It wasn't entirely due to physical exertion.
Since they could hear the ingredients' "voices," the movements of the two required Xie Min to listen attentively and give instructions. However, after this lesson, their synchronicity improved once more.
As the process neared its end, only one large cabbage-sized Ozone Grass remained, with just six leaves left.
"Xie Min, it's all thanks to you for storing the Ozone Grass. I'm extremely grateful."
Wiping sweat from her brow, she playfully replied, "So... is there a bribe this time?"
"Hahaha, yes, there is. But calling it a bribe is a bit much. Shall we call it 'compensation'?"
"Don't be silly, there are still six leaves to go~"
The two crouched beside the Ozone Grass, extending a hand to gently pluck the small leaves.
As the leaves grew smaller, the requirements for the amplitude of their movements became even stricter. What was once an error of tens of centimeters was now potentially millimeters.
However, for chefs, precision was also an important principle!
[Storage Complete: Ozone Grass]
[Capture Level: 68]
[Replication Time: 160 Days]
*Poof~*
As the last two leaves were peeled back, the flesh of the Ozone Grass was revealed to everyone!
Oh, oh, oh!
It looked so tender and juicy!
Like a coiling, alluring tongue, it was crystal clear, moist, and smooth, looking more like a fruit than a vegetable, and having nothing to do with grass.
As the leaves were peeled back, the moist, curled tongue slowly unfurled, appearing even more seductive!
With a slight flick of its 'tongue,' countless water droplets scattered, the mist crisp and carrying the Ozone Grass's faint yet intoxicating aroma.
Including Zhang Wei, everyone's mouths began to water profusely, their bodies instinctively craving the rich moisture, even sensing abundant vitamins within.
Watery!
Tender!
It made all other vegetables seem like old, rotten garbage in comparison, the freshest king of vegetables!
"This moistness... it feels like it could be broken with a touch!"
Xie Min sighed, "Just looking at it gives off a sense of vibrant life. Look closely, the veins on the jelly-like flesh are glowing and subtly pulsing, like a human pulse."
Zhang Wei nodded, "Indeed, it's very close to an animal. I've never seen such troublesome and delicate a vegetable!"
"But it's all worth it. The Ozone Grass justifies this hardship."
Yun Shang Zhen Jun also leaned in, sniffing deeply with saliva dripping, "The feeling of the sky, without atmospheric obstruction. This is the aroma that comes from being fully bathed in sunlight and absorbing a considerable amount of minerals from the sea of clouds."
"Wrapped in layers of leaves, it filters out the toxins generated by ultraviolet rays and forms that insect-repelling substance, similar to essential oils. The more pungent the insect repellent on the outer layers, the stronger the appetite the Ozone Grass can stimulate!"
Qian Shou Jian and Mo Nu You also stared intently at the Ozone Grass, "My appetite... no, I can feel my body needs it. It's luring me with its rich nutrients!"
"Oh, Mr. Zhang Wei, can... can we also have a taste? We really want to eat it too!"
Zhang Wei scanned the surroundings. There were over a hundred Ozone Grass plants in sight, certainly enough.
With this quantity, Zhang Wei didn't intend to give up on a single one.
With their support, the replication time could easily reach one day.
And this was just one location. If they searched further, five hundred or more Ozone Grass should be achievable.
Zhang Wei said, "You can, but Ozone Grass is a special edible ingredient that requires two people to consume it together."
Saying that, Zhang Wei looked at Xie Min, "Little girl, would you do me the honor of tasting this Ozone Grass with me?"
T-together?
How does one eat like that?
Xie Min's face flushed slightly, but faced with such deliciousness, she couldn't refuse.
"Um... then... alright."
The two lay on the ground. Zhang Wei pointed at the Ozone Grass and said, "We need to bite down together. Otherwise, the Ozone Grass will spoil like the previous ones, and even if it gets into your mouth, it will turn to trash."
Xie Min gently opened her small mouth, watching Zhang Wei's head grow larger across from her. Both opened their mouths simultaneously...
Thinking of something, Xie Min felt her face grow a little warm.
