Chapter 52: The Vault-Ox Insignia!

"This is my Food Recommender token, the Tanging Bull Badge."

Fu Xing solemnly handed the badge in his hand to Qin Lang and then spoke slowly, "As for the ten kilograms of Silver Frost beef rewarded to you, you can freely choose from my storage room later, and I will have it delivered to your address after you leave it."

"Thank you, Mr. Fu Xing!"

Taking the Tanging Bull Badge—which had a beef marbling texture as its background and an engraving of a pitch-black bull—and thinking of the top-tier beef he was about to get, a sense of excitement welled up in Qin Lang's heart.

"Minor matter." Having tasted such a delicacy as the eighteen-second beef, Fu Xing was in high spirits as well. He turned his head to look at Zhao Qian beside him. "Your choice?"

"I choose the standard evaluation."

Zhao Qian took a deep breath and stated her decision.

Given her culinary skills, she was temporarily not at the level required to pass the Silver Frost evaluation, but she still had a chance at the standard evaluation.

"Good." Fu Xing nodded, led Zhao Qian to select the beef, and then sent her into the kitchen before waiting together with Qin Lang and the other.

"Mr. Fu Xing, there is still one more matter I need to trouble you with." Qin Lang had not forgotten the primary purpose of his visit to Fu Xing this time.

He took his hand-drawn sketch out of his pocket. "Have you seen a spirit like this at the Zenith Beef Pavilion or any other nearby places?"

"Oh? Isn't this..." Fu Xing glanced at it roughly, a look of surprise appearing on his face, but after taking it and looking at it carefully, he shook his head again.

"No, it just looks somewhat similar..."

"Mr. Fu Xing?" Hearing Fu Xing muttering to himself, Qin Lang couldn't help calling out.

"Although it is a pity, I can confirm that a spirit like this has never appeared near the Zenith Beef Pavilion." Fu Xing shook his head slightly and returned the drawing to Qin Lang. "You might need to look for it somewhere else."

"Alright." Qin Lang sighed in disappointment.

He had thought that coming to the Zenith Beef Pavilion would allow him to find the spirit in the painting, but he hadn't expected everything to return to square one.

Time passed bit by bit, and soon Zhao Qian's cooking was also finished.

A fragrance of tea and fruit mixed with the savory aroma of beef quickly diffused through the restaurant as she made her entrance.

"Tea-smoked Orange-scented Amber Beef Rolls, please enjoy."

Zhao Qian spoke softly and then stood to the side, her expression somewhat nervous.

Although she had tried and adjusted this delicacy many times, she had no certainty that the final product would pass Fu Xing's test.

"Don't be nervous." Sensing the apprehension on Zhao Qian's face, Fu Xing smiled and cast his gaze toward the food on the plate.

They were beef rolls about two fingers thick, with a deep, amber-like color on the surface.

"It smells very good." He sniffed carefully, then picked up a fork, speared a beef roll, and took a bite.

"Hm?" His brow suddenly arched. "Wrapped with minced water chestnut and diced onion inside the beef roll?"

"This concept is very interesting. With one bite, the fresh crispness of the water chestnuts and onions blends with the rich savoriness of the beef. More importantly, the addition of these two ingredients gives the beef a much richer juicy mouthfeel."

"The tea and fruit aromas are also very rich. If I'm not mistaken, the fruit aroma should have been infused during the simmering process, while the tea aroma is... achieved through a smoking technique?"

As he ate, Fu Xing kept nodding. "Combining a single ingredient through multiple cooking methods enriches both flavor and texture."

"This is a very interesting innovation."

Eating a beef roll in two or three bites, Fu Xing pointed to the remaining beef rolls on the plate and smiled as he looked at Qin Lang and Cao Dongdong.

"Come, come, come, have a taste!"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Qin Lang smiled and nodded.

He truly had not tasted Zhao Qian's cooking before.

Picking up a beef roll and putting it into his mouth, a look of amazement quickly emerged in Qin Lang's eyes.

From his perspective, the seasoning and ingredient selection of this dish could still be further optimized, but the culinary execution was truly very interesting.

The combination of tea aroma, orange aroma, and beef—Qin Lang had never tasted such a special flavor before, and what made it even more commendable was that this flavor did not feel abrupt.

After finishing one, Qin Lang couldn't help giving Zhao Qian a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Cao Dongdong had already started a whirlwind-style devouring mode, which instantly made Danbao anxious enough to fly its head right over to grab some food.

Seeing this scene, the heart that Zhao Qian had been holding up quietly settled down, and a relaxed smile appeared on her face.

When the plate was completely empty, Fu Xing took out another Tanging Bull Badge and solemnly presented it to Zhao Qian. "Your culinary skills have also gained my recognition."

"That's great." Zhao Qian revealed a joyful smile. "This is my third Food Recommender badge!"

"The third one..." Qin Lang touched his chin.

What a coincidence; this was also his third Food Recommender badge.

"Haha, it seems you are one step closer to activating the Tianshu Star Vein." Fu Xing laughed heartily. "Keep it up, youngsters."

"Yes!" Zhao Qian nodded heavily, and then a slightly embarrassed look appeared on her face. "Mr. Fu Xing, I would like to take another evaluation!"

"Oh?" Fu Xing blinked. "I must remind you that Food Recommender badges cannot be obtained repeatedly."

The expressions of Qin Lang and Cao Dongdong also became somewhat peculiar.

Having just finished an evaluation, why are they doing another one so soon?

"I know." Zhao Qian nodded. "So this time, what I want to undertake is the evaluation for a Tier-1 Spirit Controller!"

"Tier-1 Spirit Controller?!" Qin Lang's heart jolted with shock.

He suddenly recalled learning previously that Mr. Fu Xing was the most special among the seven Tier-1 Food Recommenders in Dongxia City, because he simultaneously held the position of a Tier-1 Spirit Controller and could conduct both Food Recommender evaluations and Spirit Controller evaluations at the same time.

However... with Bubu's current strength, is it enough?

"Are you certain?" Fu Xing's expression became slightly more serious.

He glanced at Zhao Qian's spirit and said in a deep voice, "Your spirit is far from being ready to challenge the Tier-1 Spirit Controller evaluation."

"I understand." Zhao Qian nodded heavily, her gaze meeting Bubu's beside her, both of their eyes carrying a resolute gleam.

"But I have aspired since childhood to become a powerful Spirit-Wielding Chef, so I want to see just how difficult the Tier-1 Spirit Controller evaluation really is!"

Fu Xing spoke in a deep voice, "You are not afraid even if you fail?"

"Not afraid!" Zhao Qian's tone remained firm.

"In that case..." Fu Xing took a deep breath. "Follow me."

With that, he stood up from the restaurant, and the three of Qin Lang quickly followed.

Soon, the four of them arrived at a hidden combat arena inside the Zenith Beef Pavilion.

"Your opponent is this one!"

Fu Xing stroked his brow, and a spirit standing over a meter tall appeared.

"Beep—"

[Type: Spirit]

[Level: Lv24]

[Flavor Attribute: Savory]

[Elemental Attribute: Earth]

[Culinary Skill: Freshness Abound]

[Combat Skills (excluding self-learned combat skills): (Earth) Earth Rock Charge, (Earth) Monolith Body, (Brawl) Shattering Explosive Fist]

[Experience Value: ——]

Seeing the experience value of this spirit, Qin Lang and the other two were stunned simultaneously, and a term involuntarily popped into their minds.

Renewed Spirit!