A Welcoming Ceremony

The Skyward Sword Sect group made their way to the north-western border of their eastern nation in the Land of Principles.

The slash on Chu Fan's head had healed and scarred; so he looked like a certain legendary nephew of an emperor deity.

Throughout their journey, the group would journey through dense forests and various cities. Chu Fan and Zhu Zhong would see a number of new things they had yet to discover.

Chu Fan was distracted by the fact that kids around this part of the nation played a card game. This card game reminded him of the trading-card game he played in his past life as a youth. The trading-card game here was called, Dokimon.

Dokimon cards were made from drawing runes using the blood essence of a tamed combat beast with its consent. And so each and every Dokimon card was significantly different. The runes served to project a seemingly physical form of the beasts which would only possess a purpose of battling the opposing Dokimon.

Seeing other children gave Chu Fan many inspirations for things he wanted to try inventing. When he arrived at the Skyward Sword Sect; he would aim to learn the art of runes and array formations as well magical treasure crafting.

After two weeks, they would come to a valley and enter its defensive array. It's atmosphere and lighting made it look heavenly. There was a floating city the shape of a sword in the center chained to five towering mountain peaks that disappeared within the clouds above. The floating city was the Skyward Sword Sect itself. A river flowed through three points of the valley in various directions from: the north, east, and southeast areas.

Below the floating sect in the center of the valley was a metropolis called Stardrop City.

Stardrop City was governed by the Skyward Sword Sect disciples. The disciples were tasked with enforcement and the protection of the city. This served as a way for disciples to accrue pocket change and sect credits, of which they could exchange for cultivation slips and pills.

Arriving at the massive city gates, the group was greeted by the guards of the city. Presenting an identification badge, the guards made way and opened the gates.

The view of a bustling metropolis was presented and Chu Fan and Zhu Zhong opened their mouth in awe. They thought their city was big; but it actually paled in comparison to this metropolis. They were truly a pair of frogs in a well.

The group first made their way through a flea market street. Vendors along the road gave them samples of exotic fruits. They walked pass hunters selling freshly killed beasts and people selling magic trinkets.

"Impressed huh? I remember making the same faces you're making when I first arrived. With time you'll go to even grander places than this when you become stronger." Said a senior disciple guiding them.

Chu Fan and Zhu Zhong gulped at the very thought of the adventures that lay in their future for them.

They then made their way to the town square which had a teleportation array which linked to the sect headquarters above. The group had finally arrived at their destination.

As they appeared on the teleportation platform; they were greeted by the sight of a vermilion falcon and a blue hawk. The mesmerizing pair of birds flew elegantly; performing a dance in the sky for the new recruits of the sect.

They would walk towards the tallest tower in the city that was the meeting hall located in front of the sect chief's manor.

As they entered the meeting hall they were greeted by an elder who was furious. This elder is the hallmaster of Scorching Peak, Xing Ji.

"What took you so long Tao Guang? We had to delay the welcoming ceremony because of you. Two recruits. Mm, we'll worry about that later." he said as he rushed them into a grand hall the size of a baseball field.

In front of them were stairs that led to a stage where the hallmasters would be seated with the sect chiefs seat being the highest and directly facing the crowd.

"Stay here while I notify the others to gather and prepare the welcoming ceremony." Xing Ji said as he left the building.

Moments later the thundering sound of footsteps could be heard as a stampede of recruits and there guides came into the building.

The massive crowd of nearly five hundred people came in and started queues; there were twenty five lines with twenty people to each line.

Some of the people had barely awoken as their hair was disheveled or their clothes weren't fastened properly.

Noticing the party waiting for them as they arrived; some of the other recruits snickered.

"For a bunch of commoners, you made me wait a week. Preposterous!"

"What gall this bunch has, to take their sweet time coming here."

"Look at how they're dressed; just a bunch of country bumpkins."

"Eh, there's two of them? I thought the sect only allowed one recruit every group."

