CHAPTER 815: CHAPTER 814: FISH POWDER, FISH POWDER, FISH POWDER

"100 points!"

"I also give full marks! Don’t worry about getting arrogant!"

"Unquestionably excellent, such superb cooking skills shouldn’t belong to someone of this age!"

The three scoring panels at the judges’ table simultaneously displayed the maximum score.

Ding.

Then, the broadcast screen summarized the total score given by the three judges:

Three hundred!

Directly overflowing!

"Ahem, sorry for the inadequate hospitality—"

Xia Yu reached for his forehead, but his hand grabbed nothing. He never had the habit of wearing a headband, so he was momentarily puzzled, a little self-mocking inside, ha, accidentally too engrossed in the role. He shrugged and smiled at the female judge watching him intently on stage, "As long as you’re satisfied."

After speaking, he turned to leave the stage.

"Wait!"

It was the chief judge calling him. The renowned chef Fan Jiaorou from the Yunmengze Chef Alliance, was staring straight at him, her gaze seemed to be worshiping a living Buddha, Yu Rong’s face emitting a divine light, "Thank you for showing me that spice techniques can be so dynamic and full of life!"

The voice still had a hint of uncontrollable tremor, indicating her emotional state.

"Here’s my business card!"

Fan Jiaorou suddenly shifted her demeanor from a tough woman to a shy girl facing her idol, she handed over a business card with both hands in reverence, "You must take it! If possible, I’d love to visit after the competition!"

"I’ll take the card, and as for visits, uh, if I’m not researching dishes, I might be able to host you for a bit."

Xia Yu replied, making the female judge’s eyes suddenly light up.

After accepting the card, he glanced at the other two female judges. Mu Xiaoyue signaled a phone gesture, likely indicating to stay in touch. As for Yuan Lanzi, her tender gaze sent a jolt through Xia Yu, not daring to look at her for long.

Off the stage.

Over at the guest seats, Wei An and Kong Chun had left sometime earlier, while Li Han and Tang Yuqiong stood up in front of their chairs to wave at him and then departed one by one.

Other industry experts discussed quietly, and within one or two short minutes, about seventy or eighty percent had left, leaving the guest seats with a sense of emptiness.

Just off stage, Xia Yu was immediately surrounded by a swarm of reporters.

This kind of formation was something Xia Yu was already familiar with.

Whether on the Sapporo stage or at Tokyo Distant Moon, he was always under the spotlight.

"Chef Xia—"

A female reporter courageously stepped forward, outshining her male counterparts, and shoved the microphone over, speaking rapidly and clearly: "I’m a reporter from CCTV Food Channel, could you talk about the secret of ’Lao Ding’? What kind of spice formula did you use to make the dish a classic full score?"

Upon hearing that the female reporter was from CCTV, Xia Yu was genuinely respectful.

Even though he wasn’t sure of CCTV’s influence in the Chinese Realm, the name alone sounded formidable.

However, in stark contrast to his serious demeanor, Xia Yu’s answer sounded extremely perfunctory to the reporter: "There’s no secret; actually, ’Lao Ding’ is instant noodles, brewed with self-made seasoning packs. Doesn’t this make it easier for everyone to understand?"

He scanned around with a smile.

But unexpectedly, the reporters unanimously shook their heads, making the scene rather humorous.

Another female reporter bit her lip and stepped forward, handing over the microphone: "Since Chef Xia says it’s instant noodles, then it’s instant noodles!"

"However—"

She emphasized, "Could you please tell us how many types of spices are in the seasoning pack? You must answer this, please!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding reporters fell quiet.

The previous reaction from the judges, and even the faint aroma wafting in from the stage, had been noticed by the reporters. Thus, everyone was convinced that the spice formula must be complex.

"How many types of spices?"

Xia Yu shook his head, saying, "It’s nothing but fish powder, fish powder, fish powder..."

"Repeated fish powder"?

There was an uproar from all sides.

"No way, can fish powder create such an expansive spice formula?"

"Right, our camera captured a small detail earlier, the tongues of the three judges showed a golden stardust-like spice; can you elaborate on that?"

More questions came pouring in, but Xia Yu handled them calmly.

What needed to be said, he naturally would say. However, this newly evolved recipe formula might be a weapon for a future culinary duel, and being prematurely disclosed by the media would be quite disadvantageous for him.

