Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 161 Hua 7 in his early twenties? The culinary world welcomes a true genius! (Second update in 4K)
"Holy crap, what's going on?!"

"The situation is that Sun Xingyao used his strengths to provoke Xia Ming, and then Xia Ming slapped him so hard that the smear was stuck to the wall and couldn't be torn off."

"No, I can understand Sun Xingyao losing, but isn't there something wrong with this score?"

"It's not just weird, it's like seeing a ghost!!!"

"??? So the competition really does have a perfect score option?"

The other contestants were having a good time, but the surviving star contestants didn't look too happy.

Even Qian Youdao, who usually becomes stronger when facing a strong opponent, was filled with shock at this moment.

This was the first time since the start of the "New Chef Competition" that he truly felt Xia Ming was invincible.

"Generally speaking, when judges score a dish, no matter how well it is prepared, they will not give it a perfect score."

"Because once a perfect score is given, it means that the judges have implicitly agreed that in their life experience or in this competition, no one can surpass this dish."

"This is actually a kind of guarantee made by the judges in their capacity to guarantee the results."

At this point, Qian Youdao's speech slowed down noticeably.

Under immense pressure, he felt a mixture of excitement and despair, and his body began to tremble slightly involuntarily.

"If a dish, with its complete technique, happens to meet the requirements of one of the judges and thus receives a high score, it is not surprising at all."

"But it's still very difficult to get a perfect score. Yet now, out of seven judges, five of them have given perfect scores."

"This means, this means"

As Qian Youdao spoke, his voice grew softer and softer. He understood the meaning behind it, but found it hard to accept at first.

Just as he was hesitating and struggling, Zheng Zeqian, who was half-lying next to him, spoke up.

"This means that Xia Ming used a technique in this stir-fried pork kidney dish that even the judges felt they couldn't master."

"In other words, the judges tasted it and determined that each part was done to perfection before they would put their own credibility on the line and give it such an amazing score."

"Qian Youdao, you're not scared, are you?!"

Upon hearing Zheng Zeqian's words, Qian Youdao's body trembled even more violently, and even the contestants who were a little further away could clearly see the extent of his hand trembling.

But this situation only lasted for less than ten seconds. As his body gradually calmed down, the despair in his eyes was completely burned to ashes by excitement.

"Afraid? Why should I be afraid!"

"Many people never find such an opponent in their entire lives, and I encountered one on my first time participating in the New Chef Competition. Shouldn't I be considered lucky?"

"Whether you're a genius or a prodigy, Zheng Zeqian, don't you think it's a good thing to be born in the same era as Brother Xia?"

Zheng Zeqian looked at Qian Youdao beside him and smiled helplessly after a long while.

"Battle maniac, madman, I think Sun Xingyao deserves half of that title. He's crazy on the outside, you're crazy on the inside!"

“Okay, that’s a good thing. Everything you see is a good thing. For me, it’s a pity to lose the Eight Treasures Pig. This thing is very valuable if it’s sold as a dish.”

Qian Youdao smiled at Zheng Zeqian.

"Leaving aside whether Brother Xia is involved, just Bai Heng and I alone are enough to give you a hard time. Eight-Treasure Pig, it's not that easy to take."

Zheng Zeqian shook his head casually, it was unclear whether he agreed or disagreed.

Just as Qian Youdao was filled with fighting spirit, Bai Heng, who was standing next to him, also increased his breathing.

At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind.
"Perhaps, Xia Ming himself is already infinitely close to... no, he may very well possess the strength of a level 7 Hua."

If it were a Level 6 Chinese, Bai Heng would be confident he could put up a fight, but a Level 7 Chinese is completely different from a Level 6 Chinese. If that were the case, then Bai Heng wouldn't be able to exert his full strength.

She felt that even if Wei Yan, who was currently sitting on the judges' panel, were to step down and compete against Xia Ming, there was a high possibility that unexpected situations would arise.

Considering Xia Ming's previously obscure reputation and his current "unranked" status, Bai Heng felt a slight dimming in his vision.

"Do such people really exist in this world?"

"A 'Hua 7' level 7 in his early twenties. This..."

Qiao Ruoning, who was sitting down next to her, was gently biting the edge of her left thumb nail with her little tiger teeth, which meant that she was in a completely incomprehensible situation.

Upon hearing Bai Heng's words, Qiao Ruoning slowly lowered her left hand and then spoke quietly.

"This means that the Chinese culinary world has welcomed a genius comparable to Xia Yitian—no, Xia Ming is even stronger than Xia Yitian."

"Because Xia Yitian's rise was traceable, but Xia Ming was like a comet descending, shining with a brilliance far beyond his time in a corner unseen by anyone."

