Bu Fang was bewildered when Meng Qi gave him a grateful look.
He didn't think there should be anything to be thankful for. He just provided some wheat flour, didn't he? Why would she show such gratitude?
City Lord Meng Qi was… too polite.
Actually, Meng Qi wasn't confident earlier, and she lost all hope. But the moment she received Bu Fang's wheat and touched it, it felt like this bundle of wheat can change the situation, which made her feel strange and hesitant.
Later, while cooking, the feeling from the wheat helped her confirm that… the wheat Bu Fang had given her was extraordinary.
While Mo Xiu was eating noodles, his face suddenly changed.
The people around also noticed his change.
It was some sort of astonishment, something incredible he couldn't imagine.
Mo Xiu scrutinized Meng Qi for a while. However, Meng Qi answered him with an enchanting smile.
Gulp.
Mo Xiu felt something magical here. The feeling from the noodles wasn't ordinary, so he decided to have another bite. He would use this to verify his doubt.
And... this second bite made him narrow his eyes.
Realm Lord Di Tai eyed Mo Xiu's awkward appearance. Did Meng Qi's bowl of noodles have something strange?
Meng Qi's cooking skills weren't bad, but she wasn't good at cooking noodles.
Facing Zheng Kuangjiu's stir-fried noodles, she was in a disadvantageous situation.
Plain noodles were boring, while stir-fried noodles were some sort of fragrant, multilayered-taste type of dish.
When comparing the two dishes, plain noodles were naturally at a disadvantage.
Between light and fiery, of course, fiery was more attractive.
Realm Lord Di Tai held a small, white jade bowl. The soup in the bowl looked like a pure spirit spring on a holy mountain. It was crystal clear, like a spotless mirror.
The strands of noodles were milky-white, looking like they were all combed neatly.
Because of the hot noodles, the soup became burning hot. Hot steam rose from the bowl, wafting and rolling continuously like thick clouds.
Realm Lord Di Tai held the bowl. His mouth moved close to the rim to blow the steam, which made the steam move backward.
Shush…
He sipped the soup.
When the hot soup entered his mouth, a beautiful taste bloomed.
When eating noodles, one needed to drink the soup first.
The soup was one of the essential aspects to assess a bowl of noodles, so one had to taste it too to check whether it was good or not.
As soon as Realm Lord Di Tai closed his mouth, his eyes brightened.
This soup looked clear, but it was actually a bowl of thick soup with essence. Realm Lord Di Tai felt dry and hot.
"The soup base was made using dozens of immortal herbs cooked with spirit beast's bones?"
Realm Lord Di Tai was astonished. He eyed City Lord Meng Qi, his face looking strange.
The soup base was unusual, but the most distinctive feature was that this soup had a unique implication as it had the thick flavor of noodles.
That flavor coming from the noodles made Realm Lord Di Tai want to eat those noodles right away.
His chopsticks grabbed the strands of noodles, picking up some exquisite, neatly-arranged strands.
The soup sloshed and flowed down the strands, making them slippery.
Slurp. Slurp.
He opened his mouth, sucking the noodles in. The loud slurping sounds echoed unceasingly.
The group of Immortal Chefs who were watching couldn't help but gulp. Seeing Realm Lord Di Tai eat those noodles, they suddenly felt hungry.
Indeed, a Qilin Chef's dish always whets people's appetites!
Realm Lord Di Tai chewed the noodles. When he bit on them, he felt a strange feeling. Each piece of noodles was like a spring bouncing against his oral cavity, releasing thick immortal energy.
However, those weren't important.
The important thing was… Those strands of noodles had some sort of strange energy fluctuation... and that energy fluctuation had elevated the taste of the noodles.
Finally, Realm Lord Di Tai knew why Mo Xiu wore a strange face.
The noodles' energy fluctuation had sublimated the entire bowl of noodles.
In simple words, without that fluctuation, Meng Qi would obviously lose. However, because of the energy fluctuation in the ingredient, the result of this match became hard to determine.
