Tianming Pavilion, medical room.
"Bang!"
A valuable medical instrument was swept to the floor by a bandaged arm, shattering into pieces.
"Useless! Useless! Useless!"
Lei Shen's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently, each breath pulling at his broken ribs, causing excruciating pain.
But what he cared about more was the spiritual humiliation!
He, Lei Shen!
A powerhouse in Tianming Pavilion known for his explosive attack power, was actually crushed by a single punch from a brick-mover he usually wouldn't even deign to glance at!
This was even more unbearable than killing him!
"Ren Shitou... I swear I'll make you die!"
He growled through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with not only anger but also a hint of fear he hadn't even noticed himself.
That pure, ultimate power, as if it wanted to crush everything... it was too terrifying!
"Calm down, Lei Shen."
A cold voice came from the doorway. Jueying leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.
"Incompetent rage will only worsen your internal injuries."
"You!" Lei Shen glared at her.
"What about me?" Jueying sneered, "If you lost, you lost. Why take it out on the equipment? Aren't you ashamed?"
"What the hell do you know!"
Lei Shen roared, "That monster... he's not right! His strength, his resilience... this isn't something a human should have!"
"Oh?" Jueying raised an eyebrow, "So? Are you saying that because you lost to someone who cheated, it doesn't count as a loss?"
"I..."
Lei Shen was speechless, a breath caught in his throat, and he began coughing violently again, his face contorting in pain as his injuries were pulled.
Jueying snorted coldly and turned to leave.
A sore loser, how boring... Meanwhile, in the highest-level conference room of Tianming Pavilion.
The atmosphere was as heavy as water.
Around a large round table, only four people were seated.
At the head was the Master, his face refined and scholarly, his fingers gently tapping the table, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.
Beside him, Tianji was looking down at a replay of Ren Shitou's battle with Lei Shen on a tablet, his brows tightly furrowed.
Across from them was Jueying, who had just come from the medical room.
And... Dongfang Yue, in a black dress, sitting at the very end.
"Let's discuss it," the Master slowly broke the silence. "A recognized ordinary member without a System, whose strength surged to the point of severely injuring Lei Shen with one punch within a single day."
"What are your thoughts on this matter?"
Tianji pushed up his glasses and said in a deep voice, "I've analyzed the combat footage thirty-seven times."
"Ren Shitou's fighting style has no technique whatsoever; it's purely an overwhelming display of strength, speed, and resilience."
"This kind of improvement... if it's not a System awakening, then it's some kind of... bloodline mutation, or... a demon contract."
"Demon contract?" Jueying scoffed, "Tianji, have you been reading too many novels? I think he just got lucky and ate some rare heavenly material."
"A heavenly material that can transform an ordinary person in a single day?" Tianji retorted, "Wouldn't that make such a treasure a bit too cheap?"
The few of them argued endlessly, unable to convince each other.
Everyone's gaze eventually fell on Dongfang Yue, who had remained silent the entire time.
This newly promoted "Master," ever since she resolved Lei Shen's inner demon outbreak last time, her status in Tianming Pavilion had become delicate.
"Miss Yue Zhu, what do you think?" the Master asked politely.
Dongfang Yue raised her eyelids, her cool gaze sweeping over everyone.
She... through a woman's sixth sense, had actually detected a hint of something unusual.
That muscular man had a bit of Lu Cheng's shadow about him.
Could it be that man had cultivated a new 'leek'?
A strong sense of disgust and a desire to break free surged in her heart.
She had to quickly improve her strength and status to escape that man's shadow!
But for some reason, whenever she thought of that man's domineering figure and deep eyes... her heart rate would uncontrollably quicken, her cheeks would flush slightly, and a strange emotion would prevent her from feeling any true hatred.
Damn the Love-Binding Gu!
Dongfang Yue took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the flutter in her heart, and slowly spoke in an ethereal and profound tone:
"Fate is unpredictable; blessings and misfortunes are intertwined."
"How do we know that today's stone won't be tomorrow's jade?"
"The world is changing, old rules are being broken, and new powers are germinating. This might just be the beginning."
After she finished speaking, she said no more, returning to her inscrutable demeanor.
Her deliberately enigmatic "mystic" remarks made Tianji and Jueying frown, but they left the Master deep in thought.
"Miss Yue Zhu, you have a point..."
Dongfang Yue successfully muddied the waters and further solidified her image as a "mysterious master."
She didn't know that every word, every action, every frown, and every smile of hers in the conference room at this moment was being clearly observed by another pair of eyes... In Lu Cheng's study.
He leaned comfortably on the sofa, a virtual light screen suspended before him.
On the light screen was a "live recording" of the Tianming Pavilion conference room.
Watching Dongfang Yue's efforts to play the part of a master, yet internally panicking, Lu Cheng's smile grew even more playful.
