The delicacies of the heavens begin with obtaining gem meat.

Chapter 184 The Aftermath of the Food War

Standing in the center of the arena, Eizan Etsuya seemed to have all his strength drained away.

His body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and his once meticulously styled hair now clung to his cheeks due to the cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Large beads of sweat slid down his jawline and hit the floor, but he was completely unaware of it.

At this moment, Eizan Etsu felt as if a ball of burning cotton was stuck in his throat. He wanted to say something, to question, to refute, but all those words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The expression on his face changed from initial bewilderment to uncontrollable anger, but before this anger could erupt, it was swallowed up by a deeper panic.

The identity of the Ten Heroes — gone.

The foundation that enabled him to establish himself in Far Moon and support his business empire has simply vanished.

Everything he meticulously planned, all the schemes he was so proud of, were ultimately shattered by a single drop of chili sauce.

Watching Eizan Etsuya's exaggerated facial expressions, Jiang Yan felt even more pleased.

Before Jiang Yan could even admire it for a moment, the people from Polar Star Dormitory rushed up with cheers and instantly surrounded him.

"Jiang Yan! You're amazing!!"

Soma Yukihira patted Jiang Yan's shoulder hard, his eyes full of excitement.

"He actually became one of the Ten Heroes before me!"

Tadokoro Megumi's eyes welled up with tears, and she spoke incoherently.

"Jiang Yan is amazing! My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of my chest!"

Yoshino Yuuki, Ryoko, and the others surrounded Jiang Yan, cheering and celebrating the victory.

Kirisuke Saemon, sitting on the judging panel, looked at Jiang Yan, who was surrounded by the crowd, with a hint of joy in his eyes.

In his view, Jiang Yan can be described as a rough gem that has been fully polished, possessing boundless creativity, solid skills to the extreme, and composure under pressure.

Having such students is definitely a good thing for Totsuki Academy.

Turning his gaze to the dejected Eizan Etsuya, Jiko earnestly advised him with a hint of barely perceptible regret.

"Ryuzan, you should really put your energy back into cooking."

-

In Kirisenzaemon's opinion, Eizan Etsuya's culinary talent was definitely among the best of his peers.

In fact, if one didn't have truly outstanding culinary talent, it would be impossible to do business planning for so many restaurants and make each one quite profitable.

Unfortunately, Eizan Etsu also devoted too much of his energy to business calculations and political maneuvering.

They only see the profits, forgetting the true meaning of cooking.

His culinary skills haven't really improved in a very, very long time.

Eizan Etsu didn't heed a single word of Kirisenzaemon's warning.

In his view, cooking skills have never been a dream that requires a lot of effort.

It was just a tool he used to make money and climb the social ladder.

He didn't enroll in Totsuki Culinary Academy to learn better culinary skills; he simply wanted it to provide him with a bigger stage, to earn more money, and to gain a higher status.

But now, he has lost the most crucial asset: the Ten Outstanding Players.

Now he must come up with a solution as soon as possible. Losing his status as one of the Ten Heroes will greatly affect all his previous collaborations and plans.

Back at Polaris Dormitory, everyone cheered as they entered Marui Zenji's room to celebrate Jiang Yan becoming one of the Ten Heroes.

Laughter and cheers erupted in the room, the clinking of glasses mingling with the cheers, completely dispelling the tension of the food battle.

Looking at the smiling faces of everyone in front of him, a gentle smile also appeared in Jiang Yan's eyes.

While everyone in Polaris Dormitory was celebrating, a completely different scene unfolded in the upscale apartment next to Totsuki Academy.

Eizan Etsuya sat on the leather sofa, gripping his phone tightly, his knuckles turning blue from the force.

The neon lights outside shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting flickering shadows on his face, but they couldn't penetrate the gloom and resentment in his eyes.

Azami Nakiri's voice, laced with sarcasm and dissatisfaction, came through the phone.

"Eizan Etsuya, you actually lost to a first-year student? You should know what that means!"

Eizan Etsu was well aware that because he lost his position as the ninth seat of the Elite Ten, Kiri Azami's plan had completely fallen through.

The conditions that Kiriji had originally agreed to have now all vanished.

"Because of your mistake, my original plan has to be postponed, and I will have to find a new way to win over the other ten heroes."

At that moment, Cheji was in a bad mood.

He originally planned to implement his plan during the Moon Festival, but this unexpected incident occurred before he could succeed.

If he drags it out until the third-year students graduate, his plan will be cut short.

This is unacceptable to Chiji.

Eizan Etsuya's face flushed red and then turned pale, and his hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

He wanted to explain, but the words caught in his throat by Chiji's cold tone.

However, Eizan Etsu was well aware that once he lost his usefulness, Kiri Azami would not hesitate to abandon him.

After a moment of silence, Eizan Etsu also suppressed the anger and humiliation in his heart.

"It was my oversight that disappointed you, but please rest assured, I won't let this go."

"Top Ten Seats —"

"I will take back everything I've lost! I will make Jiang Yan pay the price, and let him know that taking what was mine was the biggest mistake of his life!"

"However, all of this requires support, I need some leverage to launch a new battle for the Ten Seats—"

A food battle for the top spot.

Cheji fell into a long silence on the other end of the phone, with only a faint hum of electricity passing through the air.

A moment later, Azami Nakiri's voice came again, devoid of any warmth.

"I'll consider it."

There was neither affirmation nor rejection, just five light words, yet they relaxed even the tense nerves of Eizan Etsuya.

He loosened his grip on the phone, let out a long sigh of relief, and hope rekindled in his eyes.

As long as Qieji is willing to open his mouth and can get support, he will have enough leverage to launch a complete revenge food war against Jiang Yan!

He wanted to personally pull Jiang Yan down from his position among the Ten Outstanding Individuals.

However, Eizan Etsu was completely unaware that at that moment, Kiri Azami on the other end of the phone was leaning back in his leather chair, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on the documents in front of him.

The information above clearly showed Jiang Yan's profile.

Azami Nakiri's expression turned serious.

"Having unique ingredients that have never appeared before, and being able to trip up Ruishan and trigger the opening of the robe to teach" — that's quite interesting.

"

"It seems I should personally meet this new member of the Top Ten."

"Perhaps it can bring about some changes—"