Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 635 - 634: Swallow in the Fire

Chapter 635: Chapter 634: Swallow in the Fire

Xue Feichen and Li Quan stood in front of the judging panel.

This was the fourth team to present their culinary work.

The judges tasted indifferently, their expressions unchanged from start to finish.

"Wrong!"

Nuliang fixed his gaze on Li Quan, "Do you think that your cooking style doesn’t match with the theme ’Supreme Goodness, Like Water’?"

Although Li Quan’s face was stiff, he still nodded and said, "The theme... indeed works against me!"

"That’s why you went off topic!" Nuliang pointed to the plate in front of him, a traditional gourmet dish ’Golden Lion Embroidery Ball’, with many steps requiring precise heat control, "Your ’Bursting Flame’ is too forceful, the style unable to shift freely, which is why you created a failure."

"Water and fire complement each other, who says that fire must be wild and frenzied?"

Nuliang spoke indifferently, "The Warring States Yin Yang School proposed the theory of the Five Virtues. Throughout the Zhou and Han Dynasties, the virtue of fire was respected. If you had a broader vision and a more open mind, why not use the principles of ’water and fire complementing each other’ and ’water and fire conquering each other’ to tell the story of the dynasty’s change and the people living and working in peace and contentment after the war? Water nourishes all things; only a prosperous and powerful nation can have confident and civilized citizens."

Both Li Quan and Xue Feichen were deeply moved and bowed in sincere acknowledgment, "We are enlightened!"

The two left the stage, and the numbers displayed on the scoreboard made the venue deathly silent.

points!

Li Han’s heart trembled below the stage, "What’s with this score?!"

"It shouldn’t be!"

He was well-informed, so it was hard for him to understand why the combination of Xue Feichen and Li Quan managed to score just a passable grade and exit the stage in disarray.

Looking up at the leaderboard on the screen.

The team of Zhu Qing and Saito Chiyokuro led temporarily with 90 points, followed by scores of 85 and 80 points, and then the 60-point team. The gap between the top three wasn’t significant, but the fourth place showed a severe lag.

Off topic!

That was the final summary of the judges.

"Will the collaborative work between me and Chef Lan also..." Li Han’s heart pounded uncontrollably as he couldn’t help but glance chaotically at the five small clay pots already placed on the prep table in front of him.

With the example of his uncle Li Quan and the judges’ criticism of his misuse of ’Bursting Flame’ vivid and brutal, it was no wonder Li Han was nervous. Approaching the final showdown before the finals, just one more step up the ladder and he could reach the summit and engage in the final battle. Feeling paranoid was a normal psychological state.

"Serve the dish—"

At that moment, a delicate voice came through.

"Ah?!"

Li Han was startled awake.

Lan Chuhai didn’t mind him; she arranged two trays on the table, one with three pots and the other with the remaining two, picked up the tray with three pots, and gracefully took the stage, her pretty face reflecting tranquil composure.

With sweaty palms, Li Han followed up to the stage. When the eyes of the judges swept over him, his heart shrank, and he couldn’t help muttering uneasily to himself, "What’s going on, these judges... they give me the feeling of facing a dragon head, each one’re antique? That’s not right!"

He looked over, and although Nuliang appeared aged, his skin was in fact delicate; it was just his full head of silver hair and a weathered quality that made him seem old.

The other four judges were even less remarkable, each with a youthful appearance.

All Dragon Chefs?

If they were Dragon Chefs, it wouldn’t be unusual for them to eat life-prolonging medicinal meals and possess the art of maintaining youth. After all, Li Han was the direct heir of the Li Family from the Chinese Cuisine World’s ’Mount Tai’ and had seen many Dragon Chefs.

"Let’s first talk about your understanding of the theme ’Supreme Goodness, Like Water’..."

A voice interrupted Li Han’s thoughts.

The judges, some with arms crossed, others with hands on the table, all had cold expressions.

"Water, benefiting all things."

"Water and fire together can even bring about rebirth from the flames."

Lan Chuhai answered softly, standing there, the plum branch embroidery climbing up the side of her chef’s garment seemed to come to life.

"Hmm, rebirth from the flames?"

