Trillions of sharp rose petals tore through a giant school of Bronze and Iron Barracuda Chaos Beasts, mincing them into hand-sized strips of flesh, while the azure flames of Icefire flash-cooled the meat into proper freezer-grade burger meat.

Pef sighed and called back his Sword Soul's manifestation, or Bankai as he named it in honor of a former life.

The inner Formation screen changed slightly as well. Sword Soul 2/10, Manifestation Stage 12%. As always, the glove found the means to motivate him. You think you have reached the top? It was actually only 1 percent of the next goal. Now work harder, you lazy bum!

As he focused his Array to finish Cooking this batch of low-level burgers for the Legion, his cultivation level also crossed into the 2nd Star of Tier 12.

"I think we're 10 days early from our cultivation target. Early break?" Icefire asked as he returned to his old man body and grabbed a dozen Barracuda burgers to test their quality.

Pef also ate a few of the new burgers, using his inner selves advanced diagnostic skills to evaluate their effectiveness. Instant Tier 2 promotion for anyone at Saint or Tier 1 rank. Or another Star for those in Tier 3.

A single tap on the Void beside him opened a Violet portal into the Legion Pagoda, and he delivered the mass-produced burgers to the hungry masses of Legion recruits awaiting Ascension in the Lower Realm. Another billion Soldiers for the General.

There was a time when a single Saint used to be an impossible enemy, like the Rock Worm.

But now...his musing were interrupted rudely as a watery scaled fist struck his back, breaking his spine with too much ease.

"Demonhunter, were you that bored?" Pef asked as his Body of Steel restored itself to pristine condition nigh-instantly.

"You said we can go hunt Steel Krakens when you reached your 2nd Star. What took you so long?" the Ascended Golden Koi answered as it appeared out of nowhere.

"... Was it too long, though? Less than a year for a Steel Star is rather decent, I think." Pef countered with a shrug. It was actually unheard of fast, unless using a cheat like Ascension Wine.

Steelord Demonhunter scratched his head. "I think it took me like 40 Chaos Cycles for my 2nd Star, so maybe not. I wasn't all that talented, only had a harsh Master."

"There are Krakens up in that Miasma Cloud." Icefire pointed out with a careless voice, and a finger pointing mostly up.

Demonhunter scowled as he focused his own divine sense on the said Miasma Cloud. "Too dangerous. There is a Stingray in there as well."

Pef nodded slowly. High-risk but high-reward target. Not something he would try by himself, but with Demonhunter present...

"I might obtain another Divine Wine if we get the Preservation Core. Plus, we never got to taste the Stingray roast of my Ascension feast." he proposed with a wide smile.

The Demonhunter hesitated, for good reason. "You might die, young cook."

"I'd be back in a decade or less. Death isn't much of a problem in the Legion." Pef countered with another shrug. Also true. He had amazing allies on that front.

"Meh, I did die a hundred times too, but it wasn't all that fun. The Dean would always chastise me for being too impatient." Demonhunter answered with a similar shrug.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"If you grab its tail hard, the battle would be half-won already." our brave cook proposed with a calm voice.

Demonhunter frowned for a minute, then relaxed. "And I get the first taste of your new wine."

Pef shrugged in turn. Finding a durable test dummy for his creations was always dangerous, while the Taotie wasn't a good test sample. The damn scavanger would devour anything, and suffer no consequences anyway. A voluntary tester was something else, though.

Of course, the best laid plans always fail when confronted with a real enemy, who wouldn't simply sit still to be killed.

Which is how, a minute later after their brilliant idea, both Pef and Demonhunter found themselves in the loving arms of the Life Goddess, saved from an early death by an emergency Portal Array.

"I didn't know Stingrays mated like that..." Pef offered as a weak excuse, while trying to erase the abomination he just saw from his mind.

"It was my fault, as the higher realm in charge of the hunt." Demonhunter spoke in a grave voice, while the Life Goddess extracted two Sting tails from his belly and back.

"The Dean would be pretty upset if you died your 101st death, Demonhunter. Especially in such a bizarre manner." the Life Goddess quipped in an amused voice, while handing back a pair of Preservation Cores.

The Steelord grit his teeth and handed the cores to Pef, then stood up and cycled his formidable cultivation to regrow his corroded scales.

"Next time, one Stingray at a time, Demonhunter. And never when they are mating." our cook proposed, just as the Demonhunter flew away, possibly in shame.

The Life Goddess waited for a long minute, before bursting into genuine laughter. "Saving you both was worth it only for the entertainment. As for actual payment..."

Pef measured the goddess for a few seconds. "Would you really prefer payment in immortal crystals instead of a Stingray tail?" he asked, a bit rhetorical.

The Life Goddess nodded and returned one of the Stings to Pef, then began slurping the poison from the other one, like it was a delicious cocktail.

Our Divine Cook observed the process with curious eyes. Such a deadly poison that would kill him a hundred times over, and this woman was simply eating it?

Even in a cultivation universe, there were rules. Chaos was only countered by Order, thus...his Twelve Element cultivation was still incomplete. He would need to integrate two more elements, somehow.

"You're converting Chaos into Order?" he asked to make sure.

The Life Goddess only raised an eyebrow, and continued sipping her poison with a concentrated focus.

Pef sat down, and began considering how this could be achieved by someone in the same Realm as himself. Inject Chaos into his inner universes? What would make them withstand so much Chaos that would kill even a late-tier Eminence?

Those universes would have to be populated by a fanatical population that emanated Order in enormous quantity. A Faith-based universe, with everyone praying to a single deity, perhaps.

"Turning Chaos into Order, through Faith. Quite clever." he deduced as the Life Goddess set aside her empty Stingray tail.

"I think you gained more than I did from this adventure, Divine Cook." the Life Goddess noted in a kind voice.

Pef almost agreed, before considering how he got here. Demonhunter did not arrive by accident, not when such an unlikely event was taking place nearby. "I am not a fisherman, my lady. If I fight beasts, it is to obtain meat to cook. By cooking better meals, I advance my cultivation. This doesn't mean I don't understand traps and plots, I just consider them beneath me."

The Life Goddess sighed, and began setting up a tea table. "The strong have no need for plots, young cook. You can fight your way through anything, and maintain your morals and integrity without problems."

"You are very strong, my lady." Pef offered in a mild voice.

"No. I am indispensable, because of my healing talents. Like you could be, as the only person in the Three Realms able to create wonders like the Ascension Wine and your strange meat buns. You could create another Academy that puts the fisherman to shame. A thousand Iron Patriarchs and maybe two dozen Eminences would beg you to join. Myself included." the Life Goddess said in a sad voice, while pouring the hot water over golden leaves.

Pef sighed and took up his golden glowing cup of tea. "I actually did do that, in the Lower Realm. When people started flocking to my Celestial Restaurant, the Mercy Seat sent a hundred top tier Enforcers to shut me down. Eventually I had to kill everyone in my way, and leave my Legion in charge of the place. I simply want to Cook."

"Then get stronger, Divine Cook. Stingrays will prove useful to your goal." the Life Goddess answered with a tiny smile, and sipped her tea.

Our hero stored his cup of tea without drinking, and stepped into a portal without goodbye. The tea was obviously poisoned. He didn't need to taste it.

The Taotie instead...the monster might like it.