Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Seeing the soup in front of Zhou Tai quickly become clear, Bai Yuan's lips curled into a smile. The other party's cooking should be finished.

　But he's still one step away from completing this task!

　Lotus seeds, goji berries, bamboo shoot balls, and quail eggs.

　These are four ingredients that need to be added before the dish is finished cooking; otherwise, they will become mushy from the broth, affecting the final taste.

　As the three ingredients were put into the pot, Xuanwu in the sky suddenly had a heavy hammer in his hand. Facing the fierce phoenix, he mercilessly brought the hammer down on her head.

　This blow dealt it a severe blow.

　Seeing this, Zhou Tai kept scooping out the impurities from the pot to help the phoenix in the sky recover its condition, hoping that it could rest and fight again.

　However, Xuanwu's attack was fierce, giving it no time to breathe.

　Soon, the phoenix let out a mournful cry, and the Black Tortoise achieved final victory.

　The next moment, the light in the soup in front of Zhou Tai dimmed. Although it looked no different from before, something important was missing, which made him smile bitterly.

　Chapter 189 The News Brought by Zhou Tai: Fantasy-Level Ingredients

　"In the end, I made the wrong move..."

　Seeing this, Zhou Tai couldn't help but sigh, put down the soup spoon in his hand, and immediately admitted defeat.

　Zhou Quan's chosen dish is fairly standard, with no particular strengths or weaknesses; it's a fairly common soup.

　Even if this soup is made to perfection, it is inherently inferior to those great dishes because it lacks the flavor.

　If his cooking was out of 80 and he got 80, then Bai Yuan's cooking was out of 100 and he got 99.

　Although the latter did not have a higher success rate than the former, it still surpassed the former in terms of score, after all, it was more difficult to make.

　"Food transforms into soul, and you fight against the heavens. Your strength should have already broken through to the eighth level of the Special Grade. Why haven't you applied yet?"

　Looking at Bai Yuan's relaxed expression, Zhou Tai's voice revealed a hint of doubt.

　Only when both sides' dishes reach a certain level will the food spirits residing within the dishes be drawn out and emerge to fight each other in the sky.

　The last time such a scene appeared was more than ten years ago when he competed with his master, but unfortunately his master has now passed away.

　"They didn't want me to be promoted so quickly, thinking that would attract too much attention, so they asked me to participate in the assessment in two years to give me a buffer. Now I might have reached the eighth level of the special grade, or I might not."

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he ladled the soup from the pot into a large bowl in his hand, and then used chopsticks to pick up the ingredients from the pot.

　This bowl contains lotus seeds, red dates, longan, quail eggs, and bamboo shoot balls, along with two pieces of turtle meat. Whether you eat the meat or drink the soup, it's absolutely delicious!

　"Try it."

　After ladling out the soup, Bai Yuan handed it directly to Zhou Tai.

　The other person's soup needed to cook for another forty minutes, while his only needed to be covered and simmered for ten minutes, which is why it was so quick.

　out of the pot.

　"Thank you."

　Zhou Tai nodded and accepted the soup Bai Yuan handed him without hesitation. He then opened his mouth to savor the delicious soup, took a couple of sips, and picked up his chopsticks to start eating the meat, a look of enjoyment on his face.

　"The meat of the soft-shelled turtle is tender. After being stir-fried to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma, it is stewed with a variety of medicinal herbs and spices, which allows the meat to be infused with the fragrance of the herbs and the mellowness of Shaoxing wine, resulting in a delicious and non-greasy taste."

　Meanwhile, the soup carries a subtle aroma of wine and the unique sweetness of medicinal herbs, preserving the natural freshness of the turtle while adding rich layers of flavor.

　As the turtle soup entered my mouth, its delicate flavors spread and lingered in my mouth, and Zhou Tai began to explain.

　This reflects his professional competence as a chef.

　"You should all try it. Help yourselves to get the meat. There's plenty of seasoning in it, so don't worry about not having enough."

　Quickly ladle the soup out of the pot, then put one or two pieces of turtle meat into each person's bowl, and then have them line up to receive it.

　The girls, who had long been unable to contain themselves, quickly formed a long queue. Seeing the soup bowl that Bai Yuan handed them, they picked it up without the slightest hesitation and put it directly to their lips to drink.

　The shimmering golden liquid entered their mouths as if they were savoring nectar, and everyone present wore expressions of bliss.

　The aroma is not strong; the various medicinal herbs give it a gentle quality, making one feel warm all over and unconsciously bringing a comfortable expression to one's face.