Her mind wandering, she almost missed the opportunity to bite down. However, soon, Xie Min was captured by the fresh scent wafting to her nose, discarding all distractions, and biting down with her whole heart.
*Crunch!*
*Crunch!*
The Ozone Grass was more elastic than they had imagined. At first touch, it felt incredibly soft and tender, but when bitten deeply, it would directly snap and spring into the mouth, like a disobedient little tongue.
The freshness of the vegetable mixed with abundant moisture instantly refreshed their lips and teeth, sweeping away even the lingering bitter taste from not properly brushing their teeth for days.
The texture was quite intense; every bite bounced against their teeth, and a lot of water splashed out!
It shot out from between their teeth unintentionally, like biting into a water balloon!
The rebound feeling between their teeth... the true sensation of fibers breaking could be clearly felt. It was simply transcendental deliciousness!
Swallow...
Refreshing!
Instantly, Zhang Wei's "Devouring" skill went out of control. Powerful muscles and white steam surged, and Zhang Wei instantly transformed into a muscular man over three meters tall, even his shirt tearing open!
Level Up!
Level 75!
"Just one bite had this effect!"
Looking at Xie Min across from him, Zhang Wei's eyes widened!
Instead of muscles bulging, she looked like a doll that had expanded after being filled with water, and her skin had become incredibly moist!
As if... becoming as enticingly elastic as the Ozone Grass itself!
Zhang Wei and Xie Min finished the Ozone Grass together. However, biting into the same food inevitably led to some bumps.
The others watched with envy, their mouths watering.
Zhang Wei immediately said, "The ones we peel next will be for you to taste, but remember, you have to team up with someone."
Qian Shou Jian and Mo Nu You exchanged a glance, then smiled suggestively.
Yun Shang Zhen Jun became furious, "You're going too far! What about me?"
Xie Min mercilessly tossed Stitch from her arms to Yun Shang Zhen Jun.
The latter, looking at the silly, smiling, and cute Stitch, almost spat out a mouthful of blood!
Third plant!
[Storage Complete: Ozone Grass]
[Replication Time: 148]
Ninth plant!
[Storage Complete: Ozone Grass]
[Replication Time: 32 Days]
Twenty-second plant!
[Storage Complete: Ozone Grass]
[Replication Time: 13 Days]
Forty-fifth plant!
[Storage Complete: Ozone Grass]
[Replication Time: 1 Day!]
One hundredth plant...
One hundred and twelfth plant...
By the time all the Ozone Grass here had been stored, it was the next day.
Everyone had tasted a few plants and was thoroughly satisfied.
Zhang Wei wasn't done yet. Soon, in another corner of the Vegetable Sky, he found a new habitat for Ozone Grass.
After a day of strenuous work, Xie Min was still full of energy.
"Mr. Zhang Wei, let's begin!"
"No, this time I'll store it alone!"
"What... alone? But this is a special ingredient that requires two people to handle!"
"There is nothing absolute in this world."
Zhang Wei took a moment to enter the Treasure Hall. On display in the showcase was a complete Ozone Grass. Although its negative replication time was only one day, Zhang Wei couldn't possibly call Xie Min over every time he handled Ozone Grass.
There was only one way: to handle it alone!
After hundreds of storage attempts, Zhang Wei had a good understanding of this ingredient.
In principle, the fluid composition of this ingredient was very complex and required a very delicate balance. Once the balance was disrupted and the fluids became imbalanced, they would conflict, leading to spoilage.
This was why two leaves needed to be opened simultaneously. But if surgery were performed externally to temporarily block the fluid exchange...
It wouldn't take long, just three seconds of blockage would be enough to completely peel off the outer layer and cut off the Ozone Grass.
Once cut from the stem, the Ozone Grass would lose its connection to the roots and naturally wouldn't decay.
Zhang Wei extended a finger.
Lightning flashed between Zhang Wei's fingers!
"Thunder Control Technique: Plasma Scalpel!"
Closing his eyes, his electromagnetic induction organs activated fully. The internal structure of the Ozone Grass was clearly visible!
"Although I don't have Food Luck, when it comes to delicious food, I'm no worse than anyone else. You use Food Luck to take shortcuts, but I don't need it!"