Nuliang raised his eyebrows, giving Li Han a glance, "I see! Another chef from the Chinese Realm who masters ’Bursting Flame,’ let’s see how you’ve managed it!"

Click!

With that, he lifted the lid off the clay pot.

Suddenly, the chirping of birds filled the air.

In the faintness, a snowy-white swallow with clipped tail emerged from the clay pot, shooting up into the sky, only to burst into flames and vanish mid-air with a puff.

The judges were stunned, and the audience rose to their feet.

"Wow!"

"What did I just see!"

"Replay! Do a replay!"

The second red-haired judge pounced onto the table, lifting the lid again, but there was no sign of the swallow soaring out; only about half a bowl of bright yellow bird’s nest soup remained in the clay pot.

A snow lotus-like bird’s nest had completely dissolved, floating in the soup.

"’Imperial Bird’s Nest,’ a recipe and dish I created especially for this round of the competition," Lan Chuhai said.

"Imperial Bird’s Nest?"

Nuliang commented, "This is a minor subcategory of the Eight Great Cuisines, isn’t it? A traditional dish within Jin Cuisine. With this kind of dish, apart from the quality of the bird’s nest itself, the next most important thing is the broth."

"Imperial Bird’s Nest, the finest of bird’s nests, elegant and noble, was once exclusively enjoyed by emperors, royal relatives, and high officials, which is how it got its name—to signify nobility."

Lan Chuhai nodded, softly reciting a line of verse, "The sea’s treasures are best exemplified by bird’s nest, dependent entirely on the chef’s skill with broth."

"Broth, indeed, is a representation of culinary skill!"

Many chefs in the audience nodded in agreement.

Backstage, Xia Yu, who was watching the live broadcast with Zhu Qing, also silently remarked, "A chef’s broth and an actor’s swordsmanship—without the former, the dishes have no fragrance!"

Clack!

For a moment, the competition hall was silent, with only the sound of judges scooping soup and bird’s nest from the clay pots.

Steam rose from the soup, and the judges tasted a small sip, then all at once lifted their heads to exhale.

"A double-layered broth!"

In Nuliang’s mind, shadows of chicken and duck passed by. The female chef had first stewed a clear broth with chicken and duck, then enhanced it with beef shank and minced chicken. In the end, the broth was as clear as water, without any residue, and even a small sip left a lingering richness on the palate that did not dissipate.

Continuing to taste, slurp—

The judges blew on their spoons, and once the soup cooled slightly, they consumed it together with the bird’s nest.

Suddenly, their heads were filled with the chirping of sparrows and swallows!

"Boom!"

The clipped-tail swallow flew through the Netherworld, skimming the sky above the Nether River, its spirit-like eyes gleaming with an ethereal grace. The marks left in the judges’ minds by Zhu Qing and Saito Chiyokuro’s boat ride suddenly shattered. As the judges’ heads spun and they came back to their senses, their pupils reflected a fire-bathed sparrow.

Fire-swathed Swallow!

Looking down at the swirling soup in the bowl, Nuliang suddenly laughed, "This power that breaks through the Netherworld, it is water!"

"Water’s nature is dense and silent, a massive surge when needed, but whether it’s a small creek or a mighty river, it all possesses a bold and tireless character and strength!"

"What was originally a refined and noble bird’s nest soup, let us taste this kind of power, truly a brilliant application of ’Bursting Flame,’ and a stark contrast to the previous team’s deviation from the theme!"

The Chief Judge gave a thumbs up.

Click!

Seeing this, Xia Yu’s heart skipped a beat, Could the score be overtaken now?

Zhu Qing’s face also tensed.

Saito Chiyokuro, however, was astonished, "The ’Food Justice Seal’ of Shura, just like that, it’s been pierced through?"

"Bird’s nest, a double-layered broth, such a plain combination!" He furrowed his brows.

Regardless of the outside world’s reaction, the judges had already displayed their scores.

The slightly trembling voice of Chiyoda Aichi was heard:

"The final score for the Li Han and Lan Chuhai team is... 90 points!"

Hiss.

In an instant, a weight fell from their hearts, and Xia Yu and Zhu Qing high-fived, "Now we’re set!"

Both had considered this team to be their strongest rival.

Now, having drawn them onto the same scoreline, it was a fairly acceptable tie.