Reborn in Japan as a Chef God-Chapter 987 - 986: The End

The system’s task completion prompt was akin to a decisive hammer strike.

Huang He cooled off.

Xia Yu left the arena, carrying his box while reviewing the logs.

The latest information was as follows:

Acquired ’Stone of Origin’ *1.

Acquired ’Golden Crystal’ *2.

Then, it mentioned the two Seven Stars Knives, with the system pop-up saying:

"...Acquired ’Lianzhen Blade’ (Purple)... Acquired ’Lu Cun Knife’ (Purple)... Congratulations to the host for collecting all the famous Seven Stars artifacts, successfully activating the ’Seven Stars Soul’ effect..."

The moment all seven knives were gathered in the inventory, Xia Yu saw the shimmering Big Dipper Map.

Vaguely, a blacksmith clad in ragged clothes emerged from the star map, locking deep eyes with Xia Yu, speaking kindly: "...From now on, you are also an inheritor of the Seven Stars Knife."

This person was the renowned swordsmith, Roger.

Instantly, a plethora of detailed information about each Seven Stars Knife flooded into Xia Yu’s mind, including their specific uses, properties, data such as blade length, width, thickness, and handle materials, giving him a genuine feel of the legitimate ’Seven Stars Knife’ heir! Exhilarating!

This was so satisfying, Xia Yu grinned, "From now on, there are two genuine sets of ’Seven Stars Knives’ in the world!"

The newly added two knives, the Lianzhen Blade had a serrated edge, small and exquisite, meant for scaling fish. But according to the system’s data, this knife could also be used for slicing fruits and vegetables, or cutting hard bread, depending on the chef’s ingenuity. One shouldn’t be rigid in their thinking.

The ’Lu Cun Knife’ was a common square-headed knife found in every household’s kitchen.

This knife was the core of the entire ’Seven Stars Knife’ set!

Collecting the Seven Stars Knives, delightful.

But the other two gains were also significant.

Two pieces of ’Golden Crystal’, throwing one into ’Fierce Bull Green Dragon Slash’, and the system dings with a pop-up: "Congratulations, this knife skill has reached the complete golden frame stage."

Alright then.

Another knife skill maxed out. Xia Yu wished he could place his hands on his hips, look up, and laugh three times.

I am now the man who maxed out these Dark World knife skills: ’Fierce Bull Green Dragon Slash’, ’Arhat Crystal Slash’, and ’Seven-star Breaking Army Rapid Cutting’. Perhaps even ’Seven Stars Knife’ Rein was not on par with him at the same stage in his culinary journey. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

As for the remaining piece of the golden stone...

"Ah, right!"

Xia Yu suddenly halted his steps at the White Cloud Pavilion entrance, looking back at the square. There was a faint golden flash in his view. He instantly felt awkward. Oh darn, he forgot to collect the treasure. Huang He’s defeat likely resulted in loot drops. Could it be the ’Divine Hand’ golden skill card he has been coveting...

He felt a flutter in his heart as he bit his lip and asked, "System, how long before the loot disappears?"

"1 natural month (real-time)."

Receiving the response, Xia Yu’s face lit up with joy, "Then there’s no rush. Once White Cloud Pavilion cools down, I’ll revisit the old haunt."

He first returned alone to the bus outside the manor.

Soon after.

The people from Far Moon returned, with Zhu Qing leading Makki, Eriina, Tang Yuqiong, and others, looking aggressive.

The current ’Five Chinese Talents’ followed closely behind.

The bus door opened with a "click", and the Demon King’s voice came through:

"...The cool night turns your longing into a river, transforming into spring mud to protect me."

The tune he hummed casually had a certain charm, at least the melody was on point.

Everyone looked at each other. The current head of the Five Talents, Li Han, gave a thumbs up, "In terms of psychological fortitude, our Demon King Xia is truly strong. After defeating a grand Dragon Chef before the entire world and leaping through the Dragon Gate, he hides in the bus to sing ’cool night’."

With that said, everyone crowded onto the bus, quickly filling the seats. Xia Yu shouted to the driver, "Drive, drive, or we’ll be surrounded!"

Thus, the driver started the bus, and the numerous media personnel who rushed from the manor could only stand still, eating the dust as they watched the vehicle drive away.

On the bus.

"Celebrate the great victory of our Chef Xia’s critical battle!"

Zhu Qing, Makki, and Eriina couldn’t wait to take out the celebratory flower tubes they had prepared in advance. With a string of pops, colorful confetti rained down on the passengers’ heads and shoulders, covering the floor with a significant layer of trash.

