Chapter 9 The Impact of Ingredient Quality on the Increase of Soul Ring Age
Who can say that farmyard manure isn't food?
At least the plants and the dog seem to enjoy their food!
"Xiao Chuan, the barbecue is ready!"
Tang Hao's loud voice came from the courtyard, interrupting Tang Chuan's thoughts.
He composed himself, got up, and went into the courtyard.
Tang Hao was turning the grill over, and the hind leg of the Flame Pig was roasted to a golden brown, emitting a fragrant aroma.
"Xiao Chuan, come and try some!"
"The meat from the hind leg of this Flame Pig is very tender, and it also carries fire-attribute spirit power, which should be able to increase the age of your spirit rings."
Tang Hao used a knife to cut off the hind legs.
He gave the crispiest, most fragrant, and tender pork knuckle skin to Tang Chuan, then looked at Tang San who was staring longingly, gave him a small piece, and took the remaining bone, sprinkled it with dry seasoning, and started gnawing on it.
"Mmm! It smells good!"
Tang Hao chewed heartily, in a very good mood.
Tang Chuan took a bite of the roasted meat. The crispy skin of the pork knuckle was fragrant and juicy, and the meat inside was indeed tender. The hot juices burst in his mouth and slid down his throat into his stomach.
Subconsciously, he activated his spirit power.
The thousand-year-old spirit ring under his feet automatically appeared, the golden threads in the spirit ring trembled slightly, and the purple aura became more solid.
After he finished eating the entire piece of spirit beast meat, the age of his spirit ring increased by another two hundred years.
Tang Hao, who had been paying close attention, sensed the change in the spirit ring's age and exclaimed in surprise, "Two thousand years?!"
"Not bad, not bad!"
"Ogawa, try this Green Wood Deer grilled ribs again."
As he spoke, Tang Hao took the golden-brown roasted deer ribs from the iron rack beside him and casually cut them into several pieces with a knife.
The deer ribs from Green Wood had just been taken off the heat.
The surface was still tinged with caramel color, and the fine meat marbling was soaked in amber-colored juice. You could smell the rich woody aroma from afar, mixed with the smoky scent of charcoal, making your tongue tremble.
"Tell Dad if you like it."
"There are plenty of Green Wood Deer in the Soul Hunting Forest. I'll get you a couple more next time."
Tang Hao pushed the rib with the thickest meat in the middle and only one bone towards Tang Chuan.
Tang Chuan took the rib and took a bite. The meat was firmer than the hind leg of the Flame Pig, but not dry. When chewing, he could clearly feel the meat fibers spreading in his mouth.
"Tasty!"
Tang Chuan's eyes lit up, but he didn't swallow it immediately.
Instead, he summoned his Spirit, channeled his spirit power to make the Blue Silver Grass vines stick to his ribs, and devour them along with the bones.
The pale purple spirit rings became increasingly intense, and their age increased once again.
"It's gone up again?"
Tang Hao's gaze never left Tang Chuan. Seeing that the spirit ring's color had deepened even further, he exclaimed in astonishment, "Just a rib from a five-hundred-year-old Green Wood Deer, and the spirit ring's age has increased by another two hundred years?!"
"Something's not right, is it?"
"That Flame Pig is a spirit beast that's over nine hundred years old. Logically, it should have increased in age by at least two hundred years, so why has it only increased by two hundred years?"
Tang Hao put down the bone in his hand, lightly touched the spirit ring with his finger, and was filled with doubt.
"Um..."
After chewing the meat in his mouth, Tang Chuan replied thoughtfully, "Perhaps it's because the meat of the Green Wood Deer is of better quality, making it a higher-grade ingredient, thus resulting in a more noticeable improvement?"
"Okay, Dad understands!"
"I'll try to bring you back higher-quality ingredients next time."
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of Tang Chuan's first soul skill, and feeling even more grateful to the God of Food.
The duration of a spirit ring is related to the quality of the ingredients themselves.
High-quality ingredients are obviously easier to obtain, and in the future, Xiao Chuan will no longer need to risk his life to hunt hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beasts to upgrade his spirit ring level.
"The other one."
"You should eat more too."
"You've been busy starting the fire and adding charcoal for ages, here, take this."
