I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

The staff member at the registration desk was a young woman with her hair in a bun; she looked to be in her early twenties.

When Li Zhibai handed over the invitation, the little girl instinctively glanced at the information and was slightly surprised.

"Shaxian Snacks...Mr. Li Zhibai?"

"Yes, it's me." Li Zhibai smiled brightly.

The little girl looked down at the invitation again, then looked up at Li Zhibai, looking at it several times. She was truly amazed.

This is the Jiangcheng Famous Chefs Invitational Tournament. All the participants are chefs from well-known local restaurants, and I've even heard that a disciple of a master chef specializing in state banquets has signed up.

Even the chefs from Shaxian Snacks came; this is the first time they've ever done so.

"Is there a problem?" Li Zhibai asked when he saw her standing there speechless.

"No...no problem." After regaining her composure, the young girl handed him a number tag and a chef's uniform: "Mr. Li, this is your number tag, number 33. The competition rules will be explained by the staff later. Please change your clothes and go to the waiting area to prepare."

"OK, thanks."

Li Zhibai took the items and turned to walk towards the locker room.

Five minutes later, he appeared in the waiting area wearing the white chef's uniform provided by the organizers.

Not far away, Su Su, who had also changed her clothes, looked at her master and felt that something was wrong.

The chef's uniform looked bulging inside, as if he was wearing something extra.

"Master, inside you..."

"It's nothing, I just wore an extra undershirt. The air conditioning in the exhibition center is a bit low, and I was worried that I would sweat and catch a cold during the competition, which would affect my performance," Li Zhibai said without changing his expression.

Su Su looked at him with some doubt, then silently moved a few steps to the side, keeping a distance from her master.

In case her master does something truly shocking later, at least she won't be recorded as an accomplice on camera.

There are many ways to be recorded in history, but being nailed to the pillar of shame in Jiangcheng's catering industry along with her master is definitely not the kind of thing she wants.

.........

Many contestants were already seated in the waiting area. Li Zhibai looked around and saw that each of them exuded confidence and charisma.

After all, they are all well-known chefs in Jiangcheng's catering industry, so they certainly have a lot of swagger.

Li Zhibai, however, was not nervous at all, because he was confident of winning the championship.

Not long after, a staff member walked to the center of the waiting area with a microphone and announced the rules.

"Attention all players! The competition rules are now being announced."

"The first round is an elimination round. All contestants will be randomly divided into three groups of twelve. Each contestant needs to randomly draw an ingredient from a lottery box and complete a dish within a specified time."

The judging panel will determine whether a contestant advances based on five dimensions: color, aroma, taste, shape, and creativity of the dish. Only six contestants from each group can advance to the next round.

A special reminder to all chefs: the ingredients you draw are completely random. They could be top-grade Wagyu beef or some cheap scraps; it all depends on your luck.

"But we believe that a truly good chef can turn any ingredient into something magical."

As soon as he finished speaking, the chefs in the waiting area immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"Randomly selecting ingredients? This competition format is too wild! Didn't the organizers always set the topics before?"

"What if I draw something I'm not good at? That would be a disaster! Several chefs I know specialize in seafood. What if I draw offal?"

"This is where our chefs' true skills are tested. A real master chef can make delicious dishes from any ingredient."

"..."

Li Zhibai remained calm despite the discussions.

With god-like culinary skills, he can make anything he draws perfectly, even the most difficult ingredients. He can handle a small competition with ease.

The staff began calling out numbers in turn.

"Contestant number 1, please draw lots."

"Contestant number 2..."

"..."

"Contestant number 33, please draw lots."

Li Zhibai immediately walked to the lottery box, reached in and randomly grabbed a slip of paper.

Upon opening it, I found—[pig intestines]

When the other contestants saw his signature, some couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Pig intestines are widely recognized as one of the most difficult ingredients to handle. If not cleaned properly, they will have an unpleasant odor. If the cooking time is not controlled properly, they will taste like chewing rubber bands. Making them delicious requires a great deal of skill from the chef. Most people would probably have given up by now.

"Number 33 isn't having much luck."

"It takes years to get rid of the large intestine; just cleaning it takes a long time."

"Hey, you know what, this guy looks unfamiliar. I've never seen him before. Do any of you know him?"

"I don't know him. The information he registered seems to belong to someone who runs a Shaxian snack shop."

"Shaxian County? You must be kidding me."

"Who knows? Maybe they're quite skilled."

"..."

Everyone thought that pig intestines were a difficult ingredient to prepare, but Li Zhibai felt that there was a lot of room for creativity with this ingredient.

Because there are so many dishes you can make with this stuff: stir-fried pork intestines, crispy pork intestines, braised pork intestines, dry-pot pork intestines, braised pork intestines... you can pick any dish you like.

In the end, he decided to make the Nine-Turned Intestines.

Because this dish is a classic Shandong dish, the preparation is very complicated, requiring multiple processes such as blanching, boiling, frying, braising, and stewing. The finished product has a bright red color, is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and has a full range of five flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. It is a dish that truly tests the chef's skills.

If done well, it will definitely amaze the audience.

Furthermore, these ingredients are much more difficult to obtain than the lobsters and abalone that other contestants draw. As long as the dish is delicious enough, advancing to the next round will be a piece of cake.

Li Zhibai took the skewer and walked towards his stove. As he passed Fang Guoping, Chef Fang glanced at the skewer in his hand and couldn't help but say, "Large intestines, Chef Li, these are tough nuts to crack."

"So what if it's tough? I'm sure I'll advance anyway," Li Zhibai said.

Fang Guoping nodded: "That's true. With Master Li's skill level, advancing to the next round shouldn't be a problem."

Someone who can make braised pork that delicious can't be too bad at making other dishes.

Li Zhibai had barely reached his seat when the host announced, "The elimination rounds are now beginning!"