Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Looking at the booklet flipping through the pages on the table, Zhou Tai's usually calm face showed a rare hint of emotion, as if he hadn't expected Bai Yuan to be working towards this goal.

　"The last Dragon Chef?"

　Bai Yuan's voice revealed doubt, but he quickly understood.

　No wonder he rarely heard of Chef Dragon. It turns out there is no Chef Dragon in this world. For the younger generation of chefs, this may even be a legend.

　"That's right. There are no dragon chefs in the world right now. Thirty years ago, someone set up a challenge, but he was defeated in less than a month."

　Having lived for many years, Zhou Tai remembered these things very clearly.

　The person who challenged the world was an eight-star chef whose stir-fries were absolutely superb, but in the end, he was defeated by someone who made soup.

　can only say

　Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Strengths naturally come with weaknesses, and the opponent lost because their weaknesses were found.

　This also discouraged chefs in later generations from challenging the Dragon Chef, because even if they did challenge him publicly, they would likely lose in a few rounds, which would be humiliating.

　If you really let your opponent choose the topic, sooner or later you will be defeated by the master in a field you are not good at.

　Human energy is limited; one can excel at one thing, but it's difficult to excel at everything.

　When Chef Long sets up a challenge, he must accept challenges from chefs from all walks of life. The content of the challenge is determined by the challenger, and the challenger cannot refuse.

　This also presents an opportunity for lower-star chefs, as they don't have to directly confront the challenger's area of ​​expertise and can use their strengths to attack the challenger's weaknesses.

　Only those who defeat masters in various fields with absolute strength can become legendary Dragon Chefs, above the Special Grade Nine Star.

　Such a chef has not appeared for a hundred years.

　Now, Bai Yuan took out this Food Wars Manual, on which each page recorded a name, roughly more than ten in total. Looking at the words on it, Zhou Tai instantly thought of what he had to do.

　"If you really want to become a dragon chef, I suggest you start working on your weaknesses now. Otherwise, even if you step into the arena, you won't be defeated for long. And the one who defeats you is probably not a master, but some nobody."

　Thinking of what he had witnessed decades ago, Zhou Tai shook his head. Setting up a challenge for the world and fighting against everyone in the world—what a heroic spirit!

　At least he never had such thoughts. He was already very satisfied with where he was now, respected by his peers and wielding power.

　"Even if I can't become the Dragon Chef, being able to duel with a master is a great thing for me. It would be best if someone could defeat me. I hate the feeling of being invincible."

　Bai Yuan shook his head. Although his tone was arrogant, Zhou Tai could tell that he was sincere, which meant that the other party really had never encountered an opponent.

　Indeed, a top-tier seven-star chef is extremely rare, even in China, and there isn't a single one in Japan. Of course, he can be invincible in the world.

　It's the fault of the older generation; they failed to make the younger generation realize their own limitations, which led to unrealistic ambitions.

　"Come on, as you just said, let's have a match. Friendship first, competition second. We can have the younger members assist us."

　However, I have one condition before that: we are only responsible for cooking the dishes, not for thinking about them.

　The younger generation prepared all the ingredients for the meal, which also gave them a chance to develop their skills.

　In other words, we will cook according to whatever ingredients they prepare, and no communication is allowed throughout the entire process.

　Zhou Tai stated his conditions calmly, without any further discussion.

　In other words, until the meal is finished, no one knows what the other person is preparing to cook with these ingredients.

　"I have no objection. What is the topic?"

　Bai Yuan nodded, agreeing with Zhou Tai's suggestion.

　He naturally trusted his apprentices whom he had personally trained unconditionally, and more importantly, he had absolute confidence in himself.

　"They say a chef's soup is like an opera singer's voice. I haven't competed with anyone in cooking for a long time. Today I'm going to sing, so I'll make soup."

　Zhou Tai's voice was calm. Although soup wasn't his specialty, it was still one of his top three specialties.

　However, the main reason he chose soup as the theme was because of Zhou Quan, who used soup to pass the assessment and become a master chef.

　Since the condition of this competition is to prepare ingredients for the younger generation, he naturally has to choose a dish that the younger generation is good at.

　Otherwise, if communication is impossible and the other party brings some strange ingredients, it would be difficult to bring out the full flavor, which would be bad.

　"Soup? Indeed, to make good dishes, you must first make good soup. Soup is of great significance to chefs. In that case, let's focus on soup."