The pair of Chu Fan and Zhu Zhong were dressed accordingly with Huang Dan's planning. To minimize the attention they got the two children would dress like commoners. And thus they stood out amongst the crowd of kids coming from various status and powerful backings.

Annoyed Chu Fan surveyed the crowd that was making these comments. To his delight he noticed some familiar faces.

He had been expecting some cliche characters to present themselves at this time; and they did.

He spotted the typical pretty-boy aristocrat kid with all the magical toys a cultivator could only dream of. He then went on to the next person.

He saw the networker; cliche with his glasses and underlying perverted glares at the senior sister disciples of the sect.

He made a last sweep and spotted the obvious undercover demon-race cross-dresser. Chu Fan could tell that this "he" was in fact a she. She had the classic top-hat and scholar attire, yet her skin was as light as snow and probably as soft as a baby's bottom. Her fingers were slender and not bulky like boys fingers at all. And Chu Fan was able to smell her despite her wearing layers of musky clothing.

Noticing that they were being surveyed, the three children glared at Chu Fan.

Noticing their stares, he began to laugh. Then suddenly he made a serious face and waved his pinky fingers at them in a teasing manner.

With a cold "Harrumph!" the three children turned their chins the other direction.

He knew he'd befriend these people eventually so he turned around to face his guide, Tao Guang, a question.

"Why are we the only group with two children recruits brother Tao Guang?" asked the curious fat child.

Tao Guang broke out in a cold sweat as he looked at his fellow guides that bore a similar look of fear in their hearts.

"Uh....Uhh. Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be okay." he assured the curious child.

Zhu Zhong was maddened at this.

"You knew full well that you could only recruit one disciple and you still lead him on? Have you no shame?" criticized Zhu Zhong.

"His offer was too good. At most he'd be given a servant position. And if he accrues enough sect credits he might be able to be promoted to learning disciple." said Tao Guang in a last ditch effort to appease Zhu Zhong's visible anger.

Chu Fan patted Zhu Zhong's shoulder and comforted him.

"It's fine Zhu Zhong. I came here knowing full well I would only become a servant. I have my ways, so don't worry." he said while giving a thumbs up.

Turning to face Tao Guang, Chu Fan smiled brightly.

"How many sect points do I need to become an outer sect disciple big brother Tao Guang?"

Tao Guang stunned at the answer, he took a couple of seconds to realize that the fat kid really meant to attempt such a feat.

"If you work diligently enough it may take you ten years. The amount of points you need are 50,000 sect points. And the test to become an outer sect disciple is only held once every four years. I'd recommend the cheaper option of becoming a learning disciple at a mere 15,000 points. It's a bargain." he said giving advice to Chu Fan.

"Humph, you underestimate me. An accomplishment like that I can do in a years time, no problem at all." Chu Fan said confidently while pointing at himself with his thumb.

As he finished his statement an announcement was made.

"Quiet. The Sect Chief and Hallmasters have arrived."

Chu Fan was elated as he watched the group of hallmasters walk in. They all looked youthful; as if they never aged a day over thirty years of age.

The scene that played in Chu Fan's mind was in slow motion. Everything resembled a certain entrance seen from a film he watched in his previous life; one of a master gambler that was portrayed by a legendary actor from Hong Kong during the late eighties.

The Sect Chief, Hun Xiao, sat on a throne alongside his wife, Su Yin. And the hallmasters made their way to their respective seats one at a time.

First was the Scorching Peak's Hallmaster, Xing Ji, who sat himself to the right-hand side of the sect chief, with a very serious look on his face.

Second was the River-Flowing Peak's Hallmaster, Bu Fu, who sat herself on the left side where the Sect Chief's wife sat with a calm demeanor.

Third was Iron Peak's Hallmaster, Wu Neng, who sat next to Hallmaster Xing Ji; who held the expression of someone who was lost.

