Originally, Luo Xingzhou wasn’t skilled in cooking. When he was at the Wu family, he had no need to cook for himself. After leaving the Wu family, he lived on nutrient solutions and didn’t know how to handle cooking or grilling.
In the cultivation world, after transforming, he mingled with human cultivators and learned various life skills from his companions. Although he was a plant-based demon cultivator, he had a hearty appetite, not picky about food.
Now, Luo Xingzhou thought that once his mother’s health improved and she didn’t need to spend large amounts of star coins, he could open a barbecue restaurant with his cooking skills. He could live a peaceful life with his mother without needing great wealth, and it would be perfect if his grandfather and uncle could return safely.
He sliced the grilled meat into thin pieces and placed them on a plate. The soup was also ready. Luo Xingzhou enjoyed a few slices of meat and a sip of soup, feeling extremely content.
[Poisonous! Luo Xingzhou must be poisoning us at noon. My stomach is growling just watching.]
[Haha, I had the foresight to order takeout. It’s already arrived, so let’s eat with Luo Xingzhou.]
[Look at other livestreams. I scanned through, and none of the remaining contestants have cooking skills as good as Luo Xingzhou’s. Haha, it’s easy to imagine how tough their lives will be.]
[Wait, I noticed two contestants are getting closer to Luo Xingzhou. Wow, one of them even smells the barbecue. They’re following the scent. Luo Xingzhou, don’t just focus on eating; be on guard.]
In survival shows, danger can come from the wild or from fellow contestants, especially those encountered in the show who aren’t known beforehand, which doesn’t increase safety.
While many in the livestream chat were warning Luo Xingzhou to be cautious, Luo Xingzhou’s ears twitched. The vine, Jiutang, sprawled on his lap, poked his thigh with a tender sprout. Luo Xingzhou glanced at it, and it flopped back down. He continued eating and drinking as if nothing had happened.
His physical fitness was improving, and he needed a lot of food to replenish his energy.
When Chen Kangning and Milo landed on the Hong-ai Star, their positions were very close, so they quickly spotted each other and teamed up. Chen Kangning was a C-level water-based ability user, and Milo was a C-level feline beastman. Milo, being a beastman with sharp senses, was the one who smelled the barbecue.
Milo said as he walked, “What kind of smell can be so appetizing? My stomach’s growling. It’s noon, and we need to figure out how to fill our bellies.”
Milo was a bit of a chatterbox, while Chen Kangning was a stoic and cool character. Hearing Milo’s complaints, he took out a piece of jerky from his space pouch and handed it over.
Milo glanced at it with distaste. “This is so tough and dry after a whole night. I’d rather have nutrient liquid than chew on this.”
Chen Kangning pulled his hand back and quietly munched on his food alone. After downing five nutrient solutions, the tough jerky was no longer a problem.
As they walked, Milo’s stomach growled louder and his eyes brightened. He was certain the smell ahead was from grilled meat, so he quickened his pace. Chen Kangning put away the jerky and watched their surroundings cautiously, unlike Milo who seemed solely focused on food.
The two were quite lucky. Being real-life friends, they joined the survival live stream together, and it was surprising they ran into each other on this planet right away.
Finally, they located the source of the aroma. They saw someone sitting on a rock, holding a plate in one hand and using makeshift chopsticks to eat grilled meat, with half a leg of meat already cooked on the grill in front of him.
“Grilled meat! Great, it smells so good!” Milo’s eyes lit up as he saw the meat, and he lunged towards it, startling Chen Kangning. He quickly grabbed Milo by the back of his collar. At the same time, Chen Kangning recognized the person sitting there. Since they had come on the same spaceship, he exclaimed in surprise, “Luo Xingzhou?”
Although it had only been a day, Chen Kangning knew there were star beasts active in this area, making it unsafe for ordinary people. Yet, Luo Xingzhou, being an ordinary person, was not only surviving but comfortably grilling meat. This scene made Chen Kangning feel uneasy.
Hearing his name, Luo Xingzhou turned to look at them as if just noticing their presence. After a moment, he recognized the two of them.
On the spaceship to Hong-ai Star, the thirty contestants had introduced their names and abilities to each other. Since anyone who joined such a survival show had some skills, there were very few ordinary people, as it would be akin to seeking death. Luo Xingzhou, an ordinary person among the abilities users and beastmen, was particularly noticeable. However, few had shown interest in collaborating with him.
But during that time, Luo Xingzhou had managed to remember the identities of the other twenty-nine contestants. Now, the two who had suddenly appeared were Chen Kangning and Milo. Milo’s lively demeanor on the spaceship left a strong impression on him, and Milo was one of the few who had actively spoken to him.
Luo Xingzhou nodded at them and said, “Chen Kangning, Milo, I’m Luo Xingzhou. What a coincidence.”
Milo broke free from Chen Kangning and ran up to Luo Xingzhou, curious. “It’s really you, Luo Xingzhou! I didn’t expect to see you here. By the way, did you grill this meat yourself?”
He was staring at the grilled meat leg with his mouth watering, and Luo Xingzhou wasn’t sure if he was genuinely impressed or just acting. He nodded slightly and said, “Yes, I grilled it myself. If you want to eat, you can help yourself.”
