The next morning, the tournament grounds were even more crowded than usual. Word had spread about Li Ming defeating the sword genius, the scholar, and even the singing lunatic.
Everyone wanted to see his next fight.
"Who’s his opponent today?"
"I heard it’s not a fighter... it’s the sect’s head chef!"
"They’re really letting anyone fight now!"
The glowing stone board lit up:
Li Ming versus Chef Gao.
A fat man in white robes stepped onto the stage. He carried not a sword, not a spear, but... a giant cooking spoon. It gleamed under the sun like a holy weapon.
The crowd gasped. "That’s the legendary Iron Spoon of the Azure Sky Kitchen!"
Chef Gao adjusted his hat. "Li Ming, I have cooked for this sect for twenty years. Today, I will stir-fry you into defeat!"
Li Ming blinked. "...Did you just threaten to fry me?"
Chef Gao slammed his spoon against the stage. CLANG! The ground cracked.
The crowd shouted in shock. "So strong!"
"He’s not just a chef—he’s a warrior chef!"
Li Ming scratched his head. "Great. I skipped breakfast, and now I’m fighting the one man who smells like food."
The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"
Chef Gao roared and swung his spoon. WHOOSH! The air rippled.
Li Ming dodged with Heavenly Steps. "Careful! If you dent that spoon, how will you cook soup later?"
Chef Gao’s eyes narrowed. "This is no ordinary spoon. It has tasted more battles than you have buns!"
The crowd gasped again.
Li Ming held his chin. "Wait... spoons have tasted battles? I thought they tasted soup."
The disciples burst into laughter.
Chef Gao didn’t let up. He spun his spoon in circles, creating waves of qi that looked like boiling broth.
"Technique—Soup of Destruction!"
The waves crashed toward Li Ming like hot water. Disciples screamed from the heat.
Li Ming waved his arms around. "Too hot! Too hot!" He hopped from foot to foot, but somehow dodged every wave perfectly.
The crowd roared with laughter again.
Chef Gao growled. "Don’t underestimate me! Take my ultimate move—Heavenly Stir-Fry!"
He leaped high, spoon glowing golden, and came crashing down. The whole arena shook. Smoke rose everywhere.
The crowd held their breath. "Did he crush Li Ming?!"
When the dust cleared, everyone saw Li Ming sitting cross-legged in the corner, fanning himself with a piece of paper.
"Oh, you’re done? Can I eat now?" he asked casually.
The audience went silent. Then they exploded into laughter so loud that the birds flew away from the trees.
Chef Gao’s face turned red. "You dare mock my cooking arts?! Fine! I’ll finish you with the Legendary Ladle of Heaven!"
He swung again with all his strength. But this time, Li Ming stepped forward, poked the spoon lightly with his finger, and said, "Boop."
The spoon shattered into pieces.
The crowd gasped in shock.
Li Ming blinked. "Uh... was that supposed to happen?"
Chef Gao fell to his knees. "My... my Iron Spoon! Forged in the flames of the sect kitchen! Broken... by a finger poke?!"
The referee quickly raised his hand. "Winner—Li Ming!"
"He broke the spoon!"
"He beat the chef without even fighting seriously!"
"Li Ming is too scary!"
As Chef Gao was carried away, he grabbed Li Ming’s sleeve and whispered, "If you ever want free meals... come to my kitchen."
Li Ming’s eyes lit up. "Now that’s the best prize so far!" Get full chapters from novᴇlfire.net
That evening, in the kitchen, Chef Gao sat sadly at a table. His broken spoon lay beside him.
A junior cook asked, "Master Chef, will you forge a new spoon?"
Chef Gao sighed. "No... From now on, I shall cook with chopsticks. The spoon era is over."
Meanwhile, Li Ming was happily eating noodles in the corner. He slurped loudly and said, "Wow! These taste even better now that the spoon is gone."
The junior cook whispered, "Is... is he the real food master?"
Chef Gao nearly fainted.