Looking at himself in the mirror, Shenqing Zhenjun nodded in satisfaction.

After two months of hard training, I finally regained my peak physical condition.

What surprised him even more was that his physical fitness had improved by almost two levels.

Not only are their movements and maneuvers faster, but their top speed has also increased by a full 20%!

High-level sword cultivators are among the fastest in all disciplines.

Adding those two percent together would be no small matter.

Basically, they are invincible among their peers.

The disciples under his tutelage have even greater potential for advancement.

The Golden Core stage disciple who improved the most saw an improvement of over 40%.

This gave Shenqing Zhenjun some confidence for the upcoming sect competition.

Where there are people, there will be conflict; where there is conflict, there is the martial world.

The competition for fortune and destiny in the cultivation world will only become more intense.

The Shushan Sword Sect generally does not participate in these matters.

They preferred to travel to the mortal realm and slay demons and monsters along the way.

But other sects were envious.

You're not coming?

If you don't come, then give up the secret cave you've been occupying.

If you're not coming, then move your Sword Sect overseas and stop occupying this blessed land of Shu Mountain.

Left with no other choice, the Sword Sect had to withdraw as well.

The Grand Competition is held every five years, with each sect sending five people who have cultivated for fifty years to participate.

The thought of this rule made Shenqing Zhenjun grit his teeth in hatred.

This is clearly targeting sword cultivators!

Sword cultivators don't have an advantage in the early stages; even those who reach the Golden Core stage in fifty years might only be at the very beginning.

A once-in-a-century genius swordsman might have only just reached the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage.

He naturally couldn't agree to this rule.

But it was no use; the minority had to submit to the majority.

As outliers among cultivators, they are often targeted by other sects.

The competition is divided into individual and team events.

Individual competitions, as the name suggests, are one-on-one.

Single-elimination format.

Teams will be teleported to a magical artifact realm for a survival challenge in groups of five.

The danger may come from monsters in the secret realm, or from people from other sects.

The team or individual that survives to the end wins.

One point is awarded for each individual match won.

In the team competition, the first place gets 10 points, the second place gets 8 points, and the third place gets 6 points.

Each subsequent place you drop in a ranking reduces your score by one point, until it reaches zero.

The grand prize of the competition is that each participating sect will be granted a three-year access to a secret realm.

The Sword Sect has only one secret realm, which is located within Mount Shu.

So they can't afford to lose.

Shenqing Zhenjun had a feeling that this time, the other sects would definitely target them.

Now we'll see how many unexpected surprises Junior Brother Ye can bring to the sect before the competition.

Another day to thank Master Yu.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year.

As a northerner on Earth, I naturally have special feelings about festivals like the Little New Year.

Ye Feng doesn't plan to let anyone order food today.

I only make dumplings; if you don't like them, then eat them until you die with regrets.

Of course, he wouldn't just make one kind of dumpling.

Three Treasures of the Earth (a dish of stir-fried potatoes, green onions, and eggplant), pork and scallion, cabbage and pork, celery and pork, mackerel filling...

They made more than twenty kinds of fillings, a dazzling array.

Ye Feng didn't bother to look at the system's prompts, except for the recipes.

After accumulating this knowledge over time, he received three more recipes with a one-star rating.

Spicy Chicken Cubes - Rating 1 star. Main ingredients: chicken breast, water chestnuts, pickled peppers, eggs, and chili peppers.

The finished dish has a glossy, reddish-brown color, a tender texture, and a rich, spicy flavor. It allows diners to fully experience the joy of finding chunks of meat amidst a mountain of chili peppers.

[Effect: Slightly increases the speed of spiritual energy release after consumption]

Dumplings - Rating 1 star. Nothing tastes better than dumplings; the tender, moist dough wraps around various fillings, offering a myriad of flavors in one dish.

[Effect: Slightly increases comprehension after consumption]

Sweet Tea - Rated 1 star. Main ingredients: houttuynia cordata, tea, dandelion, galangal tea, and bitter melon.

The taste is a mix of fishy and bitter, with a hint of tea aroma and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

[Effect: Slightly enhances recovery ability after drinking]

...

He had never made dumplings before, despite having some obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Early diners looked at the rows of white, ingot-like items in the small canteen.

I knew there would be new food to enjoy today.

The calls to friends and acquaintances were incessant.

After the water boiled, Ye Feng put the dumplings into the pot one by one.

The dumplings fell into the pot with a thud.

Like little white boats tossing and turning in the wind and waves.

It seems they have finally overcome the storm.

The plump, white dumplings all floated steadily on the water.

That means it's ripe.

Ye Feng skillfully scooped out the dumplings and placed them on a plate, then distributed them along with a dish of vinegar and garlic.

Little Red Makeup was eating with her mouth full of oil.

Even though the dumplings were scalding hot from being cooked, I kept stuffing them into my mouth.

"Awoo!" "Awoo!" "Sizzle!"

...

After finishing leading the aerobics class, Ye Feng finally had some free time.

He finally remembered that he had a system.

Open the main interface, and the latest status is displayed at a glance.

[Host: Ye Feng]

[Identity: Junior Martial Uncle of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect]

[Cultivation Level: Advanced Foundation Establishment 1345/1500]

[Body Constitution: Medium to High Grade 1000/2000]

[Comprehension: Mid-grade, Intermediate level 184/200]

[Talent: Intermediate Grade 176/200]

[Assignable Attribute: Point]

Seeing the assignable attributes makes me furious!

This internet speed is a rip-off at 1kb!

If I added this attribute, wouldn't I reach the Nascent Soul stage?!

In just over a month, I progressed from beginner to advanced Foundation Establishment.

Although this speed satisfied the sect leader, Shenqing Zhenjun.

But Ye Feng himself was speechless.

I also checked the system upgrades.

[9421 perfect dumplings received positive reviews, unlocking total progress 100/100]

[Gained 9421 allocatable attribute points, and gained +9421 cultivation points]

[The advanced version of "Looking Up at the Stars - Dying with Eyes Wide Open" received a negative review, reducing the total progress to -\/100]

Upon seeing this, Ye Feng's lips twitched uncontrollably.

This is why he has received so many positive reviews over such a long period of time.

The reason why only three recipes were unlocked.

Every time the day comes that I'll die with my eyes wide open in disbelief.

The disciples of the Shushan Sword Sect will reduce his total unlocking progress to a negative number.

This cannot be blamed on the fellow disciples.

It can't be said that they picked up their bowls to eat and then put down their chopsticks to curse.

That flavor was truly addictive.

The system only records the most authentic taste feedback, not whether they are grateful.

...

Ye Feng had almost run out of the vegetables, meat, and seasonings he had bought.

So this morning, I came to town with Xiao Hongzhuang.

Several stall owners gathered together, chatting animatedly.

As he listened, he frowned slightly.