Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Si Yingshi said earnestly that he could clearly feel that if he could fight Bai Yuan, he would definitely gain a lot!

　"I won't make things difficult for you. If you lose, how about joining the world of dark cuisine after graduation and serving darkness for ten years?"

　Seeing Si Yingshi, Bai Yuan also felt a sense of appreciation for his talent, so he took the initiative to extend an olive branch.

　"The world of dark cuisine?"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, the people present were somewhat puzzled. They exchanged glances as he spoke, and only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that no one else knew either.

　I was startled; I thought they were outdated.

　"That's right, it's the world of dark cuisine."

　A newly established culinary organization in Shanghai, China, has a condition: if you lose, you must fight for the world of "dark cuisine" for ten years. Can you accept this offer?

　Bai Yuan was not surprised by their confusion. The world of dark cuisine was just beginning. It would be strange if it became a household name immediately.

　"I accept."

　Without much hesitation, Tsukasa Eishi nodded heavily and said affirmatively.

　Although he doesn't know what the Dark Cuisine World is, it's highly unlikely that Master Baiyuan would trick him, and even if he were tricked, he would be willing to pay the price.

　There are probably only a handful of chefs in the world who can consistently produce luminous dishes, especially one as young as him. He might even go further in the future.

　Above the Special Grade Seven Stars...

　Si Yingshi dared not continue thinking about it.

　"Then let's set the time after this midterm exam. You can come find me then."

　Seeing the decisiveness of Tsukasa Eishi, Bai Yuan's face showed an expression of appreciation. This was exactly the kind of decisive subordinate he needed.

　Hesitation will prevent you from cooking well.

　"Perfect timing, let's start our morning tea."

　As the fragrance in the air grew stronger, a smile appeared on Bai Yuan's face.

　·

　·

　"Have you heard? The rules for midterm exams have changed!"

　The three of them walked towards the floor, which had now become a food battle venue for students, chatting as they went.

　"What? The rules have changed? Does that mean the number of people who can pass has increased?!"

　I knew it! How could only fifty out of over a thousand people pass? It must be a smokescreen to pressure us!

　Hearing what the girl next to him said, the boy looked excited and said that he was ranked 93rd, which was neither higher nor lower, and he was in the most awkward position.

　If he can really increase the number of approved spots, he'll make a killing!

　What specific changes were made?

　Another girl said rather rationally.

　"It has nothing to do with us eliminated contestants; it mainly concerns the top fifty. The rules for them have been changed."

　The girl who started the conversation spoke first, a wry smile on her face.

　How could the school possibly change the rules specifically for those who are eliminated?

　"The rules for the top 50 have changed? Are they planning to continue eliminating players? That would be too cruel!!"

　That's what they said, but both girls could see the schadenfreude in the man's expression.

　"On the contrary, the new rules are designed to protect the top 50 players, whose ranking matches only change their rankings and do not affect their points."

　In other words, even if the 50th-ranked person challenges the 1st-ranked person, there will be no consequences if they lose. Of course, if someone ranked below 50 challenges them, their points will still be reset to zero if they lose, and if they win, it will only cause them to drop in the rankings, and they will still have a chance to fight their way back up.

　In addition, the top five players on the leaderboard in this midterm assessment can challenge the Elite Ten. Those who win will inherit their Elite Ten spot and become a proud member of the Elite Ten Council.

　When the topic of the Elite Ten Council came up, the girl's face lit up with a fanatical expression, because it was a status that all students of Totsuki Academy dreamed of!

　"The reward for the top five is to challenge the Elite Ten?! Are the Elite Ten willing to accept such a completely disadvantageous condition? They're the Elite Ten, for crying out loud!"

　The boy was utterly shocked, his feelings a complex mix.

　"Since the school has offered this as a condition, they must have persuaded the Ten Outstanding Students at some cost, so you don't need to worry too much."

　I'm so envious!

