The next morning, Sheng Tian Plaza in Lan Hai City was already packed with people, with many high-level culinary masters coming to watch the competition. Although the New Star Cup was not as grand as the God of Cookery Cup, it was still exceptionally popular, especially with the presence of Du Qing, the son of the God of Cookery.
"So many people?" Chen Shu and the others arrived at Sheng Tian Plaza. Zhang Dali, as a contestant, had already gone to the competition venue in advance. Xu Xingxing felt a headache seeing the congested crowd ahead.
"I can't see anything!"
"Use your brain!" Chen Shu called out with his hands crossed and a calm expression, "Someone's streaking!! Look quickly!"
As soon as he said this, countless people were startled and looked towards the back, with some even taking out their phones. Chen Shu and the other two took advantage of the ensuing panic to push their way through, successfully reaching the very front.
"Chen Pi, you're amazing!" Xie Sunan said, not expecting to secure the best viewing spot so easily.
"Everyone is interested in streaking," Chen Shu shrugged, having completely captured everyone's attention.
"Damn it, no one is streaking! We were tricked!"
"Damn it, I really thought someone was streaking in broad daylight! That sort of thing only happens at night!"
As he said this, a group of people looked at the speaker strangely.
"What I meant was..." The man's expression stiffened, and he immediately disappeared into the crowd.
Finally, everyone re-gathered around Sheng Tian Plaza, ready to watch the culinary competition of the day.
"Distinguished audience, today is the final of the New Star Cup. I'm sure you are all as eager as I am to know who will be the champion of this generation!"
"First, let me introduce our five judges!"
"The first is Professor Liu Song, a Gold-tier culinary master from Lan Hai Culinary University. He participated in the previous God of Cookery Cup, although he didn't make the cut..."
As he began, some audience members looked displeased.
"Hurry up and start!"
"Yeah, why are you dawdling?"
"We're here to see the contestants, what does it have to do with us who the judges are!"
"..."
The host's mouth twitched. In the end, he simply introduced the judges and then said, "It seems everyone can't wait any longer. Now, I announce that the competition officially begins!"
Soon, dedicated staff brought the contestants' ingredients and placed them in their respective positions. Chen Shu immediately spotted Du Qing's ingredients, as if he could see the sinful substances flowing within them... He directly added the large jar of laxatives he had prepared.
"The time limit is two hours. Countdown begins!"
As soon as the announcement was made, the six contestants began to work on their ingredients. Zhang Dali, despite his usual goofy and somewhat unrestrained demeanor, transformed when he cooked. He was completely focused, ignoring all external disturbances.
"My pig-slaughtering knife is truly awesome!" Xie Sunan said with a smile, watching Zhang Dali rapidly process various ingredients. The pig-slaughtering knife was incredibly sharp, even surpassing knives specifically designed for processing ferocious beasts.
"First, let me introduce our first contestant, Du Qing from the Du family, who is also the sole inheritor of the God of Cookery!" At this moment, a reporter, carrying a camera, introduced the contestants' identities and culinary skills. He particularly emphasized Du Qing's strength, clearly taking advantage of the situation for personal gain.
Finally, after a long and drawn-out publicity period of half an hour, the reporter began introducing the other contestants, but conspicuously ignored Zhang Dali, as if there were only five contestants present. Zhang Dali also paid no mind, having completely lost himself in the moment.
Witnessing the skilled techniques of the six contestants, the onlookers couldn't help but sigh.
"This year's New Star Cup is strong!"
"Indeed. Look at Du Qing of the Du family. His technique is steady, with almost no mistakes. He has the demeanor of his father back then."
"Zhang Dali from Kyoto Culinary University is also not simple. He's making a Silver-tier dish. Although he's a bit rusty, I have a premonition that he might actually succeed!"
"Even if he succeeds, he might not win unless he can create a mid-grade Silver dish."
At this moment, Chen Shu's eyes darted, and he said, "That Du Qing isn't good. His hands look weak, and they're shaking a lot. Did he used to serve food in a cafeteria?"
