Chapter 105 - Treasure-Class Dishes

At that moment, Lu Ran confidently claimed that his Blizzard Sword Intent was a unique culinary technique—the “Ice Blade Technique.” Luckily, he had understood Blizzard Sword Intent before entering; otherwise, he would have had nothing impressive to mention.

He looked so talented that it wouldn’t be surprising if some hidden master chef appeared to teach him.

“Ice Blade Technique?” Manager Long was taken aback.

“Huh...”

White Tiger Sis and the others stared at the inconspicuous Lu Ran in shock.

A unique culinary technique?

Didn’t you say you were just a student? Even if you were a student from a culinary school, you wouldn’t have learned something like this!

One had to admit, Lu Ran’s words successfully piqued Manager Long’s curiosity.

She looked at him and asked, “Are you saying that your familiar is of the ice attribute, and you can harness its power to execute this ice-attribute technique?”

This was indeed an advantage. It was somewhat similar to a familiar with a fire attribute—though not rare among skilled chefs, it was still better than the five people beside him, who had no skills.

The others slowly began to understand.

So that’s how it was...

An ice-attribute familiar with a unique beastmaster skill. Nothing too remarkable.

However, Lu Ran responded, “No.”

“Then you must have special culinary tools that contain ice-attribute power. But unfortunately, the gourmet assessment prohibits the use of such tools.”

“Also no,” Lu Ran continued.

“Without any external assistance, I achieved this purely through relentless self-discipline to become an exceptional chef, honing my spirit to a certain level.

“I can accomplish all of this on my own!”

As Lu Ran finished, Manager Long froze, as did Bai Ling and the others, dumbfounded.

No familiar, no extraordinary equipment... What are you saying!?

“What an amusing little fellow.”

Manager Long smirked, saying, “Interesting. I’d like to see what your Ice Blade Technique entails. Follow me to the backup kitchen. Show me this Ice Blade Technique of yours!”

Lu Ran had no objections. Manager Long spun on her heel, and he followed without hesitation, as if some hidden mission had triggered. Beside him, Bai Ling and the others remained baffled, but reluctantly followed.

“Brother Sudden Death, what on earth is Ice Blade Technique?” Deer Masking Horse asked curiously on the way.

“Uh... I can’t really explain. Just watch,” Lu Ran replied.

It’s Sword Intent, after all.

Haih... using the Sword Intent I learned from Teacher Jiang Dou who held it in such high regard just to cook...

Lu Ran felt a pang of guilt.

Soon, they arrived at a quiet kitchen, equipped with a complete range of culinary tools from both Blue Planet’s Eastern and Western styles.

Manager Long walked to the corner, lifted a dusty cloth, and took out an unfamiliar piece of meat that resembled beef. She placed the beast meat on the cutting board, nodded, and gestured for Lu Ran to choose a knife and begin his demonstration.

At this moment, everyone observed the meat, finding it nothing special—just ordinary beef. Lu Ran stepped forward and began selecting from the numerous knives.

After a while, he found one that felt right. Instead of a cleaver, he chose a fruit knife-like tool, twirling it before finally focusing on the beast meat.

The next second, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, patted the meat, and tossed it into the air. Immediately, with his right hand gripping the knife, he slashed rapidly at the airborne meat, his movements too quick to follow.

During the process, the gleam of his blade flashed like a storm, radiating a cold that filled the entire kitchen. Everyone present felt a chill envelop them, as if the room had grown colder.

Seeing this, Deer Masking Horse and the others shivered involuntarily. More surprisingly, when Lu Ran embedded the knife into the cutting board, the beast meat fell—neatly sliced into eight even portions.

This guy actually had knife skills! No, even a proper chef wouldn’t do this. Who tosses meat into the air to slice it? This technique didn’t seem like something learned through traditional knife training.

Yet, what baffled them most was the current state of the meat. Every cut was covered in a faint frost, with no juices leaking. All the liquid was sealed within, and even now, faint white frost emanated from it, distinctly different from before.

“What is this?” Mountain Adventurer exclaimed in surprise.

He hadn’t seen Lu Ran rely on his familiar or any extraordinary equipment. Why had the meat turned out this way? What kind of special ability was this?

The others stared wide-eyed, unable to sense any ice-attribute energy during the process. But this meat...

“This...” Manager Long’s expression shifted as she quickly approached and touched the beast meat.

Cold seeped into her hand, unlike the chill caused by temperature or ice-attribute energy. For a moment, as she touched the beast meat, she felt as if she were standing amidst a blizzard. She shook her head and looked at Lu Ran in amazement.

“So? How is it?” Lu Ran asked nervously.

“Culinary Intent. Who even are you?” Manager Long narrowed her eyes.

“With talent like this, do you really need to study at Frost Moon House?

“A genius capable of creating food with true essence, with soul... There should be plenty of master chefs eager to take you as a disciple.”

Lu Ran’s heart pounded wildly.

No way, could Blizzard Sword Intent actually be used for cooking!?

As Manager Long finished speaking, Lu Ran felt thrilled, while the other five fell into silent contemplation, looking at Lu Ran in disbelief.

Damn... Treasure-class cuisine? Culinary Intent...? What is this!?

Was this guy the disciple of some master chef? They had all assumed everyone was entering this secret realm as novices, only for someone with Culinary Intent to emerge! Culinary Intent... it even sounded grand and prestigious.