"He reminds me of Zhou Dong from the year 2000, Ke Jie from the Go world, and Lin Dan from the badminton world."

"Perhaps, at this pivotal moment in the culinary world, a new king will emerge."

Qiao Ruoning had never believed in the idea that "circumstances create heroes" or "heroes create circumstances." She thought that even the most talented geniuses needed teachers and would have a relatively stable career path.

But the world's most elite individuals are considered exceptionally talented precisely because they don't follow the basic principles at all.
However, this didn't have much of an impact on her, because she was different from the other contestants.
The Qiao family is not a family of chefs. Her identity is "inheritor of Zhenjiang Hengshun Vinegar Intangible Cultural Heritage". Her grandfather brewed vinegar in the local area all his life, and her father continued to expand the vinegar factory. By the time it came to her, there was nothing left for her to struggle for.

So she was born into a good family, whether she likes anime, becomes a professional gamer, an idol, a chef, or anything else.
As long as she can pass on the family's vinegar-making skills and ensure that the vinegar factory does not have any problems, and as long as she doesn't cross any red lines or choose not to have children, her family will basically not restrict her.

She chose to be a chef simply because she found it interesting. Perhaps one day she will feel that her talent has reached its limit in this field and switch to becoming a "peripheral planner," "planning and operation," or "game streamer." All of these are possible.

In addition, she clearly knew that her talent was not as outstanding as Bai Heng's and He He's, so she had a good mindset.

They're basically treating the "New Chef Competition" as just a fun activity.
Because she doesn't compete, she remains absolutely neutral, making it difficult to win her over unless she herself is genuinely interested in the matter.

But Bai Heng is different from He He. Bai Heng is a typical genius. Her father was just an ordinary food stall chef. It was as if their ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke that Bai Heng could come out of their family.

He He was born into a family of pastry chefs. Her grandfather's skills were not fully learned by her father, so they all fell to her. Now, her words carry more weight at home than her father's.

There's no way around it; that's how the He family operates—whoever has the ability gets promoted.
For both of them, Xia Ming's appearance undoubtedly brought immense pressure. Especially for He He, who had always considered herself a genius, she never expected to encounter so many people like herself here.
At this moment, for the first time, this incredibly beautiful girl felt a slight doubt arise in her heart.

"Can I really beat Xia Ming in pastry making?"

As for Zhou Jing, everyone was in a state of chaos at the moment. Compared to others, his biggest problem was that he was in the last cohort.

"Good heavens! I should have known better than to mess around like this last year. Those top ten are all insane! What are we going to do this year?!"

Li Yuan's eyes flickered as he looked at Xia Ming's figure on the screen.
Fang Xu was completely convinced. His wariness of Xia Ming completely vanished; he was, in other words, completely resigned.
As for Han Tianyan, he's still cooking crabs in the competition arena, but he's already seen Xia Ming's score. He appears calm on the surface, but who knows if he's cursing under his breath.

Putting aside the players' indoor performance, viewers in the live stream were quite shocked by the score.

[This is insane! Sui Wubai gave a perfect score as a judge! Oh my god! Quick, @ChefKing, your master gave someone else a perfect score!]

[It's really a sad story. I used to work at Chef Wang's restaurant. Once, Sui Wubai came to do a spot check, and 3 out of 8 dishes had problems. I stood there and got scolded by Chef Sui for half an hour. Don't be fooled by how cheerful Chef Sui looks in those short videos; he's a real strict teacher.]

[I laughed. Chef Wang is really done for this time. It feels like from today onwards, Xia Ming will take over his meme collection.]

Putting everything else aside, just based on these five perfect scores, wouldn't Chef Wang have to come over and call Xia Ming "teacher"?

【Good, good, good, it's the opposite of the Heavenly Gang~】

Wei Yancai is in a very awkward position. A bunch of experts gave him 100 points, but he only gave him 98, which makes him look quite embarrassed.

[I feel like there's something he hasn't quite grasped yet. The difference between top-tier and super-top-tier is sometimes just a fine line. Okay, it's open betting time now. Guess when Xia Ming will surpass Wei Yan.]

[Hey upstairs, why don't you be a little bolder! Is it possible that we're already at the same level?]

[A Level 7 Chinese chef? That's outrageous! Has a new culinary god arrived?]

[If a few judges vouch for him, Xia Ming might just be the next "magician." But then again, they both have the surname Xia, are they father and son?]

[Xia Yitian, the "Master Chef"? ??? He's been missing for years, and I saw a blogger say that Xia Ming said he didn't know Xia Yitian~]

That's a genius who popped out of a rock! Incredible, truly incredible!!!

