Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　"Your Chaozhou-style raw fish tastes quite good. It demonstrates strong knife skills, and your technique is outstanding among master chefs."

　But that alone isn't enough to get a high score from me!

　Master Baiyao wrote the number six on the paper in front of him, indicating that his dish had received a score of six, which was just enough to pass.

　"What did you say?! How is that possible! How could my bet only have such a low score!"

　Li Xiao's expression changed as he looked at the number "six" on the paper.

　Then, as if he had just realized something, he turned his gaze to Granny Skilled Hands and Fatty An, only to be shocked to find that one of them gave him a five and the other a six, meaning that the three of them combined hadn't even passed the minimum requirement!

　"Why? You all looked so happy just now, my dish must have been perfect! And to enhance the texture of the sashimi, I even made small cuts on the fish! Such innovation, plus it perfectly matched the theme, you should have given me a high score, right?"

　Li Xiao stared at his score in disbelief. It was the first time in his life he'd failed, and in this very competition! This shouldn't have happened! He'd tasted his own dish before serving it—it was undeniably delicious!

　"The taste is indeed excellent, the most authentic Chaozhou raw fish flavor. If I had eaten it in a small shop, I would probably give it a high score, but this is a showdown of knife skills in front of a god, so the expectations are naturally higher."

　"The standards were too high, so the score was low..."

　The young man in black robes muttered to himself, knowing full well what he was doing, which was why he wanted to act quickly and catch the others off guard.

　Unexpectedly, these people were so strict!

　A dish of the Special Grade Two-Star level might win a championship elsewhere, or at the very least achieve a decent ranking.

　Unfortunately, this is a duel of sword skills before the gods, and only monsters will remain in the end!

　Bai Yuan goes without saying; he can always make dishes that glow, so it's safe to say he's a top-tier five-star chef. And that newly emerged Master Tianci is also a genuine top-tier five-star chef.

　As for the remaining uncle in blue, he is the king of the Guangzhou Chefs Association and has reached the level of a special grade seven star. He is undoubtedly the strongest in Guangzhou!

　To become a top-tier seven-star chef, the first step is to go to Beijing to take an exam. Only by passing the exam can one become a top-tier seven-star chef!

　Whether it's the Master of Medicine or the Skillful Granny, they would each set aside three days each year to travel to Beijing together, all for the sake of obtaining the honor of the Special Seven Star, but each time they returned empty-handed.

　Perhaps the potential of old guys like them has long been exhausted. Reaching the Seventh Star Special Grade requires not only inherent strength but also a bit of luck.

　To become a top-tier seven-star chef, the most basic requirement is...

　The challenge is to create a dazzling dish that meets the requirements of the exam.

　The assessment organization will provide the examinee with a recipe and the corresponding ingredients, and ask the examinee to prepare the dish according to the recipe.

　The dishes can be slightly modified, but their essence cannot be changed. The condition for passing the assessment is to continuously generate flowing light, even if it doesn't last long, and one can be promoted to a special-grade seven-star chef.

　Each participant has twenty cooking opportunities. They only need to make one luminous dish to advance, otherwise they will fail.

　They have been working in the culinary industry for decades, and the number of times they have created the "flowing light dish" can be counted on two hands. Each time, it was done when they were in top form, which shows how difficult it is!

　Therefore, the assessment of a top-tier seven-star chef only has this one criterion.

　However, for the vast majority of top-tier six-star chefs, this is a hurdle that is difficult to overcome in a lifetime, and very few people succeed in advancing.

　It's like a pyramid; the higher up you go, the fewer people there are, and in any given era, only one person can truly reach the top.

　"My dish is finished too, Brother Qin, Sister Lian. I didn't expect that you two would be the judges again this time. It's been a long time."

　Holding a plate of Lizhuang pork belly with sauce on the side, Lei Tianci looked at the two people in front of him with a complicated expression in his eyes before placing the dish in front of them.

　"We didn't expect that you would be among the people who came for the assessment this time. It seems that your defeat in the swordsmanship duel before the gods has had a significant impact on you."

　"That's all in the past. I'm here to fulfill a dream. Even though I know I probably won't get the approval of the legendary kitchenware, I still want to give it a try! That way, I won't have any regrets even if I die. Cough cough cough."

　Lei Tianci looked at the two people in front of him and spoke from the bottom of his heart, coughing twice as he spoke, while gripping his cane tightly with his other hand.

　"Hey, it's too much to just ignore me like this!"

　Seeing that Lei Tianci had ignored him from beginning to end, Fatty An immediately opened his eyes in dissatisfaction.

　"It's already a favor that I didn't kick you,"

　"This guy's mouth still smells so foul after all these years!"

　"What? My old bones may be fragile, but I can still put up a fight. If you don't mind, we can have a go!"

　"You!"