　"The addition of red dates, longan, lotus seeds, goji berries, and pigeon eggs gives the soup an incredibly rich sweetness and umami flavor."

　With her eyes closed, a deeper flavor was released in her mouth. Erina Nakiri gently exhaled a breath of hot air and then expressed her feelings.

　The sweetness of red dates and the slight tartness of goji berries intertwine, longan brings a unique fruity aroma, lotus seeds provide a refreshing taste, and the delicate flavor and nutrition of pigeon eggs further enhance this soup.

　The sweetness of these ingredients blends perfectly with the umami of the turtle, making the soup richer and more flavorful, so delicious that you can't help but murmur aloud!

　"one more bowl!"

　Erina Nakiri held out her bowl to Shirayuki, who was standing in front of the soup pot, her big eyes sparkling. Shirayuki smiled helplessly at her, but still scooped a bowl for her and handed it to her himself.

　As he handed her the soup, his hand unconsciously rested on her body, and then he felt a surge of powerful energy.

　At this moment, the girl suppressed and restrained this energy, but she was completely unaware of it, as her attention was completely drawn to the turtle soup.

　In such a situation, if this energy were to suddenly erupt, probably no one on the scene would be spared. An explosion that has been suppressed to the extreme would be absolutely violent!

　Fortunately, Bai Yuan resolved the situation in time.

　"This soup contains medicinal herbs such as ginseng, angelica, and astragalus. The aroma and medicinal effects permeate the soup, making your body feel warm and comfortable. It feels so good!"

　Her pink tongue lightly licked her lips, and Hisako Shinto's voice rang out from the side, naming the medicinal herbs added to the soup.

　Adding medicinal herbs to the soup provides energy to the body, which is the source of its warmth.

　"Dried clams, scallops, and dried oysters are the finishing touches, making the soup more flavorful and complementing the taste of the turtle itself."

　"Not only the soup, but the meat tastes amazing too!"

　"The quail eggs were cooked through, absorbing all the flavor of the turtle soup!"

　Zhou Yuyu said with a happy expression, "These quail eggs are so juicy and flavorful, they taste even better than meat!"

　"I lost this game."

　As Zhou Tai spoke, he stepped forward, picked up the Food Wars recipe that Bai Yuan had placed on the table, glanced at the names recorded on it, then turned to the page where no one had written, and signed his name in a flowing, elegant hand.

　"Grandpa!"

　"grandfather!"

　Seeing Zhou Tai's actions, Zhou Quan and Zhou Yuyu couldn't help but exclaim. His soup hadn't even been cooked yet, how could he have already picked up his pen and admitted defeat?

　"No need to say anything more. Although my soup is not yet ready, the outcome of this battle is already obvious. I know the taste of my soup better than anyone else."

　A dish that has lost its Food Soul is destined to only reach the level of Flowing Light. Compared to the Five-Round Turtle Soup, which has a Food Soul and far surpasses it, there is really no comparison.

　It's much more dignified to admit defeat now than to have everyone vote for Baek Yeon's soup later.

　"But..."

　Zhou Quan glanced at the soup still simmering on the stove, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately chose to give up.

　Since Zhou Tai has already conceded defeat, there's no point in him saying anything more. He might as well stand silently and be a peaceful bystander.

　"You are amazing. To be able to make such a high-quality dish at such a young age, even in ancient times, you would deserve to be called a peerless genius."

　If at the beginning I had some doubts about your desire to become Chef Dragon, now I think you're the perfect person for it.

　After returning the food battle recipe to Bai Yuan, Zhou Tai looked at his face and said these words, revealing high expectations in his words.

　Young, highly skilled, and proficient in various culinary fields.

　If someone like him can't become a Dragon Chef, then who can? And who can surpass him?

　Zhou Tai never imagined that there could be someone more outstanding than Bai Yuan in the world, who had reached such a high level of achievement at the age of twenty.

　Level 8 stars—a level that an ordinary chef could never reach, even if he spent his entire life in the kitchen.

　"You don't need to doubt it, I will become the Dragon Chef."

　Hearing Zhou Tai's heartfelt praise, Bai Yuan looked at him in return. In an instant, their eyes met, and Bai Yuan expressed his determination word by word.

　If we're going to do it, let's become the strongest in the world!

　"Come with me for a moment. I have something I want to tell you. I should say that with your current strength, it's time for you to get involved in these kinds of things."

　Seeing Bai Yuan's serious expression, Zhou Tai's expression became unusually serious. He then said something to him and turned to walk out of the villa.

