Forge a path to success.

Chapter 317 My Cooking Skills Are Unrivaled
"Finally..." Qingye gasped for breath, "we've reached the finish line!"

Qingxia wiped the sweat from her brow: "I didn't expect it to be so difficult for the Smash Car to run on the roller coaster track."

"I threw up twice."

Now, the car with only one seat left finally stopped behind the finish line, and the legendary kitchen awaited the victors ahead. Chu Hengkong, carrying a large bundle full of ingredients, recalled what could only be described as an epic half-day.

The cars were being tossed around in a rain of gold coins from the pirate ship...

The car overheated and derailed during three consecutive S-shaped hairpin bends...

Rescuing Sethlen, who was caught in a truck's wooden claw while trying to put out the fire...

The second-generation smash-up car is stuck on the roller coaster track...

The hardships and obstacles they had overcome along the way flashed before their eyes like a still frame. Chu Hengkong sighed, "Amusement parks are truly cruel places."

"It's you! You're the cruelest ones!" Van der shouted.

Ji Huaisu sighed, "When I came to my senses, we were the only car that had reached the finish line..."

"Because no kids want to play with our car anymore! Everyone's gone to participate in the second round of racing that Sethrun organized on an emergency basis!"

"I have a feeling that someone fell off that pirate ship that gave us a reward," Chu Hengkong muttered.

"I already told you it was your imagination~" Ji Huaisu patted him. "Besides, if someone can even deceive your senses, they must be a master. Would such a person be afraid of pumpkin bombs?"

Chu Hengkong was quick to agree, and without further thought, said, "That's right, let's cook then."

Behind the finish line is an open kitchen, complete with pots, pans, and utensils, all of which are exaggerated in shape as if they came out of a comic book. They are probably just low-level relics with the added memories of cooking delicious food.

Opposite the row of stoves was the judging panel, prepared for the employees. The actual employees were nowhere to be seen, presumably off cleaning up the mess left by some lousy car. In their place stood a trembling hand; Prosecutor Banningtik leaned on the judging panel, emanating a burnt smell.

"Finally...once this evaluation is finished, today's inspection will be over..."

"Ah, it's the prosecutor who rear-ended the Red Hare!" Qingxia said cheerfully.

"I was going through a bend and a big, burning truck suddenly came rushing towards me, and you call that a rear-end collision?!" Banningtik roared.

“But we didn’t hit your car,” Qingye said. “You were trying to make a sharp turn and your foot got stuck in the sled…”

"That's why I said there are too many safety hazards!" Banningtik shouted. "We found 47 problems on just one route this afternoon. I have no doubt that this cooking game also hides deadly dangers!"

“Have you considered that the problem lies with them, not the rides…” Van der said.

Banningtik sneered, "Just you wait. If I get sick from eating this in half an hour, the amusement park's budget review for next quarter will be quite a show..."

"Wait a minute!"

Just then, a familiar rabbit call came from the sky. Mr. Gray and his giant salamander pet "Wawu" descended from the sky, leading a bunch of balloons. Wawu landed first, and Mr. Gray landed on Wawu's back.

"To ensure the fairness of the food evaluation and to prevent the amusement facilities from being tarnished by overly subjective opinions, I, Mr. Grey, hereby represent an impartial third party to conduct the evaluation!"

“But you’re on the first side, aren’t you?” Chu Hengkong said.

“That’s right, it would be too unfair to let this guy be the judge all by himself.” Mr. Lan made his entrance, sitting on another large animal. “Therefore, we have specially invited a well-known food critic who is absolutely impartial in food matters to be our third judge!”

"Mmm!" The sea seal raised its paw.

Gulibo looked up and stared at it for a few seconds: "Manager, you better tell me honestly, did you sneak into Feiyan to eat and get caught?"

The sea seal silently turned away without uttering a word.

"I knew it!"

"Now, let's move on to the final round of the castle exploration route! The time limit is half an hour. The materials you can choose are all the ingredients you've collected along the way. The lucky winner among all the competitors will receive a giant chocolate lucky egg." Mr. Gray opened his pocket watch. "Everyone, take your positions—begin!"

"I'm not a good cook, so I'm giving up." "I can't cook, Bo." Chu Hengkong and Gu Libo raised their hands.

"Two people surrendered in the very first second. The participation rate is really low this time."

