Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 191 Animal Hide, Shortcut, Wild Boar Meat, Starting Out as the Target of Everyone (Bonus Chapter for 2K Players)

I could feel the wind of battle emanating from the swirling blades.

There was no fear in Xia Ming's eyes; instead, he sensed an extremely familiar scent.

Claw Wind, demonic beast, battle, attack.
These are everyday scenes in the Nine Provinces, and they are the biggest differences between them and cities in China.

Even though he spent most of his time in the kitchen, he never missed a single task, from collecting ingredients and delivering goods to the sect's examinations.

In an environment like that of the Nine Provinces Continent, it's normal to encounter bird monsters and ferocious demons on the way to fish for "Soul River Fish" in the back mountains.

In contrast, the swordplay of novice disciples sparring was a kind of enjoyment for him.

As the knife struck, the man noticed that Xia Ming was not surprised but smiling, his eyes showing no fear, only anticipation, which startled him.

He was the most powerful warrior in the tribe, but even so, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be moved by the sudden gust of wind.

In the blink of an eye, Xia Ming had already earned his approval!

The knife in mid-air quickly changed its trajectory, and the man in front of him adopted a strange posture.

The surrounding warriors scattered instantly, then lined up and began another strange dance.

Seeing the soldiers' actions, "Carlyle" stared wide-eyed.

"My God, he passed the test of the Dance of Battle without being moved at all."

"Does he... he have no feelings?"

It's hard to imagine that such a delicate-skinned boy could remain so calm and composed under pressure.

For a moment, he thought he had returned to a special forces camp and seen his former instructors.

Koyama Seizo, who had just retrieved the wakizashi, couldn't help but glance at Xia Ming a couple more times.

The live stream audience erupted in gasps of amazement.
Although, perhaps because they received money from the production team, the chestnut people did not use the full "Battle Dance" etiquette on Xia Ming.

But Xia Ming's performance made the man realize that even if it were the full "Dance of Battle," the young man in front of him wouldn't even flinch.

Just as the four men changed their dance, the woman behind them, whose mooing sound had been like that of a cow, suddenly transformed into a strange song.

Then, a tall tribal girl stepped out from the crowd.

Judging by appearance alone, this girl's face is fuller than the other women's, and she smells of sea salt, so she must be from a higher social class.

She was holding a piece of animal hide in her hands and walked straight up to Xia Ming.

Then, she gestured with her finger, indicating that Xia Ming should give her the fern leaves.

After Xia Ming did as instructed, he received the fur from the girl.

The moment Xia Ming accepted it, the men and women around him all showed expressions of joy.

That smile almost made Xia Ming think that this was some kind of local tradition, where if you accepted a fur coat, you had to stay, get married, and have children.

Just as he was wondering, Qiao Ruoning ran up from behind.

"Quickly pick up the animal hide and act happy!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Ming did not hesitate and did as instructed.

The girl who saw this also showed admiration in her eyes.

Then, as the others sang, the girl escorted Xia Ming to the table, her attitude showing a level of intimacy far exceeding that of the other contestants.

She only left reluctantly after Xia Ming was settled in.

Xia Ming glanced at the fur in his hand, then turned to look at Qiao Ruoning beside him.

Qiao Ruoning's eyes lit up with joy, and then she leaned close to Xia Ming's ear.

"The production team just told me that out of the 50 contestants, three 'warriors' will be recognized and will receive an extra reward of animal hides."

"Each animal hide corresponds to a local specialty dish."

"It specifies the recipe, along with the cooking time, steps, and the location of the main ingredients."

"With this guide map, you can gain a huge advantage in this round."

"Although no one will be eliminated in this round, the higher the score, the more you accumulate, and the more equipment slots you can exchange for in the final battle."

"Because it's a hidden rule, I only just found out about it myself."

After listening to Qiao Ruoning's words, Xia Ming turned the animal skin over by the firelight and found that there were indeed words and patterns inside.

Well, Xia Ming has an absolute sense of smell; he can smell most ingredients.

But once he arrived at the local area, even if he could smell the special herbs, he still had to go through a comparison process.

At this point, the animal hide becomes a crucial guide. Just the fact that it marks the location of the main ingredient saves him a lot of trouble by not asking the guide.

The others nearby also looked on with envy. They didn't know what it was, but they figured it must be a shortcut.

