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

When I asked her to come to Guangzhou with me, she absolutely refused. She has no idea how much I've gained this time!

Thinking of Kitazawa Tsuki's blunt rejection of her back then, Kakuzaki Taki felt a surge of anger, and their fake sisterhood was somewhat shattered as a result.

"You're right, school starts soon..."

Ahhh! My wonderful holiday! I was even planning to go see the cherry blossoms during spring break!

Speaking of Totsuki Academy, and thinking about the upcoming start of the new semester, Chika Kiko's expression turned bitter. She had originally planned to go cherry blossom viewing with her friends during spring break, but instead, she was drafted to come here.

"At least you've learned something. You can immediately aim for the top three spots in the Top Ten when you get back. You'll be the first second-year student to reach the top three!"

Remembering that he was the one who had pulled her over, Kakuzaki Taki put his arm around Kikuchi Sonoka's shoulder and whispered in her ear in a seductive tone.

After ten days of training, the two have made up for their weaknesses and improved their strength by a lot. They are fully capable of challenging for higher positions!

"Of course! Once you graduate, I'll automatically be promoted to the top spot, and all the school's resources will be tilted towards me. All my hard work during this time will have been worthwhile!"

"Ah, I'm going back to sleep now. I still have to watch Teacher Bai Yuan's match tomorrow!"

Li Wanwan raised her hand and yawned, looking sleepy as she spoke.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, I'm going to sleep too."

Kakuzaki Taki nodded, then returned to his room and closed the door.

"Good night."

"You too."

Hojo Miyoko and Kikuchi Sonoka said goodnight to each other and then closed their respective doors.

The once bustling villa has returned to silence, with only the kitchen lights still on.

Meanwhile, in various areas of Guangzhou.

"Legendary kitchen utensils, kitchen utensils that recognize their owners—such things actually exist in the world?! It seems I have no choice but to participate in this competition!"

In the pitch-black night, a man in his early thirties got off the plane, looked at the content on his phone, and silently clicked to register.

"Seventy years ago, I participated in a knife-making competition in front of the gods. Unfortunately, I was eliminated in the first round because my cooking skills were not good enough. I didn't have the chance to touch that knife. This time, I must fulfill my wish!"

In an extremely luxurious villa, an elderly man leaning on a cane muttered to himself, a determined glint in his eyes.

"Interesting, truly interesting! I never imagined I'd witness a duel of swordsmanship in my lifetime! I wonder how many masters will come!"

In the dimly lit restaurant, the man spread his arms and laughed heartily.

"Finally, I can have a fight with that kid. I hope those old guys won't say I'm bullying the younger one, but it doesn't matter if they say so. I won't listen anyway. I'm going to have a match with him today no matter what!"

Drinking wine from large bowls and eating meat in large bites.

Inside the tavern, a bearded man wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and a broad smile spread across his face.

The day before the competition began, countless chefs arrived at the competition venue.

Each of them was filled with curiosity about the legendary kitchen utensils, eager to see if they were the so-called destined ones!

Many of them had heard of the legendary kitchenware before, but many more were unaware of it. Driven by curiosity and anticipation, they came to the Guangzhou area.

The day was sunny and the temperature was pleasant.

A large crowd gathered in front of Daxian Temple in Guangzhou, all looking expectantly at the area enclosed by a rope—the competition venue.

There are thirteen cooking stations set up in the venue, with various ingredients displayed on them. This competition will be conducted using a selection process.

The so-called selection competition system involves having top-level chefs cook according to requirements simultaneously; those who meet the requirements stay, while those who fail leave.

Once only four people remain, the formal sword-fighting duel before the gods can begin.

Such competitions are not uncommon in China. They usually appear as short-term, suddenly held competitions, with provincial culinary associations holding them at most twice a year.

For this epic knife skills competition, the Guangzhou Culinary Federation has given away all of its high-star chef advancement slots from the past year! The rewards are incredibly generous.

"It seems like this is it."

Following Li Wanwan and the others to the competition venue, Bai Yuan was then led by staff to the area where the contestants could rest.

Looking at the sturdy wooden door, Bai Yuan pushed it open and walked in, attracting countless gazes.

"So young! To become a master chef at such a young age is truly amazing!"

"Whose young master is this? I've never heard of him before. Such a young master chef must be quite famous!"

"Maybe the news has been blocked. Large families do this to prevent younger generations from becoming restless because of these empty titles."

"That makes sense."

Bai Yuan's appearance instantly sparked discussion among the crowd, with everyone expressing curiosity about him because he was far too young!

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Bai Yuan, and I'm very happy to be your opponent."

Hearing everyone talking about him, Bai Yuan was also very excited. He immediately raised his hand to greet them and briefly introduced himself.

These are all top-level chefs, pillars of the culinary world. It's quite surprising to see so many at once!

"Hello, my name is Qin Lie. I specialize in cooking over high heat. It's nice to meet you."

As Bai Yuan finished speaking, a tall figure walked towards him with a simple and honest smile on his face, and extended his hand to him as he spoke.

"Nice to meet you too."

Bai Yuan smiled and placed his hand on it, giving it a brief shake before trying to leave. However, he didn't expect the other party to refuse to let go, and at the same time, a tremendous force struck him.

