Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 145: No Win or Loss

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: No Win or Loss

"Ha—"

After swallowing the turkey meat, the Far Moon Commander burst into steam from his entire body.

The students and teachers of Far Moon all had foolish expressions on their faces.

Except for Tiqie Xianzuowen, who was still seated, the other four judges—Dojima Yin, Shinohara Shigetaro, Aoki Motota, and Liangzi Lina—spontaneously got up from their seats, joined hands, and started circling in front of the table in a flighty demeanor.

Cough.

With a forceful cough, Tiqie Xianzuowen awakened the four judges who then looked at each other in turns.

Liangzi Lina’s cheeks were flushed red. She forcibly pulled away her hand, returning to her seat, but her heart inside her chest still pounded rapidly, telling her how unbelievable the culinary fantasy she had just experienced was.

Shinohara Shigetaro also returned to his seat, looking rather embarrassed.

Dojima Yin and Aoki Motota seemed quite nonchalant.

"I feel like the combination of the eight spices with another flavor has a familiar feel," Dojima Yin murmured, resting his chin on his hand.

Aoki Motota, wiping his slightly sweaty bald head, stared intensely at Xia Yu with an appreciative gaze, as if he were looking at a priceless relic, "You make me incredulous..."

After repeating how incredulous he was several times, Aoki Motota asked with a trembling voice, "What is this dish called?"

"The main cooking technique is Beggar’s Chicken, but it’s not the traditional Beggar’s Chicken—I have given it an almost perfect blend of spices and then, an almost perfect cooking temperature," Xia Yu pondered and shrugged simply, "As for the name, I haven’t thought of one yet!"

"Spice Nine-layered—"

"Flames that walk the extreme—"

Suddenly, Tiqie Xianzuowen interjected, "Why not call it ’Nine Feathered Phoenix’?"

Nine Feathered Phoenix?

Thinking of the phoenix they saw bathed in sacred flames while swallowing the food, Dojima Yin, Liangzi Lina, and the other judges all nodded in agreement.

"What a great name!" Aoki Motota gave a thumbs-up.

"Spice Nine-layered!"

Finally, Dojima Yin realized why that arrangement of spices felt familiar, staring intensely at Xia Yu, and chuckled with mixed feelings.

"You, you learnt this spice blending technique from my ’Spice Nine-layered Egyptian Roasted Chicken’?" Dojima Yin sighed deeply, "No wonder I felt like there were nine pyramids trying to pry open the treasure vault of my taste buds!"

"Hey! What a pity!" Dojima Yin continued with a soft chuckle.

"Indeed, a pity!" Aoki Motota chimed in.

"The heat levels in both flavors are slightly off!" Liangzi Lina said, lowering her eyelids slightly, her long eyelashes trembling, clearly her emotions were still stirred. She sternly stated with a cold voice, "The taste of flames is somewhat lacking, and the nine-layered spice flavor is likewise slightly off!"

The students of Far Moon were confused.

Was this criticism or praise?

Meanwhile, the slightly more skilled teachers, professors, and the Ten Masters of Far Moon, including Si Yingshi who was standing nearby, all wore stunned expressions.

"These two flavors walk the ultimate path!"

Shinohara Shigetaro could hardly hide his astonishment, "These two flavors, each could stand alone and nearly reach the quality of Special Grade Cuisine, and now, they have perfectly melded in ’Nine Feathered Phoenix.’ The pseudo-extreme fiery taste is the ninth Chapter of the Spice Nine-layered, and you redefine this spice combination with flames... It’s nothing short of a wild feat of imagination!"

"Moreover, you actually succeeded!"

"The chicken, through the hammering of spices and flames, is reborn, soaring through the nine heavens, shedding all mundane vestments, and transforming into... a Phoenix!"

After finishing with a trembling voice, Shinohara Shigetaro no longer spoke, and instead picked up his chopsticks to taste a second piece of chicken.

Dojima Yin and Aoki Motota saw this and quickly returned, seating themselves and picking up their chopsticks once again.

As if savoring delicacies from mountains and seas, it took the five heavyweight judges a quarter hour of chewing slowly and deliberately before they finished the chicken wrapped in lotus leaves. During that time, Xia Yu had purposely saved a bowl, planning to indulge himself once the judging was over.

The hall quieted down for a few minutes before the female host, Kawashima Reika, stammered, "P-please, please score the dishes!"

But no one spoke.

Seeing this, Kawashima Reika expressed frustration, "Please score!"

"Impossible to score!"

Dojima Yin suddenly said, "We can’t judge ’Nine Feathered Phoenix’ by student standards. By a teacher’s standards, it’s not quite enough, but by Special Grade standards, the cuisine barely qualifies for Special Grade One Star!"

Kawashima Reika was stunned, "Special Grade One Star?"

"Yes!" Dojima Yin was conflicted, "If it had a single kind of pseudo-ultimate taste, it would be considered pseudo-Special Grade Cuisine. But ’Nine Feathered Phoenix’ contains two kinds of pseudo-ultimate tastes, and they’re perfectly merged..."

Saying this, Dojima Yin could only seek help from Shinohara Shigetaro.

"Minister Shinohara, according to IGO standards for Special Grade Cuisine, do you think ’Nine Feathered Phoenix’ qualifies for Special Grade One Star?" he asked intently.

Shinohara Shigetaro originally shook his head, then nodded.

"A Special Grade chef, even with a recipe, couldn’t replicate this kind of highly personalized specialty dish."

"But," Shinohara Shigetaro was also conflicted, "to reach Special Grade One Star, it’s still slightly lacking. The ultimate in flames, Spice Nine-layered, once they truly peak, ’Nine Feathered Phoenix’ will qualify for Special Grade Two Stars, Special Grade Three Stars, or even as a killer Special Grade dish!"

"But it’s still in the developmental stage, so it can’t be scored!"

Shinohara Shigetaro sighed.

"Can’t be scored!"

Aoki Motota and Liangzi Lina exchanged glances.

"All five judges... no scores!"

Far Moon Hall was dead silent—nobody expected this outcome.

But nobody dared to question the judging panel led by Tiqie Xianzuowen.

"Did he win, or did he lose?"

"Idiot, didn’t you hear? It can’t be scored! That guy’s level has already far surpassed the student level, and even most of our Far Moon instructors can’t compare to him!"

"What, he got no scores, so Si Yingshi senior won!"

Suddenly, the hall erupted into chaos. The students of Far Moon split into two factions; one was captivated by Xia Yu’s skills and dishes, while the other was a steadfast Far Moon Party, supporting Si Yingshi.

Witnessing the chaos, the members of the Polar Star Dormitory were taken aback.

"Incredible!"

Xingping Chuangzhen clenched his fists excitedly, his eyes fixed on Xia Yu, behaving as though he was the subject of discussion among the Far Moon staff and students, filled with admiration.

The Ten Masters of Far Moon gathered in a corner of the venue, their expressions not noticeably better than those of ordinary students.

Ichise Hui looked serious, disbelief in his eyes.

TiQie Helinai stood with arms crossed, leaning against the railing, watching Xia Yu’s back. She was actually relieved by the outcome.

No winner, no loser.

Because Xia Yu received no scores.

But in reality, everyone at Far Moon knew they were the ones who had lost.

The talk of a draw was merely a forced disguise.