The story begins in Food Wars, when Alice took him home.

It can be said that fish is the key to this dish.

"Forget about others, focusing on finishing your own dish is the most important thing. Those who are destined to be eliminated don't deserve so much attention!"

Someone waved their hand dismissively and complained.

"But this topic is really... everyone's ideas are all the same, there are really not many people who want to be original, it looks like we'll have to fight tooth and nail!"

After another discussion, thinking about the upcoming assessment, everyone turned their attention away from Bai Yuan and focused on the ingredients in front of them.

If Bai Yuan hadn't chosen such bizarre ingredients that didn't seem like they were for making squirrel fish, no one would have wasted time specifically criticizing or commenting on him.

"Fruit squirrel fish? What a novel dish! Fruit can be used to make squirrel fish... No wonder it's Boss Bai! He easily accomplished what we couldn't!"

Leah was equally surprised, but unlike the others, she didn't complain.

If it were anyone else, she would just call them an idiot. But if it were Bai Yuan, her attitude would change; she would feel a great sense of anticipation.

Such a clever idea, using fruit to simulate squirrel fish, truly befits a top-tier seven-star chef; their thinking is beyond the reach of ordinary people like them!

And what about Bai Yuan?

Making squirrel fish with fruit is a challenge in itself, and it's also a way to have fun. Even if you make squirrel fish with fruit, you can still beat everyone here. Isn't that interesting?

Talented but lacking in virtue—this is embodied in this moment.

"That contestant is quite interesting. They want to make squirrel fish using fruit? This tests not only the seasoning but also the knife skills and presentation!"

Because Bai Yuan had made such a commotion, an elderly man in his sixties on the judging panel noticed him. He was surprised to see that his cooking table was full of fruit, and then commented.

"Fruit squirrel fish? I've never heard of such a bizarre way of making it. What a show-off!"

Next to the old man sat a middle-aged man with bulging muscles and a beard. He merely glanced coldly at Bai Yuan and uttered those words.

"I think it's quite thoughtful. No one has ever tried it before, so in a sense it's pioneering. I just don't know how it tastes."

The last judge was a mature woman with a graceful figure. She looked at Bai Yuan with admiration in her eyes, not for his cooking, but for his demeanor.

Although he was wearing a mask, it was easy to tell from Bai Yuan's figure that he was a handsome young man, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

As if she had thought of something, her full, rounded thighs crossed and rubbed together slightly, her fingers gently caressing her lips, and the mature woman's eyes were practically drooling.

This mysterious and aloof feeling was just right for her!

I haven't seen this type of handsome guy in a long time.

"Don't go crazy here."

The middle-aged man glanced at her, muttered something in disgust, and then turned his attention to the other contestants, ignoring Bai Yuan.

"Indeed, all the participants in this year's selection competition are very strong, especially that kid Liu Xiaotian. I have to say, he deserves to be last year's champion. His skillful technique is no less than that of some veteran master chefs!"

"Everyone knows he's your nephew, so there's no need to brag. His skills haven't improved much since last year, and I still think Lin Yun is more promising."

Last year he lost by only one vote, but because of that defeat, he went to the deep mountains for arduous cultivation, secluded himself for a year, and has now returned with great success.

"Xiaotian is just not good at handling raw fish; he focused on meat dishes last year."

He's now qualified to handle dishes at the Special Grade Four level. Last year, he even created two glowing dishes while maintaining a high level of mental concentration, attracting quite a crowd!

"Glowing cuisine? That's just a coincidence."

The voluptuous mature woman rolled her eyes at the middle-aged man. Once a woman's culinary skills reach the highest level, she gains the ability to create glowing dishes.

The probability is pitifully low; you'd be lucky to succeed even once out of a hundred or a thousand attempts.

A Superior Four-Star rating requires a success rate of at least 10%, and for dishes you are good at, you can even achieve a 50% success rate.

Like Bai Yuan, who challenged Wang Zhi in front of Zhuang Hui Garden, Wang Zhi's strength was at the peak of the fourth-level special grade. If he were to focus on research, the probability of creating a glowing dish could reach 70%-80%.

As for the top-tier five-star rating, the standard is that no matter what dish you make, it must reach the "glowing" level, and the success rate must be greater than 80%.

The leap from Superior Grade 5 to Superior Grade 6 is another huge hurdle. It's almost like entering a completely new world with each star, and the gap between them is enormous and difficult to overcome.

"No matter what, Xiaotian will definitely be the champion this year!"

The middle-aged man snorted and then fell silent. Seeing his demeanor, the others didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, they scanned the room, looking for outstanding chefs.

The alluring mature woman's gaze, for some reason, lingered on Bai Yuan and refused to leave him; the more she looked at him, the more familiar she felt with the person before her.

Who is it?

The mature woman's mind was filled with doubt.

She then saw Bai Yuan take action, his hands moving swiftly. He first cut the pineapple, green apple, and mango into chunks, and then halved the strawberries for later use.

Next, adjust the fruit and vegetable maker to crush the oranges and lemons. Taking advantage of the sweet and sour aroma spreading in the air, put them in a pot and add honey to increase the sweetness and shine.

During the heating process, Bai Yuan produced the Lianzhen Knife in his hand. Then, with a speed that caught everyone off guard, he cut the cantaloupe on the table into large pieces, laid them flat on the plate, and raised the Lianzhen Knife again, quickly carving out the outline of a fish's body.

This carving involves shaping a large piece of cantaloupe into a form with its head tilted back, tail raised, and squeaking as it pours milk.

Hami melons have a delicate texture and moderate water content. Their pale yellow flesh can mimic the color of fish, and their soft texture is very similar to that of fish.

