Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 43 A bowl of plain rice warms the heart. You call this kind of brainless garbage a dish?
Yangchun noodles, a traditional Jiangnan dish, are known for their clear broth, fresh flavor, and light, refreshing taste.
The most authentic Yangchun noodles, commonly known as "bald head," is a dish consisting of soup and noodles, garnished only with a small pinch of chopped scallions, without any other ingredients.

At this moment, what was presented to Xia Ming and his companions was the most standard Yangchun noodles.

In a small white bowl, there are about three mouthfuls of clear broth in the color of soy sauce and tea, about two mouthfuls of noodles, and a little bit of chopped green onion. It looks simple and plain, but the aroma is captivating.

During the break between the waiters, Xia Ming closed his eyes, sniffed the air, and revealed a look of ecstasy.

After being taken out of the dark house, the aroma of the soup spread irresistibly throughout the room, and just smelling it was enough to whet everyone's appetite.

At this moment, Chef Tan Zhifeng, who had finished his work, also came out of the room.

Upon seeing the 10 diners, he smiled and greeted them.

"I only received the notification from the production team at the last minute, and time was tight, so please don't mind that it was just a simple bowl of rice."

The bald cook swallowed hard.

"I don't mind at all, it's already very good!"

Seeing his expression, the graduate student at the banquet quietly moved his chair to the side as a symbolic gesture.

The other chefs greeted him with smiles. In fact, Tan Zhifeng was an old friend of theirs. After all, there weren't many chefs who were still working outside after reaching the "Hua 7 level".

Aside from Tan Zhifeng, only a handful of others frequently appear in front of the camera. Most of them stay in their restaurants or work tirelessly day and night to reach higher levels.

别看“华7级”和“华6级”只差了一级，两者的人数相差接近35倍，相当于100个“华6级”厨师里，勉强能出3个“华7级”。

After all, at this level, there's no such thing as specializing in one area; everyone is basically a well-rounded individual, just with different strengths in different types of cooking.

Seeing that everyone had responded, Tan Zhifeng nodded as well.

"In that case, let's eat. The portions are a little small, but don't worry, there are other dishes to come. Just look forward to them."

As he spoke, he wiped his hands with a clean cloth nearby.

"I've finished my task here, so I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer. I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. See you next time!"

With that, Tan Zhifeng nodded to everyone and then turned and left the room.

Watching his retreating figure, the bald cook blinked and quietly moved closer to Xia Ming.

"Hey, Chef Tan, don't you think he's really aloof?"

Xia Ming glanced at him sideways. Cold and aloof?

Is this what being aloof is all about?
They are distributed according to their status. In the eyes of the Nine Provinces Continent, the highest level is around the late Nascent Soul stage to the Half-Saint level. They cook for you and are polite to you. Their attitude couldn't be better.

If this were the Blood Blade Sect, a disciple who hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage would be incredibly lucky to receive instruction from an elder like this.

As for your question about talent?

Anyone who can enter the sect has some talent. You have to know that the elders have all climbed up step by step with thousands of years of cultivation. In their generation, how could there not be a few geniuses?

It's all about manners in the city. People at this level can greet you politely. In the Blood Blade Sect, the elders would have already killed you with a single blow. Trying to be aloof with the Demonic Sect? You might as well not even survive.
Seeing that Xia Ming didn't reply, the bald cook also came back, looked at the bowl of clear noodles in front of him, and licked his lips.

At this moment, Xia Ming, like the other chefs, picked up the noodles. As he gently turned the noodles with his chopsticks, he felt a pleasant aroma of noodles wafting around his nose.

Unlike Xia Ming's explosive aroma, this bowl of plain noodles emphasizes a gentle flavor.

After savoring the aroma, Xia Ming picked up half of the noodles with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The moment the noodles touched his tongue, the flavor of the broth took over. The aroma of the bone broth and the seasonings were perfectly matched, and in that instant, Xia Ming felt as if he were floating.

"Is this...the taste of memories?"

In a daze, he seemed to have returned to the kitchen of the Blood Blade Sect.

Sunlight streamed through the window, and on the Blood Blade Sect's maroon table sat a simple bowl of boiled noodles.

