Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　His ruthlessness and decisiveness made those who had spoken ill of him earlier feel uneasy, some even afraid to look at him, fearing that he would target them and cause them to miss the opportunity for assessment.

　Those who hadn't said anything bad about him just glanced at him curiously a few times and then stopped paying attention; the top-level assessment was more important right now.

　but...

　No wonder people say don't bully those who don't speak up; those are the most ruthless!

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　Upon entering the gate, Bai Yuan expected to find a kitchen for cooking, but to his surprise, he was met with a towering city wall.

　The portly old man and a plump woman of about twenty-eight appeared on the city wall. The procession stopped upon seeing the city wall, as if waiting for something.

　"What's going on? Was there this part of the plot when Little Master took the Special Grade Exam? I think there was... It's been too long, I can't quite remember."

　Bai Yuan stopped with the crowd, staring blankly at the situation before him, then began to ponder. Fortunately, the two people on the city wall didn't keep him waiting too long.

　After seeing that almost everyone had come in...

　"Dear test takers, the test is about to begin."

　As is customary, we will evaluate the dishes in the order in which everyone completes them, with the time limit ending this evening.

　Meanwhile, only five chefs will pass this test. If five chefs pass before the time limit expires, the test will end.

　As the many participants entered the venue, the portly old man's powerful voice echoed throughout the area, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

　"Five places means the faster the better. That's right, I remember now, the top-level assessment in Guangzhou seems to have two stages."

　Bai Yuan stroked his chin, his memories swirling in his mind, and finally recalled the time he watched "MasterChef." The organizers first gave a type of dish, then a cooking theme. The top five who cooked the dishes quickly and well advanced, and then the winner was determined by extending the theme.

　This is what they call themed cuisine!

　"A good assessment method."

　Bai Yuan sincerely praised it, saying that this assessment method could test both the chef's basic skills and their innovative abilities, which was a win-win situation.

　And this is only the first hurdle!

　"Now, let's announce the topic..."

　Two staff members carried over a huge canvas, and the fat old man deliberately kept everyone in suspense, leaving only the sound of holding one's breath in the room.

　"beef!"

　As the banner fell, the huge characters for "beef" appeared, startling everyone present. They then looked at another banner.

　"A vow of eternal love!"

　When the second banner fell, everyone gasped. Beef and vows of eternal love? What on earth was that all about?!

　"What is this?! Although the questions in previous years were already difficult, this year's is completely baffling! Beef and vows of eternal love, can these two words be combined?!"

　The man scratched at his hair, his face contorted in pain as he cried out.

　"I give up. This exam is insane! The question setter is trying to drive us to our doom! I bet none of us will pass this year!"

　Some people said with a look of despair that they had chosen to give up. Each of these top-level assessments was very abstract, and the most outrageous one was Guangzhou!

　"Beef, vows of eternal love, romance..."

　Some people immediately made the connection and the corresponding answer quickly appeared in their minds, their eyes lighting up. Others, however, couldn't figure it out no matter what they did and looked dejected.

　"Beef is an extremely familiar ingredient. When it comes to linking it with love, Western cuisine is better at it."

　However, in the top-level assessment in Guangzhou,

　Offering Western food would be disrespectful to Chinese cuisine, and in terms of cultural heritage, Chinese cuisine is certainly capable of offering a dish that symbolizes a vow of eternal love.

　Even if you don't have one, you can simply create one yourself, utilizing the characteristics of cooking.

　Bai Yuan pinched his chin, and many dishes from the past floated into his mind. They could all use beef to write about love. To put it bluntly, this kind of subject matter was just about boasting, as long as it could be made up in the end.

　"The organizers will provide the beef. Please prepare the ingredients before noon and then go to the competition venue to prepare your dish. Present your answer with the finished product. That's all!"

　After saying this, the fat old man left the city wall, and the previously suppressed discussions at the scene completely erupted at this moment.

　"What?! I think they've run out of spots and are deliberately blocking us from passing!"

