Reborn in Japan as a Chef God-Chapter 982 - 981: Form and Shadow

"Yan Qi, Mr. Yan!"

"The two Pavilion Masters of the White Jade Tower, Wei An, and Kong Chun!"

"...Xia Qing, Mr. Xia!"

Qi Qingyan read aloud the names of the public judges from a list, and each name she read was met with fervent applause from the square.

As each prominent figure stood up and took the stage, anyone could sense the atmosphere turning solemn.

Yan Qi, Xia Qing, Wei An, and Kong Chun were the first to step forward.

Next, it was Lan Fengxian and Li Wannian.

Lan Fengxian was the patriarch of the Lan Family, while Li Wannian was the old monster of the Li Family, who Li Han had to call great-grandfather.

"’Tianji Star’ Wu Tong!"

Another old monster.

The camera focused on an old fellow with a well-maintained appearance. He was slightly plump, with a rosy complexion, two small mustaches above his lips, and a smooth and clean chin. As he stood up, his amiable smile gave off a kind and approachable feeling, but Lin Qingfeng, upon seeing him, immediately darkened her expression and muttered hatefully under her breath, "Pretending is what this old ghost does best! He’s a demon wearing human skin!"

Chen Yang, however, didn’t pay attention to his mother’s whispers. He was stunned as he watched the gradually assembling review team on stage, his face filled with shock.

All of them were renowned Dragon Chefs!

"Ahem—"

With a solemn expression, Qi Qingyan announced the most esteemed name on the list, "Welcome the Dragon Head as the chief judge to take the stage!"

With a click, the main tower’s door swung open, and Zhu Ji strode out with the gait of a dragon.

The entire audience gave their full attention.

A moment ago, the square was buzzing with whispers, but now it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Zhu Ji walked straight onto the stage. A staff member quickly handed him a microphone, which he took, and he cast a meaningful glance toward Xia Yu’s barbecue area before leading the review team towards Huang He’s dining table.

On the round table, at the most central position, was a bronze cauldron-style stew pot surrounded by steam.

The lid was yet to be lifted. Huang He was bowing his head, setting down bowls, and ceremonially placing a beautiful soup spoon in each porcelain bowl.

"About the key points of ’steaming in water,’ Pavilion Master Huang has already explained in great detail just now. I believe everyone has listened and remembered it in their hearts, and has a general understanding of the technique for stewing high-end soup."

In the public eye, Dragon Head Zhu Ji maintained his usual stern and imposing demeanor. He spoke slowly and with force, "Some may question, why would an esteemed Dragon Chef use the ’steaming in water’ technique as the main cooking method for a Dragon-level Recipe? At this rare Dragon Chef gathering, I will tell you all one thing—"

"A Dragon-level Recipe is not the divine formula you imagine. The necessary cooking techniques are indispensable!" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

With that, Zhu Ji fell silent.

Yan Qi grabbed the microphone that Zhu Ji placed on the dining table, and pointing at the steaming bronze cauldron, he said with a grin, "Pavilion Master Huang, earlier when you were cooking turtle meat, crane meat, and when you began boiling the meat and soup, if I’m not mistaken, aside from a pinch of salt, you didn’t use a second kind of seasoning, did you?"

The camera panned to the illustrious chefs and celebrities in the square, all of whom wore bewildered expressions.

Only salt and no other seasoning?

Simplicity in broth?

At the Polar Star Dormitory, Xingping Chuangzhen murmured to his astounded companions, "With soup like this, wouldn’t it lack flavor?"

On the television broadcast, Huang He, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, replied, "Correct, excess seasoning, more than necessary, actually destroys the flavor of the original ingredients."

The microphone was handed to Kong Chun, who praised, "A simple broth doesn’t mean the soup lacks richness. Quite the opposite, if the technique is superb, and the ingredients are harmoniously paired within the recipe, drawing out the fresh and sweet natural flavors, then at that moment, there’s absolutely no need for additional seasoning! This is the finest soup under heaven!"

The audience expressed their views one by one.

The Dragon Chef Review Team maintained a stance of affirmation and praise for Huang He’s culinary skills.

"Let’s taste it!" Xia Qing suggested.

"You may lift the lid, Pavilion Master Huang—"

With a hint of anticipation in his eyes, ’Tianji Star’ Wu Tong twirled his goatee as he looked at Huang He.

Hmm!

Huang He naturally understood the reason behind Wu Tong’s hint of anticipation. He was being regarded as a pawn, a sharp blade, to eliminate a young junior who might threaten his position and interests. Indeed, Yan Qi frequently appeared in Shu, and rumors in the Dark World already suggested that Yan Qi wanted to take Xia Yu as a personal disciple. The current generation of the Yan Family wasn’t proving capable, so the position of leader in the Dark World could very well pass on to someone else.

Steadying himself, Huang He paid no mind to Wu Tong. Placing his hand on the bronze cauldron lid, he suddenly lifted it with force.

