Level Up in Martial World

41  Cooking Skill?

Lu Zhen looked around, his eyes flashing with a golden hue similar to Xia Mei's, but with a more foreboding intensity.

As he gazed at his surroundings, a palpable aura of power began to radiate from him, causing Xia Mei, who stood nearby, to shudder involuntarily. The sensation was so overwhelming that her instincts kicked in, urging her to bow in reverence before him.

A strange, familiar feeling surged within her. It was as if something deep within her recognized and compelled her to worship him. Her body trembled with the instinctual desire, but she fought it with all her strength. She stole a quick glance around, only to find that everyone else seemed completely unaffected, leaving her in a state of bewilderment.

"These eyes are similar to mine," Xia Mei thought, startled as she glimpsed Lu Zhen's eyes in a corner.

"This… this…" Xia Mei was shaken to her core as she contemplated the reason for this.

"Is he also similar to me?" she pondered, a spark of genuine interest lighting up her eyes.

Any resentment she harbored for Lu Zhen vanished, replaced by a genuine interest and care for her newfound kin. She no longer felt like a freak; it was as if she had finally met her own kind.

Xia Mei's mother had passed away when she was young, causing her to mature more quickly than other children her age. She had been a precocious child who discovered her unique powers early, understanding the potential trouble they could bring. Xia Mei had always kept her abilities hidden from others, fearing that they might uncover her secrets. Consequently, she spent her childhood living alone in her now-deserted mother's palace, with only a handful of servants to care for her. Lacking friends and any meaningful pursuits, she developed a deep fascination with martial arts, becoming a devoted practitioner from a young age.

Due to a stroke of luck and her unwavering dedication, she managed to join the Pink Autumn Sect. But this achievement came at a price – her lack of social skills. She had never been good at interacting with others and had never really had friends. She used to dismiss the need for friendship as mere vanity, but deep down, she yearned for a companion who shared her unique abilities.

After all, this was human nature. Suppose when someone finds themselves in a foreign place without any familiar faces, they naturally feel more anxious about interacting with the locals. However, if they encounter another newcomer who is in the same situation, they often find it easier to connect and form a friendship. Lu Zhen, unaware of the emotions stirring within Xia Mei, glanced around his surroundings. Even if he were aware, he wouldn't care, as long as his secret remained hidden. If it were exposed, he would have to deal with her even if she is a woman.

[Bamboo (old)]

[Clay (old)]

[Remarks: trashes of trashest]

Looking at this row of details, all of which conveyed the same message, Lu Zhen was disappointed with himself.

"Looks like I need to level up my skill if I want it to be useful," Lu Zhen thought, hoping to find some seasoning for the meat, but his search yielded nothing.

Lu Zhen sighed and turned his attention to Xia Mei, his eyes focused on her.

[Xia Mei]

[Race: ???]

Lu Zhen remained disheartened, seeing all the question marks.

"How can I level up this appraisal skill?" wondered Lu Zhen, considering it was only his second time using it. "Maybe if I use it for an extended period, it will level up," he mused, a frown creasing his face. [You have used appraisal.]

[Your appraisal skill has levelled up from level 1 to level 2.]

As if on cue, a system prompt appeared, eliciting his excitement.

"I've never seen a skill level up this quickly," Lu Zhen thought, contemplating ways to exploit his appraisal skill and maximize its potential.

However, before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, his eyes, which had previously shone gold, reverted to their normal red hue. A slight dizziness washed over him.

"Huh," Lu Zhen thought, regaining his composure and footing.

"Why did my skill deactivate?" he pondered, checking his body. His eyes widened in shock. Nearly every trace of his qi had been drained.

"So, the skill consumes my qi, huh?" Lu Zhen concluded to himself.

Lu Zhen felt disappointed, as he had considered abusing this skill to level up his appraisal ability. However, knowing that it required qi to activate thwarted his plans. He had planned to endlessly maintain his appraisal skill and achieved infinite levelling if it didn't need qi to activate, rendering his strategy futile.

"Forget it," Lu Zhen thought bitterly as he placed the skewered meat over the fire to cook.

The initial contact produced a sizzling symphony of sounds – the unmistakable hiss and crackle of protein meeting the searing heat. It was as if the fire itself whispered secrets to the meat, infusing it with primal energy.

Before his eyes, the meat gradually transformed as the relentless embrace of the flames bathed it in radiant warmth. The outer layers caramelized, forming a tantalizing crust that sealed in the meat's natural juices. Colors shifted from raw pink to a rich, golden brown, creating a visual masterpiece that mirrored the fiery canvas below.

With his unskilled movement Lu Zhen rotated the skewer. The sizzle intensified, sending aromatic tendrils of smoke spiraling upwards, leaving an indelible mark on the night air. You could almost taste the anticipation as the meat grew tender, its fibers surrendering to the relentless heat.

Finally, when the meat was cooked – tender yet slightly charred, smoky yet succulent – Lu Zhen pulled it away from the fire. The sizzling subsided, replaced by a little burnt smell.

[You have cooked.]

[You have acquired cooking skills.]

Lu Zhen became pleasantly surprised, although he wasn't perfect, at least the meat was edible.

"Looks like combat skills aren't the only ones I can gain; I could acquire some normal skills too," Lu Zhen thought as he skewered another batch of meat.

"Looks like I was right, not bad," Lu Zhen said to himself. Although the skill seemed simple, Lu Zhen believed that every skill was useful, and he had successfully tested his conjecture, so he was pretty happy with it.

Although he wasn't too optimistic about the skill, he was still happy to have it.

With that thought, Lu Zhen prepared another batch of skewered meat and cooked it up.

This time, Lu Zhen was even more skillful with the skewered meat, preparing it almost perfectly.

Stunning Lu Zhi, who was watching this – after all, Lu Zhi was essentially a cook, although he primarily focused on wine, he still knew a thing or two about cooking. Seeing Lu Zhen, whose movements were so unrefined previously, become skilled so soon shocked him to the core.

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 1 to 2.]

"Huh, just another batch of cooking has levelled up my cooking skills?" Lu Zhen thought to himself with some confusion.

"Looks like supporting or seemingly useless skills like this are pretty easy to level up," Lu Zhen thought with some excitement.

Once again, he prepared another batch of skewered meat, with his movements growing even more skillful.

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 2 to 3.]

"This..." Lu Zhen was now flabbergasted, seeing that just one batch of cooking had allowed him to level up his cooking skill every time, and this was just skewered meat, which didn't even take much effort.

"Let's go on then, let's see how much I can level up," Lu Zhen thought as he finally found an exploit he could use, even if it might be the most useless one.

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 3 to 4.]

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 4 to 5.] n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 5 to 6.]

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 6 to 7.]

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 7 to 8.]

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 8 to 9.]

[You have cooked.]

[Your cooking skill has levelled up from level 9 to 10.]

[Warning]

[Your cooking skill is evolving; you need more energy.]

A cold, emotionless voice entered his ears for the first time. However, the voice sounded a little like Lu Zhen himself, causing him to wake up from his reverie.

"What, my system has a voice too?" Ever since he got the system, he had never heard the voice of his system before. He was undoubtedly stunned when he saw that he could now hear the voice of the system.

However, seeing that the voice was quite cold and emotionless, as if it was pre-recorded, he felt a little relieved. Ignoring the fact that it was a little like Lu Zhen's own voice, he felt somewhat reassured.

After all, from the looks of it, his system wasn't alive and didn't possess any emotions, which alleviated some of the worries that Lu Zhen had about his system. It was better to have a dumb system than one with intelligence that could potentially betray him in the future.