After guard Min disappeared, Lin Fan turned to the dumpling preparation, working the dough with practiced hands. His new cultivation awareness showed him tiny changes in texture, guiding where to press for perfect elasticity. His qi flowed into the dough, making gluten bonds stronger while keeping them flexible.

  For the filling, he mixed ingredients known for strength: star anise, ginger, and scallions. Noodle watched him work, its head swaying with Lin Fan's steady kneading, sometimes sliding closer to check an ingredient as if testing its energy.

  Lin Fan shaped dumplings using his father's special folding method, creating paths for qi to flow evenly through each one. As he worked, he focused on strength and endurance - qualities of his father who could work sunrise to sunset without stopping, who remained steady through the hardest times.

  When his first batch was ready, he arranged them in a precise spiral pattern in the steamer. However, when he lifted the lid after cooking, his heart sank. The dumplings had transformed into dense, stone-like objects with tough, leathery wrappers.

  "What happened?" Bai Mei asked, examining the failure.

  "I think we used too many strength ingredients. We need balance," Lin Fan explained, setting the ruined food aside.

  "Balance is everything." Bai Mei nodded like a temple monk to a sinner, but Lin Fan knew his friend understood nothing about what he meant.

  For his second try, Lin Fan changed his approach. He thought not just of raw strength, but of the resilience that comes from flexibility, bamboo bending in the wind without breaking, his father's quiet resolve rather than mere muscle. This new mindset shifted how his qi flowed, creating paths for energy to move naturally through each dumpling.

  When he lifted the steamer lid this time, the dumplings had a subtle golden glow. Their wrappers remained tender yet resilient, the filling perfectly cooked. The aroma carried notes of star anise and ginger, underscored by something more profound—an essence of vitality that seemed to energize the very air.

  System: Spirit-Infused Dish Created: Strength Dumplings (Basic)

  System: Quest Progress: 4/5 Spirit-Infused Dishes Created

  A dock worker stumbled to the counter, shoulders slumped with exhaustion, weather-beaten face showing deep fatigue lines. "Whatever's hot," he mumbled, placing a copper coin on the counter. "Been loading ships since before dawn."

  Lin Fan served him three freshly made dumplings. The man ate mechanically at first, but by the second dumpling, his posture had begun to straighten. The tremor in his hands steadied. By the third, color had returned to his face, and he rolled his shoulders experimentally, surprise evident in his expression.

  "What's in these?" he asked, suddenly alert. "I feel like I've slept a full night and had a good meal besides."

  "Family secret," Lin Fan replied with a smile.

  The dock worker left with renewed energy in his step, and word spread quickly among the laborers. Soon a small line had formed, tired workers seeking relief through Lin Fan's food.

  "Wow, you are getting famous, Lin Fan," Bai Mei whispered as he stepped into the stall, ready to assist with the customers.

  Lin Fan watched the line animatedly. "I guess I am."

  He couldn't help but wonder if letting so many people test his dishes was wise. The world felt small around the city, and the thought of some sects getting interested in his recipes crossed his mind.

  Was this common among other cultivators? He didn't know, but he knew he should check with someone soon.

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  As the afternoon waned, Lin Fan felt the strain of creating two qi-infused dishes in one day. The constant channeling had depleted his reserves more than he anticipated. He sat briefly, steadying his breathing.

  "You're pushing too hard," Bai Mei said, concern evident in his voice.

  "One more dish to complete," Lin Fan insisted. "My mother's medicine is almost gone. Collector Zhao's deadline is approaching. And I promised myself to master what my father began."

  The fading sunlight painted the streets in amber hues as Lin Fan prepared for the final dish: Calming Tea. His father's notes emphasized that true calm couldn't be forced; it had to be invited, cultivated through gentle patience.

  He arranged his tea implements with ceremonial precision. The small clay pot, seasoned through years of use, sat ready alongside delicate cups designed to be cradled in palms. A bamboo whisk lay nearby, perfect for creating the ideal froth.

  He carefully heated the water to where steam rose in gentle wisps, not forceful clouds.

