Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　On the other side, seeing Bai Yuan heading towards Division A, Lia's eyes lit up for a moment, and then she strode after him.

　"Yes, you too?"

　"That's right, I look forward to working with you from now on!"

　"This is an individual competition, not a team competition, so there's no point in me giving you special treatment. Besides, with your skills, passing the qualifiers should be a piece of cake."

　He flicked Lia's head with his finger. After half a year of training, she had successfully become a top-level two-star chef.

　This is thanks to the training he received from a young age; only through years of hard work and accumulation could he rapidly improve by two star levels in just two years.

　"Oh, these two things don't conflict."

　Leah covered the spot on her head where she had been flicked, puffing out her cheeks and whispering.

　"There is still some conflict, after all, once we get to the competition, we will be opponents."

　As they spoke, Bai Yuan had already stepped into the gate of Division A. At this moment, there were less than ten minutes left before the start of the competition, and the chefs around him were in various poses.

　Some wore masks like them, while others had striking eyebrows and bright eyes, giving them an extraordinary air about them. There were also many burly men!

　Everyone was holding kitchen utensils, some conventional and some unconventional, making it dazzling and difficult to know who to focus on.

　This youth chef competition is a golden opportunity for them to make a name for themselves and rise to the top. Everyone will bring out their best skills!

　Chapter 234 The Radiant Cuisine Amazes Everyone!

　"They all seem like tough opponents."

　Leah glanced around and muttered to herself, "I've participated in a few competitions like this before, but most of them were at the city level. This is my first time at the provincial level."

　However, she could

　It was obvious that these guys in front of me were not simple.

　Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the crowd.

　"It's him! The champion from last year!"

　The young man strode confidently toward the venue, accompanied by a male and a female follower.

　Those around him, seeing this, quickly made way for him, their faces showing subtle expressions. The person who had just arrived was the champion of the previous competition.

　At the same time, Lia's voice rang in Bai Yuan's ears, her eyes filled with fighting spirit as she looked at the young man opposite her: "Liu Xiaotian, from Putian, Fujian, 26 years old, won the last final with a bowl of secret Putian braised noodles, his cooking is at the level of a special three-star chef."

　The highest level of competition for young chefs is generally a three-star special grade dish, regardless of the province.

　Only a very few exceptionally talented geniuses can perform beyond their usual level in the competition and create a dish that is rated as a top-tier four-star dish.

　As for using luminous dishes to participate in competitions? Looking at the entire Chinese culinary world, it has only happened a handful of times in history, and every time it has happened, it is unrepeatable.

　It combines favorable timing, geographical advantages, and harmonious human relations.

　In the chef's words, it's about having high-quality ingredients, a good theme, and a good chef.

　You can't be without any of the three!

　"To be able to make a three-star special grade dish at this age is already considered exceptional."

　Bai Yuan nodded, his gaze sweeping across the venue. Compared to the Guangzhou Master Chef Assessment, the cooking equipment for the Young Chef Competition was noticeably better.

　Not only does it have a state-of-the-art cooking station, but the surrounding ingredients are also top-quality, allowing contestants to unleash their full potential.

　"It is indeed very good."

　Bai Yuan nodded. With Liu Xiaotian's appearance, most people's eyes were focused on him, some with fighting spirit and others with hostility.

　"Judging from this, at least two qualifying spots for Region A have been taken. The remaining contestants will be vying for the other two. I wonder how things are going in the other regions..."

　Seeing Liu Xiaotian walk towards the cooking station, Liya muttered something under her breath. At that moment, the judges also came out from backstage and looked at the contestants on site.

　Hearing the footsteps on the stage and feeling the gazes falling on them, the contestants all turned their eyes back, waiting for them to announce the theme of the selection competition.

　"The theme of the dish is squirrel fish. Candidates modify the dish according to their own understanding and submit it to the judges for scoring. The top four dishes will advance."

　The judges' voices came from the judges' panel, bringing the atmosphere to a fever pitch. Everyone was eager to compete, even Liu Xiaotian.

　"Squirrel fish? That's my specialty! I made it over a hundred times in a row for a while."

　Now I can not only perfectly remove fish bones, but I can also make authentic sweet and sour sauce! This time I can finally enter the main competition!

　Someone shouted excitedly, "As long as you make it to the main competition of the Young Chef Competition, your future will be limitless, and even major restaurants will be vying to recruit you!"

　Because such chefs, when they grow up, can often become the head chef of a restaurant, helping the restaurant to live for decades longer.

