Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Pushing open the door, Bai Yuan was surprised to find the room pitch black. It was only 7 p.m., not this early even for sleeping!

　Could it be that she was so heartbroken that she cried herself to sleep early in her room?

　With this question in mind, Bai Yuan did not rush to turn on the light. Instead, he tiptoed to Liya's bedside, where the blanket in front of him was noticeably bulging.

　This means there are people inside, but covering your head to sleep could lead to suffocation.

　Just as he thought of this, Bai Yuan's face showed a worried expression. He then reached out and lifted part of the blanket to help Liya get some fresh air.

　Since the other person had already fallen asleep, he didn't plan to disturb them any further and would comfort them tomorrow.

　"Boss Bai, you're here!"

　Just as Bai Yuan was thinking this, the blanket in front of him suddenly moved, and then a huge 'reptile' pounced on him.

　"Fuck!"

　Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but scream in surprise, clearly not expecting the blanket to suddenly fly up, as if there was something inside.

　And this is Leah's room; the answer is obvious!

　"Damn, you're still awake? And you didn't make a sound, you scared me half to death. Wait, you were hiding under the covers, were you just trying to scare me?"

　As the blanket fell to the ground, Bai Yuan looked at the girl's ambiguous smile and knew exactly what she was thinking. There wasn't a trace of disappointment in her expression!

　"Guessed it right, but unfortunately there is no reward."

　Lia smiled mischievously. She had been holding back under the covers for over an hour, and seeing the results made it all worthwhile.

　Seeing Bai Yuan approaching her with a slightly annoyed expression, Liya jumped off the bed and walked to the other side, hoping to calm him down.

　"Judging from your expression, losing this match doesn't seem to have affected you much."

　Seeing Liya's appearance, Bai Yuan quickened his pace and soon stood in front of her.

　"Actually, I didn't aim for first place from the beginning. After all, my strength is what it is, and losing is normal."

　It's impossible not to feel some regret after giving it your all and still losing the game.

　But regret is regret, there's no need to let these feelings affect my life. After all, he's not going to die tomorrow. As long as I'm alive, I'll win back someday!

　When questioned, Leah appeared nonchalant; she genuinely didn't care about the lost match because she knew she would win it back sooner or later.

　As long as she stays by Bai Yuan's side and accepts his guidance, one day she will grow to a level that no one can imagine!

　"Although the words are rough, the principle is sound, but what you said is just too rough!"

　Lia's words made Bai Yuan burst out laughing; he clearly hadn't expected her to be so open-minded.

　However, this is also good. Maintaining a stable mindset is beneficial for future development. Being worse off for a while does not mean that you will be worse off for the rest of your life. Life is long, so take it slow.

　"So you came here to comfort me?"

　As if she had thought of something, Lia tilted her head and looked at Bai Yuan, her big eyes shining brightly.

　"That's how it was supposed to be. After all, you didn't dare to look me in the eye when we lost the game, so I thought you were very sad."

　However, judging from your situation, it seems I was overthinking things; you don't seem to need any comforting words.

　Looking at Liya, who was staring at him like a curious child, Bai Yuan patted her head, which had become one of his hobbies.

　It's like having a cute pet at home; no one can resist touching it.

　"Actually, it is necessary."

　Having received affirmation, Leah stroked her chin and said with considerable satisfaction.

　"Then I'll lend you my shoulder for a bit."

　"That's great!"

　As they were talking, Bai Yuan pulled Liya to sit down, and Liya naturally leaned her head against him with an expression of enjoyment on her face.

　Although it was only a brief moment of warmth, it was enough for her to replenish the energy lost in the game.

　"Boss Bai, which direction do you think I should strive for next?"

　To be honest, I practice the basics every day, watch matches by top players, and even participate in matches myself frequently, but the speed at which my skills improve feels incredibly slow, almost imperceptible.

　After resting for a while and replenishing her energy, Leah asked the question with a sigh.

　"In which aspect should we improve...?"

　"Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch."

　These five senses are collectively referred to as the five senses by humans. The absence of any one of them will have a significant impact on human life.

　For a chef, sight, smell, and taste are the most important.

　If any one of these three qualities is different from ordinary people, then they are considered to have superpowers and are born with the potential to become a top-level chef.

　However, once you reach the Master Chef level, the advantage brought by talent diminishes at a visible rate, because skilled chefs also possess these abilities; they may have slightly lower ceilings, but the gap is not as significant as before.

　After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Bai Yuan answered Liya's question.

　"So, once you reach the level of a master chef, your talent has already..."

　We've fallen behind, and while there will still be some impact, it won't be as significant as before, right...?

　Leah blinked, looking expectant.

　She doesn't have that kind of talent, so she hopes that other people's talents will be weakened, so that she will have a better chance of winning in future duels.

　"no."

　Lia's answer made Bai Yuan shake his head; that wasn't what he wanted to say.

　"Although the score for making a dish from Special Grade 1 to Special Grade 7 is lower than the score for making a dish from Grade 3 to Special Grade."

　However, the difficulty increases exponentially; those without talent will find it very difficult to reach the summit, and at best will only brush past geniuses halfway up the mountain.

　The leap from third-class cuisine to top-class cuisine is equivalent to the jump from 60 points to 90 points, and the difference is undoubtedly huge.

　However, in terms of difficulty, going from 90 to 100 is a hundred times, or even a thousand times, more difficult than going from 60 to 90.

　This is why top-level chefs are rare, and top-level high-star chefs are even rarer.

　Talent is their only stepping stone.

