Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

"Is it over?"

"These 2 hours went by so fast!"

"Yeah, exactly, it felt like just a blink of an eye. Plus, it's so strange that those five bigwigs on stage didn't give further evaluation of Ye Feizhou's dish. Like they didn't even mention it was a perfect work, or a full-score work, blah blah blah..."

The sound of the bell echoed, and the venue was immediately engulfed by a tide of noise.

Some audience members, who had a bias as fans, were speaking up for Ye Feizhou, thinking the judges were way too biased. They only casually commented on the cooking techniques for 'Ye's Phoenix Crystal,' without any conclusive words such as "masterpiece" or "full score."

However, more spectators, including the contestants on stage, the five judges, and a large number of guest observers, all turned their gaze simultaneously to another contestant, known as the 'Young Devil,' when the bell sounded.

Is it done?

Xia Yu was almost cutting it close when he finally straightened up as the bell rang.

"Crack!"

A sound of something pulling in his waist could be heard.

"I knew it—" Xia Yu pounded his waist, muttering under his breath with a dark expression, "It's all the system's fault for popping up messages like that. I'm still lucky. Imagine being interrupted during a video and getting bothered like that—wouldn't that be a total turn-off?"

The cooking time, which was initially ample, was disrupted by the system, throwing off the rhythm. Luckily, with [Bursting Flame], he managed to salvage the situation; others would have been stunned on stage, clueless.

Ugh.

In the midst of disgruntled mumblings, Xia Yu noticed an eerie silence around him, so quiet not even a mosquito's hum could be heard.

Looking around, the long gun and short cannon camera arrays were quite imposing.

The middle-aged male emcee, sweating on his forehead, asked, "The cooking session has ended. Chef Xia, are you done?"

"I'm done."

He nodded and picked up a towel to wipe his sweat.

"Huh!"

A shout came from not far away—Tang Yuqiong's voice was particularly abrupt on the somewhat quiet stage, drawing puzzled looks from Li Han and Wu Yingying. Covering her mouth, she said bashfully, "I'm just so surprised."

She lowered her voice to explain, "Just think about it, normally when he finishes the dish, isn't there always some shocking phenomena?"

"But this time, why is it all so quiet and plain?"

Tang Yuqiong's eyes reflected confusion.

With this reminder, Li Han and Wu Yingying exchanged amazed glances, "Yeah, right!"

"It's too quiet!"

Li Han widened his eyes, "There's something off!"

"...it might also be that the dish's completion wasn't high; it's a failure." The fourth show, Zhao Zhen, who usually flew under the radar, interjected unexpectedly.

"Uh!"

Everyone choked for a moment—could it be?

"Shall we open it?"

Xia Yu dropped the towel and turned to look at the deep pot on the stovetop, exuding steaming heat.

The lid was tightly closed with no aroma leaking out.

Reaching out to grasp the handle on the pot lid, just before exerting force, Xia Yu suddenly withdrew his arm and murmured to himself, "Why do I feel like a flower girl on her first ride in the bridal sedan?"

"What's the matter?"

An almost whisper-close voice came.

"Nothing, just afraid I'll open Pandora's forbidden box and unleash some demon." Xia Yu instinctively answered, then quipped, "Because I don't even know what I've created!"

Hmm?

As he blurted out the words, Xia Yu soon realized the old voice by his side wasn't that of the emcee. He glanced over to see the emcee trembling in place while a group of bigwigs had gathered near his workstation.

It was that eminent leader of the Chinese Realm who had asked him.

The voice had an oddly familiar tone that, for the moment, Xia Yu didn't ponder too deeply. He exclaimed, "All came over?"

Ye Feizhou, outside the circle of dignitaries, was looking at him with a smile, though his small eyes carried a complex look.

He served his dish, and the judges only casually tasted it, but with Xia Yu's dish, just a minute or two late, and all the judges were almost as eager as Chancellor Cao, nearly running over barefoot.

Why?

The reason was none other than the difference in expectations!

"Open it—" The leader was slightly surprised by Xia Yu's quip and then showed a slightly odd smile, "I'd like to see what kind of demon you might unleash."

Pfft.

A laugh, Wei Qinglian covered her mouth, "Pandora's forbidden box? Demon?"

The usually cold and icy female Imperial Chef raised an amused smile at Xia Yu's quip, clearly thinking this lad was mischievously cute in front of the leader.

Without another word, her slender fingers clasped the handle of the pot lid.

The moment the pot was uncovered, a gale howled out.

The five judges were collectively startled, and nearby Ye Feizhou's smiling face froze momentarily, as if a map of a stormy sea unfurled slowly, with those nearby seeming to stand on a tempestuous sea, waves crashing incessantly, making everyone feel the ground beneath them was turning.

"Clang—"

The lid that Wei Qinglian held dropped to the ground.

Xia Yu wiped his nose tip, musing, "The sound of waves? What kind of culinary intent is this?"

This was a whisper only he could hear, but the few dignitaries nearby, including Ye Feizhou, had hearing far superior to average people.

"He doesn't know the culinary intent he imparted to the dish?"

First to have a shattered expression and show exaggerated facial art on camera was Ye Feizhou.

The amiable smile completely stiffened, and Ye Feizhou subconsciously clenched his fist, staring intensely at Xia Yu's calm face, his gaze turning slightly cold, "Even jokes have limits!"

"Uh, you heard that?" Xia Yu glanced over at the sound.

"A Lin Chef not knowing the culinary intent he endowed his dish with?" Ye Feizhou stiffened up, "It's like a chef's heart—"

He pointed to Xia Yu's chest, "This is the unique trait of our orthodox culinary intent chefs, just like a person's face, impossible to erase!"

"Is that so?"

Xia Yu didn't argue with him.

He cast a playful glance at the immobile Wei Qinglian, "Are you going to open it?"

Inside the deep pot was a stew jar resting on a rack, motionless.

Remember, the stew jar had another layer of lid on it.

"Open it, open it!" Wei Qinglian slightly provoked by Xia Yu's glance, got a bit heated up and reached in to lift the second lid.

Drip.

As the porcelain lid was removed, a droplet of water, condensed from steam, fell into the stew jar's broth.

And thus, the tranquility of the broth was broken, shimmering with light.

A breathless gaze ensued.

The dark soup, under the lights of the venue, shimmered with ripples, full of a dreamy painterly style.

It was so beautiful.

In the soup, golden fish shadows, and other medicinal ingredients, like fermented beans, bitter gentian, and light bamboo leaves, all gleamed slightly, like starry diamonds in the night sky.

"What about the smell?" Ye Feizhou sniffed, his pupils contracting sharply.

"Yes, what about the smell?"

After finally pulling their gaze away from the otherworldly broth in the stew jar, Wei Qinglian keenly sniffed the scentless air, finding it incredulous: "...medicinal fish stew, where has the herbal aroma gone?"

"No!"

The leader suddenly spoke, and it was only then that everyone realized he had found a bowl and spoon from somewhere.

"Can I taste it now?" The leader uncommonly urged, his face full of eagerness, leaving many dumbfounded.

Xia Yu shrugged, fetching a ladle. As the ladle skimmed the stew jar's surface, the water rippled. It seemed like an illusion when a fish-like little black shadow followed the ladle's swift movement.

Ye Feizhou nearby shook with intensity, "An illusion?"