CHAPTER 607: CHAPTER 606: A TOUCH OF PSYCHIC CELESTIAL INTENT

"Ah!"

"My Guanyin Tofu!"

Wu Yingying was utterly shocked.

"Guanyin Tofu," was indeed her treasured ideal recipe, combined with her unique Chef’s Heart Mark, it made her nearly invincible in Food Duels below the level of Lin Chef, even when Li Han and Tang Yuqiong, who are also among the Five Chinese Talents, brought out their specialty skills, they found it hard to truly suppress her. Even a slight mishap in their dishes meant they could be overwhelmingly defeated.

A touch of mystical spirit was the ace up Wu Yingying’s sleeve that dominated the younger generation in the Chinese Cuisine World.

She imparted the "Guanyin Tofu" with this mystical spirit; of course, this essentially was a rather special Chef’s Heart Mark, which could innately sublimate and evolve certain specific dishes, with spiritual qi entwining them.

But now, as Wu Yingying tasted her own tofu, the vision in her mind of the verdantly lush lotus platform that had just formed from grass and wood suddenly shattered with a loud crash.

Even though the fresh scent of grass and wood was still lingering on her tongue, she could no longer taste the culinary vision; her tasting was only superficial, barely scratching the surface, and she couldn’t reach that core mystical ambiance.

Wu Yingying refused to believe it.

Because, in the past, she had never encountered such a situation. This was her Chef’s Heart Mark being severely suppressed; it shattered as soon as it touched her mouth, which meant that the culinary world she wove, her ’drugging’ ability, was as if it didn’t exist at all. How could Wu Yingying believe this? It was a huge gap indeed, there seemed to be an insurmountable chasm between him and her...

"Impossible!"

Her hand holding the chopsticks trembled uncontrollably.

"Let’s try it again!"

This time she picked up a few more pieces; the bigwigs had already stopped eating, no one was competing with her for the tofu. Yan Mo and the lady in red were watching with a strange gaze as the water town girl’s cheeks puffed up with food.

"Come out! Come out!"

She cried out inwardly.

Her mouth was stuffed with the delicate, smooth pieces of tofu, and as these tofu played the symphony of grass and wood in her mouth, the high notes soared, intertwining in her mind with symbols of grass and wood imbued with mystical spirit.

Soon, the verdant lotus platform emerged again and began to solidify. A vaguely discernible woman in white, as if painted with eyebrows, sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, holding a pure jade vase. Inside the vase, there was a willow branch with dew on it. Her ethereal figure floated, looking down with a compassionate gaze at the swirling clouds below the lotus platform. In her eyes, there were lands suffering from famine, teeming with countless refugees.

Alas!

A deep sigh escaped.

The woman in white pinched the willow twig, and with a gentle shake, the crystalline nectar sprinkled into the mortal world. Suddenly, dense greenery sprouted from the earth. The refugees took the leaves and branches, crushed them for their juice, and combined it with the inconspicuous ash of grass and wood. The green juice solidified into tofu that was as pretty as jade.

The refugees who survived the famine gathered in the temples, singing praises: "Great mercy and compassion, savior of the suffering and distressed, Guanyin..."

The songs stopped abruptly.

"Boom!"

A gaping hole tore open in the sky, a large harrow carrying flames descended like a meteor, smashing directly onto the lotus platform—crack—the platform immediately showed a web of cracks.

A screeching call that pierced the heavens rang out.

A strange bird with multiple layers of wings, resembling the mythical peng bird, soared across the sky. Finally, the lotus platform shattered.

The world suddenly receded into a wild and primordial state.

As the harrow crashed down, Wu Yingying’s delicate body also trembled, and as the lotus platform was shattered by the bird’s wings, she couldn’t help but crouch and cover her head in a defensive posture, still chewing mouthfuls, but no matter how much Guanyin Tofu she swallowed, the mystical spirit was nowhere to be found. The culinary masterpiece returned to being normal and ordinary, at best it was merely tasty, and it didn’t even reach the level of delicacy.

"I got completely crushed!" With a tone of frustration, Wu Yingying buried her head between her knees and muttered, "I think I understand why Li Han was defeated so miserably... it was simply a disparity in realms!"

As she rambled, Zhu Qing and Yan Mo exchanged glances, their eyes also lingering with shock.

Comparison could be frightful.

The sensations of the two dishes played back and forth in their mouths and minds, but Wu Yingying’s ’Guanyin Tofu’ was no match, defeated without the slightest resistance.

It was a pathetic defeat, utterly overpowered.

...

The post-competition banquet concluded at ten o’clock in the evening.

In the end, Xia Yu only presented the "Big Blast Fried Pork" and "Super Simplified Gold and Jade" dishes. For the remaining seven dishes, he left them to a group of young men and women from Xia’s Restaurant.

Makki, Eriina, and the Yuchuan Sisters each showcased their specialties, ensuring that the banquet didn’t abruptly end after just two courses.

As a result, these dishes from Far Moon’s talents received much praise. If it weren’t for Xia Yu’s dishes being overwhelmingly dominant, the first-year elite and the Elite Ten’s brilliance would have been even more dazzling.

Luther and Adelaide led their team to depart.

In the end, Adelaide couldn’t pry more information about the "Fertile Seed" from Xia Yu, but they both exchanged phone numbers and followed each other on social media platforms, adding another chef from Lin Chef to Xia Yu’s contacts who could be considered a friend.

Yan Mo and Zhu Qing led their groups to leave next.

Their purpose remained unclear; from the beginning to the end, it seemed they were just there for a greeting, with no overt hostility nor clear goodwill displayed.

The bus carried away the students from Polar Star Dormitory and the Elite Ten.

Around eleven at night, only a group of acquaintances remained at the franchise:

Tiqie Xianzuowen and the IGO trio.

