Thwack! Inzarota slammed down a second fist-sized metal box, his eyes blazing only with self-assurance.

"This... this is also one of yours..." Thwack...

thwack... thwack...

Inzarota wasn't one to boast much, but hearing the Chef speak with such disdain—a disdain aimed at Qin Fen's judgment—was galling. Inzarota was also intensely proud, a man outwardly cool but warm within.

To hear his friend slighted, even in a casual dismissal, was unacceptable. Piece after piece of pharmaceutical creations lined the dining table, as if scattered by a sudden downpour.

"Alright! Enough!

Stop bringing them out!" The Chef waved his hands repeatedly. "When I was your age, I wasn't nearly as powerful.

Three months might sound arrogant, but you certainly have the standing to say that." Only then did Inzarota stop producing the items, satisfied. The Chef smiled as he examined the array of works on the table.

"Ingenious concepts, remarkable talent, and truly solid foundational skills. A genius in pharmaceutics!

Among the younger generation, perhaps only the legendary one, that fellow named Inzarota, could compare to you." Hearing such praise only made Qin Fen more amused. "Instructor, how can you be so certain that this Inzarota can even measure up to my friend?

Rumors might be exaggerated." "Impossible," the Chef dismissed with a firm wave. "Though I haven't met the boy, I've seen one of his prescriptions.

While slightly raw, it was undoubtedly the product of a genius hand." "Instructor... about that..." Qin Fen slid into the seat next to Inzarota.

"Let me formally introduce my friend. His name is Inzarota; he was my closest friend back in high school..." "In...

Inzarota? You are Inzarota?

That supposed genius touted by countless idiotic experts?" The Chef's smile held a hint of bitterness. "I never thought those blockheads would have a moment of clarity." "Indeed, indeed!" The Chef assessed Inzarota from head to toe.

"Kid, you startled me just now. I suppose you’re feeling quite pleased with yourself?

Since you intend to study under me, I need to bring you down a peg or two..." The Chef tapped the ring on his ring finger, and a single pill rolled out. Inzarota picked it up and merely sniffed it.

His usually stern face froze, his eyes wide with uncontainable astonishment. "You can try tasting it..." The Chef's smile was deeply confident.

"Perhaps you'll discover even more." Inzarota sadly placed the pill back on the table. He didn't taste it.

Instead, he immediately called Lin Liqiang. "Old Yin, did the trip turn out to be a waste?" "Ask for another month." "What?" "And maybe more." "Then congratulations!" Lin Liqiang's voice overflowed with joy.

"Once we reach our level, the people capable of teaching us become fewer and farther between. Someone who can teach us long-term?

That’s rare indeed. Having this opportunity—I am truly happy for you." "Mm." Inzarota was equally thrilled.

The Chef's power far exceeded expectations. That single pill he carried around was likely one of his most treasured secrets.

Yet, even this secret treasure instantly elevated the Chef's perceived power immensely. "Very good.

I trust you've tempered your arrogance now," the Chef said, snatching up a kitchen knife. "Even if you are a genius, here you listen to me.

Therefore, the very first thing you must learn is cooking. Come!

Follow me!" "Well... if there's nothing else, I should be taking my leave," Qin Fen began to stand up.

The Chef's flying kitchen knife flashed—///\—and embedded itself in the table right in front of Qin Fen. "Kid, don't go yet.

You should taste the first meal your friend cooks, shouldn't you? Otherwise, it would be an insult to your friendship." Qin Fen obediently sat back down.

Although the Chef was an instructor in pharmaceutics, that didn't imply his actual strength was weak. A man who casually wielded a cleaver while serving atrocious food to the camp's powerhouses without fear of reprisal clearly wasn't weak.

When Inzarota's first culinary creation was presented, Qin Fen instantly knew that his friend, the pharmaceutics genius, likely possessed another side: one that wasn't brilliant, perhaps even utterly incompetent. The dish—its appearance!

Utterly lacking. Its aroma...

Qin Fen suspected his highly sensitive olfactory system had malfunctioned, as he couldn't detect any scent of cooked food whatsoever. Its taste...

Qin Fen managed to force a bite down and then gave Inzarota a thumbs-up. "Brother, congratulations.

On your first day here, you've already surpassed the Chef Instructor in one skill." Even the normally stoic Inzarota felt his face flush upon hearing such praise. ///\ How could cooking be infinitely harder than brewing medicine or practicing martial arts?

The food he'd made with such concentration had Qin Fen's eyes turning green—what flavor could that possibly be? The Chef nearly split his sides laughing, slapping Inzarota heartily on the shoulder.