　Bai Yuan nodded, not paying much attention, but turned his gaze to Hisako Shinto and Miyoko Hojo beside him and said, "Which of you two wants to come and help me cook?"

　"I..."

　Hisako Shinto hesitated. After their conversation, she knew that the old man in front of her seemed to be a top-level eight-star state banquet chef. Therefore, she was afraid of dragging Bai Yuan down, and she would never forgive herself for doing so.

　However, it was this hesitation that made Miyoko Hojo, who had been keeping her head down, look up: "I want to try. I already have the answer in my heart."

　"Alright, then you can do it."

　Shirai noticed Hisako Shinto and Miyoko Hojo's reactions, and nodded upon hearing Miyoko Hojo's decisive words.

　Compared to the hesitant Hisako Shinto, Miyoko Hojo is undoubtedly more suitable for this match, not for any other reason than her extremely clear goal.

　When facing a master, any hesitation will lead to defeat. You must have a clear goal and a firm belief to be the foundation of victory.

　Bai Yuan knew this.

　Zhou Tai naturally knew this, so he looked at the two people beside him who were somewhat stunned, and kicked Zhou Quan in exasperation.

　"The match is scheduled for tonight. Let these two juniors go out to buy ingredients this afternoon."

　That's exactly what I meant.

　If you can't buy any rare ingredients, you can ask this person for help; she will use her unique channels in Totsuki.

　"Deliver the ingredients as quickly as possible."

　"Thank you."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Zhou Tai nodded seriously. Since the other party was willing to say this, it proved that he wanted to bring everything to a level playing field. In other words, he was very serious about this competition.

　Since that's the case, he has no intention of holding back. As a chef for state banquets, he rarely handles kitchen knives due to his advanced age.

　But that doesn't mean he lacks the ability to fight someone with a kitchen knife.

　The huge gap between a top-eight chef and a top-seven chef needs to be shown to this junior!

　"Alright, it's getting late. You guys go to the market. Brother Zhou and I will just stay here, have some tea, and chat."

　Seeing Hojo Miyoko and Zhou Quan standing behind them without moving for a long time, Bai Yuan frowned slightly, then ordered them to take action.

　"it is good."

　Hojo Miyoko and Zhou Quan were taken aback by Bai Yuan's words, then nodded as if they understood, and left the place, heading towards the market at the foot of Mount Totsuki.

　"Yuyu, aren't you going with Xiaoquan? You usually love shopping the most."

　While Zhou Yuyu was sitting obediently in her seat, a look of surprise flashed across Zhou Tai's face, and then he asked curiously.

　"I go shopping to see handsome men. Now that I have a handsome man in front of me, why should I give up looking at that place? Besides, there aren't many handsome men in Japan."

　Zhou Yuyu rested her face on her hands, her gaze filled with a hint of infatuation. This infatuation stemmed from her admiration for Bai Yuan's good looks, but more so from her attraction to his rich knowledge and talent.

　Bai Yuan's conversation with Zhou Tai had given her a deep understanding of his status as a top-tier seven-star chef. From every perspective, he was an exceptionally talented man, but unfortunately, he already had someone he loved...

　However, as the saying goes, if you swing the hoe well, no corner is too tough to knock down. With her sweet and lovely appearance, it's hard to imagine anyone refusing her.

　If you take the initiative a little and make it a fait accompli, the other person won't be able to deny it even if they want to. As for the feelings that follow, you can cultivate them slowly.

　"Do we have guests coming over?"

　Just then, a noise came from outside, and it was Alice Nakiri and the others who had arrived at the scene.

　Seeing Zhou Tai and Zhou Yuyu visiting in the living room, Alice Nakiri quickly sat down next to Bai Yuan, acting like the lady of the house.

　Although they only exchanged a few fleeting glances, she noticed Zhou Yuyu's gaze towards Bai Yuan, a look she would never forget.

　Because, when she was a child, she also looked at Bai Yuan with that same gaze.

　So, as soon as she got home, she became vigilant and sat down next to Bai Yuan, determined to guard her own little corner of the world and prevent it from being harmed by any more little vixens from outside.

　"We're from China. Brother Bai just said he has someone he loves. Judging from how close you two are, he must be talking about you."

　I was wondering what kind of beautiful woman had captured Brother Bai's heart, but now that I see her, it all makes sense—you two look so well-matched sitting together!

