Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 130 Zhu Wuneng's Profile, The Battle for Stars, 200 Advances to 64! (Bonus Chapter for 2K Players)

"Gentlemen's Country, 7th floor of the hotel, Lafras Cuisine"

Xia Yitian lay on a recliner watching Xia Ming's post-match interview.

"Xia Ming, what are your thoughts on the restrictions on ingredients? Do you think it will be difficult?"

Xia Ming blinked naturally.

Are there any restrictions on ingredients? I don't think so.

Xia Yitian burst into laughter upon seeing this.

"This kid is definitely my son; he's got a knack for infuriating people!"

Wen Zhixia, dressed in formal attire, walked over from the side.

"You know you're being offensive? Can't you change your ways?"

Xia Yitian laughed heartily.

"Changed? Impossible. If I changed it, would I still be called Xia Yitian?"

"However, this kid has indeed exceeded my expectations. Now it seems he's no different from some standard 'Hua 5 level' individuals."

"That's really strange. Did I really teach him all that when he was a child?"

Wen Zhixia snorted. Little did she know that this guy had run off to get married and have a child, and she only found out at the very end.

Something's not right, it makes me a little angry!

I feel my fist tighten.
Sensing the murderous aura, Xia Yitian quickly coughed twice.

"Um, Wen Zhixia, is everything arranged?"

Upon hearing Xia Yitian ask about serious matters, Wen Zhixia quickly got into the zone.

"The arrangements have been made. Alphonse Schubert has accepted your challenge, but he has one condition."

Xia Yitian seemed completely unsurprised by this.

"Tell me, what do you want to bet?"

Wen Zhixia frowned slightly.

"Alphonse Schubert said that if you lose, he wants you to join his restaurant on a three-year contract."

Xia Yitian smiled.

"He's really got some nerve! Asking me to join his restaurant? Dream on! With his skills, if I weren't in rehabilitation, he'd really think he was something!"

Wen Zhixia, however, acted very cautiously.

"One day, this is no joke, this is no longer the time period when you left, people grow up!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yitian stood up from the recliner and turned to look at Wen Zhixia.

"Don't you know me? He's just 'Alphonse Schubert.' He lost back then, and I'll make him lose the same way now. Time won't change that."

"Like us, even after so long apart, we still have the same chemistry as before, don't we?"

"Time changes many things, but some things cannot be changed, don't you think?"

As he spoke, Xia Yitian reached out and combed a stray strand of Wen Zhixia's hair back into place. Feeling the warmth of Xia Yitian's fingertips, Wen Zhixia instantly bit her lip.

Then, she saw Xia Yitian's face getting closer and closer.

Her heartbeat quickened and became chaotic. Wen Zhixia felt the rise and fall of her chest, then silently closed her eyes.

After a long while, she still didn't feel the expected warmth. Curious, she opened her eyes and found Xia Yitian standing opposite her, holding his phone.

Just as she was wondering, she saw Xia Yitian hand her his phone.

"Wen Zhixia, look at that hair on your head! That's what kids these days call a 'cowlick'! The picture is hilarious!"

"Wen Zhixia, why aren't you smiling? Are you just naturally averse to smiling?"

Hearing Xia Yitian's cheeky question in her ear, Wen Zhixia finally raised her fist again after initially lowering it.

"You're finished! I'm going to kill you!!!"

"Don't run! You're definitely going to die today!"

"What the hell did I do to deserve this? I'll be your manager! You better not run away, take a hundred punches from me!"

In the corridor outside the hotel, Wen Zhixia launched a fierce attack on Xia Yitian, the intensity of which was comparable to a boxer's fight.

Of course, one is a boxer, and the other is a punching bag!
Two overseas Chinese gentlemen who were passing by were also taken aback by their actions.

The woman asked the man curiously.

"This Chinese woman looks so fierce. Haven't you been to China? Are they all like this there?"

The man thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.

"That's not what I know, but in China, there's a place called Chuanyi where men don't have freedom. Locals generally call these people 'Palduo'!"

"Pardo?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Paldo~"

"Pardo~~"

On the rooftop at night, the slightly accented Mandarin of two gentlemen from China rose with the wind, its hues softened by the moonlight.
"The next day, at 7:30 AM"

Xia Ming arrived half an hour earlier than the scheduled time. The staff inside were still setting up, so he was led to a public area to rest. Qiao Ruoning had arrived even earlier than him. She was dressed similarly to yesterday, just in lighter clothes.

Upon seeing Xia Ming, she took the initiative to come over and greet him.