　As the two continued their conversation, it was as if the scene had been transported back decades, when they would argue the moment they met.

　"Alright, you two stop arguing as soon as you meet. You're so old, yet you act like little kids. It's laughable."

　Master Baiyao smiled and waved his hand, clearly pleased to see his old friend. He then looked at the plate of Lizhuang pork belly in front of him.

　"It seems you've traveled to many places during the years you were gone. You must have learned to make such authentic Lizhuang pork from a master chef."

　Looking at the slice of Lizhuang pork belly, no more than 1 millimeter thick, and the delicious-looking dipping sauce, Master Baiyao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

　"It's not just one; I've exchanged culinary skills with many Sichuan chefs, including quite a few who are skilled at Lizhuang white pork."

　I combined the strengths of both, and thus created this unique Lizhuang Pork Belly. Give it a try! This should be a level of spiciness that people from Guangdong can handle.

　Because the ingredients were obtained on-site, there were no Guizhou chilies at all, and the chilies provided for the competition were not very spicy, but rather fragrant, with a level of spiciness that even people from Guangdong could tolerate.

　Combining the unique preparation method of Lizhuang Pork Sauce, this dish is less spicy but still delicious, making it a perfect choice for Cantonese people.

　"I see, that's good. I was just thinking that if I couldn't handle this level of spiciness, I would embarrass myself in front of everyone."

　"That won't happen. You roll the meat slices around your chopsticks and then dip them in the sauce."

　"I know that, it's the most authentic way to eat it!"

　The two exchanged a smile as they talked, and then Master Baiyao put the Lizhuang white pork, which was covered in sauce, into his mouth.

　The spiciness of the chili peppers, the aroma of the garlic paste, the rich flavor of the soy sauce made with various spices, all combined with the delicate tenderness of Lizhuang pork belly, create a perfect harmony!

　Furthermore, the moment the sauce was applied, the Li Zhuang white meat shone with a dazzling golden light, causing the spectators watching the battle to close their eyes.

　"It's actually a bit spicy, but still within an acceptable range."

　The meat is delicate; with just a slight bite, you can feel its juices, which, along with the spiciness, spread in your mouth, slowly releasing its umami flavor.

　As the skillful old lady spoke, she closed her eyes, feeling the intense heat of the chili peppers lingering in her mouth, which brought out the original flavor of the white meat.

　This feeling is like free fighting with a burly boar-man; you punch me, I punch you back—it's incredibly exhilarating!

　Master Baiyao opened his eyes, and an astonishing aura burst forth from his entire body. The intense heat of the Ziba chili peppers brought back the feeling of his youth!

　Chapter Eighty: Streams of Light Clash with Streams of Light! A Battle of Titans!

　"You kid, you've already reached the level of a six-star special chef!"

　Looking at the hunched old man in front of him, Master Baiyao placed his chopsticks on the empty plate and asked a question quite seriously.

　"It was already achieved three years ago."

　It's funny, actually. I had already given up, but unexpectedly, after giving up, I unknowingly reached this level.

　Upon hearing Master Baiyao's question, Lei Tianci's face...

　A wry smile appeared on his face, and he then recounted his experience of advancing to the next round.

　"You've been too tense, which is why you haven't been able to get the hang of it. But you've accumulated enough experience, so now that you relax, your cooking skills will naturally improve dramatically!"

　Master Baiyao's voice was filled with emotion, saying that sometimes being too tense is not a good thing, and that a balance between work and rest is the only way to make steady progress.

　"It's never too late to understand!"

　Lei Tianci said nonchalantly that after all these years of wasting time, his attitude towards life has undergone tremendous changes.

　"Without a doubt, this is an excellent work. Personally, I would give it a nine out of ten, and that's not an exaggeration at all!"

　Looking at Lei Tianci's carefree face, Master Baiyao raised his hand and wrote a nine on the paper in front of him. Putting everything else aside, just based on the dazzling golden light, this Lizhuang white pork is worth nine points!

　Moreover, the dish of Lizhuang White Meat is a testament to mastery of knife skills; anyone with weaker knife skills would not be able to slice meat so thinly.

　"I didn't expect you to have advanced to six stars. Although I'd love to nitpick, your cooking is truly excellent, and I'll give it nine points as well."

　Upon hearing that Lei Tianci possessed the strength of a Special Grade Six Star, Fatty An was not particularly surprised.

　As his former rival, he possessed exceptional talent and strength. However, his defeat was a huge blow to him, making him desperately want to break through, but he ended up stuck at the Special Grade 5.

　Now it seems that he has emerged from that experience and has even gone a step further, reaching the same level as him.

　"But you should hurry up and take the certification exam after this competition. Putting aside everything else, the retirement pension of a top-level six-star chef is several times higher than that of a five-star chef."

