The cooking of the gravy was crucial because it was the main reason that determined the taste of the Sweet and Sour Fish.

Bu Fang added ketchup into the Black Turtle Constellation Wok. The blood-colored sauce looked particularly charming as if it were a blooming flower. He turned the heat up, holding the wok’s handle in one hand and starting to stir-fry with the other hand. Soon, a strong fragrance rose and lingered near the tip of his nose.

Water was then poured in to dilute the sauce. After that, he sprinkled seasonings and spices to create a burst of rich flavor, which was refreshing to smell at.

He continued to toss the wok and stir-fry for some time before adding wet starch to thicken the gravy. This step was also very important. The gravy should not be too thick, or it would affect the aesthetic, nor should it be too thin, which would affect the taste.

He swirled the gravy with the ladle, then slowly scooped some up. The sauce dripped back into the wok like threads, which told him that the consistency was just right.

A sizzling sound rang incessantly, while wisps of steam rose from the wok.

Bu Fang tossed the wok, lifted it, and moved it beside the fried fish. Then, he scooped a spoonful of gravy and poured it over the fish. When the gravy covered the golden fish, it seemed to come back to life. The pieces of curled up flesh were all shaking. The next moment, a rich aroma burst out of the dish.

As Bu Fang poured the gravy, he fixed his eyes at the three flower buds on the plate. They were entirely condensed of his divine will, and if they did not bloom, it meant that his dish failed the test. As for the level of his success, it would depend on the System’s review.

In fact, Bu Fang had used his divine will to the maximum in this Sweet and Sour Fish, and he had not made a mistake. The only thing that could make him fail would probably be the taste.

The translucent gravy flowed slowly over the fish, glittering and looking very beautiful. As it moved, it gradually touched the three divine will flower buds.

Buzz…

An invisible wave spread, and then the first bud quietly bloomed. Bits of essence drifted out of it, which seemed to strengthen Bu Fang’s mental force.

When the gravy touched the second bud, it shivered. Then, it began to slowly open, its petals trembling as if a vast amount of life force was pouring into it.

Bu Fang took a deep breath. The dish was named Three Flowers Sweet and Sour Fish, so the fish and the flowers were equally important. And the third flower was the most crucial one.

Beads of sweat rolled off his forehead, caused by the overly huge consumption of his divine will. He watched carefully.

The fish seemed to have come back to life, turning into a spiritual being and swimming in the air, while strong energy boiled around it.

Buzz…

The third bud trembled violently. Bu Fang’s pupils constricted because it did not bloom. He was thunderstruck. Had he failed? But that was impossible… He had precisely completed every step!

The gravy flowed and covered the third bud.

Bu Fang swallowed, fixing his eyes at it. At this moment, he felt cold all over as if a shadow was enveloping him.

As time went by, his divine will exploded to the maximum. In his spirit sea, all the Artifact Spirits were roaring and deploying their strongest means.

Just when his divine will was about to be depleted, the last bud began to slowly change color as if it was stained by the gravy, and its closed petals trembled. Then, it bloomed quietly and suddenly, its petals unfolding and spreading. Soon, the flower was in full bloom.

With that, all three divine will flowers had bloomed, their delicate petals swaying beautifully.

Bu Fang finally breathed out a long sigh of relief. He felt both his body and mind were exhausted. This was the most dangerous cooking he had ever done since he made his debut, and he thought he was going to fail. He had almost given up, but luckily, he persisted.

Failure meant death, complete annihilation. No one could afford this price, not even Bu Fang.

He took two steps back and leaned his back against the cupboard, panting. Only then did he have the time to wipe the sweat on his forehead with a sleeve.

The Sweet and Sour Fish lay quietly on the plate. The red gravy was flowing over and around it, looking as charming as a ruby.

This test of cooking a dish from the God of Cooking’s Menu was too tough. Bu Fang almost failed. From the beginning, he was in a tense state of mind. The pressure to complete the dish was tremendous, and it also had a very strict requirement for divine will.

He exhaled softly.

All of a sudden, a rumbling sound rang out in the sky outside the restaurant.

That gave Bu Fang pause. ‘This kind of feeling… It’s a lightning punishment, and not an ordinary one,’ he thought to himself as his eyes narrowed slightly.

He clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the kitchen without bringing the dish with him.

In the restaurant, Nethery and Foxy looked at Bu Fang, puzzled.

It was early in the morning when he began to cook the dish, and when he was done, the sky had turned dark. Most of the people queuing outside the restaurant had left, but some curious ones were still waiting, hoping that the restaurant would open.

Suddenly, the restaurant door opened with a creak, waking the people in the line. They quickly rose to their feet and looked at Bu Fang in surprise.

“Owner Bu!”

“Good evening, Owner Bu!”

“Are you out for a walk, Owner Bu?”

These experts smiled and greeted Bu Fang. If it were other days, he would have nodded and greeted them as well, but all that was left in his eyes now was the lightning punishment.

