CHAPTER 653: CHAPTER 652: TANG YUQIONG’S BREAKTHROUGH

"So that’s how it is!"

"Exactly!"

Yan Qi and Wise Man Karl also tasted the concept.

The so-called culinary "meaning" is indeed a reflection of the chef’s conceptualization.

On the surface, the dish created by Tang Shan and Tang Yuqiong is an iceberg, yet beneath it lies a profound ocean.

The ice symbolizes the past, freezing life, which is the mark given by the "Dragon Pot" sauce to the dish. When the three Dragon Giants bit into the seafood and tasted the thick sauce hidden inside the fish’s belly, a warm flow echoed in the mouth, instantaneously pulling the diners from the distant past to the present.

"Past, present... and the future!"

In Nuliang’s pupils, three sets of images repeatedly emerged.

The past was the Heian Era, an era of night parades of a hundred demons, their golden age.

The present showed oil lamps turning into bright technological light tubes, shining even the tiniest corners at night.

The future...

That might be a grand era of culinary arts, for the invasion of extraterrestrial species signifies the use of wondrous ingredients by chefs. Since eating nourishes life and organisms evolve through consumption, one can infer a corner of the future world.

Blinking, the images vanished.

"Thank you!" Nuliang deeply bowed to Tang Shan and Tang Yuqiong, very solemnly, "Your dish has solidified my hope!"

As for what hope, he did not say.

The other four judges also awakened.

"To be honest, this era makes us feel somewhat apprehensive, but from your dish, I might know that no matter how complex the future world becomes, there is still a space for us," the red-haired judge said, grabbing a wine gourd and taking a hefty swig.

"The hope for the future..."

The audience pondered the judges’ comments deeply.

"So that’s how it is!"

On the mountain platform of the "Red Leaves Hunting Festival," Chief Si Yingshi praised, "The so-called ’introduction and ferrying’ problem lies in how to guide, how to bring the lost to the bright shore... To give them hope is a clever solution!"

"Hope?" Kobayakawa Ryodan bit his lip, his eyebrows intertwining in a frown, "To directly use ’hope’ as a theme is troublesome for me, I don’t know how to handle it. It’s hard to achieve just with the heart of cooking. Only a higher level of culinary meaning can do it so gracefully."

The five judges fell silent.

Tiqie Xianzuowen crossed his arms, "Let’s talk about the food itself."

"Fish, shrimp, crab, seaweed..."

"These ingredients are all very common and ordinary, so there’s nothing notable to mention about them."

He stopped talking.

Wise Man Karl took over, "Let’s talk about the detailed cooking techniques. Freezing the broth is a common method of storing it, and you can find guides all over the internet, so I won’t elaborate here."

"The key is, why is the seafood broth frozen into a mountain so clear, like water?"

Reminded by him, the audience gasped.

The camera refocused on the nearly half-melted Five-fingered Ice Mountain on the stage, leaving people deeply shocked.

Logically, the broth shouldn’t be as clear and translucent as water, yet this pure white ice mountain showed the audience how "white" it really was. But "white" doesn’t mean flavorless; on the contrary, from the incessant praises of the judges, the soup was very flavorful.

"And then, it’s the fish and the sauce inside the fish!" Yan Qi finally pointed out the core of the dish, "This is what builds the soul of the culinary world!"

"Yes, the soul core that connects the past, present, and future!"

Wise Man Karl and Xianzuowen nodded in agreement.

"The culinary meaning of ’mountain,’ combined with ’Dragon Pot’ sauce, I didn’t expect it could make the dish’s content so profound!" Wise Man Karl added, "On behalf of IGO’s vice-chairman, I grant this dish the ’Qilin Level One Star’ rating!"

The venue fell silent for a moment, then burst into long-lasting applause.

A Qilin Level One Star dish!

And with the rating given by three sages of IGO, its value was undeniable, beyond any doubt!

