Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

Huh!

Xia Yu looked at the plate Ye Feizhou handed through the door.

To be honest, he was truly curious about Ye Feizhou's cooking.

Culinary art is not like poetry or painting; you have to taste it to appreciate a chef's style and culinary philosophy.

Simply put, it's about tasting the 'chef's heart' and the 'ethics of food'.

No matter how exquisite or high-end the presentation, the essence inside must be the truest expression of the chef.

"Is this guy really as genuine as he seems?" Xia Yu stared at Ye Feizhou, who remained gentle and refined despite his defeat, and couldn't help but speculate, "I don't believe he's such a gentleman!"

"Hmm, doesn't even the most gentlemanly person have feelings like anger and resentment?"

With the intention of seeing through Ye Feizhou, Xia Yu picked up the chopsticks from the tray.

Ye Feizhou had obviously made special preparations.

On the plate was a miniature phoenix, at least compared to the one soaring on the stage earlier. The phoenix on this small dish was reduced in size geometrically, only slightly larger than a palm.

He used the chopsticks as if peeling away layers, picking out some caramelized, sugar-coated bean sprouts from the small phoenix body, and chewed them carefully.

"This texture…"

His expression changed slightly.

Xia Yu was startled, "So strange, I was worried earlier whether the sweet, greasy taste from the 'caramelizing' technique would ruin the bean sprouts' fresh taste and impact the dish's elegance. But based on how it tastes now, that worry was unnecessary!"

"There's no greasy taste at all!"

Indeed.

The sweetness seemed to have disappeared.

"How can this be? 'Caramelizing' is a technique of the Shandong cuisine's sweet dishes!"

The chopsticks moved again, picking up several more clusters of bean sprouts, and Xia Yu chewed freely, his face becoming visibly more confused as he ate.

The small phoenix quickly disappeared into his stomach.

Putting down the chopsticks, Xia Yu stared at Ye Feizhou waiting at the door, "...Did you remove the natural sweetness brought by the 'caramelizing' technique?"

Ye Feizhou shook his head, "Not removed, rather I 'limited' it."

He emphasized the word "limited."

Xia Yu caught the hint, as if lightning struck his mind!

When he thought about the phoenix he saw dancing during the tasting, the strange thing was the phoenix always seemed elusive. Its elegant posture was unbelievably beautiful, like a peerless beauty teasing with her coy demeanor, tempting eager hands to touch, yet she would only smirk and slip away playfully.

Could this be Ye Feizhou's ethics of food?

He was startled in his heart.

Xia Yu muttered, resting his chin, "Rather than saying it's 'limiting', it's more like adhering to one's duty and observing etiquette. Naming it 'Li' is very fitting!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Feizhou's eyes lit up with delight, as if meeting a kindred spirit.

"Yes, exactly, it's 'Li'!"

He said, "The sweetness from the caramelizing technique was not removed by me; rather it was concealed at the deepest layer of the dish due to etiquette, disappearing quietly and unremarkably."

Xia Yu silently praised him; this is a true gentleman.

Li!

Kingly propriety, father-son relationship.

In Ye Feizhou's dish, the 'etiquette system' is so prominent. His modified Phoenix Crystal includes two additional ingredients, sugar and water, but the core 'Ru Yi dish' remains high and noble, primarily setting the elegant tone of the dish.

Sugar and water are merely materials to accentuate the wise king.

Therefore, the Phoenix Shadow in Xia Yu's mind was so vivid, each feather of the 'Ru Yi dish' seemed not only brilliantly colored but also gleaming with sacred golden light.

"Impressive!"

He raised his thumb.

"Oh, not at all…" Ye Feizhou hurriedly said.

"Your dish, your dish is also impressive!"

Mustering courage, Ye Feizhou asked, "Does your dish have a name, your name?"

"Name?"

Xia Yu's eyes flashed, "Let's call it 'The Big Fish'!"

"'The Big Fish'?"

The memory of a Kun on his tongue resurged, producing a strange current from the tip of his tongue to his brain, affecting Ye Feizhou. For a second, his expression showed anger and sorrow, but he suppressed this emotion immediately. The shock within Ye Feizhou was imaginable, "Is it, is it still there?"

"Right!" Xia Yu suddenly said with a smile, "I'm really curious about your massage technique on the bean sprout. Is that the 'Divine Hand'?"

"Divine Hand?"

Ye Feizhou was momentarily bewildered, but he managed to understand from the context that Xia Yu was referring to the culinary skill taught to him by Huang He.

