1980: Rising to the Top as the God of Food, Starting at a Night Market Stall

Ling Yun arrives in Guangzhou in 1980 and begins his ascent to the title of Culinary God with nothing more than a handcart selling grilled oysters and fried rice noodles.

[Ding! According to last week's statistics, you ranked first in grilled oysters and fifth in fried rice noodles on Guangda Road, Beijing Subdistrict, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. You have received a reward of 1,600 yuan and 160 cooking skill points. Keep up the good work and bring Chinese cuisine to the world.]

Rankings update every week. Cooking points can be spent to improve skills or exchanged for special cookware:

High-Heat Wok Burner: Three rings of blue flame raise the temperature instantly. The wok stays blazing hot as you toss and flip, filling the air with the irresistible aroma of wok hei.

Dual-Sided Charcoal Grill: Circulating hot air and a layer of fruitwood charcoal cook oysters and chicken wings evenly, crisping the outside while keeping the inside tender.

Smart Deep Fryer: Nine-stage temperature control makes fried skewers and stinky tofu crisp without being greasy, with automatic timing for the second fry.

At max level, cooking skills become even more astonishing:

Max-Level Stir-Frying: Ingredients surge through the wok like a dragon. A dish is ready in ten seconds, every slice of meat coated in sauce, with not a drop of oil left on the plate.

Max-Level Grilling: Seasoning is applied with masterful precision, letting chili and cumin seep through every layer. The meat is crisp on the outside and tender inside, with no gamey smell even when cold.

Max-Level Porridge: The rice grains blossom while remaining whole, and the porridge is silky smooth. The sweetness of the seafood is sealed into every spoonful.

Ling Yun's entrepreneurial journey takes off alongside his ever-improving cooking skills.

[Street handcart → permanent food stall → small restaurant with a storefront → late-night food plaza with twenty tables and five private rooms → Ling's Seafood Night Market, a four-story megacomplex with three hundred tables!]