"Yay~"

Tang Yuqiong couldn’t contain herself any longer, waving her fists joyfully.

"My concept was right!" she excitedly said to Tang Shan, "This recipe can leverage the power of the ’Dragon Pot’ sauce and also blend in elder’s culinary meaning..."

Tang Shan chuckled and said, "Aqiong, you have once again taken a solid step towards the Qilin Gate. Since Wise Man Karl has judged this Qilin-level recipe of yours, shouldn’t you give it a name now?"

The audience looked puzzled.

What’s going on here?

From Tang Yuqiong’s words, this newly introduced Qilin recipe had been her own creation, with Tang Shan merely providing the ’mountain’ element of the recipe, seemingly replaceable with other elements.

"Name...?" Tang Yuqiong rested her chin on her hand. "No rush! Let me think about it!"

Seeing this, the judges nodded at one another.

"Let’s move on to the next booth!"

With Tiqie Xianzuowen leading the way, he, Karl, and Yan Qi walked together toward Cooking Station 2.

Here, Li Han and Lan Chuhai were already waiting.

The judges and guests approached the five iron pots.

The timing was delicate, as the attention of the entire venue shifted from Cooking Station 3 to Cooking Station 2, just as the flames under the five large Chinese iron pots went out.

The burning scent of alcohol gradually faded, yet at the same time, the rich aroma of roasted yams took over the stage.

As the camera faced the iron pots, thud, thud, thud!

The audience could not help but stand up, their eyes wide, expressions crumbled.

"Is it really a giant egg?"

"An egg reborn from the flames?"

"I really want to taste it!"

Clap, clap, clap!

The applause rang out, and after Wise Man Karl scrutinized it for a few moments, he pointed at the layer of yam strands in the iron pot and praised, "Attention to detail. Clearly, aged wine was used to ignite and sear, yet the yams show not the slightest sign of charring. This mastery of Fire Control is enough to make many Lin Chefs blush!"

Li Han waved his hand dismissively: "It’s nothing!"

His face stiffened slightly.

A young man with mastery of the "Bursting Flame" technique was watching at his side, and Li Han hardly dared to boast, repressing his feelings, which vexed him greatly.

"How interesting, roasting it wrapped in salt. What will the duck inside taste like?"

The judges gathered around one of the iron pots.

"How do we eat it?" Tiqie Xianzuowen asked, arms crossed.

"Very simple!"

Li Han replied, and with a clenched fist, he raised his hand and smashed it down on the warm giant egg in the pot!

Crack!

Instantly, a layer of salt "eggshell" shattered noisily.

"It smells wonderful!"

The judges and guests’ expressions changed immediately.

The inconspicuous host on the outskirts discreetly wiped away drool.

Sweat appeared on their faces, and Chief Judge Nuliang stared at a salt-roasted duck, its half-body emerging from the shattered salt, which after being roasted had not turned yellow but had become even whiter, shiny and fine as if reborn from within the egg.

He stared intently, his eyes flashing with intense desire for food.

"Would you like to try a taste? Inside this egg, there is an undying flavor!" Lan Chuhai said softly.

"Undying flavor?"

Gulp!

The redhead judge couldn’t resist and blurted out, "Aaah, I can’t take it anymore, I’ll go crazy if I hold back any longer! Eat, eat, eat!"

Yelling, his hand reached for the still-hot salt-roasted duck, and with a splat, he tore off a large duck leg, the camera capturing the tiny detail of the meat fibres breaking apart, making them appear tender, fluffy, and as delicate as a tuft of cotton, sending people’s appetites soaring.

The redhead judge bit into the duck leg, eyes wide and bloodshot, frozen for several seconds before he continued to chew and exclaimed, "Hot, hot, hot!"

"...So delicious it could melt my tongue!"

Seeing this, the other four judges also began to eat, not using chopsticks or even putting on disposable thin gloves, but just using their hands ripping off duck wings and legs, stuffing them into their mouths.