Tang Yuqiong joined in the fun, taking an empty flower tube to use as a microphone, then mimicked the tone of predecessor Qi Qingyan, coughed, and said, "...This is the Tang Family’s live interview program... Can everyone see this Demon King in front of me? Yes, yes, he is the rising star who defeated Huang He, proving himself by leaping through the Dragon Gate! Congratulations to the culinary world, for it now has one more Young Dragon Chef!"

"Now, let’s have Chef Xia talk about his latest masterpiece, ’Meat of the Heart’!"

Faced with the microphone at his mouth, Xia Yu was both amused and helpless.

"You’re playing along!"

He glanced at Tang Yuqiong, who was winking at him, her eyes filled with evident desire.

Xia Yu paused before further observing others on the bus, including Zhu Qing, Makki, and Eriina. When they heard the name of the classic recipe ’Meat of the Heart’, some level of appetite and longing radiated from their eyes.

Although spoiling the fun was annoying, Xia Yu felt it necessary to explain to dissuade them from coveting dragon-level dishes.

"I’m sorry, but dragon-level dishes are not for you to eat."

"Why!"

The bus passengers practically spoke in unison.

"Dragon-level dishes have something called ’Food Spirits’. Simply put, if one doesn’t have a sufficiently firm conviction on their culinary path—basically lacking culinary conviction—eating them recklessly can lead to issues."

Xia Yu used a stressed tone on the word ’issues’.

Instantly, the bus went silent.

There was no need for him to scare anyone. The more Xia Yu understood about ’Food Spirits’ these days, the more he felt a chill running down his spine.

Indeed.

Dragon Chefs rarely have food duels, rarely engage in culinary competitions, partly due to ’Food Spirits’.

The loser, marked by the winner’s dish with a ’Food Spirit’, likely faces perpetual psychological shadows.

Being entangled is just the start, a minor injury.

If it’s a "serious injury", with fractures or even shattering of culinary convictions, the road ahead becomes tough.

In Xia Yu’s opinion, Dragon Chef food duels are about battling ’Food Spirits’ across the distance!

...

In the evening, the sunset bathed the White Cloud Pavilion and its decades-old estate in light.

The unique courtyard where Huang He lived had its doors tightly shut, the outer fence gate hung a "No Visitors" sign.

This day was destined to be a downfall for White Cloud Pavilion. Huang He and his apprentice hid away, leaving the disciples disheartened. Many had packed their bags to leave, while others who appeared steadfast wandered the estate, eyeing the valuable items with greed.

In a nutshell, disaster causes everyone to scatter. Huang He fell from grace, and without Luo Tiangang, this heritage couldn’t be preserved; White Cloud Pavilion’s decline was imminent.

Zhengshan Gate.

Aside from Huang He and Wu Tong, the Dragon Chef Review Team gathered here.

Two staff members were atop a bamboo ladder by the entrance, taking down White Cloud Pavilion’s golden plaque.

The Dragon Chefs watched the plaque descend with complex expressions.

"White Cloud Pavilion will soon become a part of history’s smoke," Lan Fengxian sighed.

"Huang He took a harsh fall."

Li Wannian smiled coldly, "He was his own worst enemy."

Everyone was silent.

In the gradually awkward atmosphere, Yan Qi remained composed. He smiled at the old man, Xia Qing, "Your Xia Family has produced a true genius! Even if placed in the glorious era a hundred years ago, he could compete in the culinary world!"

Xia Qing tried to maintain his usual cool demeanor, but his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. The smile on his old face couldn’t be hidden.

Noticing the distinct gaze from Dragon Head Zhu Ji, Xia Qing snorted, "This is my grandson, Xia Qing."

Zhu Ji’s mouth moved slightly, but words were stuck in his throat.

He turned, hands behind his back, gazing at a sunset between the western mountains, and said faintly:

"In that case, there’s no suspense about the candidate for the contemporary ’Kirin Child’."

Upon hearing this.

The Dragon Chefs looked at each other in surprise, then unanimously concurred, "We agree to appoint Xia Yu as the 12th ’Kirin Child’ in the Chinese Cuisine World!"

Yan Qi cheerfully said, "This is likely the least controversial and undisputed candidate for the ’Kirin Child’ since its establishment."

"Indeed, proving oneself by strength to leap through the Dragon Gate, a proper Young Dragon Chef..."

"The ’Kirin Child’ must be him!"