Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 169: Flames on the Steamer!

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Flames on the Steamer!

"Judges aren’t scoring?"

"Didn’t you see the flyer? This Food Battle is based on voting..."

"Why do I feel like this graduate from Orlando International College is going to win by a landslide!"

Below the Food Battle Stage, discussion about the outcome was rampant.

"Yu!"

Hearing this, An Yilun’s encouraging cheers became even louder as he continuously waved his flags.

"Only 10 minutes left until the end of the Food Battle!"

A staff member at the edge of the arena reminded.

Xia Yu was simply standing with his arms crossed in front of the cooking station, eyes gently closed, immersed in his own quiet world. In reality, though, he was constantly using the "Bursting Flame" culinary technique, monitoring the stove’s heat and the temperature inside the steam baskets.

That being said, after maxing out his "Bursting Flame" culinary technique, Xia Yu’s flame sense had finally taken shape.

When employing the "Bursting Flame" technique during cooking, his entire skin felt like it was filled with countless subtle and precise temperature sensors, from charcoal to the flames before him. Regardless of the type of flame, they were all captured by his flame sense and controlled by his central nervous system.

However, he was no martial arts master and didn’t possess the deep "Inner Strength" like the Blast Flame Chef Ya Kan, he could only use flames advantageously, rather than using "Inner Strength" to invoke and manipulate them.

Xia Yu was quite content, feeling that having such an effect after maxing out "Bursting Flame" was already a pleasant surprise. This method of using flames, if spread to other chefs, would surely shock and awe.

Of course, training in the "Bursting Flame" skill and allocating Talent Points to it afforded a chance to comprehend the divine talent "Super Touch."

The ’flame sense’ was just the tip of the iceberg of "Super Touch."

A perfected "Super Touch" could grasp everything from the heat of cooking to the subtle changes in temperature and humidity in the environment, bordering on a terrifying superpower.

Regrettably, Xia Yu was destined to have an African heritage, and even maxing out "Bursting Flame" did not reveal a hint of "Super Touch."

"Time’s up!"

Just then, as a loud gong sounded, Xia Yu awoke.

"Chef Xia Yu, please cease cooking and present your dish!" a staff urged.

The whole venue was watching him, Xia Yu could sense those pairs of eyes—some encouraging, some worried, some cold. Yet, his heart remained undisturbed, surprisingly calm, with a steady heartbeat.

Strangely, the bigger the stage, the calmer he became.

Click.

He turned off the valve and stopped the fire.

The steam basket, resting on a large boiling pot, still emanated large quantities of steam, assaulting him with waves of heat.

Xia Yu moved swiftly, without any hesitation, and immediately lifted the lid of the steam basket.

In an instant, more steam billowed out, enveloping him completely.

Then, a dazzling light pierced through the mist!

"This kind of light—!" Shinohara Shigetaro suddenly stood up and his pupils constricted.

"It’s done!"

Aoki Motota, who had experienced Xia Yu’s cooking before, disregarded his demeanor and slammed the judges’ table sharply. Liangzi Lina also smiled, her eyes curving up, lips breaking into a natural smile.

For the glowing dish, the three from IGO had an almost blind confidence.

After a few minutes of silence, the old shopping district finally erupted into chaos.

Lancelot’s gaze was slightly dark, he firmly fixed his eyes on the figure in the mist, his mind turbulent, "What is that light about? Is it some sort of special technique, why is it so glaring..."

No one answered Lancelot.

Until Xia Yu lifted the lid of the steamer, his confidence had been unbreakable, but at this moment, he suddenly wavered.

"No! This Food Battle, for me, has no option of defeat!" Lancelot murmured to himself, unnoticed by the audience, who were all captivated by Xia Yu. The spotlight, which should have been his, had been stolen, causing great annoyance in Lancelot’s heart.

Just then a strange fragrance, hidden in the air, was caught by Lancelot’s nose

He couldn’t help but sniff.

What smell?

So intense!

Lancelot took another breath and felt as if his nose had touched a burning flame; he could not help but stagger back a few steps, staying still for a few seconds before realizing and reaching out to wipe his nose. Except for being slightly warm, where was there any flame?

"Can that kind of fish maw really defeat the ’Golden Silk Fish Fin’?" Tiqie Helinai muttered to herself.

Honestly, Lancelot’s cooking, with its exquisite and lavish style, really suited her taste.

Xia Yu’s cooking, on the other hand, was the complete opposite—from the "spread wings" ingredients to the barbecue techniques used in the cooking, everything was infused with a commoner’s air. If this had been before, Tiqie Helinai would have definitely voted for Lancelot without hesitation.

But now, the Divine Tongue, smelling the magic-laden fragrance, was unable to determine the outcome of this Food Battle!

Finally, the steam from the steamer cleared.

What, what?!

The audience, staring intently at the steamer, suddenly let out an earth-shaking gasp.

The bright red fish maw, lying quietly in the steamer, with strands of spice scent that seemed substantial yet appeared as flames, surrounding the fish maw.

At first glance, it looked as if flames were bursting from the steamer, the top layer a dazzling firework!

Tiqie Helinai instinctively stood up, and the other guests around her did nearly the same, as if controlled by someone, all of them simultaneously stood up, stretching their necks and widening their eyes.

"No way! There’s no flame!" Chiyoda Aichi, who was near Xia Yu’s cooking station, observed closely and discovered it was just a visual illusion created by the cooking and smoke, and her tensed body suddenly relaxed.

The stage’s broadcast screen and the television cameras both focused on the top layer of the steamer for a long time.

"My goodness!"

"...Is that the fish maw we ate a few days ago?"

In the Polar Star Dormitory kitchen, the group was equally shocked.

In the steamer, each fish maw, the color of the casing, seemed like a flame coating, no wonder they had just mistaken it for a fire in the steamer.

This technique was like that of an artist skilled in mixing colors, strictly adhering to the hues of flame, painted on with pigment, looking nothing like the perfect color that culinary techniques could render!

"Why!" Tiqie Helinai bit her thumb, her white teeth continuously grinding her nails, her delicate face almost contorted.

Xia Yu’s cooking, time after time, shocked her, challenging her culinary philosophy.

Not only was it delicious, but its form was as always... exquisite!

However, what conferred this "exquisiteness" was not the high-class culinary skills she had imagined but ordinary spice-mixing techniques combined with a commoner’s barbecue.

"Simplicity within the... not simple!" Tiqie Helinai suddenly remembered this phrase; it had crossed her mind when she first tasted Xia Yu’s ’Transformed raw egg rice bowl,’ and now, this phrase formed a deep imprint striking the core of her heart!

Deliberately, Xia Yu, with a calm expression, plucked each specialty fish maw from the several layers of steamers.

No need for any fancy plating decorations, the fish maws themselves were exquisite works of art, piled on a white plate, creating a powerful visual impact.

"Try this!"

"This is the specialty dish I developed for this Food Battle!"