After Qi Xu returned, she teleported directly to Chinese Master Chef's place. Xiao Qi and Tian Niu were still being looked after there.
It had been a while since they last saw each other. Between the dungeons and the treasure maps, they really hadn't spent quality time together for quite some time, and she actually missed them a bit. As soon as she got out of her vehicle, the two little ones dashed straight toward her from the left and right.
They very flatteringly massaged her shoulders and rubbed her arms, making Qi Xu suddenly feel soft inside. She quickly praised each of them ten times before decisively getting down to the business of upgrading her vehicle.
[Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for successfully meeting all the conditions to upgrade to a Level 8 vehicle. Would you like to start the upgrade now? The upgrade requires 128 hours.]
Qi Xu immediately frowned. That was so long! She did a quick calculation; after the 128 hours were up, there would only be 10 hours left before the end of the month.
And she had barely covered any mileage this month. If she wanted to take first place on the monthly leaderboard...
It shouldn't be too hard. She could just dispatch all her powerful teammates to other districts. That way, no one would compete with her for first place. Yes, very logical.
After all, the final evaluation criteria were mileage plus current assets. Even with zero mileage, without her strong teammates around, she could easily take first place. As for the current assets part... there was simply no one wealthier than her.
Of course, she had to make sure Lai Cai sent her this month's earnings before the rankings were finalized.
Qi Xu directly clicked to upgrade. There was another option after the upgrade prompt, allowing her to choose between using Poseidon's Scepter or the River Rhyme Crest.
These three optional but necessary materials each had a difference of 1000 points in price, so it was impossible for there to be no difference between them. Therefore, Qi Xu naturally chose the most expensive Poseidon's Scepter.
She couldn't afford to delay at a time like this. If someone from another country had also obtained the necessary materials to upgrade to a Level 8 vehicle and started the upgrade first, she would lose out on the server-wide announcement, which would be a huge loss.
"Boss, are you done? Come eat first. I just made braised pork. From the ingredients to the seasonings, everything is a special item. The taste is definitely amazing!"
Chinese Master Chef had heard the chattering outside earlier, but he was just one final step away from reducing the sauce over high heat, so he hadn't rushed out.
Qi Xu immediately rubbed her hands together like a fly and ran over. "It smells so good. I could smell it from far away."
"It's just average. My appetite hasn't been good lately, and I've hit a bottleneck. I never know what to cook."
Chinese Master Chef's worries... Qi Xu really couldn't understand them. After all, a few minutes of casual work at the stove by him resulted in incredibly satisfying delicacies.
"What are you missing for your Level 8 vehicle?"
Chinese Master Chef first tasted a bite of the braised pork and nodded in satisfaction before answering, "I'm only missing those three things like Poseidon's Scepter."
"What? You have enough of everything else?"
Qi Xu was stunned. It wasn't surprising that Chinese Master Chef had saved up enough upgrade cards. After all, the kid was quite lucky, and with him cooking all sorts of meals every day, many players were actively lining up to trade with him.
But amphibious tires, monster dolls, and special appearance illusion cards should all be pretty hard to get, right? Even if the upgrade materials required for each player might differ slightly, it wouldn't be by much.
Qi Xu had upgraded to Level 7 a long time ago and had only just gathered everything after accumulating them until now. As for Chinese Master Chef... she hadn't really seen him collecting anything.
"I also went to a treasure map realm. It was a treasure map given to me by Ci Bao. It was super impressive, a world-class treasure map called the God of Cookery Competition Realm.
I was the only one participating from the China server, but I met a lot of people from other countries there. Everyone was quite strong, but since we weren't competing in fighting, I really haven't ever feared anyone when it comes to cooking. I made 108 dishes in a row, and they finally all conceded defeat.
I got points for every dish I made, and in the end, I earned 6700 points. I exchanged them for all the materials needed to upgrade to a Level 8 vehicle, and I also redeemed two service area fragments for you."
After speaking, Chinese Master Chef directly held up the service area fragments in front of Qi Xu.
"Oh my god, Chinese Master Chef, you are way too awesome!"
Qi Xu quickly took out the River Rhyme Crest. "With this of mine, you'll be able to upgrade. However, I need to ask Dongfang Yuan and Battle Wolf 004 first, since the three of us went out together this time."
Chinese Master Chef shook his head. "It's fine, there are still many people who haven't even reached a Level 7 vehicle yet. There's no rush. You keep it for now, or I can just give my items to Sister Cut You and let her upgrade first."
Dongfang Yuan happened to arrive just then and directly replied, "That makes no sense. You upgrade with the things you got. My upgrade items are also quite special and definitely different from yours. I have to go to the Slaughter Treasure Map Realm to get them.
Ah She gave me the treasure map too, saying it was an apology for throwing me off last time." Dongfang Yuan was super satisfied. If possible, she'd be willing to be thrown off a few more times. Although the treasure map realm was tough, there were many good things inside that could be exchanged for points.
Qi Xu sighed with emotion; everyone truly had their own opportunities.
Battle Wolf 004 also came over at this time, mainly wanting to give the Ability Stone to Qi Xu. Qi Xu took the opportunity to ask if he agreed to let Chinese Master Chef use the River Rhyme Crest first.
Battle Wolf 004 naturally had no objections.
Chinese Master Chef was also a bit dazed. The boss had taken people for a spin in the treasure map realm, and not only did she gather all her materials to successfully upgrade to Level 8, but she also sorted out his.
"Why don't we ask A-Bian? Let A-Bian upgrade first."
Qi Xu had asked immediately upon returning; A-Bian's monster doll was still nowhere to be seen.
"Hurry up. If you do it now, you might still get second place on the entire server. Any later, and you probably won't even make the top 10."
Chinese Master Chef didn't dare delay anymore. Holding the materials, he hurried back to get down to business.
Leaving Qi Xu, Dongfang Yuan, and Battle Wolf 004 to exclusively enjoy the delicious food.
"How about we give that Ability Awakening Stone to Old Nine?" Qi Xu suggested.
After Battle Wolf 009 recovered from his injuries, although it wasn't to the extent of leaving any permanent aftereffects, his luck seemed to have genuinely worsened. He had gone to the Color Realms twice in a row and failed both times.
The gap between ability users and non-ability users widened the further they went. If he awakened any later, there wouldn't be much of a significant advantage. The core team only had Battle Wolf 009 and A-Bian left who hadn't successfully awakened yet.
But A-Bian was clearly not taking the combat route; her brain was more than enough.
"No problem, agreed!"
Battle Wolf 004 had even fewer objections and immediately sent a message to Old Nine: "Come quick, we've come out of the treasure map realm and brought you some souvenirs."
After Battle Wolf 009 teleported over, he ignored the souvenirs and first polished off a large bowl of rice with the braised pork.
Battle Wolf 004 was also willing to hold it in and not say anything. It was really nice. The stone stolen from Old Three was being used on Old Nine. Old Three could finally rest in peace—no, wait, that's not how that phrase is used.
..........
