Chapter 28: An Astonishing Dish

Yun Xuan and Lin Qingyu lingered for half an hour in a small shop owned by Ye Shan Yuanting before it was time for the competition.

At exactly one in the morning, Yun Xuan, together with Ye Shan Yuanting and Lin Qingyu, arrived at the culinary academy’s competition venue.

The hall was called the Spirit of Food Arena, where all subsequent rounds would take place.

Sakagami Ginzi, as a member of the Five Elements, was not suited to stand with them.

Following the number of Ye Shan Yuanting’s small shop, Yun Xuan arrived at one of the cooking stations. The 108 stations took up considerable space, making the area somewhat crowded.

“Xuan, do your best,” Lin Qingyu said, clenching her fists, drawing the attention of many of the academy’s boys.

Yun Xuan nodded slightly.

The hall was soon filled with a surging crowd; within half an hour, every seat was taken.

At the front sat a panel of nine judges, responsible for scoring the contestants. The lowest 54 scores would be eliminated, and the rest would advance.

...

At two o’clock sharp, the Spirit of Food Arena was thick with heat; even with air conditioning, a restless atmosphere lingered.

“Hello, students of the Culinary Academy. Today’s Spirit of Food battle is indeed stifling, so let’s cut to the chase. The theme is noodles and pastries. You have two hours. Begin!” The young woman on the stage wiped her brow and announced loudly.

With the sound of drums, all 108 stations burst into activity.

Almost everyone simultaneously poured out flour and began kneading their dough, each with their own technique.

Yun Xuan’s hands moved with remarkable speed; what usually took over ten minutes, he finished in less than ten.

Drawing on a recipe from memory, Yun Xuan produced a round, thin, lightweight container, just the right size to hold a crepe.

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, he put the dough into water and began to wash it.

“Is this guy out of his mind? The dough is already kneaded.”

“Washing the dough? Never heard of that.”

“Won’t that just ruin the dough?”

Confusion rippled through the crowd, but Yun Xuan kept smiling as he washed, ending up with three basins of starchy water.

“Yes, just like that,” Yun Xuan said, glancing at what remained, then at the clock—less than forty minutes had passed.

Bringing water to a boil took less than five minutes. Yun Xuan placed the round container over the steaming pot, ladled in some of the starchy water, and spread it thin.

“What on earth is he making?”

“It looks like it could actually become something edible.”

“This is truly a dish I’ve never encountered before.”

The judges exchanged observations as the big screen showed the situation in Yun Xuan’s pot.

The boiling water cooked the starchy liquid into a thin, translucent sheet—something unknown in this world, but familiar to Yun Xuan from his previous life, where he’d tasted it in the orphanage.

Its name was Liang Pi—cold skin noodles.

The starchy liquid transformed into smooth, supple sheets; the leftover lumps boiled down to gluten. An hour had passed, and out of the 108 contestants, half were making hand-pulled noodles.

The remainder included more hand-pulled noodles, with only a few making bread or pastries. In the world of noodles, hand-pulled noodles were by far the most common.

Yun Xuan wasn’t in a hurry to serve his dish; while Liang Pi was delicious, the sauce was essential. Most importantly, it tasted best when chilled.

The sauce was simple to mix. Yun Xuan looked at his fifteen sheets of cold noodles—no, more accurately, wheat sheets.

He took out three, added a bit of gluten, poured on the sauce, drizzled spicy oil—though regrettably, he had no cucumber shreds.

Thin, smooth, chewy, aromatic, spicy.

With the first bite, it seemed to melt away, the spicy fragrance enhancing the flavor, the gluten adding an excellent texture.

“What on earth is this…”

“It looks absolutely delicious.”

“He’s actually eating in front of the judges…”

Spectators wiped their mouths as they watched Yun Xuan devour his creation.

One judge’s mouth twitched in irritation—couldn’t he have let them taste it first?

This unfamiliar dish piqued the judges’ curiosity; Yun Xuan’s obvious enjoyment made it even more tempting.

Other chefs sneered at Yun Xuan’s lack of decorum—this was the Spirit of Food Arena, after all. Such disrespect for the judges would surely get him eliminated.

As all the dishes were finally presented, the judges were nearly full, most dishes sampled with just a bite.

Yun Xuan was the last to step onto the stage, carrying nine bowls of Liang Pi and spicy oil, the sauce already mixed.

Up close, the nine bowls of translucent noodles and bright chili oil astonished the judges even more.

“Due to time constraints, these aren’t as well-chilled as I’d like. This snack is called Liang Pi—a creation of my own. It’s best when allowed to cool naturally. Please, don’t think I’m just trying to tease your appetites,” Yun Xuan said with a smile.

“I see, we hadn’t considered that,” one judge admitted, realization dawning.

The others relaxed, feeling a newfound goodwill toward Yun Xuan.

Tasting the Liang Pi, all nine judges’ eyes widened.

“Delicious!”

“This Liang Pi shatters our preconceptions of what a noodle snack can be!”

“The texture is perfectly chewy, smooth, and fragrant. The spicy oil brings out the coolness of the noodles; after the heat, the flavor elevates to another level.”

The judges’ praise was effusive, and Yun Xuan beamed—the triumph of Liang Pi.

“A new dish, a new world. Young man, would you allow me to try it?” An elder with a white beard stepped forward, dressed in traditional robes, his expression grave.

“Headmaster!”

“The Headmaster himself!”

“Even the Headmaster is drawn by this dish—my goodness!”

Amid the crowd’s exclamations, Yun Xuan realized who stood before him.

“One moment,” Yun Xuan replied, returning to his station to cut the remaining three sheets, seasoning them with sauce and gluten before presenting them to the old man.

The Headmaster eyed the spicy oil, drizzled a bit, and lifted the bowl.

With a single slurp, his eyes flew wide.

A moment later, he dug in with gusto, transformed into a gluttonous beast.

“Headmaster…”

“Headmaster…”

“Headmaster…”

The students gaped in disbelief—was this truly their stern and solemn Headmaster?

A single bowl could only last so long. The old man savored each bite, astonished—never had he heard of such a snack, and its flavor opened a new world of sensation.

It was delicious, certainly, but there was something else in the Liang Pi, something special.

“Is it heart?” the old man murmured to Yun Xuan, unsure.

“On behalf of the Culinary Management Council, I hereby recognize Liang Pi as an original creation, belonging solely to Chef Yun Xuan. No individual or restaurant may sell it without permission,” a clear, cold voice declared.

“Miss Ao Xue, you’ve never seen this before either?” the old man asked.

“Never heard of it, never seen it,” Dongfang Ao Xue answered truthfully.

“Very well. Young man, I have a request…”