Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 142: The Arsonist

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: The Arsonist

"Sous-vide!"

Professor Miyazaki Takuo, seated near the guest area, suddenly stood up upon witnessing Si Yingshi vacuum-sealing the beef and submerging it into the hot water.

The elite chefs present exchanged surprised glances.

"Vacuum low-temperature cooking!"

Murmured Liangzi Lina softly, "This is the perfect method for cooking steak, but there are only 20 minutes left. Can he make it?"

"He’ll make it!"

Dojima Yin watched Si Yingshi intently. In his eyes, the data on the water tank’s display jumped from the normal indoor temperature to 80 degrees Celsius in just a couple of minutes and held steady there.

Perfect intelligent temperature control!

Not a degree more, not a degree less!

"If he can maintain this temperature, 20 minutes—no, 15 minutes will be enough to cook the White-haired Cinderella Beef to the right doneness, and then he’ll have 5 minutes left to sear it quickly. There’s enough time!"

Dojima Yin said so, but he couldn’t completely hide a trace of urgency in his voice.

If the dish couldn’t be presented within the allocated time, it would result in defeat without a fight, undoubtedly a loss.

His gaze shifted toward Xia Yu, and he paused, then suddenly became calm and relaxed.

Si Yingshi was racing against time and had a high chance of completing his dish, but it was uncertain for Xia Yu. He stuffed a basketball-sized lump of clay into the ’burning pit’, fortunately having had the foresight to start making charcoal earlier.

An industrial-strength electric blower was installed on the ground. Xia Yu bent down to hit the switch, and a gusty wind blew through the air duct and into the charcoal furnace at the bottom of the ’burning pit’, instantly sending out rolling heat waves.

But this fire was far from enough!

He needed a raging fire!

"Bring up my materials—" Xia Yu turned to instruct a staff member waiting down at the stage.

Then, under the uncertain gazes of the Far Moon faculty and students, several brawny men carried up a dozen bundles of quality firewood.

"Help me out, surround the pit with firewood!"

With time running out, Xia Yu carefully felt the temperature of the charcoal inside the stove while instructing several staff members on what to do.

Everyone got busy and arranged the firewood according to Xia Yu’s instructions. After spreading out the dozens of bundles, they faintly formed a pyramid of timber, trapping the ’burning pit’ that Xia Yu had set up layer by layer.

"Back off!"

Xia Yu added new charcoal to the furnace at the bottom of the pit and used the blower to ignite it. Then he moved the blower aside and reached for another professional high-pressure flamethrower.

These items were all listed by Xia Yu in advance on the materials and utensils list. Except for the ’burning pit,’ the Far Moon Food Duel Administration had prepared everything else. Otherwise, Xia Yu would have to consider other cooking methods.

He took a deep breath!

He glanced over at Si Yingshi, the Ten Outstanding Chief, who was also standing by his machine without moving an inch.

But the fundamental difference between Xia Yu’s cooking and his cooking was the flame!

One was mechanical, intelligent fire!

The other, a wild and untamable primal fire, the fire of origins!

"It begins!"

Internally chanting to himself, Xia Yu pressed the trigger of the flamethrower, and whoosh—a blue flame burst forth, igniting the dry firewood piled in front of him with several hundred degrees of heat.

With a roar, large flames soared; Xia Yu even had to step back two paces forced by the blaze. But gritting his teeth, he moved closer to the fire, continuing to hold the flamethrower and igniting all the remaining wood!

Whoosh!

The previously silent auditorium erupted into noise at that moment.

The ’burning pit’ alone stood as tall as a person, with firewood stacked outside. The Fire Dragon roared into the sky, reaching a good three meters in height, which left the crowd dumbstruck.

"Arson! He’s committing arson!"

"Makki!" Morioka Makoto covered her mouth in shock as she witnessed Xia Yu being engulfed in flames.

"Arson? He’s playing with fire!"

In a corner of the venue, the flames reflected on Eriina’s face, slightly stupefied, casting a reddish glow.

"What’s going on!"

Tiqie Xianzuowen spoke sternly to Keiru Kuushou, "Where’s the fire alarm for the auditorium? Have you already deactivated it?"