Who won, and who lost? It was really hard to tell!
"This kind of energy fluctuation… It seems it's the will of the Heavenly Path?" Realm Lord Di Tai said, somewhat bewildered.
Mo Xiu confirmed that it was the Great Path's will. That wheat had such a grand and unfathomable thing…
Although it wasn't a powerful Great Path's will, it had indeed improved the dish.
After eating, people would feel as though they were strolling around a new world.
On the other side…
People saw Lu Yi eating the noodles.
Everybody wore a confused look.
Lu Yi was crying!
He was crying while eating. His tears and snot flowed as he choked with sobs.
The noodles in his mouth made him feel the art of cooking, which deeply moved him. The emotions he kept in his heart were unleashed, and finally, he released the grievance he had accumulated for a long time.
At this moment, his mind became clear. That depressing feeling of wallowing in failure was vented out with this bowl of noodles.
"Alright… It's time to give the scores," Lord Dog said casually.
That Bu Fang boy seemed to do something unpredictable. How could he have wheat that carried the will of the Heavenly Path?
Since he had tasted the Heavenly Path before, he recognized that taste in the noodles.
Hence, Lord Dog was surprised. Since when did that boy infuse the Great Path with the wheat?
Of course, Bu Fang didn't know what had happened, either. Seeing the looks the others were giving him, he was somewhat perplexed.
Why are they looking at him like that?
Swoosh...
The giant phantom of the God of Chef's Challenge shot radiance from its blood-red gem.
The judges were now going to give the score for Meng Qi's Small Bridge Running Water.
Everybody held their breath.
The future of the Immortal Cooking Realm is on the line here. They couldn't afford it if they lost this Chef's Challenge!
Each of the Immortal Chefs squeezed their fists, their hearts filled with hope and anxiousness!
Radiance sparkled above Mo Xiu's head. Under the witness of the God of Cooking Path, he gave his score.
"Ninety!"
The group of Immortal Chefs sighed in regret. Ninety wasn't really high as it was equal to the score given to the Nether Chef's dish earlier.
Nonetheless, the Immortal Chefs cheered up, feeling more hopeful than before.
Mo Xiu was their enemy, but he had given such a high score. It meant that Goddess Meng Qi's dish wasn't bad.
Zheng Kuangjiu couldn't believe that Mo Xiu would give such a high score. However, he calmed down because he was really confident.
His Thunder Dragons lasted longer in the battle of lightning punishments. Although that couldn't prove everything, it was the assumed result.
His dish would win!
How could a bowl of plain noodles defeat his hot and tasty stir-fried noodles?!
Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Zheng Kuangjiu looked at Meng Qi with haughty and cold eyes.
He would absolutely win! He would crush this backward Qilin Chef of the declining Immortal Cooking Realm!
Lord Dog also gave his score.
"Ninety-one!"
It was the same score as Zheng Kuangjiu's dish. If Lord Dog hadn't tasted the Heavenly Path, the score would have been higher.
After tasting the Heavenly Path, he didn't have much enthusiasm in this dish, so he had given the critical score of ninety-one.
Realm Lord Di Tai gulped down the noodles in his mouth. Then, he grabbed the bowl, drinking the clear soup.
The refreshing feeling of the soup in his stomach caused Realm Lord Di Tai's pores to open.
"So good!" Realm Lord Di Tai exclaimed excitedly.
Swoosh…
The score for this bowl of noodles emerged above his head.
"Ninety-one!"
The Immortal Chefs went wild and threw their fists into the sky!
The corners of Meng Qi's mouth rose.
This score had surpassed Zheng Kuangjiu's score!
Now, it was Lu Yi's turn to give the last score.
Everybody turned to Lu Yi, their eyes staring hard at him. This fellow had given Zheng Kuangjiu ninety-five!
Zheng Kuangjiu was a little restless. Although he was full of confidence, he now felt some pressure.
He gazed at Lu Yi, anticipating. This man's score would determine the result of this Chef's Challenge.