“Really? That’s great! Kangning, come quickly. This grilled meat smells so good, even better than what you get at barbecue restaurants.”
Milo called out to Chen Kangning, then took out a knife and started slicing the meat. Without bothering to find a plate, he pinched a slice with his fingers and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes widened with delight as he chewed, and he quickly shoveled the whole slice into his mouth, swallowing it before giving a thumbs up to Luo Xingzhou and exclaiming, “Delicious, really delicious! Kangning, you should try it!”
Chen Kangning had not stopped Milo because he saw Luo Xingzhou eating too. Seeing how much Milo enjoyed the meat, he felt that the jerky he had just eaten was like wood in comparison. When Milo noticed that Chen Kangning hadn’t taken any, he forced a slice into his mouth to let him experience what real grilled meat tasted like.
As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Chen Kangning’s taste buds were exploded by the seasoning soaked into the meat. He instinctively chewed a few times and then realized what he was doing. He looked over at Luo Xingzhou, who was drinking soup, and acknowledged that the grilling skills were indeed impressive.
After finishing a slice, Chen Kangning said, “Master Luo’s grilling skills are really good. And if I’m not mistaken, this is D-level star beast meat, isn’t it?”
Milo’s eyes widened again. Luo Xingzhou is an ordinary person, so how could he have D-level star beast meat for grilling?
The live stream viewers burst into laughter.
[I’ve figured it out. Milo is just a foodie. When there’s food, he forgets everything else. Chen Kangning is really having a hard time with him. Milo has eaten so many pieces of meat and still hasn’t realized he’s eating D-level star beast meat.]
There were also viewers who had followed from Milo and Chen Kangning’s stream, sending messages asking, [What’s going on? Isn’t Luo Xingzhou an ordinary person? Is there some kind of conspiracy?]
[Conspiracy my foot! Luo Xingzhou was an ordinary person before coming to the planet, but who says he has to stay an ordinary person forever?]
[That’s right. Luo Xingzhou was no longer an ordinary person; he awakened his wood-based abilities yesterday and became a power user. And his abilities are quite impressive.]
[I think Chen Kangning initially wanted to include Luo Xingzhou in their team to look after the foodie Milo. Luo Xingzhou just had to take care of Milo, and they would ensure his safety. But once he had the first bite, he realized something was off. Chen Kangning must have started to theorize about conspiracies. Smart people tend to overthink, haha…]
[Is that true? He awakened his abilities yesterday? Is it really that easy to awaken abilities?]
[Just because you can’t doesn’t mean Luo Xingzhou can’t.]
[No wonder Luo Xingzhou’s stream shot up to the top of the charts in just one day. That must be the reason.]
Chen Kangning had indeed started to theorize about conspiracies, so he kept a close watch on Luo Xingzhou. If he noticed anything suspicious, he would be ready to attack immediately. Milo, reminded by his companion, had transformed his wide eyes into cat-like slits, ready to switch to his beast form for combat at any moment.
Luo Xingzhou remained calm and unruffled. “Yes, it’s indeed D-level star beast meat. I hunted it. Is there a problem?”
“You hunted it? But aren’t you an E-level ordinary person?” Milo blurted out.
Luo Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. “I was an E-level ordinary person before yesterday, but what level I am now, we’ll have to wait until we can test it outside.”
What’s going on? Milo was confused.
Chen Kangning looked at Luo Xingzhou in surprise. There was only one possibility. He said, “Did you awaken your abilities just after arriving on this planet yesterday?”
Milo looked at Luo Xingzhou in disbelief. The chances of that happening were incredibly slim.
Luo Xingzhou nodded and said, “Yes, I’m quite lucky.”
Milo immediately became excited, patting Luo Xingzhou’s shoulder. “Nice going, buddy! Now that we’ve met, how about the three of us stick together for our next mission? Don’t worry—if there’s danger, Kangning and I will take the lead, and during breaks, you can help us out. Hehe…”
The rest would be taken care of by Luo Xingzhou, who would be in charge of the food.
Luo Xingzhou nodded casually, “Sure.”
Chen Kangning hadn’t said anything yet but was fine with Milo’s decision. He started eating the barbecue with satisfaction. With such delicious barbecue available, he had no interest in eating the tough jerky. If he didn’t eat quickly, Milo would end up devouring it all.
As he ate, he curiously looked at Luo Xingzhou and asked, “May I ask what kind of ability you awakened? I’m not trying to pry into your secrets, but if we’re going to work together, it’s good to have a general understanding of our teammates. I’m a C-level water-based ability user, and Milo is a C-level feline beastman, skilled in speed and tracking.”
Luo Xingzhou patted the vine on his leg and said, “I’m a wood-based ability user. This is Jiutang; say hello to your teammates.”
The vine, Jiutang, immediately extended a tender shoot with two new leaves, waving them at Milo and Chen Kangning. After the greeting, it folded the leaves and swiftly climbed onto Luo Xingzhou’s shoulder, settling there comfortably.
“Aw, such a cute little vine!”
At this point, Chen Kangning no longer had any doubts. The little vine seemed harmless, but he thought that Luo Xingzhou’s awakened ability was likely a rare offensive wood-type power, indicating exceptional luck.