the flame away and plate his hard earned victory. Before he could finish the final step a loud crash echoed from the front dining hall. The heavy wooden doors of the Fiery Lotus Pavilion were kicked open and the sound of shattering porcelain rang through the building.

The lively chatter of the patrons vanished instantly and was replaced by screams of panic. Customers scrambled out of their chairs and rushed toward the side exits to escape the sudden violence. A group of aggressive cultivators marched into the dining room wearing dark green robes embroidered with a golden cauldron crest. These men belonged to the Green Cauldron Sect which was a prominent tyrant faction operating in the neighboring city.

They had long coveted the prime real estate the Ding Clan occupied and they frequently sent thugs to harass the restaurant but it looks like they were coming here themselves this time. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The leader of the group stepped forward and sneered at the fleeing patrons. This was Patriarch Ming and he possessed a cultivation base at the King realm.

He crossed his arms over his chest and released a wave of heavy Qi to shatter a few more tables near the entrance for show.

"Ding Tung!" Patriarch Ming shouted with a booming voice that rattled the hanging silk lanterns.

"Get out here and face me. Your time in this city is over." Ding Tung hurried out from the kitchen hallways and stepped into the ruined dining room but his usual panic and fear when facing Jin did not accompany him. The Half King clan leader looked at the broken tables and let out a tired sigh. He has had to deal with such people all too much and since Patriarch Ming was stronger than him, he could never vent his frustrations.

Ding Tung looked annoyed by the mess they were creating on his pristine floors and for causing his customers to have to flee.

"Patriarch Ming," Ding Tung said while keeping a polite distance.

"You are disrupting my business again. We have already told you that the Fiery Lotus Pavilion is not for sale. You can break as many tables as you like but my answer remains the same."

"You are a fool, Ding Tung," Patriarch Ming sneered and took a heavy step forward. His King realm aura pressed down on the clan leader and forced Ding Tung to tense his legs just to stay upright.

"Your clan is weak and you do not deserve this prime location. I brought my elders today and we will not leave until you sign the property deed over to the Green Cauldron Sect. If you refuse, we will simply burn this restaurant to the ground and build our own over the ashes." Back in the kitchen, the shockwave of the King realm aura rattled the iron stations. The sudden influx of hostile energy broke Li Yu's fragile concentration for a single fraction of a second.

His control over his flame slipped and the tri colored lightning surged forward into the wok. A loud popping sound echoed across the cooking station as the delicate silver scaled fish vaporized instantly into a cloud of gray ash and the sturdy iron wok melted into a bubbling puddle of liquid metal. Li Yu stood in silence and stared at the ruined pile of ash resting on the stove. He had spent the entire afternoon preparing that fish and he was only a few seconds away from a perfect execution.

A deep annoyance settled into his chest and he knew he had to vent it out at the cause of his failure. He grabbed a wooden spatula from the counter and turned toward the hallway leading to the front dining room. Patriarch Ming was busy gloating and threatening the Ding Clan staff when he heard the quiet footsteps approaching from the rear corridors. The leader turned his head and saw a young man wearing a plain gray robe and a white chef apron walking into the main room.

The young man held a wooden spatula in his hand and carried an expression of disappointment and frustration.

"Who is this boy?" Patriarch Ming asked with a cruel laugh.

"Did you send your dishwasher out to fight for you Ding Tung? Your clan is truly pathetic." Li Yu had gotten better at controlling his aura during this time so it was at a level where he did not bother others anymore. He stopped walking and looked at the ruined tables scattered across the floor. He then looked up at the Green Cauldron Sect leader.

"I was trying to cook a very difficult fish," Li Yu said with a calm tone.

"Cooking requires a lot of focus and a quiet environment. Could you please keep your voices down, pay for the furniture you just broke and leave?" The rival elders standing behind Patriarch Ming erupted into mocking laughter. They found it hilarious that a random chef was trying to scold a King realm expert over broken furniture and loud noises. Patriarch Ming narrowed his eyes and decided to make an example out of the disrespectful youth.