With many hands, Xia Yu didn’t need to concern himself with the cleanup, as he sat in private room No. 1 with Shinohara, Aoki, Reiko, and the Far Moon Commander sipping tea. Zhu Qing was smiling in one corner, her mood particularly good that evening. In her right hand, she held the wager she had won from Zhu Qing—a fragrant sachet with a light purple hue that seemed to have a calming effect, quite a pleasant trinket.

In her left hand, she clutched the tea seed bag that Wu Yingying had left behind.

"The ten-day break between competitions will pass in the blink of an eye. You must prepare yourselves and not relax too much!"

Tiqie Xianzuowen spoke, "Also, the format for the second stage may very well change. The officials originally planned to make this stage closed off, no longer open to the public, but..."

At this point, the Far Moon General glanced at Xia Yu, a smile emerging in his eyes.

"Due to the first stage finals, the officials feel the conclusion wasn’t quite satisfying. The exact format will be announced in a couple days, and I will notify you as soon as I have the information!"

Xia Yu fiddled with a lock of hair on his forehead, using it to mask his embarrassment.

Well, actually, the discrepancy in reality of the finals wasn’t his doing. If anyone should be blamed, it’s that unreliable "Fate Card"!

He criticized inwardly.

"The format may change, but the judge lineup is certain to remain the same."

Tiqie Xianzuowen said with a significant look.

"General, will you be judging the second stage?" Xia Yu inquired curiously.

The old man just shook his head, his smile becoming more profound and inscrutable.

"The competition organizers invited a group of very special guests, so there’s no need for us old folks to make an appearance."

After seeing off the last batch of guests, the door was closed.

Xia Yu looked down as he came back in, almost bumping into Zhu Qing who was standing in his way with a cold and detached air.

"Today was awesome!"

Zhu Qing gave a thumbs up, "With your current skills, you’re completely qualified to be my assistant chef now!"

Xia Yu’s mouth twitched.

Assistant chef? Was that a compliment or a downgrade, hey!

"Do you still want to learn ’Silver Chopsticks Ten Pots’?" Zhu Qing’s tone shifted, "You were in a hurry to leave during the day, but now we’ve got some early time, do you want to?"

"Hm?"

Xia Yu didn’t answer and checked the system information, reviewing the tasks about cooking ’spirit’ dishes. As expected, the task was complete, with 5 Talent Points earned, and he successfully obtained the third Physique Enhancement Item of his career!

Without hesitation, he used the item, and text information popped up:

"Ding! ’Agility’ has increased!"

"Strength: 3.3

Constitution: 2.5

Spirit: 3.8

Agility: 1.9→2.2

..."

Only an increase of 0.3?

"Reminder, the more enhancement items you use, the weaker the effect."

The system said coldly.

"I see!"

Despite the disappointment, he had to accept it. Xia Yu exhaled; the key was that agility reached 2, which met the criteria to learn the new cooking skill "Silver Chopsticks Ten Pots."

This cooking skill could be described as all-weather versatile. Cooking any dish, whether Chinese or Western cuisine, regardless of the dish’s level, as long as the proficiency is high enough, and the skill level is met, he could duplicate numerous dishes of the same completion level at the same time!

Take tonight, for example.

If he had mastered "Silver Chopsticks Ten Pots," he would only need to set up 3 to 10 small pots and cook slowly, instead of using an oversized iron wok. Not to mention the hassle of stir-frying, other techniques like flipping the wok would require a strong physique to cooperate with, demanding too much focus and being very tiring.

Learning "Silver Chopsticks Ten Pots," in the future, if he hosted a grand banquet for guests, they wanted to eat luminous dishes? No problem, Xia Yu could satisfy several tables of distinguished guests in no time.

"Here’s tonight’s bill, please review it—"

Before going into the kitchen, Yuchuan Ayaka brought over the bill for the night.

The guests left satisfied, and in just one evening, the branch restaurant made a terrifying amount of revenue, which was equal to what the main and branch restaurants would typically earn in two to three months of normal business.

"Ha, we’ve earned back everything we lost from closing the doors for a bit!" Xia Yu’s smile showed his satisfaction.

Money, there is never too much of it.

The construction and development of Xia’s Farm and Xia’s Shopping Street could not do without financial support.

At least now, Xia Yu had ample confidence in developing his business.

...

On the other side.

Leaving Xia’s Restaurant, a group from the Eight-Faceted Tower gradually got into the minibus.

"Back to the hotel we’re staying at!"

After instructing a special chef who was driving, Yan Mo and the woman in red exchanged a glance.

"Shall we report?" the woman in red sipped her purple lips.

"Mhm."

Yan Mo did not hesitate, took out his phone, and dialled a number labelled ’Chief’.

"Hello..." A deep voice came from the other end.

"It’s like this..."

Yan Mo meticulously recounted his observations of the entire day to the person on the line.

"Spirit?"

"And moreover, his spirit fused with his cooking skills and successfully cooked an evolved dish?" The person on the other end was silent for a while before slowly speaking, "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Yan Mo said.

"Did the dish glow then?"

Here, Yan Mo paused. The woman in red next to him gestured to him, and after a while, he hesitantly said, "It seems like it glowed."

"Was it subdued?"

But the person on the other end drew such a conclusion from the vague reply.

"Yan Mo, from your own perspective, is this sole heir of the Xia Family worth our effort to win over?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Mo’s gaze flickered.

"Definitely!"

He answered definitively.

"I dare not boast, but if we can successfully brand him with the mark of the Dark World’s Qilin, the Dark World would definitely not be at a disadvantage against the Light Realm in the middle-aged and younger generation in the future!"

"Is that so..."

Finally, there was a hint of laughter from the other end.