Kael and the others set off for the imperial capital. At the same time, news about Arkan and Ensei—along with the maps to the Legendary Kitchenware—had already been delivered to the Dark Cooking Society's headquarters.
This time, Kaiyu finally couldn't sit still anymore.
In the past, no matter how shocked or confused he felt, he always remained calm, staying at headquarters to command everything from behind the scenes. But now, he truly couldn't keep his composure.
Among the Five Tiger Stars, the strongest were Kaiyu himself, Ensei, and Arkan. And now, both Ensei and Arkan had been directly subdued by Kael. Even if the two of them hadn't explicitly declared that they were leaving the Dark Cooking Society… what difference did that make?
Kael and the Dark Cooking Society were sworn enemies. If Arkan and Ensei were now following Kael, how could they possibly remain part of the Dark Cooking Society?
And the most infuriating part was that this whole mess was his fault.
Arkan and Ensei had been sent out by Kaiyu himself. He had ordered them to obtain the Legendary Kitchenware by any means necessary.
In the end, not only did they fail to bring back the kitchenware, they even delivered two top-tier talents straight into Kael's hands.
"Just how strong is this guy?" Kaiyu muttered. "Arkan and Ensei both fell to him one after the other—and he's even a successor of the Bailuo family!"
Kaiyu was genuinely stunned. Kael hadn't only displayed overwhelming combat strength—his culinary skill was downright terrifying. He had even mastered the Bailuo family's Soul-Calming Secret Technique.
Back then, even though Rogo had joined the Dark Cooking Society, he never passed his inheritance down to them. And now that very legacy had ended up in the hands of some unknown upstart who came out of nowhere.
"They were defeated… and even pledged their loyalty to him!"
Juchi, standing to the side, wore a ferocious expression.
Deep down, there was still a trace of innocence left in him, but in a place like the Dark Cooking Society, that side of him had long been worn away and buried.
What baffled him most was why Arkan and Ensei would actually keep their word.
In his view, if you were part of the Dark Cooking Society, you should act like it. Breaking promises was nothing special—it was something they did all the time.
And yet, Arkan and Ensei had actually honored their word and become Kael's subordinates. That was something Juchi simply couldn't wrap his head around.
All it showed was how thoroughly Juchi had been assimilated by the Dark Cooking Society. His way of thinking and doing things had already completely tilted toward its twisted values.
"The only good news is these two maps," Kaiyu said, staring at them. "But they were obviously left behind on purpose. Judging from the locations, they should be the White Tiger Pot and the Spirit Storehouse."
Even with this gain, Kaiyu felt no joy at all. After all, this 'reward' was nothing more than alms thrown to him by someone else.
"What is he trying to do by leaving these maps behind?" Juchi asked, puzzled.
Kael leaving the maps behind was basically handing those two pieces of kitchenware straight to them. What was the point?
"What's he after?" Kaiyu sneered. "All of them. Every single piece of Legendary Kitchenware."
"That bastard is unbelievably arrogant. He clearly thinks he can crush us completely—he probably doesn't even take the Dark Cooking Society seriously."
"He left these two maps so we'd help him collect the rest faster. As for himself, if I'm not mistaken, he's already gone to the imperial capital. He knows we can't get our hands on the Jade Dragon Pot in the palace."
As Kaiyu spoke, his expression twisted.
This wasn't the first time he'd been looked down on. When he was young, he'd been bullied constantly. In a fit of rage, he'd poisoned those people to death.
Now, being looked down on by Kael stirred up those old memories again—memories of humiliation he couldn't erase.
He was already the supreme leader of the Dark Cooking Society. Neither the imperial court nor the Light Culinary World could do anything about him. And yet, he was still being treated with contempt.
That was something he simply couldn't tolerate.
Juchi froze after hearing this. He truly hadn't expected Kael to be plotting something so insane.
This was the Dark Cooking Society's territory. Once they obtained the kitchenware, it would all be sent back to headquarters. Under those circumstances, how was Kael supposed to collect everything?
Was he planning to storm the Dark Cooking Society's headquarters with just a handful of people?
The reason the imperial court and the Light Culinary World left them alone was simple—they had no confidence in taking them down. Liangshanpo was easy to defend and hard to attack. The cost would be enormous.
What he didn't understand was just how terrifying a superhuman could be. In an era without weapons of mass destruction, a single superhuman was practically invincible.
"Enough. We'll deal with the rest later," Kaiyu said coldly. "Juchi, you'll be in charge of locating the White Tiger Pot. As for the Spirit Storehouse, Mira happens to be nearby—leave that to her. I want both pieces brought back as fast as possible."
Kaiyu wanted to see for himself what Kael would do once all three pieces of kitchenware were gathered at the Dark Cooking Society.
Of course, before Kael could come knocking, he'd have to get through the ten trials of the imperial palace first.
The palace was a headache for the Dark Cooking Society as well. It was the stronghold of the Light Culinary World, home to its leading organization—the Imperial Kitchen—and also the very heart of the imperial court.
Just as the court couldn't do anything about the Dark Cooking Society, the Dark Cooking Society was equally powerless against the court.
Only someone from the Taiji Cuisine Realm might have been capable of taking the Jade Dragon Pot out of the palace.
