[Genshin Impact]: I can become stronger by cooking.

The clouds grew darker, the rain poured down harder, and the oppressive atmosphere intensified until it abruptly stopped at its peak.

The head chef let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and bowed slightly to the judges.

All the judges, including Funina, stood up and applauded the head chef's impromptu performance.

The head chef smiled. Although he had given up on competing with the other two restaurants in terms of culinary skill, in terms of artistry, the [De Bo Grand Hotel] had undoubtedly won a great victory.

That's enough.

.....

【Jia Zi Wei Restaurant (Huihe District Branch)】.

Just as Fufu and her group were about to arrive, Chao Ke's hands did not stop moving.

The process of making 【Awakening Lion Pastry】is extremely complicated. Whether it is puffing or shaping, it is an extremely troublesome and time-consuming task.

Fortunately, God blessed Chaoke.

The head chef of the De Bo Hotel spontaneously played the violin, effectively controlling all the judges and buying Chao Ke a lot of valuable time.

When Fufu sat down in the chair in front of Chao Ke, Chao Ke finally completed his ninth "Awakening Lion".

Fu Ningna rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Chao Ke who had just finished his hurried work, and thought to herself.

"This guy, he just finished the preparations, is he really reliable?"

"However, the shape of this pastry is quite nice."

"Judging from their appearance, they seem to be the lions from Liyue..."

As Chao Ke hurriedly finished his preparations, he looked up and saw Fu Fu's adorable little expression.

Chao Ke's lips curled up, forming a smile that belonged to a person who enjoys himself.

Chao Ke extended his thumb and swiftly pointed it at Fu Fu's smooth forehead.

Then, I tapped it lightly.

"Forgive me, my 'wise' water god, this is the last time."

As Funina sat at the dining table, she felt a sudden breeze brush past her, and her vision seemed to darken for a moment.

Then, a slight pain came from my forehead.

In the reflection of the dining table, Funina could clearly see that there was a slight redness between her eyebrows.

Funina quickly tidied her bangs, covering the red dot between her eyebrows. Then, she glared angrily at Chao Ke.

Funina didn't even need to guess who the culprit behind the prank was.

After all, among those present, only Chao Ke, this oddball, dared to offend her.

Fortunately, the subtle interaction between the two did not attract the attention of the other judges.

They only noticed that Lady Funina suddenly started fixing her bangs, and couldn't help but think to themselves, "The goddess really cares about her image."

With all the judges present, Chao Ke began his performance.

To be honest, pastries are different from other dishes; they don't have any particularly crucial steps.

Or rather, it has no non-critical steps.

Every step is important, and every step is crucial.

If one step is not done perfectly, it cannot proceed to the next step.

Even if one manages to complete the entire lion-shaping process, various problems may arise during the final frying step due to minor mistakes made earlier.

Picking up a lion-shaped pastry and placing it on a strainer, Chao Ke thought he would be a little nervous at this point.

But unexpectedly, at this moment, all I felt was a calm as still water, and a determination to defeat Inazuma's cooking no matter what.

Chao Ke carefully placed the "Lion's Cake" mold into the oil to fry, holding a spoon in his hand.

"Gentlemen judges, please look over here."

"This is the moment when the lion awakens!"

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[An extra chapter will be added for each subsequent reprint of the Fiona serenade.]

Chapter 163 Change into your pajamas tonight, take a nice shower, and wait for me! [Bonus Chapter]

Chao Ke first pressed the spoon down to the bottom of the oil pan, and then suddenly lifted it up.

The judges' eyes followed Chao Ke's spoon as it moved, and they witnessed the moment the lion emerged from the water.

"ah?!!"

"This...this is art!"

"My lord, please forgive my ignorance. I never imagined that a dish could reach such a level of artistry!"

"Ahem, actually... I've never seen one like this before..."

The nine judges on stage, whether mortals or gods, had their understanding of the "Awakening Lion Pastry" completely refreshed.