　"As long as you win, you can become one of the Ten Heroes, the Ten Heroes of the Elementary School Division. There haven't been many like that in the history of Totsuki Academy!"

　Another girl said enviously, already imagining herself as a member of the Elite Ten, being adored by everyone in the school.

　Just thinking about it makes me tremble with excitement!

　"Don't be envious. The Elite Ten were the ten strongest students during their time at Totsuki Academy. Even if they are challenged, they are not afraid and cannot be easily replaced."

　The girl who shared this news was speechless. Who were the Ten Heroes? If they could be replaced so easily, then they wouldn't be the ones to become the Ten Heroes.

　"That makes sense. No wonder. I was wondering why the first and second place on the leaderboard were fighting. It turns out the only penalty for losing is changing your ranking, and there's even no penalty for the challenger losing."

　Standing at the door of a kitchen, the three of them stopped and looked at the two people having a cooking competition inside, their faces filled with envy.

　·

　·

　"The theme is pork, such a broad theme, what kind of dish are these two planning to make?"

　People around them were talking amongst themselves as they looked at the large screen hanging in the sky.

　At this moment, the extra countertops in the kitchen have been moved around and connected end to end, becoming the most natural partitions.

　In the middle of the partition, two cooking counters are placed facing each other.

　On either side of the cooking counter stood Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri, poised to attack, while Shiro Abe sat in the middle, with a small table in front of him, serving as their referee.

　Although formal matches usually require three referees, the two of them did not ask anyone else because they trusted Bai Yuan enough.

　"Alice, this match is my chance to avenge myself! I will fight with all my might to defeat you, so you better be prepared to lose!"

　Wearing a chef's uniform that accentuated her figure, Erina Nakiri crossed her arms and looked at Alice Nakiri, her eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

　"Calling me 'sister' is an insult to you? Heh, bring it on!"

　Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but get angry, and then she sneered.

　She had originally planned to hold back so that Erina Nakiri wouldn't lose too badly in front of everyone, but now it seems unnecessary.

　"??"

　Looking at Alice Nakiri's appearance, Erina Nakiri was a little confused. Had this girl misunderstood something?

　The two have never shown any sisterly affection, so what is she angry about?

　"Humph."

　Seeing Erina Nakiri's bewildered expression, Alice Nakiri snorted softly, then turned her head and looked at Bai Yuan.

　"Teacher Baiyuan, the theme is pork, and you can decide the cooking time and restrictions on the dish."

　"The theme is pork, the only type is pork shoulder, the cooking time is two hours, and there are no other restrictions. Let the competition begin."

　Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Bai Yuan nodded and then stated the restrictions for this assessment.

　Since it was just a regular competition, he only restricted the types of meat.

　"Pork shoulder? That's a familiar ingredient. In that case, let's make that dish!"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri closed her eyes and pondered for a moment. A dish came to mind, a dish that she could never forget after eating it just once.

　Let's use her method to make improvements today!

　With that in mind, Alice Nakiri sprang into action, jogging to the food sections on both sides and picking out a piece of good quality pork shoulder.

　Erina Nakiri stood beside her, choosing pork shoulder while also picking out two apples, onions, and carrots from the side.

　"It seems you're planning to cook Western food."

　Onions and carrots hold a similar position in Western cuisine as scallions, ginger, and garlic in Chinese cuisine. Therefore, when Alice Nakiri saw Erina Nakiri's choice of ingredients, she immediately guessed what dish Erina wanted to cook.

　This is a very classic Western dish: braised pork chops with apples.

　However, foreigners usually use pork tenderloin or sirloin when making this dish; she has never tried using pork shoulder before.

　"Make me an extra portion later so I can try it, and I'll make an extra portion for you too."

　Thinking of this, Alice Nakiri said to Erina Nakiri, her voice light and cheerful, clearly not taking her seriously.

　"Okay, go ahead and cook!"

