At eight in the evening,
"Awesome!"
Chen Shu stood at the head of the food street, stretching lazily.
"Time to go back."
He patted his stomach, having eaten for the entire afternoon.
As a Silver Beast Tamer with physical fitness comparable to the Gold rank, his appetite was naturally prodigious.
Furthermore, most of the stalls on the food street used ordinary meat ingredients. The few monstrous beast ingredients available were of very low-tier, thus not providing much energy.
He glanced back at the brightly lit food street.
The Master Mu Tu who was there earlier had already left, having not taken a single student.
This made Chen Shu wonder if the guy was just there for free food…
If he had known, he would have presented himself as Master Urea…
Twenty minutes later,
Chen Shu returned to his hotel. As he approached the front desk, he heard a commotion from inside the banquet hall.
"Huh? What's going on in there?"
Chen Shu asked, "Could it be a terrorist attack?"
"..."
The girl at the front desk was speechless. *You're the biggest terrorist, aren't you…*
Of course, she could only think that. Outwardly, she patiently explained:
"It's a few Spirit Chef Masters demonstrating their skills…"
"Oh, I see."
Chen Shu was about to leave, but then he heard Da Li's voice.
He raised an eyebrow and headed straight for the banquet hall.
"Hey, Mr. Chen, the corridor inside is a bit winding…"
The front desk girl tried to remind him, but Chen Shu had already disappeared…
*I wonder if he’ll blow a path if he gets lost…*
…
"This Braised Fat Sea Cucumber…"
A King-tier Spirit Chef savored the delicacy in his mouth.
After a moment, he slowly said:
"If my analysis is correct, the special seasonings added to the dish are, first, Demon Chili from the [Flaming Coast], and second, Fresh Star Grass from the [Heavenly Star Forest]!"
"As for the third, it should be Cold Snow Seeds from the [Ice Snow Mountains], specifically used to suppress the spiciness of the Demon Chili."
Upon hearing this, those around him nodded in agreement.
"As expected of Master Yuan. These should be the only three special seasonings."
"Indeed. He guessed the special seasonings in just half a minute."
Master Yuan ignored the praises from those beside him and turned to look at a young man.
"How about it, kid? Do you concede?"
The young man was Zhang Da Li. He didn't speak but took another bite of the Braised Fat Sea Cucumber.
Guessing the exotic space seasonings from the dish was a method of demonstration in the Spirit Chef world, primarily testing a Spirit Chef's control over various seasonings.
It was originally a demonstration among a few Spirit Chefs, but Zhang Da Li found it interesting and joined in.
Initially, the other six weren't impressed by this young kid.
However, Zhang Da Li had successively defeated five of them, winning each match. This made everyone a bit displeased.
The only King-tier Spirit Chef among the six decided to step in, hoping to curb Zhang Da Li's arrogance.
"The masters' skills are indeed impressive!"
Zhang Da Li gently put down his chopsticks and said calmly:
"But there's one more seasoning that you probably haven't guessed…"
"Impossible!"
Master Yuan directly refuted, his eyes filled with doubt. "You brat, you're not trying to renege, are you? It's only a thousand Spirit Chef points. If you can't afford to lose, just say so. I won't make things difficult for you."
Zhang Da Li remained composed and slowly said:
"Besides the three seasonings you mentioned, there's also Mist Grass from the [Deep Sea Sand Tower]!"
"Hmm? Mist Grass?"
Master Yuan's expression faltered slightly, a hint of thought in his eyes.
Zhang Da Li continued:
"This seasoning doesn't affect the color, aroma, or taste, so it's hard to guess. However, the steam rising from the dish will have a faint milky white hue."
"Are you making things up? Can you even distinguish between milky white and white?"
Those around them began to question, clearly disbelieving.
Master Yuan frowned and looked at the chef beside him.
"Is that so?"
The chef hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and said,
"Mr. Zhang is correct. I did indeed add four special seasonings!"
With that, the dozens of people in the banquet hall began to discuss.
None of them had expected a mere Golden junior to defeat a renowned King-tier Spirit Chef.
Master Yuan frowned and asked, "How were you able to guess it?"
"Actually, it's true that you can't tell just from the steam!"
Zhang Da Li smiled slightly and said,
"But this is Braised Fat Sea Cucumber, a form of dark cuisine! Can ordinary people handle eating it? Of course, Mist Grass would be added to aid digestion!"
"..."
Master Yuan fell silent. It seemed there was indeed such an effect, but Mist Grass's efficacy was not great and it was a rather obscure seasoning.
"What is this? We're demonstrating Spirit Chef knowledge, not deduction skills!"
"Yeah, you're purely cheating!"
The other Spirit Chefs immediately retorted.
"Alright!"
Master Yuan shook his head and said, "A loss is a loss. I'm a man of my word! Here are two thousand Spirit Chef points!"
"You five, pay up quickly."
According to the wager, if he won, he would receive a thousand Spirit Chef points, and the points the other five owed Da Li would be nullified.
If he lost, he would pay two thousand Spirit Chef points, and the other five would each have to pay one thousand five hundred Spirit Chef points.
Zhang Da Li was at a slight disadvantage, but he didn't mind, considering it entertainment.
Upon hearing this, the five men looked somewhat awkward. They were only Golden Spirit Chefs, and one thousand five hundred Spirit Chef points was quite a significant sum.
"Truly formidable, to know about such a special seasoning."
Master Yuan gave Zhang Da Li a deep look, truly recognizing this young man from Hua Guo.
"Actually, it was just good luck…"
Zhang Da Li scratched his head, saying humbly,
"I have a good friend who spent a while researching dark seasonings every day, and coincidentally used this particular seasoning."
"Researched dark cuisine specifically?"
Master Yuan's mouth twitched, his expression becoming rather peculiar.
He smiled, transferred two thousand Spirit Chef points to Zhang Da Li, and turned to leave the banquet hall.
Seeing this, the other five felt tempted to leave immediately.
"Hold it! Trying to renege?!"
Zhang Da Li quickly shouted. "As Golden Spirit Chefs, must you be so classless?"
"What do you mean renege? Our accounts are currently at risk, and we'll transfer it to you later!"
One of the Golden Spirit Chefs frowned. "Are you slandering our reputation?"
Their true intention was to bolt. All five were considered lower-tier contestants in the God of Cookery Cup, basically getting eliminated in the first round.
Once the competition ended, they could pack up and leave the Nanqing Country, and Zhang Da Li would naturally be unable to find them…
"I'm just stating a fact."
Zhang Da Li did not back down. He was accustomed to being bold and naturally wasn't afraid.
"Kid, you can taste dishes however you like, but you shouldn't speak carelessly!"
One of them narrowed his eyes and simultaneously initiated a partial summon. A Silver-tier aura emanated from his beast-taming space.
The five had specifically targeted Zhang Da Li, assuming him to be an ordinary person, and thus felt no restraint.
"We've noted your account details. We'll transfer them later!"
With that, the five walked out of the banquet hall.
"Reneging? You're finished!"
Zhang Da Li did not stop them, merely watching their retreating backs.
But just as the five reached the banquet hall entrance, a dark shadow suddenly struck, soaring past them and eventually lodging itself into the wall.
"My god…"
The five men's expressions turned to terror, and cold sweat instantly broke out.
On the wall hung a butcher's knife stained with dark blood. Due to the immense force, the blade was still shaking uncontrollably…