CHAPTER 809: CHAPTER 808: THE STAGE OF THE CHINESE REALM

"It’s about to start..."

As the camera focused on Chef Station No. 1, a few young people arrived late at the guest tent.

Aside from Ye Feizhou, the remaining "Five Chinese Talents" had all rushed to the scene.

Just as he sat down and caught his breath, Tang Yuqiong fired at Li Han, "It’s all because you insisted we wait for you, taking your sweet time and delaying us by an hour, nearly making us miss it!"

"It’s really not my fault; actually, it was the Loulin Ship..." Li Han pleaded for innocence and tried to explain.

Dang!

Just then, the ten o’clock bell rang precisely, and the male emcee on stage held a scroll with the topic written on it. He happened to notice the four latecomers and shot a curious glance their way, but his hands moved steadily, snapping the scroll straight open.

Thus, the topic, in black letters on a white background, was clearly captured by the cameras.

Countless pairs of eyes, either on site or in front of various screens, fixed tightly on the letters on the scroll—

"Fragrance!"

Just one word, in square and upright calligraphy.

"Fragrance?"

Only after a moment did the sound of inhalation ripple through the venue, spreading a stir throughout the entire hall and even the entire metropolis.

"Was a word missing?"

Inside a business plaza in Shanghai, Zhu Qing and Zhao Tong were in the mall elevator. Hearing the sounds echoing from the floors, they involuntarily paused their playful chatter, slightly squinted and gazed at the big screen in a restaurant next to the elevator, expressions turning peculiar.

"Fragrance?" Zhao Tong twitched her ear, pondered briefly, then laughed, "Aqing, I guess this ’Fragrance’ refers to the word in the culinary six-word formula ’appearance, fragrance, taste, form, meaning, nutrition’. After all, this is a collision of young heroes in the culinary field; the essence of the words has long been firmly held within this domain inside, they cannot deviate, otherwise, it would be off-topic!"

"I know!"

Zhu Qing’s peculiar expression transformed into a frantic regret, "Quick, let’s go back, stop shopping! Whose idea was this topic, wasn’t it like hitting a gun barrel? If only I had known earlier..."

Zhao Tong could only let her friend pull her along, listening to Zhu Qing’s delicate reprimand, secretly curious.

Hitting the gun barrel? Is that referring to hitting the gun barrel with the topic?

At the venue.

"The word ’Fragrance’, when expanded in the culinary field, could refer to the scent perceived by the nose or the actual taste sensed by the tongue... Or, standing at a higher level, representing the seasoning standard of a whole dish!"

Wei An said this to Kong Chun.

The two Dragon Chefs from the White Jade Tower also whispered under the influence of the atmosphere.

"Hmm, this topic is well-designed!" Kong Chun, who appeared like a skinny scholar, around fifty years old, with graying sideburns and bright eyes, "Approaching from a sensory angle, it’s the nose’s sense of smell, the tongue’s taste."

"Or, simply start from the basic seasoning of the dishes; reaching the ultimate in ’seasoning’ is a perfect interpretation of this exam topic!"

Kong Chun said this as if he was trying to approach the topic from his own perspective.

Wei An laughed heartily, "Mr. Kong, do you think any of the young heroes present can truly elevate ’seasoning’ to its pinnacle? If this were the Lin Chef’s Food Duel topic..."

The words abruptly stopped.

Clearly, a shadow suddenly emerged in Wei An’s mind, haunting him persistently!

"Don’t forget that No.1 contestant." Kong Chun slightly maintained decorum, "Honestly, I still find it hard to believe that this generation could produce another underage Lin Chef. It’s not that I doubt Qing Lian’s discerning ability, but this matter is too implausible. Ever since those batch of prodigies faded away, the Chinese Realm hasn’t seen such a phenomenon."

He pointed towards the Forbidden City in the north.

"That leader crossed the Qilin Gate at just nineteen."

Upon hearing this, Wei An’s eyes flickered, "That’s why I brought you here today, to this venue to see for yourself—"

Pa!

At this point, Wei An heavily slapped the armrest of his chair, casting a serious gaze at the conspicuous No.1 Chef Station, "Seeing is believing! Let’s hope he..."

While the two chatted, hundreds of young talents who knew the topic seemed like they were sitting an exam, with their heads lowered, frowning and thinking.

The camera and broadcast screen focused on Chef Station No. 1.

Understanding the topic at that instant, a flash of surprise crossed Xia Yu’s face.

"Fragrance!"

Feeling an urge to rub his face, but Xia Yu had the self-awareness of a public figure and managed to hold it in, seriously maintaining a facade of deep thought, while secretly wanting to laugh. The reason for wanting to rub his face was simple: to prevent his expression from collapsing, to suppress laughter, especially in a situation where all eyes were on him, the difficulty was considerable.

He didn’t know how many were watching him, focusing on him.

If this were in Japan, the audience might all be dismissed as NPCs, yet breathing the air of this land, with the slightly familiar city buildings in view, a voice seemed to continuously remind Xia Yu:

This is Shanghai!

The Chinese Realm!

He was in Shanghai, on the Chinese Continent!

A distinctly different land, with an even older and vast chef’s world!

The feeling was completely different from when he first returned to compete the previous week. Xia Yu suddenly breathed heavily, unable to control his heartbeat, "Am I excited?"

Again looking at those youths frowning and diligently preparing recipes around him.

With Xia Yu’s current culinary skills and mindset, observing this group of children was like a parent watching kids play at the kindergarten gate. Although rude as it may sound, the difference between a Lin Chef and a Special Chef was like this.

Thus, his excitement had nothing to do with this group of peers.

Swish—

In the guest tent, Wei An and Kong Chun both frowned, meeting the piercing gaze that shot straight from Chef Station No. 1.

"This young man..."

Both older men once walked their own young paths and experienced countless Food Duel wars, couldn’t help but feel the fiery and turbulent spirit in that gaze.

In an instant, the two were taken aback at being treated as prey but subsequently, they were fired up with anger from being underestimated and challenged by a youngster.

The older one gets, the more one values face.

Neither Wei An nor Kong Chun from the Qilu Kong Family would appreciate being considered stepping stones by a youngster and used to admire the high-altitude view.

"Chef Xia, could you share your interpretation of the ’Fragrance’ topic?"

The emcee walked off the judging panel, handing the microphone to Xia Yu.

This unexpected twist rendered the entire venue silent.

Including the peers who were contemplating and preparing recipes; everyone turned their gaze towards him.

Far off at the grand meeting headquarters.

The other two Dragon Chefs, Elder Lan and Elder Li, were also watching television.

Elder Lan gave Wei Qinglian a thumbs up, "Yes, this arrangement is clever. It’s meant to be a stage for young people; adding more elements to enliven the atmosphere also encourages the young generation to strive courageously forward."

On stage, facing the unexpected interview, Xia Yu appeared very composed; none of the countless cameras caught any hint of anxiety on his face.

"Interpretation of ’Fragrance’?"

Xia Yu looked as if pondering.

As the only male member of the judging panel team, the middle-aged emcee was quite experienced, thinking Xia Yu might not know how to start speaking, offered a helpful segue, "Any interpretation is fine; just speak truthfully about what’s in your heart."

"No way!"

Unexpectedly, Xia Yu’s response was just two words.

"Eh?"

The middle-aged emcee was slightly baffled.

Soon after, the adolescent on the screen merely smiled, placing a finger on his lips, "Shush!"

"I don’t want to say; what’s in a chef’s heart is better expressed through food. Saying it is akin to revealing the answer prematurely; wouldn’t that be less interesting?"