Take another pineapple and cut it into small, round slices. Then, arrange the slices in a fish-scale pattern on the "fish body" and connect them to the cantaloupe sliced ​​below.

Once the pineapple scales are applied, from the outside, apart from the different color, the fruit squirrel fish in front of you is almost indistinguishable from a real squirrel fish.

At that moment, Bai Yuan lifted the prepared sauce from the pot and poured it evenly over the fruit squirrel fish. The instant the two came into contact, the heated sauce released an incredibly enticing aroma!

Apart from fruit and honey, the dish uses no other seasonings, yet it presents a complex and profound flavor.

At the very moment the sauce was poured, a faint golden light rose from it and then spread in all directions, causing the other contestants to stop what they were doing.

Even though the food in front of them was ruined, they didn't look away, and each of them had a different degree of astonishment on their face.

"A luminous dish?!"

The middle-aged man jumped to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief. How could this be a luminous dish? This was something a young chef could make!?

Keep in mind this was just a qualifying competition, and the theme was drawn at the last minute, giving the contestants no more than half an hour to prepare. How could they possibly create a dish that shines like a light?!

unless…

The three judges considered one possibility.

Could this person in front of me be a five-star chef?!

"No, this isn't a glowing dish. After the light fades, the surface of the dish doesn't return to calm; instead, it's surrounded by a continuous, flowing light. This is a genuine glowing dish!"

The graceful mature woman suddenly exclaimed in surprise, because after the dazzling light dissipated, the fruit squirrel fish was still surrounded by a layer of flowing light, making it look exceptionally dazzling!

"How could it be 'flowing light cuisine'? There are very few people in all of China who can make 'flowing light cuisine'. Who is this senior? Please stop playing tricks on us!"

Looking at the steady stream of light on the fruit squirrel fish, the middle-aged man's tone became somewhat unconfident. He then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Bai Yuan.

Such a scene naturally left the surrounding contestants dumbfounded, but no one thought it was unreasonable; on the contrary, they felt that the contestants were being too perfunctory.

As chefs, they naturally understand the difference between glowing dishes and flowing light dishes, and they also know how high the status of a chef who can make flowing light dishes is.

So he changed his previous contempt for him and looked at Bai Yuan with respect.

"I'm not some senior. The organizers must have seen my photo and information when I registered for the competition. I'm just a young man in my early twenties."

Bai Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it shocked everyone present.

This "senior" in front of me is actually just a young man in his early twenties! How is that possible?! Is he some mischievous senior who's here to cause trouble?!

"Senior, please don't joke around. To be able to make 'Radiant Level' cuisine at just over twenty years old is not in line with the setting. It's simply a fantasy!"

Sweat beaded on the middle-aged man's forehead. For a youth chef competition to produce dishes that could create luminous cuisine is as absurd as someone who can build nuclear weapons appearing at the college entrance exam!

Is there any point in continuing the competition? Wasn't the first place already decided long ago...?

"There's nothing wrong with it. To have such strength at the age of twenty is truly remarkable. It's amazing that a hero emerges from among the young, and it's incredibly admirable!"

The only elderly judge among the three stood up. Although he was thin, his eyes were sharp. He stepped in front of Bai Yuan and, after confirming that the dish in front of him was indeed the Flowing Light Cuisine and not a trick of the eye, he looked at Bai Yuan with even more respect.

Regardless of age, this is the unique respect that lower-star chefs show to higher-star chefs.

"It's not as exaggerated as you say. I was just cooking normally."

Feeling the gazes of those around him and the old man's humble attitude, Bai Yuan couldn't help but scratch his head.

He suddenly realized that he had greatly underestimated the influence of a top-tier seven-star chef in the culinary world; they were absolutely an explosive force!

This is not just a cooking level; it represents the top masters from various countries, their unspeakable absolute power, and they should not participate in this kind of price-depreciated competition.

"No need to say more. Although it's a bit out of line with the competition rules, please allow me to take the liberty of saying that I would like to ask you to come back for the finals."

"Come back for the finals?"

Bai Yuan muttered to himself, understanding the old man's intentions. He probably feared that the old man was too strong, making all the subsequent matches predictable.

"That's right. Based on your performance in the Young Chef Competition, you are fully qualified to skip all the competitions and advance directly to the final round."

The old man continued, saying that he was now convinced that Bai Yuan was a young man, because apart from young men, no other Seven-Star Chef was as boring.

The old man had a hunch about the identity of the boy before him.

Looking across China, there seems to be only one chef of this age who is a top-tier seven-star chef.

However, that guy suddenly disappeared a year ago for some reason, and then reappeared at the Youth Chef Competition. He's really an unbelievable guy!

The old man felt the world was absurd to think that the other party had such strength at the age of over twenty.

He was once a genius, winning third place in a youth chef competition when he was young, but now he is stuck at the Special Grade Four Star level and has not been promoted.

"Alright, then I'll accept your offer."

Although he wanted to continue participating in the competition and enjoy the feeling of being in the spotlight, given the other party's attitude, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to insist further.

"Chief, you actually came here!"

A slightly excited voice rang out beside the old man. Bai Yuan turned his head in confusion and saw a sexy and mature beautiful woman.

"You are... Madam Xianglan. I never expected to meet you here. What brings you here as a judge?"

When Bai Yuan saw the person who had arrived, a look of surprise appeared on his face as well.

The visitor was named Madam Xianglan. She joined the dark cuisine world a year ago and, under his guidance, became a top-level three-star chef. Unexpectedly, she has now become a judge for the Fujian Youth Chef Competition.

"I came here because the pay was good and I had nothing else to do."

Mrs. Xianglan was a little embarrassed.

She went out to earn some extra money, but unexpectedly she ran into the leader.

This guy has no sportsmanship at all; a top-tier seventh-star participating in this kind of competition.