Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 25 No matter what they do, we can beat them without a doubt. Is that reason enough?
"reject?"

Upon hearing Xia Ming's words, the Chemistry Department Fantasy Fan opened her eyes wide in disbelief. She never expected that after she took the initiative to ask to team up, this unrated guy not only didn't know how to be grateful, but also directly rejected her.

Her first thought was that she must have misheard.

"You mean you're going to refuse my application?"

Xia Ming nodded.

"Yes."

Seeing his calm expression, the chemistry major fan asked a question in return.

"Why? Why won't you let me join!"

"I don't think you're a good fit for my team. Why don't you try looking at the other two?"

Upon hearing Xia Ming's reply, the chemistry department fan was furious. He withdrew his outstretched hand and walked to "Little Flower's" side without looking back.

"Sister Hua, I want to join your side."

Upon seeing that she was a fan of chemistry, "Xiao Hua" raised an eyebrow. After the rules were announced, this girl was already in her team composition. She had initially felt a little regretful when she saw that Xiao Hua had chosen Xia Ming.

Unexpectedly, Xia Ming rejected her outright, which actually benefited her.

Given that her chosen theme was "the sea," it was essential to win over the Fish Fairy. With the addition of the Chemistry Department's fantasy fan, the foundation of the team was basically formed.

Viewers in the live stream went wild after Xia Ming rejected the chemistry department's fantasies.

【No, buddy, is this Zun Du or fake Du? Are you just trying to make the show more entertaining?】

[Hilarious! A level 3 chef from the West tries to team up with an unrated player, and gets rejected by them? They're the ones who are supposed to be top-tier!]

I think the Sichuan-Chongqing "Ice and Fire Chef" probably knew he was doomed after seeing Chen Xiaodong, so he didn't want to drag him down and rejected him outright.

If we follow the logic above, then the Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef has done a good deed.

The chat was buzzing with noise, and the contestants present were also discussing it animatedly.

Most of them already looked down on Xia Ming, and seeing this scene now, they felt he was even more arrogant and conceited.

"What do you mean by 'I refuse' and 'it's not suitable'? How can he say such things?"

"Yeah, he won twice by luck and he's got a nose in the air. I want to see who dares to join his group now."

“Someone definitely needs to go. There are 11 people, we can’t let him be a lone commander!”

"Haha, you're right. How about we just give him the bald cook? Two lucky guys can make a perfect team! How about we call the team 'May Buddha Bless Us'?"

Hearing the whispers of the other contestants, Xia Ming snorted coldly.

"They can't be so naive as to think that this match will be a pure cooking contest like the previous ones!"

He was certain that at this moment, at least half of the contestants still didn't understand what this competition was all about.
Anyway, their attitude has always been like this, and Xia Ming is used to it. At this moment, he only wants the puzzle piece that he selected from the beginning among this group of people.

Among the crowd, the bald cook stared at the three platforms for a long time.

Of the three platforms, the one he's least skilled at is the [Sea]. Xiao Hua had originally intended to recruit him, but he refused.

He knew that the "Little Flower" team was very strong in terms of configuration, but as a head chef, he deeply understood that a good team composition was far more effective than having a strong individual team.

Especially in team competitions with a time limit, the first thing to consider is the compatibility of the teams' styles.

After all, apart from a handful of people, everyone else present was a head chef. Since they could be head chefs, they must have basic management skills and self-awareness.

If everyone shares the same understanding, things will be fine, and they can cooperate effectively. But if they don't, then even if there are many people, they'll just be making things worse in the kitchen.

Thinking of this, his gaze fell on Xia Ming.

To be honest, he still can't see through Xia Ming's true nature.

He didn't know whether the peculiar dish that defeated "Micahs" was a true testament to skill or just a stroke of luck.

On paper, Xia Ming, who is currently alone, is definitely not as good as the [Empty] group.

After all, you have to fight to win. Although I'm not good at cooking this kind of food, with the addition of "West Level 3" Luo Luo and "Mid Level 4" Xia Yuxingye, the overall strength of this team looks quite intimidating.

More importantly, he just heard that Ai Pin Cai Hui Ying handed over the command of the team to Xia Yuxingye.

Based on Xia Yuxingye's resume, with him in command, the reliability of this team has increased by more than one level.