　In the culinary world, recruiting a master chef as the head chef of a restaurant is extremely costly, and they have little sense of belonging to the restaurant. They will waver and leave as soon as someone offers a higher price, which is far less desirable than training them from scratch!

　For young chefs, being recruited by a large restaurant means they can initially work alongside skilled veteran chefs, then find jobs to work independently, and eventually become the head chef.

　This is a win-win situation.

　"1038, 1038..."

　A gray-haired young man muttered to himself while holding his phone, his gaze sweeping across the kitchen counter before finally finding his own.

　Each cooking station here is numbered. Contestants enter the cooking station by number and have ten minutes to write down the ingredients they need. Afterwards, someone will bring them over.

　Since the first round is a selection competition, it mainly focuses on everyone's creativity rather than their ability to adapt to changing circumstances, so the requirements are relatively low.

　"These are all I need, thank you."

　Bai Yuan wrote down the contents and number on the slip of paper, then handed it to the staff member who came to collect the slips. His voice was gentle, and he had a faint smile on his face.

　But there are no fish on this!

　The staff couldn't help but complain. She could understand what ingredients the customer wanted, but the fish, the core of the dish, wasn't on the note!

　"The contents of the note are fine. This is a squirrel fish dish without the fish. The key is the fruit. Just prepare it as I tell you."

　Understanding the staff's concerns, Bai Yuan spoke with certainty.

　As a top-tier seven-star chef, participating in this kind of competition requires setting a higher bar for oneself; otherwise, it would be like bullying a child.

　"A squirrel fish that doesn't need fish? Can it still be called a squirrel fish? Is this kid trying to show off?"

　Nearby, a contestant witnessed the whole thing, couldn't help but complain in his heart, then shook his head and buried himself in writing on the paper.

　Liu Xiaotian, who happened to be behind Bai Yuan, saw everything. When he heard that Bai Yuan wasn't going to use fish to make squirrel fish and was focusing on fruit instead, a look of surprise flashed across his face.

　Although I didn't think he could make anything decent, I couldn't help but wonder how he would make squirrel fish with fruit.

　After the staff had gathered all the ingredients the contestants needed, Liu Xiaotian also noted...

　She noticed the many fruits displayed in front of Bai Yuan.

　Pineapple, cantaloupe, green apple, orange, lemon, half a mango, strawberries, a pomegranate (as needed), and mint leaves. These are the ingredients Bai Yuan used.

　Apart from the fruit, there were no other ingredients on the cutting board except for some basic seasonings and a jar of honey.

　"Is this guy trying to be funny? Bringing so much fruit, what's he planning to do?!"

　The ingredients, completely out of place with the culinary theme, were all fruits, leaving one momentarily wondering what Bai Yuan was trying to do. Was he trying to grab attention? He certainly succeeded.

　"You can't possibly make squirrel fish with fruit, that would be too absurd!"

　Some people offered their guesses, but quickly shook their heads in self-doubt.

　"It's not impossible, but without even the most basic fish, using only fruit, I bet it wouldn't taste good even if it were made."

　At the scene, someone else thought of using the sweet and sour properties of fruit to simulate the sweet and sour sauce poured over the squirrel fish. Of course, all of this is based on the premise of having fish.

　It can be said that fish is the key to this dish.

　"Forget about others, focusing on finishing your own dish is the most important thing. Those who are destined to be eliminated don't deserve so much attention!"

　Someone waved their hand dismissively and complained.

　"But this topic is really... everyone's ideas are all the same, there are really not many people who want to be original, it looks like we'll have to fight tooth and nail!"

　After another discussion, thinking about the upcoming assessment, everyone turned their attention away from Bai Yuan and focused on the ingredients in front of them.

　If Bai Yuan hadn't chosen such bizarre ingredients that didn't seem like they were for making squirrel fish, no one would have wasted time specifically criticizing or commenting on him.

　"Fruit squirrel fish? What a novel dish! Fruit can be used to make squirrel fish... No wonder it's Boss Bai! He easily accomplished what we couldn't!"

　Leah was equally surprised, but unlike the others, she didn't complain.

　If it were anyone else, she would just call them an idiot. But if it were Bai Yuan, her attitude would change; she would feel a great sense of anticipation.

　Such a clever idea, using fruit to simulate squirrel fish, truly befits a top-tier seven-star chef; their thinking is beyond the reach of ordinary people like them!

　And what about Bai Yuan?

　Making squirrel fish with fruit is a challenge in itself, and it's also a way to have fun. Even if you make squirrel fish with fruit, you can still beat everyone here. Isn't that interesting?

