Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　It’s so irritating that people are so different from each other!

　"Is there anything you're not satisfied with? These are things we can discuss."

　The skillful old woman also noticed the change in Bai Yuan's expression. While feeling slightly annoyed, she continued to persuade him, because the Guangzhou culinary scene was now dwindling in talent, leaving only people like them, with one foot in the grave, to hold it up.

　Now that Bai Yuan has finally appeared, they naturally want to recruit him and see if they can revitalize the Guangzhou cuisine scene!

　Of course, this was not a random decision. It was made by the four kings of the Guangzhou Culinary Association in an emergency online meeting an hour earlier.

　Among them, the Master of a Hundred Medicines naturally played a role in pushing things along.

　But more so because the Guangzhou culinary scene is indeed facing a talent shortage, with no new leaders to take the lead.

　"It's not a matter of conditions, but rather that I genuinely have no intention of joining any faction. Even if you asked me to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings now, my answer would still remain unchanged."

　Bai Yuan shook his head and explained his situation. He would not bind himself to any officially formed force, as that would be too restrictive!

　"Alright, since that's the case, I won't insist anymore. I was being presumptuous this time. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words and seeing his determined look, Granny Qiaoshou understood his thoughts perfectly. She sighed and said...

　The other person possessed the ability to create glowing dishes at the age of nineteen, so they certainly wouldn't want to be confined to this corner of the world and would want to venture out into a bigger world.

　However... when he gets tired in the future and wants to find a place to rest, he might consider Guangzhou, so it's definitely a good idea to build a good relationship in advance.

　A genius with such potential would be highly sought after anywhere.

　"If there is such an opportunity."

　Bai Yuan didn't make any definitive statements to avoid straining their relationship. What he was really thinking about was whether to take this opportunity to challenge the skillful old woman.

　"Mother-in-law, you don't want me to not join the Cantonese Chefs' Association, do you? In that case, let's have a good fight!"

　With such thoughts surfacing in his mind, Bai Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. Then, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly walked to his cooking counter.

　His keen sense of smell told him that his dish was about to reach its optimal state before being taken out of the pot, and it was time to take it off the heat and proceed with the final cooking step.

　"The color is perfect! And the condition is just right!"

　Lifting the lid, Bai Yuan's eyes lit up with joy as he watched the king oyster mushrooms bubbling and swirling in the sauce. With a flick of his chopsticks, the mushrooms fell into his plate in a flash, so fast it looked like magic!

　"What kind of technique is this? Why did all the king oyster mushrooms in the pot end up on the plate just from being touched with chopsticks, and there wasn't even a trace of the chopsticks piercing the surface of the mushrooms!"

　Kikuchi Yoko stared wide-eyed in shock at the white shiitake mushroom in front of her, trying to find the marks of the chopsticks piercing it, but there were none!

　"Since it's lifted up rather than pierced through, there's no mark of a hole. Haven't you learned this basic technique?"

　Bai Yuan turned his head and asked with some doubt. In his opinion, this technique was the most basic of the basics, and not even worth mentioning separately.

　But... why is Kikuchi Sonoka looking at him with such adoration?

　"This is a basic technique...? Where did this little monster come from? Even among top-tier fighters, not many people would know this move!"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Granny Qiaoshou's lips twitched slightly, and she mentally began to complain. She had seen young people who liked to show off, but she had never seen anyone who could show off like this. He was simply a model of showing off!

　She actually knew this trick too. She learned it for a month and then practiced it for three years before she could use it skillfully, all to add a touch of sophistication that only a master chef could achieve when cooking.

　As a result, this guy used it so skillfully, and he even looked nonchalant. He's young after all, and he acted more skilled than her!

　"The school didn't teach this kind of thing; he only taught very basic things."

　I've already learned it all. Can I learn this from you?

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's question, Kikuchien Kako shook her head like a rattle drum, then looked at Bai Yuan with bright eyes, appearing eager.

　"If you want to learn, I can teach you. It's not a difficult skill, and you can learn it in a little while if you're quick."

　Bai Yuan nodded, not paying any attention; he had learned the move after just one glance.

　The only difficulty was controlling the landing point of the ingredients. I made several mistakes while practicing and it took me half a day to become completely proficient.

　"Really? Yeah!"

　With Bai Yuan's consent, Mujichi Sonoka said excitedly, knowing that she had met a benefactor and must take this opportunity to learn more!

　What she learned in just one day is more than what she studied in Totsuki Academy for a whole month!

