CHAPTER 992: CHAPTER 991: THE CEREMONY (PART 1)

The next morning, the ceremony for bestowing the title of "Kirin Child" proceeded as scheduled.

The impact of this event was said to be even greater than Xia Yu’s defeat of Huang He. When you review the past eleven generations of "Kirin Child," you’d find that among them, nearly 90% ultimately rose to prominence, becoming the respected leaders of the Chinese Cuisine World.

It’s important to note that even the current leader, Dragon Head Zhu Ji, is a "Kirin Child" himself, having been personally named by the female Dragon Head of his era. Coincidentally, the death of the eleventh Kirin Child, Chen Dingbang, is a rare exception, leaving the position vacant for a full decade.

In a certain sense, Chinese chefs regard the person bestowing the title of Kirin Child as the next leader.

Thus,

today’s ceremony is akin to choosing a successor, a "Crown Prince."

In the morning, celebrities walked the red carpet and gathered in the main building of the ’White Jade Tower.’

This main building resembles a tower in appearance, but its footprint is much larger than conventional towers. From the steps outside, with white jade rails as a backdrop, the view is purely white. The large tower is completely constructed from white bricks and tiles, forming a seamless unity as the sun slowly rises from the east to the sky, casting its light down and making the white tower glisten brilliantly.

The light dazzled, leaving people mesmerized.

This is the origin of the name ’White Jade Tower.’

The master of ceremonies, in wide robes and a cap, stood at the foot of the stairs, and sang aloud: "Welcome Chef Xia——"

Xia Yu and his party walked on the red carpet.

Ye Feizhou led the way. Along the route, some famous chefs and celebrities made way spontaneously, moving to the sides, casting kind glances and nodding to the young man dressed in formal attire. Along the way were specialized and Lin chefs who paused and slightly bowed their heads, expressing respect and awe for a Dragon Chef.

"Ha."

As he walked, Xia Yu suddenly yawned, aware of numerous cameras following him, he quickly raised his hand to cover himself.

At this moment, his arm was wrapped by soft hands, and a fragrant breeze swept through as Zhu Qing leaned close, "Didn’t sleep well last night? Was it because you were too excited about soon becoming the Crown Prince that you stayed awake all night?"

In a playful whisper, Zhu Qing pointed to the white giant building not far away, speaking with an air of maturity, "Rest assured, coming here is almost like coming home."

Xia Yu’s mouth curled slightly, but his smile was subtle.

Excited?

Perhaps, but absolutely not about being "Crown Prince" or "Kirin Child," as these titles are merely useless vanity in his view. What excites Xia Yu was the immediate breakthrough in a culinary technique after casting 3 ’Stones of Origin’ last night, which he delightedly played with for most of the night. By the time he lay down to rest, dawn had already broken outside.

The party of four stopped at the foot of the stairs, gazing up at the tall tower.

An overwhelming sense of awe greeted them as if witnessing a marvel.

Sen Tian Makoto stood in a daze. Even Tigi Helinai, who had seen many grand occasions, did not react much better than a girl from an ordinary family, her mouth slightly agape.

It’s fitting to say that it’s a magnificent structure akin to a sacred place in the Chinese Cuisine World!

"This is the White Jade Tower," Ye Feizhou said.

Xia Yu observed the white tower and suddenly remarked, "Speaking of which, to conquer this White Jade Tower, there are three people blocking me: two pavilion masters and one Dragon Head."

Ye Feizhou’s smile suddenly froze.

"Brother Xia, you..." Stuck for a while, Ye Feizhou asked in an unsure tone, "Are you planning to..."

The phrase "cause trouble" was stuck in his throat and couldn’t be uttered.

Zhu Qing, Makki, and Eriina all stared at him with wide eyes.

Xia Yu waved his hand, "If I do cause trouble, now isn’t the time. Otherwise, it would be like ruining my own event."

"So it will be later?" Zhu Qing was startled.

Ye Feizhou was drenched in cold sweat: "Well, my three masters seem to have no past grievances with Brother Xia."

Even with Ye Feizhou’s restraint, he couldn’t help but internally complain, what grudge, what enmity, and the first visit left behind such provocative words. Thinking of how the ’White Cloud Pavilion’ was vacated in just a few days after Huang He lost, a drop of cold sweat unfurled on his forehead.

Being targeted by the Demon King is a massive crisis!

After a brief interlude, the group officially ascended the tower, reaching the grand hall on the ground floor.

