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Hearing Yuuki's words, Toriko fell silent. He had, in fact, already guessed why Yuuki's hair had grown, but he still couldn't quite accept it. How could mere belief accomplish such a thing?
"Toriko, don't fall into self-doubt. Remember, only when you believe strongly enough can you make it a reality!"
Seeing Toriko's confusion, Aimaru immediately spoke up to remind him. The greatest enemy of the Ultimate Routine was self-doubt. The moment you succumbed to it, the technique would crumble.
In truth, Aimaru himself was completely shocked. Yuuki's feat was unreal. While he could use the powerful conviction of the Ultimate Routine to give himself a stomach ulcer, he couldn't make his own hair grow on command. Aimaru was baffled—he never knew the Ultimate Routine could be used for something like this.
But he also knew he couldn't allow himself to doubt. He still had to teach Toriko, after all.
"Toriko, have you heard of the Eight Kings of the Gourmet World?"
Just as Toriko was lost in his thoughts, Yuuki spoke.
"The Eight Kings? The rulers of the eight continents of the Gourmet World, right? I know a little about them, but only the basics. Why bring them up?"
Toriko asked, confused. Aimaru was just as puzzled. He had never been to the Gourmet World, so there were many things he didn't know.
"In the Gourmet World, the division between day and night is different. What they call 'night' is when the Eight Kings are on the move."
Yuuki's words left both of them stunned.
"The movements of the Eight Kings are defined as 'night'? WHY?" Toriko asked, completely baffled.
"Because the emotional changes of the Eight Kings can affect reality itself. When they are in a good mood—the lands they pass through become incredibly fertile, the ecosystem flourishes, and it becomes a paradise for all living things."
"But conversely, if they are in a bad mood, wherever they go, not a single blade of grass will grow. Everything turns to wasteland. The Eight Kings don't intentionally affect the environment, but their emotions can do so inadvertently."
"It is this uncertainty that makes their every journey incredibly dangerous. That is why it is called the 'Night' of the Gourmet World."
Yuuki explained how the Eight Kings could alter the natural world with their emotions alone.
"So this is also a form of powerful conviction? What kind of unyielding belief would it take to do something like that??"
Aimaru understood in an instant. The Eight Kings' emotions influencing nature—this was the very concept of the Ultimate Routine. But according to Yuuki, they weren't even consciously controlling it.
If his Ultimate Routine was an active skill, then the Eight Kings' was a passive one. They did it without even trying.
Aimaru couldn't imagine what kind of overwhelming will it would take to achieve such a state.
"Aimaru, you're mistaken about one thing. It's not just about will."
Yuuki shook his head. While similar examples existed in the real world, no matter how strong one's will was, it could never turn illusion into reality.
Take his hair growth. In the real world, you could never will your hair to grow longer. But extreme grief could turn it white overnight.
"What do you mean by that, Chef Yuuki?" Aimaru asked, not understanding.
"Can you do what I just did, Aimaru? Make your own hair grow."
Yuuki didn't answer directly but posed another question.
"I can't. Though I know you used your powerful willpower to make your hair grow, I can't do it." Aimaru shook his head.
"You can't?? How is that possible? Even if Chef Yuuki has learned the Ultimate Routine, there's no way he could have surpassed you in an instant, right, Aimaru??"
Toriko was even more confused. He knew Yuuki was a monster, but not to this extent.
"That's right, Toriko. Aimaru is correct. I've only just learned this technique. My willpower is not stronger than his. The willpower of you Gourmet Knights has been forged to an incredible degree by your lifestyle. I can't compare to that."
Yuuki readily admitted it. Willpower needed to be tempered. He didn't think for a second that he could compete with these ascetic monks in that regard.
"You can't compare to me? But then why can you do such a thing, Chef Yuuki?"
Aimaru was also lost. He suddenly felt that his understanding of the Ultimate Routine was far too shallow.
"The reason is simple, Aimaru. You've gone down a skewed path. A strong Will can indeed accomplish some things, but your own physical strength is just as crucial."
"If you want to change reality with your will, you need to have enough power to change reality in the first place. Otherwise, it's all just a castle in the sky."
Yuuki explained. He had discovered the true key to this technique. It wasn't just willpower—it was the immense power brought by Gourmet Cells.
Gourmet Cells were the foundation of this world—that was undeniable. A powerful will, combined with immense power, only then could you truly turn illusion into reality.
This was the conclusion he had reached after considering the Eight Kings and his own situation.
The reason he could do what Aimaru couldn't... wasn't because his Willpower was stronger, but because his physical power was worlds beyond Aimaru's.
The strength of the Gourmet Knights was actually quite average. Because they didn't eat good food, and the improvement of Gourmet Cells required eating, the fact that they had reached their current level of combat power was already incredible.
....
"A strong will needs to be supported by immense power? So you're saying..."
Hearing Yuuki's words, and thinking about how he had done what he couldn't, Aimaru began to fall into a spiral of doubt. He started to question if the path of the Gourmet Knights had been wrong all along.
"Don't fall into self-doubt, Aimaru. Those were the words you used to advise Toriko. Now you must apply them to yourself."
Seeing his state, Yuuki immediately spoke up to remind him. He didn't want to completely shatter the man's resolve.
"Hiss..."
