Magic Chef of Ice and Fire

Puh. Nian Bing blew gently on the log. The bark on the outer perimeters fell to both sides, and the entire log took the form of a regular octahedron. The eight chops he did earlier weren't just for removing the bark but were aimed to mold the log into a consistent shape. Only then would the chopped slivers be even.

Nian Bing confidently chopped the wood with one hand; being plump might affect flexibility, but it greatly aided in stability and strength. With a slight tremble of his chubby face, the wood knife in his hand moved again. The knife swept across one of the eight edges of the log like a soft breeze, parting a slender sliver which then fell, lying next to the bark quietly.

Nian Bing was extremely serious about chopping this time; every chop was made after meticulous calculation. The slivers began appearing, surprisingly uniform—so much so that the naked eye could hardly spot any differences.

Ordinarily, Nian Bing could split a log with hundreds of swift blows, yet this time, it took him half a day.

Cha Ji had, at some unknown point, appeared behind Nian Bing. Nian Bing, who was fully immersed in his work, hadn't noticed his arrival; all his concentration was on the log in front of him. Each slash was well thought out and deliberate.

Cha Ji laughed, a satisfied laugh. Chopping not only was a great way of exercising one's strength but also a means to practice using a knife. Ordinary chefs might find the hefty wood knife unwieldy, but it is the crude and unmanageable wood knife that demands the most of its wielder. To exercise knife work with a wood knife requires complete unity of heart, eye, and hand. As compared to the simple hand exercise, the art of splitting wood with a wood knife was even more exquisite.

With the swing of the final blow, a cold glisten formed. Clapping echoed from behind him. Nian Bing, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, turned to his master, asking, "Master, was my chopping evenly done this time?"

Cha Ji nodded, "Not bad at all. Back when I was practicing this technique, it took me three full years to make some progress. Being able to split even slivers from the log indicates that you have reached the Hinayana Realm."

Taking in the compliment excitedly, Nian Bing asked: "Does this mean I no longer have to chop wood?"

Cha Ji's expression hardened, and he said in a serious tone: "You are still far from done. Although you managed to chop evenly, it's not yet perfectly even. Moreover, your slivers could be even finer. You should also consider the time it took you. It's only when you can split a log with a diameter of 30 centimeters within three minutes that you can say you have passed."

Nian Bing looked dismayed, "When will I be done with all the training! Master, you talk to me about cooking theories and cooking techniques every day, but you don't let me do actual cooking. When can I start for real?"

Cha Ji smiled lightly, "My boy, understand that laying a good foundation is crucial. Without a solid foundation, no matter how much you rush, you will never reach the pinnacle of the culinary arts. Chopping wood does indeed seem tedious, but the training it provides for your hand, eye, and mind is unmatched by any other methods. Once you've mastered the art of split wood with the wood knife, everything else you learn will be a lot easier and more effective." With that, his gaze fell onto those match-like wood slivers, "The way you view wood; you can apply it to the food you cook. Every ingredient, like wood, has its own characteristic and texture."

Something lit up in Nian Bing's heart; he seemed to understand something new. He didn't really mind chopping wood. After three months of chopping, he was surprised to find his mental strength grew amazingly fast—it improved his magic control significantly. The most basic spells could now become magnificent in his hands. Mental strength, magic power, and magic control were complementary to each other—the stronger one's mental strength, the better one could absorb magic elements and skillfully control magic. Who could have thought that something as simple as chopping wood could yield such significant benefits?

Observing Nian Bing's distant gaze, Cha Ji thought to himself - had he been too harsh on his disciple? After all, the kid could figure things out much quicker than himself. For the method of splitting wood with a wood knife itself, it took Cha Ji five years to make some progress and a total of ten years to fully master it when he was a student. Of course, that was while he was also learning how to cook. However, if one is to look solely at their comprehension capabilities, he was far behind this kid. Actually, he had already been teaching him the real cooking techniques. The theories he explained every day were imparting theoretical knowledge, the daily meals trained his sense of taste and smell, and splitting wood with a wood knife was the best form of practical exercise. When all these elements could be integrated, Nian Bing's progress would be tremendously fast.

"All right. Go and push the cart out from behind the wooden house. We shall head out immediately."

Nian Bing blinked, "Setting off? Where to?" Since he arrived at the Peach Blossom Forest, he had never left, nor had he seen Cha Ji go anywhere.

Cha Ji said, "We haven't been out for a while. Although we can pick our vegetables from the Peach Blossom Forest, we still need to buy some necessary seasonings, and we're also running low on rice. It will be good for you to get out and about after being here for a year."

"Great, I can finally go out." Even though Nian Bing's mindset was no longer like that of a child, he was, after all, only eleven. Living here in a regular pattern every day, he was already somewhat weary. How could he not be excited to get out and about? He threw his wood knife aside and dashed three steps at a time towards the back of the wooden house.

To avoid being disturbed initially, Cha Ji built this wooden house in the very center of the Peach Blossom Forest. Due to the Peach Blossom Miasma, the forest area was not small, but no venomous snakes or ferocious beasts lived here, so he didn't even have to make a fence. For a man whose hand tendon was severed, it was already very difficult to create this kind of house.

The so-called "cart" was a simple pushcart made entirely of wood. Fortunately, both wheels were reasonably round, so it wasn't too hard to push. Over the past year, Nian Bing transformed from a handsome boy into an adorable chubby kid. But his physical strength also vastly improved compared to before. The tonics he had been consuming weren't for nothing. Plus, chopping and splitting firewood had given him substantial strength, so pushing the cart wasn't a problem at all.

"Master, if you are tired, you can sit in the cart and I'll push you." Nian Bing was excited and couldn't help showing off his strength to Cha Ji standing beside him.

Cha Ji chuckled, "I'm not that old yet, you better save some energy. On the way back, I'm afraid you'll have to push a lot of things. Don't complain to me then. We only get out once a year, can you imagine how much stuff we need to buy?"

Nian Bing's eyes gleamed, saying, "Master huh! I've been having a bit of trouble practicing magic lately, especially fire magic. It seems a bit unstable. If I get too tired, sometimes I lose control of my fire magic. If you don't mind me burning everything, feel free to buy more stuff."

Cha Ji replied annoyedly, "You brat, are you threatening me?"

"No, how dare I threaten you." Though Nian Bing said this, the smile in his eyes did little to hide his true intentions. Finding himself helpless against his magic-wielding disciple, Cha Ji snorted, "We'll see."

Although no one came to the Peach Blossom Forest, Cha Ji had deliberately created a small path leading outside when he usually chopped firewood. Later, when Nian Bing started chopping firewood, he took up this task. By intentionally creating a clear path, leaving the Peach Blossom Forest wasn't too hard.

When they left the Peach Blossom Forest, the sun was nearing its zenith. Though Bing Yue Empire was located in the northern part of the Yangguang Continent and had a relatively low temperature, the direct sunlight still brought a slight heat. Nian Bing felt nothing, for he had the Ice-Snow Goddess Stone. But Cha Ji, who had always been in poor health, was already panting a bit.

"Kid, aren't you tired? Let's rest for a while." Cha Ji called out to Nian Bing.

"Oh." Nian Bing pushed the cart under a large tree and helped Cha Ji over to sit in the shade, "Master, do you want me to cast a little magic to reduce the heat?"