The Eight Petal Snow Lotus was very beautiful. It was so beautiful that it attracted everyone's eyes, and all of them were shocked.
That snow lotus that was as thin as a cicada's wings was floating in the air. As it slightly fluttered, the markings on it intersected, as though it was depicting a delicate picture. It was incomparably exquisite.
A dense spirit energy was scattered as the flower swayed. A chilly wind swept through the area, causing the audience to feel their skin slightly tightening up.
It was a medicinal herb that was close to a divine herb.
Did Yan Yu intend to use this type of medicinal herb to cook his next dish?
Everyone who thought up to this point sucked in a deep breath. It was like what they expected. Only at a Chef's Challenge would one see a chef's true skills. It was because the consequences of losing a Chef's Challenge was something no chef could handle.
A divine herb was a precious and extremely valuable existence. Even if it was in the Hidden Dragon Royal Court, it was difficult to harvest a divine herb.
That was because a true divine herb required time to mature. As for this Eight Petal Snow Lotus in front of them, it had probably lived for eight thousand years. One petal represented a thousand years, so since it had eight petals, it meant that this medicinal herb had been growing for eight thousand years before it was harvested, almost reaching the grade of a divine herb.
Could this spiritual herb be cooked?
Of course it could be cooked. Not only can it be cooked, but the higher the chef's grade was, the higher the requirements of their ingredients. That was why spiritual herbs were also an ingredient taken into account.
A dish made out of a good spiritual herb would be extremely delicious. It would also contain a frightening effect.
"I have this eight-thousand-year-old Eight Petal Snow Lotus. If you don't use the Taotie's meat, what will you use to beat me?" provoked Yan Yu as he carefully held the Eight Petal Snow Lotus in his hand. He had an overbearing look in his eyes as they shined.
Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.
Indeed, what Yan Yu said was right. Without the Taotie's meat that was close to the Divine Spirit Realm, how was Bu Fang going to defeat his opponent?
Many people felt sorry for Bu Fang, and they felt as though it was a pity.
They knew that Bu Fang fell into a trap. Yan Yu knew that Bu Fang possessed the Taotie's meat, but he had restricted Bu Fang from using it. Of course, Bu Fang didn't know that Yan Yu had an ingredient of the same grade. It was obvious that Owner Bu fell into Yan Yu's trap.
Bu Fang's trump card had been too clear to Yan Yu, but Bu Fang had no knowledge of the latter's. Therefore, the Chef's Challenge between the two of them seemed to be heavily tilted to one side.
Bu Fang's retrieved his gaze from that Eight Petal Snow Lotus as the corner of his lips slightly pulled back. Then, he raised his hands and suddenly put his palms together, gently clapping.
With a swishing sound, a golden light dashed over, laying on Bu Fang's shoulder.
That little shrimp spat out bubbles as its big eyes spun around.
Everyone looked dumbfoundedly at Shrimpy, who was lying on Bu Fang's shoulders.
Did Bu Fang intend to cook this water spirit beast? Was he going to cook the Golden Skinned Mantis Shrimp that he had been raising?
This Golden Skinned Mantis Shrimp was strong. It also had spirituality. There was a chance it would be able to put up a fight against the Eight Petal Snow Lotus!
But… Could Bu Fang really do it?
From afar, Great White, who was originally watching the Chef's Challenge with a meaningful expression, lost his bearings when he saw the Shrimp Ancestor dashing out. Its fur… No, its shell exploded!
His eyes widened with disbelief.
What was this kid trying to do? Was he going to cook the Shrimp Ancestor?
That was the Shrimp Ancestor… In the past, it was once an overlord that had swept through the entire endless sea. How could it be used as an ingredient?
He, Great White, still wanted to hug the Shrimp Ancestor's thighs in order to rise to the heavens. If the Shrimp Ancestor became food, what in the world was he going to do?
Where was the promised conquering of the endless sea? You actually became an ingredient in some random dish!
Great White's heart was shaking at this moment. He roared, his entire face malevolent. His mouth opened wide, revealing a full set of saw-like teeth.
"No! It cannot become an ingredient!" Great White roared until his voice was hoarse, tears rolling from his eyes.