The atmosphere froze at this moment.
Bu Fang couldn't help but turn around. Then, his eyes narrowed.
Lu Yi was crying. Because of a bowl of noodles, he had completely understood everything.
He used his sleeve to wipe his face and blow his nose. Eventually, he cleaned the tears and snot off his face.
Radiance dropped from the sky, blooming above his head.
Everyone gazed at the radiance, which was moving and forming into numbers…
As soon as the numbers emerged…
Everybody's eyes shrank. Then, they dropped their jaws and opened their eyes wide…
Lu Yi's score determined the final result. And, the score Lu Yi was about to give had become the focus of everyone!
Meng Qi clutched her thumping chest, her eyes a little scared. She was afraid that she was defeated. She couldn't shoulder the result of this loss.
Her long eyelashes trembled as she closed her eyes. She didn't dare to check the score.
All of a sudden...
After a long moment of silence, the surroundings boomed and clamored!
The Immortal Chefs' boisterous and excited cheers made Meng Qi shiver harder.
"How could it be?!" Zheng Kuangjiu bellowed. His roar was full of anger and unwillingness.
Meng Qi was bewildered. She opened her eyes, hurriedly looking at the spot above Lu Yi's head.
"Ninety-eight!"
A very high score!
Under the God of Cooking Path, Lu Yi had given a high score. Although Lu Yi's personal competence wasn't high, it didn't affect his ability to provide the final result.
Overall, Meng Qi's score had completely crushed Zheng Kuangjiu's.
Lu Yi closed his eyes, tears still rolling down his face.
He was touched. He was emotional…
This bowl of noodles had restored his belief and hope in his path of cooking…
In this cooking path, he should move faster!
He wanted to move on, and he would never give up!
Mo Xiu's face turned ugly.
They lost?! Zheng Kuangjiu was defeated by a Qilin Chef of the Immortal Cooking Realm?
"You trash..."
Mo Xiu's face was cold. His ash-gray hair fluttered in the wind as he scoffed coldly.
Zheng Kuangjiu was stupefied. His eyes were blank.
He lost?
"Impossible!! How could I lose? The wheat I used is the Demon God Blood Barley. I had risked my life to harvest it on the Demon God battlefield! How could I lose?!" Zheng Kuangjiu couldn't accept this result, shouting hoarsely.
His eyes were filled with indignation and disbelief.
All of a sudden...
Zheng Kuangjiu widened his eyes. He turned around, his eyes locking onto Bu Fang in the distance.
Meng Qi won. The only strange incident was that boy had given her the wheat!
What was in that wheat?!
Swish.
Zheng Kuangjiu's figure moved through the sky, dashing towards Bu Fang.
However, before he could even approach Bu Fang, a paw emerged above his head.
Boom!
Zheng Kuangjiu was pounded to the ground by that fierce and exquisite dog's paw. He spurted blood, his eyes looking empty.
Lord Dog indifferently looked at Zheng Kuangjiu. This guy lost the Chef's Challenge, and he wanted to attack Bu Fang boy.
Did he think that Lord Dog had become a vegetarian after eating a bowl of plain noodles?
"That… That wheat… What is it?!" Zheng Kuangjiu asked in a hoarse voice, raising his head to look at Bu Fang.
"You meant those ears of wheat?"
Bu Fang furrowed his brows. Was the wheat truly the reason why Meng Qi won?
Bu Fang thought for a moment, then answered sincerely, "Those wheat… I planted them myself."
Back then, he had planted a seed in his Heaven and Earth Farmland…
He planted them?
Ptui…
Zheng Kuangjiu vomited blood. The wheat grown by a First Grade Immortal Chef could defeat the Demon God Blood Barley that he had risked his life to take from the Demon God's battlefield?!
Could he not lie with a serious face like that?
Meng Qi covered her mouth, her beautiful face blooming with a smile.
"The Great Demon King is really mischievous… He wants to enrage the Nether Chef to death."