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

Looking at the nuts in his hand, a strange light flickered in Kakuzaki Taki's eyes.

Although she didn't think she could pass the top-level assessment, it was impossible for her to say that she didn't have any ambition deep down.

What if? What if she passed?!

Once this idea took hold, her ambition grew wildly like weeds, and coupled with the atmosphere at the scene, she was in top form.

Carefully comparing the ingredients in his hands, Kakuzaki Taki quickly constructed the dish he wanted to make, nodding to himself, already having a general idea in mind.

Creativity is something young chefs have no shortage of!

"Go for it, Kakuzaki-senpai, Shirabuchi-sensei..."

Near Baiyuan's cooking station, Kikuchi Sonoka, who had accompanied him in, stood there as an observer, looking in the direction of the two with a complicated expression.

It's a pity her culinary skills aren't up to par; otherwise, she could be standing here as a contestant in this culinary arena!

However, even if she just stood there doing nothing, just looking at the knife marks on the counter and the dents on the floor, feeling the extremely heavy atmosphere, she couldn't help but catch her breath and instinctively use her own aura to confront it.

However, the immense pressure still made her feel short of breath and her chest tighten. She leaned on the counter, her face looking slightly pale.

"Sit here and rest for a while. Watch me cook. How much you learn depends on your skills."

Bai Yuan's voice rang out, seemingly possessing a magical power that instantly dispelled the pressure surrounding Kikuchi Yoko, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, she was surprised to find that her back was soaked with sweat.

"Okay, Professor Bai Yuan!"

Nowadays, Kikuchi Sonoka has changed how she addresses Hakubuchi.

There was no way around it; Bai Yuan's strength was far beyond hers, and he was willing to guide her. Calling him "teacher" was not an exaggeration at all!

"Tsk, how close we are."

Having just stepped down from the mountain of ingredients in the warehouse, Kakuzaki Taki looked at the two people who were behaving intimately, and pouted, her voice carrying a hint of sourness that she herself didn't realize.

Although she hadn't had much contact with Bai Yuan, powerful men always attract women's attention, and someone as powerful as Bai Yuan naturally caught her eye.

This feeling isn't exactly liking, it's just a simple attraction, so I can't help but pay attention to him, and I feel uncomfortable seeing him being close to other girls.

"Let's get this done first, give it our all, and leave no regrets!"

Looking at the kitchen counter, she saw a variety of nuts that she had spent a lot of time searching for, as well as vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, and potatoes.

Kakuzaki Taki clenched his fists, refocusing his attention. Now that he was already this far, he would definitely regret it if he didn't give it his all!

The others also got ready one after another and got busy at their respective cooking stations, and the scene was once again bustling with activity, with no one having time to talk.

The oil in the fryer was heated to a medium temperature. The dried king oyster mushrooms were then placed in the fryer. Watching the king oyster mushrooms bubbling in the oil, Bai Yuan gently stirred them with chopsticks.

What is the purpose of this step?

Noticing that Kikuchien was staring intently at him, Shiro suddenly asked a question that startled the girl. After hesitating for a moment, she replied, "To improve the texture and flavor."

"You're half right. Frying is a cooking method that enhances the texture and flavor."

However, this time the theme is "beef that isn't beef." Besides the similar texture and flavor, the dish's appearance must also be so realistic that it's hard to tell the difference. We're currently working on that.

Bai Yuan nodded. Although Mujichi Yuanguo's skills were average, her foundation was quite solid. In that case, she could be properly trained.

The key is…

Keeping this guy around has its perks—she really does get to see him! Plus, he's old enough that he doesn't feel any pressure looking at him!

"There are several types of vegetarian cooking: vegan, pure vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, and the most popular healthy vegetarian in today's society."

What I'm going to do now is a healthy vegetarian diet. A healthy vegetarian diet, in this context, means a diet that meets the body's basic needs while being extremely low in calories, making it suitable for some people to achieve weight loss.

Although the topic was non-beef, since the conversation had already come up, Bai Yuan felt it was necessary to explain to Kikuchi Sonoka.

Otherwise, it would be unfair to the other person who calls them a teacher.

Kikuchi Sonoka listened attentively and nodded enthusiastically in response.

"Stir-fry scallions, ginger, and garlic in a pot until fragrant, then add cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise, cardamom, and lemongrass and stir-fry to enhance the flavor, giving the mushrooms a beef-like taste."

As Bai Yuan spoke, he put the ingredients he had prepared in advance on the stove into the pot, then added soy sauce for flavor, rock sugar and dark soy sauce for color, and water to bring it to a boil.

Then add hoisin sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce.

Question: What is vegetarian oyster sauce made from?

"Huh? No... I'm not quite sure."

The sudden question made Kikuchi Sonoka break out in a cold sweat. She racked her brains for a long time but couldn't find an answer. In the end, she could only say guiltily.

"Mushrooms! You idiot! There are only a few vegetarian ingredients that can enhance flavor. Even if you really don't know them, can't you guess one or two? Have the courage to try!"

Bai Yuan raised his voice, speaking with a slightly stern tone.

"I understand, I'm really sorry."

Upon hearing this, Kikuchi Yoko hurriedly bowed, which is a traditional Japanese custom. However, this time, Shirobuchi didn't even glance at her.

The most important thing now is cooking; everything else can be put aside.

Add carrots, celery, and cilantro to the pot for flavor, then add the fried mushrooms, season with salt and sugar, cover and simmer over low heat for half an hour.

Sensing the rich fragrance wafting in the air, Bai Yuan's face showed a satisfied expression. He then raised his head and looked at the others.

