Written as 'reduction,' read as 'destruction.'
"The name of the dish is Shattered Mountains and Rivers! Raging Tempest."
Mo Bai lifted the cloche. The square, black plate featured a minimalist style, with a small asparagus fern placed next to a carrot carving of a 'fish leaping over the dragon gate,' both surrounded by a sprinkling of chopped dill.
On the black plate sat a white soup bowl, which held six pieces of fish, inverted under a misty white ice dome, barely recognizable as flower shapes.
The entire presentation appeared serene and full of spiritual charm.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the badass name you picked!
His attention having been repeatedly broken, Colson had not seen Mo Bai's entire cooking process. He scratched his large, bald head in confusion.
Where's the fish broth? Was it frozen into the ice shell?
"Let the judging begin..."
"Wait, the dish isn't finished yet." Mo Bai beckoned to a staff member, who approached the judges' table carrying a stockpot with cotton gloves.
Mo Bai opened the lid and quickly ladled a large scoop of the still-boiling seafood broth over the ice dome.
The moment the searing broth touched the ice, the dome shattered under the strain. Simultaneously, the scored fish meat, affected by the heat, began to curl, the scene resembling white chrysanthemums blooming one after another.
At that very moment—an infinite golden light erupted from within the plate, shooting towards the heavens in an instant!
"Na-Nani?!" As if hit by a flashbang to the face, a brilliant golden light engulfed the entire judges' panel.
The blue-uniformed staff member's heart leaped in shock, and his hands instinctively loosened their grip.
"Meow!!!" The tabby cat in Chiba Eda's arms, its large eyes wide, shot out like a bolt of lightning toward the falling stockpot. Just as disaster was about to be averted, a delicate hand emerged from the endless golden light and grabbed the tabby cat by the scruff of its neck. Immediately after, both the stockpot and the hand vanished without a trace.
The golden light came as quickly as it went. Only the lingering afterglow in the sky remained as a testament to what had just occurred.
The tabby cat, its face a mask of bewilderment, circled the spot where the pot had disappeared. After confirming there was no trace of it, the cat flopped onto the ground—from this day on, its cat life lost all its luster.
"I'm shook! What just happened? A terrorist attack? A flashbang? 3D effects?"
"What terrorist attack? It was clearly golden light that shot out from the plate after the chef poured the broth on it!"
"A dish can emit golden light?! Is that even edible?" The stomach of the audience member who voiced this doubt rumbled honestly.
"..." His face flushed red.
"You're not the only one." The middle-aged man beside him patted his shoulder. "I was thinking the same thing, but now... I can't stop drooling."
As he spoke, the middle-aged man took a deep breath of the rich, savory aroma in the air, his expression intoxicated. "Smells so good!"
After taking a deep breath himself, the skeptical audience member repeated like a broken record, "It really does smell good, it really does."
A young man behind them looked contemptuously at the two men, who were in a state of ecstasy, then shifted his gaze to the three dumbstruck judges on the panel before clicking his tongue in wonder. "I never thought the Far East's culinary world would have declined so much. Have they never even seen a luminous dish before?"
"And isn't this all the fault of you people from the Dark Cuisine world?" a voice, aged yet resonant and powerful, sounded from behind him.
The young man, who had been arrogant just a moment ago, instantly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost.
"Elder Han, what are you doing here?" The youth turned his head stiffly to see an old man in a Zhongshan suit, with white hair and a beard but a robust physique.
Being from the Hua nation, he understood how formidable this elder was. No, it would be more accurate to say this elder's name was renowned throughout the nation.
Martial God Han Yaohua, a student of Master Li Shuwen of the 'No Second Strike' school of Bājíquán (and master orthopedist). A chance journey into the Inner World had marked the beginning of his legendary tale.
Simply living from Li Shuwen's era to the present was an incredible achievement, yet Han Yaohua seemed to have reached a state that transcended the limits of a normal lifespan.
His most recent display of power was two years ago. When a Nether Sea Dragon escaped from the Inner World and began wreaking havoc in the East Sea, Han Yaohua went alone to the affected waters. After battling it in the sea for a full day, he used his bare fists to shatter the Nether Sea Dragon's hard scales and break its spine, capturing it alive and bringing it from the East Sea to the Imperial Capital.
Many speculated that if he hadn't been required to capture it alive, Han Yaohua could have ended the fight in an instant. After all, breaking its spine and shattering its armor meant the Nether Sea Dragon had essentially no means of defending against the elder's fists.
"Not only am I here, but the Young Master is as well." The elder's eyes narrowed slightly as he pointed towards Wang Yao at the front of the crowd.
"...Holy hell!"
Regardless of the psychological trauma the youth in the crowd was suffering, the judges' panel was now so quiet you could hear each other's breathing.
The outer layer of translucent Sillago fish appeared even more snow-white, while the inner, darker-colored layer of sardine enveloped gem-like particles of orange-red, jet-black, and dark green. To ensure it could hold as much broth as possible and cook instantly upon being scalded, Little Bai had gone all out with the lychee-cut technique, slicing the fish to a fineness that was almost reminiscent of Wensi Tofu.
In the shimmering broth, the fluffy flower formed by the two types of fish, combined with the surrounding, not-yet-fully-melted crushed ice, created an exquisitely beautiful visual feast.
"You may begin tasting now," Mo Bai said, making a gesture of invitation.
In reality, though he appeared as calm as an old pro on the surface, he was panicking internally.
"Where's my Deep Sea Roar? Why is it gone?"
"Since it glowed, that should mean the quality has reached an even higher level, right?"
"Aiya, what the hell, Little Bai, what do you think?"
"I'm watching from the cutting board," Little Bai said irritably. "From the moment you started improvising, I had no idea what would become of that seafood broth from this morning."
"Well then, I shall begin." Seeing the two young female judges still immersed in the dish's stunning presentation, Colson knew he was once again about to be branded as unromantic.
He extended his pitch-black ebony chopsticks toward the delicacy on the plate, but in the next moment, his entire body jolted as if struck by a heavy blow, nearly causing him to fling the chopsticks away.
"Did you two hear anything just now?"
Chiba Eda and Takagaki Kaede exchanged glances and shook their heads, looking completely bewildered.
"Hmm, was it caused by the dish?" Colson swallowed hard. This was the first time he had ever encountered a dish that could affect a judge before it was even tasted.
He picked up the fish with his chopsticks again. The roar did not sound this time.
But merely bringing it close and inhaling its aroma, Colson could already feel a boundless ocean endlessly crashing against the shore.
Colson vaguely understood why Mo Bai had given this dish such a badass name.
"It certainly fits the name. It seems this dish is completely at odds with its elegant appearance."
"Could it possibly have a more intense flavor than yesterday's dish?"
Filled with doubt and excitement, Colson impatiently stuffed the entire fish flower into his mouth.
Instantly, he realized he had made a mistake.
Intense flavor?
No!
This was on a completely explosive level!
In a flash, the world went dark. Darkness covered the sky, a raging hurricane blew so fiercely that Colson could barely breathe, and the azure ocean crashing against the shore revealed its terrifying aspect as thousands of colossal waves rose up and came crashing down on him!
There was no escape!
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