Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 111 Surging Yellow Dragon? Such an interesting bargaining chip, wouldn't it be a pity to leave too early? (4K Second Update)
Holy crap? Did I just find a treasure?!

Who, who on earth blinded my titanium alloy eyes? I need to know their name immediately.

[The arm patch number is XC1Z0291444. Does anyone know where to find the link?]

No, I recommend keeping an eye on the interviews after the auditions. With such a big event, it's bound to get on the news!

While netizens were discussing Xia Ming's identity, the middle-aged proctor was carefully arranging cucumbers.

Although the cucumber belongs to the program organizer (China Chefs Association), it won't stop him from taking a picture as a souvenir when cleaning up after this batch of contestants leaves and before the next batch arrives.

It's important to know that the vast majority of the materials cut in the knife skills test end up being used as staff meals for the employees.

Even the diced carrots that Guan Chongyun cut on the side couldn't be avoided.

However, this work, which showcases the ultimate knife skills, will most likely be reported as a typical example. In this case, it will naturally not be sent to the kitchen to be used as ingredients for mass-produced meals.

Just then, the door to the knife skills competition room was carefully pushed open.

Three staff members dressed in blue came in from outside and, without disturbing other exams, carried the cucumber slices that Xia Ming had cut from the stove to the invigilator's table.

The middle-aged proctors were very cooperative because they knew the examiners were reviewers.

After the three staff members in blue uniforms stretched the cucumbers to their maximum size, the final result was displayed clearly on the live stream screen.

Original cucumber length: 29.2cm

[Final length of the cucumber: 159.2cm]

The cucumber slices were even and thin, like A4 paper. The entire knife skills assessment took 1 minute and 47 seconds.

[After a second on-site assessment by the "Special Task Force," the data was confirmed to be authentic and valid.]

[The final score awarded to contestant number XC1Z0291444 is 100 points.]

[This is also the first perfect scorer in the knife skills category of this year's "New Chef Competition" preliminary rounds]

Netizens who saw this scene gasped in shock.

Slicing cucumbers as thin as cicada wings may not be considered a particularly high-level skill in today's era of short videos.

But to cut the "strawberry cucumber" like this in such a short time, netizens can only think that Xia Ming is a "kitchen knife master" reincarnated!

More importantly, Xia Ming was the first person to get a perfect score in the knife skills section on the first day.

Without a doubt, with the competition being heavily promoted by the authorities, a post-match interview is definitely in order!

With such a commotion, the contestants present were no fools.

No matter how lenient the judges were, they could still sense that something big had happened in the room.

In some exams with relatively simple questions, after cutting the paper but before ringing the bell, I would subconsciously glance at the long table in front of me.

Then he fell silent, leaving only a churning sadness in his heart.
"Monster! Where did this monster come from? He has the ability to study under a prestigious school, open a class, and take on apprentices. Doesn't he think it's beneath him to come to the New Chef Competition?"

"Please, stop showing off! Give us ordinary people a chance to survive!"

"I suddenly want to withdraw from the competition."

"Heh, a group of 50 people, two inheritors, one freak, what sins did I commit to get into this group!"

Even Guan Chongyun, who had just finished dicing, was startled by Xia Ming's actions.

The more systematic the training, the more valuable Xia Ming's skills become.
Taking a deep breath, Guan Chongyun glanced at Xia Ming, who had already packed up the box and was now looking around, and a strange chill rose in his heart.

"This guy is definitely a major obstacle on my road to winning the championship!"

Perhaps influenced by Xia Ming's performance, the three proctors subtly raised their expectations slightly when facing the other contestants in this group.

This resulted in some players who could have barely made it through being eliminated in this round.

In the end, the group had only 19 members left, including Xia Ming.

Aside from Xia Ming's 100 points, Guan Chongyun got 89 points, Qiao Ruoning got 91 points, and there was also a chubby-looking contestant who got 85 points.

As he walked out, Xia Ming glanced at the contestant's name tag and noticed that his name was "Ma Lei," a very ordinary name.

"This guy's test question should be slicing radishes. From what I observed, his technique was steady, and he sliced ​​them quite thinly, so he should have some skill."

After passing the knife skills test, the staff took the remaining 19 people to another area.

There was a pile of iron pots neatly arranged here, and a rag for padding hands was placed next to them.

"Congratulations on passing the knife skills stage. The next step is to test another basic skill of the chef."

"Toss the wok".

"Did you all notice? There's a large screen in front of the stove. It's a comparison device specially designed for this competition."

"According to the rules, you will be tested on three aspects: oiling, tossing, and reducing sauce. Only those who score 75 points or higher in the final comprehensive test will be able to advance."

