The phenomenon triggered by Liu Wanshi’s cooking certainly couldn’t compare to Qian Songbao’s flashy display—after all, a soaring dragon and phoenix dancing together was truly spectacular—but the five characters that coalesced possessed extremely strong advertising effectiveness under the camera lens!
“Impressive!”
“The phenomenon can even transform into text!”
“Calling your own sect the strongest—that’s really arrogant!”
The crowd had considerable disagreement about this forcibly inserted advertisement.
However, whether good or bad, at least it made the world remember it once again!
He hadn’t deliberately taught Liu Wanshi this; she came up with it on her own initiative, which made Jun Changxiao extremely gratified.
The System said: “She’s been completely corrupted!”
A young girl from another world, under Jun Gousheng’s constant exposure, had begun to liberate her thinking and become more active!
The two contestants triggered celestial phenomena during their cooking, bringing an extremely strong shock. Everyone was pondering who the championship would ultimately belong to.
If Liu Wanshi hadn’t pulled this stunt, many believed it would be Qian Songbao, because the dragon-flying-phoenix-dancing phenomenon was definitely the biggest bonus point.
Indeed.
When the phenomenon first rose, the ten judges became highly optimistic about the Food God’s disciple.
In their view, only cuisine that reached the ultimate level could trigger a phenomenon—it was definitely not mere showmanship.
Even the usually confident Jun Changxiao couldn’t help but worry a bit that his disciple might lose to Qian Songbao.
However, when Liu Wanshi triggered a celestial phenomenon, forming five characters floating in the sky, the gap between the two was directly equalized.
The most tragic were the remaining eight contestants.
At this moment, despair gradually surfaced in their eyes as they realized the outcome—they were merely accompanying runners!
Cuisine that triggered celestial phenomena had inevitably reached perfection. How could they muster the courage to compete against it?
“Whoosh whoosh!”
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”
The two types of phenomena respectively occupied the eastern and western positions, lingering without dissipating, as if transforming into two ancient ferocious beasts engaged in slaughter, determined to decide the victor.
“Impressive!” Qian Songbao praised.
His own phenomenon borrowed chicken and fish to form an image that appeared like dragons flying and phoenixes dancing.
This girl coalesced five characters, absolutely intentional rather than unchanging!
Of course.
Qian Songbao wouldn’t develop an inferiority complex, because his phenomenon had superior momentum. So who would win remained to be decided only after the judges tasted the dishes.
……
Two quarters of an hour later.
The other eight contestants finished cooking. When the organizers’ staff took away their dishes, they all hung their heads dejectedly.
The two phenomena rising in the firmament had greatly affected them, causing inevitable accidents during the cooking process, so the cuisine they produced wasn’t absolutely perfect.
“Please, ten judges, conduct your evaluation!” Huang Jinduan announced loudly.
As soon as these words were spoken, it immediately stirred the passion of warriors across the entire continent, because the upcoming judging session would directly determine the championship!
“Please.”
The ten judges successively descended from the judges’ platform, then didn’t even glance at the other eight works, directly stopping before Qian Songbao.
Regardless of whether the eight contestants’ cuisine was absolutely perfect, it had already been ignored, because in the face of works that triggered phenomena, they were destined to become mere foils.
“Alas.”
Lin Yao sighed helplessly.
He was also one of the contestants second only to Qian Songbao in this competition for the championship, but when it came to the finals, the judges didn’t even look at his work—it was truly disheartening.
Young man.
It wasn’t that you weren’t excellent enough, but that there were two prodigies.
The immortal-like elderly judge looked at the chicken and fish served together on the table and said: “Is this one dish or two dishes?”
“One.”
Qian Songbao waved one hand, spiritual energy bursting forth. The two plates of food immediately began rotating, then flew up and inverted onto a prepared large platter.
From the camera’s perspective, the complete fish formed an ‘S’ shape, with chopped chicken dotted beside it, forming a yin-yang diagram.
“Sizzle sizzle sizzle—”
Qian Songbao waved his hand, retrieving the pot from the stove and pouring the hot oil inside over the dish. Fragrant steam immediately rose upward.