　"So you mean my talent has reached its limit, and no matter how hard I try, I can't improve much, right...?"

　When Leah said this, there was a clear sense of disappointment in her voice. This was not the answer she wanted to hear, even though it was one she had expected.

　Why do you always try to answer first?

　Hearing Liya's words, Bai Yuan was speechless. He had laid so much groundwork not to make her feel down, but to put it off.

　"That's exactly what I mean!"

　Leah blushed slightly and said angrily.

　"Okay, I won't pretend to be profound with you anymore."

　"With a solid grasp of the fundamentals, what you need to do now is develop, develop your own unique strengths."

　She rarely wanted to be a life mentor, but she was criticized for her wording. So Bai Yuan got up from the bed and looked down at her.

　"Develop your own unique strengths..."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Liya was initially puzzled, then fell into deep thought, pondering what advantages she possessed that would allow her to go further.

　"That's right, it's about developing your advantages that others don't have."

　Although everyone in Totsuki is weak, they all have their own weapons.

　For example, Eishi Tsukasa, the current first seat of the Elite Ten, possesses the unique ability to communicate with ingredients, allowing him to better bring out their flavor.

　The second seat is Kobayashi Rindou, who is skilled in wild game cuisine. Preparing wild game dishes can elevate one's culinary skills to a higher level.

　Compared to those around him, Soma Yukihira excels at turning inexpensive ingredients into high-end cuisine and possesses exceptional creativity in cooking; Alice is skilled in molecular gastronomy and adept at combining the two; Erina…”

　Looking at the stunned girl in front of her, Bai Yuan gave a detailed explanation. In short, it means having an advantage that others don't have, and that advantage is her most important weapon.

　"So what are my advantages?"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's explanation, Liya's heart surged with excitement. She then looked at him expectantly and asked, wanting to know about her advantages.

　I can't see your strengths at the moment.

　French cuisine? You could try using what you've learned before; a fusion of Chinese and French styles might be your strength.

　Bai Yuan pinched his chin as he analyzed that Liya's strength was not weak, but she did not have a particularly outstanding specialty.

　Being proficient in French and Chinese cuisine barely qualifies one, but the rest are just average and mediocre.

　He's a genius, but he doesn't have a weapon he can use...

　"So, does that mean I don't have any amazing talents? That's really disappointing."

　Lia said this in French, so that Bai Yuan wouldn't notice her disappointment.

　"Don't be discouraged. I don't have anything particularly outstanding. You can probably tell that I'm about the same level when it comes to cooking each dish. I rarely do anything extraordinary."

　Bai Yuan also answered in French, which he had learned on his own while staying at Alice Nakiri's house, because he wanted to learn French cuisine, and many authentic French dishes were written in French.

　"Boss Bai, you can even speak French!"

　"Is this any of a surprise? We also spoke in French during the master chef assessment."

　"It's been a while, I forgot."

　She looked at Bai Yuan with a surprised expression, seemingly not expecting him to speak French so fluently, even more so than she, a Frenchwoman!

　"Stability is the best talent! And Boss Bai, your cooking is not so much lacking in characteristics, but rather that you are proficient in everything!"

　Even for dishes I've never made before, I can achieve the best results on my first try!

　Hearing Bai Yuan's somewhat self-deprecating words, Liya couldn't help but retort.

　If other people's weapons make one corner of their stat panel stand out, then Bai Yuan's weapons have all six corners of the panel piercing the sky, stretching as far as the eye can see!

　"What you said makes some sense."

　In summary, your next step is to identify your strengths and then develop and amplify them; this is your opportunity to become stronger.

　Bai Yuan began to speak gently and persuasively.

　"Find your strengths,

　I've got it covered, and I'll work towards that goal from now on!

　After closing her eyes and thinking for a while, Leah nodded solemnly, her eyes revealing determination. This would become her goal for the future.

　"Then keep trying. This might be the key to your breakthrough to the fifth level of the Special Grade."

　As he spoke, Bai Yuan patted Liya's head again.

　Feeling the silky smoothness of the touch, he suddenly added another sentence.

　"The key to breaking through to the fifth level of the Special Grade?! Is this so-called advantage even that powerful?"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, a hint of confusion involuntarily appeared on Liya's face.

　"Of course it's powerful. It's mainly for helping you focus on one thing and reach the pinnacle."

　A top-tier, five-star dish requires breaking through conventions in some aspect, reaching a level that ordinary people cannot achieve, in order for the dish to truly shine.

　"Breaking with convention?"

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Liya's expression froze for a moment. This was the first time she had heard Bai Yuan talk about a special five-star dish. So that's how it is.

　Only by breaking with convention can one reach a level that ordinary people cannot achieve!

　"That's right, it's about breaking the rules and taking something that would normally only get 100 points and getting it to 101 points, so that we can create a dish that shines."

　"101 points..."

　Hearing his words, Leah lowered her head and fell silent again. She couldn't even reach 100 points, let alone 101.

　However, at least we have a direction to move forward.

　"Don't be too anxious. Your youth is your biggest advantage. You have plenty of time to try and fail. Even if things don't go well, I'll be there for you. Advancing to the Special Grade Five Star is not a difficult thing."

　Seeing the silent Lia, Bai Yuan assumed that the difficulty of becoming a Special Grade Five Star had frightened her, so he comforted her from the side.

　"No, I'm just too excited."

　Lia's body, hidden beneath her nightgown, trembled slightly as she suppressed her excitement and exclaimed, "This is truly wonderful news!"