The bright color, exquisite carving, and even the individual bristling hairs of the "Awakening Lion Pastry" are beyond human capabilities.

Fu Ningna looked at Chao Ke's hand with a complicated expression.

"What incredibly skillful hands these are..."

Chao Ke handed the first serving of "Awakening Lion Pastry" to Funina, letting Fufu taste it first.

As for the other judges, they can take their turn in line.

However, they weren't annoyed at all; on the contrary, they were glad to be able to witness the creation of the "Lion Dance Pastry" a few more times.

In particular, the editor-in-chief of the "Chef" newspaper had a gleam in his eyes, as if he wanted to put his face right up to the oil pan to witness the birth of the "Lion's Cake" from every angle.

After some time, each of the judges had a beautifully crafted "Lion's Cake" on their plate.

However, even after Chao Ke finished making all the "Lion's Cakes," no one took the first bite to taste the food.

The judges couldn't bear to ruin the artwork just because of a momentary urge to eat it.

Meanwhile, Chao Ke, who was in the kitchen, secretly thought it was a pity.

Apart from the Lion Dance Pastry given to Silly Fufu, which met the standard of the "Ultimate Lion Dance Pastry", the other eight Lion Dance Pastries were all slightly lacking and failed to meet the "Ultimate" standard.

Chao Ke washed his hands and looked at the judges who were still hesitant to take a bite.

"Gentlemen, the best time to enjoy the [Lion's Nest Pastry] is limited, so please enjoy it as soon as possible."

"In addition, for artworks, their best home may be a museum."

"But for a food, no matter how artistically sophisticated it may be, there is only one best destiny..."

"That is, to be eaten."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please eat while it's hot. I don't encourage waste here."

The judges looked at each other, and although they had been persuaded by Chao Ke, none of them were willing to be the first to damage the artwork.

Finally, it was Funina who spoke first, taking a bite of the [Lion's Cake].

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The crispiness of this "Lion's Cake" is simply terrifyingly perfect.

As Fu Ningna delved deeper into the pastry, she finally got to taste the filling in the "Lion's Cake".

"This feeling..."

"So refreshing!"

Fufu's eyes widened, and she exclaimed in amazement.

"Even the greasiness from all the food I've eaten along the way has been greatly reduced."

As a seasoned pastry enthusiast, Fu Ningna may not know how to make pastries, but she has a considerable knowledge of pastries from various countries.

The filling inside the 【Lion's Cake】 is not lotus seed paste, which is often found in traditional Liyue pastries, but mung bean paste...?

Moreover, these mung bean pastes even contain some crushed mint leaves, which makes them refreshing and not greasy.

Fu Ningna looked at Chao Ke, and thought that this idea was quite ingenious.

But how did Chao Ke manage to accomplish so much in such a short preparation time...?

The other judges, as they tasted the "Awakening Lion Pastry," naturally also noticed Chao Ke's dedication.

In her heart, her opinion of Chao Ke rose slightly.

After the last judge left Chao Ke's [Jia Zi Wei Restaurant (Huihe District Branch)]

The event host rang a bell, signaling the official end of the judging session for the final round, and the organizers were tallying the final results.

Chao Ke walked out of his simple restaurant and sat down at the [Debo Hotel], chatting with the head chef.

To Chao Ke's delighted surprise, the head chef reached down and rummaged around for a while before finally pulling out a long... half-finished product.

"Wow, bro, I didn't expect you to still have some in stock."

The head chef laughed heartily and said.

"I made too many, so I made two in total, but the judges only ate one."

“Perfect, let’s split the remaining one between us.”

Chao Ke smiled and said, "That's great. I'll have to trouble you to cook for me this time, brother."

"If you ever need my help in the future, please let me know."

The head chef smiled. Talking to smart people is so easy.

In just a few words, he expressed his goodwill. And Chao Ke accepted this gesture.

A short while later, the head chef had finished making the steak roll.

The two ate while waiting for the final evaluation results to be announced.