Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 137 Martial Soul Fusion Technique? The strategist enters the game himself, winning half a move against fate! (5K First Update)
"Live Fish Themed Competition Scene"

Shuai Qixing served the fish noodles to the table.

The clear broth, paired with some simple seasonal vegetables, makes a bowl of wide noodles look simple and have nothing to do with fish, but in fact it is full of fish flavor.

Each of the five judges scooped some fish into their mouths and tasted it. After experiencing the freshness and tenderness of the fish, they nodded in approval.

After a pause of about ten seconds, the first judge sitting on the right picked up the scoring device.

【89 minutes】

Then other judges followed suit, [89][88][87][90].

The score fluctuated between 87 and 90, which clearly shows that the judges were quite satisfied with the dish.

Upon seeing the total score of [443], Shuai Qixing smiled.

In his view, this fish noodle dish incorporates his thoughts and accumulation over the past two years, especially the quick fish-pounding technique, which he has privately improved many times.

Even his father, Shuai Xiaojian, didn't know that Shuai Qixing had such a study on "knocking".

Thinking of the pork chop Xia Ming made during the competition, Shuai Qixing raised an eyebrow.

"Although I don't know what techniques you used, with this bowl of fish noodles, you have absolutely no chance of turning the tables in such a short time!"

Actually, Shuai Qixing already had a lot of opinions about Xia Ming in the previous round.

Because Xia Ming took the seaweed in front of him, his subsequent dishes were missing an ingredient, which caused the final score to drop.

He knew that whoever got it first got to keep it, but deep down he felt that Xia Ming was just too lucky to get such a high score; in the previous round, he had more of an advantage in the ingredients.

"If you give me that many materials, I could easily get 98 points, let alone 95!"

After the match, he saw Xia Ming's braised pork and thought that in terms of appearance, it was not as good as the "Shuai-style braised pork" made by his father at home.

Therefore, in his opinion, it was more because of the lack of flavor profile that the judges were more lenient with the braised pork that was served at the beginning.

Based on the operational steps collected from the video, he personally believes that Xia Ming is inferior to Han Tianyan.

Seeing his score standing to the side, Shuai Qixing, who was temporarily in first place, turned around and looked at Xia Ming, his eyes carrying a hint of pride.

Xia Ming ignored him completely, because he had noticed the problem with the fish noodles when the fish noodles were placed on the table.

"Do you think that using a crushing method to cover up the lack of time and strength is enough?"

"This Shuai Qixing must have secretly practiced this technique, otherwise, with Shuai Xiaojian's sharp eyes, he would have been able to spot the key issue immediately."

【Knock Fish Noodles】

The key lies in the act of "knocking." If the fish fibers are not completely broken down by the hammering, it will result in a slightly grainy texture when you eat it.

Shuai Qixing must have learned the process from a master, but the teaching must have been quite fast, and he always thought he hadn't grasped the core concepts.

In reality, the master chef has probably been doing this for so many years that he has become so skilled that he can judge the part of the fish, its properties, and the final state of the finished product extremely quickly.

He didn't offer any further guidance, probably because he always thought his master was hiding something, so he came up with his own idea.

Since hand-beating is prone to problems, in order to ensure a smooth texture and speed, he chose to add food processor-beaten fish paste to the hand-beaten fish paste.

It enhances the delicate layers of flavor and masks the "gritty" problem.

Then a small amount of egg white and cornstarch were added on top.

It's important to know that authentic pounded fish noodles are usually made with sweet potato starch, mainly to enhance the elasticity of the noodles.

However, sweet potato starch is not as sticky as corn starch plus egg yolk. It can be used to make fish noodles mainly because the fish meat itself becomes sticky after being pounded.

The chef's skill lies in combining sweet potato starch and fish meat with his expertise and experience.

Shuai Qixing's situation is because he encountered some problems, so he tried to supplement it with other materials.

They look similar, but the actual entry points are different.
This is just like the Chaoshan beef balls in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area, where they lazily added some beef ground in a meat grinder. You'll just have to watch how the master chef beats you up!

Don't think the judges can't tell the difference. They might get away with it for now, but once the next dish is served, they'll be at a disadvantage.

Xia Ming understood everything because he could smell the faint egg white flavor in the fish noodles.

He didn't believe that Shuai Xiaojian couldn't see it, so he could only conclude that Shuai Qixing had conducted the research on his own.

"This guy's cooking is nothing to worry about, but the question is, what exactly is Fang Xu doing?"

