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

silence.

A sudden, unspoken silence enveloped the entire kitchen.

Both Wang Yi and Luo Qinzhu were stunned into place by the weight of the words "cooking battle".

A culinary duel is not just an ordinary exchange of cooking skills, but a sacred and inviolable dueling ritual.

Both sides participating in the culinary competition, as well as the judges, must swear an oath to ensure the fairness of the competition.

If one violates this rule, the lightest consequence will be the loss of one's food supply, forever depriving one of access to all kinds of delicacies and rare ingredients.

Even worse, it could lead to the complete breakdown of a chef's passion, or even death!

Furthermore, the two sides in a cooking duel often make a bet, each paying a wager. In this case, the Heavenly Oath also serves to ensure that both sides fulfill the bet.

In the later stages of the game before the time travel, many important NPCs died because they lost in life-or-death cooking battles.

Although Wang Yi and Luo Qinzhu had never participated in the life-or-death cooking competition, it did not mean that they were unaware of its significance.

"Glug."

Wang Yi swallowed hard, seemingly intimidated by Nan Xu's boldness.

"You want to... have a culinary battle with me?"

He stared at Nan Xu in disbelief, his eyes looking at a madman.

An apprentice who hasn't even reached the highest rank... even if he has the skills of an apprentice, would he dare to fight against an eighth-rank chef like myself?

This goes beyond mere audacity; it's suicide!

However, Nanxu simply nodded calmly:

"That's right. As for the question... let's use this dish from the exam: [Cold Radish Salad]."

  

"As for the stakes... let's wager our respective culinary paths. Do you dare?"

A sharp, cold glint flashed in Nan Xu's eyes.

For a moment, Wang Yi was truly stunned, and the words he wanted to say were completely stuck in his throat.

"Chef Luo, would you mind being a judge?" Nan Xu then looked at Luo Qinzhu and asked calmly.

"This..." Luo Qinzhu hesitated for a long time, then shook her head firmly. "No! It's not worth risking my culinary career for this!"

"And...and how could you possibly have beaten Uncle Wang? He's an eighth-rank chef!"

Nan Xu simply smiled: "What if I said I was absolutely certain?"

"That won't do either. I won't agree to something like that," Luo Qinzhu refused.

At this moment, Wang Yi also came to his senses and cursed himself inwardly.

He must have lost his mind, actually being frightened by a young apprentice who was full of youthful arrogance!

He immediately tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Hmph... Regardless of whether the culinary duel is even possible, can your culinary skills compare to mine?"

Nan Xu sneered: "You're right. You're so old and you're still only an eighth-grade chef. It's clear that your culinary skills have almost been cut off, so naturally you can't compare to me."

"You!" Wang Yi was furious, and pointed a trembling finger at Nan Xu.

Nan Xu ignored Wang Yi's behavior and stared intently at Luo Qinzhu.

"Chef Luo, if you agree to be a judge, I can change the bet to that guy's monthly salary."

"Using money as a wager is fair and will not have a serious impact on either party."

"Now you should be able to accept this, right?"

Luo Qinzhu hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.

She saw the determination in Nan Xu's eyes and realized that even if she refused, Nan Xu would not give up.

The bet is still within an acceptable range, so she can just pay for it for Nanxu first and let him pay it back slowly.

Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Wang Yi was filled with rage and slammed his fist on the table, saying, "Since you insist on going your own way, I'll let you, this ignorant brat, experience the power of an eighth-rank chef!"

[You have triggered the cooking challenge: "Cold Radish Salad". Accept?]

[Task Difficulty: Rank 7]

[Task Description: Prepare a cold radish salad and defeat Chef Wang Yi, an eighth-rank chef.]

[Quest Rewards: 10000 Experience Points, 50 Taels of Silver]

[Failure Penalty: 50 taels of silver will be deducted]

[Note: This task is extremely difficult for you. Please consider carefully before accepting it!]

Nan Xu accepted the task without hesitation. Luo Qinzhu wouldn't agree to a bet that was too high, but earning his first pot of gold would be good enough.

Besides... who says that without a wager, one cannot cut off someone else's culinary path?

A cold glint flashed in Nan Xu's eyes. He would use his dishes to make Wang Yi experience the feeling of his Dao heart shattering!

These private cooking duels don't involve much formality; after both parties make their own oaths, the cooking duel begins.

Wang Yi picked up the kitchen knife and confidently twirled it a few times in his hand:

"Kid, watch closely, now that's real knife skills!"

Swish, swish, swish! A flash of bright light, and the perfectly intact white radish was instantly transformed into thin, neat radish shreds.

The shredded radish was translucent and uniform in thickness, as if it had been cut by a precision machine.

After rinsing the radish, Wang Yi took out salt, sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil, skillfully prepared a small dish of seasoning sauce, and poured it over the tender white radish shreds.

Even a simple cold radish salad perfectly demonstrates his solid basic skills as a veteran eighth-grade chef.

After stirring it slightly with chopsticks, Wang Yi handed the plate to Luo Qinzhu.

"Here, have a taste of this cold radish salad!"

As he spoke, he gave Nan Xu a provocative look.

Seeing this, Luo Qinzhu sighed silently in her heart.

Although she sympathized with Nan Xu and admired his actions, she also felt that Wang Yi had gone too far.

But as a chef, she couldn't lie to her own tongue.

Judging from its appearance alone, this shredded radish is many times better than the shredded radish cut by Nanxu.

The finer and more uniform the radish shreds, the better the taste and the better the flavor absorption. She really couldn't see any hope that Nanxu could win.

Luo Qinzhu picked up a piece of shredded radish with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the warm, slightly sour sauce, combined with the sweetness of the shredded radish, explodes in your mouth.

The enticing aroma of the sauce instantly filled my mouth, and the sourness of the vinegar was very appetizing, making me want to eat more.

The white radish shreds are cut extremely finely, yet still retain a firm and crisp texture. The moment the juice bursts out, the sweet flavor blends perfectly with the sauce, without being overpowering.

From any perspective, this is a cold radish salad that is flawless.

Luo Qinzhu took two bites and then put down her chopsticks without saying anything more.

Upon seeing this, Wang Yi revealed a confident smile.

His cold radish salad was absolutely perfect; that kid is doomed to lose!

Wang Yi turned around to look at Nan Xu, just about to say something sarcastic.

Then, he witnessed something completely unexpected—

Nan Xu had already finished rinsing the radish, but the radish he used was the same one he had chopped up haphazardly during his practice session!

Upon seeing this, Wang Yi's first reaction was not mockery, but disbelief.

How is that possible? Doesn't this kid know that radish shreds that are uneven in size will have a poor texture and won't hold the sauce well?

At this moment, Nan Xu also noticed Wang Yi's gaze. He calmly raised his head, meeting Wang Yi's eyes, a hint of disdain in his gaze:

"Is it strange? It's exactly strange... It's normal for a chef like you who only knows how to follow the instructions to not understand."

"Just watch and see how I defeat you with this shredded radish that you rejected!"