Xie Sunan chimed in, "Purely from an outsider's perspective, I think so too. Can this guy even cook? What a joke!"
Xu Xingxing shouted, "Get down! My suggestion is to get down!"
The three of them engaged in a heated discussion, which brought the noisy scene to an abrupt halt. Du Qing's expression turned cold, and he looked over, his hands trembling slightly from anger. These three were good at messing with people's minds!
"May I ask the audience on-site to show restraint and provide the contestants with a good environment!" Although cooking amidst a noisy environment was a compulsory skill for culinary masters, Chen Shu and the other two's remarks were too harsh, making it difficult for anyone to tolerate.
As the two hours gradually passed, the six contestants successfully completed their dishes. Zhang Dali's expression was calm. Although he was making a Green Armored Turtle soup, he hadn't used any pots, opting instead to use the turtle shell as a stewing pot. This would not only preserve the delicious flavor but also ensure that the nutrients were not lost.
"Done!" He lifted the wooden lid of the turtle shell. A cloud of steam dispersed, accompanied by an extremely savory aroma that whetted the appetite.
"Hmm?!" In an instant, Zhang Dali's expression changed, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Impossible, the nutrients have been lost for no reason?!" He sniffed and stared intently at the savory turtle meat, realizing he had been tricked. His original intention was to create a mid-grade Silver dish, but now it couldn't even compare to a perfect Bronze dish.
"It seems some people's culinary skills are not good enough, they can't even control the heat properly!" Du Qing looked over, a strange smile in his eyes, clearly having anticipated this.
"You did this, didn't you?" Zhang Dali clenched his fists slightly, unwillingness in his eyes, and said, "With your character, you'll never win the God of Cookery Cup championship in this lifetime!"
Du Qing smiled and replied, "Then we shall wait and see!"
"Now, let's begin the dish inspection!" the host announced, arriving at the first scoring segment. Besides the judges' scores, the machine scoring in the first round was also extremely important, and there would be no inside trading.
Zhang Dali sighed. Although he was a bit disappointed, it didn't affect his mindset. After all, Du Qing resorting to underhanded tactics proved that the opponent was afraid and felt he couldn't defeat him. He picked up the heat-resistant paper and placed his finished dish on a table in front, equipped with various sophisticated instruments to monitor its contents.
"Green Armored Turtle Soup. Ingredients: Green Armored Turtle meat, Spirit Mushroom... Nutrient retention rate: 20%. Rating: High-grade Bronze!" Zhang Dali's face paled slightly. His dish, originally intended to be mid-grade Silver, ultimately received only a high-grade Bronze rating.
"What a pity, a failed Silver dish?" The onlookers sighed. No one suspected that there was a problem with the ingredients; they simply believed Zhang Dali's skill was insufficient.
"As expected, forcing the preparation of a Silver dish can be counterproductive!" A reporter with a camera stepped forward, seemingly broadcasting live, and said, "I hope other culinary masters do not follow his example. It is always best to present your most proficient dish during the competition!"
The other contestants stepped forward one by one, presenting their dishes. Three were high-grade Bronze, and one was mid-grade Bronze. Only those with a nutrient retention rate of over 90% could be called perfect Bronze. Among the contestants, it was likely only Zhang Dali and Du Qing who could achieve this.
"What a pity, it seems no one has a perfect Bronze dish!" The reporter smiled and approached Du Qing, "Let's turn our attention to the highly anticipated Du Qing, the sole successor of the God of Cookery!" Du Qing's expression was calm, and he appeared very polite. He held a large plate of braised rabbit meat and placed it on the table above.
"Beep beep beep!" Various instruments scanned it, with green lights flashing. Just as everyone was filled with anticipation, the instruments suddenly began to emit a crackling sound.
"Beep beep beep beep beep!" Following that, there was an extremely rapid warning sound, like an asthma attack.
"Braised Flame Rabbit. Ingredients: Unknown! Unknown! Unknown! Nutrients... Nutrients..."
"Rating failed. Please do not submit useless garbage! This instrument is not responsible for authentication!"