　"Seriously, to encounter this kind of question on my first time participating in the top-level assessment, what bad luck!"

　"It's too abstract. Can't we just stick to cooking? Why bother with all this useless stuff..."

　There were quite a few people complaining like this, but even more were the chefs who jogged away.

　Prepare the ingredients before noon, then return to the cooking arena to prepare the dishes.

　If you can find everything you need in one place, that's fine, but if it's scattered throughout the market, it will take a lot of effort!

　"A flavor competition arena?"

　A foreign chef asked the Guangzhou chef next to him in broken Chinese, with a puzzled look.

　"The competition arena is a specially arranged venue for testing master chefs."

　The chef, though reluctant to answer, decided to explain since it was just a venue, but did not give him the exact address.

　We're all competitors now, so it's good to have one less of us.

　"Hurry up, let's get to the market quickly."

　"Go, go!"

　No sooner had someone uttered those words than chaos erupted at the scene. In an instant, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Bai Yuan and two other girls.

　This made Bai Yuan curiously turn his gaze over, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

　"These questions are so difficult! I feel like my brain cells are about to explode!"

　"Don't worry about it, you're just here to make a show of things anyway, the real main force is me!"

　I want to see if the Guangzhou top-level assessment is as incredible as the internet makes it out to be. Five out of twenty? That seems alright!

　Glancing at the woman's excellent figure beside her, Kakuzaki Taki said in a rather displeased tone, "This guy is just a supporting character to her!"

　"From twenty to five means selecting five fast and good chefs from twenty to participate in the final selection, and this is only the first stage of the top-level assessment."

　Hearing the two's discussion, Bai Yuan thought for a moment and then walked over, correcting Kakuzaki Taki's mistake at the same time.

　Although these two only appeared once or twice in the main film, Shiroyuki's exaggerated figure left a lasting impression on Shiroyuki!

　He might not remember much about anime plots, but he certainly can't forget beautiful women with outstanding looks and great figures!

　Kikuchi Sonoka was a judge in the semi-finals of the Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Autumn Selection. I remember it was Yukihira Soma versus Mimasaka Subaru, and they made a lot of noise while eating their dishes.

　The physical disturbance was quite significant!

　I didn't see them in the crowd earlier; they must have come in later...

　"What? The information didn't mention a second stage! Isn't the normal master chef assessment only one stage?"

　Kakuzaki Taki frowned, his face full of doubt.

　Could this guy be trying to trick them into giving up in order to reduce their competition?

　"The information won't tell you everything. And think about it, when has there ever been a five-person master chef assessment in Guangzhou?"

　Let alone five, sometimes not even one can make it out!

　This level of themed cuisine might stump some mediocre cooks, but it's not enough to stump so many people. You should all understand that, right?

　Bai Yuan waved his hand as he spoke.

　"Also, if we don't go to the market to buy ingredients now, we'll be a step behind. Remember, only five people can advance this time."

　As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yuan's figure had completely disappeared. Since the other person was someone he knew and was also beautiful, he was in a good mood and gave her a few words of advice.

　This is also the initial accumulation of goodwill.

　Plant a seed, and it may one day bear a delicious, large fruit.

　Chapter Sixty-Two: Fierce Bull and Azure Dragon Slash

　"He's been staring at you the whole time, hasn't he?"

　Kakuzaki Taki stared at Kikuchi Sonoka's chest, and after a long while, he managed to utter this sentence. Then he looked at his own chest, and his expression turned regretful.

　"No, right? Wasn't he watching us?"

　Kikuchi Sonoka wondered why Kakuzaki Taki suddenly said that.

　"That wretched, big-breasted monster!"

　"Eh?!"

　After saying this, Kakuzaki Taki's eyes welled up with tears, and he ran away without looking back, leaving Kikuchi Sonoka standing there bewildered. Finally, she stamped her foot and followed suit.

　They went up there.