Fourth was Boulder Peak's Hallmaster, Jue Jiang, who arrived at the seat next to Hallmaster Bu Fu; wearing a face of determination.

Fifth was a disciple? A disciple had come in place of the Forest Peak's Hallmaster, Chen Si. He only stood.

Sect Chief began to laugh.

"It seems that junior brother Chen Si does not wish to grace us with his presence today; and so he sent his direct disciple to handle matters. Welcome, Zhong Chen." Hun Xiao said as he waved at the disciple known as Zhong Chen.

Zhong Chen then gave a fist-palm salute.

"Disciple offers his greetings Sect Chief." he boldly stated.

"Good, good. Now let the drafting ceremony begin. Xin Hai, commence with the list of names." declared the sect chief.

A disciple entered the meeting hall with a list. Prompting everybody to turn their heads to see him.

Chu Fan attempted to view the disciple but couldn't get a glimpse because of the crowd. He could only wait patiently like the obedient child next to him did.

This Xin Hai had his back faced to Chu Fan and Zhu Zhong as he headed up the steps leading to the stage.

Walking towards his master, Xin Hai took a quick glance at Zhong Chen for a split second.

This prompted Zhong Chen to step back while performing a fist-hand salute.

"Greetings to Head Disciple Xin Hai." he said with a lowered head.

Nodding in agreement, Xin Hai continued to a halt in front of the sect chief.

"Head Disciple, Xin Hai, offers greeting to teacher and teacher's wife." with a fist-palm salute and bow.

Chu Fan knew who this person was already. He was the most unlikable character in existence. The legendary evil known as the direct disciple of the sect chief; he would resort to all kinds of evil deeds to ensure his future as the next Sect Chief. Any person he saw as a possible threat to his position was to be mercilessly destroyed; especially the hero of the story, who he'd frame with help from an evil group.

Chu Fan felt he needed to oust this evil existence; but he knew his words would do no good. It would only serve to put a target on his own head.

Letting Zhu Zhong know and be vigilant was also no good as he had a righteous heart, as well a "no-bullshit" attitude at the moment. Zhu Zhong and Xin Hai were fated to clash heads in the future regardless of how many warnings Chu Fan gave.

He could only silently wait for the right time to come; when all the chess pieces were aligned perfectly and he had enough evidence to prove of the other party's evil intentions.

The Sect Chief nodded happily and waved his hand.

The Welcoming Ceremony had officially begun.

Xin Hai called out the recruits names one by one; and the children went up one by one, getting assessed by the group of hallmasters as well as the Sect Chief.

The scouts would provide information on the recruits test results and the hallmasters would debate over who belonged to which hall after hearing which hall a recruit wanted to enter. If ever two hallmasters could not come to an agreement over which hall the recruit would go to; the recruit would be allowed to choose which hallmaster they preferred.

A majority of the female recruits had entered the River-Flowing Peak. As it's cultivation methods were Yin in nature; the River-Flowing Peak was only suitable for, and only allowed, women to join.

Some female recruits made their way towards the other peaks they could join Iron Peak, and Boulder Peak.

Forest Peak and Scorching Peak did not accept female disciples because of the fact that their cultivation methods were Yang in nature and were only suitable for men to practice; thus a bar was placed upon female students.

Many of the male recruits headed for Scorching Peak because the Sect Chief had been an alumni of Scorching Peak. And seeing as the cultivation methods were rumored to be more profound and explosive.

The Scorching Peak had a cap on how many students could join as classrooms and teachers were limited. The number of choices for the students were now thinning.

Xin Hai then called out, "Yao Lingyan, step forward."

The crowd and queues had begun thinning so people were no longer in lines but spread groups.

A group made its way to the stage; it was the cross-dresser, Yao Lingyan.

"He" made his way up the steps and greeted everybody with a fist-palm salute.

"Disciple Yao Lingyan offers the Sect Chief, hallmasters, and Sect Chief's wife greetings." he said with a deep bow.

