Chapter 469 - 468: Might Cut Out a Sky Full of Stars

Jiang Zuo didn't care whether Su Qi went to say hello or not.

This time wouldn't be as awkward as the last time at the Holy Land.

Besides, Demon Cultivator Mo Yan wasn't here, so no one would be making any insolent remarks.

Otherwise, Jiang Zuo was worried he wouldn't be able to stop himself from making a move.

But it was also good that Su Qi wasn't going. They could have fun without worrying about anyone else.

And with the Divine Transformation Pill, no one would be able to recognize them, which was even better.

As for the people here to compete, Jiang Zuo could only mourn for them in silence.

He was truly clueless when it came to cooking; a hundred of him would be no match for Zhong Yiyang. But when it came to Sword Skill, ten thousand Zhong Yiyangs would be no match for him.

Just then, Su Qi said, "That person is Zhong Yiyang, the owner of the Inexplicable Fate Restaurant. He's quite a good cook. You should watch out for him; he's definitely in this competition."

"Mm, no problem," Jiang Zuo said with a smile.

Su Qi looked at Jiang Zuo and said, "We're just here to have fun, so don't get too serious, okay?"

This place was full of Cultivators, so Su Qi was still a little worried. It wasn't anything else she was worried about, but rather that Jiang Zuo's pride would be hurt.

Seeing the worried look in Su Qi's eyes, Jiang Zuo said softly, "Don't worry so much all the time, it'll give you wrinkles. You're the one who never needs to grow up. Just trust me."

Su Qi paused for a moment, then smiled with narrowed eyes. "Mm. I'll give you a reward when we get back tonight."

Jiang Zuo, who had been perfectly calm, felt a ripple in his heart.

'A reward? There's no need for that.'

"Fellow Daoists and Fairies, whether you are an ordinary person or a Cultivator, eating is essential in the early stages! Isn't it agonizing when you obtain a precious ingredient someday, only to find you can't cook it yourself?" a female Fairy serving as the host announced from the stage.

She used Magic to amplify her voice, so she naturally wasn't worried that people couldn't hear her.

The surrounding area was shielded, so there was also no need to worry about the sound being too loud and disturbing other places.

Hearing the host's words, Jiang Zuo nodded in understanding.

'It's true. In his previous life, he had so desperately wanted to cook for himself, but unfortunately, he had absolutely no Talent for it. It would be a lie to say he didn't care.'

'Something he couldn't accomplish in his past life, he still couldn't do in this one.'

'He really was a failure.'

'Just like killing Jiu Xi. He couldn't do that in this life, either.'

Su Qi interrupted Jiang Zuo's nodding and said, a little peeved, "Why are you nodding so seriously? Don't you still have me? What I know is what you know."

Jiang Zuo sighed. 'That's not the same thing, is it?'

You could share items, but Skills couldn't be shared.

As if agreeing with Su Qi, the host continued, "But it's alright if you don't know how, as long as you have a partner! If your partner knows how, it's the same thing.

You can imagine how important it is for your partner to know how to cook.

We don't have time to test the dishes themselves today. We will only be testing Sword Skill.

A good Immortal Chef must have excellent Sword Skill. It's an essential requirement."

"The test of Sword Skill is simple. We'll take up to a hundred people at a time. There's a Cultivation restriction in the arena that suppresses nearly all Cultivation, so fellow Daoists and Fairies, you will have to rely on your own abilities.

Now, will all participating Daoists and Fairies please take your positions."

Following the host's command, people began to file into the arena.

Jiang Zuo asked curiously, "This competition doesn't have a registration limit. Does that mean there's a second round?

Is there a champion for every round?"

"Not exactly," a male Cultivator next to them said. "There is indeed more than one champion, but not one for every round.

You only become a new champion by surpassing the first round's winner. The same goes for subsequent rounds; you have to surpass the strongest to count.

However, it's said that you only receive the mysterious prize if you meet the true requirement. That's the real champion."

Neither Su Qi nor Jiang Zuo fully understood.

The two of them had been too busy being lovey-dovey for the past two days to pay any attention to the competition rules.

The male Cultivator added, "It's up to the host to decide. If they say you've met it, you have. If not, you haven't.

Alright, the round is almost full. If you want to participate, you'd better hurry.

By the way, can I get a fee for the explanation?"

Jiang Zuo and Su Qi: "..."

In the end, Su Qi gave him a First-Grade Spirit Stone.

"My thanks to you both. May you be blessed with a child soon." The Cultivator clasped his fists in a gesture of thanks and then headed for the arena.

Su Qi smiled. "Well, that Spirit Stone wasn't a waste. I do want to have a child."

Jiang Zuo shook his head with a wry smile, then said, "I'm heading in. I'll see if I can get that hidden prize."

Jiang Zuo said it with great confidence, and Su Qi didn't overthink it, simply nodding obediently.

The prize wasn't important to her. As long as Jiang Zuo could enjoy the competition, that was all that mattered.

She just hoped he wouldn't feel pressured if he lost.

Would Jiang Zuo lose?

Others might not know the answer, but Jiang Zuo certainly did. It was impossible for him to lose.

Soon, Jiang Zuo had taken his place at one of the stations.

In front of Jiang Zuo was a small table. On the table was a saucer, and on the saucer was a piece of fruit.

The fruit was about the size of an apple.

Next to it lay a knife.

Seeing this, he had a good idea of what the competition entailed.

Cut this fruit.

The fruit was a bit ugly and irregularly shaped. Many people didn't even recognize it.

This was hardly a fair competition. But then again, when had Cultivation ever been fair?

"Alright, one hundred contestants are in position. Let's announce the content of the competition."

The host on the stage began, "As you've probably all seen, this is a Flash Star Fruit. This is not an edible fruit, but a romantic one.

It is said that whoever can cut the fruit perfectly will be able to see a sky full of stars.

Very few people can achieve this. It's possible that no one here today has ever witnessed the starry sky within the fruit.

So, whether we are fortunate enough to see it today will depend on whether any of our contestants possess true Mastery of Sword Skill."

A Flash Star Fruit?

Many who heard the name were a bit baffled, as a lot of people don't recognize this fruit. However, most of those present still recognized it.

"I saw one once, but the cut was poor. They say the process is irreversible; a bad cut means it's ruined. The one I saw just ended up as a slightly bright object, like a lightbulb," someone in the crowd said immediately.

"I think the 'sky full of stars' part is fake, don't you? How could something like that be possible? The legend is probably just an exaggeration."

"Exactly. I've cut one before too, and I thought I did a great job, but nothing happened. It was still just like a lightbulb."

"Let's just watch. It's not like everyone is here to see a sky full of stars anyway."

That line of thinking made sense. They were here to watch the Sword Skill, and they could at least judge the quality of the Sword Skill by the brightness of the Flash Star Fruit.

Besides, many were just here to join in on the fun with their lovely companions. The stars were not the main event.

Jiang Zuo looked at the Flash Star Fruit and couldn't help but want to laugh.

'The Flash Star Fruit,' he thought. 'Back when he was practicing his Sword Skill, he often used it for testing.'

In truth, many people could cut a Flash Star Fruit very well. This was especially true for Cultivators, who could use a bit of their Cultivation to slow down and cut it with perfect clarity.

However, the reason they couldn't see the sky full of stars was that they didn't understand the Flash Star Fruit.

A sky full of stars wouldn't appear just because the Flash Star Fruit was cut well.