“Whoosh whoosh!”
The dragon and phoenix phenomenon in the firmament suddenly merged together, chasing each other in cycles, corresponding with the meal on the plate.
Qian Songbao waved his hand, saying: “My Dragon Flying Phoenix Dancing is complete. Please taste it.”
The ten judges looked stunned, clearly not expecting this young man to complete the final step only now.
However…
After the hot oil was poured, fragrance assailed their faces. Just slightly sniffing it made one’s entire being feel refreshed and clear-headed.
“The aroma alone makes one’s mouth water!”
The fragrance didn’t just exist on the arena—it spread toward the spectator stands. All the audience members who smelled it couldn’t help but become intoxicated, unconsciously drooling.
“This… is absolutely heavenly cuisine!”
“I’d be willing to exchange several years of my lifespan to personally taste one bite!”
“Several years is too little—at least several decades!”
For many people, the Dragon Flying Phoenix Dancing that Qian Songbao created could no longer be measured by money in terms of taste—it had to be exchanged for lifespan!
The audience members wished they could rush over, kick the ten judges away, and taste it themselves.
Jun Changxiao also caught that extremely impactful fragrant aroma and thought to himself: “As expected, a formidable opponent!”
“Splash splash splash!”
The Purple Scale Demon King sitting beside him drooled continuously, his eyes shining with light, wishing he could immediately burst out of his clothes!
“Don’t embarrass this seat,” Jun Changxiao reminded.
“Sect Master.”
Yao Mengying said: “The dish this person made smells so good.”
She and the Purple Scale Demon King were accustomed to eating Liu Wanshi’s cooking; eating anyone else’s was like chewing wax. But Qian Songbao’s Dragon Flying Phoenix Dancing could stimulate appetite, which showed it was truly formidable.
……
“Everyone.”
The immortal-like elderly judge cupped his hands proudly: “Let’s taste it.”
“Please!”
“Please!”
Although everyone was polite with their mouths, their bodies had already betrayed them, hastily picking up chopsticks to take fish, or chicken pieces, and some using spoons to taste the fish soup and chicken soup.
Audiences worldwide could only watch eagerly.
The ten judges uniformly began tasting. When the cuisine entered their mouths, their bodies immediately trembled slightly, then they all closed their eyes in unison, floating expressions appearing on their faces.
At that moment, their souls seemed to fly out, merging with the phenomenon above, dancing gracefully with dragons and phoenixes!
“They’re dancing?!”
Through the light screens, warriors across the continent saw the ten judges circling together, corresponding with the phenomenon in the firmament!
Jun Changxiao’s mouth twitched.
Just how delicious was this to make them set aside their noble bearing and do such embarrassing things!
After dancing for a while.
The ten judges’ souls returned to their bodies. Realizing they had involuntarily started dancing, their old faces immediately turned completely red.
“Everyone.”
Huang Jinduan said: “Give your scores.”
“Ten points!”
“Ten points!”
The ten judges successively raised their score cards, all displaying 10 points!
“As expected, still a perfect score!”
The audience wasn’t surprised by this result—after all, just triggering the phenomenon alone was a very high bonus point!
“If the Eternal Sect disciple also gets a perfect score, does that count as a tie?”
“Don’t say it—that’s really possible!”
Just as everyone was speculating, the ten judges came before Liu Wanshi. The immortal-like elderly judge inquired: “Young lady, what is your dish?”
“Liu-style Braised Pork,” Liu Wanshi said.
The dish was learned from the Chinese cuisine cookbook, but the method and ingredients had been modified, so it also counted as her own innovation based on borrowing.
“May we remove the lid?”
“Swoosh!”
Liu Wanshi waved her hand, and the lid flew off, revealing ten perfectly sized pieces of braised pork immersed in rich meat juice.
“It seems quite ordinary,” the immortal-like elderly judge said.
From the dish’s appearance, Liu-style Braised Pork definitely couldn’t compare to the flashiness of Dragon Flying Phoenix Dancing. However, given that Liu Wanshi had previously received a perfect score, the judges didn’t underestimate it.