With that, Zhang Wei's finger forcefully pierced the root of the Ozone Grass.
Instantly, a brilliant light erupted!
The surrounding people stared in shock!
Indeed!
The plasma scalpel had blocked the fluid exchange.
The paralyzing effect of the lightning began to take effect on the plant!
The time was very short...
He had to be fast!
Peeling the leaves...
As the leaves were peeled off at extreme speed, they were tougher than imagined!
*Riiiiip~*
More than a dozen leaves flew out, and everyone's eyes widened!
"It didn't decay! It actually preserved it!"
"This method is feasible!"
"Before the Ozone Grass could react, peeling it off at extreme speed, the electricity delayed its reaction!"
The so-called reaction of the Ozone Grass was the speed of fluid exchange!
Originally, it was extremely fast, even reaching the level of 0.01 seconds.
It could cause spoilage the moment a person bit down, showing how extreme the Ozone Grass was!
But under Zhang Wei's operation, this reaction speed was extended by hundreds of times...
One second...
Two seconds...
2.58 seconds...
*Poof~*
A foul odor was expelled. At this point, there were still over a dozen leaves in front of Zhang Wei, the size of truck tires!
Failure!
"I underestimated the difficulty of peeling the leaves, and overestimated my own speed. With the current plasma scalpel, it can only delay the reaction for 2.58 seconds..."
"But judging by the peeling of the leaves this time, I need at least 4.31 seconds!"
A gap of nearly double the time!
The position of the plasma scalpel also needed to be more precise!
"National Chef!"
Golden light flashed!
Zhang Wei, transformed by the "Dharma Image of the Celestial Being" technique, appeared before everyone!
Yun Shang Zhen Jun exclaimed in shock, "What an astonishing Food Demon! I've never seen such a specimen!"
Qian Shou Jian also agreed, wondering, "Aren't Food Demons usually crude and rough? A simple loincloth makes them cultured, but... why is Zhang Wei's Food Demon so..."
"Dignified!"
"Clad in magnificent attire, the meticulous details of the collar seemed to be sewn on by a top tailor, stitch by stitch. With every gesture, he exuded the composure and bearing of a chef!"
"Is this truly a Food Demon? Isn't it just a collection of cells, the embodiment of appetite? Why does it possess such a dignified and majestic appearance?"
"A master chef among Food Demons? Zhang Wei has truly obtained something extraordinary!"
While everyone was discussing, Zhang Wei's surgery was complete!
The lightning at the fingertips of the National Chef was as substantial as real blades.
After the experience of felling the magical pea vine recently, Zhang Wei had become thoroughly familiar with all five skills: National Chef, Heart Fire, Wind Control, Thunder Control, and Devour.
Furthermore, he could use them together, achieving terrifying attributes ten times higher than usual!
Due to the extremely high power level, Zhang Wei hadn't engaged in any physical training since leaving the Brine Wall. The intermittent nuclear-like destructive power would cause significant ecological damage on land!
The moment the surgery was completed, a strong wind blew from Zhang Wei's palm, and all the leaves were peeled away. At the innermost core, he stopped, and with the gentlest hand, he peeled off two leaves, then cut the Ozone Grass from its root.
The moment the Ozone Grass separated from its stem, there was no possibility of fluid imbalance in the stem.
Spoilage was halted.
The entire process took 2.86 seconds!
And Zhang Wei predicted that the anesthesia time this time would be at least six seconds!
Looking at the Ozone Grass at the tip of Zhang Wei's finger, the others were speechless.
Xie Min said with a hint of bitterness, "As expected, I was holding back your progress, wasn't I?"
"Why would you say that?"
"Hmph! Cooperating with me takes over ten minutes to peel one, but you only took a few seconds! I'm truly useless!"
The little girl was quite tsundere.
Zhang Wei chuckled, "Without your initial help, I wouldn't have been able to understand the internal structure of the Ozone Grass, let alone complete the surgery. All of this is thanks to you."
"Speaking of which... but you can summon a Food Demon at will. Isn't that thing only capable of appearing when one's life is in extreme danger?"
"This... perhaps our relationship is quite good?"
