Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

After all, it's not them who are being blocked, so apart from a few kind-hearted people, very few people will voluntarily give way. They only reluctantly move their feet when they are almost in front of them.

Seeing this, Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Because they were walking through the athletes' passage, which should have been unobstructed, there were quite a few people blocking the way.

"Get out of my way! This is the players' passage, not a place for you to chat nonsense!"

Thinking of this, Bai Yuan's voice suddenly rang out.

A thunderous roar exploded in the ears of the dozen or so people in front of them, containing a trace of internal force that made their bodies tremble just from hearing it.

"you..."

Some people were indignant about this and were about to go up and argue, but they were glared at by Bai Yuan's hawk-like eyes and immediately turned into ostriches, lowering their heads and remaining silent.

The previously crowded queue now made way for them.

Bai Yuan is right. This is the contestant's passage. When the contestants arrive, they should make way for them, both out of courtesy and reason.

Of course, more importantly, they felt a chill run down their spines when they saw Bai Yuan.

He looked like just an ordinary young man, so why did he speak with such authority? He left them speechless.

The theme of Chapter 403, the selection competition, is shrimp!

"This must be what they call a master."

As Bai Yuan led the team into the pagoda, recalling what they had just said, everyone present immediately realized that they were one of the teams participating in this exchange competition, and someone exclaimed from the bottom of their heart.

"Great chefs are always different in every way, and to have such a powerful aura of superiority, one must at least be a top-level chef."

To have achieved this at such a young age, one's future is limitless!

Many people were scared off, and by the time they came to their senses, they were already standing on both sides. In order not to make themselves look awkward in the crowd, they all became fans of Bai Yuan.

As long as the other party is portrayed as incredibly powerful, then their retreat in response to Bai Yuan's sharp shout seems perfectly reasonable.

"A person who is too straightforward is easily broken. Even if he has the skills of a master chef, he still can't succeed if he doesn't know how to conduct himself in society. If he speaks so bluntly, he might not even know why he gets stabbed in the back in the future."

Some jealous people spoke ill of him, saying that he was also a chef, but despite years of hard work, he was still stuck at the level of a second-class chef.

Seeing Bai Yuan, a top-tier chef so much younger than him, it's hard not to feel jealous, but he only dares to say these things here.

Because he knew he was just raging in a state of impotent rage.

"I think he's rough around the edges but actually quite meticulous, not a reckless person. We'll have to wait and see how he performs in the next match, which starts in two hours."

"That's right, we'll see if he's a strong player after watching the next match!"

Everyone chatted amongst themselves, filled with curiosity about Bai Yuan's strength, and decided to look for him on the big screen when the match started. Meanwhile, Bai Yuan had already led his team into the arena.

"Hello, please show me your invitation."

The staff member politely stopped Bai Yuan, extending his hand and offering a courteous smile.

"Give."

Upon hearing the words of the person in charge of the contestant entrance, Alice Nakiri stepped forward and handed over the invitation.

The person in charge took the invitation from him, and after carefully checking it to make sure it was correct, nodded slightly and swiped his card to open the gate next to him.

"The Dark Cuisine World, is this the new academy that joined this year? It doesn't sound like an academy's name at all..."

As he watched Bai Yuan and the others leave, the man in charge of checking tickets had this thought in his mind, and then he shook his head vigorously.

No matter how strange this matter is, it's not something he, as someone who checks passes, should worry about.

If he wanted to intervene in or question everything that seemed unreasonable, he would have been a ticket inspector long ago!

Truly intelligent people only do their own job well and don't care about anything outside of their job description.

After all, meddling in too many things can easily backfire, especially when dealing with higher-ups; a moment's carelessness could lead to the loss of everything you have.

Inside the venue.

"Hello, may I ask which of you are the contestants? Have your team leaders arrived yet? I am your competition advisor, responsible for taking you to your rooms and answering any questions you may have."

As Bai Yuan and the others emerged from the contestant passage, they spotted a group of people. A girl, about 1.7 meters tall and with exquisite makeup, stepped forward ahead of the others upon seeing them, a smile on her face.

"I am the team leader. Since this is our first time participating in the competition, you need to explain the competition process and precautions to them."

Considering that this was their first time participating in the competition, and that they might make a mistake if no one was there to guide them, Bai Yuan humbly asked for their guidance now that the other party had come to them. He asked them to explain the competition process.

I've been staying home to warm up lately and haven't had time to follow the competition. I also have no experience from previous years, so I'm completely clueless right now.

"First time participating in a competition? Oh, I see. You must be the Dark Cuisine Academy, who just joined the School Exchange Competition this year!"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, the girl in charge of greeting was taken aback at first, then a curious glint flashed in her eyes as she looked at the girls in front of her.

Why are they all girls?

In other schools, having three girls in a team is considered a lot, but this team, apart from the teacher in charge, seems to be entirely composed of girls!?

What on earth happened at this school?!

Is it some kind of elite girls' school?!

Moreover, the coach leading the team is too young; people would believe he was a contestant!

Looking at the group led by Bai Yuan, the girl in charge of entertaining them had many thoughts flashing through her mind.