He gathered his King realm Qi and directed a concentrated wave of crushing pressure straight toward Li Yu. He intended to force the boy to his knees and break a few bones to further show Ding Tung and his staff the price of defiance. The heavy wave of green Qi slammed into Li Yu and immediately shattered like fragile glass striking a mountain of solid iron. Li Yu did not even blink or register it at all.

He stood perfectly still and let his own concentration slip away from his internal suppression allowing a tiny fraction of his Creation Lord aura to leak out into the open air. The temperature in the dining hall plummeted instantly. The terrifying weight of the cosmos descended upon the room and wrapped around the throats of the intruders like a spiked collar. Patriarch Ming choked on his own breath and his eyes bulged wide with sudden horror.

The mocking laughter of his elders died in their throats as the suffocating pressure forced them straight to the ground. They collapsed onto the wooden floorboards and their bones creaked under the invisible weight pressing down upon them. The King realm leader tried to summon his cultivation to resist the pressure but his spiritual sea remained entirely frozen. He looked up at the young man holding the wooden spatula and realized he was staring at an unfathomable abyss.

This was not a dishwasher or a simple chef that had come out from the back to see what was going on. This was a supreme expert resting at a height so far beyond his understanding that he could not even gauge the distance.

"Senior," Patriarch Ming gasped out while pressing his forehead against the floorboards.

"We were blind. We did not know this establishment was under your divine protection. Please spare our lives."

"I am not here to take lives," Li Yu replied softly while tapping the wooden spatula against his palm.

"I am here to take cooking lessons and you ruined my silver scaled fish. That ingredient was very difficult to prepare and I just had succeeded. I expect you to compensate the Ding Clan for the tables and for the disruption to their kitchen."

"Yes, senior. Of course." the Patriarch agreed frantically. He fumbled with his spatial ring and dumped a large pile of high grade spirit stones and rare herbs onto the floor. His accompanying elders followed his lead and quickly emptied their own pockets to form a small mountain of wealth to hopefully buy their lives. They did not dare to hold anything back out of fear that the supreme expert would simply erase them from existence.

"Leave," Li Yu commanded with a gentle wave of his hand. He pulled his overwhelming aura back into his body and the crushing weight lifted from the room. The Green Cauldron Sect members scrambled to their feet and sprinted out of the restaurant as fast as their legs could carry them. They tripped over the broken doors in their haste to escape the terrifying young man and vanished into the bustling city streets. Ding Tung looked at the massive pile of spirit stones resting on his floor and let out a joyous laugh.

The wealth left behind by the fleeing bullies was enough to cover the damage caused by the Green Cauldron Sect and Li Yu as well as fund the clan for several years.

"You resolve these issues with such wonderful efficiency senior," Ding Tung praised while bowing deeply.

"The Green Cauldron Sect will most likely never dare to set foot in our city again. You have our gratitude."

"Just add the stones to my tab," Li Yu said with a smile.

"I suspect I will be breaking a few more iron woks before the week is over." The clan leader laughed again and ordered the remaining staff to clean up the front room so business could resume. The kitchen crew peeked out from the hallways and cheered for their strange protector. They had grown fond of the young expert who paid for his mistakes and kept the local tyrants far away from their doors. They also respected his passion for cooking even though it seemed like he was terrible at it.

Li Yu smiled at the cheering chefs and turned around to walk back into the bustling kitchen. He still felt the lingering annoyance of losing his dish but the brief interruption helped clear his mind and also showed him that he was still lacking in control. He walked over to his station and picked up a fresh silver scaled fish from the ice bin to try again. He took a deep breath and prepared to try the technique one more time.

He would tame the wild lightning lacing his natal flame and he would learn how to simmer a delicate broth even if it took him a thousand broken woks to get it right. Since he was cooking to train, the entire process brought him some measure of joy as well as he was learning new things from the chefs in this place.