Most eye-catching of all was a light pink apron. Its straps tied into a neat bow at the back of the waist, and its two small front pockets were trimmed with delicate lace.
Among the matching accessories was a pink spatula with a rounded head and a handle wrapped in fine hemp rope. It looked about seventy percent similar to the silicone spatulas used in dessert shops in her past life.
The back accessory was a pair of tiny frosted wings in light pink and white. Their edges were dusted with fine, silvery sugar crystals, and they were so thin that light could shine right through them.
The necklace was a thin silver chain with a small heart-shaped sugar cube pendant. The earrings were two mini donuts, the bracelet was strung with rainbow-colored beads, and the socks featured a ruffled trim.
She stared at the outfit for a long time, with only one question in her mind.
“System,” she said, her voice steady. “What is the skill for this set?”
The light screen popped up a line of text: 【Skill Name: “Dessert Master.” After equipping the full “Sweet and Clever Cook” set, the host’s dessert-making ability will be elevated to a perfect score. Any ingredients, any recipe, will reach a flawless finished state in the host’s hands. Zero failure rate, zero chance of ruin.】
Lin Zhiyue fell silent for several seconds.
“...What is the point of this?”
The system replied with absolute confidence: 【The cultivation world has desserts too! The host can use this skill to open a dessert shop within Tiance Palace to earn spirit stones, or use desserts to make friends with fellow disciples, trade for information, and complete quests! The social attribute of desserts is universal in any world!】
Lin Zhiyue stared at the words and slowly blinked twice. The social attribute of desserts.
She remembered how back in her laboratory in her past life, every time she brought homemade cookies, her lab mates’ favorability toward her would visibly shoot up.
In a place like Tiance Palace, there was no shortage of miraculous elixirs and spiritual medicines, but cake—that might actually be a business opportunity!
She flipped through the preview images of the pink spatula and frosted wings again, and her lips slowly curved upward.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s draw from the card pool first and see how many pieces I can get. If this skill is actually useful, I’ll treat you to milk tea once I earn some spirit stones.”
The system’s light screen flickered, popping up a tiny question mark.
Ignoring it, Lin Zhiyue clicked open the draw interface and spent the five Premium Draw Tickets in her hand.
As the five Premium Draw Tickets were consumed, the light screen exploded into a swirling vortex of pink and white.
As the first glow faded, a pair of white ruffled knee-high socks landed in her palm. The fabric was soft and light, and the lace ruffle along the top edge was as delicate as real lace, feeling incredibly soft to the touch.
The second glow revealed a pair of pink, round-toed leather shoes. The uppers were smooth, and the soles were embedded with a very faint layer of pink spiritual runes.
The third glow brought the heart-shaped sugar cube necklace. The silver chain was as thin as a strand of hair, and the heart-shaped sugar cube pendant was so realistic that Lin Zhiyue almost wanted to take a bite. It felt cool to the touch, just like real candy.
The fourth glow was the mini donut earrings. The two donuts were only about the size of a fingernail, dusted with tiny, colorful sprinkles. When shaken, they felt practically weightless.
The fifth glow was the puffy, light pink dress. The chocolate-colored wavy patterns and cream-colored dots on the hem were exactly like what she had seen in the preview. The fabric was fluffy and soft, and a faint, sweet fragrance wafted out when she shook it open.
Five pieces. She checked the set’s progress. There were nine regular pieces in the Sweet and Clever Cook set, and she had drawn five. The apron, headwear, spatula, and back accessory had not yet appeared.
Lin Zhiyue stored these items in her system space. Looking at the pink dress and frosted shoes, she suddenly felt a strange sense of cognitive dissonance. Here she was, sitting in a courtyard on a side peak of Tiance Palace, surrounded by blue roof tiles, white walls, snow-dusted pine branches, and the solemn tranquility of a thousand-year-old ancient sect. Yet, lying in her system space was an outfit that looked like it belonged in a twentieth-century boutique window.
“Well, then,” she muttered to herself, closing the card pool interface. “I’ll just slowly save up tickets. No rush.”
She stood up, stretched, and headed to the martial arts field to practice swordplay with Qi Yan.
When she walked down the mountain and passed the cafeteria after her sword lesson, she lingered for a moment on a notice posted at the entrance: “Recruiting kitchen help, monthly salary of a certain amount of spirit stones.” Then, she walked past as if nothing had happened.