"But... are you going to chat with us in this form? That thing consumes a lot of stamina!"
Zhang Wei looked at his hand in the Dharma Image of the Celestial Being form and said, "That's right, it consumes a lot. Even with my energy reserves, I can only maintain it for ten minutes, and I have to dissolve a large amount of muscle."
"However... I replenish my energy faster."
With a casual flip, a Perfect Grade Bronze Apple!
He took a bite!
Zhang Wei's current level was vastly different, and the energy consumed was even more terrifying!
Ordinary Bronze Apples could only last for 150 seconds. However, Perfect Grade Bronze Apples not only contained more nutritional value per gram but were also ten times larger than ordinary ones.
The total energy was at least twenty times greater.
That was a full 3000 seconds!
A full fifty minutes!
If he switched to Silver Apples, it would be about 15 minutes. Perfect Grade would last a full 200 minutes!
Such powerful nutritional synergy allowed Zhang Wei to use the Food Demon without restraint, without worrying about stamina consumption!
"The idle chat ends here. I need to get to work."
"However, for me, three seconds is still too long. I'll finish the next one in 0.3 seconds!"
What?
Are you crazy?
Even with Xie Min's immense Food Luck, it took fifteen minutes to store an ingredient, and now he claimed to finish it in 0.3 seconds?
What kind of exaggerated and insane idea was this?
Moreover, even for Zhang Wei, it took activating the Food Demon to achieve the extreme storage time of 2.5 seconds. Now he was about to break his own record and go nearly ten times faster?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
At this moment, Zhang Wei made a move that shocked everyone even more.
Zhang Wei actually voluntarily deactivated the Dharma Image of the Celestial Being and reverted to his normal form...
Could it be that Zhang Wei had another, even more powerful form?
Everyone swallowed, voicing their suspicions.
Zhang Wei chuckled wryly, "What are you talking about?"
"How could I have something like that? If I did, why wouldn't I use it from the beginning? I have no intention of holding back. Skills are meant to be used!"
"Then... how are you planning to do that?!"
"Very simple!"
Thunder Control Technique: Plasma Scalpel!
Electromagnetic induction was maximized, and Zhang Wei seemed to have X-ray vision. Everything inside the Ozone Grass was clearly visible!
0.1 seconds!
Wind Control Technique: Precision Cut!
With the incredibly penetrating blade, the entire Ozone Grass was severed at the root!
0.2 seconds!
Leaves flew everywhere. Amidst the falling leaves, Zhang Wei accurately found the soft, elastic, and slippery little tongue!
0.3 seconds!
He grasped it in his hand!
And the moment the Ozone Grass fell into his hand, it hadn't even reacted to what happened. It would probably only relax about two seconds later.
Moisture scattered...
Fragrance filled the air...
But everyone's gaze was not on the tasted ingredient; they were all shocked by Zhang Wei's thunderous methods!
This...
This was simply robbery. In his eyes, was there no pity at all? Such a method was brutally crude, disregarding the feelings of the ingredient as if he were an emotionless harvesting machine!
Such a person would never be favored by Food Luck!
This was cheating!
"Using electromagnetic induction to see through the plant's interior, locate the exact position and outline of the core, and then with a precise external cut, sever the Ozone Grass directly from the leaves to the root."
"The speed of attack is naturally much faster than chewing and tearing. Zhang Wei's offensive speed is such that even living beings might not be able to react, let alone a plant, and one that has been anesthetized!"
"How lacking in aesthetic appeal!"
"But effective enough!"
Zhang Wei naturally had no time to consider their thoughts. He darted back and forth in the sea of clouds, continuously unleashing swift attacks that could cleave metal and shatter iron, perfectly cutting off all the Ozone Grass!
One plant!
Two plants!
Eighty-five plants!
In less than ten minutes, the entire Ozone Grass habitat was stored.
Furthermore, most of this time was spent on leaping and sensing. The actual cutting and preparation time was less than a quarter.
He leaped back to the crowd. Zhang Wei looked at everyone with their own thoughts, "What are you still staring at? There are still many places for us to go!"
Us?
Is it truly us who are needed...