The sect chief's wife, Su Yin, giggled.

"This boy here is so pretty. He would make such a good match for our Hun Lian. Wouldn't you say so Hun Xiao dear?" She said in a teasing manner.

Hun Xiao laughed at her joke and turned to his right side angrily muttering, "No unworthy man shall lay their hands on my daughter while I'm still alive."

With a cough, Yao Lingyan's guide brought attention back to the matter at hand.

"Yao Lingyan, despite being born a boy, has a innate yin energy constitution. To counter the excess yin-energy accumulation, we recommend that he join a peak specializing in yang-nature cultivation." Said the guide.

Nodding in agreement, the hallmasters turned to the "boy".

"And what peak have you selected?" asked the Sect Chief.

"The Forest Peak, Sect Chief." stated Yao Lingyan without hesitation.

Shocked by her decision, he asked, "Are you definite? This matter concerns your life. Perhaps I can convince Scorching Peaks hallmaster to allow one extra person."

"Yes, this disciple chooses the Forest Peak." Yao Lingyan stated.

Chu Fan had seen this coming from a mile away. He knew that the undercover cross-dresser would choose the Forest Peak because it was the least popular of the group. For the sake of lying low and under the radar, the demon spy would definitely choose Forest Peak.

With a smile, Zhong Chen issued Yao Lingyan an identity badge, in the shape of a leaf, to which Yao Lingyan dripped some blood as to verify him as an official member of the sect; notifying the defensive array to open for him.

A few more chose until a boy named, Da Bao was called onstage. He was the rich pretty boy.

The guide gave his information, he had a special divine beast lineage. Though it was thinned out over the millennia, Da Bao was rumored to have came an ancient dragon lineage. Legends were told of his family patriarch that married a dragon princess.

"Which peak do you choose? You seem to match Scorcher peak, might you want to be the special exception?" Asked the Sect Chief.

"No. I wish I could choose Scorcher Peak. But my old man would beat me black and blue if I don't go to Forest Peak. He said it's cultivation methods are more suitable for us considering our ancestor was a dragon." Da Bao seemed to be bragging and complaining at the same time. And so he received a leaf-shaped identification badge also.

Chu Fan could only chuckle and shake his head.

Next was a boy called Tian Han. He quickly rushed to the stairs.

Before his guide could talk, Tian Han had spoken.

"I choose Forest Peak." Tian Han casually stated.

"He has the innate talent, Eyes of god-. Hn?" The guide was interrupted by Tian Han's sudden choice.

Chu Fan, knew what this pervert was thinking and could only laugh internally.

And so Zhong Chen swiftly handed him his leaf-shaped badge and shoo him off the stage before the Sect Chief got mad.

And so the list of names grew smaller and the groups all disappeared until there was only one group waiting around.

The various peaks had spread out around the meeting hall, ready to leave for their respective peak hall dorms after the ceremony was over.

The Sect Chief noticing the group asked, "Xin Hai, why haven't you called their names yet?"

"Reporting to master, their names are not on the list. This group came last and didn't register the name of the recruit." said Xin Hai.

"Tao Guang, what is this boy's name." he said while pointing in the general direction.

"Disciple Tao Guang reports; this child's name is Chu Fan." Tao Guang stated with his head lowered.

"Chu Fan? He looks so heroic, has he any innate talent?" asked the Sect Chief.

"Yes, he has a rare innate talent: inverse-elemental affinity." Tao Guang said.

"What? The fabled inverse-elemental affinity? Impressive! How about it Chu Fan? Would you like to become my second direct disciple?" asked the Sect Chief casually.

Hearing these words, Xin Hai's face twitched as he fought to hold his killing aura back.

Chu Fan felt proud at this point and stated, "I wouldn't mind it. Thank you for considering me as a direct disciple. This disciple humbly accepts your offer." and he bowed while making a fist-palm salute.

