Chapter 511: The Culinary Showdown Begins!
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon the next day arrived.
After finishing the lunch service, Qi Han cleaned up the kitchen and stored the various cooking utensils he planned to use in the culinary showdown into his storage spirit tool. Still dressed in the chef's uniform he wore during business hours, he set off for the Culinary Association.
That storage spirit tool had been a gift from the Mingde Auction House when he sold the spirit bone back then. Ever since obtaining it, Ru Yi had lost one of her ways to make money.
"Boss, let me come with you!" Meng Yun said eagerly, her eyes full of anticipation and curiosity. "I can cheer for you!"
"Hm?" Qi Han raised an eyebrow. "I remember you've been pretty busy these past few days, haven't you?"
A couple of days earlier, Meng Yun had mentioned that she was working hard to master fourth-level foundational core formations. Once she successfully created a fourth-level spirit tool, she would be able to pass the certification and obtain the badge of a fourth-level Spirit Engineer.
Only then had Qi Han learned that being a four-ring Spirit Master and a fourth-level Spirit Engineer were not entirely equivalent.
"That's true, but I'm not busy anymore now." Meng Yun giggled. With a flash of light in her hand, she took out a purple octagonal badge from her storage spirit tool and showed it proudly to Qi Han. Four diamond-shaped stars on the badge sparkled brilliantly. "I passed the certification this morning. I'm finally a fourth-level Spirit Engineer!"
"Congratulations." Qi Han nodded in understanding. "No wonder you seemed happier than usual during service today. In that case, let's go together."
"Mhm!" Meng Yun's eyes were full of confidence. "Boss will definitely win!"
"I think so too." Qi Han laughed.
Cooking had always been the field in which he was most confident.
…
The venue for the culinary showdown resembled a sports arena, though somewhat smaller. At the center were two completely enclosed rooms, surrounded by spectator stands and seating areas.
Clearly, these two rooms were the kitchens prepared for the competing sides.
The kitchens were entirely isolated from the outside world. The walls even contained many spirit tools embedded with intricate patterns. These were special shielding spirit tools capable of blocking Spirit Power detection.
Competing in such a kitchen meant there was no need to worry about one's cooking secrets being spied upon.
"Boss Qi, welcome, welcome."
As Qi Han entered the special venue prepared by the Culinary Association for the culinary showdown and curiously looked around, a figure quickly approached him. It was Director Zhang, who had received him yesterday.
Director Zhang looked at Qi Han with a rather complicated expression.
Yesterday, he had wanted to visit Han Shi and personally taste Qi Han's cooking to see what gave him the confidence to challenge Bright Court Pavilion.
But due to some matters within the association, he had been unable to go.
As a result, even now, he still believed Qi Han was no match for Bright Court Pavilion.
However, at this point, the culinary showdown was about to begin. It was already too late to say anything else.
In the end, Director Zhang simply patted Qi Han lightly on the shoulder.
"Good luck!"
"Thank you." Qi Han nodded and followed behind Director Zhang toward the kitchen assigned to Han Shi.
The match had not officially started yet, so he did not need to enter immediately.
"Boss, I'm going to the stands to cheer for you!" Meng Yun looked around, quickly spotted the designated spectator seating, and giggled. "Good luck, Boss!"
Watching Meng Yun run off with a smile, Qi Han soon heard another voice.
"Boss Qi, we meet again."
Zhao Yangfan walked over from the other side, followed by three head chefs dressed in chef uniforms.
This time, the way Zhao Yangfan looked at Qi Han was clearly different from before. There was less friendliness and far more hostility and caution.
Han Shi's dishes had placed tremendous pressure on him.
So even though he had secretly made some preparations in other areas last night, he still felt extremely nervous.
Qi Han nodded toward Zhao Yangfan, then curiously shifted his gaze toward the three head chefs standing behind him.
These must be the participating chefs representing Bright Court Pavilion's three culinary themes?
The three chefs from Bright Court Pavilion also looked at Qi Han, though each wore a different expression.
The somewhat stout and short man had a square-shaped face, and at this moment he stared at Qi Han with a tense expression. Beside him, the thinner and smaller man let out a cold snort, his eyes filled with undisguised hostility. As for the sturdier man standing at the far end, when he met Qi Han's gaze, he actually smiled slightly and nodded in greeting.
Seeing the two sides facing off, Director Zhang coughed lightly and spoke loudly, "The members of Bright Court Pavilion and Han Shi are all present. The forty-nine judges may now enter!"
As soon as Director Zhang finished speaking, the judges entered the culinary showdown venue through a passageway at the side of the arena.
Qi Han curiously observed the incoming judges, then suddenly froze slightly. Among the two judges walking at the very front, the one on the left was none other than the owner of Heavenly Star Palace whom he had met yesterday.
So he was one of the judges as well?
When Wu Henian noticed Qi Han looking over, he returned the gesture with a smile before turning toward the man beside him.
"Brother Ansheng, I'm afraid this culinary showdown is going to bring you quite a few surprises."
"Oh?" Hearing this, the man beside Wu Henian showed interest. "Brother Henian, are you saying this newly opened little restaurant might actually defeat Bright Court Pavilion? Judging by the situation, he seems to intend to handle all three themes alone while facing three head chefs from Bright Court Pavilion. Isn't that a bit overconfident?"
"That's hard to say." Wu Henian chuckled softly.
What he really wanted to say was that Bright Court Pavilion was doomed to lose, but that would sound far too shocking, so he decided to hold back a little.
"Then I'll definitely have to watch carefully." Ye Ansheng smiled faintly. "While I was away from Mingdu City, I never expected a restaurant like this to appear. I just returned today and happened to catch this event. Brother Henian, thank you for looking after the Culinary Association during this time."
"We've known each other for many years, why say such things?" Wu Henian shook his head. "The association's personnel structure and regulations have long since stabilized. Even if you, the president, leave for a while, it's no big deal. I didn't really contribute much."
Ye Ansheng laughed heartily before taking the chief seat among the judges. Wu Henian naturally sat in the seat beside him, while the rest of the judges gradually took their seats behind them, observing with curious eyes the two sides participating in the culinary showdown.
Or rather, most of them were observing Qi Han.
If one looked carefully, it was easy to notice that the judges' expressions clearly fell into three categories.
The first category was filled with anticipation and excitement. Nearly all of these judges had visited Han Shi yesterday to investigate the situation and understood the restaurant's true capabilities. Because of this, they knew that this culinary showdown would definitely not be a one-sided victory for Bright Court Pavilion.
If the Bright Court Pavilion underestimated their opponent, the result might even turn out to be the exact opposite.
The second category displayed contempt and disdain. Due to various reasons, these judges had never visited Han Shi and knew almost nothing about it, only that it was a newly opened restaurant. Therefore, in their eyes, Han Shi challenging Bright Court Pavilion was like an ant trying to bite an elephant to death.
Foolish and laughable.
As for the third category, their expressions were rather strange. Looking at Han Shi's side, where only the lone owner stood on stage preparing to compete, then at Bright Court Pavilion's luxurious lineup with Zhao Yangfan appearing alongside three head chefs, several judges shared the exact same doubt in their hearts.
For a culinary showdown like this, was it really necessary for Director Zhao to specifically ask them to vote for Bright Court Pavilion?
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Tn: I updated the story once every 2 days, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 538: Walking Straight into the Trap?[1]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron/posts/becoming-food-in-160492301
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron/posts/becoming-food-in-160492301