Right after Xia Ming passed, the other contestants, along with their agents, also passed the test.

Of the remaining 26 people, 8 failed the test, and their agents could only watch the others eat.

Of the remaining two animal hides, one was taken by "Maka Aya".

Another card was won by "Asternasland" from "Steghen Island".

The former is a girl who advanced through the preliminary rounds, while the latter is a well-known "food hunter" from the "Arctic Circle".

According to Qiao Ruoning, there are only four levels of food hunters.

Mountains and rivers, wilderness, desperate situation, polar day

"Aster" is a "desperate" level gourmet hunter, a whole level higher than Li Yuan, who got number 47.

After the contestants sat down, the Maoli people served everyone their unique delicacies.

First is "Hmph," which is the "chestnut stew" mentioned before.

Xia Ming could smell the aroma of most of the ingredients, but he couldn't quickly identify the ones that were more like local herbs.

Before coming, Qiao Ruoning had asked someone to do her homework, and now she was explaining it to Xia Ming while eating.

"In essence, it's just wild boar meat, potatoes, beets, and a special cooking method that creates this delicious food."

"The use of a traditional earthen stove is more similar to the way 'Beggar's Chicken' is made in my country."

Xia Ming nodded as he ate. The taste of "Heng Yi" was quite different from most Chinese dishes, with a more wild and natural flavor.

If I were to construct a reference in my mind, it would be something like "Beggar's Chicken Recipe" + "Yunnan Steamed Chicken Flavor" + "The Texture of Northeast China Stew" + "Special Spices".

Unlike the above, "Hengyi" uses a variety of ingredients.
After tasting the flavor, Xia Ming nodded. Wild boar meat, as the main ingredient, perfectly suited his purpose.

In contrast, "Pick Soda Bread," made from flour and soda water, didn't quite meet his needs.

After eating "crayfish", "mushroom slices", "mashed potatoes", "flavored fish" and "shellfish stew", Xia Ming finally understood.

"The cuisine of the Maoli tribe is essentially a reflection of the flavor of the ingredients themselves."

"Most of their dishes only use salt and Sichuan peppercorns, and the flavor is more like that of a traditional Chinese rural restaurant."

"They don't care much about plating, but they are particular about cooking time and temperature. They also have a tradition of eating insects, which they locally call 'huhu worms.'"

"It is the larva of a beetle that is not found in China. Compared to the large bamboo worm, it has a richer, meatier flavor, and compared to the bean weevil, it has a nutty flavor."

Xia Ming nodded as he ate. If he had known earlier that such an ingredient existed in the city, he might not have been able to keep the "Bean and Dan Feast" a secret that day.

Of course, whether this item can be delivered to China is another matter.
Just as Xia Ming had finished analyzing the food on the table and was about to stop,

The host suddenly stepped forward.

"Did everyone enjoy the meal? Did you feel the warmth and hospitality of the locals?"

"Now that everyone has finished eating, we will use a local game to decide when everyone will finish their dishes tomorrow."

Upon hearing that it was related to time, Xia Ming and Qiao Ruoning also looked up.

"The earliest departure time for tomorrow's competition is 8:00 AM, and the latest time for serving dishes is 6:00 PM."

"That means the longest match time is 10 hours."

"The 50 participants will depart at different times. Later, the chief of the Maoli tribe will bring us 'war spears.'"

"The contestants need to swing their spears and try to hit targets that appear randomly in front of them."

"The number of hits determines your starting time. Don't blame me for not warning you from the beginning. If your performance is too poor, you may waste two hours at this stage."

Hearing the host's words, most of the contestants frowned, but there were also some confident individuals in the crowd.

For example, "Maca" is not afraid of this at all.

Just as everyone was anticipating the presentation of the "spear," the host suddenly called "Xia Ming," "Ma Ka," and "Aster" to the front of the stage.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention, unlike the other contestants, the three contestants who received the 'Dance of Battle' blessing do not need to go through this stage."

"They will be among the first to set off tomorrow to find the ingredients they need."

"Alright, you three, go back and get some rest."

"The strong do not need to pay attention to the struggles of the weak."

As the host's inflammatory remarks spread throughout the venue, the remaining 47 contestants turned their attention to Xia Ming and his two companions.
Clearly, something is wrong.
(End of this chapter)