Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 265 - 264: The Essence of the Ice Dragon!

Chapter 265: Chapter 264: The Essence of the Ice Dragon!

"Just in time, I’ve finished too!"

Xia Yu took a small step back and sheathed the Wenqu Saber.

At the sound, everyone’s gaze, previously drawn to Smith, immediately turned back to Xia Yu.

Their faces reflected sheer astonishment.

"Is that... the roaring Ice Dragon!"

"A masterpiece like this, carved in just an hour and a half?"

Whispers filled the large classroom. Students and teachers from Far Moon and the Orlando Academy found it unbelievable. The complexity of ice sculpting goes without saying, but the finesse of the details alone, carved stroke by stroke, must have required tremendous effort.

"Wait, one last step to go!"

Xia Yu picked up a kitchen knife from the workbench as if it were trivial and grabbed a small carrot, chopping off its ends.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...

With each flash of the knife, a thin slice of carrot, spinning as it flew, stuck firmly onto the body of the Ice Dragon. Now, the previously coiled round body of the dragon seemed to be amidst a sea of flowers, rendering it even more lifelike.

"Well done indeed!"

From his office, Qiushan Hong, who had been watching quietly, suddenly exclaimed with praise, "Even with such a monotonous pairing, merely using carrot slices has created a puzzle of blossoming flowers. Looking at it now, the Ice Dragon instantly transforms into a colossal dragon soaring into the sky surrounded by a riot of flowers, even more spirited! The touch of a master!"

As he spoke, Qiushan Hong stood up.

"Lord Qiushan, you..."

Dojima Yin was taken aback.

"I’m quite interested in the ice sculpture on site. I wonder if I could ask for it as a memento," Qiushan Hong said as he walked.

"Eh... Wait a minute!" Dojima Yin hurriedly followed.

Sitting upright, Tiqie Xianzuowen had his gaze fixed on the young instructor on the monitor. After a moment, he nodded and chuckling, he said, "This challenge has been won by Far Moon."

As the Food Demon King cast his verdict.

On site.

The silence was finally broken.

"This is ice sculpture!" Roland Chapeau’s eyes were riveted to the Ice Dragon on the stand, not wishing to look away for even a second, "In Chinese cuisine, it’s not just about ’flavor’."

"Color, aroma, taste, form."

"Only when all four are present, can it be called a true delicacy. And Instructor Xia’s ’ice sculpture’ represents the pinnacle of the ’form’ element! Not even a Super Chef, no, Lin Chef could have done any better!"

Roland Chapeau asserted with a boldness that sought to astound.

Instructor Auson, with her right hand in a bandage, was just as fixated on the ice sculpture, utterly fascinated.

In her eyes, the Ice Dragon soared skywards.

The fierce and majestic dragon’s head, the shimmering dragon’s body, the sharp claws, and the unassailable gaze within the dragon’s eyes... all the fine details were right before her. Auson couldn’t help but exclaim excitedly:

"This is a technique completely different from Western culinary presentation. Western cuisine also employs sculpting, but I truly cannot think of any other culinary style aside from Chinese cuisine capable of creating such a grand and majestic piece!"

Everyone fell silent.

These days, Western culinary presentation values simplicity and sophistication.

Take the molecular gastronomy that has been all the rage in the food world; it pushes the aesthetics of "sophistication" to the extreme, revolutionary, and elevates "sophistication" to a fantastical realm that ordinary craftsmanship struggles to attain.

But now, right in front of them, Xia Yu, with just his hands and a carving knife, had created such an astonishing ice sculpture, no, the very appearance of culinary art!

Grand and majestic!

"What a pity!"

A female instructor from Orlando Academy suddenly spoke out, voicing the regret everyone felt.

"Yes, such a pity!"

At Far Moon,

Instructor Auson responded, his gaze complex.

"This is just an ice sculpture, not a carved culinary masterpiece," Roland Chapeau said, his eyes steady like an ancient well, flickering briefly as he spoke in a calm voice, "After all, this topic is only ’decoration and carving’."

Seeing such an astonishing ice sculpture, their appetites were paradoxically whetted. How could such a sculpture translate into a true culinary carving?

Xia Yu let them discuss amongst themselves while he also looked over the works carved on-site, growing more satisfied with each glance.

"Worthy of the Wenqu Saber increasing the carving degree by 50%..."

Upon closer inspection, the roaring Ice Dragon seemed to awaken. His gaze slightly sharpened, startled by the aura emitted from the ice sculpture, he couldn’t help but think, "The higher the degree of carving, the more vivid the details. That’s why this Ice Dragon appears so lifelike, possessing an essence!"

Essence is something indescribable.

Just like with calligraphy, the works of a true master appear to have a certain quality.

Now, his Ice Dragon sculpture, while imitating Master Jidi’s original work from Chinese cuisine, had at last acquired that quality, thanks to the amplification of the ’Wenqu Saber’.

However, compared to Master Jidi’s original ice sculpture, Xia Yu’s appeared too delicate.

The original was as immense as a plaza sculpture, and in the classroom, naturally, Xia Yu couldn’t carve an ice sculpture that large—time would not allow it.

Whispers rippled through the large classroom, yet one person wore a gloomy expression.

Xia Yu had long noticed Smith, who was forgotten in a corner.

As a Super Chef with numerous accolades, the feeling of being overlooked must be tough to handle.

"Alright!"

Roland Chapeau’s voice broke the stalemate.

"Instructor Xia’s carving is indeed impressive, but after all, it’s just a carving, lacking the culinary portion, which is regrettable... Now, let us all appreciate Professor Smith’s practical work!"

At these words, the Orlando Team, immersed in discussion, snapped back to reality.

Damn!

The hearts of Orlando’s teachers and students skipped a beat.

All eyes simultaneously turned towards the table before Smith, and they were instantly taken aback.

On a round plate lay houses and green grass, with a circle of chocolate fences lining the edge.

A pastoral picture!

Xia Yu couldn’t help but whistle to himself, truly a Super Chef, his concept was delicately crafted, incorporating no fewer than eight types of seasoning plants into his pastoral scheme.

The house was made of cream cake, and the land before and behind the house where the green grass was planted was also a thin layer of bread, made with flour and eggs.

If Xia Yu’s work was a carving, then Smith’s was a vivid pastoral picture.

Most importantly, Smith had clearly filled the "edible" gap; his work wasn’t just for show. The house, the grass, even the chocolate fence around the edge of the plate, could all be scooped up by hand and eaten directly. As for the taste, well, perhaps no one would want to destroy such a visually pleasing arrangement.

"Cast your votes—"

Soon, two small jars were placed on the lecture desk, each person from Far Moon and Orlando exchange teams, regardless of whether they were teachers or students, held a commemorative coin engraved with the emblem of this exchange meeting.

Xia Yu and Smith stood to the left and right.

Coin after coin dropped into the jars, making a pleasing sound.

"Instructor Xia, I support you!"

Goda Haya Seiji said in a low voice, casting his commemorative coin into Xia Yu’s jar.

Instructor Auson and Roland Chapeau passed by in succession, smiling as they dropped their coins into Xia Yu’s jar.

Actually, the voting situation was similar; at Far Moon, almost everyone cast their commemorative coins for Xia Yu. At Orlando, it was supposed to continue that way until a female instructor suddenly changed the tide.

"Instructor Xia, is it? I really admire you!"

With blonde hair and blue eyes, the young-looking female instructor let go, and the coin from her fingertips dropped into the jar with a ding.

Seeing this, Smith’s face darkened.