A long while later, Jia Quan and the others returned, looking extremely weak.
This time, it wasn't just a simple case of defecation; it felt like their internal organs were being expelled. Seventy percent of the power within their bodies had vanished, leaving them utterly exhausted.
"Alright, stop looking so glum. You consumed too many nutritious delicacies in the Spirit Time House, and a large amount of undigested fat accumulated in your bodies. This dish's purpose is to cleanse your system, turning it into a blank canvas ready for use."
The second dish – soup!
The Vast Honey Brown Sugar Water!
The main ingredients were Triple Yuan Water, dozens of kinds of honey, and Crimson Sugar, blended with the main food ingredient, a type of unknown licorice leaf.
Jade Scallions!
A superior delicacy from the Land of Clouds, using only the tenderest green shoots, seasoned with ozonated herbs that could make bitter tea.
Upon tasting, it was bitter yet sweet, sweet yet bitter. The fragrance of the green scallions lingered long after, refusing to fade...
"Cough, cough, cough, cough~"
After finishing, everyone felt an unbearable itchiness in their lungs, coughing violently. Gray phlegm was continuously expelled.
This was the accumulated dust in their lungs and necrotic tissue within their respiratory tracts.
They even coughed out dark bloodstains.
Having undergone two thorough detoxification processes, Jia Quan and the others were completely spent, their voices laced with fatigue.
Zhang Wei smiled and said, "Don't worry, the truly delicious food is just about to appear!"
The third dish – a fish dish.
Thunderous Seafood Platter!
Live-slaughtered Electric Ray...
Anesthetized sweet and sour electric eel...
Numbing lemon juice...
Plasma clam meat...
These fish were not of a high capture level, but the difficulty of preparing them was extraordinary. Take the electric ray, for instance. The common hunting method is to wrap the prey with its lateral fins and release a massive current to kill it.
However, to savor the tenderness of the flesh, a traditional bleeding method cannot be used. The ray's muscles are incredibly firm, offering a superior texture far beyond that of an octopus leg, requiring a preparation that maximally utilizes its freshness.
Live-slaughter!
The firm flesh from the electric ray's lower abdomen was directly extracted and prepared into a platter. During this process, the chef faced the risk of death at any moment.
But such minor currents were like mere fireflies compared to Zhang Wei. His method was even more brutal: he directly unleashed a voltage far exceeding that of the electric ray, reverse-charging it!
Thus, the sashimi was plump and round, a vibrant red, and incredibly smooth and tender when eaten. The tingling sensation was distinct!
Jia Quan and the others' eyes widened after just one bite: "This... what kind of texture is this? I've never experienced anything like it!"
"The smooth, tender fish flesh released the taste of the ocean in my mouth. The freshness, incomparable to freshly cut fish, was like chasing and biting a fish in the sea!"
"Every chew offered a springy texture, accompanied by a slight tingling sensation, like some extremely high-grade wasabi. Despite only dipping it in brine, its flavor was indescribably fresh!"
"No matter how much I chewed, there was a cool, refreshing feeling. Even after it entered my stomach, its ability to dispel heat and irritability did not diminish!"
Jia Quan felt as if he were in a storm, a lone boat on surging waves, battling a fierce giant fish!
Every chew was a contest, until the exhausted giant fish was hauled onto the ship, still stubbornly refusing to yield!
Jia Quan brandished his harpoon, pointing at the great fish and declared: "I!"
"Am the King of the Four Seas!"
"You shall submit to me!"
"I came! I saw! I conquered!"
"Hahahaha~~~~~"
In a moment, the surroundings vanished. The sea reverted to a beach, and the sun rose high.
Jia Quan's laughter gradually became awkward...
"Ah, this... I'm sorry, I don't know what I was doing."
"It's alright. It's normal to experience a food realm for the first time."
"Food realm!"
Jia Quan and the others exclaimed. This was the legendary ultimate realm of cooking, where the flavor was pushed to its absolute limit. By imbuing the dish with one's emotions, there was a chance to transport people into a culinary illusion, showcasing the taste through various scenes.
Only by perfectly pairing and thoroughly unleashing the potential of the ingredients could such an effect be achieved.
The ability to create a food realm-level dish required at least a nine-star chef. And under Zhang Wei, apart from Shao An, no one else possessed such skill!
"Principal!"
Jia Quan and the others were moved to tears. Where in the world could they find such a great boss who personally prepared food for his subordinates, and for subordinates like Jia Quan who had not earned significant merit?
If merit were to be allocated, there were more people under Da Bingchuan who were stronger than Jia Quan than carp crossing a river.
"Principal, I will definitely work my hardest from now on and achieve the best results!"
"Don't worry, I will become the strongest Gourmet Hunter under your command!"
"I will offer all the delicious ingredients to you!"
Zhang Wei smiled. As a chef, preparing some dishes was nothing; it was his primary job.
The fourth dish – a meat dish!
Mighty Giants!
Featuring representative ingredients from eight of the most powerful land-dwelling creatures.
The arm of a silverback gorilla...
The trunk of a mammoth...
The shoulder meat of a rhinoceros...
The leg meat of a bison...
The palm of a grizzly bear...
The cheek meat of a wolf...
The neck of a giraffe...
The waist and abdomen of a python...
By selecting their most powerful parts, embodying their strengths, this was a meat dish that could infinitely enhance strength. Just one bite would turn one into a superhuman, their bodies filled with an inexhaustible, boundless power, like a dynamic fountain!
The fifth dish – staple food!
Thunderclap Buns, a specialty of the Land of Clouds!
A unique delicacy formed by lightning strikes, extremely rare in nature.
Air currents carrying rich nutrients from the Gourmet World, mixed with flour, and converging with the tornado waters of the Pearl Sea in the Human World, would form cumulonimbus clouds known as gourmet clouds.
Where they passed, it would rain bread...
Burger rain...
Meat patty rain...
The specific fillings and types would depend on the ingredients carried by the tornado waters.
Bread rain and steamed bun rain were the most common, products of flour and water vapor, with no fillings.
If it were burger rain or sushi rain, precious marine delicacies would be incorporated. If a large amount of ingredients were carried, there would also be fish flake rain, bacon rain, meat sauce rain, and so on.
The formation conditions for Thunderclap Buns were extremely strict, requiring the convergence of two independent gourmet clouds. One must be a steamed bun rain, and the other must be a meat sauce rain!
Both needed to have considerable thickness and rainfall volume, forming super large cumulonimbus clouds, and as they rained, the colliding lightning would simultaneously strike the filling and the steamed bun!
Only by meeting all these conditions was there an extremely low probability of encountering these Thunderclap Buns!
Legend had it that these buns were personally made by the God of Thunder, a treasure bestowed by the gods upon humanity.
Jia Quan and the others stared in shock as Zhang Wei brought out a steamer basket full of Thunderclap Buns!
"Boss, where did you get so many?"