At this moment, everyone was focused on their cooking, and the only sounds on the scene were the chopping of vegetables, the sizzling of woks, and the bubbling of ingredients in the pots.

"What a lively scene."

Beside her, Kikuchi Sonoka couldn't help but sigh, a longing in her eyes.

At this moment, she also wants to stand on this competition stage and show all her culinary skills to the judges and to this ancient arena of culinary competition!

"Throughout history, countless master chefs have emerged here, and countless people have poured their hearts and souls into this place. If you come here without the fighting spirit, then you don't deserve to be called a chef at all!"

The skillful old woman appeared at the arena at some point, heading towards Bai Yuan. Although her hair was already gray, she looked incredibly energetic, like a woman around forty years old.

"A skillful old lady."

Looking at the old woman in front of him, Bai Yuan pronounced her name and nodded slightly to her, and she looked over as well.

"You're the boy who made the glowing dish in your first attempt, right? I never expected you to be so young. Are you not even twenty yet?!"

Looking at Bai Yuan's appearance, even the skillful old woman, who had lived for so long, couldn't help but marvel in her heart, truly a hero emerging from among the young!

"I just turned nineteen this year."

Bai Yuan answered truthfully, looking at her with equal fervor, but in his heart he was thinking about what reason he could use to have a showdown with her over morning tea!

Seeing such a powerful figure standing before me.

He was really itching to get back to work!

Chapter 67 Fragrant Vegetarian Steak, Golden Light Obscures the Moon

"I'd like to ask if you're interested in joining the Guangzhou Chefs Association? With your talent, in another ten years or so, when we old guys are no longer around, you'll be the new Four Heavenly Kings of the Guangzhou Chefs Association!"

Surprisingly, the skillful old lady directly invited Bai Yuan to join the Guangzhou Chefs Association, and offered him generous terms that any Guangzhou chef would never refuse!

"What! Is this really the skillful old lady? The information says she's very strict! Why does she look so kind now... Could it be that someone is deliberately smearing her?"

Kakuzaki Taki looked at everything that was happening in front of her with a slightly surprised expression. Before she came, she had specifically conducted a background check on the four kings of the Cantonese Culinary Association, but no matter where the information came from, it said that this one was very strict!

But now... the skillful old lady is clearly acting like a kind old lady!

"He was actually invited to join the Guangzhou Culinary Association! What an honor! But thinking about it, it makes sense, after all, he created dishes that are absolutely luminous!"

Even if it was done by chance, one would still need to possess top-tier strength, otherwise such a coincidence would be absolutely impossible to trigger!

But aren't these conditions a bit too generous? Is it worth the Guangzhou Culinary Association spending so much money to recruit a master chef?

Jin Lanyu looked at Bai Yuan with envy, wishing she were the one standing in front of the skillful old woman. She would nod frantically to show her determination, instead of remaining indifferent like Bai Yuan!

"No, I'm used to a life of leisure and have no interest in joining an official organization."

Bai Yuan shook his head and refused the skillful old woman without hesitation.

You're kidding, they offered him the presidency of the European Culinary Research Association, but he refused. How could he possibly care about a mere one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Cantonese Culinary Federation a decade or so later?

Working for someone else is ultimately working for someone else. Even if he eventually joins a certain organization, he will be his own boss.

"What? You rejected me!?"

Jin Lanyu stared at Bai Yuan in astonishment, then cleared her ears in disbelief, seemingly not expecting him to refuse.

"This is a direct ticket to becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

Given his current status—not even having passed the top-level assessment yet—it's equivalent to being directly admitted to the academician program from elementary school! And he still refused?!

Amu muttered to himself, a strange expression on his face that was hard to decipher—it was neither a smile nor a cry. What he himself craved but couldn't have, Bai Yuan discarded like trash, even seeming to look at him with disdain…

It’s so irritating that people are so different from each other!

"Is there anything you're not satisfied with? These are things we can discuss."

The skillful old woman also noticed the change in Bai Yuan's expression. While feeling slightly annoyed, she continued to persuade him, because the Guangzhou culinary scene was now dwindling in talent, leaving only people like them, with one foot in the grave, to hold it up.

Now that Bai Yuan has finally appeared, they naturally want to recruit him and see if they can revitalize the Guangzhou cuisine scene!

Of course, this was not a random decision. It was made by the four kings of the Guangzhou Culinary Association in an emergency online meeting an hour earlier.

Among them, the Master of a Hundred Medicines naturally played a role in pushing things along.

But more so because the Guangzhou culinary scene is indeed facing a talent shortage, with no new leaders to take the lead.

"It's not a matter of conditions, but rather that I genuinely have no intention of joining any faction. Even if you asked me to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings now, my answer would still remain unchanged."

Bai Yuan shook his head and explained his situation. He would not bind himself to any officially formed force, as that would be too restrictive!

"Alright, since that's the case, I won't insist anymore. I was being presumptuous this time. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."

Hearing Bai Yuan's words and seeing his determined look, Granny Qiaoshou understood his thoughts perfectly. She sighed and said...

The other person possessed the ability to create glowing dishes at the age of nineteen, so they certainly wouldn't want to be confined to this corner of the world and would want to venture out into a bigger world.

However... when he gets tired in the future and wants to find a place to rest, he might consider Guangzhou, so it's definitely a good idea to build a good relationship in advance.

A genius with such potential would be highly sought after anywhere.

"If there is such an opportunity."

Bai Yuan didn't make any definitive statements to avoid straining their relationship. What he was really thinking about was whether to take this opportunity to challenge the skillful old woman.

"Mother-in-law, you don't want me to not join the Cantonese Chefs' Association, do you? In that case, let's have a good fight!"