Whitey's eyes were shining. Its huge leaf-shaped hands grabbed Great White's clothes before dragging him away.
Great White's hands shook, his entire face had an unwilling expression. It was as though he was parting forever with Shrimpy.
Bu Fang glanced at Great White speechlessly. That guy was really dramatic… Where in the world did he see Shrimpy turn into a dish?
How could this guy think that Shrimpy could be eaten?
Bu Fang reached out his hand, touching Shrimpy's head. The corners of his lips curled upwards.
Shrimpy comfortably narrowed its eyes, feeling Bu Fang's touch. The bubbles it spat from its mouth increased.
"You have the Eight Petal Snow Lotus, and I have the Golden Skinned Mantis Shrimp. It's still too early to judge the winner." Bu Fang's voice was calm as he gave Yan Yu a sidelong glance.
Yan Yu's eyes narrowed, thinking, "This guy actually intended to use that shrimp as an ingredient?"
Looks like he had judged this little guy wrongly. His heart was ruthless!
Bu Fang was too lazy to say anything more to Yan Yu. He tapped Shrimpy's head, then turned around and returned to the front of the stove.
Meanwhile, outside the Noodle King Restaurant, some experts were standing on the tree branches.
Wenren Shang, Mu Cheng, and Liu Jiali laid on top of the tree as they watched the Chef's Challenge that was taking place in the restaurant.
"Wenren Shang, who do you think will win this Chef's Challenge?" Mu Cheng's beautiful eyes turned to Wenren Shang, who was holding a bamboo flask as he poured wine into his mouth.
"Bu Fang. I know the answer even if I use my toes to think. That fool, Yan Yu, thinks that he can win with just an Eight Petal Snow Lotus? He's too young..."
Mu Cheng rolled her eyes. Wenren Shang really had confidence in Bu Fang.
"Old Liu, how about you?" Mu Cheng turned her head to look at Liu Jiali, whose face was stern.
Liu Jiali leaned against the tree branch while holding a book in his hand, slowly flipping it.
Faced with Mu Cheng's question, he flipped another page indifferently, saying, " If Bu Fang is able to use the Taotie's meat, Bu Fang's chances of winning is about sixty-five percent. If Bu Fang is not allowed to use the Taotie's meat, his chances of winning will reach eighty percent."
When Mu Cheng heard this, she became slightly shocked. Why did the chances of Bu Fang winning increase?
"You forget that Bu Fang still has the Taotie's Heart? Even if it's just a small piece of the Taotie's Heart, Bu Fang will surely win." Liu Jiali closed the book in his hand and added, "So, what we need to be worried about is, after Bu Fang defeats Yan Yu, who will he pick for the next Chef's Challenge?"
Mu Cheng furrowed her brows. That's right, there was still the Taotie's Heart…
However, Mu Cheng felt that Bu Fang wouldn't use the Taotie's Heart. Although she did not know the reason, that was what she thought. Maybe this was the so-called 'woman's instincts.'
"Oh, the Chef's Challenge has started. Watch carefully. Maybe you can find that little chef's weakness." said Wenren Shang, snickering. After drinking another mouthful of wine, he glanced at Mu Cheng and Liu Jiali.
The two nodded their heads, seriously watching the Chef's Challenge at the Noodle King Restaurant.
…
Swish!
Yan Yu took a deep breath before taking out a bag of flour. The Shadow Chopping Knife flashed, ripping the bag apart.
The white flour scattered down. As it fluttered, it brought a wave of dense aroma, and spirit energy started to fluctuate.
The quality of this flour was good. One could tell just by looking at the flour, which was snow-white in color.
To make dumplings, there were two important factors. One was the dumpling skin, while the other was the dumpling filling. These two were equally important.
The dumpling skin decided the texture, while the dumping filling decided its taste.
Buzz. Buzz.
With a flip of Yan Yu's hands, a light blue spirit beast egg appeared. There was electricity jumping on top of the spirit beast egg as they revolved around the egg.
Giving Bu Fang a glance with a cold smile, Yan Yu's palm suddenly exerted some force. Then, that light blue spirit beast egg was flung out.