　She is currently a second-year student at Totsuki Culinary Academy and the sixth seat of the Elite Ten. She recently passed the first-class chef examination in Japan and, in theory, will not participate in the special-class chef examination for several years.

　However, Kakuzaki Taki wanted to see how prestigious the master chef assessment was in Guangzhou, but because of its bad reputation, not many people were willing to accompany her, so he forcefully dragged her over.

　Give it a try, consider it gaining experience!

　Kikuchi Enka clenched his fists tightly in front of his chest as if he were pumping air into his chest.

　Although I knew I couldn't pass, it was a great experience to learn from. Only by giving it my all can I identify my shortcomings!

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　"In this way, all the necessary ingredients will be gathered."

　Although these are all basic things, for a mere top-level assessment, a solid foundation is enough to pass smoothly, so there's no need to take it too seriously.

　As a man who can easily create glowing dishes, Bai Yuan naturally wouldn't take the so-called top-level assessment too seriously. Once he understood the rules, he could just relax and do whatever he wanted.

　For example, the dish he made today was meant to give the judges a unique surprise, using scraps from the cow.

　Otherwise, it would be too boring if everyone chose high-quality beef for cooking!

　Carrying large and small bags, Bai Yuan strode quickly toward the arena.

　A short while later, he returned to the place where the exam questions had been posted, and found everyone who had bought the ingredients waiting outside; the doors to the food competition were still not open...

　"What happened? Why is everyone outside?"

　In a corner of the crowd, Bai Yuan spotted two familiar figures: Kikuchi Sonoka and Kakuzaki Taki. He wondered what they had bought, as they were faster than him.

　"Oh, it's you. Master Jie Niu will be here in at least ten more minutes because of traffic. You'll have to wait here for now."

　Upon seeing that the person asking the question was Shirayuki, Kakuzaki Taki shrugged and explained what he knew.

　"So everyone just stopped here? With so many chefs, isn't there a single person who knows how to butcher a cow?"

　Bai Yuan was somewhat puzzled. With so many top-notch chefs, surely there wasn't a single one who knew how to butcher a cow? Or perhaps, modern chefs only knew how to cook pre-prepared pieces of meat?

　You should know that back in the days of "Cooking Master Boy", any chef with even a little skill could butcher an ox with just one or two cleavers.

　Among them, the world of dark cuisine has a unique skill called "Fierce Bull Azure Dragon Slash", which can dismember a living giant bull in just one or two seconds!

　"It seems there are people who know how to butcher cows, but the organizers have a requirement: they must have an extremely high level of skill and not ruin the cow."

　Otherwise, they would be disqualified from the competition. Even if they successfully butchered the ox, they would only gain the right to choose their ingredients first. The risk and reward were disproportionate, so no one was willing to take the plunge.

　Kikuchi Sonoka's gentle voice rang out. Because she was a girl and studied Western cuisine, she was alright at handling beef, but butchering it was really...

　"Everyone wants to play it safe and secure; no one wants to risk unknown dangers just to show off!"

　Kakuzaki Taki revealed the truth: in this situation, everyone is a competitor. Although the butcher can be faster, the risk factor is too high.

　"What a bunch of cowards! It's just butchering an ox, why are you overthinking this and that! Since no one is willing, I'll do it myself."

　After listening to the explanations from Kikuchi Sonoka and Kakuzaki Taki, Shirabuchi curled his lip in disdain and couldn't help but complain.

　If you don't even have that kind of guts, why bother taking the master chef exam? You might as well go home and roast sweet potatoes.

　After saying that, he walked towards the giant bull that was leisurely grazing and reached out to pat its head.

　"What? Someone actually wants to perform dissecting an ox?! That's too risky! If it's not handled properly, they could lose their eligibility for the assessment."

　The scene was silent as everyone waited for the ox butcher to arrive. Suddenly, someone stepped forward, and someone immediately exclaimed in surprise.

　Although there aren't many people on site who have the ability to butcher an ox, there are still a few, but there may be no one who can butcher an ox perfectly.