Because of that, Kaiyu felt deeply conflicted.
On one hand, he hoped Kael would succeed and bring the Jade Dragon Pot out. If that happened, obtaining all the Legendary Kitchenware would finally be possible.
On the other hand, he also hoped Kael would fail. If Kael truly pulled it off, then storming the Dark Cooking Society afterward might not be such an impossible task.
Either way, Kaiyu knew what he had to do now—secure the remaining Legendary Kitchenware first. Everything else could wait.
Juchi set off immediately after receiving his orders. Kaiyu had once recognized his talent, and for Juchi, that was a debt he never forgot. Even though he'd made mistakes along the way, he believed those were his own faults, not Kaiyu's.
His admiration for Kaiyu remained unwavering, and he followed orders without hesitation. He immediately went to search for the White Tiger Pot, while the other map was sent to Mira.
While the Dark Cooking Society sprang into action, Kael's group was doing the same.
After a long journey, they finally arrived at the imperial capital. Kael had everyone disguise themselves.
After all, he was planning to take the Jade Dragon Pot from the palace. Doing it openly would be suicide.
If he showed up boldly in the capital, both the Dark Cooking Society and the Light Culinary World would keep a close eye on his movements. Even if he managed to get the Jade Dragon Pot, neither side would let him go afterward.
Kael had no intention of using conventional methods to obtain it. He planned to steal it quietly.
Naturally, disguises were necessary.
Fortunately, this world had face-changing techniques. The Dark Cooking Society's inheritance included them.
That was how figures like Shan and others could repeatedly disguise themselves to deceive people.
Kael had mastered the technique as well, so the group entered the capital wearing completely unfamiliar faces.
As for Arkan's Explosive Flame, Kael had prepared plenty of ice water for him. Ice water worked far better than plain cold water, and Kael could take it out whenever needed.
The others didn't know how Kael did it, and he had no intention of explaining. For now, Arkan's issue of carrying water everywhere was solved.
"Have you two sensed Qi at all during the journey?" Kael asked.
On the way, Kael had taught them how to cultivate Qi. This wasn't Kaiyu's crude, trial-and-error approach. Kael had refined the method using materials he obtained from Master Yuxian and adjusted it specifically for Arkan and Ensei.
Both of them had already begun trying to sense Qi.
Once Arkan learned that Qi could suppress his Explosive Flame, he trained with incredible dedication.
As for Riko, she was still only a Lin Chef, so Qi was completely out of her reach—for now, at least. Even if she reached the Dragon Chef level, mastering Qi would still be nearly impossible.
"I still haven't sensed anything," Ensei said, shaking his head. He'd been diligent too, but his foundation simply couldn't compare to Arkan's.
Arkan, on the other hand, trained day and night.
Luckily, they'd traveled by carriage—otherwise, he wouldn't have had nearly as much time to practice.
"I've sensed it," Arkan said with a grin. "It's still very weak, but it's definitely there. And I can feel it suppressing my Explosive Flame!"
He'd worked far harder than Ensei. His ability had plagued him since childhood, so now that he finally had a chance to control it, there was no way he'd slack off.
In truth, Kaiyu could have taught them Qi as well. Even though Kaiyu himself wasn't very proficient, given enough time, Arkan and Ensei probably could've mastered it.
But Qi was Kaiyu's greatest trump card. There was no way he'd casually teach it to others.
That was why learning Qi from Kaiyu had never been an option for them.
"Well done, Arkan," Ensei said sincerely. "All that effort finally paid off."
There was no jealousy in his voice—only respect. He knew exactly how much work Arkan had put in.
"All right," Kael said. "You all rest at the inn. Tonight, I'll take a walk around the palace."
Hearing that, Ensei, Arkan, and Riko all nodded without hesitation. They'd already seen just how terrifying Kael was.
Whether the palace could stop him—or whether he might fall there—never even crossed their minds.
Kael had deliberately shown them his power to steady their hearts, to make sure they understood exactly what kind of leader they were following.
Night soon fell.
The imperial capital was almost completely dark. This wasn't the bustling, sleepless south of later eras—where you could get food at any hour and do whatever you felt like.
Tonight, even the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
It was the perfect time for Kael to move.
He changed into night-black clothes and set off immediately.
At his current level, avoiding detection was effortless. City walls posed no obstacle at all—he scaled them with ease.
The benefits granted by Gourmet Cells were simply absurd. In this world, Kael was unstoppable.
The palace was heavily guarded, but no defense was flawless. Where stealth failed, Kael simply struck, knocking guards unconscious.
Finding the dragon throne wasn't difficult. It sat in the main hall.
After dealing with everyone nearby, Kael quickly discovered the mechanism beneath the throne. Once activated, two Jade Dragon Pots appeared.
Without hesitation, Kael stored both Jade Dragon Pots in his Storage Space, reset the mechanism, and left.
Some guards had been knocked out, so the palace would certainly tighten security afterward. But discovering that the Jade Dragon Pots were missing wouldn't be easy.
Very few people even knew they were hidden there. Most only knew that the Jade Dragon Pots were somewhere within the palace.
If anyone guessed, they'd naturally assume the Imperial Kitchen.
After all, they were kitchenware. Who would ever imagine they were hidden beneath the emperor's throne?