The Shadow Chopping Knife rapidly chopped down, cutting that spirit beast egg into two halves in an instant. With a cracking sound, the egg white flowed down, landing on the flour that Yan Yu had prepared.
On top of the Shadow Chopping Knife, the egg yolk, which was shining with electricity, had been separated. It was placed in a bowl that had already been prepared.
Yan Yu then began to knead the dough.
His kneading technique was unique. Obviously, he had been researching it seriously.
With every knead, the flour would emit soft popping sounds. It was as though waves were crashing against the shore.
This sound resounded through everyone's mind, and they felt shocked.
This kneading technique was indeed shocking, and the dough made from this would be firm. It would also fuse the spirit energy of the flour and egg white together perfectly.
On the other side, Bu Fang also began to make dumpling skin at a reasonable speed.
He obtained the flour from Ouyang Chenfeng. As the Noodle King, Ouyang Chenfeng had the best flour available, and his white and fragrant flour made Bu Fang very satisfied.
Retrieving a porcelain bowl, Bu Fang filled it halfway with Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water. That Spirit Spring Water was incomparably clear, with spirit energy revolving around it. Of course, Bu Fang would not start kneading like this.
He did not choose to add egg white like Yan Yu. Instead, he directly used water to make the dough.
He pulled out a purple crystal jar. After opening the lid, he tilted it and dropped a bit of dense Crystal Core's Violet Marrow into the Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water.
Once the Crystal Core's Violet Marrow touched the water, it began to scatter with an enchanting appearance. It quickly fused into the water, and the Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water was instantly filled with dense spirit essence.
Nethery's eyes had long started shining, staring at the Crystal Core's Violet Marrow that Bu Fang had kept. She stuck out her bright red tongue to lick her lips, looking extremely enchanting as she did so.
Nether King Er Ha's eyes also shined. Crystal Core's Violet Marrow….. That was something that tasted good.
He would never have thought that this little chef would possess something like this!
Bu Fang's face was calm, keeping the Crystal Core's Violet Marrow before pulling out the Frost Blaze Path-Understanding Brew. Pouring a little in as well, the dense wine fragrance and the Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water mixed together.
In the end, when the audience looked over, that originally clear bowl of water was still clear. However, it emitted a faint radiance.
Gathering the flour, Bu Fang made a hole in the middle. He poured the Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water that he had prepared into the hole before covering everything with the flour. He started to knead the dough, then covered it once again with flour. After that, he kneaded it again.
Bu Fang's technique when he kneaded the dough was extraordinary. He was expressionless, and his face was cold while he kneaded, as though he was doing tai chi. In the end, he exerted strength in his arms as true energy was emitted.
The bundle of flour flew around, revolving rapidly. It became a round ball that constantly spun around. A soft ripping sound could be heard.
True energy gently rose from Bu Fang's palms, continuously seeping into the round ball. As it spun around, it started to swell up even more, becoming bigger and bigger…
The audience widened their eyes, watching this scene in shock.
Why did it look like it was a performance?
Suddenly, Bu Fang's eyes became sharp. Spreading his five fingers, he grabbed that round ball, sinking his fingers into it. The ball shrunk in an instant, and it became a compact ball in his hand.
Bu Fang then pulled with both hands, stretching the dough out.
With a spin of the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, the blade light shined as it chopped down. The dough was cut into many tiny pieces as they landed on the stove.
His movements were performed as swift as flowing water, causing many people to be amazed.
Meanwhile, the corner of Yan Yu's mouth twitched as he watched Bu Fang. He coldly sneered, "You're scamming the audience."
After saying that, Yan Yu placed the bundle of flour that he had finished kneading at the side, preparing to deal with the ingredients.
The next step was the true key—the dumpling filling.
Yan Yu might not be able to win against Bu Fang in terms of the dumpling skin, but the dumpling filling was based on the ingredients used. As long as his ingredients were good enough, Bu Fang was definitely going to lose!
Yan Yu looked at the Eight Petal Snow Lotus with a burning gaze, resisting the urge to give a long whistle. With a spin of the Shadow Chopping Knife, he cut that Snow Lotus into two halves.
In that instant, a dense spirit energy spilled out, engulfing the entire place!