To call it a marvelous tower is not an exaggeration; the interior space can rival the lobby of a five-star hotel in a skyscraper. The venue had already been set up in the hall, and aside from tables, chairs, shooting equipment, there were only five people present.

Dragon Head Zhu Ji, Dark World leader Yan Qi.

Two pavilion masters, Kong Chun, Wei An.

’Tianji Star’ Wu Tong.

Xia Yu stood at the door, while Zhu Qing and Ye Feizhou led Sen Tian Makoto and Tiqie Helinai up the stairs to the second floor to be seated.

Standing on the ground level and looking up, the upper levels were densely populated, the railings on the second and third floors were crowded with guests. Xia Yu spotted the old man Xia Qing on the second floor, alongside Lan Fengxian, Li Wannian, and other Dragon Chefs. On the third floor, most guests were unfamiliar faces, and going further up to the fourth and fifth floors, the young faces became blurred, presumably apprentices and disciples of the White Jade Tower.

At a glance, the distribution in the seating area resembled a grand opera house, with the stage front and center, catching everyone’s attention.

This is the largest culinary venue on the Chinese Land!

A sacred place!

...

The formal ceremony was quite cumbersome in its proceedings. First, Kong Chun recited the golden roster and reminisced about the lives of the previous eleven Kirin Children. Xia Yu appeared to listen intently on the surface, but he had already communicated with the system, entering a mysterious space to "play with fire."

After approximately an hour of lengthy procedures, finally came the moment for drawing lots and choosing a topic.

This was where Xia Yu would draw a topic from a golden bottle and improvise on the spot. After all, a small test and a performance-like culinary display were necessary. Xia Yu was not averse to this and drew a topic.

The master of ceremonies took the paper slip and announced: "Carp!"

Xia Yu slightly raised an eyebrow.

Is it a topic about the ’Carp’ ingredient?

"Clang——"

The logistics team was well prepared. As the master of ceremonies announced the topic, a seafood cart was brought onto the stage. In the clear water, several large Mountain Carp swam around with agile bodies.

Whispers arose in the venue.

Using ’Carp’ as an ingredient to prepare a dish? It sounds rather commonplace, as any chef with a bit of experience could use carp to make many dishes.

"The key is not in the topic but in the ingredient itself," Xia Yu internally shook his head.

"Having Carp as the topic is not the issue, but the carp provided by the White Jade Tower, even the high-quality Mountain Carp, is useless for Dragon-level recipes or Dragon-level dishes, and could even have adverse effects..."

With this thought, Xia Yu tugged at the corners of his mouth, struggling to feign a smile.

The topic and main ingredient limited much of his creative space. This meant he had to use ordinary seafood to cook a Dragon-level fish soup within a narrow scope.

The difficulty...

He couldn’t help but glance at those five bigshots.

Xia Yu’s mind was flooded with complaints; he wanted to raise a big middle finger to the seemingly stern and humorless Dragon Head in the center, to say, "Did we not agree to simply go through the motions?"

This is a trap!

Zhu Ji obviously noticed his gaze, and there was a trace of an indescribable playful smile in his eyes.

Referring to the Chinese Cuisine World’s fate through "Kirin Child," it’s not something one simply assumes. Remember back then, I...

The elder’s thoughts stuck, revealing an unmentionable past.

"Cough!" Zhu Ji deliberately slowed his voice, "Now, I invite Chef Xia to use this Mountain Carp as an ingredient, with a limit of 2 hours cooking time, to prepare a top-quality dish for us five old folks."

He further extended his tone, adding: "Attention, it must be a Dragon-level dish that matches your culinary skill."

On the second floor, Xia Qing, Zhu Qing, and others’ expressions changed in unison.

Even Ye Feizhou was surprised and puzzled, his smile gradually fading.

He looked down at those five elders seated in the main hall, noting their stern faces, working diligently to create a tense and murderous atmosphere. Yet inexplicably, he felt an amusing contradiction to the atmosphere.

Trying to curb the arrogance of Demon King Xia?

A power show?

For whatever reason, Ye Feizhou couldn’t shake the feeling that they might be shooting themselves in the foot.

The master of ceremonies approached and softly spoke to Xia Yu: "You have a quarter hour to prepare, so please choose your recipe and provide us with a list of additional ingredients aside from the carp."

"Alright, let me think it over carefully!"

Xia Yu rubbed his eyebrows and replied, not deliberately concealing his perception that this "formality" was indeed challenging.

Upon witnessing this, ’Tianji Star’ Wu Tong had a gleam of hidden coldness in his eyes.