Frowning, Xia Ming noticed that Fang Xu's "Coral Fish" dish was particularly strange. Starting with the knife skills, the subsequent steps were different from what he remembered.

Especially the flavor profile; the sweet and sour sauce being simmered on the side has completely shattered the seriousness that this dish used to have.

But if you call him innovative, he's always been adding or subtracting seasonings.

This situation is unreasonable because there is no definitive conclusion about seasoning; whether it is too sour or too sweet, each has its own subtleties.

In particular, the sweet and sour sauce that Fang Xu initially brewed already had a very harmonious flavor when Xia Ming smelled it.

The subsequent adjustments turned out strangely; he didn't believe Fang Xu's idea was a sudden whim, as it contradicted his initial meticulous persona.

However, it's unlikely that Fang Xu was targeting Xia Ming with a specific flavor profile.
Since Xia Ming hadn't even started making the seasoning sauce yet, it couldn't be that he could predict the future.

As Xia Ming was processing the fish skin and keeping an eye on things, the fish soup from Qian Youdao's side began to emit a rich aroma.

Xia Ming, smelling the fragrance, turned his head and glanced at Qian Youdao.

It must be admitted that, just as the data states, he did indeed demonstrate greater strength under intense pressure.

Although the dish itself is simple, every step and every moment of timing is perfectly controlled.

He suddenly understood how he had defeated the Taiwanese chef "Tsai Tzu-ya," who was listed as a "Level 5 Chinese Chef" in the materials.

"The stronger the opponent, the stronger they become; that's how it is."

"It's like he's become a completely different person. Under normal circumstances, he's just a 'Level 4' in China, slightly weaker than Chen Xiaodong. Now he's already at Huang Qiyun's level?"

With a slight smile, Xia Ming realized that Qian Youdao was the real dice, much better than the previous "No pain, no gain" one.

"No pain, no gain" refers to a die with a value of 1 to 6, and no matter how you roll it, the maximum you can get is 6.

But Qian Youdao rolls dice ranging from 7 to 16, usually scoring around 8 to 9. But if he rolls a 16, even Shuai Xiaojian would probably have to be on his toes!
Of course, even with this level of power, Qian Youdao was still not strong enough in Xia Ming's eyes.

It should be noted that, up until now, he has only used most of his theoretical strength. If he really gets serious, even Tan Zhifeng might not be able to help him.

Qian Youdao can only pose a slight obstacle to him now; Xia Ming's storm is too great for him to withstand.

Just as he turned back to continue preparing his meal, the familiar sweet and sour sauce arrived again, and unsurprisingly, the recipe had changed this time.

"It takes about 10 minutes to prepare the fish, 8 minutes to fry it, and the sauce takes a whole day to simmer, right?"

Xia Ming smiled and shook his head, then lowered his head to continue processing the raw materials.

But as the fragrance gradually seeped in, his brows furrowed.

Because he suddenly realized that some things seemed to have changed without him even noticing.
Although it was very faint, he seemed to smell an extremely harmonious scent.
Rice vinegar, rock sugar, fish sauce, lemon, orange peel

Ginger, cloud ear fungus, shiitake mushrooms, glass noodles, and loofah.

etc.
Xia Ming raised an eyebrow.

He discovered that Fang Xu's sweet and sour sauce had created some cracks in his own coral fish, but it inexplicably blended together with Qian Youdao's "fish soup".

Although the fragrance was slightly weaker and no one else could detect it, Xia Ming, who had an exceptionally high sense of smell, noticed something amiss.

After a moment's thought, he understood the reason behind Fang Xu's strange behavior.
"No way, is this how you play the game? How much money did Qian Youdao pay you to do this?!"

"No, Qian Youdao may not have realized the problem yet. If they had colluded from the beginning, Fang Xu wouldn't have needed to make so many sweet and sour sauces."

Taking a deep breath, Xia Ming turned to look at Fang Xu, who happened to be looking up as well.

Their eyes met, and Fang Xu revealed a slightly provocative smile.
In an instant, the entire arena transformed into a chess game, with Xia Ming holding the black pieces and Fang Xu holding the white pieces.

From the very beginning, Xia Ming used a bug to disrupt the game's rhythm, essentially giving the player with the black pieces the first move. Combined with his extraordinary skill, the first mover had a greater advantage.

The other players, like the white pieces, all fell into a disadvantageous position under his actions.

White then unites to resist Black, but Black's position is already clear, and an unusual move is needed to break through.