　The skillful old lady joked half-heartedly, then wrote down a nine on the paper in front of her. There were still two more skilled people waiting to compete. If she easily scored ten points, then things would get complicated.

　"Twenty-seven points! It's unbelievable that even the three kings of the Cantonese Culinary Association gave it nine points!"

　"You know, that Chaozhou-style raw fish dish only got seventeen points! Just how amazing must the dish be to earn such high praise from three Heavenly Kings at the same time?!"

　Someone gaped in shock and exclaimed, utterly shaken: "Twenty-seven points! Just three points shy of a perfect score!"

　"If I'm not mistaken, that was golden light just now!"

　"Yes, it's normal for a top-tier five-star chef to create dishes with a golden glow, but this is the first time I've ever seen a dish that actually glows!"

　"It seems this is the most likely winner this time! A score of 27 points, I really can't think of any dish that can surpass it!"

　As soon as the score of 27 was announced, a heated discussion broke out in the room, with everyone starting to imagine how delicious the dish would be.

　"Even though it's all chili peppers, I want to try it! Ahhh! Why am I a spectator? I want to eat delicious food too!"

　"It's a pity that the chef has retired, but he could go to Tianlan Restaurant where he used to work. Maybe the current head chef there can also do it."

　"That makes sense! I'll call ahead and make a reservation."

　"Damn it! Go to hell, you dog!"

　·

　·

　"I wonder what kind of dishes the next two contestants will present. They also performed exceptionally well in the ice sculpture assessment!"

　As the atmosphere at the scene was completely ignited, everyone's attention turned to the uncle in blue and Bai Yuan. At this moment, the uncle in blue finished cooking and placed the cooked fish on a plate.

　"This dish is called Three Delicacies Boneless Fish, which belongs to the Jiangsu cuisine. Simply put, it involves deboning the whole fish and then stuffing it with three kinds of delicacies. It is mainly cooked by frying and braising."

　Carrying the plate, the man in blue glanced at the three Heavenly Kings and couldn't help but look away, pulling his straw hat down further in an attempt to conceal his face.

　"No need to cover it up, I already knew it was you. I should say that with such a flamboyant outfit, you're the only one in Guangzhou who can match it!"

　Only those viewers who haven't seen you before wouldn't recognize you. Anyone who knows you or has seen you before would recognize your true identity!

　Watching Zhang Xingyuan's actions, the skillful old lady complained speechlessly, "With this guy's attire, it would be a miracle if anyone who knows him didn't recognize him!"

　"Haha, I've been recognized! Who cares? A cooking competition is all about how delicious the food is. Identity is irrelevant, don't worry about it!"

　"You actually lowered yourself to compete with a junior, you really are..."

　Looking at the laughing uncle in blue in front of them, the three people present were at a loss for words, so they turned their gaze to the boneless fish with three kinds of seafood in front of them.

　The fish was covered by a lid, but Master Baiyao did not hesitate and reached out to lift the lid.

　In an instant, a dazzling golden light emerged from the fish on the plate, causing most of the audience to instinctively close their eyes!

　The golden light dissipated, replaced by a continuous shimmering light that lingered on the surface of the fish's body, instantly adding a touch of sophistication!

　While the audience, unaware of what the shimmering light represented, were completely stunned, the three kings of the Guangzhou Culinary Alliance stood frozen in place, their expressions somewhat lost in thought.

　"I never knew you were so good at Jiangsu cuisine, and you even made the legendary 'flowing light dish'!"

　An Pangzi's voice subtly betrayed a hint of jealousy. This guy! A dish of ethereal quality, and he just made it so bland!

　Lingling made it!

　"Radiant cuisine, huh? For a dish of this caliber to appear in a divine knife skills duel, you really went all out."

　I don't even want to talk about envy and jealousy anymore. Zhang Xingyuan truly deserves to be the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings; his strength is beyond question!

　Poor Bai Yuan, he was destined to lose the match before it even began.

　"No matter what, let's try it first."

　As Master Baiyao spoke, he stretched out his chopsticks. Although the aroma of the dish in front of him was not strong, it was like little hands scratching at his heart, tugging at him to taste it quickly!

　As soon as their chopsticks touched the surface of the fish, before they even applied any force, the soft fish meat was stretched open, revealing the three-delicacy filling inside.

　The aroma, as soon as the fish burst open, surged out like a tide, permeating an area of ​​hundreds of meters.

　"It smells so good! Is this...is the aroma coming from the judges' table? I'm dozens of meters away from them!"

　A woman, who couldn't even see the judges' seats even when she was on tiptoe, exclaimed in shock.

　A rich aroma of fish lingered around her nose, and if she sniffed carefully, she could smell the fragrance of the three-delicacy filling even deeper!

　The rich aroma of pork, the fresh taste of shrimp, the unique flavor of chicken gizzards, and the delicate fragrance of winter bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms.