Xiangling also picked up a spring roll to taste.
Instantly, her eyes lit up.
Delicious!
The crispy, pan-fried fish skin, plus the tender fish meat, combined with seasonal vegetables.
It was a perfect combination!
It was her first time tasting such a spring roll, and it was a real eye-opener. As expected of a Super Chef from another world.
However, Xiangling still felt that her own dish was better.
Her Water-Boiled Perch had a unique flavor that no one in all of Teyvat could replicate.
She was very confident!
Soon, it was time to taste Xiangling's dish.
The moment Master Luo took the first bite, he was completely stunned.
What was this ultimate flavor?
Numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant.
A spiciness like a roaring fire shot straight to the depths of his taste buds.
It was clearly so spicy, yet it never became unbearable.
Instead, a special aroma swept over him.
An ultimate taste.
A rich texture.
"Master… how is it?"
"Master?"
"Hey, old man, what's the verdict?"
Faced with the crowd's questions, Master Luo awoke from his blissful trance.
He answered, "The ultimate flavor of the mortal world! You'll understand once you taste it."
A water-boiled fish of this caliber had likely reached the pinnacle of culinary arts.
He never thought someone so young could possess such terrifying skill. No wonder she dared to issue a formal challenge. Truly amazing.
Chef Jidi took a bite and added, "Xiao Dangjia has lost."
"No way!"
"Let us try."
A few minutes later, the staff of the Yangquan Restaurant were all filled with admiration.
This flavor was the pinnacle of what was possible on earth!
To think that water-boiled fish could reach such a level.
This was a completely different dimension of cooking!
In the first round, Xiangling was the undisputed winner.
After tasting it himself, Xiao Dangjia also admitted defeat. He turned and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, the thing that neutralized the spiciness… it must have been those flower petals, right?"
"That's right. I added some Violetgrass that I picked myself, as well as petals from Glaze Lilies."
"Of course, the key to the spice is the Jueyun Chili."
"However, adding it directly is too spicy for most people to handle."
"So, I experimented with various other seasonings to complement it, and finally discovered these two flowers."
Xiangling gave a simple explanation, but only another chef could understand the hardship behind it.
Developing a new seasoning was not so simple.
Shirou asked curiously, "What's a Violetgrass? A type of spice?"
"Yes, it's a precious ingredient that grows on the faces of cliffs. And it only appears in large numbers after it rains."
Instantly, a sense of respect filled the crowd.
To go to the cliffs after the rain just for an ingredient…
That level of dedication from a chef was truly rare.
The second dish was quickly presented.
This time, Xiangling's dish was tasted first.
The moment the lid was opened, everyone's expression changed.
The Mapo Tofu was literally burning.
They saw actual flames!
However, the flames only lasted for a few seconds before dissipating.
Then, an incredibly rich aroma washed over them.
A layer of fiery red sauce floated atop the white tofu.
The numbing and spicy scent shot straight to their heads.
Although the water-boiled fish from before had been a masterpiece, seeing this Mapo Tofu, the crowd couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of anticipation.
"Come on, give it a try," Xiangling said with a happy smile, seeing their eager expressions.
The first person to taste it was, naturally, the most senior person present, Master Luo.
He gently took a bite.
The fiery flavor shot straight into his lungs.
The scorching power was as terrifying as a volcano!
"Delicious!!!" The old man's eyes went wide, and he couldn't help but praise it.
Just as he was about to give his critique, he felt a new power emerge from within his body.
What is this?
Master Luo didn't understand why his body was reacting this way, but it was undoubtedly beneficial.
If one were to have a serving of this Mapo Tofu in the winter, they probably wouldn't feel cold even if it was snowing.
"Master?"
"Master?"
Seeing the old man lost in a daze, the people next to him couldn't help but nudge him.
Master Luo came to his senses and looked at Xiangling. "How did you do it? Why does this dish have such a magical effect?"
Xiangling smiled proudly. "This is the power of the Pyro element. I used my Pyro Vision while I was stir-frying the dish."
"When I was adventuring on Dragonspine, I would often encounter extremely cold weather."
"At that time, I wondered… could I make a dish that held the power of flames within it?"
"And so, this dish was born."
Everyone was stunned.
A Vision? Flames? What is that? It sounds like magic.
The crowd then began to taste the dish, and one by one, they cried out in amazement.
"What an incredible Mapo Tofu! I feel full of energy after eating it!"
"I feel like I won't get tired at work this afternoon at all!"
"Me too, hahaha!"
A dish that could sweep away fatigue and raise the body's heat had undoubtedly pioneered a new frontier in cooking.
Including Xiao Dangjia himself, after tasting it, everyone felt that Xiangling's Mapo Tofu was simply unbelievable.
"Now it's your turn."
"Alright. My dish is… Panda Mapo Tofu!"
As the lid was lifted, Xiao Dangjia's dish once again burst forth with a golden light.
Moreover, the black and white pieces of tofu were actually dancing in the air.
The Panda Mapo Tofu had made its debut ahead of schedule.
"My heavens! The tofu is dancing in the air! Is this magic, too?"
"Two colors of tofu…"
"I wonder how it tastes…"
"I've never seen a Mapo Tofu like this before!"
Watching the tofu frolic in the air, Xiangling's face showed her own surprise.
You can make Mapo Tofu like that? How interesting!
The tasting began.
Master Luo took a bite and nodded. "Not bad… dual-colored tofu, a fiery mapo sauce combined with a sugarcane-sweetened tofu, and the presentation is novel. As expected of Xiao Dangjia, to be able to come up with such an innovation in such a short time."
After tasting it herself, Xiangling also nodded repeatedly.
The combination of sweet tofu and regular tofu was indeed a very creative idea.
The flavor far surpassed that of ordinary Mapo Tofu.
However, the outcome was already decided.
Xiangling, having used her Vision, had already achieved victory.
Her dish was not only delicious but also had a special buffing effect.
In comparison, Xiao Dangjia's Mapo Tofu, aside from being fun to look at, was only slightly more delicious than a normal version.
"I'm sorry, Master Luo, Chef Jidi… I have lost," Xiao Dangjia said, a trace of melancholy on his face. In the half-year since becoming a Super Chef, this was the first time he had lost so soundly.
"It's alright. When you fail, you must find your own shortcomings. Besides, it is only through competing with each other that chefs can improve faster," Master Luo said, comforting him.
Xiangling, however, remembered Su Han's words. She walked over and said, "Actually, your problem is that you have never escaped the influence of your mother. Think back on your journey to becoming a chef. Every time you meet a strong opponent, you can only ever think of your mother, rather than thinking of your own way to defeat the enemy. To put it bluntly, you lack accumulated experience. Xiao Dangjia, I think you should go out and travel. Only by seeing more of the world can your culinary skills truly improve."
These words instantly awakened something in Xiao Dangjia.
She's right.
Ever since becoming a Super Chef, he had become complacent.
He hadn't even adventured for long before returning to the Yangquan Restaurant to become the head chef.
Even Master Xie had traveled the length and breadth of the country.
He was still so young.
To stay put in the Yangquan Restaurant was indeed unjustifiable.
"Thank you for your guidance, Xiangling! I understand what I need to do now!"
"Hehe, we're all chefs, after all."
Although she had been a little uncomfortable at being looked down upon at first, the two rounds of competition had long since made her forget that unpleasantness.
She could see that Xiao Dangjia was a very skilled chef; he just lacked experience.