So when Han Tianyan approached Fang Xu, Fang Xu proposed a theory that could be implemented.

That is, to ignite themselves, in order to disrupt Xia Ming's rhythm.

Whether it's Han Tianyan or Fang Xu, their advancement in this round is assured. What they care about more now is Xia Ming's unstoppable momentum. In their eyes, Xia Ming is no different from Lu Bu of the Three Kingdoms period—young, arrogant, and undefeated all the way.

If you carry this momentum into the later matches, you're very likely to keep winning.

At that time, this year's "New Chef Competition" will become a one-man show by Xia Ming.

They couldn't accept this happening, so they agreed to place their bets separately, one by one.

Once inside, find the sharpest "sword" and then use your own cooking to assist.

The goal is to achieve a 1+1>2 effect, and to force Xia Ming into a dead end before he can react.

When choosing a sect, Han Tianyan entered the Fresh Crab Sect and naturally chose Bai Heng because he had absolute confidence in Bai Heng.

However, Fang Xu didn't know much about Shuai Qixing and Qian Youdao's abilities, so he kept an eye on both sides from the very beginning of cooking.

Ultimately, they discovered that Shuai Qixing was all talk and no action, and that he was not a good match for them, so they decisively focused their efforts on Qian Youdao.

Xia Ming understood Fang Xu's expression perfectly.

Simply put, Qian Youdao's fish soup is fresh, fragrant, and rich with distinct layers, but Fang Xu believes that this alone is not enough to compete with Xia Ming.

So he used his skills to enhance Qian Youdao's culinary skills by focusing on the sauce used to drizzle the coral fish.

If Fang Xu is served first and Qian Youdao follows closely behind when the dishes are served last, the judges will find themselves in a situation where they get to eat the sweet and sour sauce first and then the fish soup.

Because the sweet and sour sauce is very rich, the judges cannot completely remove the taste by rinsing their mouths within half a minute. Therefore, they will inevitably taste Qian Youdao's dishes with this taste in their mouths.

In this way, it's as if Fang Xu and Qian Youdao cooked a dish together and then used it to fight against Xia Ming.

In this situation, Xia Ming only had 40 minutes, but the two of them together could be considered to have 80 minutes, which was definitely the time to activate the "Martial Soul Fusion Skill" right in front of Xia Ming!

Xia Ming felt that Qian Youdao was unaware of Fang Xu's actions, which meant that Fang Xu had taken advantage of Qian Youdao as well.

All for the sake of eliminating Xia Ming's chances of becoming number one in this round!

Seeing Xia Ming's expression, Fang Xu smiled even more broadly.

After learning that Xia Ming was his opponent, he watched "One Meal to Fame" twice from beginning to end, and he didn't miss the reports or screen recordings from some netizens.

Based on his analysis, Xia Ming is likely the type of person who is highly intelligent, ruthless, arrogant at heart, cautious in his actions, adept at using rules, and leaves no room for others.

Compared to Wei Yan, an arrogant guy who's got a natural talent, I'm more inclined to think of a lawless evil cultivator.

It's difficult to scheme against this kind of person, but the more difficult it is, the more interesting it becomes for Fang Xu!
Originally, it was thought that the match would take place after the round of 64, but unexpectedly, Han Tianyan took the initiative to win over other people.

Thus, a plan targeting Xia Ming took shape in his mind.

To prevent Xia Ming from noticing, he deliberately chose a location a bit away from Qian Youdao and made a nice sweet and sour sauce.

Even after hearing Han Tianyan's assessment of Qian Youdao, in order to prevent Qian Youdao from hearing the plan and being unable to unleash his true strength, he...

She kept him in the dark, and proceeded to make mistakes step by step on her own.

At this moment, looking at Xia Ming who had already figured it out, Fang Xu made no attempt to hide anything, because the competition time was already halfway over, and even if Xia Ming saw through his plan, there was nothing he could do to change the situation.

Because this is an open conspiracy!

Realizing that Xia Ming was completely surrounded and had nowhere to run, Fang Xu opened his mouth and moved it a few times.

"Surprised? This is your favorite part!"

Xia Ming understood his lip movements.
Looking down at the table in front of me, I saw the sliced ​​fish and cleaned fish skin already laid out to one side.
That's for making "Flying Fish Peony".
Originally, "Flying Fish Peony" included many characteristics such as "fresh", "smooth", "tender", "rich", "deep-fried" and "complex process".