They first rinsed their mouths with clear water, then picked up chopsticks to lift a piece of braised pork, gently placing it in their mouths. The taste was both fragrant and rich!
Gently biting down, some meat juice flowed from the meat layers, filling every taste bud.
Fatty but not greasy, soft and delicious!
Jun Changxiao watched intently. Seeing the ten judges still had no change in expression, his heart rose to his throat.
Shouldn’t they immediately explode on the spot?
Shouldn’t they immediately embrace the world together!
Or was it.
With Qian Songbao’s excellence preceding, they had developed immunity to Liu Wanshi’s food?
This was not good!
From the current situation, the judges were very satisfied with both Qian Songbao and Liu Wanshi, with other contestants already eliminated. So regardless of the result, she could at least take second place, meeting the epic mission requirements.
However, Jun Changxiao, who pursued exceeding completion standards, was definitely not satisfied with second place—he hoped his disciple could win first place!
From the judges’ tasting reactions, it was obviously not as intense as Qian Songbao’s, which indicated the braised pork hadn’t touched their souls at a deep level!
“Munch munch.”
The immortal-like elderly judge and others savored it with relish, then swallowed it. They unconsciously reached with chopsticks to take another piece, only to find the plate contained only meat juice.
Liu Wanshi had cut many pieces but strictly selected only ten, so each person could only eat one piece.
“Alas.”
The elder shook his head: “Not enough.”
The judge who loved spicy food said: “This Liu-style Braised Pork, although it didn’t bring a soul-level impact, stimulated appetite and let me experience what it means to not be full.”
“Therefore…”
He paused, raising his score card: “Ten points!”
“People take food as heaven, but the original intention is to fill the stomach. This dish, though simple and unadorned, let me find the most fundamental definition of food.” A judge raised a ten-point card.
Others successively raised their cards, the displayed image all showing ten points!
Huang Jinduan loudly announced: “Liu Wanshi’s Liu-style Braised Pork is also a perfect score!”
“As expected!”
“Both perfect scores!”
“Does this count as a tie? Or do they both win the championship?”
Everyone discussed animatedly.
Huang Jinduan was also troubled—after all, in previous Food God Competition finals, there had never been a situation with tied scores. How should the championship be allocated?
“Family Head Huang.”
That immortal-like elderly judge said: “Why not have the two compete in an additional round?”
Huang Jinduan considered briefly: “That’s the only way.”
“Family Head Huang.”
Just then, Jun Changxiao, sitting in the spectator stands, spoke up: “What if they still tie with perfect scores in the additional round?”
The System collapsed: “Forcibly adding a scene!”
“This…” Huang Jinduan said.
Jun Changxiao said: “Jun has a suggestion—why not have the two contestants each freely cook a large pot of food, and after the audience tastes it, they give corresponding scores.”
“Ten people’s scores can be the same, but a hundred, thousand, or ten thousand people’s unlikely to be identical. The slightest discrepancy will determine the victor.”
“Everyone.”
Jun Changxiao announced loudly: “What do you think of this?”
“Agreed!”
“Sect Master Jun’s suggestion is excellent!”
“Having us serve as mass judges to score the contestants is also fair and just!”
No one would object, because they very much wanted to taste the works of the two contestants who received perfect scores in both rounds to see just how delicious they were!
“Family Head Huang, we’re willing to taste!”
“Family Head Huang, we’re willing to serve as judges for free!”
The audience members shouted loudly, voices rising one wave higher than the last. This made Huang Jinduan immediately furrow his brow—after all, having non-professionals serve as judges had no precedent!
“Family Head Huang.”
Just then, City Lord Han’s resonant voice rang through the venue: “The will of the people is such, why not comply?”
As the City Lord of the Imperial City, he had considerable威慑力 (deterrent force). The constantly hesitating Huang Jinduan immediately had an idea and loudly announced: “Since this is so, then we’ll have an additional round. The masses will serve as judges to decide who is stronger between the two!”
Jun Changxiao leaned back in his chair and transmitted: “City Lord Han, many thanks.”