Chapter 56: The Everlasting Spirit Blade

As Ou Xiaolu and Li Qinghao chatted, A Luo’s gaze became strangely fixed on the ceiling of the Master Chef’s Hall. His unusual behavior quickly caught Ou Xiaolu’s attention. Following A Luo’s eyes, Ou Xiaolu looked toward the ceiling but saw nothing remarkable.

“A Luo, what’s up there?” he asked.

“There’s a scent of incense—something is being worshipped there,” A Luo replied.

“Oh.” Ou Xiaolu had no intention of prying further; after all, everyone was free to choose their own beliefs.

Just as Ou Xiaolu decided to ignore it, A Luo remarked, “I suspect the power that person possesses comes from here.”

He glanced at Li Qinghao, who was smiling quietly behind them. Although Li Qinghao could not understand what A Luo was saying, the meaning was clear in A Luo’s gaze.

Ou Xiaolu grew curious, sensing that the conversation was about to take an interesting turn, but at that moment he felt a strange ripple in the surroundings. It was as though time had stopped, yet not quite like the usual suspended state. The space around them vanished entirely, leaving only A Luo and Ou Xiaolu standing in place.

Meanwhile, in the direction A Luo had been staring, a chef’s knife being revered emitted an eerie glow.

The knife looked ancient—its style dating back over a millennium. As soon as Ou Xiaolu and A Luo were drawn into this space, a voice came from the knife, bearing Li Qinghao’s tone.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen young people. Is there anything you want to eat? I don’t have much else, but there’s plenty of food here.”

Ou Xiaolu was still unsure of what was happening, but A Luo had begun to piece things together. He hesitated, then asked, “Have you already ascended to godhood?”

“Not yet,” came the sigh from the knife. “I lacked the crucial opportunity, just one step away. When I tried to push ahead, the era of declining magic arrived, and I nearly lost my sentience altogether.”

The knife then recounted its tale. It was one of the legendary Eight Great Culinary Tools of ancient Huaxia, known as the Eternal Spirit Knife.

Originally, it possessed the ability to restore the freshness of food that had lost its flavor. But due to certain circumstances, it was corrupted for a time. Although it eventually recovered, it missed its chance to become a deity.

Then came the age when magic waned. In those days, not even a chef’s knife could hope for enlightenment; practitioners themselves fell one after another. The Eternal Spirit Knife eventually found its way to the Lighthouse Nation of Amiliki, where it was initially used as an ordinary kitchen knife.

Had it been a flying sword or some other magical weapon, being used daily for chopping would have drained its spiritual essence entirely. But as a chef’s knife, its remaining trace of spirituality instead conferred the title of Food God upon its wielder.

For this reason, the knife became the revered heirloom of a chef’s sect, sustained by the incense of worship. Thus, the Eternal Spirit Knife began its path toward divine status.

As for how it ultimately came into Li Qinghao’s hands—that was another story.

When the knife finished its tale, A Luo asked directly, “What would you have us do for you?”

“I had Qinghao sell knives and swords here, hoping to gather the spiritual essence of blades to strengthen my own. That tea and wine I gave you served the same purpose. All I truly wish for is to take on form and no longer be worshipped here day after day.

You see, I glimpsed the road ahead, yet was halted at the final step. I cannot accept it!”

Ou Xiaolu glanced at A Luo, seeing that he understood the Eternal Spirit Knife’s yearning. Ou Xiaolu said nothing more; matters of divinity were beyond his grasp.

A Luo then asked, “How can we help you?”

“Bring me blades and swords with spiritual essence. If they are chef’s knives or spiritual kitchen tools, all the better,” the Eternal Spirit Knife replied.

A Luo nodded, agreeing to the request, but then shook his head, “Such things are hard to find.”

“If possible, meat with spiritual essence or power will do. I can use it for cutting, and it will help me recover as well.”

“That’s relatively easier—I’ll see what I can do,” A Luo promised.

“If all else fails, even one or two chefs with spiritual essence would suffice.”

“What, you want to kill someone?” A Luo joked.

“Of course not. When chefs cook, they sometimes experience flashes of inspiration. The more spiritual the chef, the more frequent those flashes. As a chef’s knife, I can absorb a chef’s spiritual essence. That’s precisely why the best chefs’ knives become so famous,” the Eternal Spirit Knife explained.

Hearing this, Ou Xiaolu remarked, “That’s very much like the theory of the Holy Blood Council.”

“Holy Blood Council? Who are they? Chefs as well?” the knife inquired curiously.

“No,” Ou Xiaolu shook his head. “They believe that legendary figures from history possess powerful auras or other qualities, and that these energies imbue their personal belongings. So, they collect such items, extract the power, and inject it into their own blood.”

The Eternal Spirit Knife thought for a moment and understood.

“That does make sense. But have they succeeded?”

“I’m not sure how far they’ve gotten, but I always felt they were rather weak,” Ou Xiaolu said, sharing his impression of the Holy Blood Council.

To him, those people were good at boasting, but had no achievements worth mentioning.

“I thought as much,” the knife affirmed. “Those legendary figures surely had more than one personal item. Even if their power is strong, it would be spread across several objects. Taking only one, even if fully extracted, would grant only a small part of the legend. And even then, the power might not suit the collector, so the method is not reliable.”

“Exactly, that’s what I think too,” Ou Xiaolu laughed.

“But their approach suits me. All I need is a little culinary spiritual essence. If I organized a cooking competition, what do you think would happen?”

Ou Xiaolu tilted his head thoughtfully. “I’d come and eat.”

“Well, that’s the right answer,” the Eternal Spirit Knife said. If it had a face, it would surely be twitching with amusement.

In the end, whenever Ou Xiaolu found something suitable for the knife, he would bring it here. In exchange, he could freely take the items Li Qinghao collected that had no connection to the Eternal Spirit Knife. Over the years, anything related to the knife had been absorbed by it, and the rest were mostly hung on Li Qinghao.