"Note that although the machine is waterproof and dustproof, please do not over-operate it, otherwise it may be judged as a failure in advance."

After listening to the staff member, Xia Ming found the corresponding location based on his number and began to observe the things in front of him.

A single-handled iron wok that looks rather oily, a 60ml bottle of water, a 150g bottle of quartz sand, and a 100ml bottle of light red watermelon juice.

According to the test prompts on the side, Xia Ming needs to first complete the basic "lubricating oil" test using 60ml of water.

Pour water into the pot, then use a spoon to simulate sliding motions, ensuring the pot and spoon move stably. After 30 repetitions, the result can be determined.

This question was not difficult at all. Xia Ming slid 30 times in the same position as required, and the screen showed 98 points.

Then came the most difficult part of the entire exam.
Toss the wok.

After pouring out the water, use 150g of quartz sand to simulate the food, and then flip the food to a specified height according to the instructions.

Ultimately, the quality of the product is determined by the quartz sand scattered on the table, which is detected by the stove underneath.

Looking at the 150g of quartz sand in the pot, Xia Ming felt a little amused.

It's important to know that in the Blood Blade Sect's kitchen on the Nine Provinces Continent, cooking large pot meals is an essential skill for all chefs with the third-level skill or higher, and similarly, the ability to flip the wok is also a required course.

Of course, unlike in the city, the wok tossing there can be aided by cultivation, so there is absolutely no such thing as food splashing. In fact, even the spiritual energy is locked inside the food.

But this doesn't mean Xia Ming didn't practice flipping a wok without any cultivation level.

"A man who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present. If all my culinary skills rely on my cultivation, what if one day I go to a 'secret place on a precipice' and my cultivation is locked away? Wouldn't I be finished?"

Although the probability was very low, Xia Ming still did some practice for it.

So, faced with this "flipping the wok" challenge, Xia Ming didn't hesitate at all. He picked up the wok with his left hand and started pushing it in front of him.

At first, only small black ripples appeared on the surface of the pot, but gradually, the ripples grew bigger and bigger and surged higher and higher.

Finally, it formed an arc in mid-air resembling a black sand waterfall. This high-flying overturn naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding invigilators.

One of the proctors was a student of a "Level 7" master chef from Sichuan and Chongqing, and had considerable expertise in wok tossing.

Seeing Xia Ming's actions, he immediately covered his forehead.

"What is that? A surging yellow dragon???"

"Are you kidding me? Someone in the 'New Chef Competition' used the master technique 'Surging Yellow Dragon'???"

Upon discovering this, he quickly found a good angle and stared intently at Xia Ming.

The quartz sand in Xia Ming's pot seemed to be part of his body, churning and swirling in mid-air, resembling a giant dragon soaring freely in the sky when viewed from the side.

Although it was slightly different from the scene I remembered seeing the founder use this move, it was clear that the boy in front of me had reached an amazing level of control over the pot.

Of course, mastering the art of wok tossing is not a skill that Chinese cuisine chefs necessarily need to learn, and the assessment criteria for this part are not very strict.

However, it's important to know that within Chinese cuisine, there's a subgenre called "Cooking Art," which stands for "Chinese Culinary Arts Performance."

Simply put, it means performing difficult actions or handling difficult ingredients while preparing ingredients, using one's superb professional skills.

Overseas, it is often referred to as "fancy cooking" or "kung fu cooking".

Similar techniques exist in Western cuisine, known overseas as "Acrobatic Cooking." In the examiner's memory, there was an ice cream and dessert chef from "Turkey Country" who particularly enjoyed playing these little tricks.

However, because he was too provocative, he was often beaten by customers and always carried wound medicine with him. But even with the medicine on, it didn't stop him from showing off his skills; it had become an instinct.

Among Chinese dishes, Yangzhou fried rice is probably the most well-known.

Basically, Yangzhou fried rice priced above 300 yuan carries some of this characteristic, because at the end, the chef will lift the fried rice, which has been completely fried until the sauce has evaporated, with a spoon.

At this moment, the fried rice, like gold falling from the sky, interacted with the wok, and through constant tossing, the flavors of all the ingredients were blended together.

Authentic Yangzhou fried rice is absolutely delicious, but whether it's worth the price of several hundred yuan is a matter of opinion.
In the short time it took the proctor to be distracted, Xia Ming's wok-flipping test was over.

Final score: 100, because there wasn't a single piece of trash left on the desktop.
The subsequent juice-reducing part was basically a freebie, and Xia Ming scored 99 points after completing it.

