Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Take the ingredients out of the basket, wash them simply with spring water, then Anzu Yasuda draws a cleaver from her waist and quickly processes them on a bamboo cutting board before putting them into a bamboo pot filled with spring water.

　This was Bai Yuan's request.

　As a chef, you can leave everything else behind, but you can't leave behind a handy kitchen knife; it's the soul and the foundation of a chef.

　If you're a pastry chef, then that stick in your hand is the soul of your culinary skills!

　Chapter 114 The Method of Obtaining Saltiness in the Mountains and Forests: The Attack of the Underachievers!

　"The taste is terrible..."

　It wasn't seasoned, just had a slight umami flavor from the mushrooms, but it was barely edible. A light breakfast wasn't bad.

　After taking a sip of the wild vegetable and mushroom hot pot in front of her, Anzu Yasuda revealed a mask of pain.

　Without salt, the wild vegetable and mushroom soup was hardly delicious, but she had no better solution and could only console herself with this thought.

　"To enhance the flavor of this dish, the most important thing is seasoning. In the mountains and forests, ingredients with seasoning properties include wild pepper, wild onion, and honey, which are all excellent seasonings."

　As Yasuda Anzu sipped the wild vegetable and mushroom soup, which had no saltiness whatsoever, she frowned slightly. Obtaining these seasonings in the mountains and forests required considerable luck.

　However, given her abilities, she'll likely be staying here for quite some time. Even if she doesn't find it, she can obtain it through barter with others.

　only...

　It's unrealistic to expect to get precious seasonings using only wild vegetables and mushrooms, since these things are abundant and not hard to find.

　You need to capture at least one or two wild animals and trade them for meat to make it a fair trade, but that's difficult...

　"Ugh, isn't this even harder than the placement test?!"

　Furious and helpless, Yasuda An couldn't help but mentally rant as she grabbed her hair.

　He then gulped down the wild vegetable and mushroom soup in his hand, washed it with spring water, put it in the basket on his back, and set off again.

　·

　·

　"So sleepy. By the way, why us? Isn't it fair that anyone can be the one testing the worst student?"

　On the only way down the mountain, Erina Nakiri raised her hand and yawned, looking at Alice with a serious expression, and couldn't help but complain.

　"This is a task personally assigned by our master. He must have his reasons for arranging it this way. We just need to follow his instructions."

　Upon hearing the question, Alice Nakiri shrugged. If Bai Yuan hadn't personally instructed her, she wouldn't have come here so early in the morning to wait.

　Of course, Bai Yuan actually only called her at the time, but she felt too bored by herself, so she lied and said that Bai Yuan had called both of them.

　Erina Nakiri believed this without a doubt and did not call to verify it. She got up before dawn and came here with Alice Nakiri.

　"What kind of dishes can those guys serve up? I don't know what Teacher Baiyuan was thinking, to put so much effort into training them."

　When she said this, Erina Nakiri's voice carried a hint of resentment.

　She had been hoping to receive significant guidance from Bai Yuan during the midterm exams. However, aside from helping her briefly at the beginning, he devoted the rest of his time to this group of underachievers – what a waste of resources!

　"For a master, it doesn't really matter who he trains. There's not much difference between us guys in front of him. He can train us all."

　Having grown up under Bai Yuan's tutelage since childhood, Alice Nakiri is well aware of his prowess.

　Without Bai Yuan's guidance, she would be at best a second-class chef, perhaps even inferior to Nakiri Erina, who possesses the God Tongue.

　"Hmph, I'd like to see just how capable these guys who are hogging resources really are! And whether they're worthy of Teacher Bai Yuan's training!"

　Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Erina Nakiri gave a soft snort, unusually not refuting them.

　·

　·

　"Lucky! There are wild onions here!"

　Looking at the wild onions growing on the ground, Anzu Yasuda knelt down, her face showing excitement, and quickly picked them and put them into the basket behind her.

　After a morning of searching, she found a lot of useful ingredients in this area, and even discovered rare porcini mushrooms under the trees.

　"Speaking of which, Kurosaki and the others found matsutake mushrooms in the forest last time. They said there were quite a few, and they didn't manage to pick them all in one go. They should be able to do it again during this assessment."

　I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to try it. Combining matsutake and porcini mushrooms should elevate the flavor of any dish to a whole new level.

　Thinking back to a recent special training session, the high-class mushroom soup dish served by Kurosaki's squad included matsutake mushrooms.

　It is said that it was found in a remote place, and there was a considerable quantity. They did not collect them all at once, but they will definitely go again for the midterm exam.

　"Let's have lunch here. There are plenty of fish and shrimp in the river. Maybe we can try something different with seafood, like stir-fried snails. We're still short on salt, so hopefully Teacher Baiyuan's method will work..."

　Arriving at the stream, Yasuda An stopped and briefly explored the surroundings before deciding to rest there for the time being.

　Immediately from the body

　He took out pine wood from the basket on his back, collected dry branches around him, put wood chips into the grooves in the wood block, and began to drill wood to start a fire.

　·

　·

　"There are plenty of stupid rabbit dens, but it took me a long time to find them all. So what? In the end, they still ended up in my hands!"

　The man had a cut on his arm from chasing the rabbit, but his face was full of smiles.

　"Luckily, I like to carry some chili peppers with me, and I'll also collect some oily nuts, press some vegetable oil, and make a simple spicy stir-fried rabbit dish. Then I can pass the test and go down the mountain!"

　As he ran his fingers over his chest and felt the chili pepper inside, a smug expression appeared on his face, for this was the key to his success!

　·

　·

　"Damn it, it got away again!"

　The man was speechless as he watched the pheasant fly into the tree.