Tang Chuan smiled and shared some of the ribs he still had in front of him with Tang San, continuing their display of brotherly affection.
Tang San was slowly chewing his small piece of Flame Pork when he heard this. He looked up, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes, and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Brother, you eat it."
"You need this to increase the age of your spirit rings."
"Don't mention it."
Tang Chuan shoved the ribs into his hands: "Didn't Dad say that there will be plenty of food in the future? You're at the age where you're growing, so you need to eat more."
"Besides, you were so serious when you taught me how to use hidden weapons, so consider this my way of thanking you."
Tang San held the warm ribs in his hands, a slight tingling sensation on his nose. Remembering his brother's kindness to him, he took a small bite.
Little did they know.
Tang Chuan's actions were merely a prelude to his later display of hidden weapons to Tang Hao.
Incidentally, he also subtly planted a seed in Tang Hao's mind, making Tang Hao notice Tang San's uniqueness.
You could say that.
Tang Chuan played a significant role in why Tang San was no longer favored by Tang Hao.
Tang San was completely unaware of this, only thinking that the Green Wood Deer Roasted Ribs tasted really good, no wonder it could increase his brother's spirit ring age by two hundred years.
He secretly glanced at the spirit ring at Tang Chuan's feet.
He was happy for his brother, but he couldn't help but secretly hope that when he got his own spirit ring, his father would pay more attention to him.
Tang Hao saw and heard this, and his dislike for Tang San grew even stronger.
"The other one."
"Don't just focus on eating, clean the grill afterwards, and make sure the charcoal fire is extinguished so there are no embers..."
Tang Hao picked up a rib and started gnawing on it, vaguely instructing Tang San to do some work.
"Okay, Dad."
Tang San immediately agreed, put down the ribs he was holding, got up to fetch a bucket of water, and quickly poured some water onto the grill, which sizzled and steamed.
As Tang Chuan ate the grilled ribs, his thoughts drifted to the "Ingredients Illustrated Guide" in his spiritual sea.
[Ingredient: Flame Pork Hind Leg]
[Origin: Soul Hunting Forest, Lava Valley, Nottingham]
[Duration: 930 years]
[Characteristics: The meat is thick and tender, with a gentle and mellow fire-attribute spirit power contained within its texture. The skin easily forms a crispy outer shell after being roasted]
[Preparation method: Roasting over jujube wood charcoal]
[Cooking time: First, sear over medium-high heat for 45 minutes, until the skin turns golden red and slightly charred and bubbly. Then, turn to low heat and roast slowly for one incense stick's time, turning it every three minutes to ensure the meat is cooked through and retains its juices.]
[Seasonings: Crushed rock salt, paprika, wild honey, thyme sprigs]
[Effects: Greatly replenishes physical strength, slightly restores spirit power, and can temporarily enhance the explosive power of fire-attribute spirits after consumption. It also has a mild nourishing effect on the blood and qi of non-fire-attribute spirits.]
[Ingredient: Deer ribs]
[Origin: Soul Hunting Forest, Nottingham]
[Duration: 500 years]
[Characteristics: The meat has a natural woody aroma, is firm yet tender, has fine fibers, and contains the essence of herbs and plants in its texture]
[Preparation method: Roasting over jujube wood charcoal]
[Cooking time: Slowly roast over low heat for half an hour until the meat is slightly separated from the bone, then quickly sear over high heat for a moment to lock in the aroma]
[Seasonings: Crushed rock salt, wild honey, thyme sprigs and leaves]
[Effects: Effectively replenishes physical strength, restores spirit power, nourishes the essence of plant-type spirits, and long-term consumption can increase the speed of spirit power cultivation]
Upon seeing the descriptions of the two ingredients in the "Ingredients Illustrated Guide," Tang Chuan understood.
"No wonder the Green Wood Deer Ribs have a lower age limit, but the increase in the age limit of the spirit rings is the same as that of the Flame Pig's hind legs, both at two hundred years."
"The problem definitely lies in the quality of the ingredients."
"Nourishes the essence of plant-based spirits; long-term consumption can increase the speed of spirit power cultivation. It should be effective for me as well..."
[end of the chapter]