It was not an ordinary lightning punishment, but a true Heavenly Palace Lightning Punishment.

Tian Cang, Er Ha, Nethery, and the others all looked at it. Lord Dog lay under the Path-understanding Tree and narrowed his eyes.

The lightning punishment was Bu Fang’s tribulation. No one could help him, not even Whitey, for it was not only for the dish but also for him.

The people in front of the restaurant stopped talking. They seemed to grasp the seriousness of the matter, and they watched as Bu Fang stepped up into the air with his Vermilion Robe turning fiery scarlet and a pair of flaming wings unfolding behind him.

Rumble!

A thunder palace emerged in the sky. It was a palace that stretched out over a sea of thunder between heaven and earth.

“What is this?!”

Many people were shocked. They had never seen anything so powerful before.

Ah Zi put her arms around her little dragon, dumbfounded. “This lightning punishment is…unusual! It is not the lightning punishment when a Little Saint transcends to a Great Saint! Its power is simply beyond imagination! In fact… it’s almost as terrifying as the lightning punishment when a Demigod becomes a God!”

Rumble!

A silver thunder dragon was wheeling in the thunder palace, which looked very lively. It had vivid scales with mysterious patterns flashing over them, and each of its claws was extremely sharp. It was like a real thunder dragon!

With a deafening rumble, the thunder dragon descended from the sky, bringing with it a violent aura.

Bu Fang raised his hand. The bandage came off the arm as he threw a punch at the thunder dragon. This collision represented the recognition of his strength and the beginning of his baptism!

The fist collided with the thunder dragon. Without any suspense, Bu Fang was instantly devoured by it. He was nowhere to be seen, and all that was left in the sky were exploding thunderbolts, which spread like monstrous waves one after another. The ground seemed to have been leveled off.

The watchers were stunned, their hearts racing and their bodies shivering.

All of a sudden, the thunderbolts broke and scattered. Amid thousands of lightning, Bu Fang stepped up into the sky with his hands clasped behind his back. His body was shrouded in electricity, and his black hair waved violently in the wind.

After the baptism of thunder, Bu Fang’s strength seemed to begin to climb, and as he stepped up into the sky, his aura changed tremendously. His cultivation base began to rise, from that of a Nine-revolution Little Saint to a One-revolution Great Saint, then from One-revolution Great Saint to Two-revolution, Three-revolution, Four-revolution…

It was as if he was scaling the Stairway of Heaven. With every step he took, his cultivation base broke through another revolution. Without question, once he reached the top, Bu Fang’s cultivation base would reach Nine-revolution Great Saint or even Perfected Great Saint!

In just the blink of an eye, he had broken through from a Nine-revolution Little Saint to a Nine-revolution Great Saint. Was there really such an incredible tribulation in the world?

Moreover, the lightning punishment had not gone away. Thunderbolts kept striking him, and when they disappeared, bits of energy fused into his body and kept strengthening his flesh.

His black hair lashed at the void like whips, his eyes shone like torches, and his aura was mighty. As he stepped up the air, Bu Fang’s aura finally reached that of a Nine-revolution Great Saint.

He stepped onto the thunder palace. It was incorporeal and powerless. Otherwise, if this sea of thunder exploded, it was powerful enough to destroy the whole Yellow Spring City.

Bu Fang opened his eyes, and his dried-up divine will began to recover. At this moment, it was as if a stream of refreshing spring was pouring into his spirit sea. He heard a rumble, as if something had broken, then his divine will broke through another level!

As his aura spread, he felt that his body was filled with power, and many questions in his head that he could not understand in the past were solved at this moment.

The Great Path could no longer stop Bu Fang’s pace. His robe flapped noisily as he looked straight at the sky, where the invisible Power of the Laws seemed to surge. He finally began to touch the Laws.

Boom!

Bu Fang descended from the sky and cracked the ground. At the same time, the lightning punishment in the sky scattered. He exhaled softly while an extremely oppressive aura exuded from him.

He had become a Perfected Great Saint. He finally stood at the top of this world!

Bu Fang casually waved a hand. A beam of light immediately shot out of the kitchen, accompanied by a strong aroma that permeated the air. Then, he raised a hand, and the Three Flowers Sweet and Sour Fish emerged and floated over his palm.

He had nearly failed to cook this dish and gotten himself killed. However, now that he had completed it, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

The dish in the God of Cooking’s Menu could only be tasted by one person, just like that Three-cup Chicken, which he had given to Nethery.

While holding the dish, Bu Fang glanced at Nethery, Foxy, Tian Cang, and the others. Nethery had eaten the Three-cup Chicken, so he skipped her. At last, his eyes fell on Lord Dog.

‘Perhaps only Lord Dog could taste this dish… Because only he can withstand the energy contained in this Three Flowers Sweet and Sour Fish.’