The Awakening Square was silent.
Not the kind of silence that came after an Elder's command or the silence of meditation. This was the silence of disbelief.
Hundreds of people had just witnessed the impossible: Yun Kai, son of a wealthy merchant clan, had broken through his bottleneck from… a bowl of rice.
No sword strikes, no thunder tribulation, no blazing meditation technique.
Just rice.
And the person who cooked it wasn't a genius or a clan heir. It wasn't even a disciple.
It was me.
Ren, the sect's kitchen drudge.
---
Yun Kai knelt in the dirt, face pale, qi still swirling violently in his body. His lips moved soundlessly, as if searching for an excuse. The sweat soaking his robes betrayed the truth — he had felt the rice's Dao deeper than anyone else.
I stood over him, my Stove roaring behind me. Spirit Flame hissed and snapped, as though laughing.
For years, he had spat on me, called me trash, stolen my food and laughed while I starved. Now, with one bowl, Heaven itself had slapped him harder than I ever could.
Whispers tore through the crowd like a storm.
"Did you see it? He advanced!"
"I swear on my ancestors, I saw his qi surge!"
"This is sorcery. It must be sorcery!"
"No… it smelled like Dao. It felt like Dao…"
Parents who had laughed at me a moment ago now leaned forward, greed flickering in their eyes. Outer disciples shifted uncomfortably, some clutching their stomachs.
Even a few elders who had dismissed me as dirt were staring at my Stove, throats bobbing as they swallowed saliva.
The officiating Elder's hand tightened on his staff until his knuckles whitened. His lips trembled with fury, but his gaze betrayed something far worse: hunger.
"This cannot be," he muttered, voice too low for most to hear. "Cooking cannot be a Dao…"
But even he had inhaled the fragrance. His denial was hollow.
---
Yun Kai staggered to his feet, qi unsteady. His face burned crimson, eyes bloodshot.
"You—" His voice cracked. He jabbed a trembling finger at me. "You dare humiliate me with your cooking? That rice was a trick! A fluke! Nothing more!"
He raised his voice louder, hoping to drown out his own panic. "If it's real, do it again! Cook now, in front of everyone!"
The crowd seized on his words instantly.
"Yes, prove it again!"
"Make him cook! If it was real once, it will be real twice!"
"Or maybe it was just luck?"
The square swelled with demands. The same people who mocked me moments ago now clamored like beggars at my stall.
I looked at Yun Kai's twisted expression and felt a smile spread across my lips.
"You want another slap?" I asked quietly.
The words carried through the square like a knife through silk.
"Fine. Open your mouths. I'll feed you until you choke on your shame."
The Dao Stove roared, its flame leaping higher, a beast baring its fangs.
---
Rice alone would not be enough. Not this time.
I reached into the air, and the Stove responded. A clay pot materialized, heavy and solid, its rim inscribed with faint silver lines.
Spirit Flame coiled beneath it like a serpent.
I dropped marrow bones into the pot. They hissed as fat met flame. Next came onions, cracked with the side of my knife, their sharp fragrance cutting the air. Root vegetables followed — hard, bitter things, softened by fire.
The crowd leaned forward as the broth began to boil. The sound was soft, but it carried, a heartbeat steady and certain.
"Why… why does it smell like that?" someone whispered.
"My old injury… it feels lighter just from the steam…" another murmured.
"It's… it's as if the broth is washing through my veins."
The mocking voices dwindled into silence.
I stirred the pot slowly, letting the marrow dissolve, turning clear broth into liquid gold. When the bubbles thickened, I sprinkled a pinch of salt. The Dao runes along the Stove flared, as if approving the balance.
The fragrance swelled, heavy and rich. It didn't just fill noses — it sank into bones, wrapped around hearts.
The square grew restless. Children whined, parents swallowed hard, and cultivators shifted uneasily as their qi stirred without command.
---
When the broth was ready, I lifted the ladle.
The soup shimmered faintly, as though moonlight had been ground into liquid.
I filled the first bowl and shoved it into Yun Kai's hands.
He sneered, though his fingers trembled. "I'll expose you. I'll prove this is fake!"
He gulped it down.
The moment the broth touched his tongue, his body convulsed. His eyes bulged, his face twisted. He staggered, clutching his chest—
Then froze.
His unstable qi, which moments ago threatened to rip him apart, smoothed like silk. His wild breathing steadied. His shoulders loosened, as if invisible chains had broken.
Gasps exploded through the square.
"His foundation… it stabilized!"
"Impossible! That takes months of meditation!"
"That broth healed him!"
Even the Elder's voice cracked. "No… no, this is madness. Cooking cannot heal cultivation! It cannot…"
But his own throat moved, betraying him.
---
The chime rang in my mind, crisp and undeniable.
> [Ding! Dish Cooked: Bone Marrow Broth (1★)]
✦ Effect: Restores stamina, stabilizes unstable qi, heals minor injuries
✦ Bowl Points +15
---
I swept my gaze across the disciples who had laughed earlier.
Now their mouths were shut tight. Faces pale. Eyes flickering with greed and fear.
"You mocked me," I said slowly. "Called me servant. Trash. Stove-boy. Remember this moment. Remember that Heaven chose me to cook your cultivation into existence."
Spirit Flame flared higher, casting orange light across their trembling faces.
Not a laugh remained.
Only fear.
---
"ENOUGH!"
The officiating Elder's roar cracked across the square like thunder. He slammed his staff against the ground. Sparks leapt from the stone.
"This is heresy!" His eyes blazed. "Cooking is mortal work! It is not Dao! This boy has awakened something dangerous and unstable.
Until the sect masters investigate, he will be confined to the outer kitchens! Let him cook there, under supervision. If his tricks fail, he will be discarded!"
Murmurs rippled.
"That's too cruel…"
"No, the Elder is right. He must be tested."
"But what if it really is Dao…? To waste it would be a sin…"
The crowd fractured into whispers of awe, fear, and greed.
---
Yun Kai wiped broth from his chin. His face was red, his pride shredded.
"You hear that, kitchen rat?" he spat, voice trembling. "You'll be locked in the kitchens where you belong. Don't think a trick bowl makes you my equal."
His hands shook. The qi in his body had only just stabilized, and he knew it.
I let my smile widen.
"You begged for my food," I said softly. "And you'll beg again."
His face twisted crimson. The laughter he expected didn't come. Not one disciple dared to join him.
---
The Elder snapped his fingers. Two guards stepped forward, armor clanking, expressions grim.
"Escort him back to the kitchens," the Elder ordered. "The sect will test this… Cooking Dao. If he fails, his Stove will be destroyed, and his life with it."
The guards reached for me.
I didn't resist.
Because in my mind, the chime rang again.
---
> [New Quest: Feed 100 disciples of the sect within 7 days]
✦ Reward: Advance to 2★ Spirit Chef
✦ Bonus Reward: New Skill — Flavor of Truth (shared food reveals lies)
---
I lowered my gaze, hiding the fire burning in my chest.
The crowd still whispered, torn between awe and suspicion. The Elder glared at me as though I carried a plague. Yun Kai trembled, already plotting his revenge.
But none of it mattered.
Because for the first time in my life, Heaven had answered me.
Food was not trash. Food was Dao.
And I would make the world choke on every bite.
---