Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Looking at the wooden house in front of them, which seemed like it could be blown down by a strong wind, some students went forward to check it out, and then swallowed hard in disbelief.

　"This is outrageous! Just because our scores are low, we have to live in a place like this?"

　A girl with an innocent-looking face shouted, her voice revealing a hint of disbelief.

　"That's... a cliff!?"

　"what?!"

　"It really is a cliff! Where am I?!"

　Someone exclaimed in surprise, causing a commotion. Soon after, many people went forward to investigate and were shocked to discover that behind the wooden house was a cliff!

　It's so deep you can't see the bottom; if you throw a stone in, you won't hear a sound for ages.

　"Welcome to hell, losers."

　Just then, a slightly deep voice rang out from not far away.

　Bai Yuan jumped off the bus, attracting the attention of those around him.

　Looking at the students in front of him, who seemed bewildered and at a loss, Bai Yuan continued:

　"I am Bai Yuan, the one in charge of training you bunch of losers."

　Bai Yuan's voice rang out, silencing the previously noisy scene.

　"This is the new Chinese cuisine teacher."

　"He seems very strict, this is bad!"

　"I heard he's a really amazing chef! He's coming to train us? Really?"

　After a moment of silence came a heated discussion. Clearly, Bai Yuan had accumulated considerable fame in Totsuki Academy. Even those who hadn't taken his classes had heard of him to some extent.

　This is a teacher who is very strict about cooking.

　"Listen up! You must absolutely obey my orders here. Anyone who dares to resist will be pushed off the cliff without mercy!"

　To the onlookers, Bai Yuan's voice was loud and clear, indicating the use of internal energy, and had a powerful and awe-inspiring effect.

　After what happened that morning, he deeply understood the importance of order.

　Before training begins, the first thing to do is to establish absolute authority! To keep all unstable factors under control.

　"Alright, there are training clothes inside the cabin. Go change and we'll start training right away."

　"Huh? Training's starting now?!"

　"Didn't it just end?! Wasn't there even a moment to rest...?"

　"Mom, save me!"

　“I’m only giving you five minutes. Anyone who can’t finish is to get down the mountain right now and drop out of school.”

　Ignoring the wailing and howling of the crowd, Bai Yuan left the scene after saying those words, heading towards the wooden house.

　Inside the wooden house, a girl with long golden hair was waiting for him. She bowed slightly when he approached and a bright smile appeared on her face.

　"Long time no see, Boss Bai."

　Seeing Bai Yuan approach, the golden-haired girl opened her arms and hugged him with a big smile.

　"It has been a while since we last met. Judging from your appearance, you've been doing quite well lately."

　The faint fragrance of the girl wafted to Bai Yuan's nose. He took two deep breaths, looked at her delicate and bright face, and spoke with a slightly teasing tone.

　"Because I wanted to see you, I started looking forward to it from the day you called to tell me. My mood was pleasant and my complexion naturally improved."

　Without any pretense, the girl frankly expressed her feelings.

　"I see. Thank you for coming all the way from Sichuan."

　"Then give me a reward, Boss Bai."

　"A reward? What do you want? A delicacy? Unlimited wealth? Or top-quality ingredients? Tell me, Leah."

　Seeing the girl suddenly gazing at him with intense affection, Bai Yuan pretended not to understand and said...

　"Honestly! You know perfectly well what I want. I'll be waiting for you in my room tonight, don't stand me up!"

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Lia's cheeks puffed up slightly, and she raised her hand and punched Bai Yuan's chest twice.

　"But speaking of which, why do you care about those guys?"

　They studied at Totsuki Academy for three years, yet their skills lagged far behind their peers; they were simply good-for-nothings who should have been abandoned!

　He released his grip on Bai Yuan and took two steps back, watching as people gradually emerged from the wooden house in the distance.

　After the students came out of the classroom, having changed their clothes, Lia asked them with some confusion.

　These guys are meant to be eliminated; what's the point of training them?

　"No one is born useless; they just have the wrong approach."

　If success is judged solely by grades, then food battles shouldn't exist in this world.

　Looking at the students in the distance, whose expressions varied but who were all obediently changing their clothes, Bai Yuan's eyes gleamed.

　"Besides, wouldn't it be a bit too boring to let those top performers advance without any pressure?!"

　"You want the weakest of them to challenge the strongest? Isn't that a bit too much..."

　Having grasped the meaning behind Bai Yuan's words, Lia's voice carried a hint of surprise.

　"Compared to those who are slightly inferior but can surpass the outstanding ones who have advanced with a little effort."

　Isn't it incredibly satisfying to have someone who had absolutely no chance of advancing survive to the end?!

　Now, the opportunity has been given to them. Let's see if they are truly hopeless or simply lack a good mentor!

　After speaking, Bai Yuan jumped down from the entrance and walked towards the direction where the students were.

　"Give top performers a chance to advance without any pressure? Just because of that idea, you personally train these guys who should have been eliminated."

　It's unclear whether this is an opportunity for them or the beginning of their suffering.

　Watching Bai Yuan's departing figure, Lia murmured to herself, a subtle blush rising on her face:

　"It's really interesting, though. I wonder what kind of expressions those guys outside will have when they see these losers who should have been eliminated reappear and defeat them!"

　·

　·

　"Everyone, be quiet!"