　He had been tracking him all morning, but the guy always managed to escape at the most crucial moment, giving him no chance at all.

　"No, we've already spent the whole morning on this. We have to catch it today, or I won't be able to sleep soundly tonight!"

　The man picked up a stone from the ground, narrowed his eyes, and threw it with great precision.

　As the stone flew towards them, the pheasant seemed to sense it, flapping its wings and leaping forward, flying off into the distance.

　"Go away!"

　Seeing the pheasant about to leave, the man roared and then strode after it, clutching a handful of stones in his hand.

　"咻咻咻～"

　He kept throwing stones, most of them missing their mark, but a few hit the pheasant, which slowed it down to some extent.

　"You bastard, you've made your old man go through all this trouble, I'll stew you tonight!"

　After a tug-of-war that lasted for more than twenty minutes, the man was holding onto the pheasant's flapping wings, his face marked with bloody scratches from the pheasant's claws during the capture.

　·

　·

　"This is really great. I didn't expect there to be a nest of snakes here, and even a few eggs. This would make a good oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl)."

　Looking at the incredibly plump snake in front of her, which was preparing for hibernation, a woman with a curvaceous figure showed excitement.

　"Black horizontal stripes are densely distributed on the reddish-brown body."

　It should be a local ground serpent, non-venomous, and has a delicate, firm texture after cooking. It's decided! This is for the judges.

　She reached out and grabbed the snake's head, then swiftly chopped it down with the cleaver. Blood gushed out and splattered onto her face, but it didn't cause her to change her expression in the slightest.

　After processing the snake meat on the spot, wrapping it in the previously washed bamboo leaves, and placing it in the bamboo basket behind her for later use, the woman continued forward.

　Such scenes are common in the forest; some choose to act alone because of their good skills, while others, with limited survival abilities, form temporary partnerships with others.

　Because it was the final assessment, everyone took it very seriously, hoping to bring their special training to a successful conclusion.

　·

　·

　Soon, it was evening.

　"It's been a whole day, and there hasn't been a single person!"

　A loser is still a loser, a nobody! How dare they play games with us like this!

　Looking at the empty forest, Erina Nakiri's expression was not good.

　Because no one came out from beginning to end, she even called Hisako Shinoto at noon to have lunch delivered.

　As a food reviewer, having to bring your own lunch? What a joke!

　"I'm really disappointed. After all this time, not a single person has dared to try. These guys..."

　"Never mind, I'm leaving when it's time. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, it wouldn't make a difference!"

　I'll call Teacher Bai Yuan tonight to explain the situation. I don't want to come tomorrow; staying here all day is a complete waste of time!

　Erina Nakiri complained angrily, then began packing her things to go back.

　Although Alice Nakiri didn't say such a thing, her expression was quite displeased. Just as she was about to take action, she looked up and found several black dots in front of her.

　Several figures appeared at the edge of the forest.

　"Someone's coming from over there."

　Reaching out and grabbing the back of Erina Nakiri's collar, Alice Nakiri pointed to the distant mountains and forests, a look of surprise on her face.

　The group of people who arrived had some wounds on their bodies and looked quite disheveled, but they were carrying carefully prepared dishes in their hands.

　"It seems that not all of them are useless; there are still some people who dare to try."

　"Then let me try the cooking of someone whom Master Baiyuan has so diligently trained!"

　Following Alice Nakiri's gaze.

　Erina Nakiri saw the same scene as her, and looking at the scars, she couldn't help but feel a little touched, but she still said it with a haughty air.

　During the conversation, the group of people who had emerged from the mountains and forests arrived at the judging panel.

　"You two are the judges? I never expected it to be you."

　The girl among the three recognized Erina and Alice.

　To be precise, the two of them were too famous in Totsuki Culinary Arts, especially Erina Nakiri, whose name was known to almost every student.

　The young lady of Totsuki Academy, the future head of the Nakiri family, and also the undisputed number one in the elementary school.

　"You start by serving the dishes."

　Returning to her previous seat, Erina Nakiri ignored the girl's astonishment, adopting a mature demeanor as she addressed the youngest...

　The man on the left spoke up.

　"This is a famous Chinese dish, Chicken Stew with Mushrooms... a modified version of Pheasant and Mushroom Stew."

　Because of the limited availability of ingredients in the mountains, I made some adjustments to the cooking method of this dish, transforming it into my own unique style.

　The bamboo pot, its bottom charred black, was brought to the judging panel. The bamboo lid was lifted, and the soup and ingredients inside were scooped out using a bamboo tube and poured into bamboo bowls.

　In an instant, the rich aroma of chicken filled the air, making everyone present squint their eyes comfortably and swallow hard.

　"There are limited ingredients in the mountains? I see. No wonder you came out so late. The injuries on your face must have been from catching chickens, right?"

　Upon hearing the man's words, Alice Nakiri immediately showed an expression of sudden realization.

　No wonder these people came out so late. If they started collecting ingredients, they are already among the fastest to come out at this time.

　“This beast lives in the mountains and is familiar with the surrounding terrain, so it was really difficult to catch. It took me a lot of effort to finally capture it.”

　When asked by Alice Nakiri, the man answered truthfully, while Erina Nakiri looked bewildered.

　"Oh, I see. Is there a reason why you're out so late? What are you talking about?"

　Unable to understand, Erina, driven by curiosity, grabbed Alice's arm, wanting to get the answer from her.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan once gave me wilderness survival training, which, simply put, means stripping you of everything and having to survive in the forest from scratch."

　You'll need to build your own shelter, gather food in the wilderness, and survive.

　Thinking of that less-than-pleasant experience, Alice Nakiri's lips twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her eyes.