However, she quickly realized that it was impolite for her to stand there without saying anything, so she gestured for them to follow her to the lounge next door.

"Please come this way. We have prepared a separate rest room for each participating team. In an hour and a half, you will be invited to the center of the tower to participate in the qualifying competition."

Ten people participate in the assessment, and their scores are added together. The ranking of the total scores is the preliminary ranking of each academy.

In addition, only teams with an average score of 90 or above are qualified to compete in official matches inside the tower. Here, 90 refers to the total score of all members.

As for the rest, after the results are tallied, they will move outside the tower to an arena specifically prepared for them, where the final rankings will be determined.

On the way to the lounge, the girl explained the rules of the academy exchange competition to Bai Yuan and his group.

Only the most outstanding academies are qualified to compete inside the tower; the rest must go outside the tower, and their competitions don't even charge admission fees.

This is mainly because the space inside the tower is limited, making it impossible to accommodate more than seventy schools for a competition at the same time.

As for the cooking competitions of some of the lower-ranked colleges, they are not very interesting. Everyone still prefers a battle between the strong, and the most interesting thing is when the two are evenly matched!

Of course, matches in other divisions will also be broadcast live.

The only reason for the low viewership was because it clashed with the competition in the Tower. Apart from local forces, there were no views at all, unless they could fight their way up from the bottom.

The underdog triumphing over the strong is a story worth telling no matter where it happens.

However, such a thing is extremely difficult to achieve, and it is perfectly normal for it not to happen for three to five years.

"I see. In other words, if we all get 90 points, there won't be any problems."

After listening to the girl babbling on and on, Yoshino Yuuki came to this conclusion, her face full of an expression that said, "I'm so smart, praise me!"

"It should be said that everyone needs to reach a score of 90 to be qualified to fight inside the tower and compete for first place."

Beside her, Hisako Shinto added to what she said, since the organizers were using this as a benchmark, there must be very few teams that all reached 90 points.

"Oh right, a score of 90 is just one of the conditions."

If everyone scores 90 or higher, only the top eight can compete inside the tower; this ranking is still related to the total score.

Hearing Yoshino Yuuki and Nakiri Alice's discussion, the girl who had led them to the door of the lounge lowered her head and pondered for a moment before adding her own thoughts.

Because it brings together the best academies from around the world, every year more than ten teams achieve a score of 90 points for all members.

But only the top eight teams can truly remain here to compete. The members of these teams are all exceptionally talented, and the final champion will be born from among them.

"In other words, only the teams with the highest total scores that rank in the top eight can compete for the championship."

This competition format is quite novel; it doesn't emphasize the individual but focuses on the collective effort, meaning only those with strong overall abilities can compete for first place.

Bai Yuan revealed the key point.

The evaluation of the top eight schools is actually to test their teaching capabilities, since students from excellent schools don't differ too much in ability.

At the same time, we should avoid situations where a very few stand out while others lag far behind.

Therefore, the purpose of the first stage is mainly to select teams that are suitable for the competition inside the tower.

"We've arrived. This is the rest area prepared by the organizers for the contestants."

The facilities inside are basic, just enough to ensure you get a good rest. If you qualify to compete inside the tower, we will prepare a much better lounge and meet any requirements related to the competition.

As the girls looked around after entering the room, the guide quietly explained that these lounges were set up by the person in charge of the Xiamen area.

This is all for the purpose of giving everyone a good experience.

However, due to the limited space inside the tower, it is impossible to provide the best service for all seventy-plus schools. Therefore, before the end of the preliminary rounds, each person was allocated only twenty square meters of rest space.

"What a tiny place."

Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but complain.

A quick glance around the room revealed a circle of tables and chairs, a makeshift wardrobe for clothes, and a toilet.

In addition, the ground was very clean, obviously it had been cleaned before they arrived.

"The Eight Treasures Pagoda has eight floors in total, with the initial rest room on the bottom floor. Each team has a room of twenty square meters."

Those who finish in the top eight in the first round will qualify to stay in the tower to compete, and their lounge will be moved to the eighth floor.

That was also the most luxurious part of the Eight Treasures Pagoda; each team had their own private luxury suite, and they occupied an entire floor by themselves.

After watching the guide leave, Hisako Shinto went up and closed the door to the lounge. Then, looking at everyone present, she shared the information she had gathered over the past few days.

"What about the other rooms on the second to seventh floors?"

Upon hearing Hisako Shinto's words, Megumi Tadokoro raised her hand and asked in confusion.

"These have all been rented out by the government. The higher the floor, the more expensive it is, since it offers a better view."

The higher floors are even equipped with special telescopes, allowing people up there to see every step of the chef's cooking process.

Hisako Shirato, as expected of someone who had done her homework, could answer any question with ease.

"The commercial atmosphere is really strong."

After hearing Hisako Shinto's topic, Shirabuchi couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.

However, this is understandable. After all, the purpose of holding the competition is to make money. The school that wins the competition will inevitably recruit more students than other schools, and the quality of the students will be higher, so they can collect more tuition fees.