  The tea leaves were a special blend his father had created: jasmine, chamomile, lavender, and several rarer herbs.

  When he prepared everything, Noodle came slithering and settled near the preparation area, its sleek body coiling elegantly as it watched everything carefully.

  Bai Mei snickered, "Even the snake is waiting for your wonderful tea."

  Lin Fan glanced at Noodle. "Are you excited, Noodle?"

  The snake remained unmoving, its posture calm and focused like a meditating buddha.

  Lin Fan measured the tea blend carefully, adding it to the warmed pot. As the water met the leaves, he closed his eyes, focusing not on pushing energy into the mixture but on creating a space for balance to form naturally. Unlike the deliberate channeling required for the previous dishes, this cultivation felt more like guiding a stream that already knew its course.

  Sometimes, going with the flow helped a lot. He did it with his little sister. When she got excited, he just let her run around until she tired herself out.

  Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't.

  When Lin Fan opened his eyes, the tea had taken on a faint glow. It wasn't the golden light of his previous creations but a softer, silvery sheen that reminded him of moonlight on still water.

  System: Spirit-Infused Dish Created: Calming Tea (Basic)

  System: Quest Progress: 5/5 Spirit-Infused Dishes Created

  System: Quest Completed! Rewards: Qi Capacity +5%,

  Item Obtained: [Essence Capture Ladle]

  "Wait, how did this ladle appear here?" Bai Mei stumbled from the stool and crashed to the ground.

  Lin Fan quickly got up and checked on his friend. He was fine.

  "I got this as a quest reward," Lin Fan explained, weighing the wooden ladle in his hand.

  "You have access to the legendary system?" Bai Mei stumbled back once aga, eyes wide with disbelief.

  Nodding, Lin Fan studied the Essence Capture Ladle. It seemed to be made of ordinary bamboo, but a subtle carving along the handle pulsed when he touched it.

  "It's an artifact," Lin Fan said. "An artifact that can draw out qi and elemental essence."

  "And what does it do?"

  "We'll have to see for ourselves. But not today. Let's enjoy the tea first."

  Bai Mei examined the artifact closely, but put it down when he couldn't make sense of it.

  As they sipped the tea together, Lin Fan felt the day's tension dissolving. Bai Mei's perpetually furrowed brow smoothed. "This is remarkable," he said softly. "I haven't felt this centered in years."

  They sat in companionable silence as evening settled over Luminous Jade City. The tea lasted precisely as long as the sunset, the final sips coinciding with the appearance of the first stars.

  "Guard Min never returned," Bai Mei noted as they began closing the stall.

  "She must have been busy," Lin Fan replied, hiding his disappointment.

  As Lin Fan gathered his things, a new notification appeared:

  System: Seasonal Quest: Create a Dish that Captures Spring Essence

  System: Reward: Increased Qi absorption rate

  His thoughts were interrupted by movement from Noodle. The snake had slithered toward the failed dumplings, investigating them with interest.

  "Don't eat those," Lin Fan warned. "They're not right."

  But Noodle seemed determined, its tongue flicking rapidly over the stone-like food. To Lin Fan's surprise, the snake managed to consume one entire dumpling. As Noodle finished, something strange happened—its eyes brightened, becoming more focused, more aware. It turned toward Lin Fan, regarding him with what could only be described as recognition, a gleam of intelligence that hadn't been there before.

  System: Unique Phenomenon: Spiritual Beast Awakening (Formative Stage)

  Lin Fan stared at the notification, then at Noodle.

  What just happened? How did Noodle awaken something?

  "Noodle, did you just..." Lin Fan saw a glimmer of intelligence in Noodle's eyes as it slithered back into a corner.

  Lin Fan smiled, a mixture of wonder and determination filling his chest. "Nothing. Just thinking about tomorrow's recipe."

  As they walked home through darkening streets, Lin Fan carried more than just successful dishes. The cool night air brushed his skin, carrying the scent of distant incense. He carried hope, growing stronger with each step, that he had found the path his father had begun blazing, a path that might save everything he loved.