It's just cooking a dish, how did it become the main character in a game?

Ding Baozhen?

It turned out to be him!

Nan Xu frowned slightly. This Ding Baozhen was a big celebrity, both in the game and in real life.

The game "Chef Soul" is set in a completely fictional world, specifically the "Da Xuan" dynasty in the Chinese region, which is not any historical dynasty.

However, many of the NPCs in the game are based on historical figures from different eras.

Of course, these NPCs and their historical prototypes are essentially different people, and there are quite a few differences between them.

For example, the famous "Poet Immortal" Li Bai, in this game, not only has superb swordsmanship, but is also a second-rank chef who is good at using wine to cook dishes.

The real-life prototype of the "Ding Baozhen" in front of us is a famous Qing Dynasty official known for his integrity and incorruptibility.

But more than his political achievements, many people know him through a dish.

That's right, the "Gongbao" in "Gongbao Chicken" refers to Ding Baozhen, who held the official position of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and was known as "Ding Gongbao".

In the world of "Chef Soul", the famous dish Kung Pao Chicken also became famous throughout the country because it was loved and appreciated by Ding Baozhen.

For chefs in the Great Xuan Dynasty, Ding Baozhen's name was known to almost everyone.

Upon seeing the nameplates in front of the examiners, a sudden uproar erupted in the line of candidates!

"It's...it's actually Ding Baozhen, Lord Ding!"

"No way... why did Lord Ding suddenly come to Huizhou?"

"Lord Ding is concurrently serving as an imperial censor, so he must be here to inspect government affairs... Oh no, Lord Ding holds a high position and has traveled all over the country. What kind of good food hasn't he tasted? The difficulty of this ninth-rank examination will probably be more than double!"

"That's not all... More importantly, if Lord Ding deems our creations substandard, and word gets out, all the customers in the shop will definitely leave!"

"What? No way!"

At the far end of the examination hall, Ding Baozhen looked at the chaotic candidates and snorted coldly:

"Hmph...has the mentality of this generation of chefs become this bad?"

Gao Wenjie sighed and explained, "Lord Ding, you may not know this, but some of them are not confident that they can pass on their first try. This registration is just an attempt. If they can pass, that would be great. If not, they can still gain some experience."

Upon hearing this, Ding Baozhen's expression grew even more displeased: "They can't even see their own limitations, yet they recklessly sign up to participate. Isn't that just wasting the government's manpower and resources?"

With that, he slammed his hand on the wooden table and shouted, "Silence!"

  

Instantly, the spacious examination room fell silent.

The candidates, who had been chattering away just moments before, immediately fell silent.

Ding Baozhen stood up and said loudly:

"One of the original examiners for this exam, Prefect Zhao, received a last-minute notice to attend an important culinary competition and had to go there to serve as an examiner."

"Therefore, I will take the place of Prefect Zhao as the examiner for this examination."

"I will judge fairly, according to my standards, whether you possess the skills expected of a ninth-grade chef, and give you my answer!"

At this point, Ding Baozhen changed the subject:

"However, during the exam, you only need to gain the approval of the two examiners to successfully obtain the ninth-grade chef qualification."

"If the other two examiners approve of you, it won't affect your passing even if I don't."

"The conditions are set here. If you don't have enough confidence in your abilities, go back and practice some more to avoid embarrassing yourself later."

With that, he waved his hand and said, "Those who want to abstain, I'll count to sixty. This is your last chance!"

"Sixty, fifty-nine..."

As Ding Baozhen's voice echoed through the examination hall, many candidates began to hesitate.

It's said that getting the approval of two examiners is enough to pass, but the problem is that many of them are only somewhere between passing and failing. In such cases, no matter how the examiners decide, there will be a reason.

As a high-ranking official of the imperial court, Ding Baozhen's judgment would seriously influence the judgments of the other two examiners.

If Ding Baozhen doesn't pass, the other two examiners will inevitably become more critical, which is very disadvantageous for many candidates whose level is just barely above the passing mark.

If Ding Baozhen were to criticize his dishes again, not only would his reputation be ruined, but his Dao heart might even shatter on the spot.

Is it really worth it to take on an even more difficult exam just to save face?

Before long, three or five people, looking like they were struggling, gave up and left the examination room.

After a while, several more people left.

Some people hesitated for a while, then gritted their teeth and simply stayed where they were.

Nan Xu remained steadfastly against the wall throughout.

"...Time's up."

After counting to the last number, Ding Baozhen frowned as he looked at the remaining candidates, who numbered less than half.

However, he didn't say anything more, but instead turned the hourglass on the judges' table upside down and announced:

"Then, the Ninth-Rank Chef Assessment shall officially begin!"

"The time limit is one hour. The challenge is to cook any dish that combines excellent knife skills, precise control of heat, and proper seasoning!"

"Only the ingredients provided in the examination room may be used; you may not bring your own ingredients!"

The voice just fell.

The students inside the examination hall sprang into action instantly!

One by one, the candidates rushed to the surrounding food storage area, scrambling for the best ingredients they could find.

A tense atmosphere permeated the crowd.

Nan Xu was prepared and quickly grabbed a freshly killed chicken from the meat counter covered with ice!

Without stopping, he used his internal energy to quickly reach the other end of the examination room and scooped several ingredients into a basket with his nimble hands.

The Nine-Rank Chef Assessment, as the most basic culinary skills assessment, aims to comprehensively test a chef's fundamental skills.

At first glance, this question seems to only test knife skills, cooking time, and seasoning, but in fact, it includes both conception and ingredient selection.

The specific mention of "any dish" seems to relax the restrictions, but in reality, it subtly incorporates "creativity points" into the evaluation.

If you simply cook a home-style dish, you'll naturally be at a lower score than others, and unless it's really delicious to a certain standard, you won't pass.

The process of selecting ingredients tests a chef's eyesight and reaction speed.

Nan Xu could see clearly that most of the ingredients placed in the room were of poor quality or simply spoiled and unusable.

Therefore, before the assessment begins, the chef should have a preliminary idea in mind, and then, at the very start, acquire their target ingredients.

And that's exactly what he did.

"Done."

Nan Xu smiled slightly, carrying a basket of ingredients to the stove. His leisurely demeanor contrasted sharply with the flustered candidates around him.

Even though the examiner was the renowned Ding Baozhen, he remained completely calm.

Although Ding Baozhen held a high position, he was always honest and upright and never extravagant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have liked Kung Pao Chicken so much.

Poor Lord Ding, what can he possibly eat?

It's nothing more than some home-style dishes, with the occasional big meal of meat and fish. It's not like an emperor eating from the imperial kitchen every day or having a dragon liver and phoenix marrow dish every few days.

You have triggered the quest: "Ding Baozhen's Appreciation," do you wish to accept it?

[Task Description: Ding Baozhen is looking for talented young culinary enthusiasts. If you perform exceptionally well in this assessment, you might gain his appreciation...]

[Task Reward: 38000 Experience Points, Ding Baozhen's Favorability]

Nan Xu's eyes sharpened as he looked at the newly refreshed mission.

With his perspective as a second-rank culinary master from his previous life, Ding Baozhen was not even worth his attention.

He will completely conquer the other person's taste buds with his dishes!