Seeing the man's smile, Bai Yuan immediately understood what he was thinking; the man wanted to give him a hard time.

He really knows people and faces but not their hearts.

The people around him just watched with amusement, and no one stepped forward to help them out.

Unfortunately, he ran into Bai Yuan.

The next moment, a force as strong as a brown bear emanated from Bai Yuan's fingers, causing the honest man's expression to change, and he immediately put on a mask of pain.

Chapter 76 Two rounds of selection, the final four!

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Let go! Let go now!"

Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. The tall, burly Qin Lie cried out in pain, trying to shake off Bai Yuan's arm.

However, it was all in vain. Bai Yuan ignored his wails and just looked at him with a half-smile, while increasing the pressure on his hands until he knelt on the ground from the pain.

"Remember this, if you're going to participate in the competition, then participate properly. Don't try anything underhanded. Consider this a lesson for you. You won't be so lucky next time."

Bai Yuan shook his head and let go of the person in his hand, letting him collapse to the ground, clutching his right hand and groaning in pain. He encountered this kind of person in every competition.

Bai Yuan knew better than anyone what this guy was up to. If he were just an ordinary person, he probably wouldn't be able to participate in the knife skills competition if Qin Lie, a strong man who was over 1.9 meters tall, squeezed him.

This eliminates a competitor, increasing the chances of finishing in the top three. It's a nice idea, but reality is harsh.

This guy doesn't even consider that how many of those who become master chefs are actually ordinary people? And how many of those who spend their lives in the kitchen are weaklings?

Using the same tactics against him, Bai Yuan glanced at Qin Lie, who was wailing in pain, found a quiet spot to sit down, and closed his eyes to rest.

The others watched this scene without offering any help, or even glancing at it. After all, this guy had brought it upon himself, and Bai Yuan had already shown mercy by not crippling him outright.

"Ah... hiss..."

Qin Lie clutched his arm on the ground for a long time before finally standing up. He glanced angrily in Bai Yuan's direction, then got up and left the lounge.

No one paid attention to this little incident.

As time went on, the staff in charge of the lounge arrived and informed them that the assessment would begin in ten minutes.

Immediately, the master chefs who were resting in the lounge got up one after another.

Five minutes later, on the field.

"Look! Teacher Bai Yuan is out!"

In front of Daxian Temple in Guangzhou, Kikuchi and her friends found a relatively forward-facing spot where they could see the entire competition field.

Suddenly, Li Wanwan said excitedly, and the others looked in the direction she pointed and immediately saw Bai Yuan, who was located in the center of the contestants.

At that moment, Bai Yuan waved to them.

"The sword-fighting duel before the gods is about to begin, I can't wait!"

"I heard that the minimum requirement for participating in this Shinsengumi knife skills competition is a Master Chef! The champion will directly receive the title of Master Chef Five-Star!"

"Look! Those are the Four Heavenly Kings of the Cantonese Culinary Association! Wait, why are only three here?"

"I don't know. Maybe one of them is busy. It's already quite remarkable that three of them could come. These are all big names in the culinary world!"

The audience below the stage were chattering away when suddenly someone pointed to the area above the contestants' competition, where several top chefs from the Guangdong Culinary Association slowly walked out.

Surprisingly, there were only three Heavenly Kings on stage, while the other one was nowhere to be found, and it was unclear whether he was the final performer or had something else to do.

"Wow"

Ignoring the discussions of the audience, the wooden door behind the three kings of the Guangchu Union was suddenly opened, and four monks dressed in monastic robes walked out.

They moved in unison, each carrying a wooden frame with something wrapped in red cloth on it. Their appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

"The legendary kitchen utensils are inside that."

"I've heard that over the past few centuries, countless knife skills competitions have been held in front of the Daxian Temple in Guangzhou, but no matter how talented the chef, they could never gain its approval!"

Some people looked at the area wrapped in red cloth, their voices revealing a hint of excitement.

"Isn't this obviously fake? This knife has been in Guangzhou for hundreds of years, and it's amazing that it hasn't rusted! A chef getting the knife's approval? Do you think this is some fantasy novel?!"

The rational commentator crossed his arms, his voice unconsciously rising as he scoffed dismissively.

"Whether it's real or fake is none of our business. It's not like we're going up there to be recognized as masters. The fact that we can witness a top-level chef competition live in person is truly heart-pounding!"

Spectators who had traveled from afar were filled with excitement. The master chefs were ready and waiting for the organizers to announce the start of the competition.

"Then the legendary kitchen utensils, the true successor, the knife skills showdown before the shrine of Daxian Temple is about to begin!"

After glancing at the audience gathered there and the top chefs who were already on high alert, Master Baiyao stepped out from among the three Heavenly Kings.

"The ingredients are various fresh vegetables. The first round of assessment involves preparing these vegetables into a standard salad according to the requirements."

You have five minutes to freely arrange the vegetables from the basket on the left side of the counter. Each person must prepare more than fifty salads; otherwise, they will be considered to have failed.

It sounds like a simple task, but it's actually incredibly difficult. Making a salad isn't hard; the challenge is making fifty servings in a short amount of time.

Five minutes? Fifty salads? Are you kidding me?!