“I don’t know what Culinary Intent is. I only developed this technique by accident,” Lu Ran said.

“Alright, I understand your situation well enough. Now, go to your respective rooms according to the number on your keys. I’ll assign suitable mentors to each of you soon. As for you, follow me!” Manager Long said, her preference for Lu Ran now obvious.

The other five trial members were dismissed with complicated feelings, while Lu Ran was once again led by Manager Long to his room.

After tossing him his room key, Manager Long stared at him and asked, “Kid, what’s your name? Do you have a mentor?”

“My name is Sudden Death King, but you can call me Little King. I don’t have a mentor. I came to Frost Moon House to find a great teacher to guide me into the culinary arts,” Lu Ran responded sincerely.

“Do you know how strong your talent is?” she asked.

“Didn’t know before. Now, maybe I do,” Lu Ran replied.

Sword Intent is actually connected to Culinary Intent?

Lu Ran truly hadn’t expected this.

At that moment, Manager Long pondered for a while, biting her finger. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a newcomer like you. Embedding one’s spiritual will into culinary tools is a rare skill—especially when mastered without relying on a familiar.”

“I wasn’t mistaken. The meat retained a trace of your frosty Culinary Intent. It’s not yet perfected, but even so, it’s incredibly rare. Once you master it and pair it with suitable ingredients, you might just create a Treasure-class dish!”

Normally, familiars with Intent Formation integrate it into their energy skills, but Lu Ran and Captain Doofus had trained in fusing weapons with intent, carving out a new path. And that path closely aligned with top-tier chef techniques!

“Treasure-class cuisine?!” Lu Ran asked, inwardly ecstatic. If this was true, it would be fantastic. Producing Unique-grade cuisine was enough to pass the breakthrough assessment, but if he could create a Treasure-class dish, he’d exceed the mission requirements a thousandfold.

“Don’t get too excited,” Manager Long shot him a glance. “This could take a year, five years, or even ten. It depends entirely on your talent. Treasure-class cuisine isn’t so easy to achieve. However, passing the gourmet assessment shouldn’t be an issue. Your frosty Culinary Intent limits your cooking style, but when the time comes, just catch a fish in the hunting grounds, make sashimi with simple seasoning, and your skills alone will mesmerize the examiners, drawing them into a blissful illusion. Sashimi is simple, but demands meticulous control over knife skills and temperature.”

“Sashimi...” Lu Ran nodded. Who’d have thought he’d end up as a technical expert? A surprising path forward.

“Of course, I believe your future success won’t be limited to a mere gourmet assessment,” Manager Long said. “Over the next 15 days, I will personally train you to refine your Culinary Intent. Even if you don’t become a chef god like Emperor Flame Quake, your achievements won’t be minor!”

“Alright.” Lu Ran nodded.

The manager herself was stepping in.

He glanced at the beautiful woman before him, wondering if she could cook too.

“I’m curious about your past experiences. Developing Culinary Intent is no easy feat,” Manager Long said as she eyed the young Lu Ran.

“This... It’s difficult?” Lu Ran asked, cheekily.

“Hah...”

Manager Long’s mouth twitched.

Prodigies aren’t all that lovable, it seems.

“Of course it’s hard! Only chefs with Culinary Intent can create dishes with a soul, connecting to the true essence of food!” she snapped, slamming the table.

“Why is Emperor Flame Quake hailed as the originator of culinary arts? Because he was the first to master Culinary Intent!

“Decades ago, when the empire entered a little ice age, Emperor Flame Quake crafted a dish called

Flame Dragon’s Soar

. Its aroma spread across the continent, and those who inhaled it felt the warmth of summer.

“Countless beasts awakened fire attributes, slowly ending the ice age. That level of cuisine likely surpasses Treasure-class and will go down in history.

“For such dishes, high-quality ingredients and powerful Culinary Intent are essential. Every Treasure-class dish can provide unimaginable power to the eater—helping beastmasters break through, aiding familiar evolution,” Manager Long explained.

“Enough. Explaining this is pointless now. I’ll prepare Unique ingredients for you and give you a private room. Focus on refining your Culinary Intent until it perfectly melds with the ingredients.

“Simply having Culinary Intent isn’t enough. You must combine it with the ingredients’ qualities, blending flavor with intent so they complement each other. If your Culinary Intent overpowers the original flavor, it will spoil the dish.

“Furthermore, your Culinary Intent only lingered on the meat for about ten seconds. That’s insufficient. The golden moment could vanish before the eater even tastes it, reducing the dish to something ordinary. A chef must ensure their intent remains embedded in a dish long enough. Yours dissipates too quickly!”

Lu Ran nodded attentively, listening to her guidance. He had no choice. After all, his intent was originally Sword Intent, meant for combat, so naturally, it lacked such meticulous refinement.

Finally, Lu Ran sighed in relief. At least this breakthrough mission seemed achievable. He just needed to aim for Treasure-class cuisine as much as possible. Though, much like the rarity of Treasure-level blacksmiths in Xia, Treasure-class chefs must also be few.

Lu Ran’s expression turned strange. If he actually managed to craft a Treasure-class dish in this secret realm, would he qualify as a culinary arts professor at Beastmaster University when he returned?

From what Master Lin had told him, being a professor paid quite well.