News of Lin Zhiyue’s breakthrough to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment had spread through the sect for barely two days, but it had already become a hot topic of conversation among many disciples during their leisure time.
In the cafeteria, someone whispered, “She surged from Qi Refining to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment in less than half a year after entering the sect.” Someone else chimed in, “She has an ice and wind dual-element Heavenly Spiritual Root, after all. How can our aptitude compare to hers?”
Another person sighed. “I’ve been in the sect for three years, and I’m still lingering at the ninth level of Qi Refining.”
Liu Fengyao sat across from Lin Zhiyue, nudging her with an elbow while shoveling food into her mouth. “Did you hear that? You’re practically becoming a sect legend.” Lin Zhiyue gave a vague hum in response as she chewed her spiritual rice.
On the evening of the third day, news spread from the main hall of Tiance Palace—Venerable Yanchen had returned from Luoshuang City.
Three days ago, Qi Yan had suspended Lin Zhiyue and Jiang Yuezhan’s sword lessons. It was said that the Palace Master had sent him out on an errand.
Lin Zhiyue was practicing her swordplay in the courtyard when she heard footsteps approaching from the stone steps.
Looking up, she saw Qi Yan’s figure appear at the courtyard gate. The cuffs of his red-and-black martial robes were flecked with bits of dry leaves, showing that he had clearly just returned from outside and had not even had time to change.
Standing at the gate, his gaze swept over her sword-holding stance and the frost marks on the ground around her. He went straight to the point. “A secret realm has appeared outside Luoshuang City. I have already gone to investigate it.”
Lin Zhiyue sheathed her sword and stood up straight.
“There is no great danger inside. It is suitable for disciples from the Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core Stage to enter and gain experience,” Qi Yan’s tone was as flat as usual, but Lin Zhiyue noticed that his brow was slightly more relaxed than normal. “There are plenty of rare herbs and exotic plants, and the levels of the spirit beasts are not high. It is a suitable place for you all. The sect has decided to organize a group of disciples to enter in three days.”
He paused after speaking, glanced at Lin Zhiyue, and added, “You are going too.”
Lin Zhiyue nodded, her mind already calculating.
The secret realm did not sound life-threatening, which meant she could focus entirely on harvesting rare herbs and exotic plants once inside. If she was lucky enough to find some valuable spiritual flora, selling them back at the sect would be another source of income.
Her newly acquired Sweet and Clever Cook set was still missing a few pieces to be complete, and she had to rely on system quests to save up Premium Draw Tickets. No matter what the quest for this secret realm trip turned out to be, she would surely reap some benefits.
“Master,” she asked, “what is most abundant in the secret realm near Luoshuang City? Spiritual herbs? Ores? Or demon beasts?”
Qi Yan thought for a moment. “Spiritual herbs are the primary resource. There is an area rich in spiritual energy in the mountain valley where many low- to mid-grade medicinal herbs grow. There are also some scattered spiritual ores; though their grade is not high, they are sufficient for Foundation Establishment disciples. There are not many demon beasts, and they are mostly gentle herbivores that will not actively attack people.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyue felt much more at ease. Low risk, abundant resources, and suitable for her current cultivation—this trip to the secret realm was the perfect combination for her system quests and money-making plans.
“This disciple obeys,” she said, her lips curving upward. “I will definitely go in three days.”
Qi Yan glanced at her, seemingly wanting to say something more, but in the end, he only let out an “Mm” before turning to walk down the stone steps.
After a few steps, he turned his head back and tossed out, “Bring those dharma robes of yours.”
Lin Zhiyue was startled. “What?”
Without looking back, Qi Yan said, “The spiritual energy fluctuations inside the secret realm are complex. Wearing dharma robes will save you a lot of trouble.”
With that, he vanished around the corner of the stone steps. Lin Zhiyue stood in place, blinking, her lips slowly curving upward.
She felt the several sets of spiritual outfits neatly folded in her system space, wondering which one she should wear into the secret realm in three days.
Forest Spirit's Verses had wings and a bow, which made it highly agile. As for Jinyao Fairy... its koi-fish constitution was quite suitable for picking up treasures.
Rate on N.U.
