Ryan the uncle had not gotten up the whole time, reclining in his chair with his eyes half-closed as if he were asleep. However, when he heard the change in the sound, Ryan's eyes opened a sliver, revealing a fleeting hint of appreciation.

Time seemed to pass especially slowly in this world. The pile of radishes gradually dwindled under Brian Carter's knife, and when only a few were left, Ryan stood up.

Ryan walked over to the large pot in the room, waved his hand, and a roaring fire instantly ignited under the pot.

Ryan grabbed a spatula and casually added several large plates of various ingredients from the stove into the pot in a specific order. Some were fruits, others were plant stems and leaves, all seemingly gathered from the garden outside.

When Brian Carter finished slicing the last radish and completed his training task for the day, he let out a long breath and collapsed directly onto the ground in a spread-eagle position, completely motionless. To be precise, he didn't even have the strength to move a single finger.

Ryan scooped out the now-pasty contents of the pot into a bowl, carried it over, and nudged Brian Carter with his foot: "Still breathing? If you are, get up and eat this."

Brian Carter struggled to his feet, took the bowl from Ryan, glanced at it, and asked in surprise, "Uncle, is this medicinal cuisine?"

Ryan nodded and returned to his chair, sitting down again: "This is Black Jade Eight Delicacies."

Brian Carter's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ryan, exclaiming, "Black Jade Eight Delicacies? Isn't that the legendary medicinal dish, long lost, that helps power users cleanse impurities from their bodies?"

Ryan frowned and said disdainfully, "From the information in your mind, I know that the study of medicinal cuisine has long since declined, and potions are rampant. Even this basic Black Jade Eight Delicacies makes you so excited. If you saw Seven Dragon Delicacies or Heavenly Fragrant Flying Phoenix Delicacies, wouldn't your eyes pop out?"

Brian Carter's eyes were wide open. He didn't need to look to know his face must be stiff with shock. Seven Dragon Delicacies and Heavenly Fragrant Flying Phoenix Delicacies were high-level dishes in medicinal cuisine, extremely beneficial for bloodline warriors, but they had long been lost. Not to mention those two, even the basic Black Jade Eight Delicacies that helped power users cleanse their bodies had disappeared. Although there were still versions circulating on the market, none were the real thing, and the prices were high while the effects were poor. Yet this seemingly ordinary uncle had made it so casually, and from his tone, he could probably make the other two high-level dishes as well.

"Stop daydreaming and eat up!"

Hearing Ryan's reprimand, Brian Carter snapped back to his senses and hurriedly devoured the Black Jade Eight Delicacies in his bowl, finishing every last bit in no time.

Watching Brian Carter finish eating, Ryan nodded and said, "Today's training is done. You can go now... Remember to get more crystals."

Brian Carter nodded, about to leave, but suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Uncle, can I learn how to make this medicinal cuisine?"

Ryan looked at Brian Carter, a half-smile on his face: "You want to use medicinal cuisine to earn crystals?"

Brian Carter's intentions were seen through, but he wasn't embarrassed. He laughed, "Yes, medicinal cuisine is very powerful. If I can learn it, I'm sure it will be very useful. It's always good to know more things, right?"

Ryan didn't comment on Brian Carter's words, just nodded and said, "Come next time. I'll prepare some herbs and teach you. But let me be clear: even if you want to learn medicinal cuisine, you must first complete your daily training tasks. If you're afraid of hardship, then forget it."

Brian Carter smiled, "There are many things I'm afraid of, but hardship isn't one of them. My father always said, 'Only those who endure the hardest hardships can rise above others.' If you want to achieve something, you have to work for it. There's no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world."

"Good. As long as you're not afraid of hardship, then learn. Anyway, time in this space passes four times slower than in the real world. That means if you train here for four hours, only one hour passes outside. You have plenty of time to learn."

Brian Carter suddenly understood. So that's why—no wonder last time he felt like he'd been slicing radishes for ages, but in reality only two or three hours had passed. It turned out there was a time difference between this virtual space and the real world.

"I can consume medicinal cuisine because I'm the vessel of this space, right?"

"Yes. The things here can only be enjoyed by you. No one else can, and you can't take them out. So if you want to make them for yourself or others, you'll have to learn to do it yourself."

...

When Brian Carter opened his eyes on the bed, the two crystals had already shattered into granules, and his whole body was once again drenched in sweat.

Brian Carter struggled to get up, quickly washed up, and then threw himself onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.