Genshin Impact: A Mortal's Ascension to Godhood

As for anything in the world, there is nothing wrong with the saying that everyone has their own specialization and each has their own sequence of learning.

But it is this "first and last" that always arouses people's competitive psychology: Let's compare who comes first and who comes last!

Being aggressive is human nature. It is a quality that humans, who have animal nature, have honed through competition with all things in nature. Human genes tell us that if we don’t fight or compete, we will starve and be eliminated by nature. Therefore, the saying “survival of the fittest” is applicable to humans to a large extent.

Even after establishing our own civilization, people still fight with each other. We have to fight for recognition from others, for the means of survival, for a better future...

Of course, there are people who don’t want to fight, who want to lie down, who want to completely escape from the world and return to nature - but according to Li Tao, this is impossible.

If a person is separated from the city-state, or in other words, from the community where he interacts with others, he is not a person, but a god or a beast. It is impossible for a person to live without all social relations. If he really does this, he is just "surviving" instead of "living".

A great philosopher on the blue planet once said: Everyday self-existence is co-existence. People are also among others. Without co-existence, there is no solitary existence.

Take a look at this chef competition! Which of the participating restaurant teams is not skilled and which of the participating chefs is not a master chef? With such cooking skills, why don't they just cook leisurely in the kitchen instead of participating in the competition?

First of all, of course, it is because of money. But isn't the essence of money the outer shell of the trade relationship between people? Without this relationship, money is just a piece of mineral or a piece of waste paper.

Secondly, including Xiangling, people also want to be recognized by others. This recognition from others ultimately comes down to the recognition of the spirit itself. But now, if the chefs cannot step out of their closed selves and do not participate in this competition, it will be difficult for them to recognize themselves through the recognition of others.

As the saying goes, "Even good wine needs to be hidden if it is not well known."

......

“Are you ready, Xiangling?” Chef Mao asked, standing beside his daughter with his arms folded. “You’ll be the chef this time… You must perform at your best and serve the best dishes to Lady Keqing and the other judges!”

"Do I need you to tell me, Dad?" Xiang Ling answered as she quickly selected the ingredients she had prepared in advance. "I'll leave the vegetables in your hands!"

When the timer started, the father and daughter quickly began the preparations before cooking.

First, we prepare the [mountain delicacies] dishes.

Master Mao skillfully selected the pre-cleaned mushrooms from the basket, placed them on the chopping board and sliced ​​them for later use; Xiangling put the chicken rack, pigeon meat, scallops and ham into the big pot, poured in water and began to cook. At the same time, she brought the rice crust to the stove and whispered a few words to it, and the small rice crust began to spray fire at the firewood pile under the stove. The fire was so strong that it attracted the attention of many people.

"Are they going to make the soup on the spot?" Li Tao, who was in the special audience, was a little surprised. "As far as I know, the soup used in the restaurant needs to be made for at least a whole day, but the elimination round is limited to two hours. Is that enough time?"

Xingqiu clenched his fists and said, "No problem! As long as we use the fire element to control the heat, we can make the soup in an hour. But this will test Xiangling and Guoba's control over the fire element. If we're not careful, the bottom of the pot might burn through."

Chongyun was a little uncertain: "It's okay, right? When the three of us were fighting on the ice at sea, Xiangling didn't let her fire elemental power escape and melt the entire place."

Chongyun was right. Although Xiangling could not release the powerful [Phoenix Fire] like the Fire Debt Handler that everyone encountered a few days ago, her elemental burst [Spinning Fire Wheel] was actually very functional and tested her ability to control the fire element. Therefore, Li Tao and others' worries were completely unnecessary.

Xiangling quickly used a spoon to skim off the foam in the pot, then covered the pot and turned to deal with the cut ingredients. At this time, Chef Mao had already cut the other ingredient, bamboo shoots, into pieces and handed them to Xiangling.

Xiangling looked at the chopped mushrooms and bamboo shoots and nodded with satisfaction. Then she ran to the wok with the ingredients, lit the firewood pile with a wave of her hand, and added oil when the wok was slightly heated.

When the oil was hot, Xiangling immediately took the spatula and poured the mushrooms and bamboo shoots in. After frying them for a few minutes, she quickly took the shiny mushrooms and bamboo shoots out of the pot.

Then, Master Mao took away the wok and replaced it with a brown casserole. He added some water, ginger slices and cooking wine, and boiled it over high heat.

At this time, Xiangling soaked the last few ingredients - Qingxin petals, wolfberries and red dates in warm water and put them aside. After the water in the casserole boiled, she added the fried mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and poured the tonic into the casserole at the same time.

Finally, it is the "Soul Son, Pour" stage - Xiangling slowly pours the cooked broth into the mushroom and bamboo shoot pot. Suddenly, a rich meaty aroma mixed with the fragrance of mushroom soup hits you.

"The [Mountain Treasures] is now ready..." Xiangling tasted the mushroom broth, nodded slightly, sprinkled a handful of salt and covered the casserole, "Let it cook slowly for half an hour, and the essence of the broth will be completely locked in the dish."

Next, it’s [seafood].

At this time, seven quarters had passed since the start of the competition. Xiangling and Master Mao still had a little more than an hour to prepare the [seafood] dishes.

"Huh... Dad, the next dish might be quite innovative." Xiang Ling hesitated as she held the kitchen knife. "Although I have already decided to do this, I am still a little afraid that the judges may not accept it."

Master Mao looked at her seriously: "What are you talking about, Xiangling? At this point, is it possible to retreat? Besides, no one has ever caught a manta ray like that before you, right?"

With her father's encouragement, Xiangling quickly gained confidence: "That's right, Dad. How can a chef holding a kitchen knife in front of the stove have any distracting thoughts? I'm going to do it!"

Xiangling took out a large piece of pre-processed manta ray meat from the freezer that Chongyun had asked her to make, washed it with clean water, and cut it into thin slices. The manta ray meat was firm and elastic, and even Xiangling had a hard time cutting it.

Chef Mao was processing the shrimps on the side. He removed the shrimp threads and peeled off the shells, leaving only the tender white shrimps inside. After processing about twenty shrimps, Chef Mao washed the shrimps briefly and put them aside.

Next, he took out the lettuce and tomatoes and began to cut them into thin slices, which was a test of knife skills and took a little more time.

After Xiangling cut the manta ray meat into slices of almost the same size and several inches long, she chopped the mint and put it in a small bowl for later use.

Then, Xiangling sprinkled black pepper and salt on the shrimp and manta ray meat, gently massaging them in.

After marinating, she stacked shrimp, lettuce and tomatoes on the manta ray meat slices, sprinkled with chopped mint, and slowly rolled it up to form meat rolls.

Finally, Xiangling turned on the fire, picked up a frying pan and placed it on the stove, coated the bottom of the pan with a layer of vegetable oil, and then placed the meat rolls on the pan and slowly fried them.

When the fish is fried until golden brown, the tender white shrimp turns light yellow, and the aroma of the fish is fully stimulated, the "Mint Manta Ray Tomato Seafood Roll" is finally done.

Xiangling put it on a plate, and there was still a quarter of an hour left before the end of the game.

Chef Mao and Xiangling gradually poured out the "Fragrant Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms Pot" in the casserole, which had turned into a milky white soup. The two dishes with the theme of "Mountain Delicacies and Seafood" were completed.

Now, they just need to wait for the gongs and drums to sound, signaling the end of the game...