　Watching Alice Nakiri's departing figure, Erina Nakiri's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She then quickly grabbed a few ingredients from the ingredient area and hid them at the very bottom of her ingredient basket as her trump card.

　This time, she will definitely win!

　Using traditional apple stewed pork cutlet to deal with Alice Nakiri? She wasn't that stupid! At the same time, she didn't think this girl would be so easy to handle.

　"Huh huh huh~"

　On the other side, Alice Nakiri, unaware of Erina Nakiri's unusual behavior, hummed a little tune as she placed the selected ingredients on the counter.

　At the same time, the sound of wheels grinding against the ground came from behind. Alice Nakiri looked up and saw the hotel staff pushing her molecular gastronomy machine up on a large trolley.

　Finally, he stopped next to the cooking counter, quickly unloaded the molecular gastronomy machine, plugged it in, and pushed the cart away from the scene.

　"Is it still molecular gastronomy after all?"

　When Erina Nakiri saw the molecular gastronomy machine, a look of wariness appeared on her face.

　She lost to molecular gastronomy last time with molecular fish jelly tarts.

　It was a very mysterious flavor; it's really hard to imagine that such a flavor could exist in reality.

　Molecular gastronomy is not to be underestimated!

　"Give it your all, Erina. After a month of training, my skills have improved by at least 30% since our first match."

　She gently touched the molecular gastronomy machine with her fingers. Although she hadn't been exposed to molecular gastronomy for a while, she could clearly feel that she was making progress.

　It's a feeling of uncertainty, but after mastering the basics, you can apply them to molecular gastronomy and elevate your skills to a higher level.

　If she had only just reached the Special Grade before...

　Now, she has taken a firm step toward becoming a top-tier one-star chef. With just a little more refinement, she can truly join the ranks of top-tier one-star chefs.

　Erina Nakiri took one last look, then lowered her head, exuding an aura as she concentrated all her mental energy on the dish in front of her.

　Pick up the kitchen knife that's lying to the side and slice the pork shoulder into large pieces. Then marinate it with onions, carrots, brandy, and black pepper.

　After completing this step, Erina Nakiri began processing the apples, and later, while Alice Nakiri wasn't looking, she secretly took the other ingredients...

　Chapter 122 The Second Clash of the Nakiri Sisters

　"Mix onions, shallots, garlic, ginger slices, scallions, cooking wine, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, knotted scallions, and cilantro together to make a sauce..."

　While muttering to herself, Alice Nakiri prepared the sauce, stirred it well with chopsticks, and set it aside. Then she cut the pork shoulder horizontally.

　After cutting, use a knife to sever all the tendons and membranes of the pork, and at the same time use the back of the knife to pound the pork to achieve the desired thickness.

　Once the pork shoulder is prepared, it can be placed into a bowl of seasonings, allowing the prepared sauce to come into close contact with it.

　This is a method she developed herself; the preparation of char siu varies from region to region.

　Hong Kong-style char siu needs to be marinated for a day and a night, and Cantonese-style char siu also requires a lot of time to process, but this competition only gives two hours.

　Therefore, she combined several char siu cooking methods to create Alice's version of char siu.

　There are no fixed rules for food; as long as it tastes good, that's fine.

　This is what Bai Yuan has always taught her.

　After marinating the pork shoulder, the remaining and most important step is the char siu sauce!

　Smelling the rich aroma in the air, Alice Nakiri packed the sauce and pork shoulder into a bag, vacuum-sealed it, and then put it into a sous-vide cooker.

　This is the signature skill of molecular gastronomy, which has become increasingly popular in Western cuisine in recent years. Its greatest advantage is its stability and precision.

　Slow cook at a low temperature for one hour and twenty minutes to allow the sauce to perfectly penetrate the pork shoulder and cook it through, thus saving a lot of marinating time.

　Next was the making of molecular char siu sauce, but since it was her first time trying it, Alice Nakiri was a little unsure of herself.

　"call..."