　Talented but lacking in virtue—this is embodied in this moment.

　"That contestant is quite interesting. They want to make squirrel fish using fruit? This tests not only the seasoning but also the knife skills and presentation!"

　Because Bai Yuan had made such a commotion, an elderly man in his sixties on the judging panel noticed him. He was surprised to see that his cooking table was full of fruit, and then commented.

　"Fruit squirrel fish? I've never heard of such a bizarre way of making it. What a show-off!"

　Next to the old man sat a middle-aged man with bulging muscles and a beard. He merely glanced coldly at Bai Yuan and uttered those words.

　"I think it's quite thoughtful. No one has ever tried it before, so in a sense it's pioneering. I just don't know how it tastes."

　The last judge was a mature woman with a graceful figure. She looked at Bai Yuan with admiration in her eyes, not for his cooking, but for his demeanor.

　Although he was wearing a mask, it was easy to tell from Bai Yuan's figure that he was a handsome young man, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

　As if she had thought of something, her full, rounded thighs crossed and rubbed together slightly, her fingers gently caressing her lips, and the mature woman's eyes were practically drooling.

　This mysterious and aloof feeling was just right for her!

　I haven't seen this type of handsome guy in a long time.

　"Don't go crazy here."

　The middle-aged man glanced at her, muttered something in disgust, and then turned his attention to the other contestants, ignoring Bai Yuan.

　"Indeed, all the participants in this year's selection competition are very strong, especially that kid Liu Xiaotian. I have to say, he deserves to be last year's champion. His skillful technique is no less than that of some veteran master chefs!"

　"Everyone knows he's your nephew, so there's no need to brag. His skills haven't improved much since last year, and I still think Lin Yun is more promising."

　Last year he lost by only one vote, but because of that defeat, he went to the deep mountains for arduous cultivation, secluded himself for a year, and has now returned with great success.

　"Xiaotian is just not good at handling raw fish; he focused on meat dishes last year."

　He's now qualified to handle dishes at the Special Grade Four level. Last year, he even created two glowing dishes while maintaining a high level of mental concentration, attracting quite a crowd!

　"Glowing cuisine? That's just a coincidence."

　The voluptuous mature woman rolled her eyes at the middle-aged man. Once a woman's culinary skills reach the highest level, she gains the ability to create glowing dishes.

　The probability is pitifully low; you'd be lucky to succeed even once out of a hundred or a thousand attempts.

　A Superior Four-Star rating requires a success rate of at least 10%, and for dishes you are good at, you can even achieve a 50% success rate.

　Like Bai Yuan, who faced Wang Zhi in front of Zhuang Huiyuan's gate, whose strength was at the peak of the fourth-level special grade. Even with focused research...

　The chance of creating a glowing dish is around 70%-80%.

　As for the top-tier five-star rating, the standard is that no matter what dish you make, it must reach the "glowing" level, and the success rate must be greater than 80%.

　The leap from Superior Grade 5 to Superior Grade 6 is another huge hurdle. It's almost like entering a completely new world with each star, and the gap between them is enormous and difficult to overcome.

　"No matter what, Xiaotian will definitely be the champion this year!"

　The middle-aged man snorted and then fell silent. Seeing his demeanor, the others didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, they scanned the room, looking for outstanding chefs.

　The alluring mature woman's gaze, for some reason, lingered on Bai Yuan and refused to leave him; the more she looked at him, the more familiar she felt with the person before her.

　Who is it?

　The mature woman's mind was filled with doubt.

　She then saw Bai Yuan take action, his hands moving swiftly. He first cut the pineapple, green apple, and mango into chunks, and then halved the strawberries for later use.

　Next, adjust the fruit and vegetable maker to crush the oranges and lemons. Taking advantage of the sweet and sour aroma spreading in the air, put them in a pot and add honey to increase the sweetness and shine.

　During the heating process, Bai Yuan produced the Lianzhen Knife in his hand. Then, with a speed that caught everyone off guard, he cut the cantaloupe on the table into large pieces, laid them flat on the plate, and raised the Lianzhen Knife again, quickly carving out the outline of a fish's body.

　This carving involves shaping a large piece of cantaloupe into a form with its head tilted back, tail raised, and squeaking as it pours milk.

　Hami melons have a delicate texture and moderate water content. Their pale yellow flesh can mimic the color of fish, and their soft texture is very similar to that of fish.

　Take another pineapple and cut it into small, round slices. Then, arrange the slices in a fish-scale pattern on the "fish body" and connect them to the cantaloupe sliced ​​below.