CHAPTER 801: CHAPTER 800: FOOD WAR OF DRAGONS (PART 1)

"Dong!"

The distant chime of the clock spread across the Huangpu River at midnight.

This chime announced the grand opening of the "Soaring Dragon Hall" on the Loulin Ship!

Xia Yu followed Zhu Qing into the hall, observing in awe.

Magnificent!

Like an opulent theater, three layers of seats surrounded the spacious main stage, and lanterns adorned every corner.

There were a total of nine golden dragon columns supporting the dome.

The judging area was also noteworthy, set against the backdrop of the Dragon Wall, located in the north, with five carved redwood chairs, each occupied, indicating all five judges were present!

The three-tiered audience seats were packed, with Xia Yu and Zhu Qing sitting at the highest point.

"Old man—"

Suddenly, Xia Yu glanced towards a staircase.

The sides competing in the food duel stepped out from separate passages, facing each other at two opposing culinary stations.

One of the elderly figures first removed his hood, revealing a head of flowing white hair and a spirited face.

He stood in his trademark posture, arms crossed, wearing that familiar cool expression.

For some reason, Xia Yu felt a rush of warmth in his eyes, a tingling sensation in his throat, as if he could not hold back from yelling.

"Shh!"

Zhu Qing swiftly reached out to cover his mouth, "The old fellow may not know we’re on the ship. Before the great battle, let’s not disturb his spirit."

The hall was silent, yet the two thousand people seemed like shadows flickering in the air.

"Huang He!"

A sudden shout exploded in the hall, full of force.

Xia Qing glared at his opponent at the culinary station, "Do you have any remorse to this day?"

The opponent of the old man was also an elderly figure.

Despite both being older, Xia Qing and the Dragon Venerable belonged to the robust type, akin to ancient warriors capable of donning armor, riding horses, and wielding swords into battle.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Venerable, Huang He, from the White Jade Tower, was hunched, his stature bent, and his aura was overshadowed by Xia Qing.

Upon hearing the challenge, Huang He merely shook his head, replying indifferently, "Xia Qing, you’re too naive. For those as strong as us, everything we do is from the heart. Right and wrong are relative. I believe I am not wrong, so why feel guilty?"

"Back then, you spread the news that my Xia Family possessed the Chef God’s Secret Record, and you were the first to extricate yourself. And you feel no remorse?" A stream of sarcastic laughter echoed, making the skylight rumble.

Xia Yu listened, bewildered.

Zhu Qing beside him cast a hateful glance at the hunched elder.

Then she gently tugged Xia Yu’s sleeve, whispering, "Yu, take a good look at these hypocrites. There’s no natural disaster in this world; everything is man-made. Aren’t you curious why the Xia Family was forced overseas, and about your parents? It all relates to that event back then. Ten years ago, two major events happened in the Chinese Realm..."

Dang!

Her words were cut off by the piercing drum sound.

Xia Qing approached the golden drum, picked up the drumstick, and struck forcefully, the solemn and murderous sound reverberating through the hall.

"Let’s begin!"

Once the sound faded, Xia Qing threw the drumstick to the stunned Food Duel Master of Ceremonies, returning to his culinary station.

The Master of Ceremonies swallowed nervously, announcing, "So let’s have the five judges reveal themselves!"

Thus, the five judges who had arrived early unveiled their hoods one by one.

All were familiar faces.

The atmosphere in the hall grew even more eerie.

Among the five judges, Xia Yu recognized Yan Qi. As the leader of the Dark World, he was not the head judge but was seated to the right of a distinguished elder.

Zhu Qing had gone silent, clearly stunned by the impressive array of judges.

It took a while for her to tremble out a sentence, "Elder Yan, Elder Lan, Elder Li, Elder Wei, and that person, these five individuals represent the most elite panel in today’s Chinese Realm! All are ancient monsters!"

Elder Yan is Yan Qi.

Who are Elder Lan, Elder Li, and Elder Wei?

And that person...?

Xia Yu felt completely baffled.

"Elder Lan is the Patriarch of the Lan Family, the grandfather of Lan Chuhai."

"Elder Li, the Patriarch of the Li Family, Li Han should call him great-grandfather."

"Elder Wei might be the youngest here, around sixty, overseeing the Imperial Chefs, the Head Chef of the Forbidden City."

Zhu Qing explained hurriedly.

There are people at the great-grandfather level?

Xia Yu felt utterly bewildered; to be capable of moving around and serving as judges at such advanced ages was exceptionally robust, almost defying logic.

The key was still the one in the middle.

"The leader is here too!" Zhu Qing murmured quietly.

As if sensing the gaze from the third-tier audience, the leader of the Chinese Realm seated in the middle as the chief judge glanced up, frowning slightly.

Hmph!

Zhu Qing sneered, seemingly indifferent to the leader’s imposing manner.

Beside her, Xia Yu broke out in cold sweat, feeling overwhelmed.

This kind of indiscriminate AOE-style aura attack was perfectly defended by Zhu Qing, but Xia Yu, just by being swept by those eyes, felt his heart involuntarily constrict, his body stiffening.

"Let’s begin—"

Retracting his gaze, the leader in the middle spoke in a deep voice.

"As for the food duel topic..."

Both Xia Qing and Huang He looked towards the judges’ panel.

Xia Yu held his breath, "Is it decided by the leader on the spot?"

"Rice!"

Only a single word from the leader.

"Our Chinese Realm’s history of rice cultivation dates back a long, long time ago. So, this food duel will revolve around ’Rice’ as the main ingredient, cooking any dish!"

"Moreover!"

The leader fixed his gaze on Xia Qing, his eyes gleaming, "Rice must be ordinary rice, but other ingredient qualities are not limited!"

The hall remained completely silent.

For Xia Yu, accustomed to lively stages, this oppressive and quiet atmosphere was quite unsettling.

No cheers, no discussions, with each cloak-clad audience seeming nonexistent, like virtual projections.

Rice!

Xia Yu murmured, eyes sparkling.

Speaking of dishes with rice as the main ingredient, there are countless possibilities. Directly addressing the topic with cooked rice could lead to a feast.

Being more creative, crushed rice, rice flour, and similar alternatives can vastly broaden accessible recipes.

The food duel topic was quite ordinary.

But the duel contestants were far from ordinary.

The old man was a Dragon Chef, and the one named Huang He was also a Dragon Chef.

So, what kind of dishes focused on ’rice’ could be presented by Dragon Chefs? Xia Yu couldn’t help but anticipate.

He had a vague premonition; he might gain an unexpected insight.

The quiet food duel commenced.

Both Xia Qing and Huang He spent about 10 minutes temporarily arranging their recipes.

A quarter hour later, two ingredient carts rumbled onto the scene.

The ingredients of both Dragon Chefs made Xia Yu’s eyes twitch.

"A White Crane?"

He glanced at Huang He’s ingredient cart, spotting a cage containing a large bird over a meter in length, entirely snow-white, with a crimson head crest, unmistakably the noble White Crane.

Huang He slaughtered the crane, akin to slaughtering chicken or ducks, cutting its throat, draining the blood, scalding it in hot water, swiftly plucking the feathers.

Then, he dissected its abdomen.

Even after a live crane was fully processed and marinated, Xia Yu couldn’t discern any mystery, frowning, "Is that all for a Dragon-level?"

He held back another unsaid thought:

Why does it feel reverting to a mundane level before reaching specialty?

Suddenly, a burst of golden light flashed through Xia Yu’s sight.

"What?!"