Chapter 72: A Terrifying Gift for Learning

No, that’s not right! Song Mingze had said he would let him formally begin learning the culinary arts starting tomorrow, which left him puzzled. He’d already come today, so why wait until tomorrow?

“Brother Song, why start tomorrow? What should I do today?”

Song Mingze realized Lin Xiao had misunderstood.

“Actually, beginning today wouldn’t be wrong, but your foundation is far too lacking. Look at the ingredients in my kitchen—how many do you recognize? How should they be combined? Which foods must not be mixed together? You don’t know any of this. So you need to start with theoretical knowledge.”

Lin Xiao understood now; so that was it.

“So, Brother, how should I learn the theory?”

Song Mingze smiled and pulled two thick volumes from his spatial ring, handing them to Lin Xiao.

“These are materials I compiled myself. As long as you memorize the knowledge here, it should be enough.”

Lin Xiao stared at the hefty tomes, feeling a bit speechless. Wasn’t this asking a bit too much of him? There was so much to remember—it surely wouldn’t be finished in just a few days.

“You don’t need to finish them all at once. Start with the basics, and I’ll teach you as you go. For now, read; time’s nearly up and I need to prepare breakfast. Study well—cooking for so many people every day is exhausting. Once you can help, I’ll finally get a break.”

Lin Xiao nodded, realizing he couldn’t be much help yet, so he quietly found a corner to read.

The two books: one was an encyclopedia of herbs, the other a compendium of spirit beasts.

Lin Xiao picked up the herb encyclopedia first. Just opening to the first page, he was immediately captivated.

It didn’t list the medicinal properties of the herbs, but instead described in detail how to prepare them deliciously, taboos to avoid, and which combinations would yield the best flavors. There were even photographs of the herbs, making it easy to learn.

But that wasn’t the most surprising thing. What truly amazed him was that as soon as he glanced over the contents, it felt as if the information was engraved into his mind.

They say the morning is the best time for learning, but wasn’t this effect a bit too miraculous?

He’d always been confident in his memory—after all, he’d been top of his class for years, largely thanks to his exceptional recall. But now, this felt almost exaggerated.

Could it be that the pill he took yesterday had enhanced his memory?

To test this theory, Lin Xiao continued reading.

Soon, his own astonishing memory left him dumbfounded. As he read, he could take in ten lines at a glance; everything he saw was deeply imprinted in his mind.

Had he gained the legendary ability to never forget anything he saw?

To verify his suspicion, Lin Xiao quickly finished reading the herb encyclopedia.

Then he swiftly reviewed all the information in his mind.

And just as he thought, he truly had acquired the skill of photographic memory.

Lin Xiao was certain; he’d never had this ability before. It had to be the pill he’d taken yesterday.

He wanted to share his joy with Song Mingze, but seeing him busy, Lin Xiao kept quiet.

He picked up the spirit beast encyclopedia and began reading.

Thanks to his newfound skill, it didn’t take long for him to memorize both books.

Bored, he started watching Song Mingze cook.

At that moment, Song Mingze was wielding a long knife, expertly butchering a seventh-level demon beast: the Sawtooth Devouring Pig.

Information about this beast was in the book he’d just read. The Sawtooth Devouring Pig was ferocious, and among spirit beasts of its rank, one of the strongest, as well as an exquisite delicacy.

But it was tricky to handle, its bones extremely hard, making separating meat from bone difficult.

As Lin Xiao recalled information about the Sawtooth Devouring Pig, Song Mingze began moving. The long knife danced swiftly, and in no time, the pig was perfectly deboned.

Lin Xiao was stunned; he knew Song Mingze was a fire-type awakener.

But with knife skills like these, even most seventh-level awakeners wouldn’t stand a chance.

Clearly, anyone who could reside in the retirement home—even a mere chef—could not be ordinary.

Song Mingze’s performance was so dazzling that Lin Xiao couldn’t help but applaud.

Hearing the commotion, Song Mingze frowned.

“You rascal, how long have you been reading before slacking off?”

Lin Xiao grinned mischievously. Make way, it’s time for me to show off!

“Brother Song, I’m not slacking off—the contents of these two books, I’ve already mastered.”

Song Mingze frowned; from the time he’d handed Lin Xiao the books to now, it had only been about an hour. For Lin Xiao to claim he’d mastered both books was simply impossible.

“Young man, aiming too high isn’t a good habit.”

Lin Xiao knew that no explanation would be as convincing as letting Song Mingze test him.

“Brother, I really have finished. If you don’t believe me, test me!”

Song Mingze saw Lin Xiao’s confident expression and hesitated.

He picked up a herb at random, but before he could speak, Lin Xiao answered immediately.

“Xuan Yang Flower—bitter taste, but when cooked with special methods, produces a unique sweetness. The ideal choice for cold dishes.”

Song Mingze was taken aback; the boy was right. He remembered the Xuan Yang Flower was somewhere in the middle of the book. Had Lin Xiao really memorized it all?

He proceeded to have Lin Xiao identify several more herbs and spirit beasts, and Lin Xiao answered each without pause.

Song Mingze was genuinely astonished.

“You rascal, have you studied these before?”

Lin Xiao wasn’t about to let the chance to show off slip by.

“No, I’ve never studied them. I just have a photographic memory!”

Song Mingze stared at Lin Xiao’s smug expression, unsure what to say.

He’d planned to teach the boy step by step, but hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to be this extraordinary.

“To learn so quickly—since that’s the case, let’s start with some simple dishes.”

After that, Song Mingze began teaching Lin Xiao basic recipes. To help him observe closely, Song Mingze would always demonstrate first.

Lin Xiao learned rapidly; as long as he saw Song Mingze do it once, he could almost perfectly replicate it.

This gave Song Mingze a whole new understanding of Lin Xiao’s learning ability.

What a terrifying talent!

Song Mingze knew he’d found a treasure. He’d thought that if Lin Xiao could grasp seventy or eighty percent of his skills, he’d have a worthy successor.

Now, it seemed Lin Xiao was truly suited to inherit his craft—perhaps even surpass him.

And this was only while Lin Xiao was studying other things as well.

Keeping him on had truly been the wisest decision!