"You're here so early~ Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

Xia Ming smiled as he looked at her little tiger teeth.

"You weren't asleep either, were you?"

Qiao Ruoning shook her head.

"It's different. You're here to compete, so just be on time. I'm here to collect data, so it's reasonable for me to be more diligent."

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow when he heard about collecting data.

"Is there anything you can share?"

Qiao Ruoning smiled as she looked at Xia Ming's matter-of-fact expression.

"Wow, they're already in the top 200, and they're just getting it for free~ That's not right~"

Xia Ming nodded upon hearing this.

"What you said makes sense, but if it's about money, then forget it."

Qiao Ruoning quickly stopped Xia Ming when she saw him about to give up.

"I'm not asking you to take advantage of me for free, nor am I asking for your money. Do I look like someone who's short of money?"

Xia Ming glanced at Qiao Ruoning curiously, wondering what she was planning.

"Here's a special deal: answer one simple question, and I'll give you five pieces of information! This is a special price—no bargaining allowed!"

Xia Ming lowered his eyes slightly, then spoke up, letting Qiao Ruoning ask the questions first, and he would make a judgment based on the questions.

Seeing this, Qiao Ruoning also didn't hold back.

"Xia Ming, are you using your full strength now? Don't lie!"

"No."

Xia Ming's answer was natural, and his undisguised attitude made Qiao Ruoning gasp. Although she had already guessed the result, she still found it hard to accept.

If this isn't even the limit, then Xia Ming can no longer be viewed simply as a Demon King.
Then Qiao Ruoning asked Xia Ming another question.

What cuisine are you good at?

"I don't have a completely comprehensive understanding of cuisines themselves. If I were to be precise, I'm proficient in all Chinese cuisines."

"."

Qiao Ruoning gave an awkward yet polite smile, feeling that she had asked the wrong question.

Last night she spent all her time watching Xia Ming's Versailles videos on her phone and laughing out loud at the comments. Today, it's her turn.
孽 孽!
Of course, despite feeling uncomfortable, Qiao Ruoning remained true to her word. After adding Xia Ming on WeChat, she sent him 10 documents.

This included Han Tianyan, Qian Youdao, and Bai Heng.
The information was very detailed, much more detailed than what Qian Youdao had obtained, and some places even had video links on cloud drives.

However, Qiao Ruoning also said that it was a different price!

What Xia Ming cared about most was Han Tianyan's intelligence and Zhu Wuneng's information.

According to Zhu Wuneng's information, he is a lay disciple who makes vegetarian dishes in the back mountains of Jiuhua Mountain. He usually stays in the mountains, but it is unknown why he came out to participate in the competition this year.

The above criteria state that Zhu Wuneng was kind and gentle, skilled in all vegetarian dishes, and also had knowledge of the Fangshan cuisine.

"However, I heard that he rarely cooks meat dishes, which is normal. Monks can't eat meat, so it's reasonable that he's not very familiar with it."

Hearing Qiao Ruoning's words, Xia Ming raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as Xia Ming finished reading the information and memorized it, the other contestants arrived.

As the clock struck 8, the host reappeared before the crowd.

After everyone's positions were determined based on the previous round's rankings, they were taken back to the smallest section of the venue, F.

Here, the group entered an enclosed iron fence, with a total of 8 doors around the fence.

A display screen hangs above the door; at this moment, four doors are marked with one star, and four doors are marked with two stars.

Seeing the stars, Xia Ming suddenly remembered the pattern on the armband he had worn before, and then raised the bracelet in his hand with a sudden realization.

At this moment, four stars are clearly marked on the standby screen.

The other contestants also realized what was happening and looked at their arms. Just then, the host spoke up.

"I believe everyone has already guessed the format of this round, so I won't beat around the bush."

"There are 8 doors in front of you. Each door will randomly present a test question each time. Registration time is 3 minutes, and the battle time is 10 to 40 minutes."

"The watch and display screen only show the number of participants, not who they are. It's all a blind selection process. Entering the corresponding star gate requires spending the corresponding number of stars. Based on the final number of participants, the on-site display screen will provide a corresponding reward distribution table based on precise AI calculations."

"Every hour, contestants must enter one gate; otherwise, they will be considered passive and lose one star! This penalty doubles every hour thereafter."

"This round will leave 64 players, and the competition will continue until all 64 are selected."

Upon hearing the competition rules, the contestants were taken aback and immediately began to calculate in their minds.
At that moment, the theme on the door gradually became apparent.

1-star theme: stir-fry, deep-fry, radish, peanuts

2-star theme: Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine.
(End of this chapter)