CHAPTER 813: CHAPTER 812: GIANTS AND WHALES (PART 1)

The bowl with the whale!

The scene freezes here, as people’s minds fill with the image of the young man collecting the Xuanjing into a glass bowl.

"Collect—"

A light laugh breaks the visual impression.

Xia Yu places the glass bowl on the kitchen counter, then seals the spice bottle with a wooden stopper. The oil bottle must also be carefully sealed shut. Through this hands-on practice, he discovered that "Morse Oil" is simply the best casting material for Blast Flame Cooking Skill.

The former Blast Flame Chef Ya Kan often used explosives to blast rivers or fierce oil to burn ponds, all for the sake of gathering flames to raise the temperature. With "Morse Oil," Xia Yu can carry an amount equivalent to a mineral water bottle to complete a grand bonfire banquet’s culinary execution. Isn’t that more convenient?

"Unfortunately, the ’Morse Oil’ only comes in the quantity gifted with the Shiny Silk-footed Fish from the system, and hasn’t been unlocked for purchase."

As he presented the dish to the judges’ table, Xia Yu was still clicking his tongue in admiration.

He marveled at the beautiful scenery of mastering "Morse Oil", thus confidently presenting this dish. He never puts a failed dish on the table.

"I’ve completed my dish—"

A long queue formed in front of the judges’ table, as the cooking phase neared its end, those capable of advancing past this round were finishing and presenting their dishes for evaluation and scoring.

However, Xia Yu leisurely goes on stage, with crowds of young boys and girls watching him like stars surrounding the moon, as they voluntarily part to make way.

Thus, a large glass bowl appears on the judges’ table.

The emcee, the three female judges, and all the surrounding cameras lock onto the glass bowl.

"Eh, where’s the whale?"

The youngest of the female judges, Mu Xiaoyue, boldly leans out halfway, her round face almost covering the bowl’s rim, searching with wide eyes for the whale image deeply imprinted in her mind.

At this, Yuan Lanzi and the tomboyish chief judge exchange a helpless glance.

"Wake up!" The tomboyish judge reaches out.

A small head receives a light slap, and Mu Xiaoyue sulkily sits back, then her large eyes settle fixedly on Xia Yu, waiting before the table. Her culinary skills ultimately don’t match the two other female judges, though recognized in the influencer circle for her strong assessment abilities, facing a dish that challenges common sense and her worldview, she becomes utterly enthralled.

"Didn’t you get enough of the whale earlier?" Xia Yu remembers Mu Xiaoyue and nods with a light smile asking her.

Mu Xiaoyue shakes her head, "It’s not a matter of getting enough, but..."

She receives another slap on her head and falls silent.

The chief judge from the Yunmengze Chef Alliance stares at the glass bowl containing instant noodles pulled from hot water not long ago, his mouth twitches, and points, "What’s this?"

"It’s Laoding." Xia Yu replies with a smile and hands chopsticks and a bowl to the three women at the table, "This bowl is all there is, you divvy it up, nothing more."

The tomboyish chief judge doesn’t take the chopsticks, while Mu Xiaoyue and Yuan Lanzi do.

"Tell me, how is this bowl of noodles different from other noodles? What’s its specialty?" The chief judge, as expected, is strict, not rushing to taste.

"It’s not noodles, it’s Laoding!"

"Talking about specialties, then..." Xia Yu pauses for a moment, with eyes seemingly sparkling with color, "I reckon this to be the utmost ’fragrance’ my culinary skills can produce. Is this enough?"

Utmost ’fragrance’!

This phrase, aligning with the audition theme, raises a whirlwind within the venue.

"The strongest ’fragrance’ his current culinary skills can produce?" Zhao Qi at the back of the line stares tightly at the glass bowl on the table, sniffs constantly, with intense doubt on his face, "I believe him. But the smell of the dish? Whether noodles or Laoding, why are there no wafting scents?"

According to Zhao Qi and the young talents present, within the scope of the ’fragrance’ theme, a more powerful dish should have a broader influence exerted by its ’fragrance.’

"Fragrance!"

"Yeah, where’s the fragrance?"

At the guest seat, Li Han claps vigorously, and beside him, Tang Yuqiong and Wu Yingying awaken from a daze.

In a corner, a graceful woman lifts her hood from the black cloak, "The fragrance is still there, just hidden away. How did he hide it? Logically, after sautéing, spice dust releases fragrance lines like a break in a dam, the intense smell should be unstoppable, yet he completely covers it up, not letting a single whiff escape..."

Her eyes show evident astonishment.

"Who is he? Has the domestic youth reached such formidable heights?" Lei Aoxue murmurs in surprise.

Outside of Wei An and Kong Chun, likely no one else at the venue truly understands.

"The fragrance is still there!" Wei An stares at the glass bowl, seemingly sensing an unseen hand of flame enclosing the bowl’s rim tightly, the giant whale thus imprisoned.

"Suddenly, I’m looking forward to it!" Kong Chun says deeply.

At this moment, the chillingly quiet venue is disrupted by a question:

"Where’s the ’fragrance’ in the theme?"

The chief judge asks the question everyone is concerned about.

"’Fragrance’?"

"Are you referring to this..."

He bites the word "this" slightly harder, adding emphasis.

Xia Yu takes up the chopsticks the female judge didn’t pick, inserts them into the golden noodles in the glass bowl and places his left hand on the rim of the bowl. For some reason, suddenly veins pop out on his hand.

The chopsticks move with the right hand.

Stir!

The soaked golden noodles blend with the chopsticks, boom!

A wave of fiery heat almost becomes a substantial flame and instantly engulfs the three female judges nearby.

"Roar—"

An indistinct roar.

"I heard it!" Mu Xiaoyue covers her mouth in shock, "It appeared!"

The golden noodles in the bowl shimmer with dazzling golden light. Upon close inspection, it’s a layer of golden stardust.

Seeing this, Yuan Lanzi and the tomboyish chief judge both suddenly realize, "It’s the complex spice dust just sprinkled into this bowl of ’Laoding’!"

A peculiar rich aroma accompanies the heat wave that rushes face on.

Taking a breath, the two women immediately become unsettled, even the gentle Yuan Lanzi, who’s always smiling softly, now has intense appetitive expressions emerging, reacting strongly.

Eat!

The chopsticks in Xia Yu’s hand are snatched away.

The three female judges crowd around the bowl, each taking turns with the chopsticks, after the first bite, their instinctive reaction is to lean back, their eyes enlarging abruptly with a look of utmost bliss.

What, instant noodles?

Main ingredient ordinary?

Compared to the magical "illusionary spice" technique, Xia Yu’s Laoding’s focus is undeniably on the spices or, in other words, the seasoning. As for the main ingredient, according to Xia Yu’s past practice, such spice packets can apply to snacks or even inconspicuous spiced wine. Therefore, what the main ingredient is doesn’t matter at all!

Indeed, there’s no so-called texture; the instant of tasting the noodle strands fills the mouth entirely with ’whale,’ swollen.

A great whale, slippery, roams back and forth in the female judges’ mouths.

Each female judge desperately opens their jaws wider to make the oral cavity larger, with each noodle slightly chewed and swallowed into their stomachs, passing through the throat and esophagus. On their faces emerges pain, as if their bodies are pierced by something immense.

Yet, their faces show pain, but their eyes are already misted with water, pupils shimmering, giving the feeling like a parched land welcoming rain, a wife yearning for nourishment with deep gratitude and joy.

"Ah—"

A scream echoes out from the microphone.