"Chef Xia, let’s take a photo together!"

After finishing her questions, the CCTV reporter approached with her phone. Xia Yu could only look up at the camera and give a smile. The female reporter leaned against his shoulder, giving the classic scissors-hand gesture, her smile appearing joyful and delighted.

After the photo, the CCTV female reporter said, "Chef Xia, I followed your performance at the Sapporo event closely, and didn’t expect you to come back with a Demon King’s momentum after just two months. Here’s my business card, please take it!"

"Furthermore, I will closely follow any culinary performances you do domestically! Good luck!" Before leaving, the female reporter waved her fist.

The chaos lasted for at least ten minutes.

During this time, the focus of the judges, live broadcast cameras, and even the audience was entirely on this side, and the talented young contestants on stage didn’t even qualify as a backdrop.

Zhao Qi watched the chaos as it accompanied Xia Yu’s departure, silently clenched his fist and lightly struck the cooking station, "This is what a young prodigy of the Chinese Realm truly is!"

"The true prodigy always carries a spotlight effect."

"This year, I must secure a spot in the top 20!" Zhao Qi vowed internally, looking around the stage. Most young contestants were still immersed in the previously stunning spice scene, apparently overwhelmed by the Demon King, horned head included. This wasn’t a joke nor an exaggeration; even someone as proud as Zhao Qi had to admit that there was an indelible shadow in his heart.

The Demon King’s shadow!

"Perhaps, within this generation of the Chinese Realm, only Ye Feizhou can stop him!" Zhao Qi thought.

Finally breaking free from the event area, Xia Yu arrived at the official resting area provided by the competition.

Xia Yu met Zhu Qing and Zhao Tong there, and Zhu Qing smiled upon seeing him, "Is it really only fish powder, fish powder, fish powder?"

Zhu Qing’s eyes were filled with laughter; for the past few days since returning, she had been watching Xia Yu research every night, so naturally, she had a general understanding of his latest spice formula’s secret, "From what I know, aside from the dozen varieties of fish powder, other spices like galangal, bay leaves, amomum fruit, and lemongrass are hardly lacking, it’s just that they’re all hidden."

"Yes, yes, Aunt Qing, you’re absolutely right!"

Xia Yu chuckled, Zhu Qing’s inquisitive desire was too obvious, she wanted to pry information.

Not expecting Xia Yu to play along or point out her mistakes, Zhu Qing could only pout and hum, "You’re always so secretive; I haven’t even seen you messing with any new natural oils these days."

"Forget it—" She waved her hand, "I don’t understand."

Speaking, she clasped her fists before Xia Yu, like a martial arts heroine, bowing, "This little girl can only say she’s impressed! I concede!"

Meanwhile, in a black sedan heading toward the suburbs.

Wei An and Kong Chun who had left early, sat in the backseat, both with serious faces and silent the entire way.

The car slowly drove into a heavily guarded estate, and before stopping, Wei An finally spoke, "Mr. Kong, can you understand?"

"Understand?"

Kong Chun shook his head, "I can only grasp seventy to eighty percent. The remaining twenty to thirty percent, no matter what, is difficult to comprehend fully. Perhaps upon tasting, I might say I understand."

Wei An’s eyes flickered with a hint of embarrassment.

If Kong Chun could grasp seventy to eighty percent, he could only faintly capture around fifty percent.

In the Dragon Chef realm, the so-called "divine talent" is something almost everyone has. Even if not inherent, through the arduous journey toward the Dragon Realm, accumulated experience and training foster it. This is realistic experiential learning and might be more reliable than inherent talent.

Using eyes and nose to see and smell, Dragon Chefs like Wei An and Kong Chun can quickly dissect ordinary recipes thoroughly.

However, during the half-hour of serious contemplation of Xia Yu’s Lao Ding noodles, their observations were inevitably overshadowed by the whale’s shadow.

"The whale depicted by these spices is incredibly large!"

"Yes, very real."

"Real? Certainly, that’s a fitting description, dynamic, full of life. Simply based on his spice proficiency, regardless of other factors, it’s enough for him to dominate the domestic professional field."

The two chatted as they entered the building.

In the quiet room, Ye Feizhou heard a slight commotion, lifted his head from the ancient recipe on his lap, and listened, puzzled, "What are Master Wei and Master Kong discussing?"