"Yes," Keiru Kuushou replied, sweating on his forehead, "Instructor Xia had specifically requested the Food Duel Administration to deactivate the fire alarm system. He said that if it weren’t deactivated, the auditorium would be plunged into chaos."

That was indeed the case.

The stacked kindling was like a pyre, and the fire was so fierce, with temperatures too high. If the alarm system were still active, the whole auditorium would certainly be filled with the jarring sound of alarm bells, followed by a deluge, leaving everyone drenched.

"Umm..." Tiqie Xianzuowen pondered briefly, "Let’s wait a moment!"

"He must have his own confidence if he’s made arrangements!"

Tiqie Xianzuowen was actually quite anxious on the inside.

Before his old friend left, he had also asked him to keep an eye on his grandson. If something were to happen to the grandson, whom his old friend treasured as much as his life, on the Tiqie family’s turf, he certainly couldn’t shirk the responsibility.

Suddenly, another wave of commotion arose in the auditorium.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Xia Yu emerged from the sea of flames. He was bare-chested, having removed his pristine white chef’s coat to cover his head and protect the high-pressure flamethrower bottle in his arms. Although his clothes showed signs of charring, there were no apparent burn scars on his body.

Taking the flamethrower bottle outside, Xia Yu stepped out of the fire, and the whole place fell into absolute silence. No one had expected him to walk out unscathed.

The wood continued to burn around the ’burning earth pit,’ flames raging fiercely.

The dish had not yet been completed.

Xia Yu knew this well; the chicken inside the clay ball would not be so easily cooked through.

His culinary skill "Bursting Flame" endowed him with a sense of fire, allowing him clarity of mind and the knowledge of which areas within the pyre reached the highest temperatures.

The ’burning earth pit’ was stacked with mud bricks and was naturally filled with holes. The flames from the kindling seeped through these holes, backfilling the entire pit. From Xia Yu’s perspective of flame, it was as if the flames within the pit roared, eager to break free from the prison!

"Crack"

A faint sound, and Xia Yu’s ears perked up, "The outermost layer of mud shell is starting to peel away..."

At the same time, he glanced at the auditorium’s timer—just ten minutes remaining.

"That’s enough!"

Only then did Xia Yu breathe a sigh of relief.

Completing a delicacy was not only about his performance but also depended on the kitchen environment.

The Far Moon Food Duel Administration had undoubtedly been a huge help; from the ingredients to the tools, they provided everything but the ’burning earth pit’—practically a nanny-style logistical service.

"Only 5 minutes remaining until the end!"

The hostess, Kawashima Reika’s voice, rang out timely both inside and outside the auditorium.

At this moment, not only the Far Moon students and faculty but also Xia Yu turned their attentive eyes towards the suddenly busy Si Yingshi.

He tore open a vacuum-sealed bag.

Heated the oil.

Xia Yu noticed that the oil Si Yingshi poured into the frying pan was not any ordinary peanut or olive oil; it was a golden sunflower seed oil!

He quickly ignited the professional kitchen stove, and the flames began to roar instantly.

Within seconds, the oil started sizzling. Si Yingshi arranged six pieces of beef in the frying pan in succession, using a specially made large pan that could easily accommodate six steaks.

The aroma of the meat immediately wafted through the auditorium, whetting the appetites of the Far Moon students.

In just five short minutes, Si Yingshi performed a perfect finishing touch on the six steaks.

"Dang—"

The staff by the side struck the copper gong to signal the end of the competition.

All eyes turned back to Xia Yu again, as Si Yingshi was plating his dish, casting glances in his direction.

Seeing this, Xia Yu smiled faintly, picked up a fire stick he had specifically reserved, took a few steps forward, and with a vigorous swing, collapsed the ’burning earth pit’ he had stacked up.

The clay lumps shattered to the ground, and the still-burning kindling scattered, as the staff waiting below rushed up with fire extinguishers, converging to extinguish all the flames.

With this, the sensational Food Duel battle came to a temporary halt.

The Far Moon students and teachers awaited the upcoming judgment phase with anticipation.