　Who would have thought that when she sat down next to Bai Yuan and acted so intimately, the girl in front of her was not angry at all, but instead smiled and said something.

　"That must be me!"

　Although I still don't understand what Zhou Yuyu is talking about, since it's related to Bai Yuan and is about his sweetheart, it's undoubtedly referring to her.

　"White hair, red eyes, it seems like every Chinese person likes this."

　I have a cousin who loves anime and manga. He sleeps with a body pillow every day, and he doesn't have a girlfriend. The characters on the pillow are all white-haired and have red eyes.

　Alice Nakiri was sizing up Zhou Yuyu, and Zhou Yuyu was also sizing her up. A hint of amazement flashed deep in her eyes, and then she praised her without any hesitation.

　"Your outfit is very fashionable."

　"Thank you, this is an outfit I really like."

　Hearing Alice's words, whether it was a compliment or something else, Zhou Yuyu smiled and agreed, then got up and sat down next to her.

　"What a lively scene!"

　Outside the living room, Erina Nakiri glanced at the scene, muttered a soft sigh, and then returned to the kitchen.

　After finishing her usual lunch preparations, she would continue practicing martial arts, focusing on balance, which required her to stand on one leg on a wooden stake for an hour.

　This was an impossible task. She had trained so hard for so long, but she could only stay for less than ten minutes before her legs became sore.

　When Bai Yuan has some free time, she will definitely ask him for advice. She feels that there is something wrong with her, otherwise how could things be like this?

　Although the others were curious about what was happening, they weren't the type to join in the fun. They watched from a distance for a moment, then returned to their respective stoves and began cooking with the ingredients they had just bought.

　"It's quite lively here. Are all these young girls your disciples?"

　Looking at the girls busy at the stove, Zhou Tai asked with some curiosity, but he quickly realized that he had asked a stupid question.

　If the other person isn't his disciple, why isn't he home at midday, but instead comes here to cook...?

　Chapter 187 Trying to Do Too Much and Getting Nothing Right: Miyoko Hojo's Major Mistake

　the other side.

　Hojo Miyoko and Zhou Quan arrived at the market.

　Since the theme of this time is stewing soup, we need to prepare some high-quality ingredients, such as chicken, duck, fish, meat, and beef and lamb bones, all of which are very suitable for stewing soup.

　"Then I'll head this way next, let's..."

　"Don't interfere. Everyone buys the ingredients they need, and then returns directly to Totsuki."

　Because we don't know the way from Totsuki to the market.

　On the way down the mountain, Zhou Quan made a point of catching up with Hojo Miyoko and asking her to take him to the nearby markets, which would save him the trouble of searching.

　Faced with such a small request, Hojo Miyoko naturally couldn't refuse and generously agreed to Zhou Quan's request, taking him to the market under the moon of the far moon.

　"You don't need to tell me, I will do the same."

　Hojo Miyoko's voice was cold. After saying this, she left without looking back, heading east towards the market, and soon disappeared from sight.

　Zhou Quan watched her figure disappear and silently headed west, where the livestock were sold, which was also his destination.

　"As the saying goes, the older the better, so for this time, let's choose a three-year-old hen as the main ingredient."

　As I strolled casually through the market, my gaze swept over the chickens and ducks squawking in front of various stalls in the poultry market, and an idea already formed in my mind.

　"Boss, would you like to buy chicken?"

　Seeing Zhou Quan walking towards him, the owner of the chicken coop immediately perked up, got up from his recliner with a grin, and stood in front of him rubbing his hands together.

　"Give me a three-year-old hen."

　Without hesitation, Zhou Quan stated his request.

　"OK, just a second!"

　Upon hearing Zhou Quan's words, the boss smiled and then ran to the chicken coop behind him, looking at it from left to right.

　"Young man, you're really lucky. This is the last time we have old hens that are over three years old. All the others have been bought up to make soup. If you had come any later, this chicken would probably have been sold too."

　Finally, he chose a lively one, tied its wings, and handed it directly to Zhou Quan, talking as he did so, as if the chickens in his shop were very popular.

　"I said I want a three-year-old hen, yours is at most two and a half years old!"

　Taking the hen from the boss, ignoring his mutterings, Zhou Quan placed his hand on the chicken's belly, his expression changing slightly. He then returned the chicken, a hint of anger appearing between his brows.

　This guy actually tried to fool him with a two-and-a-half-year-old hen! He's got some nerve! It seems there are unscrupulous merchants in every country.