Hearing Yuuki's words, Aimaru immediately snapped out of it. Thinking back to the moment he had been trapped in self-doubt, he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
"Actually, the path of you Gourmet Knights is not wrong. Aimaru, you should know very well how much willpower is required to achieve the Ultimate Routine. Among all of you, very few can do it."
"It's true that a strong will needs to be supported by immense power. But Aimaru, have you ever thought about this: if you didn't live like ascetic monks, how would you have trained such powerful wills?"
Yuuki's one question left Aimaru speechless. That was right. The Gourmet Knights' immense willpower, and the development of the Ultimate Routine—was all because they had walked the path of ascetics. If they hadn't, then there would likely be no such thing as the Ultimate Routine.
Not everyone could reach the level of the Eight Kings. Human lifespans were limited. Even the Eight Kings that were replaced from time to time lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years.
Such a long lifespan had tempered their wills to be incredibly strong and resilient. But humans couldn't replicate that.
The strongest humans now, Acacia's Students and Acacia, had only lived for a few hundred years.
So, it wasn't that they had taken the wrong path—it was that they couldn't have both.
And the origin of the Gourmet Knights wasn't that they had chosen this path from the beginning. The Human World of the past wasn't as wonderful as it was now.
Hundreds of years ago, because of the wars, in what should have been an age of gourmet food, food was scarce, and many starved to death.
The Gourmet Knights had existed back then. Because of the famine, they had been forced to choose the path of ascetics.
Now, though they were in an age of gourmet food and there was no shortage of food, the traditions of the past had been passed down.
The birth of the Gourmet Knights was an accident, but the result of that accident was good.
Just like in the past, when someone was reluctant to throw away spoiled tofu and ended up creating stinky tofu, accidents don't always lead to negative outcomes.
Sometimes, they can be positive.
The Gourmet Knights of today were the same. Without that accident of the past, there would be no Ultimate Routine now.
"Immense willpower and immense power... it's truly a difficult choice. I'm sorry, both of you. To have you see me like this. I was supposed to be the one teaching you, but now I'm the one who needs to be looked after."
Aimaru couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"You can't say that, Aimaru. A person is always learning. No matter what field, no matter what level you've reached, there will always be areas you're not good at, areas you need to learn. It's impossible for a person to be perfect."
Yuuki shook his head. How could anyone be perfect? Even a cheat-player like him wouldn't dare to claim that.
Under Yuuki's persuasion, Aimaru gradually recovered.
....
"Toriko, do you have any other questions?"
Aimaru asked. He didn't need to worry about Yuuki. He had already mastered the Ultimate Routine, and Aimaru felt that he would surely be able to perfect this technique even further.
Now, the only one who needed attention was Toriko.
"I think I roughly understand it. But it's not so simple to actually do it. I'll need some time to slowly master this technique."
Toriko nodded. He understood the technique, but he hadn't learned it instantly. The reason was simple: both he and Starjun had been able to learn it in an instant because their Food Honor had already reached the master level.
Food Honor and the Ultimate Routine had many similarities. The current Toriko hadn't even started Food Honor, so he was a bit lost when faced with this.
But with his willpower, though he couldn't learn it instantly now, he could still master it with some time.
And after mastering it, it would also help him learn Food Honor later. He would learn it much faster, so spending time on this technique wasn't a waste.
"As long as you understand. And thank you so much this time, Chef Yuuki. You've shown us a new path, though we may not necessarily walk it."
Aimaru said. Yuuki had pointed out the path of supporting a strong will with immense power. Though Aimaru felt he probably wouldn't take it, it left a choice for the future Gourmet Knights.
They could first temper their willpower. After learning this technique, they could then improve their strength. That way, they could also continuously improve the Ultimate Routine.
At this moment, Aimaru felt as if he had seen a brand-new path, his eyes filled with light.
"Actually, Aimaru, there is another path you can take."
Yuuki suddenly said. Aimaru's attitude had already shown that he wouldn't take the path of strengthening his Gourmet Cells. But Yuuki felt there was another way to try.
"Another path? What is it?"
Hearing this, Aimaru's eyes lit up again. The inspiration Yuuki had brought him was very useful, so now that he said this, he didn't have a shred of doubt.
"Don't get your hopes up too high, Aimaru. This is just a theory of mine."
Yuuki shook his head. He wasn't trying to fool him—it was an idea that had just come to him.
"A theory? Whether it's correct or not, we'll know once we test it. Please speak, Chef Yuuki!"
Aimaru said that whether it was a theory or not didn't matter. As long as they tested it, they would get an answer. Toriko also pricked up his ears.
He knew the gap between himself and Yuuki, so he didn't feel there was any problem with learning from him. The theory Yuuki was about to present might be very useful to him as well, so he planned to listen carefully.
"In the Gourmet World, on the Sixth Continent, there is a gate to the World of Souls."
"The World of Souls is a strange space, separate from the real world. After humans and various ingredients die, they all go to the World of Souls."
"There, the flow of time is different. A hundred years in the World of Souls is but a moment in the outside world."
"The souls that enter the World of Souls will be slowly worn away. In this process, the soul will gradually forget who it is, gradually lose its form, and eventually disappear."
"But conversely, while the vast majority of souls can't hold on and are worn away, there is a portion of souls that are very powerful. In this process of being worn away, they might forget who they are, but they can survive."
"And on the Sixth Continent, powerful Food Spirits can even seize the bodies of others and be revived in a different way."
Yuuki told the two of them about the World of Souls.
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