　Stepping forward, Bai Yuan frowned as he looked at the noisy students in front of him.

　As soon as he finished speaking, the previously whispering scene fell silent, and everyone was looking at him.

　"See those iron pots over there? You have to toss them twenty times, cook with mud and sand, and make sure the amount of mud left in the pot is no less than the red line. Otherwise, it's considered unqualified and you have to start over. Now, you all supervise each other. You're not allowed to eat until you pass the test!"

　Anyone who reports shortchanging their child will be treated to a meal prepared by a top-tier chef. Anyone found shortchanging their child will be expelled!

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he walked over to a pile of black iron pots, casually picked one up, and showed it to everyone.

　"This...this iron pot has cracks!"

　Anzu Yasuda stared in shock at the iron pot in front of her. There was a long crack on the huge pot, and below the crack was a red line that represented the standard of compliance.

　"It's simply impossible to toss the food in this kind of iron wok without spilling too much mud and sand!"

　"Exactly! How could such a thing possibly be possible!"

　"Look, apart from this one, the others all have some defects!"

　Everyone looked over and were astonished to find that there wasn't a single intact iron pot in the huge Iron Pot Mountain!

　"Alright, enough talk, let's get started. I have to go down the mountain for something. From now on, she will be your proctor."

　As Bai Yuan finished speaking, Liya appeared beside him. She had changed into the uniform of a top-level Chinese chef, revealing a dragon-shaped armband on her left arm.

　"Hello everyone, I will be your proctor for this month. Don't ask me if I have a boyfriend. The person I like is right here."

　With a smile, Lia greeted the shocked students while glancing at Bai Yuan.

　Bai Yuan simply shrugged and made no comment.

　Chapter 109 Kids, are you really willing to accept this?

　"That's...that's a dragon-shaped armband that you can only get by passing the Chinese Master Chef Test, representing the status of a Master Chef!"

　Swallowing hard, a slightly chubby boy in the crowd pointed at Leah's arm, his voice filled with barely suppressed shock.

　"A top-tier chef from China?!"

　Upon hearing the boy's words, the people around him also reacted, their eyes fixed on Leah's left arm, wanting to see what was going on.

　The vast majority of them had never seen the armband of a top-level chef in China.

　Seeing this, Lia raised her hand without flinching, displaying the dragon-shaped armband to everyone.

　"A star surrounds the dragon-shaped armband, a special mark only a one-star chef can have!"

　Such a talented chef, and he's just an ordinary teaching assistant here?!

　Swallowing hard, a sharp-eyed fellow noticed the subtle difference in the armband on Leah's hand.

　A lone star was encircled around his armband.

　That's the mark of a one-star chef!

　"Mine is nothing compared to Boss Bai's outfit! It's the real deal! It's a model for us all. I dream of wearing it again."

　Seeing the shocked crowd, Lia scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, then looked at Bai Yuan, who was watching the show from the side, and pushed him forward.

　"Don't you often sneak off to wear these clothes? I've kept that dress in my closet. You can just take it if you want; there's no need to be sneaky."

　"Hey, we've been found out."

　But I should have been very discreet. How did you find out? Did your brother tell on you?!

　Looking at Bai Yuan with a smile

　Despite her non-smiling expression, Leah wasn't embarrassed. She just gave a cute and ingratiating laugh, then pretended to be angry and said...

　"Does Aiden know about this too? Whatever, how could I forget the scent of your perfume?"

　"Huh!!? So the revealing point was the perfume..."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Liya suddenly realized what was going on.

　When she first joined the world of culinary disasters, she would often sneak into Bai Yuan's room when he wasn't around, open his wardrobe, and put on his top-tier chef's uniform.

　The seven glittering stars on his left arm are so striking that no one would be confused.

　I thought I'd done a good job of keeping it a secret, and that Bai Yuan was an idiot. But I never expected he was deliberately unaware. What should I do? I'm suddenly feeling a little touched.

　"Don't look at me like that. These guys are yours. None of them are allowed to pass if they don't meet the requirements!"

　Looking at the shocked people behind him, Bai Yuan thought for a few seconds before turning around and speaking into the crowd.

　"This is the first and last time I will ask this question on my own initiative."

　"Is there any one of you who can't tolerate these conditions? I can have you all expelled. Given your abilities, you're destined to fail if you stay; you know that."

　silence...

　One second, two seconds.

　No one responded to Bai Yuan's words. Everyone kept their heads down. No one wanted to drop out of school, but staying here seemed to be very painful.

　If I fail to complete the task assigned by Bai Yuan...

　Thinking of Bai Yuan's initial words: "Those who dare to resist will be pushed off the cliff by me."

　Although it sounded like a joke, they knew Bai Yuan was extremely serious! And he also had that ruthless bandit-like aura about him.

　“If no one steps forward, then I will assume that you have accepted my conditions and must obey me unconditionally here!”

　I'm a very reasonable person. As long as you complete the assessment I set, I'll give you everything you want!

　Don't you really want to bring down those once-arrogant geniuses and replace them?!

　Bai Yuan's final words were powerful, carrying an inexplicable aura that stirred the blood of the silent crowd.

　"I want to...I want to! How could I not want to?! I think about it every day. If only I were more capable, I could stand out at school and the girl I like wouldn't be snatched away by someone else!"