The world of Shénchú—a vast and untamed land where monsters roam, cultivators battle for supremacy, and food is more than just sustenance—operates on a set of ancient, unbreakable rules.
Here, the difference between a simple cook and a Legendary Gourmet Sage is not just skill, but power. Food fuels cultivation, cultivation fuels strength, and strength determines who eats and who gets eaten.
Cultivation is the foundation of life in Shénchú. It is the art of refining one's body, soul, and energy (Qi) to ascend beyond mortal limits. However, unlike traditional martial cultivation, culinary cultivation is just as vital.
Every chef, warrior, and beast hunter seeks to refine their Qi, whether through battle, meditation, or the consumption of rare, powerful ingredients.
The Three Core Paths of Cultivation:
Combat Cultivation: The path of warriors, swordsmen, and battle chefs who refine their Qi through direct confrontation. Their strength determines whether they can kill and cook legendary beasts.
Gourmet Cultivation: The path of master chefs who refine Qi through cooking, ingredient mastery, and the creation of powerful dishes that enhance cultivation.
Beast Devouring Cultivation: The most dangerous path—absorbing the raw essence of monsters to grow stronger. This technique can lead to immense power or horrific mutations.
A cultivator's strength is determined by their Qi Core Rank:
Mortal Qi: Weak, basic, and unable to absorb high-level ingredients.
Spirit Qi: The beginning of true cultivation.
Golden Qi: The mark of an elite warrior or chef.
Saint Qi: The realm of legendary figures.
Divine Qi: Those who reach this rank shape the world itself.
Qi Types & Cultivation Techniques:
Each cultivator has an affinity that determines their fighting and cooking styles. Some of the most feared include:
Blood Qi: Strengthens the body, enhances regeneration, and allows the user to weaponize their own blood.
Beast Devouring Qi: Absorbs monster traits, gaining their strength—but at the risk of corruption.
A cultivator's food intake directly affects their Qi, meaning a poorly prepared meal can weaken a fighter, while a divine dish can elevate them beyond their limits.
Dish Ranking System:
Every meal prepared by a cultivator is ranked based on its flavor, energy absorption, and impact on the eater's strength.
• Mortal-Tier: Basic food, edible but without cultivation benefits.
• Warrior-Tier: Strengthens the body, heals minor wounds.
• Spirit-Tier: Enhances Qi flow, boosts cultivation speed.
• Saint-Tier: Temporarily unlocks new abilities or breakthroughs.
• Divine-Tier: Alters fate, grants legendary abilities, or even extends life.
Not all races in Shénchú experience food the same way. Some are predators, some are producers, and some are both.
Common Races in the Culinary Battlefield
Humans: The most adaptable. Can cultivate any path and create legendary recipes through innovation.
Beastkin: Half-human, half-animal warriors who hunt their own ingredients with enhanced physical abilities.
Demihuman: Monsters races
Dragonborn: Rare, powerful beings with innate elemental Qi who consume only the strongest meats and rarest ingredients.
Demons: Demonic humaniods who feast on forbidden meats, using sacrificial cooking to gain terrifying power.
Angels: Angels can come in forms that have no human resemblance, with their appearances favoring an ethereal, alien-like aesthetic.
Each race has a different metabolism, meaning a dish that strengthens a human could poison a beastkin or do nothing to a angles.
The System:
Name: The character's full name.
Title: A nickname or earned moniker based on reputation, achievements, or cultivation mastery. Titles may provide hidden bonuses or recognition in the world.
Age: The character's biological age. Some cultivators may live far beyond their appearance due to their Qi-enhanced lifespan.
Race: The character's species or heritage (e.g., Human, Beastkin, Dragonborn, Celestial). Different races may have unique affinities, resistances, and biological advantages.
Bloodline: A character's ancestral power, determining their innate abilities, hidden potential, and possible mutations. Some bloodlines are passive, while others can be activated for temporary power boosts.
Class: The character's specialization in combat and/or cooking. Determines skills, fighting style, and advancement potential.
Affiliation: The organization, sect, or faction the character belongs to. Could be a clan, a merchant guild, a warrior sect, or an independent establishment like a restaurant or tavern.
Cultivation Path: The character's Qi refinement method, determining how they gain power.
Qi Core: The stage of cultivation, representing the character's overall power level. It determines Qi reserves, battle strength, and cooking mastery.Stats & Attributes
Stats determine overall abilities, divided into core categories:
Strength: Physical power, affecting weapon mastery and cooking efficiency (lifting giant ingredients, crushing bones, etc.).
Dexterity: Speed, agility, and reaction time, crucial for both combat and rapid cooking techniques.
Endurance: Stamina and toughness, determining how long a cultivator can fight, cook, or survive dangerous environments.
Intelligence: Mental sharpness, affecting recipe mastery, strategic thinking, and alchemical cooking.
Cooking Skill: Overall proficiency in preparing dishes, unlocking higher-tier cuisine and Qi-infused meals.
Luck: A mysterious stat affecting ingredient drop rates, rare encounters, and unexpected opportunities.
Stats are usually ranked from ★☆☆☆☆ (Weakest) to ★★★★★ (Strongest).
Passive Abilities
Passives are innate skills that are always active, affecting the character's performance in battle and cooking. These can be racial traits, bloodline abilities, or learned techniques.
Skills & Techniques
Skills are active abilities that a character can perform in combat or cooking. They are divided into combat skills, cooking skills, and hybrid techniques.