Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 151 Anxious contestants on the field, and the distant pursuers behind them (Bonus chapter for 2K)

Holy crap, 98.8 to 75, wow, it's a total stomp!

[Giving monks a life on "Sunrise Island" is ridiculous; their scores are just awful.]

[I'm just curious what this pagoda-shaped pork tastes like. It looks pretty good cut, but why are the judges frowning while eating it?]

I suspect it wasn't done well; otherwise, given decent knife skills, the score shouldn't be so low.

【No, are you guys just accepting that Xia Ming's 98.8 score is fine?】

[What's the problem? This is just a national competition. If it were a regional competition, the judges would have to privately seek out mentors, believe it or not.]

[Stop arguing. Xia Ming is not in the same league as these contestants. It's a complete and overwhelming victory. Let's judge the second place winner of this competition.]

The live stream viewers seem to have gotten used to Xia Ming's scores.
However, some of the contestants still found it difficult to adapt.

The most obvious examples are Sun Xingyao and Shuai Qixing. The former thinks Zhu Wuneng is too trashy, while the latter thinks Xia Ming is using logical tricks.

Shuai Qixing frowned as he looked at the bright 98.8 score on the screen.

"It's just that I had the advantage in skill, which gave me a slight edge in knife work. If it were my dad..."

At this point, he paused suddenly, then hesitated for a moment before changing the subject.

In his opinion, Xia Ming was not invincible. The reason he was so successful was simply because he hadn't met anyone who could restrain him.

Upon seeing this score, Bai Heng, Qiao Ruoning, and He He all fell silent.

After hesitating for a while, Qiao Ruoning felt a surge of curiosity.

She no longer doubted Xia Ming's combat ability; she just recalled Xia Ming's previous statement that he was proficient in all cuisines and wondered if he was really that well-rounded.

He He still had the same question in his mind.
Just how much does Xia Ming know about pastries? And can I outsmart him in this area?

As for Bai Heng, she was truly on high alert. For the first time, she was taking "Xia Ming" seriously, because she had always felt that she was holding back. If they really went all out, the outcome was still uncertain.

But now, the problem has become more serious.

Xia Ming has surpassed the limits of her theoretical imagination. This isn't just a matter of the Demon King anymore; it's already a multi-layered, dimensional reduction attack.
Bai Heng estimated that his abilities after special training were slightly below "Hua Level 5".

"So, this guy has already crossed the threshold of 'Level 6 in China'?"

"No, at this level, what exactly does the New Chef Competition mean to you?"

In Bai Heng's eyes, although the Eight Treasures Pork is delicious, it is nothing more than two bottles of spices and a table of ingredients. In today's society, it is not difficult to find a similar-tasting alternative.

After all, most diners can't tell the difference between good and bad "Eight Treasures Pork".

As for recycling
The seasoning for Eight Treasures Pork is indeed described in glowing terms in ancient books, but you can't say it's any different from the "technology and ruthless cooking" of today.

All I can say is that it's more natural and unprocessed.

After all, meat is the most important thing, and special spices are just secondary ingredients.
He didn't know that Xia Ming wasn't there for the "Eight Treasures Pig" meat at all; he was there to have his blood drawn!
Not just them, but all the contestants who were eyeing the championship were extremely conflicted at this moment.

Zhou Jing, in particular, being a seasoned veteran, felt that he hadn't checked the almanac before coming to the competition this year and had encountered a ghost!

There have been bizarre incidents in previous years, but there are an unusually large number of them this year.

Not only were there a lot of fish, but what's even more troublesome is that someone came to fry them.
He wished he could open Xia Ming's head right now and see how it was shaped!

"Playing ball, playing ball again today. I can't keep wasting all these years and start from the second year of high school again!"

At this moment, thousands of miles away, many people are also concerned about Xia Ming's movements.

"The Luo Family's Kitchen Training Room"

Luo Jinran placed a dish in front of Luo Yumin.