Compared to the animals who showed no fighting spirit, the girls were exceptionally enthusiastic about cooking. Ji Huaisu brought over a huge pile of chocolates, fruits, and gold coin candies, and was vigorously stirring the soup pot like an old witch; Qingxia suddenly lit a fire in the pot and danced with her arms and legs in front of the flames, like a shaman performing a ritual; Qingye carefully cut chocolate with a knife, behaving as properly as the only good student in the class amidst the chaotic dance of demons.

"I feel so gratified to see you taking cooking so seriously," Chu Hengkong said.

"It's because I'm not good at cooking that I lack motivation..." Qingye said with a long face. "Besides, all the ingredients we gathered on the way were chocolate and candy. I can't think of anything else to make chocolate."

"Make chocolate with chocolate?" Gulibo asked curiously.

"It's a custom of our Shura Island..."

Qingye melted the chopped chocolate, added milk, stirred, and poured it into a mold. She sped up the process slightly and took out a perfectly square piece of chocolate.

"Here, I feel like this is the best we can go."

Chu Heng took a bite and commented, "How should I put it, it's perfect."

"I knew it."

Qingye listlessly tossed three pieces to the other side, and the judges quickly gave their opinions.

Banningtik: "Non-toxic. 60 points."

Sea Seal: [If I had to find an adjective, I'd have to use "standard." 55 points.]

Mr. Gray: "This is the most standard high school girl's homemade chocolate, right? You buy store-bought chocolate, melt it down, reshape it, and that's it. Because the processing technique isn't very sophisticated, the taste is hard to improve compared to the raw materials, so it can only get a subtle evaluation at this level. But the reason why handmade chocolate is so coveted by countless boys is because of the unique ingredients added during the melting process: cookie crumbs, nuts, strawberry jam, and the sincere heart of a high school girl. And in this chocolate—"

The gray rabbit twitched its ears: "They didn't add anything at all."

“What high school girl would add something to a cooking competition at an amusement park? Besides, I’m a disabled person,” Qingye said.

"It's colder than the handmade chocolates I received when I was a student. 50 points."

Qingye turned around and leaned into the car: "55-point contestant, Guangshi Qingye, is out..."

"If you really care, then go practice your cooking skills."

"No, that's a waste of time. We'd rather practice swordsmanship."

After Xiaoye turned into a dead fish, the second contestant's amazing dish was ready. Qingxia slammed a huge pot over with a bang, her face full of anticipation: "Tropical roasted fruit with hot chocolate liqueur, please enjoy."

A dozen or so charred fruits lay in the pot, while a small cup beside them was filled with a dark liquid—it looked like a culinary disaster. Chu Heng popped a fruit into his mouth, took a sip of the drink, and exclaimed, "Not bad!" "Hehehe~" Qingxia smugly replied.

The sun-dried skin is easy to peel, revealing flesh with both a caramelized and refreshing aroma; the taste is like a samba dance on the tongue. [After eating several fruits, the tongue feels slightly astringent, but the specially blended chocolate liqueur provides an excellent balance. A classic local dish, 74 points!]

Banningtick: "Non-toxic. No points deducted for the taste, but the presentation isn't elegant enough. 70 points."

Mr. Gray: "The familiar local cuisine tastes just like home~ 78 points."

Chu Hengkong ate another fruit: "I really didn't expect you could cook."

"My grandfather taught me how to cook when I was little," Qingxia said proudly. "Whether it's fighting or cooking, I'm the best in the city!"

"Good boy, good boy."

Qingxia squatted down with a smile so that Chu Hengkong could touch her head. Not far away, Ji Huaisu suddenly intensified his attack, his face contorted with rage: "Damn it, just you wait, the main course will be ready soon! Aaaaaah!"

"Miss Ji, we'll wait, so please go around the stove. It feels like the pot is melting."

Chu Hengkong offered words of comfort while walking around to the fourth stove.

Yes, there are also contestants working at the fourth stove, because there are not only three female contestants participating in this cooking challenge—there is also the glittering silver-eyed demon!

"After complaining non-stop the whole way, being able to cook a meal in peace feels like a vacation," Vande said.

"With a physique like yours, you can cook, or even carve chocolates?" Chu Hengkong joked. "Let me see you—holy crap!"

Chu Hengkong exclaimed in surprise, and gasps of astonishment echoed around him. Vande's cooking was beyond description; he had created a 20cm-tall chocolate castle!
The main structure is sculpted from blocks of milk chocolate, decorated with snowflakes made of white chocolate, and translucent sugar shards serve as glass throughout the castle. Shaved fruit forms the grass, fruit trees, and the rainbow behind the castle. This castle is virtually identical to the iconic building of the Flying Swallow Amusement Park. Vandal extends his tentacles and places a five-pointed star-shaped sugar ball atop the castle's spire.

