The smooth dragon meat spread in the mouth like soft cotton candy, flooding the entire oral cavity.
The rich flavor of meat gushed with a slightly sweet and spicy taste. Moreover, there was some intoxicating aftertaste.
"Unexpectedly, it could show the full taste of the meat. This cold dish… is not the usual cold dish!"
City Lord Meng Qi narrowed her eyes, looking at Bu Fang in deep thought.
She stretched out her chopsticks again, and this time, she picked up a piece of dragon belly and tasted it.
Compared with the previous dragon meat, the dragon belly was extremely flexible.
The City Lord Meng Qi gracefully chewed this dragon belly meat. However, the more she chewed, the more flavorful it was. The full taste of the dragon meat was brought out.
As she chewed, the essence inside the meat burst out. It was like sweet sugarcane juice, spreading inside and wrapping up her taste buds.
Finally, with a gulp, that flexible dragon belly meat was swallowed, going through her throat and into her stomach.
Meng Qi was very satisfied. This was the first time she ate such a cold dish.
Normally, it was very difficult to thoroughly release the delicious taste of the meat in a cold dish. However, Bu Fang's cold dish that was called Immortal Dragon Spicy Beef was different.
The taste was full of meat, and it seemed that every taste was wrapped up with another layer of meaty flavor. Only then would one feel the difference.
Without a doubt, it was delicious.
"Wonderful idea!"
A judge was eating the soft dragon scalp, his eyes shining faintly.
Mixing dragon meat and dragon parts… The feeling was very different.
"The fishy smell of the other dragon parts had been removed. If I'm not wrong… you added wine into it," a judge said, nodding seriously.
Bu Fang's cold dish had broken the norm, which made them feel unusual. Hence, their attitude was serious when tasting and evaluating this dish.
"This wine is uncommon. While removing the fishy smell, it made the strong fragrance of the dish burst out. The meat aroma was locked in the dish… and it was not lost," a judge added.
All of the judges praised the Spicy Beef.
Although it was only a cold dish, it received the approvals of almost all judges.
Lu Yi's eyes shrank, feeling a bit panicked.
His eyes moved and landed on City Lord Meng Qi, only to see her eating that Spicy Beef with narrowed eyes and a gentle smile.
This smile… made Lu Yi's heart feel a chill.
He felt that he would possibly lose.
No! How could I lose?!
Lu Yi clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth. But quickly, he steeled himself, and glint flashed in his eyes.
He couldn't lose!
He was the top genius of the young generation, the favored Son of Heaven. With both immortal tongue and Qilin touch, how could he lose?
The audience clamored. Through the huge light screen, they saw that shining dish, and they all took a deep breath.
Bu Fang's dish seemed to change their worldview.
"Say, you won't be able to taste the meat's full flavor when it's served cold, right?"
"Why do I feel like the judges are enjoying eating that dish…"
"Look at that juice and bright dragon meat… I want to try it too…"
The audience was drooling as they looked at the big screen, and they couldn't help but turn their heads and whisper to each other.
Indeed, many people were surprised that a cold dish could achieve this level.
Worthy of being the Great Demon King. He was not like any other chef.
If it were someone else's cold dish, it would have been thoroughly crushed by Lu Yi's dish.
The dishes of the Great Demon King were still extraordinary!
However, the audience still thought that Lu Yi's dish was far superior. They really had confidence in him.
Lu Yi had an immortal tongue and Qilin touch. Besides, he had the Heart of Cooking Path, as well as a powerful immortal flame.
How could he lose to the Great Demon King, an Immortal Chef from the first layer?
At this moment, the five judges put down their chopsticks.
Looking at each other, they saw curiosity in each other's eyes. It seems that they're exchanging thoughts and discussing.
They have decided the final winner.
This decision was very difficult, because this decision would determine the first place in the Immortal Chef Tournament. They didn't dare to make any small mistake.
"Lakes of Wine and Forests of Meat is very creative. The cooking method was also good. Although I'm very satisfied with this cold dish, I prefer the hot dish… Therefore, this vote, I voted for Lu Yi," the first judge said in a serious manner.
His choice made the audience cheer boisterously.
"Lu Yi, your innate skill is pretty good. Remember to guard against pride and impatience. This way, your path could go farther, and you could have the opportunity to become a Qilin Chef," the judge sincerely said to Lu Yi.
Lu Yi nodded respectfully with a slight bow. His clenched fists loosened.
Bu Fang looked on expressionlessly, not affected in the slightest after hearing that judge's words.
The second judge stroked his chin and pondered for a long time. His eyes were hesitating above the Immortal Dragon Spicy Beef and the Lakes of Wine and Forests of Meat.
"The cold dish is delicious, and the cooking technique was also commendable, but… the cold dish is only a cold dish. A hot dish has the advantage that a cold dish could hardly match."
The judge's eyes fell on Bu Fang, then finally moved to Lu Yi.
"Although the Lakes of Wine and Forests of Meat had a small defect, a First Grade Immortal Chef who could cook at this level is very good. Therefore, I voted for Lu Yi."
The audience's cheers became even louder. They were really fired up that Lu Yi was leading!
Would the Great Demon King be crushed?
Just one more vote, and Lu Yi could win this competition. At that time, the Great Demon King would be defeated.
Lu Yi was very satisfied, and his face finally revealed a smile.