Zhu Zhong found it funny for Chu Fan to act so humble and polite in the face of an adult and couldn't hold in his laughter.

Shocked by who answered, Hun Xiao retracted his words.

"I thought the other child was the one with an inverse-elemental affinity? This little fat kid can in no way, possibly, have such a rare innate talent. Whatever, what is the name of the other child; the skinny one? Hun Xiao asked.

"Disciple is sorry. This child here is called Zhu Zhong. He has an innate yang constitution as well as a dual-elemental affinity." Tao Guang stated with fear.

"Now that's more like it. Now Zhu Zhong. You shall be my direct disciple. I can't afford to hand you over to Forest Peak. With our luck, you'll become a recluse like my junior disciple, Chen Si. I shall train you to be the hero you are fated to be. How about it?" debated Hun Xiao.

Zhu Zhong wanted to accept but hesitated. He turned to look at Chu Fan.

"Chu Fan, what should I do? If I go with him, I can become strong enough to get revenge for us. But I can't bare with the pain of abandoning my sworn brother." said Zhu Zhong with tears welling in his eyes.

Sniffling, Chu Fan comforted his sworn brother.

"Of course you can rely on me. Go on. Take this chance to become stronger. I'll catch up to you in no time. I can take care of myself. It's no problem for me at all. I've got a plan. Just wait for me." comforting his pal he began to cry.

The two hugged and Zhu Zhong turned to give his answer.

"This disciple, Zhu Zhong, humbly offers greetings to teacher." following his statement he knelt and kowtowed three times.

Obtaining his badge from the seemingly calm Xin Hai; Zhu Zhong made his way off to the side.

Xin Hai was noticeably more relaxed now that he discovered Zhu Zhong wasn't as impressive compared to a one in a billion innate talent.

Now the sect chief turned to the leftover group.

"Tao Guang! You know the rules. We only allow one recruit each group. What have you to say for yourself?" demanded Hun Xiao.

Tao Guang, trembling answered, "He gave us an offer we couldn't deny. And we only agreed to it after testing him. If not for him proving us wrong, we still don't believe he has such a rare innate talent."

"Offer? Test? What was he offering that you'd play along into the hands of a child?" asked Hun Xiao.

Tao Guang, in a rush to explain, said, "He proposed that he become out sect's cook in exchange for becoming a studying disciple only. We tested his cooking skills and we must say that he's gifted."

"We also can contest to that." the other guides backed Tao Guang.

Hun Xiao's interest was piqued. He hadn't had a good meal in over a couple of decades. The kitchen seemed to be cursed as whoever tried to cook never had their food taste right.

"Chu Fan, being so young, who taught you how to cook?" asked Hun Xiao.

Chu Fan thought for a moment and came up with an excuse.

"My sister had met an old traveling master once. He lived an ascetic lifestyle; my sister gave him food and shelter from the rain one night. He offered to cook to pay back my sister's kindness. I was so curious and spent all day watching him cook. Noticing my curiosity, he taught me a couple of cooking techniques as well as some recipes of his." explained Chu Fan.

Chuckling, Su Yin interjected with, "I like this witty kid. Hun Xiao give him his demands. It's the least you can do. Especially since you lead him on earlier about becoming your direct disciple."

Hun Xiao had no means to deny his wives demands. If he angered her, he'd have hell to pay for; especially considering she was the former sect chief's only daughter and child.

Thinking for a while, a paper lantern lit up in his mind.

Giddy from his idea, Hun Xiao said, "Fine, I'll agree to let you become the cook of Skyward Sword Sect. As for which peak you'll enter as a studying disciple; you shall go to Forest Peak. Are you content with this?"

Not finding anything wrong with this Chu Fan nodded and said, "This disciple accepts. Thank you Sect Chief's wife. Thank you Sect Chief for your benevolence."

Chu Fan walked over to Zhong Chen and retrieved his leaf-shaped token that was a lighter shade of green than the others.

