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

Just as Li Zhibai finished raising his hand, the three judges walked over one after another.

The first person to walk over was an elderly man wearing glasses, who looked to be around sixty years old, and had a very serious expression.

Li Zhibai felt that the judge's face looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

Without thinking much, he began to introduce the dishes he had made.

"Good morning, judges. I am contestant number 33, Li Zhibai. Today, I will be serving Nine-Turned Intestines."

When the elderly judge heard the words "Nine-Turned Intestines," his temples twitched, and his expression became even more serious.

Li Zhibai didn't notice the judges' change in expression and continued to introduce his work.

"I used the traditional Shandong cuisine method for this Nine-Turned Intestines, which involves multiple processes such as blanching, boiling, frying, braising, and stewing. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the taste is absolutely beautiful! Most importantly, I've preserved a bit of the original flavor of the intestines..."

He had just finished speaking when the elderly judge in front of him suddenly interrupted his introduction.

"etc!"

"What did you just say? You preserved the original flavor of the large intestine?"

Li Zhibai nodded upon hearing this: "Yes! I think that large intestine should retain some of its original flavor, so I used a special method to clean it, trying to preserve as much of it as possible..."

What he meant by preserving the original flavor was not leaving it uncleaned. On the contrary, he not only cleaned it thoroughly but also preserved the original flavor through skillful techniques. Simply put, when cleaning the large intestine, he only washed away the outermost layer of mucus and feces, leaving the thin layer of natural oil inside the intestinal wall.

This layer of fat is the essence of the large intestine's flavor. As long as you don't damage it when washing, the cooked large intestine will be more fragrant, chewier, and have a stronger "intestinal flavor" than if it were completely cleaned.

As Li Zhibai was explaining, he suddenly noticed that the judge's expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant, and his breathing was becoming heavier.

Looking at the judge's increasingly contorted face, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, are you feeling unwell?"

"Hey teacher, you look familiar. Have I seen you before?"

The judges were furious and trembling.

Keep pretending! You probably recognized me a long time ago, that's why you made this dish on purpose!

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then another, once, twice, three times... and finally pointed out of the arena.

"You're out!"

"???"

Li Zhibai was dumbfounded.

No, why should I?!

"Teacher, please at least try a bite before drawing conclusions! I've cleaned this large intestine very thoroughly. Look at its color, it's bright red and translucent. And smell it, there's absolutely no fishy smell of feces, it's actually quite fragrant..."

"No need," the judge interrupted him again. "You're already out."

Li Zhibai: "..."

The judges are too capricious and domineering.

He put in so much effort to make a perfect Nine-Turned Intestine dish, but the judges didn't even taste it before eliminating him. What a rip-off!

Chef Fang, who was not far away, heard the commotion and turned to look. He was also a little stunned when he learned that Li Zhibai had actually been eliminated.

He invited Li Zhibai to participate in the competition because he wanted to compete with him and see how well this Shaxian boss could perform in a formal competition.

To everyone's surprise, their opponent was eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage.

Isn't this a ridiculous joke?!

On the other side, Su Su, who was also participating in the competition, was stunned when she heard the result.

My mentor was eliminated?

No, what's going on?!

With Master's skills, how could he possibly be eliminated in the first round?

While many people were still confused, someone in the audience suddenly realized what was happening.

"Holy crap! I remember now!"

"Is that judge the one from back then... that one... yes, the one with the meme?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I remember now, it's that famous victim of the Nine-Turned Intestines, Teacher Cao."

"Holy crap! No wonder he looked so familiar, I even have his memes saved on my phone."

"This guy number 33 is really unlucky. He actually made the Nine-Turned Intestines in front of Teacher Cao. Isn't that self-destruction?"

"Judging from this guy's expression, he doesn't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation."

"Hahahaha... I can't take it anymore! This blunder is hilarious!"

"..."

After someone pointed it out, more and more people began to realize that it was a big misunderstanding.

Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for the young chef.

Even Lu Qianshan and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... Help! Li Heizi is too funny."

"I originally thought he'd at least make it to the finals and show off, but he was eliminated in the first round. It's hilarious!"

"Li Heizi has really messed up this time. Of all things to do, he had to do something like this, which is like rubbing salt into Teacher Cao's wounds."

"I can't take this anymore! I have to take a picture and post it in the group chat so everyone can have a laugh. It's Chinese New Year, everyone!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Send it! Send it now!"

"..."

Hearing the laughter and chatter coming from the audience, Li Zhibai was even more bewildered.

What's going on?

Who exactly is this judge?

Why is everyone laughing?

The chef at seat number 32 couldn't resist any longer and leaned over to whisper, "Brother, are you really that clueless, or are you faking it?"

"Know what?"

"He's Teacher Cao! Back then, a contestant made him a plate of braised pork intestines. It's said that the intestines... well... weren't cleaned very well. Ever since then, whenever Teacher Cao is a judge, no one dares to make that dish. But you, you come up with braised pork intestines right away and tell him to keep the original flavor... Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Li Zhibai: "..."

What the hell!

He remembered!

He said that the judge looked more and more familiar, and that's the famous meme.

He himself had used that meme countless times, but when the person in it stood right in front of him today, he didn't even recognize her.

This is really the end.

His championship prize money, his free publicity, his glimpses of brilliance, his prepared battle attire.

Everything's ruined!!!