"Food itself can evoke emotions. Although the Blood Blade Sect's kitchen has a wide variety of blood-based dishes, that doesn't mean that's all there is to gourmet food."

"Meat, noodles, grains, even 'negative crystals' that taste like dirt, can produce unique flavors when properly combined. They say alchemy is the ultimate path, but isn't cooking the same? Following your heart and forging your own path is the only way to establish yourself in this world."

Hearing the familiar words, Xia Ming's eyes suddenly reddened. "Master, I understand."

"Okay, that's good. Eat up, and I'll take you to the Soul River in the back mountain to catch fish."

"Um"

The taste of boiled noodles is very pure, with only the aroma of the noodles themselves and a hint of salt in the broth.

But for Xia Ming, this boiled noodle dish was a dish full of meaning in his life. At that time, he had just escaped from the bandits and risked his life to enter the Blood Blade Sect. He was helpless and had no connections. The Holy Maiden also inexplicably showed him favor and affection, which made him have no place to stand in the sect.

Every day, they had to hide from others while cultivating, fearing that one day they might end up in the mouth of some senior brother's blood beast.

Even so, he still couldn't live a peaceful life. Fourteen days later, during the sect's preliminary examination, if it weren't for his master's intervention, he would have already become a youth-preserving pill and been swallowed by his senior sister.

Thinking back to that scene thirty years ago, even though Xia Ming had long since escaped that predicament, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

With a sigh, Xia Ming reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, then looked at the others.

Like Xia Ming, they were all caught up in some kind of memory, which was the same as, yet different from, the Five Flavors Scorpion he had made before.

The Five Flavors Scorpion achieves this effect by creating a near-hallucination through its toxins, but this bowl of plain noodles in front of me has nothing added to it.

It achieves this simply by relying on the taste of the noodles and soup to soothe the diners' fatigue and allow them to recall their happiest moments.

This method of bringing out the full potential of food couldn't be more orthodox.

In comparison, Xia Ming's previous move had some elements of unorthodox cultivation.
"Has the art of cooking in this world developed to this extent? It seems almost indistinguishable from alchemy, except this path isn't really suited to me~"

Xia Ming smiled. The plain noodles were delicious, and his Hua 7 level skill was evident in this ordinariness, but this was not the path for him.

"Relying on the 'Blood Fusion Demon Cultivation Method,' I will embark on my own path, bringing the Blood Blade Sect's skills to shine here in a different way. Master, you would be pleased to do so, wouldn't you?"

I breathed a sigh of relief; the slight sense of disharmony I felt upon arriving in the city finally vanished completely after this bowl of simple noodles.
After finishing his noodles and soup, Xia Ming placed his bowl and chopsticks in front of him. At that moment, the waitress handed him a card.

Xia Ming opened it and found it contained the "Taste Test and Evaluation" rules.

[New Dish Tasting Review]

[This evaluation focuses on a new type of semi-pre-prepared meal provided by "Kangaroo Express".]

The judging criteria include three aspects: "creativity," "appearance," and "taste." Based on one's own understanding of the food, the final rating is either "delicious" or "unpalatable."

[Note: Although this is a semi-prepared dish, we still hope you will judge it by the standards of a regular cooked meal.]

Just as Xia Ming was squinting at the words "new type of semi-prefabricated" above, pondering.

Suddenly, a waitress pushed out a cart of food.

"First dish of the new cuisine: Cold instant noodles with oil-splashed dressing. Please try it."

As the plate was placed on the table, Xia Ming looked at the oily instant noodles in front of him with a puzzled expression. Then he rubbed his nose and frowned in disbelief.

The host suddenly appeared, and upon seeing Xia Ming's expression, raised an eyebrow and approached.

"Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef, do you have any objections to this dish?"

Xia Ming glanced at the camera, then suddenly smiled.

"If I understand correctly, the menu says 'new type, semi-pre-made dishes'."

"So while being convenient, it at least ensures that it is a dish first."

As he spoke, he pointed to the table.

"Or are you calling this kind of garbage, made by mixing fixed flavors without any brainpower, a new type of cuisine?"

"Sorry, I've already given my review."

With that, Xia Ming drew a black card, which was considered unlucky, and threw it on the table.
(End of this chapter)