　"Now that I've reached a point where I can even make contact..."

　Bai Yuan was somewhat confused by the incomprehensible words, but Zhou Tai was a top-level eight-star chef and a chef for state banquets, so he shouldn't have lost him without reason.

　After thinking for a moment, Bai Yuan quickly followed, and soon the two arrived at the lawn outside the villa. It was quiet and deserted, and Zhou Tai stopped and turned around.

　"What guidance do you have for me, Senior Zhou?"

　Looking at Zhou Tai who had turned around, Bai Yuan was filled with questions.

　Although the other party lost the game, Zhou Tai is older than him and has been learning to cook for a longer time, so the other party is fully deserving of the title of senior.

　"Before we get to that, I'd like to ask you a question. Have you ever heard of the legendary fantasy ingredients?"

　"Fantasy-grade ingredients?"

　Looking at Zhou Tai, who was asking him this matter so seriously, Bai Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of confusion, because this was indeed the first time he had ever heard of it.

　"It's normal that you haven't heard of it, because this ingredient is extremely rare. Even decades ago, it was only available to chefs of five-star rank or higher."

　In modern times, due to the extinction of such fantastical ingredients, younger generations of chefs have basically never heard of them, and older generations of chefs don't particularly mention them.

　Looking at Bai Yuan's expression, Zhou Tai already had the answer in his mind. However, he brought it up first just to liven up the atmosphere and create suspense. He didn't really expect Bai Yuan to know.

　"Fantasy-grade ingredients, rare and uncommon, only found among top-tier five-star chefs."

　Moreover, it has become virtually extinct in modern times, so very few novice chefs know about it...

　I ventured a guess: the so-called "fantasy-level ingredients" are those that don't exist in this world and taste better than ordinary ingredients.

　Having read many novels in his past life, and being particularly sensitive to the term "fantasy-grade," he immediately grasped the crux of the matter: what constitutes a fantasy-grade ingredient.

　"You guessed right, fantasy-level ingredients have flavors that ordinary ingredients don't have, and if used well, they can easily take your cooking to the next level."

　However, because cooking with these ingredients demands a high level of skill from the chef, even assigning them to a lower-level chef would be a waste of ingredients. Therefore, they typically only circulate among chefs of five stars or higher, as only they can bring out the true deliciousness of these fantastic-level ingredients!

　Hearing Bai Yuan's guess, Zhou Tai was somewhat surprised and thought to himself that the new brain was really useful. It had taken him several days to accept these ideas back then.

　"So, by suddenly bringing up an extinct ingredient, what are you trying to express?"

　Looking at Zhou Tai's face, Bai Yuan voiced his doubts. The other party suddenly brought this up, so it couldn't be just a casual remark.

　For some reason, Bai Yuan had a feeling that the other party was about to say something shocking.

　"Of course it will reappear soon!"

　To everyone's astonishment, Zhou Tai revealed what Bai Yuan was thinking. But then again, only in this way would the other party cautiously call him out.

　Otherwise, it would be better to just tell everyone about it as an urban legend.

　"Could you explain in detail what exactly happened?"

　Bai Yuan humbly sought advice, as he was genuinely curious about this and also looking forward to using fantasy-level ingredients, which would surely lead to innovative cooking methods!

　“This matter is of great importance. You must promise not to tell anyone else, at least not now.”

　"Don't worry, I can tell what's important."

　As Zhou Tai spoke, he walked out of the courtyard, his face becoming more serious. Upon seeing this, Bai Yuan quickly assured him that he was simply too curious.

　"This all started with the Food World, which opens once every hundred years..."

　·

　·

　A hot spring resort in Tokyo.

　"call..."

　Warm water poured over her head, Liu Yu let out a long breath, then shook her hair, put it up, and walked to the edge of the hot spring pool.

　"It's so slow, I'm almost dizzy from soaking."

　The surrounding water rippled slightly, alerting Wang Jing that someone had entered the water. She opened her eyes and then saw Liu Yu entering the water, and couldn't help but mutter a complaint under her breath.

　"Shouldn't we take a good shower first? It's been days since we've had a bath. Besides, isn't it a bit inappropriate for just the two of us to sneak out like this..."

　They leaned comfortably against the rock. Because it was a weekday, the surroundings were very quiet, and the entire hot spring was empty except for the two of them.

　"When did you become so concerned about others? Besides, we're here for special training. Xiaomei is your opponent this time. Are you going to bring her along?"