Just as everyone was shocked by the scores, Sun Xingyao, who was standing opposite the judges, looked dejected.

He couldn't understand why his own "stir-fried pork kidneys" only got 80 points, while Xia Ming got five 100s. Even if we take a step back and say...
What a load of rubbish! They won't even give an inch!

Sun Xingyao felt his blood rush to his head; all he wanted at that moment was an answer. So, despite the rules forbidding it, he spoke directly.

"No, I don't understand. Is there something different about our cooking? Xia Ming... he doesn't even have enough time!!!"

"It's not cooked! How can undercooked stir-fried kidneys get a perfect score?! Are you guys...?"

Just as Sun Xingyao was about to blurt out the word "behind-the-scenes manipulation," a staff member next to him covered his mouth first.

The organizers knew Sun Xingyao was a ticking time bomb, so they had people watching him the whole time, and thankfully he didn't end up saying anything out of line.

Looking at Sun Xingyao, whose mouth was covered, Yin Shengjiang's expression turned slightly unpleasant.

To be fair, putting aside Sun Xingyao's temper, he is a very promising chef. Given his current situation, he will definitely have no problem reaching the "Hua Level 6" and inheriting his father's mantle.

But it's precisely this mad dog-like temper that's a real headache.
It was the staff member next to him who saved his life; otherwise, Sun Xingyao would have been really in a bad way after saying those words.

Of course, his online reputation isn't much better now. But in the eyes of the Chefs Association, arrogance can be tamed. Wei Yan is an example. When Yin Shengjiang first met Wei Yan, he was incredibly arrogant. Now that he's older, he's gradually gotten better.

Therefore, Yin Shengjiang gestured to the staff to take Sun Xingyao away. After all, her flaws did not overshadow her merits, and with some refinement, Sun Xingyao might improve.

But Mao Xianzheng, standing to the side, didn't have such a good temper. Despite being polite and courteous all the time, he was quite different.

Everyone knows what kind of person he was back then; it's just that he's spent these years with ancient books, cultivating his character, and doesn't seem as sharp anymore.

Upon hearing Sun Xingyao's words, he also snorted coldly.

“Sun Xingyao, right? Your father should be Sun Mo. Your grandfather even played chess with me back then. According to the rules, I shouldn’t be speaking.”

"But the judges gave very high scores, and I'm sure the viewers in the live stream might have some questions. Since you've asked, I'll be frank with you."

"The score is fine. Although your technique is skillful, the seasoning is rigid, and the pork kidneys are fried for too long. It's fine to follow the master chef's teachings blindly, but you don't have your own insights. The dishes you make may look good to others, but there are many flaws in the details."

At this point, Mao Xianzheng turned his head to look at Xia Ming.

“You just said that Xia Ming didn’t have enough time to cook, but did you know that he used a more traditional method that is more in line with the characteristics of pork kidney?”

"I don't know if your father taught you what 'gorgon fruit is glossy and white with a hint of pink' means, but I can guarantee with my reputation that I definitely couldn't make Xia Ming's 'stir-fried pork kidneys' just now."

"Judging from the scores, I'm probably not the only one who couldn't do it!"

"Mastering the cooking temperature is a major challenge that Chinese chefs must face. Some people think they are about to reach the top when they reach the halfway point, while others are still climbing even after reaching the top. That is the difference between you."

"Arrogance? No problem. I was arrogant back in the day too. But how could you possibly understand the vastness of China and the world!"

After saying that, Mao Xianzheng seemed to have calmed down a bit and stroked his beard.

"You know I could give you a red card, but I'm letting you off the hook because you're so young and your cooking skills are quite impressive. I'll just consider it an impulsive act. Go back and practice more, and figuring out where you went wrong is much more important than impotent rage!"

As soon as Mao Xianzheng finished speaking, the other six judges turned their heads to look over.

To be honest, among the judges, only Mao Xianzheng dared to speak like that. It's mainly because his status, connections, and skills are all truly outstanding. What he says might not be understood by the live stream audience, but it's recognized within the industry.

Moreover, he's quite old, and it seems he might just pass away any day now, so his words can be considered kind.

Sui Wubai wanted to chime in, but considering the rules, he swallowed his words.

Looking at the expressions of the other judges, Sun Xingyao understood that Mao Xianzheng's words were indeed true, but he couldn't vent his anger. Even with the staff trying to stop him, he couldn't accept the result until he was truly certain of his defeat.

His face, now covered by a cloth, instantly turned bright red, and he trembled with anger, looking as if he was about to fight Xia Ming.

Seeing this, the staff member next to him hurriedly prepared to call for backup, but Sun Xingyao had already broken free and pounced forward!

(End of this chapter)