Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 129 The second round of selection is over, time for group arrangements. Getting a free hotel room is so tempting! (3K Second Update)
Wow! A fantastic start!

[That's interesting! A 96-point start. If they can maintain that level, they should have a chance!]

[This score seems a bit high. Could it be that he peaked right from the start?]

[Hard to say, sigh, someone else scored it by the number of points, 94.5!]

As the second judge gave his score, the other judges began to make their judgments one after another.

Han Tianyan was also pushing up his glasses in the waiting area. He was very confident in his cooking, but the ranking list next to him should not be underestimated.

Although he didn't recognize many of the names on the list, Bai Heng was a very good benchmark.

"You know, this guy was previously jokingly referred to by us as the 'top goalkeeper of the preliminaries'."

That's right, Bai Heng's greatest strength is his versatility and exceptional stability.

Her dishes are presented well regardless of the subject matter, and her previous scores have always been among the top.

This doesn't mean she lacks creativity or has the courage to break with convention; it simply reflects her personality.

We will take it one step at a time, and in every stage of the qualifiers, we will only give 90% of our strength.

Those who don't know her can easily be misled by her numerous ratings.
But how could someone who ranks among the top 17 out of more than 10,000 people not have their own insights?

Sometimes even Han Tianyan couldn't quite understand whether Bai Heng was stronger or weaker than him.
The reason Bai Heng only got 17th place in the previous competition was because she encountered "Gong Yi" when she was in the round of 32 to 16.

This "Gong Yi" was the champion of that year, and also a rare all-around genius.

Even so, Bai Heng was still only a hair's breadth away from it.
Sometimes Han Tianyan wondered if Bai Heng had been a little luckier in the draw, would he have missed out on this year's competition?

"Based on her past experience, her score should be around 90 points."

"If we calculate it that way, the scores of the first few should all be between 91 and 93. As for Xia Ming..."

Han Tianyan didn't know Xia Ming well, having only met him in the interview room. In his opinion, Xia Ming was probably one of the chefs with exceptional natural talent, and likely possessed a "superhuman sense of smell."

Generally speaking, if such a person's talent is not utilized, it's fine; but if it is perfectly utilized, they will far surpass players without talent.

Han Tianyan doesn't have the talent for cooking, but he is very intelligent and has an excellent memory, able to remember many things.

During a previous competition, someone called him a "culinary database," saying that he had a complete mental record of nearly two-thirds of the written recipes from over a hundred years of Chinese history.

This is obviously an exaggeration; the actual number is far less than that.
However, it's true that he memorizes many recipes and practices a lot.
Compared to Bai Heng's balance, he was able to make good use of the wisdom left by his predecessors and find the parts he needed from them.

At this moment, he guessed that Xia Ming might have scored more than 96 points.
Because the judges generally gave him scores in the range of 93 to 96.

"If I really surpass Xia Ming, then at this point in time, the judges should be more generous in their scoring, and there's less chance of hitting a ceiling."

"Since it's hovering around one area, it can only prove that someone has placed their bets on it, setting up a psychological barrier for the judges from the very beginning."

"These things are divided into those who act earlier and those who act earlier have a greater chance of success. Later generations follow the rules and find it very difficult to break through them."

At this point, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared at Xia Ming on the ranking list.

This guy's cooking gave him a "Gong Yi" feeling, but the man himself gave him a "Wei Yan" feeling.

It's well known that Wei Yan is famously arrogant among the younger generation. Even someone like Han Tianyan, sitting opposite him, would usually be addressed as "you" by Wei Yan.
Because I couldn't remember his name at all.
His mind was only filled with seniors who were stronger than him, or juniors who could threaten him; as for ordinary juniors...
Anyone less capable than him is just a background character.
Han Tianyan disliked this personality, but since the other person was strong and arrogant, there was nothing he could do.

Xia Ming wasn't as unrestrained as Wei Yan, but his natural and casual demeanor made it seem genuine.

"This guy probably wasn't deliberately being Versailles during the interview; he was polite in his words and his behavior seemed courteous."

"But deep down, they probably don't take the other players in this competition seriously. That's true for Bai Heng, and it's probably true for me too."

Compared to Wei Yan, Xia Ming's behavior is more acceptable to ordinary people, but the problem is that Han Tianyan came here to win the championship!

What netizens can accept, he can't; an opponent is still an opponent.
"It seems I need to investigate the situation privately. Xia Ming is like a blind box to me right now. Apart from his keen sense of smell, there is no other information, making it difficult to target him."

Just as he was pondering where to get Xia Ming's information, his final score was released.

【94.1 minutes】

Ranked second in the current rankings
Seeing the score, Han Tianyan chuckled self-deprecatingly. Although he had suspected it beforehand, he was still a little annoyed when the actual score was presented to him.
"Alright, there's no suspense anymore. If I'm in this position, his first place is practically guaranteed."

With a sigh, Han Tianyan shook his head and returned to the competition kitchen with the staff.
"3"

"2"

"1"

"The second round of the competition is over! Contestants who have not submitted their dishes are eliminated."

As the broadcast began, a large screen was pushed in front of everyone.

The screen displays the final rankings and scores of the competition from top to bottom.

