"What spell have you used?"
The renowned Lin Giant, a na that resonates throughout the global culinary world, was asking such a question to a young chef young enough to be his son.
Spell!
From the trembling in that word alone, one knew how badly Lei Zhe’s culinary world view was crumbling; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was close to collapsing.
He didn’t ask Xia Yu how he did it through culinary skills but instead referred to it as a "spell," a word that indirectly proved Lei Zhe still adamantly believed that no matter how you pile up inferior ingredients, they could never take down the "Divine Fortress" he had built with countless delicacies.
Perhaps getting taken down would have been better.
In fact, Lei Zhe knew within his own heart that his so-called "Divine Fortress" had been easily shattered by a re mortal spear.
This was a thorough trouncing!
However, Lei Zhe couldn’t accept it.
He intently waited for Xia Yu’s answer, his culinary beliefs, or rather, the very foundations of his identity as a chef, shaking in his mind, even seeking stability from his opponent. Unnoticeably, a glimr of pleading erged in his eyes:
Say it!
This process of transmuting mundane items, making common food soar and evolve—oh, should be called a spell, not culinary arts. Culinary arts couldn’t possibly have achieved this level, right? It must be a spell!
Xia Yu, however, didn’t have the sa complex psychological struggles as Lei Zhe. He looked at him calmly: "Spell?"
He shook his head.
"I don’t know any spells, only culinary arts."
After speaking, he turned away, not looking at Lei Zhe’s face, which had turned pale. Xia Yu said indifferently, "Once, I too spoke to a chef who, even though I wasn’t even a one-star chef at the ti, and he was a talent revered in the Japanese food industry, but so what? All that ’sophistication’ in piling things up—if it lacks a core, it’s rely superficial glitter and nothing more. The preciousness is certainly there, but it’s only on a material level..."
"The real preciousness cos from the spirit and the soul. That’s why I stepped up to defend what’s precious to Reiko!"
Lei Zhe’s face went from shades of red to green.
To be lectured on profound truths by a youngster who could be his son was infuriating, but whenever he opened his mouth to respond, he found himself unable to retort.
The words of the defeated are useless.
One statent, kings and bandits, history has always belonged to the victors, his further speech felt pale and powerless. How could he argue with Xia Yu?
That’s right.
Despite his reluctance, Lei Zhe had to admit defeat in his heart.
"Let’s go—"
The sha of defeat made it unbearable for Lei Zhe to stay any longer. He hurriedly returned to his workstation, packing his kitchen tools and ingredient boxes, and even before cleaning up the kitchen waste, he signaled his assistant to leave in a rather dispirited dash.
Just as he was stepping out of the door.
"Hey, don’t forget the Food Duel agreent!"
A calm reminder.
His body stiffened as if electrocuted, then steadying himself, Lei Zhe gritted his teeth, "Just you wait! I will co back to avenge this humiliation!"
The young chef’s response was simpler: "A spineless dog, barking wildly?"
Lei Zhe didn’t understand the profound language, but laughter erupted from inside the room, the mockery in it making him even angrier.
Eventually, Lei Zhe walked away.
Inside the room.
The Japanese giants were delighted. Being familiar with the Three Kingdoms, they knew the references.
Moreover, the reversal in the Food Duel was imnsely satisfying. Lei Zhe had been quite rampant in the Japanese food industry recently. Xia Yu’s blow was like a thunderbolt, eliminating the foreign threat and allowing the downtrodden locals to breathe a sigh of relief.
"No need to cast votes!"
Andrea glanced at the green bamboo branches placed in front of the judges’ bench, originally intended for voting, now collectively forgotten.
A Food Duel contestant fleeing the scene before the results were officially revealed—didn’t that clearly indicate the unquestionable outco?
"Spell..."
Catherine, beside him, muttered to herself, and Andrea, hearing her speak, imdiately covered her face with her hands and sighed, "Another one’s gone mad!"
But in fact, it wasn’t just Lei Zhe and Catherine who were shocked; Andrea’s heart was collapsing too.
Applause erupted from the judging panel.
Master Yizhen clapped his hands and smiled, "An unbelievable triumphant victory!"