He made a sound of surprise and replied, "That name is quite fitting. One of my masters once told me that when teaching me culinary skills, never underestimate your palms. The 'touch' of your hands can be even more reliable and tangible than what your nose smells or your eyes see. In short, it's about using the intuitive sensation of touch to control and handle..."

"For example?" Xia Yu tilted his head.

"Hmm..."

Ye Feizhou pondered briefly, then broke into a refreshing smile, "Follow me to the kitchen, and I can teach you some basics. For more advanced stuff, I would need my master's permission."

"Moreover."

He paused, looking at Xia Yu, who appeared very interested, "I'm also very curious about the recipe for your medicinal soup. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to give me the recipe directly. I just want to learn the pairing of medicinal ingredients and the framework of the Taiji Circle, but most importantly, that harmony!"

Saying this, Ye Feizhou's demeanor shifted from elegant to suddenly intent, his gaze turning fiery and aggressive.

This intense look amused Xia Yu.

After such a roundabout way, it turned out that he just wanted to learn the fish-shaped Taiji Circle. Ye Feizhou was still too restrained and overly courteous. At this moment, he should just shout - Coach, I want to learn how to draw too.

Thus, Xia Yu nodded affirmatively, "Come, I'll teach you how to draw!"

Regardless, something unknown to the audience and guests outside the arena was that the two young talents, who had recently left the stage, went into the kitchen, closed the door, and exchanged ideas fervently.

...

The Throne of the King of the Arena, the seat of the sixth challenger, was now empty.

Xia Yu and Ye Feizhou had not returned to the stage, but this did not affect the normal progress of the final showdown, or rather, from a certain perspective, with Xia Yu off stage and not reappearing, the contestants on stage actually breathed a sigh of relief, the shadow over their hearts dissipated, and they became eager to move.

"I want to challenge contestant number 10, Yuan Yun!"

After three rounds of preliminaries, contestant number 20, who was at the bottom of the total score, issued the second letter of challenge for this round.

"Humph!"

Yuan Yun, who was named and challenged, was so angry her nose twisted, "You, the one at the bottom, dare to issue a challenge to me, number 10? If you're an extra, you should have the consciousness of an extra. Come on, who's afraid of whom!"

Seeing her deity hadn't returned, Yuan Yun was extremely disappointed and already frustrated, so she was thoroughly infuriated by this.

Number 20 and number 10 left their seats and headed to one of the battle stations to prepare.

In the waiting area, the remaining 18 contestants looked at each other, their eyes filled with fierce intent.

Of course.

Some people directly cast their gaze towards the arena master area, where the lights shone down, stars twinkled, and though Xia Yu and Ye Feizhou were absent, Li Han, Tang Yuqiong, Wu Yingying, and others were also top new talent chefs in the Chinese Realm.

"Who should I challenge?"

Chen Yang scanned the four seated arena masters with a slight frown.

"How about him?"

In the end, Chen Yang locked onto Zhao Zhen, the fourth seat of the "Five Chinese Talents".

His decision was supported by information from his mother, Lin Qingfeng.

Among the Five Talents, Ye Feizhou, being groomed by White Jade Tower and as a Heavenly King Disciple, could be called the crown prince, followed by Li Han, Tang Yuqiong, and Wu Yingying, who are scions of prestigious families.

In comparison, Zhao Zhen's backing, the Zhao Family, was just a small local faction in Qin Chuan, emerging only in the past decade.

Moreover, Zhao Zhen has flaws in his culinary skills!

Chen Yang's eyes flickered as he was about to stand up from his chair, then an awe-inspiring gaze was suddenly cast toward him.

It was from the high and mighty leader.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, and Chen Yang thought, "Has he been watching me for a long time and does he know who I am?"

Then came a series of cold chuckles in his heart.

"But me, I never planned for a mundane return this time—"

Whoosh.

Withstanding the pressure, Chen Yang stood up straight and declared loudly, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, "I challenge Zhao Zhen of the fourth seat!"

As he spoke, Chen Yang could sense that gaze swiftly retracting, and the mountain weighing on him suddenly vanished. He breathed a sigh of relief yet clenched his fists tightly, "What is that old guy thinking?!"

Simultaneously.

In a certain guest suite, Lin Qingfeng cast a gaze filled with implicit concern towards her son on stage.

Just at that time, Xia Yu and Ye Feizhou ended their exchange and left the kitchen, just in time for the intense phase of the match between Chen Yang and Zhao Zhen.