Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Open Conspiracy
“Cheers!”
In the dining room of the hotel room, Qin Lang, Shen Qian, and Zhou Tianhao toasted together.
“Congratulations on advancing in the scoring competition.” Zhou Tianhao started with a chuckle.
“Oh, that’s a small matter’” Shen Qian waved her hand cheerfully, “I’ve already signed up for the provincial-level competition. If I were to be eliminated in the scoring competition of the city-level cooking contest, that would be so embarrassing, wouldn’t it?”
“Although that’s true, we still need to celebrate.” Qin Lang smiled, picking up a piece of delicious food with his chopsticks and bringing it to his mouth, “Speaking of which, Shen Qian, what dish are you planning to use to win the competition in five days’ time?”
“Rose Red Shrimp Pearl!” Shen Qian answered without hesitation, “I had already thought of it on the way back. Even though I have mastered several dishes using lobster as the main ingredient, this one is the most distinctive and is well suited for showcasing the cooking process.”
“Hmph, you showed off your skills in the scoring contest, now it’s my turn in the elimination round!” She glanced confidently at Qin Lang.
“That’s indeed a good choice.” Qin Lang nodded in acknowledgment.
Having known each other for a long time, they were quite familiar with the dishes each excelled at. Qin Lang was not unfamiliar with Shen Qian’s Rose Red Shrimp Pearl as she had presented it once before.
The cooking process of this dish is quite complex, and the final product is stunning in terms of its visual appeal and tastes just as good.
Taking this dish into battle, Shen Qian almost guaranteed her spot in the elimination round.
“What about you?” Shen Qian asked in return, “With the restriction that the ingredient value must not exceed 500 yuan, this is the lowest bracket, this is no easy challenge, any thoughts?”
“First off, no seafood.” Qin Lang smiled at this response.
Even in Xianyu City, the seaside city where seafood can be caught directly, high-quality seafood is not something that can be afforded with just 500 yuan.
And with seafood, the quality greatly influences the taste.
“There are still many options though.” Shen Qian counted on her fingers, “Just from what I know, you could present at least five different dishes.”
“That’s too low, definitely too low.” Zhou Tianhao gave a sly smile, “What Qin Lang has shown is probably just the tip of the iceberg, right?”
“Not that exaggerated.” Qin Lang scratched his head bashfully, “Indeed, I do have some ideas.”
“If all goes well, I plan to focus more on cooking techniques and use ordinary ingredients to create extraordinary tastes.”
“What ordinary ingredients?” Shen Qian raised an eyebrow.
“Pork.” Qin Lang said confidently, “I haven’t made this dish for you guys before, you can have a taste while I practice in the next few days.”
“Pork creating an uncommon taste…” Anticipation grew on Shen Qian’s face, “Alright, I’m looking forward to it!”
“Count me in!” Zhou Tianhao raised his hand, “I also want to taste what kind of extraordinary flavour it is.”
“I promise, you’ll be satisfied.” Qin Lang boasted, then turned towards Zhou Tianhao, “Brother Zhou, the Star Hunter did not appear today, does the Association have any plans afterward?”
“We can only wait.” Mentioning this issue, Zhou Tianhao’s expression became serious, “The enemy is in the dark, we are in the light.”
“This is what’s most detestable about the Star Hunters.” Zhou Tianhao huffed, “They throw out a notice and toy with everyone, lying low until an opportunity presents itself.”
“Regrettably, we can’t take initiative to attack, but we also can’t ignore the Star Hunter’s notice.” Saying this, Zhou Tianhao shook his head, “Since they didn’t take action during the scoring competition, they might during the elimination competition.”
“By that time, we will have even more manpower, and as time goes by, our numbers will keep growing.” There was a gleam in Zhou Tianhao’s eyes, “This is an open strategy, the longer we drag on, the more difficult it will be for the Star Hunter to seize the Starstone.”
“We have to force their hand!”
“That seems to be a good idea.” Shen Qian handed Zhou Tianhao a large piece of meat, “Brother Zhou, have some meat, you’ll need the energy for what’s coming!”
“Haha, alright.” Zhou Tianhao’s serious expression disappeared instantly as he laughed heartily and continued eating.
The first round of the cooking contest, the scoring competition, had ended, but the ripples it caused had not subsided.
Before the scoring competition began, the internet was filled with boycotts and criticism of this city-level cooking contest. But once the scoring competition began, the tide on the internet gradually began to change with the spread and sharing of recorded videos.
No one cared about the scoring competition’s food topic being pasta anymore.
A new topic was being discussed by everyone.
The question was what Dragon Beard Noodles actually tasted like.
There were even many netizens who went to the social media accounts of one of the thirty senior judges, asking about the exact taste of the Dragon Beard Noodles.
The response from the senior judge was quite interesting.
After lengthy consideration, his final answer was—
“It tastes like noodles.”
Such a seemingly pointless comment draped a mystical veil over the Dragon Beard Noodles.
Even the locals of Xianyu City, who have an aversion to pasta, couldn’t help but be curious about the taste of Dragon Beard Noodles, a dish with such an extraordinary preparation method.
Fortunately, Qin Lang had activated the transparent mode.
His entire cooking process could be viewed in the replays.
In the following days, many Spiritual Chefs tried to replicate Qin Lang’s Dragon Beard Noodles. Not a single one managed to achieve the same score as Qin Lang, and there were only a few who could barely scrape by with one point less.
Even so, a large number of Spiritual Chefs continued to attempt it.
As for the contestants who performed after Qin Lang and hadn’t seen his cooking process of Dragon Beard Noodles, they fell silent after watching the replay.
Before, they couldn’t understand how Qin Lang achieved a high score of 98.9.
Now, they can’t understand why Qin Lang only received a score of 98.9.
Damn, competing with such a Spiritual Chef is too stressful!
While the internet was abuzz with discussions about Dragon Beard Noodles, few noticed that within the confines of Mingjing Province, a considerable number of powerful Spiritual Chefs were converging on Xianyu City.
The reappearance of the Star Hunter’s notice had put the Spirit Chef Association on high alert.
They allowed the enemy to succeed last time, but they would not let history repeat itself!
Time passed bit by bit, and the five days of preparation time flew by in a flash.
The elimination competition began amidst the anticipation of thousands.
In the arena, capable of accommodating over ten thousand spectators, Shen Qian and Tian Jian took the stage amidst roaring cheers and applause. They began the limited food topic competition themed around lobster.
Judging their contest were the eleven Food Recommenders of Xianyu City!
After a bout of long waiting, as usual, Shen Qian, who had won over the audience with her transparent mode and flashy cooking skills, secured eight votes against her opponent with her Rose Red Shrimp Pearl, advancing with a large lead of 8:3 to the ranking competition.
In the second round, it was Qin Lang vs. Ying Chao!
All eyes in the venue fell on Qin Lang who was on the stage.
This time, what sort of delicacy would this young man bring? Everyone was curious!