"Done." It glanced at the amusement park map. "It's a one-to-one replica of the structure in the map. It should be pretty close."

"Is this something you can figure out just by looking at a picture?!" Gulibo exclaimed in shock.

“What’s the fuss about? There are plenty of recipe books that teach how to make chocolate molds,” Van der said. “You can just make a few minor adjustments to the mold.”

"Completely incomprehensible!"

Chu Hengkong then realized that Fan De was probably a guy with super strong hands-on skills... Come to think of it, he could even make a calamity wrist on the spot, so making a chocolate castle would be no problem for him at all!

"How is this possible..." Qingye's face turned deathly pale. "My chocolate is actually not as good as Vande's...!"

"The taste is what matters! The presentation is just decoration!" Qingxia shouted.

"The taste is also based on the recipe, so I guess it won't be too bad..." Vande muttered.

It cut a few pieces of castle and placed them on a small plate. Chu Hengkong stuffed a mouthful in, then suddenly fell silent. After Banningtik finished eating, he immediately stood up and applauded. Mr. Grey was filled with awe, and the Great Seal began wiping his eyes.

"It's a work of art. 100 points!"

"This is too good. I can only give it a perfect score."

The seasoning is slightly lacking in personal touch, but otherwise it's undeniably excellent. I'll write a separate review about it later. Good job!

Even the pet giant salamander nodded repeatedly: "Waaaaa (100)."

"Really?" Van der licked his lips. "Wow! It smells pretty good!"

Qingxia staggered to Zaza's car and collapsed next to Qingye with a thud. Two dazed sighs came from inside the car.

"My cooking skills have been defeated by Vander..."

"I think I'll just retire from the culinary world from now on..."

"You two can't even compare to a mere eye demon; your culinary skills still need improvement!" Ji Huaisu said confidently. "Watch closely! This is the kind of chocolate dish that belongs to a young lady!"

She placed the trembling pot on the judges' table and opened the lid with the force of ripping off a card. The three judges were immediately startled, for inside the pot, a chaotic black substance was boiling and writhing, and as the bubbles burst, all sorts of gruesome debris could be seen floating and sinking!

“The bud of the divine tree, what is this?” Banningtik’s face turned pale.

"This is my original dish, fried chocolate porridge, made using all the ingredients!"

“Oh my god,” said Mr. Gray.

A huge bubble burst open, and something resembling a miniature hand bone flew out of the pot and landed on Mr. Gray's forehead. The giant seal silently retreated half a meter, only to be grabbed back by Ji Huaisu. She poured a full bowl for each of the three judges and Chu Hengkong: "Come on, don't be shy, everyone have a taste!"

Chu Hengkong didn't feel guilty at all; after all, he had eaten things that were even uglier than this more than once. He picked up the bowl, took a bite, and then didn't touch it again.

"Dude! Hang in there, buddy!!!" Vande screamed.

Ji Huaisu was puzzled: "Is it because it's so delicious that you're enjoying it with your eyes closed...?"

"Obviously not!!!"

"Here, Mr. Grey, you should try some!"

Mr. Gray trembled as he watched the bowl of indescribable, charred black substance approaching, his fur turning slightly black. He quickly placed the bowl in front of the giant salamander pet and gently advised, "Waaah, could you taste it first to check the saltiness?"

The blue giant salamander chewed a couple of times with a smacking sound, then slammed its big head into the rice bowl with a thud, and didn't make a sound.

"Waaaaah!!!" Mr. Gray was heartbroken.

Prosecutor Banningtik took three deep breaths, and with great courage picked up the half-melted spoon and took a sip.

"poisonous……"

"Prosecutor Banningtik—"

At that moment, the fearless seal had already taken a sip of chocolate porridge. It shakily stretched out its paw, seemingly trying to write something, but only managed to leave a twisted mark on the ground before its eyes rolled back and it fainted.

"Shopkeeper, please!"

Chu Hengkong remained standing there, as if his soul had gone to a higher place to serve the supreme being. Ji Huaisu looked left and right, and saw the prosecutor writing a distorted "0" with his hand dipped in sauce, Mr. Gray silently holding up a sign to write "0", and then he saw the last vertical line carved by the sea seal, and suddenly he understood.

"So I got 100 points!"

"You got zero, you bastard!!!"

(End of this chapter)