Yu Lei Ba Shi, a transcendent manifestation of materialized intent.
Normally, a person's materialized intent takes the form of physical objects, such as pots, pans, hammers, or blades.
With a more vivid imagination, one might conjure ships or war chariots.
The key to Yu Lei Ba Shi, however, requires continuous immersion in the power of nature during rainy days, in order to imitate it.
"So that's how it is..."
"Many of the principles in martial arts are universally applicable. Certain aspects of Yu Lei Ba Shi can perfectly complement my new fist technique."
"The spiral fist energy is extremely destructive, but its speed is rather slow..."
In essence, this Yu Lei Ba Shi technique brought Zhang Wei immense benefits.
...
Resource resupply arrived weekly, bringing not only essential daily necessities and ingredients but also a vast collection of magazines and newspapers.
Zhang Wei had transmigrated to a very early point in the timeline, a time when technology was not advanced and information transmission methods were still primitive.
Most popular among the residents of the Great Glacier were magazines like "Bad Boy," "Playboy," "FHM," "Beer and Babes," and "Passionate Girls"...
These magazines, during countless lonely nights, offered solace to the solitary souls of men.
Ahem... Given the scarcity of women on the Great Glacier, this is understandable.
Zhang Wei opened a newspaper and scanned its contents at lightning speed.
"International relations tense... border conflicts and friction escalate between numerous countries..."
"The Freedom Island Chain declares permanent neutrality..."
"The Chieftains' Alliance issues a declaration of war, demanding 5,000 chefs..."
Zhang Wei furrowed his brow, pondering the original comic.
Considering the level of technology, his point of transmigration should be hundreds of years before the main storyline.
With the advent of the Culinary Era, all nations began to frantically seize resources.
Unbelievably, the most precious resource of all... was chefs!
In this era, a skilled chef was akin to an arsenal, a tank factory, a nuclear engineer!
They could cultivate countless extraordinary warriors, forming an absolute combat force.
It was said that this culinary war, with its advances and retreats, lasted for a full century.
In the corner of the room, the Tongxin Leaf suddenly curled up.
"Mo Du's message..."
The Tongxin Leaf was a twin-born entity; one half would suffer the same damage as the other.
It was often fashioned into scrolls for transmitting messages.
Scratches appeared on the leaf, forming characters.
The message, in essence, stated that the salt spirits had all been liquidated, along with extensive information on endangered ingredients. However, these high-quality ingredients circulated within exclusive circles, making them extremely difficult to acquire.
It suggested that masquerading as a mysterious organization would reduce communication costs and save a considerable amount of funds.
Zhang Wei blinked in surprise upon reading it.
Posing as a large overseas corporation to establish contact with a high-profile stance... wasn't that a common tactic used by speculators in his previous life?
He hadn't expected Mo Du to be quite so clever.
In his past life, Zhang Wei had also been an entrepreneur, establishing brands and taking them public.
After securing financing, he opened franchises and chain stores, then secured more financing and expanded further.
He rose rapidly through the ranks under the banner of a national chef, eventually leveraging assets worth billions.
It was a terrifying sum, where a minor issue could lead to a desperate act.
During that period, Zhang Wei was engrossed in finance, even limiting his time in the kitchen, causing his culinary skills to decline significantly.
"Alas... the past is too painful to recall."
"It's best for a craft like cooking to remain pure."
With his current strength, Zhang Wei could easily control the Great Glacier or, with the immense quantity of salt spirits, build a colossus.
But he chose not to; he would leave such troublesome matters to others.
Wasn't this current leisurely life, filled with daily pursuits of culinary arts and physical training, more enjoyable?
He wrote down some of the business tactics from his past life, along with basic financial knowledge.
While Zhang Wei wasn't a professional, the era was still primitive, and this should be sufficient.
"Zhang Wei, the head chef wants to see you."
"Mm, understood."
A supervisor's call came from outside the door, and Zhang Wei acknowledged it.
Not long after, Zhang Wei appeared before Tang Zhihun, a gilded invitation lying beside him.
"Head Chef, you sent for me."
"Mm, to put it briefly, do you know about the Northern Chef's Feast?"
"The Northern Chef's Feast... Of course. I've heard it's happening soon. It's dominating headlines, even more than the wars in various regions."
"I will also be participating in this feast."
Tang Zhihun, as a four-star chef, just barely qualified to attend.
"I wish you success, Head Chef," Zhang Wei said politely.
Tang Zhihun gave a wry smile after listening, "Success? It would be good enough not to be a disgrace. With my current mindset and abilities, I'll likely be at the bottom, bringing shame."
"Northern Region" is a general term, spanning millions of square kilometers, which in his previous life would have covered most of Europe.
Although the weather was cold, it had a population of hundreds of millions, with countless master chefs.
Tang Zhihun was decent, but the sheer scale of competition was overwhelming!
"If there's no hope of winning, why participate?"
"The association has no choice!"
Tang Zhihun said coldly, "The international situation is becoming increasingly urgent. the Northern Region must unite for self-preservation. The formation of the Northern Cities Alliance is imminent. Rumor has it that the results of this feast will determine positions within the alliance."
Like Zhang Wei, Tang Zhihun was someone who dedicated his mind solely to his craft.
He harbored some resentment towards such matters.
"Are you working overtime again tonight?"
Tang Zhihun sighed, "Since the Guild Master trusts me, regardless of the outcome, I must give it my all!"
Tang Zhihun's diligence had been evident recently; he stayed up late every night.
This was rare for chefs of his esteemed status.
However, his culinary skills were growing extremely slowly, indicating he hadn't grasped the essential principles.
He was a classic example of someone with abundant diligence but insufficient talent.
Zhang Wei calculated that Tang Zhihun had sent him no less than forty letters.
Since the Mo Du incident, Zhang Wei had been absent for over half a year.
"Truly persistent."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, I was just saying that with your dedication, Head Chef, there will surely be a turn of events in the competition!"
Tang Zhihun sighed and slumped into his chair, "I hope your words prove true. Prepare yourself well, we will be departing soon."
"Prepare?"
"I intend to bring you along; otherwise, why would I tell you this?"
Tang Zhihun said sternly, "The Northern Chef's Feast gathers most of the high-ranking chefs in the entire Northern Region. Countless aspiring chefs hope to learn techniques there, even standing room tickets cost hundreds of Beli."
"You can learn and observe a lot then. With commentary on the matches, you should be able to understand some of it. If you can grasp even ten percent, becoming a one or two-star chef will be effortless."
"And with your talent, your future achievements might even surpass mine!"
Zhang Wei hadn't revealed anything; it was merely his meticulous attention to ingredient preparation that had earned Tang Zhihun's high praise.