　Bai Yuan is truly an amazing teacher. He can vividly describe her shortcomings and effectively offer suggestions for improvement.

　If she can stay by his side, she'll probably become a true master chef in less than two years, at least she'll be able to pass the Japanese master chef exam! The assessments there are much more rigorous than this!

　"Young man, who is your teacher? Don't tell me you figured these techniques out on your own. Your master must be a very powerful expert."

　Watching Bai Yuan pick up the striped pan, preparing to fry the freshly cooked white oyster mushrooms to lock in all their flavor, the skillful old woman suddenly asked.

　"Anyone who is more capable than me can be my teacher. Even if someone surpasses me in only one aspect, they can still be considered my teacher."

　Bai Yuan told the truth.

　In terms of mastery, he actually had quite a few apprentices. If the skillful old lady could surpass him in dim sum, he would immediately pester her relentlessly until he had mastered all her skills.

　He absolutely will not allow anyone in this world to surpass his culinary skills!

　Perhaps it was this mentality that led him to where he is today, becoming the man who sweeps across the world of culinary disasters.

　It got its name.

　Bai Shengjiang, Bai Yuan.

　"Those who are more accomplished can be teachers? What a bold idea! No, it should be said that this is the way it should be. Anyone who is better than you can be a teacher."

　Bai Yuan's words made Granny Qiaoshou fall into deep thought, and then she praised him highly, realizing that she couldn't quite understand this person.

　This guy is like a tree without roots or water without a source; he suddenly appeared here. There are no Bai families among the major clans!

　"That's common sense, isn't it?"

　Bai Yuan shrugged, added peanut oil to the striped pot, then added black pepper and stir-fried until fragrant. Next, he added the filtered broth, thickened it with cornstarch, and then removed it from the pot. This was the sauce for the vegetarian steak.

　Place a striped skillet over heat and pour in oil. Coat the braised king oyster mushrooms with a thin layer of cornstarch and fry them in the skillet until they develop stripes.

　"Add a touch of rosemary; it's the soul of Western cuisine."

　As he muttered to himself, Bai Yuan sprinkled rosemary into the scalloped pan. As it came into contact with the vegetarian steak, the heat instantly released its aroma, filling the surrounding air with the fragrance of rosemary.

　After completing this step, Bai Yuan poured in the sauce that had been prepared earlier with the original juices. At this point, the preparation of the vegetarian steak was completely finished.

　Without hesitation, Bai Yuan poured in the high-proof liquor that had been prepared beforehand. With the added heat, the striped pot burst into flames.

　The flames engulfed the vegetarian steak, deepening its brown color and adding a touch of wine aroma, making it irresistible.

　"Wine-infused vegetarian steak, please enjoy."

　As Bai Yuan spoke, the 'Wuqu Knife' appeared in his hand. The skillful old woman saw the knife flash, and with a blink of her eyes, the vegetarian steak made from the white spirit mushroom became a long strip that could be swallowed in one bite.

　Several king oyster mushrooms are pieced together to form a complete steak, then drizzled with a well-prepared sauce, resulting in an exceptionally rich and mellow aroma.

　"Can you make the texture and taste of beef using mushrooms? Don't deliberately pursue complicated methods. Just make beef as you say it, something that resembles beef but is not beef. If this were an exam, you could undoubtedly get a high score!"

　Although there was nothing particularly innovative about it, the exquisite knife skills, superb technique, and near-perfect control of the heat all demonstrated that Bai Yuan's strength had reached the top-tier level.

　However... this dish didn't glow.

　Logically speaking, with such techniques and such meticulous attention to detail, it should have already reached the standard of luminescence.

　why?

　The skillful old lady had this question in her mind, and then strolled over to Bai Yuan's cooking counter, staring intently at the vegetarian steak in front of her.

　"The main problem is that this kind of assessment really makes people lose the desire to create good dishes."

　I'm a combat-oriented player. Rather than deliberately complicating simple assessments, I'd much rather deliver a powerful dish in a battle!

　Bai Yuan expressed his thoughts, saying that the purpose of the assessment was mainly to test whether the basic skills were solid and whether the chef had reached the level of a master chef.

　This kind of assessment is something you can pass smoothly as long as you perform at your normal level, so there's not much to look forward to.

　The competition is more of a contest of culinary creativity. When battling against equally matched opponents, the strong desire to win can lead to exceptional performance. Reflecting on this feeling afterward is a sign of progress.

　"Now, let's begin the taste test."

　After saying this, the skillful old woman

　She carefully examined the vegetarian steak in front of her, and the rich aroma emanating from it made her swallow hard.