Almost forgetting he headed back to ask the sect chief.

"Sect Chief, I almost forgot. How many sect points does it cost to become an outer disciple? And what methods can I use to gain points?" asked the curious eight year old fat kid.

The sect chief took notice to the fat boy from before and answered, "It will cost you 50,000 sect points to attempt the test. The test itself is only given once every four years. If you cannot pass it then it's just not your fate to walk the path of a cultivator." Hun Xiao said with a serious face.

"As for how to accrue points; the identification badge given to you as a way of keeping track of your points. As you've placed a droplet of blood on it, the points you place into it will be bound to your possession until you make a transaction." explained Hun Xiao.

Scratching his head, Chu Fan finally understood and asked, "Wait, one last question. When cooking, what is the kitchen budget?"

From his previous life he knew that running a kitchen was not cheap and so needed to get a feel for what kind of foods he might be able to cook.

Su Yin was the treasurer of the sect and said, "Chu Fan, as the cook of our sect. You will be supplied a limitless supply of medium-grain spirit rice. Salts, Sugars, Herbs, and Spices will be restocked every two weeks. As for meats and vegetables, we'll give you a monthly budget of 20,000 coins. Anything leftover you can keep; and anything more than your budget will come out of your pocket."

Chu Fan didn't really care about things like a budget, he only wanted to know how much pocket change he could have each month.

He had planned to eventually go hunting and foraging to cut his expenses in the future while being able to explore the vast terrain surrounding his sect.

"Thank you! This disciple understands." With a fist-salute and a bow, Chu Fan turned and headed towards his group.

Zhong Chen was all smiles. He had managed to recruit some impressive new recruits this year. The years prior to this, with the help of Hun Xiao, his master Chen Si was unable to persuade any students to join their Forest Peak. This caused Chen Si to enter a slump where he constantly revised his method of approach with the new recruits.

He happily lead his small group of junior disciples to their new homes. They all were to stay in a single dorm together, including Chu Fan.

They were going to make him stay in the servant quarters. But seeing as he was only a child and there was enough room for many more students in this dorm; he was allowed to live here with the new recruits.

They were unpacking their luggage and choosing their sleeping places. Chu Fan chose to sleep in a corner near a window that he knew would would give him a view of the moon at night.

After he was done unpacking; Chu Fan headed over to the others to introduce himself.

"Hello fellow disciples, my name is Chu Fan. I look forward to getting along with each of you. Swing by the kitchen if you're ever hungry and I'll feed you." greeted Chu Fan.

The other children merely rolled their eyes. The fact that a mere studying disciple like Chu Fan could stay in the same dorm was already giving him too much respect. The others also saw themselves in a higher class, as well as being older than Chu Fan, and thus chose not to interact with this common servant.

Knowing full well he'd been ignored by the other three students, he chose not to force the situation and left for his new work area: the Sky Sword Sect's cafeteria.

The Welcoming Ceremony had concluded around noon and it was nearing lunch time. Chu Fan wanted to see how busy his workplace would be.

He made his way to the cafeteria where many students gave him looks of astonishment; gossiping amongst themselves.

"Hey isn't that fat kid that is the new chef of the cafeteria?"

"Isn't he too young?"

"No, I heard that he was personally trained by a wondering master gourmet chef from the age of three. Despite being so young his cooking skills are rumored to be otherworldly."

"Hopefully the cafeteria's curse won't affect his abilities and confidence."

Rumors had begun spreading right after the Hun Xiao appointed Chu Fan to be the chef of Skyward Sword Sect. Many of the guides approached Tao Guang about the authenticity of his claims. And with high hopes and anticipation, they told every disciple they ran across.

The rumors of the cafeteria's curse had reached even the sect chief's ears. And in performing an investigation on the matter; he found no real evidence that the cafeteria was cursed.

Chu Fan didn't believe there was a curse. Based on his xianxia expertise; he deduced that there may be a treasure there affecting the area.