"Magnify, amplify!" exclaid Senzaimon as he stared at Xia Yu, "Is this what you truly intended to showcase?"
"The endless Purgatory World, the ceaseless running motion..."
The Master of Yuchuan’s face glowed with vitality, and he suddenly seed younger after eating the egg custard, "What chicken eggs, what seafood ingredients, too complicated, I don’t even want to ntion—only the garlic, that’s what the taste buds deeply rember, it’s the protagonist!"
"Why does ordinary garlic have such an impact?" Chiyoda looked at Xia Yu with satisfaction.
The giants inside the room also watched him intently.
Indeed, why is that?
Xia Yu was about to respond when a sonorous voice ca from afar, "Let explain on his behalf."
Yan Qi had unexpectedly erged from the side room, causing quite a stir in the room.
"Actually, garlic isn’t the protagonist either, it’s the fla, or rather, the cooking skills!" he exclaid, "The first fla, charcoal burning in the wok to heat the water, the second fla, using the steam from the water, ’steaming’! The third fla transforms in the mouth, the real tamorphosis..."
"Three transformations of fla, three changes of diums, from iron pot to clay pot, then to the mouth, did everyone feel as if there’s food burning on their taste buds?"
Yan Qi’s tone then shifted to a deeper level, "This is the ultimate!"
"Burning oneself, releasing brilliance, the light of fireflies converging, yet it can illuminate an entire forest!"
The room fell silent.
Yan Qi spoke succinctly about the cooking techniques, without much detail, leaving the giants confused, but they understood the final summary—
The ingredients burned to their fullest potential!
"Flas, again..."
Eriina couldn’t help but stick out her tongue, her finger gently touching the tip, a bit of heart-throbbing residual heat lingered there, feeling the breath of flas while tasting the egg custard.
A slight residual heat, but extrely rich, the ’Divine Tongue’ saw the shadows of nurous ingredients, each irradiating an unbearable brilliance compared to the usual. Eriina, inspired, whispered excitedly, "Is this the ultimate of ordinary ingredients? It seems that the quality and value of ingredients and dishes cannot be absolutely equated. Cooking is the variable, and this variable is often endless, too incredible..."
This ti, Eriina faintly saw a pair of hands opening a broader door for her.
True delicacy and value lie within the person.
"Thank you!"
She whispered in her heart.
Sohow, she felt even more confident about the upcoming winter special exam—
It was nothing but a test using Fantasy Ingredients, and teacher Xia Yu, through real combat, had personally demonstrated how to crush the "delicacy" built upon Fantasy Ingredients.
Two hours had passed since the Food Duel.
At around two or three o’clock after midnight, the ceremony finally ca to an end, with the giants leaving excitedly discussing monts from the Food Duel, heading to their respective hos.
However, tonight many would stay at the hostess’s house.
The hall quieted down, and the hostess finally stood up, slowly leaving the judging panel, while Xia Yu was already at his seat, softly explaining sothing to the Yuchuan Sisters. But the hostess ca straight over and bowed down before the table.
The sleeves of her kimono fell, and after two or three seconds, she looked up and said softly, "Thank you."
Xia Yu quickly got up to help her, awkwardly saying, "Thank for what? I just wanted to take on Lei Zhe, looking for sothing to do. Those grand reasons I made up on the spot, don’t take them to heart..."
The hostess smiled at him.
"I’m not thanking you for defeating Lei Zhe to defend sothing for , but for helping truly incubate my own Food’s Profound aning..."
Upon hearing this, a wave of astonished looks turned their way.
The hostess did not mind, as those who remained were closer giants or highly respected elders. She hadn’t made herself clear earlier, but now she explained, "Lei Zhe had doubts about my chawanmushi because of this. In the true sense, my ’Food’s aning’ was granted by soone else. Lei Zhe tasted the sa thing that night, and the picky Food Dominator would rember the better taste. Coming back to taste a lower quality ’Food’s aning’ dish, naturally, he would have little appetite..."
Everyone suddenly understood, yet they were utterly shocked.
Was Food’s aning given to soone else?
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