Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 165 No, why is this topic...blank? (Bonus chapter for 2K chapters)

One of them is strong when facing a strong opponent, and the other is a seasoned veteran; both are quite capable.

Xia Ming originally thought that even if this wasn't a very exciting match, it would at least create some sparks.

But to everyone's surprise, Zhou Jing's minor mishaps continued from the start of the competition.

It started when the selected ingredients were slipped and fell on the way to the stove. After being forced to change to another ingredient, the person almost slipped and fell again.

The ingredients finally arrived, but then the stove had a minor problem. The staff rushed over to fix it, and suddenly it was working again.

Just when everyone thought they could finally start the competition normally, halfway through the event, Zhou Jing had already cooked all his dishes when his pressure cooker suddenly malfunctioned.

Unfortunately, in this situation, we have to find a replacement temporarily.
But just as he was transferring the soup, his foot slipped. Luckily, he managed to catch it, otherwise the soup might have had to be made again.

He was like an unlucky supporting character in a comic book who suddenly falls flat on his face, as if he was being targeted by something.

For a moment, you couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose for the show or if there was some kind of mystical element involved.

Faced with such a hilarious scene, the viewers in the live stream naturally couldn't help but laugh.

This is the first time I've felt that the word "comical" can be used to describe someone's cooking.

[His word choice is very precise; he really does seem "slippery" (doge)]

This guy doesn't seem to be here to compete; he seems more like he's here to be funny.

[He's a comedian, just enjoy the show.]

I heard he's participated in many competitions, but hasn't been able to pass the exam yet. I used to think it was because he wasn't good enough, but now it seems he's just too "slippery."

Netizens were delighted, but Bai Heng and Qiao Ruoning were not surprised at all.

"That's just how Zhou Jing is. If he doesn't cause any trouble in a match, I'd be a little surprised."

"No, he wouldn't actually do this during the auditions and preliminary rounds, but as soon as he gets into the top 32, the unexpected always happens."

Qiao Ruoning also didn't understand whether Zhou Jing was genuinely unlucky or pretending to be unlucky for some purpose.

Whether it's luck or destiny is no longer important.

Qiao Ruoning knew very well that this competition was his last New Chef Competition, and encountering Qian Youdao in the top 32 would be nothing short of tragic.

Xia Ming's strength may have completely ignited Qian Youdao's fighting spirit, as he performed with extreme seriousness in the round of 32 to 16.

He managed to bring out the best in every aspect of what looked like an ordinary seafood soup.

Although Zhou Jing was quite strong, he couldn't handle the constant unexpected situations and Qian Youdao's high-energy mode.

Thus, amidst his dejected expression, Qian Youdao successfully won the match and advanced to the top 16.

It really does prove what Sun Xingyao said.

"Xia Ming is not something you should be considering..."

After that, several more groups of contestants competed on the field.

Compared to star contestants, their skills are more consistent and their personality traits are not obvious, so even if their cooking is pretty good, they still can't gain much popularity in the live stream.

But for many aspiring chefs who are learning to cook and don't want to become internet celebrities or star chefs, receiving tangible rewards is already quite good.

After all, if there were truly top-tier individuals among them, it's unlikely that they wouldn't have shone through by now.

Ultimately, with a mediocre score for "Braised Tofu with Scallions," the competition to narrow down the field from 32 to 16 came to a successful conclusion.

The 16 remaining contestants, after a familiar routine, were guided by the female host to the next round of drawing lots.

According to the score ranking, Xia Ming went on stage first again this time.

As the ball slipped from his hand, every contestant below held their breath.

Even Qian Youdao, who most wanted to compete with Xia Ming, had to admit that he didn't want to run into him in the round of 16.

The main advantage is that the top 8 teams can directly secure a "Hua 3-level" seat, without having to fight several more games for the last two seats.

From this perspective, encountering Xia Ming was definitely the most tragic thing in this round...

Xia Ming didn't care who his opponent was, and casually opened the small ball in his hand.

In a close-up shot, a card with the number "5·A" written on it is displayed on the big screen.

Seeing this, everyone prayed that they wouldn't be the unlucky "5.B".

When Bai Heng drew "1·A", even she breathed a sigh of relief.

As the number of remaining lottery participants dwindled, He He, who was at the back of the queue, became increasingly nervous.

Because Fang Xu had a hard time answering the questions in the previous round, He He's score was relatively low. Although he successfully advanced, his draw order was almost at the bottom.

As she watched the number of balls in the transparent box above dwindle, but Xia Ming still had no opponent, she frowned slightly and muttered to herself.

"No... at least not in this round..."

But life is full of such coincidences.

The more you don't want to face something, the more likely it is to happen.

When He He opened the small ball in her hand on the stage and saw the bright "5·B" on it, she felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.

"That's outrageous! Why me?!"

It's important to understand that this round of questions is even more challenging than the previous one, and the concept of going first or second is completely irrelevant.

According to the rules…

The seven judges, based on their discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of each group of contestants, provided seven different directions for the test questions.

At the same time, the two competitors can also propose a test question.

After the nine questions were shuffled, Yin Shengjiang and his two opponents each drew one.

The final requirement is that contestants must incorporate all three themes into a single dish within a specified time.

It seems that this question is no different from the previous ones, with three options.

However, the questions given by the judges do not necessarily follow a certain production method or ingredients; in essence, they are equivalent to assigned essay topics.

In the worst-case scenario, contestants might even draw completely unrelated themes.

This makes it even more necessary for players to have adaptability.

At this moment, the big screen also displayed the results of the draw.

Bai Heng (1A) VS Qiao Ruoning (1B)

Han Tianyan (2A) VS Bi Lang (2B)

Qian Youdao (3A) VS Li Mujiu (3B)

Zheng Zeqian (4A) VS Yu Yifan (4B)

Xia Ming (5A) VS He He (5B)

【Wu Huan (6A)】VS【Li Yuan (6B)】

【...】

Looking at the match schedule, everyone had different expressions, with Group 7 and Group 8 feeling quite fortunate.

Qiao Ruoning was somewhat helpless.

"No, Bai Heng, it was you last time, and it's you again this time. Please spare our lives (>_<)."

He He was on edge; she had one more night to come up with a solution.

As for the theme, she'll definitely fill in pastries.

...

A night without words...

On the second day of the competition, He He, with faint dark circles under his eyes, finally came to the draw box with Xia Ming after watching two matches.

Under the final supervision of the seven judges, the nine balls were placed into the lottery box.

Looking at the box, He He kept praying that she could pull out the pastries.

Perhaps it was a case of "not being able to get lucky," but when Yin Shengjiang, who drew the first ball, opened the small ball, the word "pastry" suddenly appeared on the big screen.

Upon seeing this subject matter, He He felt an instant sense of relief.

But before she could recover, Xia Ming pulled out a [Meat] from the box.

Upon seeing this topic, He He's expression changed slightly. Compared to savory dishes, she was more proficient in desserts, but meat was not necessarily unsuitable for making desserts.

Taking a deep breath, she reached into the box, rummaged around for a while, and finally pulled out a small ball.

After opening it, she carefully unfolded the note, but the moment she saw the subject, she was stunned.

"No, why is this note...blank???"

(End of this chapter)