Chapter 43: Advancement Mission

“Ah!”
A piercing, anguished scream echoed through the entire upstream area.
The mage knelt on the ground, his features twisted in agony, clutching his legs as his body trembled uncontrollably.
His legs were grotesquely contorted, already fractured under Xu Han’s boot.
“I’m going to kill you!”
The mage glared fiercely at Xu Han, gritting his teeth as he spat out the words.
Xu Han glanced at him, dusted off his hands, and walked away without another word.
“I’ll have my brother kill him! I swear I’ll kill him myself!”
The mage roared, the veins bulging on his neck.
The two shield warriors beside him lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word.
...
Xu Han headed straight for the Professional Guild.
The advancement quest was posted at the Professional Guild.
More precisely, it was accessed via the Awakening Device.
Touch the device—so long as the conditions are met, one is transported to a special secret realm.
Complete the quest, and the advancement is official.
Xu Han made his way to the Advancement Hall.
The hall was spacious and empty, with only five Awakening Devices arranged inside.
A few Beast Hunters stood chatting idly, seemingly waiting for someone.
One of them spotted Xu Han and exclaimed in surprise, “Hey, isn’t that the young man from the other day?”
Xu Han turned toward the voice.
It was the Wild Blade Squad, who had invited him to Wood Forest Town.
The speaker was the captain—a rugged man with a scarred face.
“Young man, what brings you here?”
The scar-faced captain smiled as he greeted him.
Xu Han pointed at the Awakening Device and replied with a smile, “I’m here to advance, of course.”
The group stared at him in astonishment.
The scar-faced captain looked as if he’d seen a ghost. “Advance?”
“You’ve already... reached level nineteen with full experience?”
Xu Han nodded slightly.
Hearing him confirm it, everyone was dumbstruck.
“No way! You really just awakened? It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already hit level nineteen full experience?”
“When I awakened, it took me two months before I barely reached level nineteen full experience!”
“You were lucky to have someone guiding you; I had no one and spent over three months!”
“Really, comparing people is maddening!”
Everyone sighed in amazement.
The scar-faced captain patted Xu Han’s shoulder, lamenting, “The young truly surpass us. My daughter is nowhere near your level.”
“With your achievement, you must have already been admitted to Dragon Nation University, right?”
Xu Han nodded again.
The scar-faced captain smiled. “My daughter is Qin Xuan Yi. She too was accepted to Dragon Nation University.”
“If you ever run into her, please look after her.”

Xu Han nodded. “Of course, I will.”
After a brief exchange, he strode to the Advancement Device and placed his hand upon it.
The device glowed with dazzling light.
Suddenly, a darkness swept over his vision, accompanied by a powerful sense of weightlessness.
When his sight returned, he found himself in a dense forest.
Before him stood a modest little cottage.
Smoke curled from the chimney, carrying a delicious aroma.
A woman with a pair of sheep horns atop her head stood quietly at the doorway, a faint smile on her lips.
Her pale blue hair fell casually over her shoulders.
Her eyes were a bright lake-blue, the warmth in her gaze enough to make one lose themselves.
Her figure was curvaceous, with a slender waist.
Petite and charming, yet carrying a hint of mature allure.
She began to speak, her voice gentle and soft as a spring breeze.
“Hello, Mr. Xu Han. Welcome to the Gourmet Secret Realm.”
“I am your examiner. You may call me Ning Yu.”
Xu Han blushed.
Such a beautiful woman, almost like a fairy.
And her voice was so gentle, too.
He asked, “Ning Yu, what is my advancement task?”
Ning Yu smiled, her eyes narrowing. “Please follow me inside.”
Xu Han nodded and followed Ning Yu into the wooden cottage.
Inside, there was only a large pot, a table, two chairs, and a faucet.
Nothing else.
Xu Han looked at Ning Yu in confusion.
Ning Yu explained softly, “Your advancement task is to prepare a dish.”
“I will taste it and score it!”
“The higher your score, the greater the reward. Do your best!”
Xu Han understood.
So the advancement task was cooking.
That was simple.
Ning Yu continued, “There is a small restriction, please pay close attention.”
“For this assessment, you may only use two ingredients. The more novel, the higher your score.”
“Well then, you may start whenever you’re ready.”
Ning Yu stepped aside, her gentle eyes full of encouragement as she watched Xu Han.
Xu Han’s expression froze.
Only two ingredients, and they had to be innovative?
He recalled the various dishes of this world.
It seemed people here were not very particular about food.
As for beast meat,
they mostly roasted it or made simple stews.
They didn’t even have the concept of braising.
Let alone marinated or stir-fried delicacies.

For them, as long as it was edible, nothing more was required.
Only two ingredients, and a brand-new dish.
Xu Han racked his brains.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
He had it!
Egg fried rice!
Only eggs and rice were needed—very simple!
But, it seemed this world did not have the familiar chicken eggs.
There was only a kind of beast called Iron-Beaked Chicken, which laid eggs.
Xu Han had never bought them and wasn’t sure what they tasted like.
He’d heard Iron-Beaked Chicken eggs were mainly used to feed beasts, rarely eaten by people.
He turned to Ning Yu. “If there are no ingredients here, what should I do?”
Ning Yu smiled. “Just tell me what you need, and I’ll provide them.”
Xu Han said, “Two Iron-Beaked Chicken eggs and a big bowl of rice—cold rice, please!”
Ning Yu paused, resting her chin in her hand like a curious child. “Oh? Iron-Beaked Chicken eggs? Are those edible?”
“You only get one chance to select your ingredients. If you choose wrong, you can’t change them.”
“Sir, please consider carefully!”
Xu Han nodded firmly. “Just those two.”
Ning Yu said no more.
She turned and went into a small room.
Moments later, she emerged carrying a wooden box.
She set the box carefully on the table.
Xu Han opened it. Inside were two Iron-Beaked Chicken eggs and a bowl of white rice.
“Sir, your ingredients are here.”
“The assessment time is ten minutes—don’t go over!”
“If you need anything, just let me know!”
Ning Yu reminded him with a gentle smile.
She placed a timer on the table.
Xu Han nodded slightly.
He picked up an Iron-Beaked Chicken egg and cracked it open.
The yolk dropped into the rice, the white went into a separate bowl.
A faint, pungent aroma filled the air.
Iron-Beaked Chicken eggs were far stronger in flavor than ordinary eggs.
Xu Han mixed the rice and yolk thoroughly.
Each grain turned golden yellow, like tiny nuggets of gold.
He glanced at the timer.
Eight and a half minutes remained.
Plenty of time!