After standing there thinking for a long time, the bald cook made a tough decision.

"Since we're all resurrected anyway, let's go big!"

After saying that, he walked up to Xia Ming.

"Still remember me?"

Xia Ming was even taking a nap with his eyes closed because there were so few people around. When he heard the bald cook's voice, his brows twitched slightly involuntarily. "I remember, you lent me charcoal."

Hearing Xia Ming's words, the bald cook also laughed.

"Let's not beat around the bush, I want to win, is it possible?"

Xia Ming opened his eyes and looked at the bald cook in front of him.

"When I borrowed the charcoal, I said I would repay you. Don't ask me if we can win. As long as you play normally and follow my instructions, the other team will lose!"

The bald cook gritted his teeth as he looked at Xia Ming in front of him.

"Okay, I'll trust you this once. If you really win, I'll treat you to dinner at my restaurant when we get back to Beijing!"

"Okay, it's a deal!"

With their hands clasped together, Xia Ming's team finally welcomed their first teammate.

Seeing that the bald cook had actually teamed up with Xia Ming, the fish fairy who had been joking earlier was now surrounded by several nosy people.

"No way, man, are you a prophet? They actually made it into the group?"

"There's no other way. No team wants Bald Cook, so he has no choice but to go to the Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef team."

"No, I just saw Sister Hua invite him."

"Oh, they were just being polite. Sister Hua already has a fairy and a chemistry fanatic in her team, so it's pretty stable, okay!"

"Sigh, I just went to Sister Hua's place to ask, but she declined. No, I have to go ask AiPinCaiWuYiYing again."

As time passed, the teams on the players' side gradually became clearer.

The first team to announce that it was full was the [Sky] team, which was originally led by "Ai Pin Cai Hui Ying" and is now in charge of "Xia Yu Xing Ye".

After relinquishing his captaincy, Xia Yuxingye selected "Pure Little Chili Pepper".

Although the production team did not specify how many contestants a group should have, Xia Yuxing understood that the kitchen was only a small area, and coordination was far more important than the number of people.

So, after recruiting "Innocent Little Chili Pepper," he announced that he didn't need anyone else on this side.

After confirmation by the production team, the official members of the "Sky Team" have been finalized.

The team leader is Xia Yuxingye, a student in the fourth grade of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The team members are: "West Level 3" - "Only by Fighting Will You Win", "West Level 3" - "Luo Luo Humming", and "Middle Level 2" - "Pure Little Chili".

On the other hand, in the [Sea Team], Xiaohua, who already has two members, is still wavering between "Banquet Graduate Student" and "A Dark Horse".

Because this dark horse is a bit mysterious, and no one knows exactly what he is good at, Xiaohua is inevitably worried. From a stability-seeking perspective, a graduate student specializing in banquets is definitely more suitable.

Just as he was pondering, a black horse walked up to Xia Ming and the bald cook.

"If you're willing to hand over the captaincy to me like you're determined to win, then I can join your team."

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow.

Hey there, someone's here to steal the team leader spot!
He glanced at a black horse and smiled slightly.

"What if I said no."

A black horse shook its head indifferently.

“People should do what they are good at. I admit you may have some skills, but you are still a bit lacking in managing the kitchen and assigning tasks.”

Xia Ming suddenly burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"You found out about this? If you ask me, you're so mysterious, why don't you just tell me the truth?"

A black horse lowered its eyes, seemingly seriously considering Xia Ming's words, but just as it was about to continue speaking, Xia Ming stepped down from the stage.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I never intended to have you anyway."

As he spoke, he walked up to the graduate student at the banquet who was still hesitating.

"You have an excellent ability to handle banquets, and our team is exactly lacking someone like you. Are you interested in joining us?"

The graduate student at the banquet frowned slightly; she was actually torn between Xiao Hua and Xia Ming.

Xiao Hua's side has strong theoretical strength, and her leadership skills are also quite good, but the problem is that she feels there is a difference in their concepts.

As for Xia Ming's side
"Ice and Fire Chef, I can consider joining, but I need you to give me a reason."

Xia Ming smiled upon seeing this, then turned around and pointed at Chen Xiaodong, who had already formed a team.

"No matter what they cook, we can beat them without a doubt. Is that reason enough?"

(End of this chapter)