Smelling the fried rice in front of her, she silently picked it up and tasted it, then nodded with a hint of satisfaction.

"Not bad, you've made progress. Your seclusion during this period wasn't in vain."

Luo Jinran did not show any joy at the praise. Instead, she smiled slightly and then spoke slowly.

"Cousin, I'm leaving Xia Ming..."

Luo Yumin remained calm. She knew that Luo Jinran's dedication to honing her fundamentals was largely driven by her desire to catch up with Xia Ming. However, at this moment, she couldn't answer Luo Jinran's question.

The reason was that before Luo Jinran came in, she was watching the live broadcast of the "New Chef Competition," and Xia Ming's performance was simply too amazing.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Yumin finally chose a compromise.

"You're still far from Xia Ming, but you're getting closer and closer to Chen Xiaodong. Keep it up, take it one step at a time!"

Hearing Luo Yumin's words, Luo Jinran nodded, then turned around and walked back to the training room.

She needed to speed things up and get rid of Chen Xiaodong quickly so that she could stand in front of Xia Ming.

Looking at Luo Jinran's retreating figure, a hint of seriousness flashed in Luo Yumin's eyes.

Because she had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
"Could it be that this kid has already reached the same level as me?"

"Sichuan-Chongqing Guild Hall"

After finishing his meal, Chen Xiaodong walked out while taking notes on his phone.

He discovered that Sichuan and Chongqing are indeed a treasure trove, with many commendable aspects, whether it's a small restaurant or a Michelin-starred establishment like "Guild Hall".

After nearly a month of visiting and learning, he deeply realized his previous shortcomings in cooking.

But the more he learned, the less satisfied he became, because he discovered that Xia Ming, whom he regarded as his nemesis, was "growing" much faster than him.

Especially just now, when he was watching the live stream on his phone at the "Hall of Fame" and saw that "Crystal Chrysanthemum Cup", he even considered giving up for a moment.

Simply put, they are far inferior.
But then he thought that if he gave up this time, his life might be like this forever, so he gritted his teeth and endured it.

"I have no shortage of opponents for practice. As long as I can turn what I learn into real strength, I don't care about any 'combat power measurement' standards!"

After saying that, he took a deep breath, put on his mask, and walked towards the station.
"Beautiful Banquet, Boss's Office"

The boss sighed as he looked at the resignation letter Qu Yuyu handed him.

"I respect your choice. Shi Yan is proud to have had you. What are your plans for the future?"

Qu Yuyu looked at the boss in front of her with a lot of emotion.

Actually, she was quite reluctant to leave "Mei Shi Yan" because it was a really good place for her.

But as a "culinary graduate student," her exploration of food outweighs her yearning for a comfortable life.

Just two days ago, "Tan Zhifeng" contacted her, saying that there was a vacant seat in her restaurant and asking if she was interested.

Qu Yuyu countered by asking Tan Zhifeng why he chose her.

Tan Zhifeng was also very frank.

“From a business perspective, I have many options, but from a practical point of view, I had actually been paying attention to you during the previous competitions.”

"You possess extraordinary talent. Level 3 is not your destiny; you can go even higher!"

Qu Yuyu remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Is it because of Xia Ming?"

Tan Zhifeng smiled as well.

"That's partly his fault, isn't it? To put it another way, don't you want to keep up with him?"

These words struck a chord with Qu Yuyu. To be honest, she really envied Xia Ming's talent and wanted to have the same strength as him.

Joining Tan Zhifeng's group will obviously accelerate her learning process!
After careful consideration, she decided to accept the invitation.

At that moment, she walked out of the boss's office, and on the TV screen in the hotel, Xia Ming's live settlement was being broadcast.

Looking at Zhu Wuneng, who was ashen-faced, and Xia Ming, who had a calm expression, Qu Yuyu smiled and took off her name tag, placing it on her familiar workbench.

"Just wait, wait for me to catch up with you. It may be a long way, but I will do my best."

(End of this chapter)