Once he got to this place, he realized that it wasn't that his movements were incorrect or that there was a problem with his operation.

It's simply that the machine is subjectively limiting the players' scores.

Xia Ming's score is already outrageous enough. He got almost full marks in all three categories. If it were any of the other average contestants in the same group, they would be lucky to get 80.

After all, the test of tossing the wok requires tossing the quartz sand to a height of 36cm from the wok, which is quite difficult for a new chef.

Ultimately, after this round of assessments, only 11 members remained in the group, and then the staff took them to the next venue.

The question for this round is "seasoning".

The examiners randomly selected a sauce, and the contestants tasted it and described its composition.

One point is deducted for each wrong answer, and two points are added for each correct answer. You can pass the level if your final score exceeds 10.

Guan Chongyun scored 17 points in this round, while Qiao Ruoning scored a perfect 20 points.

As for Xia Ming
He reproduced the formula on the spot, which startled the examiner so much that he immediately ordered the staff to pour out the bottle of test paper and replace it with another one.

This ability, comparable to the "God Tongue," earned him 7 seconds of screen time.

In reality, he mostly relied on his nose to identify materials; as for his tongue, he was just slightly more dexterous than the average person.

Because it was their second meeting, the audience still remembered Xia Ming. In addition, this time the seasoning session was a one-on-one session, so the camera was very close to him.

Finally, netizens were able to see the name tag on Xia Ming's chest.

[So this boy's name is Xia Ming, what a nice name.]

[Wow, that's amazing! People who can crack a recipe with just one bite are practically insane. They can just go to a popular restaurant, take a bite, and basically replicate it perfectly!]

[It's not guaranteed that you can tell just by eating it; even Sui Wubai has his limits!]

【When you mentioned Sui Wubai, I suddenly felt like I recognized him! Could he be the champion of "One Meal to Fame"?】

I saw him on the TV show "The Taste of Life." The insect feast he prepared there made Jia Bing absolutely ecstatic.

Which variety show is hosted by Nicholas Tse? Which episode? I'll go check it now~

As the name was revealed, some netizens' long-buried memories began to awaken.

Xia Ming's appearance was quite outstanding among the contestants, and some bloggers from Douyin or Bilibili who came for inspiration easily identified him.

This is exactly what he wanted to see.

"Even in the preliminary rounds, as long as you gain the initial advantage, you can still attract a wave of public opinion."

"When you're unknown, everything you do will be ignored; when you're famous, everything you do will be seen. So whether you become famous through controversy or through popularity, the prerequisite is to become famous first!"

He believes that with the first day of auditions over, he should soon be marked as a "star contestant".

Looking at Xia Ming, who was calm and composed, Guan Chongyun felt an inexplicable pressure.

Not only did he not taste a single ingredient in the seasoning, but he also got one wrong. In his eyes, the final score of 17 was very unsatisfactory.

After all, he always felt that Qiao Ruoning was no match for him.
Now things are really messed up. Not only was he overshadowed by Qiao Ruoning, but this Xia Ming, who appeared out of nowhere, has completely stolen his spotlight.

"I don't recall any family with the surname Xia being particularly famous for their cuisine. Could he be the son of Xia Yitian, the 'Master Chef of China' who once stirred up the culinary world?"

Just as Guan Chongyun was pondering Xia Ming's origins...
In a dark room, hidden somewhere unknown.

A man wearing an owl mask narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the live stream of the "New Chef Competition".

Then, he turned his head and looked at the large data screen on his right, which not only clearly displayed the information of 88 star players, but also marked the specific amount below them.

Three of the cards were already blacked out. If Xia Ming were there, he would definitely recognize the boy he had seen at the hotel earlier among them.

The man in the owl mask pondered for a moment while looking at the big screen, then reached out and flicked away a player whose image had been blacked out. With a gentle dribble, he placed Xia Ming's image back on.

Then, he looked at the laptop on his right, which displayed a series of avatars and numbers.

Anyone who regularly watches football will immediately recognize this as a "football betting odds table," except the bet has changed from football to chefs.
The table shows everything from the preliminary rounds and semi-finals to the championship, including the number of points earned and even the number of people advancing from a particular group.

The man first lowered Xia Ming's odds based on the comprehensive coefficient, and then filled in the amount of 8 on the wall next to him.

But just as he was about to press the publish button, his hand suddenly stopped.

"Forget it, such an interesting game, it would be too much of a loss to exit too early. Let's not put it up for now and see what happens next."

As he spoke, he stared at Xia Ming's card, his eyes narrowing into two invisible slits.

"Since I've already shown you such leniency, I just hope you'll try your best to prove yourself!"

(End of this chapter)