Cooking, Dragons, and Spirit Crystals

Read 100+ advanced chapters: pat reon/Siuteo

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System: "The cooking tutorials provided by this system include an endless variety of ingredients. To ensure users master each dish and create perfect culinary masterpieces, the tutorials offer first-person, fully immersive teaching throughout the process."

What?

Luo Chuan froze, feeling as though he'd just heard something utterly absurd.

"Wait, hold on a second." Luo Chuan interrupted the system. "The whole process? Does that include... obtaining the ingredients?"

System: "Perfect cooking requires perfect ingredients. Only ingredients acquired personally by the chef can be guaranteed to be in their optimal state."

Luo Chuan: ...

The system's explanation finally clarified the situation.

Now he understood why Gu Yunxi—and everyone who had seen her experience—had been so shocked. Clearly, when Gu Yunxi entered the tutorial to "learn cooking," the dramatic scene of her obtaining the ingredients had played out in front of everyone.

Luo Chuan muttered under his breath, "The system is truly... impressive."

System: "Thank you for your praise, host."

But something felt off to Luo Chuan.

Wait a second. No matter how extraordinary this cooking tutorial was, wasn't it... pointless? It didn't make him any money! The tutorial was free, after all, and no matter how many people watched or used it, Luo Chuan wouldn't earn a single spirit crystal.

As the realization hit, his mood soured.

"The system," Luo Chuan said firmly, "this cooking tutorial is way too powerful to be given out for free. Don't you think we should start charging for it?"

The system paused for a moment, then responded, "The host makes a valid point."

"Great," Luo Chuan pressed on. "So, how should we charge? Spirit crystals?"

System: "Naturally."

"But how should the pricing be set?"

System: "The host may decide."

Luo Chuan considered for a moment before nodding. "Let's divide the tutorials into levels, just like the Tower of Trial. Each tutorial can be priced based on its grade."

System: "The grading has been completed, and prices have been set. Would you like to enable charging now?"

After a brief pause, Luo Chuan decided, "Let's make today free for everyone. Starting tomorrow, the tutorials will cost 100 spirit crystals each, and users can only choose one tutorial per day."

The system fell silent, its work done.

Turning to Gu Yunxi and the others, Luo Chuan said calmly, "To become a true chef, you need more than just cooking skills. You must also have the ability to procure your own ingredients."

The crowd was stunned.

While something about his statement felt off, no one dared to question it. After all, this was Origin Mall. The boss's logic was something they had learned to accept, no matter how bizarre it seemed.

"Cooking tutorials are free today," Luo Chuan continued. "Starting tomorrow, they'll cost 100 spirit crystals per tutorial, and each person will only be allowed to choose one per day."

The students were surprised but didn't complain.

After all, where else could they experience firsthand what it felt like to "gather ingredients" from creatures as powerful as dragons? For just 100 spirit crystals, it was a bargain.

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Over the next few hours, ten more people entered the cooking tutorials, each having a unique and thrilling experience. With an endless variety of recipes and ingredients, no two tutorials were alike.

Meanwhile, Luo Chuan turned to Yao Ziyan, curiosity tugging at him. "Zi Yan, when you used the cooking tutorial yesterday, didn't you notice anything unusual?"

Yao Ziyan tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face. "Huh? Didn't you set it up that way on purpose?"

Luo Chuan: ...

Suppressing the urge to sigh, he nodded, keeping his composure. "Of course I did. I was just asking for your feedback."

"My feedback?" Yao Ziyan thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. "It's actually pretty brilliant. It's like killing two birds with one stone—learning how to cook while getting insights from the strongest cultivators."

Hearing her response, Luo Chuan felt a bit more reassured. Still, he decided to retreat to the counter and grab himself a bucket of instant noodles.

A bowl of fried rice wasn't enough to satisfy his appetite.