　As is customary, the master chef assessment should involve contestants tasting each other's dishes and using a peer scoring system. They would eat each other's dishes and then score each individual's work.

　The chefs, who should have been contestants, also became qualifying judges to assess whether contestants had the ability to properly evaluate the work of others.

　This is also a psychological game!

　but...

　Looking at the vegetarian steak in front of her, which exuded a strong aroma of wine but looked plain on the surface, the skillful old lady felt a strange impulse.

　If I don't eat it today, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!

　Therefore, she decided to change the assessment method. She would personally taste Bai Yuan's dishes and then judge whether he could pass this special-grade assessment.

　However, for a master chef capable of creating luminous dishes, even if this dish doesn't glow, it should still be at the level of a two- or three-star chef.

　Passing the top-level assessment can be said to be very simple...

　Picking up the knife and fork placed to the side, the skillful grandmother cut one of the vegetarian steaks in half to see what the cross-section of the dish looked like.

　However, just as her knife pressed against the vegetarian steak and made a small cut, a dazzling golden light burst forth from it!

　The dazzling golden light illuminated the scene brilliantly. Because it was right in front of her, the skillful old woman subconsciously closed her eyes, and this was only because she had cut open a piece of vegetarian beef.

　"Gudu."

　The rich fragrance, accompanied by golden light, spread through the air, immediately attracting the attention of the other contestants. This was entirely an unconscious action for them; by the time they came to their senses, they were already looking over.

　"It smells so good! Such a pure fragrance!"

　Leah murmured to herself in French, her hands unconsciously stopping their movements, and a glistening sheen appeared at the edge of her red lips—saliva that her brain had uncontrollably secreted after smelling the fragrance.

　"I really want to try it! What does that dish taste like? And why does it have such a rich aroma?!"

　And... this is another luminous dish! The quality seems even better than the first time I made it!

　Kakuzaki Taki reached up and wiped her lips. A surge of heat welled up deep within her body, causing her to involuntarily clench her legs together. Her eyes revealed desire. This was too R-rated! Just the taste alone had made her like this!

　"It's baijiu. Just before the aroma dissipates, you use baijiu to ignite the flame, sealing all the flavors inside the vegetarian steak, leaving only a rich aroma of baijiu on the outside."

　But didn't you cut it open with a knife after cooking? With such a large cut, why is only a small amount of aroma wafting out...?

　She swallowed the food in her mouth whole, savoring the aroma, and then looked at Bai Yuan with a rosy complexion, asking her question.

　This guy clearly used a knife to separate the vegetarian steak, but why didn't the aroma escape at all, and why didn't any golden light emerge?

　In contrast, she only made a tiny opening...

　"Because I heated the knife and added olive oil, I seared the surface of the vegetarian steak with oil to create a brown layer the moment I cut it, thus sealing in its flavor."

　This minimizes the loss of flavor in the food, allowing the aroma to burst forth at the moment of chewing, creating a wonderful taste experience.

　Bai Yuan explained his idea.

　Although it's just a very ordinary vegetarian steak, it still tries to do something different, and the cluster aroma bomb is one of the selling points of the dish.

　"I see. If that's the case, then everything makes sense. To seal off the fragrance is truly an amazing idea!"

　I thought it was just an ordinary vegetarian steak, but it contained such a pleasant surprise. It truly deserves to be called a luminous dish!

　but...

　The skillful old woman looked at Bai Yuan with a complicated expression. She had thought that he had just managed to make a dish that glowed, and that he was a potential genius.

　But now it seems that this guy is not just a genius, but a true powerhouse!

　A fully-fledged powerhouse!

　Is this guy a monster? He's reached this level at just nineteen! Perhaps only a top genius like him has any hope of challenging the legendary Dragon Chef in the future.

　For 20 years, not a new Dragon Chef has emerged in China, or even the world!

　"Such a rich aroma should only be achieved by piling up a lot of spices, but when I put the vegetarian steak in my mouth, the source of the aroma was actually various vegetables."

　The skillful old lady opened her eyes, put down her knife and fork, picked up the chopsticks, and began to savor the steak in the manner of tasting Chinese food.

　There was no way around it; cutting with a knife and fork would cause the flavor of the dish to dissipate into the air, but she wanted to try the vegetarian steak whose aroma would explode in her mouth.

　That feeling must be amazing!

　Chapter Sixty-Eight: A snail isn't a cow, you idiot!

　"The natural aromas of carrots, celery, cilantro, and king oyster mushrooms mask the flavor of the spices."