At the competition venue, aside from a mobile multifunctional cooking station, there were also ten brand-new electric griddles—the kind typically used for baking flatbreads. These appliances were commonly used to make traditional Eastern-style pancakes like Tujia Xiang Sauce Pancakes.
Seeing Tadokoro Megumi using such a tool, many began to speculate—was she planning to make an Eastern-style pancake?
But Megumi paid no attention to the chatter around her. Her focus remained solely on the carefully prepared meat filling and the dough in front of her. The meat filling had been mixed early in the morning, and the dough had been proofed an hour earlier. Since she needed to cook for over 20,000 students, she had made a large batch in advance.
She began by scooping a bowl of minced meat and adding a mix of seasoned broth, sesame oil, soy sauce, and chopped scallions. After thoroughly mixing, she dusted the countertop with flour, pinched off a portion of dough from the large container, and rolled it into a flat sheet. Placing a meatball-sized portion of the filling in the center, she began wrapping it—though not with the usual dumpling or bun-folding technique. Instead, she tossed it lightly from hand to hand, gradually encasing the filling within the dough.
"That wrapping style... it's Xianghe Meat Pie!" someone in the audience exclaimed.
"Huh? Is that a famous dish?" Thor asked curiously. "Do you know what she's making?"
"Yes," another responded. "I've eaten it before, and I know how it's cooked."
Xianghe Meat Pie had a history of over 600 years, with roots tracing back even further to Turkic-style flatbreads from over a thousand years ago. A certain respected elder had even composed a humorous poem in praise of its deliciousness:
"Xianghe holds a wondrous pie,
Elderly hands make magic fly.
Dine here once and you'll agree,
The rest of the world can't compete."
Also known as Jingdong Meat Pie, it was a specialty snack from Xianghe Town—golden brown in color, crispy on the outside, tender inside, aromatic but not greasy, and incredibly flavorful. The thin dough often turned semi-transparent from the oil, revealing the meat filling within.
Making a proper Xianghe Meat Pie required exceptional dough—neither too cold nor too warm, too soft nor too firm. It needed to be kneaded until smooth and supple, easy to roll and stretch to paper-thin consistency while remaining elastic.
The filling also demanded precision: finely chopped meat, pounded with both the blade and the back of a cleaver, then mixed with a variety of seasonings and sesame oil.
Traditionally, cooking required an open flame and a technique known as "three turns, six flips." But with modern electric griddles offering even heat, such complexity was no longer necessary.
Megumi brushed the surface of the pie with dragon oil—rendered fat from a herbivorous dragon—and placed it on the griddle. With the appliance reaching temperatures of over 220°C, each pie could be ready in four to five minutes.
As the pies cooked, Megumi continued preparing the next ones without pause. Soon, a tantalizing aroma filled the entire hall—a rich combination of savory meat and spices that drew everyone's attention.
"She really managed to combine the two ingredients well," someone remarked.
They were referring to the herbivorous dragon meat and the exotic spice fruit introduced earlier. Xianghe Meat Pie required a broth brewed with over twenty spices; the spice fruit helped reduce the number of needed ingredients while enhancing the aroma in a unique way—a clever substitution.
While Megumi focused on cooking, others handled the distribution. After all, with 20,000 students to feed, even dividing each pie among ten people would require at least 2,000 pies—an impossible task for one person alone. So, each pie was cut into around 100 small portions.
In other words, just getting a bite was already a privilege.
Naturally, the very first pie was reserved for the judges, including Nakiri Senzaemon. Upon tasting it, his signature ability triggered—resulting in a full-on Foodgasm explosion.
Watching Megumi working at the center stage, and savoring the fusion of meat and spices dancing on his palate, Senzaemon couldn't help but sigh with admiration: Has the new era of culinary arts already arrived? It seems I'll have to speed up my own pace as well.
The Elite Ten judges who followed were equally stunned. After taking a tenth of a pie each, none of them could speak—only Kobayashi Rindō licked her lips thoughtfully.
This wasn't her first time tasting such exotic ingredients.
That girl up there... does she have a connection to him too? she mused. Hmph. Once this is over, I'll have to ask that guy for more of these ingredients myself.
Nakiri Erina, having sampled the pie herself, gave a soft snort. She had clearly underestimated Tadokoro Megumi. The dish was so well-made that even her divine tongue could only detect three minor flaws—none of which affected the dish's overall excellence.
Considering it was a large-scale recipe for 20,000 people, and was perfected within just three days, she had no real reason to criticize. But that didn't stop her competitive drive from igniting. She had access to the finest ingredients thanks to her grandfather, and yet Megumi—once the weakest of the group—had bested her?
Erina didn't know that Megumi had access to Baima's culinary notes.
"Hmph! Hisako, we're leaving. There's nothing more to see. I need to start developing a new recipe."
"Yes, Lady Erina!"
Shortly after Erina left, another white-haired girl followed suit—Nakiri Alice. Also in possession of rare ingredients from Senzaemon, she too realized she needed to step up her game.
Realizing that Megumi couldn't possibly cook for everyone on her own, Yoshino Yuki and Sakaki Ryoko soon joined her onstage to help. Megumi shared the recipe freely, confident that the key ingredient—dragon meat—was something only Baima could provide.
With the three of them working together, more students had the chance to taste the legendary dragon meat.
An hour later, students throughout the venue buzzed with discussion.
And finally, stepping onto the stage was the true star of the event—Baima.
Taking the microphone from Kawashima Rei, Baima smiled confidently and addressed the crowd:
"That pancake you just tasted—pretty amazing, right?"
He didn't wait for confirmation.
"Well, just as you guessed, the meat filling was made using a legendary ingredient—herbivorous dragon meat!"
"And to help all of you elevate your cooking to a higher level, I've already arranged something with the Director."
"Each dorm will receive 1,000 catties of dragon meat! Two hundred of those will go to the Elite Ten, and the remaining 800 catties will be made available to students in exchange for academic credits."
"In addition to the meat, I'll personally provide a monthly supply of:
– 30 spice fruits
– 200 catties of dragon milk cheese
– 30 catties of Jueyun Chili
– 10 catties of wild raspberries."
"As for how to get them?" Baima's grin turned mischievous.
"Of course—it'll be through Totsuki's most traditional method... a Shokugeki!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
The age of new flavors—and fierce competition—had officially begun.
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T/N:
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