At this point, Zhou Yu grew even more vigilant. Rēn's defeat was a clear warning—he couldn't allow his own disciple to stray down the wrong path as well.
From now on, he would be keeping a close eye on Liu Maoxing.
That said, it would still be a long time before Liu Maoxing set out on his journey. At the very least, he would need to pass the Special Grade Chef examination first.
Until then, he should stay put at Yangquan Restaurant and focus on honing his skills.
On the battlefield, the contrast between the two chefs was striking.
On one side stood a world of raging flames.
On the other, a domain of absolute ice.
In terms of sheer presence, Kael clearly held the upper hand.
In fact, if Kael hadn't deliberately restrained the temperature of his flames, Rēn's Heavenly Wolf Blade would have already been affected—perhaps even melted and destroyed outright.
The gap between them was obvious to the naked eye.
"It looks like the outcome is already decided."
The elders finally let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding.
They knew Kael was strong—his chances of victory were extremely high—but there was always lingering worry.
The Dark Cooking Society had endless tricks up its sleeve, and no one knew what might be pulled out at the last moment.
Now, though, Kael's victory was all but certain.
Neither chef took long to complete their dish.
Kael had compressed a dish that normally required at least seven days into mere tens of minutes.
As for Rēn, he only needed to prepare two slices.
Both finished in less than half of the allotted time.
When they were done, Kael's dish and Rēn's dish were placed before the Chefs' Union elders, each covered by a lid.
Yes—covered.
This world was special. It had glowing dishes.
After spending some time here, Kael had learned that not just anyone could create a glowing dish.
There were conditions.
First, at the most basic level, a chef had to complete their Chef's Heart. In other words, chefs below Special Grade simply couldn't produce glowing dishes at all.
Second, the chef had to pour their heart and spirit into the dish. Only then would it glow. The intensity of that glow depended on both the dish's deliciousness and how much heart was invested.
The moment the lid was lifted from Rēn's Ice Mountain Snapper Sashimi, a pillar of blue light shot straight into the sky.
Rēn had already reached the peak of Lin Chef. A dish created with his full devotion naturally wouldn't shine weakly.
At the same time, bandages still wrapped his right wrist.
That injury came from the Heavenly Wolf Blade.
When he gripped the knife barehanded earlier, his hand had been frostbitten. The knife handle had frozen solidly to his skin, completely stuck.
To avoid affecting the competition, Rēn had torn it off—handle and a piece of his palm included.
It had ripped away flesh.
Brutal.
That injury was far worse than Liu Maoxing's burn. But Rēn didn't even flinch.
Kael understood why.
Training in the Dark Cooking Society was beyond cruel. He had experienced it himself—though his own experience was gentler by comparison, since his version came from the system, without overseers or tormentors.
Rēn's reality was different.
To the Dark Cooking Society, their chefs weren't people. Only those with iron wills survived—talent alone meant nothing.
Rēn had suffered far worse than this. Pain like this barely registered anymore.
"An iceberg… the sashimi is layered directly onto it. And because the slices are so thin, you don't even notice at first glance!"
The judges couldn't help but marvel.
That knife work came from the Arhat Crystal Slash—a technique Kael also knew.
But after gaining Gourmet Cells, techniques like this had lost much of their value to him.
At its core, a secret technique was simply a method of controlling and applying power. From Toriko's inheritance, Kael had gained control that far surpassed conventional techniques.
This wasn't even at the level of Food Honor yet, but the control granted by Gourmet Cells already eclipsed such skills entirely.
That was the difference in world ceilings—just like the gap between Food Wars and Chuuka Ichiban!.
Of course, Chuuka Ichiban! also had things the Toriko world lacked.
Qi.
Every world had its strengths, and in the realm of chefs, the Qi of Chuuka Ichiban! was anything but weak.
The elders tasted Rēn's Ice Mountain Snapper Sashimi first.
Not because they believed it surpassed Kael's Kunlun Abalone—on the contrary, they valued Kael's dish far more.
They simply didn't want to lose the anticipation.
After tasting Kunlun Abalone, this dish would feel underwhelming. So it was better to enjoy it first.
Rēn's skill was undeniable. Combined with his extreme knife work, the elders wore deeply satisfied expressions as they tasted it, fully immersed in the flavor.
Once they recovered, their gazes snapped eagerly to the Kunlun Abalone.
They barely commented on Rēn's dish at all.
That displeased him.
He had paid a heavy price to make that dish. He'd poured everything into it—yet the difference was still overwhelming.
But he knew why.
Because of the man standing beside him.
As Rēn looked at Kael, the lid over the Kunlun Abalone was lifted.
A clear phoenix cry rang out.