He found his way to the gates leading to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was in bad shape; it had a looming sense of dread over it. There were gray clouds that seemed to eternally obscure the cafeteria, driving people away from the area.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Fan took his first step past the gateway.

"Ahhh! I can't take it anymore. Every single dish, I follow the recipe and it still turns out awful. I put a lot of salt in it and it tastes sweet, peppers make it sour. I humbly retire from this profession." a man screamed while exiting the gate past Chu Fan.

Indeed the heaven and earth qi did feel weird here; but ignoring it, Chu Fan entered the cafeteria.

The inside of the cafeteria hall was large and barren of any lifeforms. It was ample in space and seemed to be comfy and welcoming; all this was, however, cloaked in a weird aura.

He felt shivers run down his spine staying in one place for too long. And so he made his way into the kitchen itself. In the kitchen dolls were strewn about. It seemed more a like a haunted house attraction from his previous life than a kitchen.

However he heard from the disciples that these dolls were magical treasure puppets created for the purpose of assisting the head chef with cooking. It was a great idea considering the chef of Skyward Sword Sect would have to feed thousands of disciples a day, an Army of All-Purpose Sous-Chefs.

But as the curse surfaced, the puppets had gone haywire, they messed up simple orders and seemed to be planning a rebellion according to rumors.

He found the area that had been cleared away so that someone could attempt to cook. The stove was operated by a magic array that could ignite a flame and be controlled via a dial with runes drawn around it indicating heat levels. The wok was old and cracked, indicating someone had thrown it many times in a fit of frustration. The knife itself was chipped as it hadn't been sharpened for a long time.

Shaking his head at the mistreatment of the kitchen; Chu Fan went looking for the cafeteria warehouse. He exited the cafeteria building and headed to the warehouse behind the cafeteria. The warehouse itself was not too big.

The weird aura itself was most concentrated here. But despite his fears, Chu Fan entered the building with a determined face. The warehouse was full of dust and cobwebs: he found a stack of woks that looked as if they hadn't been used for many decades. He took a wok from this stack; and as a result he knocked the towering stack of woks to the floor. He was still an eight year old boy and was shorter than the other kids his age.

Making an attempt to clean his mess he began to pick up woks and drag them to a corner. When he grabbed the last wok and dragged it to the corner with the rest; he noticed an out-of-place groove in the ground near a corner.

Due to the layer of dust on the hardwood floor, it was camouflaged at first. After removing the dust, he found that it was a secret compartment.

Could it be? The treasure he assumed would be the cause of the curse was surely in here.

He frantically pried open the secret compartment. Inside was a jade box; and on the box was engraved, "God of Cookery's Inheritance"

Giddy with excitement at his first ever treasure he opened the box.

Inside the jade box was: a letter, a knife in it's scabbard, and a black-jade slip.

Chu Fan chose to leave the best for last and put the knife aside. He chose to read the letter first.

The letter stated, "To the fated individual that finds this. I leave you my inheritance. In this jade box you shall find my life's work, the Heaven Cleaver. It is a multi-purpose cooking tool that can shape-shift into whatever form the user wills it to. A drop of your blood onto the dragon's eyes will bind it you. As a final gift, I will give you a jade slip detailing the various cooking techniques I have acquired throughout my life as a cultivator. I wish you the very best in your pursuit of the immortal cuisine."

It seems that this senior was a transcendent immortal that had come to bury his life's work to resolve any karmic ties to this world.

Chu Fan was elated and jumped around.

"I've finally done it, I got the treasure first. I'm definitely the hero now." happily shouted Chu Fan.

He grabbed the jade slip and placed it on his person. And next he grabbed the knife.

Holding it above his head, he unsheathed it from it's scabbard.

Not noticing any gleam from the blade, he looked up at the blade in his hand.

"Why is it so rusted? Did I get the wrong knife?" he asked himself.