"Wow——"

The Dragon Chef Review Team was enchanted by the mist and coolness that hit them.

Huang He first ladled a bowl of soup for Dragon Head Zhu Ji, and the second bowl was directly handed to Xia Qing.

Hmm?

Xia Qing’s eyebrows twitched as he received the soup, looking at the crystal clear crane meat, turtle meat, and the pristine broth in the bowl. The aroma wafting from the soup was extraordinary. He even vaguely felt that Huang He’s recipe was a notch stronger than it was during the showdown on the Loulin Ship before. This was incredibly daunting, and Xia Qing’s previously calm state of mind began to ripple.

Seeing the change in Xia Qing’s expression, Huang He smiled, his inner thoughts encapsulated in one sentence—

Your turn is coming, Xia Qing!

"Excellent!"

The Dragon Head was the first to pick up a bowl of soup, and with a spoon, he took a small sip of the hot broth, "The fresh sweetness is fully drawn out. This is the most honest and primal taste of turtle and crane meat. With each sip, one can feel the turtle and crane either battling or harmonizing in your mouth."

Seeing this, the other judges of the Dragon Chef also picked up their bowls to taste.

Xia Qing stared at his soup bowl, the clear broth gently rippling. He dipped his spoon in, scooped up a bit of broth, along with a piece of well-stewed turtle meat. As the spoon approached his mouth, the veins on his hand holding the spoon suddenly tensed, and a water turtle with a green shell seemed to swim past the narrowing pupils of his eyes, sliding by like a flash!

After swallowing the soup, his Adam’s apple moved, the hot broth slid down his throat, and suddenly, he heard the sound of waves crashing against hidden reefs.

Uh?

He found himself swimming in a verdant pond, his limbs paddling the water, with ripples spreading out from his body. Xia Qing looked around at this ancient pond shrouded in green, at the mist-draped mountains, and when he came back to consciousness, moss had already crawled onto his skin. Algae and duckweed covered him in a thick layer, and little fish gently nibbled at his body, consuming the tiny plankton hidden within the algae.

The whole person turned green!

It felt like being one with time, eternally persistent.

Out of nowhere, a sensation of weightlessness overwhelmed him, and Xia Qing was back on land, struggling to move yet unable to do so.

He had transformed into a turtle, with an old fisherman wearing a straw raincoat and a hat standing on his back. Xia Qing found the face under the hat incredibly familiar, and couldn’t help but shout angrily, "Huang He!"

The old man smiled at him indifferently, wings suddenly spread out from his back, flapping up into the sky, transforming into an immortal crane among the vast white clouds, its call resonating through heaven and earth.

Returning to reality.

Looking down at the soup bowl, Xia Qing was slightly pale and dared not take a second sip.

The other Dragon Chefs also opened their eyes one after another.

"The longevity of the turtle, the grace of the crane!"

"It’s done!"

"This is the true ’Longevity Soup’, the genuine ’Turtle and Crane Life Extending Soup’!" Kong Chun praised unstintingly, "The essence of the food perfectly coincides with its impression. In terms of culinary skill, it achieves the perfect draw out of ingredients’ original flavors. In terms of artistic conception, it’s a blend of interest in cultivating and observing turtles and cranes. Only those who love cranes and turtles can construct such an engaging scene in gastronomy. I have to say, Master Huang has infused his own turtle shadow and crane form into the green mountains and waters, only a Dragon Chef can disturb us with this blend of form and shadow, it’s truly amazing!"

The square fell silent.

Could the ’Chef’s Heart’ and ’Culinary Justice’ really disturb the hearts of the judges on stage? Perhaps they could, but not to the point of confusion.

"Form and shadow..." Saito Chiyokuro murmured, keenly noticing some of the words in Kong Chun’s evaluation.

Turtle shadow, crane form.

Impression.

In the dishes, the ingredients themselves, their original flavors, were all imprinted with the chef’s own mark, frightening!

Reiko whispered to Liangzi Lina, "Perhaps this is the spirit of food!"

The lens finally focused on Zhu Ji.

The leader of the Chinese Cuisine World, contemplating, gave a concluding remark: "Even judged by the standard of Dragon Chef Recipe works, Master Huang’s ’Turtle and Crane Life Extending Soup’ is outstanding and excellent. Such work, in a Dragon Chef culinary showdown, is more than sufficient, and if the opponent does not have a terrifying foundation, it’s hard to offer a recipe that can turn the tables and be unbeatable."

Bang!

These words fell like a seal stamping heavily, leaving a red mark on the scoreboard of victory and defeat.

The celebrities in the square were silent.

In the Polar Star Dormitory hall, Ichise Hui, Xingping Chuangzhen, and their companions, like the ordinary viewers watching the live broadcast, remained silent, their expressions surprisingly calm.

"Losing is the normal outcome...right?" After a moment, Yoshino Yuuki weakly said.