Xia Ming: 95.8 points

[Han Tianyan: 94.1 points]

[Li Yuan: 92.9 points]

[Zhu Wuneng: 92.6 points]

[He He: 91.2 points]

[Bai Heng: 90.5 points]

【.】

Seeing Xia Ming's unparalleled score on the screen, the other players had varying expressions. If once was a coincidence, and twice was accidental, then three consecutive amazing plays in the qualifiers must be a testament to his skill.

Regardless of where this contestant named Xia Ming came from, at this moment, he has already become the big devil in the hearts of this year's contestants.

Some players who had finally made it through were now just praying that the next round would be a 1v1 final and that they wouldn't draw Xia Ming.

Based on his current performance, even if Xia Ming can't win the championship, getting into the top five is a piece of cake!
"And this Zhu Wuneng, where did this monk come from?!"

"Don't monks eat vegetarian food? What's so special about eating some vegetables and radishes?"

"Li Yuan doesn't know what's going on either; his score was quite high in the last round."

"They're all freaks; it looks like we're in trouble in the top 10 again this year."

As the rankings were announced and the eliminated contestants left, the host returned to the stage.

He carefully explained the subsequent procedures to everyone.

Simply put, the contestants have advanced to the top 200 in the country, and at this point they no longer need to wear armbands, but will be given a wristband instead.

The wristband has a built-in location tracking feature, and participants who receive the wristband can use it to check directly into the "Wilding Hotel" next to Zone C of the venue.

Room, food, showers, and relaxation are all free.
However, the host made it very clear.

"Once you put on the wristband, you will not be able to take it off until you are eliminated from the competition. To be precise, you cannot take it off."

"Don't worry, this thing looks similar to a fitness tracker, but it's lighter and thinner, waterproof and dustproof, and it even has some built-in screen functions. You can use it to contact the hotel directly, or you can use it to watch videos if you don't mind the small screen."

"The locks that cannot be removed were specially chosen by the organizers for the safety of all the contestants."

"Don't worry, it doesn't carry any eavesdropping or secret filming functions; it's just there to prevent accidents from happening to the athletes."

"After all, you are now among the top 200 in the country, and you are the future of the culinary world. It is only right to provide you with necessary protection."

"If a competitor refuses to wear the wristband, they may be unable to participate in subsequent competitions. If you simply do not wish to stay at the 'Wilding Hotel,' you can contact the staff after you go downstairs; this is not mandatory."

After listening to the host's words, most of the contestants were able to understand.

After all, it's normal for outstanding players to receive preferential treatment in national-level live competitions.

Furthermore, the Wilting Hotel offers excellent service. Although it's not a "top luxury" hotel, it's definitely considered an "ultra-high-end" hotel brand in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area.

It has all the necessary facilities, including a spa, gym, and a variety of restaurants.
This is so much better than the accommodations that many contestants find themselves. Most importantly, it's all free!

This is definitely a benefit for the vast majority of players.

Of course, among the contestants, there are also those from relatively wealthy families, like "Qian Youdao," who may live in better conditions and do not want to move.

In the end, all 200 contestants wore wristbands, only 7 chose to stay outside, and the rest were willing to stay at the Wilting Hotel.

Xia Ming naturally wouldn't miss out on such a good opportunity to get something for free.

After the interview, he returned to his hotel to check out and then quickly moved into the Wilting Hotel.

Looking at the room, which was significantly more upscale, he stretched his body.
"This also gives the other players some time to relax before the competition."

As he spoke, he casually took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, opened it, and took a small sip.

"It's good that I don't have to pay out of my own pocket, but I don't know what the competition format will be tomorrow, or how many people will survive in the end."

The notice said everyone should gather at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Xia Ming thought it was probably similar to today's competition, possibly involving multiple rounds of elimination.

"Now that we're in the hotel, it's not convenient to get pig's blood. I still have enough blood essence in my body, so I don't really need it for the time being."

After sensing the blood spirit within his body, Xia Ming nodded, then took a shower and changed his clothes.

Then, wearing the wristband, I went to the hotel's buffet area.
In a hidden, dark room.

The owl man sat with a cobra man.

The cobra-like man was speaking with some excitement.

"Boss, this one game by Xia Ming has made us so much money, it's amazing!"

The owl-man was noticeably calmer.

"Han Tianyan's loss to Xia Ming wasn't exactly a complete upset. Although he made a lot of money, Xia Ming's odds were still set too high."

"Treat him as a seeded player in the next match, and keep the odds as low as possible, but not too low, or nobody will bet on him."

The cobra-like man nodded.

"By the way, boss, those guys from the Chef Association have gathered all the contestants together. Did they find us?"

The owl-man smiled.

"At most, they'll just suspect the 'cleaners' gang. We, the betting operators, haven't directly made any moves, so we're not that easy to be discovered. Just relax and wait to make money!"

"What about Xia Ming's side?"

"Never mind that. Only a fool would make a move in front of the Chefs Association. Tell the actuary to calculate the odds more accurately."

As he spoke, the owl-man watched the replay of Xia Ming's interview on the screen.

"As for Xia Ming, let's leave him for now. Even if we're going to take charge, we'll decide later."

(End of this chapter)