"Kid, not bad, not bad! Watching you cook so earnestly just now, I genuinely feared you might have another surge of potential for your friend's sake and churn out a dish that was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

You haven't disappointed me; producing a meal utterly devoid of color, aroma, and taste confirms you are my true successor!" Inzarota shot Qin Fen an apologetic look. Making Qin Fen's eyes turn green was truly a rare accomplishment.

After consuming the last bite, Qin Fen was sweating profusely. In the field of creating the absolute worst-tasting food, Inzarota possessed an extraordinary, almost superhuman, talent.

"Excellent! I hereby declare that from this moment on, all of Little Qin's meals will be your responsibility, Inzarota!" The Chef then fixed Qin Fen with a look of pure revenge.

Watching Qin Fen cheerfully devour the terrible meals the Chef himself had painstakingly prepared always filled the Chef with an indescribable sense of failure and frustration. Today!

He had finally found a ray of hope in Inzarota to defeat and torment Qin Fen! This filled him with boundless excitement and delight.

//\ Qin Fen's phone suddenly rang again, the sound piercingly clear in the otherwise quiet dining hall. It was an unfamiliar number.

Qin Fen frowned, knowing very few people had this mobile number. How could an unknown number be calling?

He pressed the answer button, and a voice, not entirely familiar, came through the receiver: "Qin... Qin Fen...

help... help...

sploosh... sploosh..." Lin Jia?

Qin Fen's eyebrows shot up. How did she get my number?

Why does she sound so much like she's in agony? And what is that sound of rushing water?

Is she by the sea? Beep-beep-beep...

The connection died, leaving only the flat tone of a disconnected line. Qin Fen pocketed his phone, pondering for a moment, then stood up and hurried out of the dining hall.

"I need to step out for a moment; you all carry on." Once outside the barracks, Qin Fen quickened his pace. Lin Jia's voice sounded exactly like a pained moan.

Though their interactions had been minimal, one couldn't simply ignore someone seeking help. Leaving the military camp, Qin Fen immediately channeled his Four-Star Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art and sprinted toward the coast.

He arrived at the location of their first encounter. Under the moonlight, the silver sand radiated a chilling coolness as the tide surged against the shore and retreated repeatedly.

Where the water met the sand, Qin Fen saw Lin Jia lying motionless on the beach. "Not another issue with her cultivation practice, surely?" A sense of dread flashed through Qin Fen's mind as he ran toward her.

Unlike last time, Lin Jia was not completely unclothed today. She wore white shorts, over which a loose T-shirt draped so low it nearly concealed them entirely, revealing her fair, smooth legs.

Only where the seawater had soaked the fabric and pulled it slightly upward did one realize she was wearing shorts beneath; otherwise, it looked as if she were wearing only the T-shirt. Beneath the soaked cotton, she wore no bra.

The seawater clinging to the fabric pressed the perfect shape of her chest tightly against the cloth, making the outline of her nipples visible—a sight resembling a ripe peach that instantly sparked the urge to yank the shirt up and possessively examine this treasure. With a soft groan, Lin Jia, her face somewhat pale, surfaced from unconsciousness for what felt like the umpteenth time.

She saw Qin Fen kneeling beside her and managed to lift her head slightly to look at him. Her cotton T-shirt was completely saturated, clinging to her body as if she were naked.

No! This state of being drenched and clinging was far more likely to elicit physiological reactions and potentially beastly behavior from a man than if she were truly unclothed.

"D-don't look..." Lin Jia felt anxious, angry, ashamed, and hateful. It was all because of this man that her martial arts progress stalled after a breakthrough, and unable to find him, she was left to fumble through self-discovery.

The reality proved once again that not everyone possessed the innate talent to modify martial arts. After encountering problems cultivating naked in the sea, she had barely managed to drag herself ashore, pull on her small undergarment and T-shirt, and then lacked the strength to move further, collapsing onto the sand.

Qin Fen turned his head away. He was a man, too; anyone who saw this and felt no reaction probably needed to have his body checked for issues.

The proper morality governed Qin Fen's thoughts; he knew he should avert his gaze from what he’d unintentionally seen in this context, and he should show discretion. "Are you injured?" "Yes...

severely. My vital energy is chaotic," Lin Jia replied weakly, yet laced with resentment.

"I broke through, but I lack the subsequent cultivation manuals. Unable to find you, I tried to practice on my own." Following the initial breakthrough, a follow-up was indeed necessary.

Lin Jia's current predicament was partly due to her own competitive nature, but he also bore some responsibility.