The King of Berserkers System had directly brought him piles of villain points and a sample of Lei Shen's abilities from that battle; it was a huge profit.
Then, he began to "review" Dongfang Yue's "work diary" for the day with great interest.
Which was everything she had seen and heard that day.
As he watched, Lu Cheng's gaze was drawn to a detail in the footage.
During Tianming Pavilion's morning meeting, one guy was actually dozing off the entire time?
He exuded an aura of "life is meaningless" laziness, completely out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.
"Interesting."
Lu Cheng tapped his finger, bringing up his detailed information.
System: Gourmet Cell System
Host: Chi Baobao (Codename: God Chef)
Ability: By cooking and tasting ingredients containing "special energy," he can plunder their characteristics, infinitely evolve his own cells, and gain extraordinary power.
Current Status: Malnourished
Combining this with what he saw from Dongfang Yue's perspective, Lu Cheng instantly understood this unlucky fellow's predicament.
The Gourmet Cell System, just by its name, sounded like a top-tier cheat.
Its core was to grow stronger by eating the flesh and blood of powerful creatures.
But the problem was... this was a modern city in the Age of Dharma Decline!
Where would one find "powerful creatures"?
Siberian tigers or African lions in a zoo?
Those were all national first-class protected animals; if he dared to touch them... no, he couldn't even beat them.
So, this God Chef possessed a god-tier cheat but couldn't even find suitable "ingredients."
This was like having a 5090 graphics card but only being able to play Minesweeper every day; the agonizing frustration was imaginable.
This person's status in the association was not high; he could only be a logistics chef because his System, in the current environment, was simply useless.
"What a pathetic fellow."
"What does a hungry, top-tier gourmet need most?"
"Of course, it's... an appetizer that can open the door to his new world."
He decided.
For a chef who already had a "pot," there was no need to directly provide a "stove" as he did with Ren Shitou.
He would use a more natural method to personally deliver his carefully prepared "System virus" into the God Chef's mouth!
Lu Cheng quickly found the God Chef Chi Baobao's regular haunt, a private kitchen called [Taotie Pavilion].
He directly gave orders to Ye Shuying beside him.
"Book a table at Taotie Pavilion, tonight."
"Oh, and bring that four-thousand-year-old frozen mammoth leg meat I bought at the auction last time."
"Have them, process it."
That mammoth meat itself was an irresistible, top-tier temptation for a System holder like the God Chef.
And more crucially... Lu Cheng planned for Ji Yao to "encode" the System virus using black technology into "pheromones" that could be transmitted through food as a carrier.
When the God Chef processed this mammoth meat, which contained an ancient, primeval aura, his Gourmet Cell System would, like a shark smelling blood, automatically absorb the "ancient energy" within it.
And the "virus," hidden deep within the energy, would be subtly implanted into his System, lying dormant.
Waiting... for the moment it would be awakened... Night, Taotie Pavilion, the most luxurious "Heavenly Character" private room.
The antique decor was exquisite, every piece of furnishing immensely valuable.
Lu Cheng was elegantly cutting steak for Gu Qingcheng beside him.
Gu Qingcheng, who had been pregnant for a long time, had a hint of maternal glow in her eyes and was eating in small bites.
Just then, the private room door was gently pushed open.
The head chef, God Chef Chi Baobao, personally carried a platter covered with a silver cloche and walked in.
Today, he was wearing a pristine white chef's uniform, his face showing an almost reverent excitement and supreme respect for the diners.
"Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu."
He steadily placed the platter on the table and lifted the lid.
An indescribably rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire private room!
It was a steak perfectly pan-fried, with an enticing caramelized surface, yet still maintaining a tender pink color inside.
"Mr. Lu, truly... truly thank you so much!"
Chi Baobao's voice trembled slightly.
"Thank you... for allowing me, in my lifetime, to personally prepare such a legendary, dream-like ingredient!"
"This dish is the pinnacle of my culinary career!"
"To express my sincerest gratitude, all your and your wife's expenses tonight will be personally waived by me!"
After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply.
He could feel that after cooking this dish, his long-dormant Gourmet Cells within him began to cheer with delight!
Lu Cheng smiled and nodded, signaling for him to withdraw.
His gaze was gentle and encouraging, as if looking at a very promising junior.
Chi Baobao bowed again and respectfully exited the private room.
Lu Cheng watched his retreating back, cut a small piece of mammoth meat, put it in his mouth, and savored it.
The energy imbued with an ancient aura exploded on his taste buds.
Inside him, however, another voice echoed.
"No need to thank me."
"This is just... an appetizer."
"The true feast will officially begin when you taste the first of your kind."
"I'm very curious, what kind of expression will you have on your face when you discover that the most delicious and strength-enhancing ingredients in this world are actually those unique friends around you?"