Zhou Tian, not far away, was showing off his culinary skills. With a flick of his wrist, the stir-fried rice noodles with beef leapt a meter high from the wok and then accurately fell back into it.

To toss the noodles so high was already not easy, catching them without missing a single one was even more difficult to imagine.

"Zhou Tian's basic skills are very solid. It seems that this time the runner-up has to be him," said Wang Zhe, who was the dean of Blue Sky Culinary School.

People around nodded in agreement; being able to perform such a stir-frying action certainly meant his fundamental skills were solid.

However, the God of Cooking slightly furrowed his brow and said nothing.

Although the cooking was impressive, after all, this was stir-frying, not juggling. Flinging the noodles so high would definitely impact the heat distribution, so in this regard, Zhou Tian had already lost an edge.

Using the heat of the wok, Lin Chen glanced at Anna.

Though it was a very simple dish, Anna was full of concentration, not taking it lightly due to its simplicity. She performed every step with great care. The beef, rice noodles, and bean sprouts seemed to come to life under her spatula, wandering around the bottom of the wok.

Impressive skills, Lin Chen silently marveled. Such a stir-fry method ensured even heating of the noodles, far superior to Zhou Tian's flashy but foolish display of culinary showmanship.

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and began to stir-fry his rice noodles.

Zhou Tian tossed the noodles high in the wok, then swiftly took out a delicate porcelain plate, skillfully catching all the falling noodles on it.

His movement drew countless applause from the audience.

With a pleased expression, Zhou Tian basked in the attention he enjoyed.

At that moment, Anna's noodles were ready, the wafting aroma tickling the nostrils. Her stir-fried rice noodles with beef were top-notch in color, aroma, and taste.

As time went on, most contestants had their noodles out of the wok and presented them to the judges' table.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen was still skillfully working the spatula, seriously stir-frying the noodles.

There was only one minute left, but Lin Chen showed no sign of finishing up.

Anna looked into Lin Chen's wok and her brows slightly knitted. Top-notch stir-fried rice noodles should be golden in color, but Lin Chen's were snow white.

What was he playing at? Surely he hadn't forgotten to add seasoning?

Since Lin Chen was still busily stir-frying, most eyes were focused on his stove.

Looking at the noodles in Lin Chen's wok, everyone showed a look of surprise.

"How can there be such a rookie in the final round, after all the selections?"

"Yeah, white noodles; he must have gotten nervous and forgotten the seasonings!"

Zhou Tian was all too happy to see disaster befall another: "Ha, I thought he had some skill, but to be eliminated in the first round — such trash dares to challenge me."

Everyone watching Lin Chen's noodles shook their heads, but only one person had a serious look on their face.

The God of Cooking had been watching Lin Chen's noodles closely; Lin Chen had added all the required seasonings properly, so why hadn't they changed color?

Just when the clock signaling the end of the competition rang, Lin Chen gently tossed the noodles, which landed precisely on a porcelain plate beside him.

Could he have made the legendary Supreme Rice Noodles with Beef? Gazing at the snow-white noodles on the plate, the God of Cooking's heart rate surged.

Over a hundred plates of stir-fried rice noodles with beef were laid out on two long tables awaiting the judges' assessment, all of them bearing a touch of gold, except for the noodles Lin Chen had fried, which stood out like an oddity, completely snow white.

The judges were culinary experts invited from all over the country, who could determine the quality of a dish just by the color of the noodles.

Soon, noodles that were too pale or too dark were eliminated, and in the end, Lin Chen's noodles became the focus.

Blue Sky Technical School's Principal Wang Zhe curled his lips, "Who fried this Niu He? It's simply ridiculous. The color clearly indicates they forgot to add seasoning. Eliminated directly."

"Niu He should be glossy, fragrantly charred, and pleasantly tender. This plate of Niu He has already been disqualified based on the dish alone," another judge nodded and said.

The other judges also nodded in agreement, promptly passing over Lin Chen's white Niu He.

Lin Chen felt extremely frustrated inside. These judges were just being too nitpicky. Why don't you take a bite? You can't taste anything just by looking.

"It's really laughable, to produce such Niu He. It's simply a chef's disgrace."

"This guy must have come in through the back door."

"Haha, white fried Niu He, I'm going to post this on my social circle to give everyone an eye-opener."

Mocking laughter echoed around the room.

Anna looked at the Niu He Lin Chen had fried with a peculiar expression. She went straight to the Niu He, gently sniffed it, and her face suddenly changed.

"Boy, looks like you'll be kowtowing and calling me grandpa soon," Zhou Tian said with a cold look and a sneer at Lin Chen.

"Cut it out, there's always someone who appreciates good work," Lin Chen replied with a slight smile.

By then, the Culinary God Long Tianci had already stepped down from the VIP seats and quickly approached the white Niu He Lin Chen had fried.

"Nana, you've noticed it too?" Long Tianci asked.

"Yes, Master, has Lin Chen's culinary skill really reached that realm?" Anna's face showed a hint of shock.

Long Tianci didn't speak; instead, he picked up chopsticks, took a piece of Niu He, and tasted it.

"Exquisite, it truly is exquisite Niu He," Long Tianci's face lit up as he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The entire venue fell silent, and everyone was stunned. The Culinary God was actually praising the unseasoned Niu He as exquisite.

"How is this possible!"

Who was Long Tianci? A renowned Culinary God, who hardly ever spoke highly of dishes, yet today, he was lavishing praise on Lin Chen's white Niu He.

The judges who had just nearly unanimously agreed that Lin Chen's Niu He was garbage—well, their faces were slapped resoundingly.

Anna also picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a taste, a look of shock appeared in her eyes, and then she put down the chopsticks, "Master, I've lost the first round."

"What?" A stir went through the crowd once again. Anna, who had never been defeated since her debut, actually admitted defeat.

Long Tianci smiled and nodded, "Mhm, but you haven't lost unfairly this round."

This dialogue between master and disciple left everyone almost unable to wrap their heads around it. What on earth was so mysterious about this white Niu He that made this legendary pair from the culinary world so convinced?

"Try it yourselves. Food needs to tasted with the mouth, not seen with the eyes," Long Tianci snorted coldly and walked back to the VIP seats.

A few of the judges picked up chopsticks, curious, and put Lin Chen's fried Niu He into their mouths.

"Delicious, the flavor is fragrant without being greasy, tender yet chewy. It's simply top-notch," a judge exclaimed in surprise.

The rest who tasted it also praised it one after another.

Anna approached Lin Chen, her beautiful eyes showing surprise, "The Niu He you fried is truly the best of its kind, the best Niu He I've ever had. Anna admits defeat."

"Miss Anna is too modest. The Niu He you fried has perfect color, aroma, and flavor. I simply took a little shortcut," Lin Chen said.

Lin Chen glanced casually at Zhou Tian, who stood beside him with a gloomy face, and shrugged his shoulders, "Looks like I've disappointed you, my dear grandson."