It is a dish that perfectly combines the advantages of cooking for three people, but the main flavor of the Peony Flower clashes with Fang Xu's sweet and sour sauce.

To modify the flavor profile, in the case of the "Flying Fish Peony" dish, the broth needs to be re-made.
For him, remaking a dish wouldn't be difficult, but in the current situation, rushing into it would be a poor choice.

To be honest, Fang Xu's sweet and sour sauce is particularly unfair. It has a positive effect when paired with Qian Youdao's fish soup, but it has a greater negative effect when paired with most other types of fish dishes.

Even if Xia Ming could time the presentation of the dishes after he served them and before Qian Youdao served them, the dishes would still be less appealing in order to counteract the side effects of his sweet and sour sauce.

In that case, Qian Youdao, with his full fighting power, might actually be brought down.
Unless he can come up with an even fresher and more exquisite dish than Qian Youdao, such as a similar fish soup.

But even with the help of Blood Soul, it's not so easy for him to alter the properties and flavors of some ingredients in 20 minutes.

After all, fish soup isn't like boiling sugar, where you can simply remove the water and use it.
Xia Ming was silent for a second. He had to admit that Fang Xu's thankless act of self-destruction had indeed brought him some trouble.

Looking up at the clock, he saw there were about 20 minutes left. Looking at the materials in his hand, he silently closed his eyes.
"Backstage, in the judges' room"

Wei Yan's eyes lit up.

"This is interesting! Fang Xu is cooperating with Qian Youdao, isn't he?"

"I feel like I've seen this scene somewhere before!"

Yin Shengjiang blinked.

"You're probably referring to the 'International Exchange Competition' from two years ago, where a contestant from the United States used the cooking order rule to provide a sweet and sour flavor profile for their country's contestants, according to the tasting judges."

"This ultimately allowed his sauce to complement his flavor, and he eliminated our 'Level 6' contestant, 'You Zhangwu,' by a margin of 13 votes."

As he spoke, he glanced at You Zhangwen.

You Zhangwen paused for a moment, then added.

"That's right. My brother was eliminated. They took advantage of the time difference, and by the time they realized it, it was too late for my brother to turn back."

"I remember the theme was chicken. My brother went all out, trying to break the taste blockade of the United Nations with the ultimate freshness, but he failed in the end."

"A complex flavor profile is more appealing to judges, especially when the flavor profile is intentionally layered."

"I now strongly suspect that Fang Xu watched the video of that match and used it on Xia Ming."

"I have to say, this technique is extremely well-concealed. It's impressive that Xia Ming was able to spot it in midfield; he even caught it earlier than my brother."

Wei Yan took a deep breath.

"After that, did your brother find a solution?"

You Zhangwen rolled his eyes at Wei Yan, but still spoke.

"Not for now. This pattern of sacrificing one person to allow another to advance is hard to break."

"Fang Xu must have been confident that he could keep his star level, which is why he made such a radical move."

Yin Shengjiang glanced meaningfully at Fang Xu on the screen.

"The strategist enters the game himself, and his move is half a step ahead of fate. Fang Xu's move has indeed disrupted Xia Ming's rhythm in an invisible way."

"At this point, it seems unlikely that there's any chance of a comeback."

Tan Zhifeng, who was standing to the side, shook his head after thinking about it.

"I think that with Xia Ming's strength and wisdom, he should be able to find a way out of this situation!"

Wei Yan was completely dumbfounded.

"This can still be flipped? Brother Tan, how highly do you think of Xia Ming?!"

Tan Zhifeng smiled.

"How tall? Let me put it this way, based on my judgment, he's capable of surpassing Xia Yitian."

Upon hearing the name "Xia Yitian," everyone present fell silent. After a long while, Wei Yan chuckled.

"That's interesting. I want to see how he can turn things around when he's been cornered!"

"Live Fish Themed Competition Scene"

Xia Ming's mind raced. His best solution was to use the prepared ingredients to create a dish that would defy Fang Xu's scheme.

For him, there are solutions, but many of them are limited in the current situation.

“If I had entered the initial stage, I would never have encountered such a thing! Back then, it would only take 20 minutes for me to cook a soup that would be far richer than Qian Youdao’s.”

"If only we had flash freezing technology, but given the current conditions, I'm afraid that's not possible."

Xia Ming chose to make "Flying Fish Peony" precisely because he didn't have a freezer. Now, after going around in circles, the problem has been thrown back at him.
After thinking for a few more seconds, Xia Ming suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"No, this freezer is right in front of me!"

(End of this chapter)