A pillar of fire-red light erupted into the sky—several times larger than Rēn's.
Within that blazing column, a massive, radiant phoenix took form and soared.
"This is… light taking shape? That's impossible! Isn't this something only a Supreme Dragon Chef can do?! Has he already reached that level?!"
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Glowing dishes evolved by rank.
Special Grade Chefs produced light like a bursting orb.
Lin Chefs and Dragon Chefs produced pillars of light—the larger the pillar, the greater the flavor.
But at the Supreme Dragon Chef level, the light gained form.
Just like this phoenix.
The confusion was simple.
Kael had said he was a Dragon Chef—not a Supreme Dragon Chef.
So how was this possible?
"Perhaps he broke through on the spot," Master Luo said in amazement. "It's not unheard of. That would mean he was already at the peak of Dragon Chef… unbelievable."
What they didn't know was that Kael still hadn't broken through.
He was indeed still a Dragon Chef.
But the dishes he created surpassed even many Supreme Dragon Chefs.
Light reflected flavor.
And his dish had reached the level where light took shape.
Rēn's mouth twitched.
This wasn't a Dragon Chef at all—this was practically a Supreme Dragon Chef.
Wasn't that a bit much?
A complete stomp.
And the worst part?
Kael was only one or two years older than him.
They were supposed to be peers.
Yet Kael had already reached a realm Rēn couldn't even imagine.
Thinking about it made his teeth ache.
What kind of monster had he run into?
"Kunlun Abalone… it's not easy to taste a dish like this—especially one made by a Supreme Dragon Chef."
The Chefs' Union elders treated Kael with even greater respect now.
The difference between a Dragon Chef and a Supreme Dragon Chef was immense.
There were many Dragon Chefs in the Imperial Kitchen.
But only two Supreme Dragon Chefs.
One of them, Master Longwen, had already retired.
A Supreme Dragon Chef was the pillar of the Light Culinary World.
Kael might not have any backing—but as one of them, he was beyond reproach.
They were glad they'd invited him.
Otherwise, they never would have discovered his true level.
And tasting Kunlun Abalone—a dish normally reserved for the imperial court—was something they could boast about for the rest of their lives.
The first bite left them frozen.
Their taste buds were completely overtaken.
Every ingredient Kael had used unfolded layer after layer on their tongues.
The flavors separated, intertwined, merged—then changed again.
They forgot how to think.
Even the fish skin—air-dried on the spot, then braised—defied belief.
They couldn't stop themselves.
In moments, the dish was gone.
Kael had prepared enough for everyone, so there was no real need to rush—but the flavor made restraint impossible.
Kael already knew how good it was.
With Super Senses—and Toriko's Devil's Sense of Smell—he could tell.
Still, he'd saved some for himself, quietly storing it away during the cooking process using radiation and flame as cover.
He'd enjoy it later.
Knowing wasn't enough.
He had to taste it himself.
"Magnificent. I've decided—today, I won't eat anything else. I won't let this flavor be ruined. Kael, your cooking truly defies description."
Elder Guan laughed as he spoke.
Kael simply nodded with a smile.
The result was announced immediately.
Every elder sided with Kael.
As for Rēn—no one paid him any mind.
His dish was excellent.
But compared to Kunlun Abalone, it didn't even belong in the same conversation.
Rēn said nothing. He packed up and left.
Kael wasn't Liu Maoxing. He had no intention of stopping him.
Rēn's choices were his own.
What Kael cared about now… was the Ever-Soul Knife.
Since he had won, it was time to claim it.
The elders entered the pagoda of Daisen Temple and soon returned with a box.
Inside was a cleaver similar to the Garuda Knife—different handle, different blade color, but clearly forged in the same Longquan style.
"This is the legendary Ever-Soul Knife sealed in Daisen Temple," Elder Guan said, placing the box before Kael. "Please see if it will acknowledge you."
All eyes fixed on him.
Many believed it would be difficult.
After all, Kael had already been acknowledged by the Garuda Knife.
Under everyone's gaze, Kael lifted the Ever-Soul Knife.
In the next instant, a golden dragon shadow burst forth and plunged straight into his body.
A clear hidden-dragon pattern appeared on the blade.
At the same time, the fragment of Xu Ling's will within the knife—along with the dragon shadow—was swallowed whole by Red demon.
Just like that, the Ever-Soul Knife became Kael's.
"It really acknowledged him… to be recognized by multiple legendary utensils—no wonder it's Kael!"
Zhou Yu's expression finally wavered.
A chef acknowledged by multiple legendary utensils was incredibly rare.
Even many Dragon Chefs and Supreme Dragon Chefs could only earn the recognition of one.
Kael had two.
It was impossible not to be shocked.