Chapter 175: Pot God

What in the world have you been imagining?

Li Ye was speechless.

While Liu Rongrong was still wrapped up in her own over-the-top speculation, his fingers tapped repeatedly on the display screen, searching for current events.

Besides his own, there were four other wisps of Demon Qi in this world.

It had been six long years since the Demon Qi escaped from the Demon Suppression Tower, yet this world still seemed normal. That, in itself, was the most abnormal thing of all.

Demon Qi would never just lie low.

Qin Tian had risen to prominence at the age of twelve, so he clearly wasn’t connected to the Demon Qi.

‘If there is Demon Qi out there, they would never pass up a promotional platform like the internet…’

…

“Qin Tian led his team through the thirteenth floor of the Ruins, obtaining the first Black Tiger Star Bead in human history. The Black Tiger’s combat power is suspected to have broken through the ninth rank.”

“Qin Group’s market value surpasses 900 billion.”

“The Shiyao Group has developed the fourth-generation nutrient solution, capable of sustaining a person’s physical stamina for 150 days. The advent of this solution means people now have the ability to venture deeper into the Ruins.”

“The Nanye Group’s eighth-generation protective suit is now on the agenda; concept art has allegedly been leaked.”

“Chef God Xue Yang’s auctioned lunch sets a new record. The chairman of the Nan Group won a serving of the Chef God’s Gold-standard Egg Fried Rice for 89 million Star Coins…”

…

‘Xue Yang?’

Li Ye keenly tapped on the news about Chef God Xue Yang.

Xue Yang, a Time Traveler from the same period as Song Jiani and Pang Feng. Failed his first mission. The demonic object he carried was a flat-bottomed pan…

Li Ye remembered the files on all the missing Time Travelers and their demonic objects.

The webpage loaded instantly.

Xue Yang’s profile picture was obscured by a flat pan, hiding his face.

But Li Ye recognized that pan at a glance. It was definitely him.

‘Eighty-nine million Star Coins for a single serving of egg fried rice, a promotional image that only shows the pan and not the face… this kind of publicity only builds up the pan’s reputation…’

‘This is the promotional tactic of a demonic object!’

“…That has to be it… It must be. Huang, your master must have wanted you to absorb Sun Star Power, which is why he left you in the Ruins…” Liu Rongrong finally snapped out of her own conjectures. She snapped her fingers, excitedly sharing her conclusion with Li Ye.

Then,

She saw the news on the display screen and couldn’t help but stare. “The Pot God?”

“The Pot God?” Li Ye had already finished reading the news about the Chef God and was now looking at the comments below.

Xue Yang was incredibly popular. Most people were discussing what kind of record his next meal would break and who would be lucky enough to eat a meal cooked by the Pot God.

“Right, the Pot God.” Liu Rongrong subconsciously pursed her lips. “Although Xue Yang calls himself the Chef God, almost everyone calls him the Pot God. He’s even more mysterious than Qin Tian…”

“How mysterious?” Li Ye asked.

“It’s been over five years since Xue Yang first appeared, but no one has ever seen his face. All anyone ever sees is this flat pan.” Liu Rongrong pointed at the display screen and said, “They say Xue Yang got his start with a single serving of egg fried rice. At the time, he was selling it for 888 Star Coins a serving, and everyone cursed him out, saying he was crazy for money. But everyone who ate his fried rice said it was the most delicious thing on earth. And what’s more, their Star Power broke through to the next level on the very same day.”

“Is it really that magical?” Li Ye asked.

“I don’t know. Those are just internet rumors,” Liu Rongrong said, shaking her head. “By the time Xue Yang became widely known, he had already founded the Flat Pan Catering Company and launched a series of dishes that you can just buy, heat up, and eat. They taste pretty good, but they don’t have the magical effects the legends claim. He Xu and the others will be back with some of the food in a bit. His products are everywhere in the market now. He’s driven a lot of regular restaurants out of business…”

‘He’s held a demonic object for five years, and the demon hasn’t even possessed him!’

‘He’s made the flat pan a household name.’

‘How many Derived Skills must this guy have generated?!’

Li Ye’s gaze returned to Xue Yang’s picture, and he sighed with emotion. ‘I wonder what his attitude will be when he runs into me?’

‘From the moment I arrived, he should have known that another wisp of Demon Qi had appeared in the world!’

‘Demon Qi appearing at a time like this… it couldn’t be anyone other than a Time Traveler.’

‘Will it be “fellow townsmen meeting with tears in their eyes,” or “fellow townsmen meeting with a knife in the back”?’

“Three years ago, Xue Yang started this auction. Just for that egg fried rice. It started at three hundred thousand Star Coins and shot all the way up to the current 89 million. I really don’t know what those rich people are thinking. Spending so much money just for one meal from him. And yet, they’re all like lunatics, fighting tooth and nail for it.”

Liu Rongrong snorted. “With that much money, I could buy enough resources to reach the eighth rank.”

“What else has he done?” Li Ye asked.

“Every month, Xue Yang holds a drawing for members who have purchased his products. Two lucky winners get to eat a meal he cooks himself. You can either eat the meal yourself or transfer the eligibility to someone else,” Liu Rongrong said. “Thinking about it, the next drawing should be in three days. I wonder if I’ll have a chance to be one of the lucky ones. If I get picked, I’ll transfer the spot immediately and become a multi-millionaire in minutes…”

“Is everyone a member?” Li Ye asked.