It seems that in this match, his victory was certain.
He knew no one could defeat him!
He was a genius, the Son of Heaven. The only one who could defeat him was… only himself!
His goal was to become a Qilin Chef! A Qilin Chef could stand side by side with Meng Qi.
"Many thanks for the judges' evaluation." Lu Yi nodded and bowed, showing a smug smile.
This smile was the smile of a winner, making the audience really ecstatic.
Of course, some people were sorry for the Great Demon King…
If the result was zero, it was very embarrassing…
Under the stage…
Nethery put the last piece of dragon scalp into her mouth. Her pitch-black eyes stared at the stage as her delicate mouth chewed.
On the stage, Bu Fang's hands were down on his sides. His face was very calm, as though he did not have any worries.
Seeing Bu Fang's calm composure, Nethery relaxed and continued to finish the Spicy Beef.
The dish was full of spirit essence, so after eating, the pain caused by the curse in her body disappeared. Now, her whole body felt refreshed and relaxed!
Moreover, Nethery could feel that her cultivation had greatly increased along with the consciousness of the curse.
Although the curse had tortured her body, it made her body stronger unconsciously.
If she was not wrong, this time, she should almost step into True Immortal Realm.
As for which realm, she was not clear.
The cursed snake was mystical, bringing her strength while bringing her pain.
You Ji, her older sister, was frightened that this curse would burst out completely.
That was because Nethery would lose her spirit wisdom and be under the control of the cursed soul. At that time, Nethery's strength would burst out in the cursed soul, rising to a level that was beyond everyone's imagination.
That level… even the previous Nether King would fear it.
That was why the previous Nether King had exiled Nethery. Each Earth Prison Lord was afraid that the small cursed snake would awaken.
The third judge finally spoke.
This judge licked his lips. His eyes didn't look at Lu Yi, but directly fell on Bu Fang.
At first, his eyes were calm, but very quickly, they became extremely warm.
"This cold dish is very good! Very delicious! I could feel the difference in cooking techniques and methods! Eating such a dish is pure happiness. So, I chose Bu Fang, mainly because this dish made me feel happy."
This judge's evaluation was very straightforward. Pure, but not pretentious.
He pounded the table, eating Bu Fang's dish again.
Everyone could see that he really liked this cold dish.
The audience sighed in relief. They were anxious as they had thought that Bu Fang would be defeated with zero votes.
It seems that the Great Demon King still had a vote. This would lessen the shame of being defeated.
At least, he would not lose face. After all, it was very rare to have a vote against Lu Yi!
Gongshu Ban clenched his fists as he stared at the stage. His whole body was trembling.
He was very, very stressed. He didn't know what the final outcome would be!
But in his heart, there was a glimmer of hope that Bu Fang could win.
He still had hope that their first layer could stand proudly and rise!
Lu Yi's mouth twitched once. He was somewhat unsatisfied.
He almost won, but unexpectedly, a judge chose Bu Fang.
However, it was not a problem as he still had two more opportunities. As long as any of those two judges chose him, he could win this competition.
Moreover, one of them was the goddess in his heart, City Lord Meng Qi. He was very concerned about her decision.
The fourth judge was an old man. After stroking his beard, his fingertips gently pressed on the judge's seat.
"Lakes of Wine and Forests of Meat displayed a thorough taste of meat. Adding the egg yolk when stir-frying meat was extremely delicate. The cooking difficulty was commendable, and the taste was extremely good. It's not bad. However, the cold dish Spicy Beef is innovative, which went beyond the usual standards of a cold dish. Using such a method, the meat became fragrant, soft, and very delicate. Both dishes are very good…"
The judge paused…
Who to choose?
The audience was staring at that judge, their eyes full of curiosity.
Suddenly, that judge stretched out his hand and pointed at Bu Fang.
"I voted for Bu Fang, because… there's wine in both dishes, but the better wine is in Bu Fang's cold dish. The smooth taste combined with the rich fragrance of that wine… made the Spicy Beef better," the judge finally said.
Everyone was shocked, and many of them took in a breath of cold air.
This time… the situation was somewhat complicated.
"I thought that the Great Demon King will lose, but now, looks like that won't be the case!"
"They both have two votes… This is very exciting!"
"The last vote will decide the winner. Ahh! I really want to know!"
The audience seemed to explode. Everyone's eyes shone as they stared at the stage, waiting for the final vote.
Gongshu Ban's clenched fists dripped with cold sweat.
Nethery's pitch-black eyes also stared at the stage.
Lu Yi could not keep his calm appearance anymore. Now, there was panic in his eyes.
Bu Fang, on the contrary, looked cold. His expression remained indifferent as his eyes emotionlessly looked at the judges.
It seems that he was not bothered by the votes…
Or rather… he had already anticipated the result.
The last judge was City Lord Meng Qi.
Lu Yi had never been so nervous like this…
He had never thought that, finally…City Lord Meng Qi would decide his future!
City Lord Meng Qi, as though she felt everyone's attention, suddenly revealed a smile on her beautiful face.
That smile made a hundred flowers turn pale and made all living things lose their color.
Everyone was somewhat distracted with this smile.
"This vote… I chose Bu Fang."
While everyone was distracted, a slightly naughty gentle laughter resounded.
What?!
City Lord Meng Qi said who?!
The audience seemed like they were drenched with ice water. They were utterly stunned speechless!