“From ninety-year-old grandmothers to newborn babies, everyone in the Federation is a member.” Liu Rongrong clicked her tongue. “Who wouldn’t want to strike it rich overnight and become a multi-millionaire? Besides, all you have to do is register an account. It doesn’t even cost money. After registering, the Flat Pan Catering Company even mails you a small flat-pan-shaped freebie, engraved with your member ID and your birthday. On your birthday every year, the Flat Pan Catering Company sends you a small gift. I’ve already collected over twenty of those little pans. Huang, once we get you an ID, I’ll help you register for one too…”

With that,

she turned and took a box down from a cabinet.

She opened it and placed it in front of Li Ye.

Li Ye looked inside the box. It was filled with a whole set of chibi-style flat pans, each engraved with one of the twelve zodiac animals and a birthday wish…

“If you collect all twelve zodiac signs, you can go to the Flat Pan company and redeem them for a serving of fried rice,” Liu Rongrong said. “But I like these little pans, so I’ve never traded them in. Besides, every birthday pan has a number on it. You can also use these numbers for the prize drawing, so it’s not worth using them to trade for fried rice…”

‘Damn!’

Li Ye was completely numb. He subconsciously asked, “Is there more?”

“The Flat Pan Group also has its own exclusive animated shows.” Liu Rongrong gave Li Ye a strange look, then tapped the screen to play an animation. “Look, *Flying Hero with a Flat Pan*, *Red Wolf and the Flat-bottomed Pan*, and *Pan Warrior* are all from their company…”

“…” Li Ye asked, “Is there more?”

“The Flat Pan Cup culinary competition, the Flat Pan Scholarship Award, the Flat Pan Charitable Foundation for the Disabled…” Liu Rongrong frowned and mumbled, “Now that you mention it, I never realized just how many things Xue Yang has started!”

‘Son of a bitch!’

‘This guy has truly promoted the flat pan into every nook and cranny of life. In five years, how many Derived Skills must he have created? How much Demon Qi must he have accumulated?!’

‘Is he even giving anyone else a chance to survive!’

Li Ye swallowed hard, on the verge of despair.

He had been through three worlds. If he had transmigrated with his max-level watch or roll of toilet paper, he might have stood a chance against this guy…

But now, Xue Yang had spent over five years turning the entire Federation into his personal iron fortress. The moment Li Ye showed his face, he would surely be discovered.

What’s more, all the musical pieces he knew were from Earth.

After more than five years, Li Ye would even believe it if someone said Xue Yang secretly controlled the Federation…

‘Besides, does this world even have the Erhu?’

Li Ye subconsciously typed “Erhu” into the search bar, but nothing came up. He then searched through the musical instrument category, but it wasn’t there either.

“What are you looking for?” Liu Rongrong asked.

“I’m looking for this instrument,” Li Ye said.

“It doesn’t exist here.” Liu Rongrong shook her head firmly. “I’ve never seen that instrument you use before. Didn’t you make it yourself in the Ruins?”

‘It’s over!’

‘The path of creating my own music is also blocked!’

‘The moment I appear with an Erhu, I’ll be discovered immediately…’

Li Ye frowned deeply, pondering a way to break the deadlock.

He was unwilling to gamble on Xue Yang’s kindness.

After all, this was a guy who took a demonic object and chose to defect at the first opportunity. A person like that puts himself first…

‘Besides, my existence threatens his position. Getting rid of me and keeping only the demonic object would be his best option.’

‘Perhaps the other three demonic objects have already been brought under Xue Yang’s control.’

‘This starting situation is even harder than the last one.’

“Huang, what are you thinking about?” Liu Rongrong asked.

“Nothing,” Li Ye said, shaking his head.

“Why do you keep asking me about the Pot God?” Liu Rongrong asked.

After a moment of silence, Li Ye said dejectedly, “Even though I can’t see his face, his build is very similar to my master’s. I suspect he *is* my master…”

“…” Liu Rongrong’s eyes suddenly went wide. “What did you say? The Pot God is your master?”

Just then,

the doorbell rang.

Liu Rongrong went to open the door.

Li Ye continued searching the internet, trying to find traces of the other three wisps of Demon Qi, but all the trending topics were dominated by Xue Yang and his flat pan.

Unless the demonic objects they were attached to were also things that didn’t exist in this world, like his Erhu, finding them wouldn’t be easy.

“Huang, we’re back! Come and eat!” He Xu called out enthusiastically.

Li Ye ignored him and went back to Xue Yang’s page, reviewing his history.

But in over five years, he had integrated the flat pan into every aspect of life, making it impossible to even speculate on what kind of Derived Skills he might have generated.

Liu Rongrong quietly told He Xu and the others what had just happened.

He Xu and the others were equally shocked. “You… you’re saying the Pot God might be Huang’s master?”

“Yeah.” Liu Rongrong nodded. “Huang recognized him by his build. For eighteen years, his master was the only person Huang ever saw, so he probably wouldn’t make a mistake.”

“No wonder, no wonder the Pot God never shows his face and only holds an auction once a month,” He Xu said. “So he spends most of his time in the Ruins. That explains everything.”

“Is the Pot God really that powerful? He’s just a chef!” said the baby-faced Chi Wenjie.

“His food can make people break through their Star Power, and he probably eats it all the time. He might be even more powerful than Qin Tian!” He Xu said. “Plus, he has so much money, he could just buy Star Beads to boost his strength! And he’s skilled at concocting materials. The medicinal herbs he prepared for Huang, the food he gave him—he might have created all of it himself…”

“Why would the Pot God experiment on Huang?” Yang Qi asked.

“It’s a conspiracy.” He Xu glanced at Li Ye’s back and nodded with certainty. “The Pot God has never shown his face. He’s probably plotting some grand conspiracy to overthrow the Federation.”

Because of their preconceived notions—Li Ye had told them his master regularly drew his blood—He Xu and the others naturally assumed the worst about the Pot God.

Conspiracy theories are popular in every world.