"Catfish fin is also a type of shark fin. Compared to traditional shark fin which takes a long time to process, this type of fin has a relatively shorter processing time, absorbs flavor easily, and has a soft and tender texture, so it's a good choice."
Looking at the lively catfish on Kurokiba Ryo's preparation table, Hoshino Sora stroked his chin and commented. Most people, when they hear 'shark fin,' would first only think of shark's fin.
Kurokiba Ryo being able to break out of this narrow mindset and choose catfish fin at least proved that he was thinking.
His gaze shifted to Yan Ba. That guy was using standard shark fin. Because it had no flavor, it required a lot of effort to cook, took a long time, and wasn't something that could be easily served.
The competition time limit was three hours.
But to be honest, shark fin isn't particularly delicious; it's just been heavily hyped. Due to the operation of capital, some people believe that eating shark fin is a symbol of wealth.
As a result, in Neon's high-end dishes, shark fin has become a symbol of elegance and luxury. There are also many dishes in Huaxia that use shark fin as a main or auxiliary ingredient.
One of them is Golden Broth Shark Fin.
Rubbing his eyes, Yan Ba let out a long sigh of relief. When he learned that the theme was shark fin, he was actually flustered because he had no ingredients to practice with.
Helpless, he could only buy some vegetarian shark fin at the supermarket and practice in the allocated hotel. The shark fin for the competition day was provided by Far Moon Academy, freshly killed and air-freighted.
Gently stroking the shark fin in front of him, Yan Ba began his cooking. The so-called Golden Broth Shark Fin is made by cooking a rich broth with butter, old hen, pork spine, chicken feet, pork belly, and duck wings. After that, pumpkin juice is added to enhance the flavor and color...
Finally, steamed and processed shark fin is added.
The two contestants on stage moved cleanly and efficiently. To get the freshest catfish fin, Kurokiba Ryo performed a live knife-dissection of the catfish for everyone present.
He was seen using chopsticks to hold the fish head, and with a swift motion of his knife, he separated all parts of the catfish in a matter of seconds.
"How amazing!"
Looking at the artistic knife skills, the people in the audience couldn't help but exclaim. The elegant knife work seemed not to be dissecting a fish, but rather performing a wonderful art show!
Time passed bit by bit, and the two contestants cooked intensely. The audience watched with rapt attention, and Hoshino Sora also watched carefully, analyzing the strength of the two.
"Both contestants are now starting their finishing touches. Who will complete their dish first? We await with bated breath."
Kawashima Rei held the microphone and passionately narrated, looking very excited. The battle in front of her made her blood boil.
Soon, the two on the field successively completed their finishing touches. Yan Ba finished his dish one step ahead and presented a bowl of Golden Broth Shark Fin emitting a faint golden light.
"Please enjoy, Ancient Golden Broth Shark Fin."
Taking firm steps, Yan Ba placed the Golden Broth Shark Fin on the judges' table. He behaved very courteously, bowing slightly and making a gesture to invite them to eat, then stood by the side.
"What a beautiful color. Pumpkin juice must have been added to this. It's thick and fragrant, with mountain and sea delicacies concentrated in this one bowl. It is indeed the ancient cooking method for shark fin soup."
Sniffing, Nakitiri Senzaemon commented with emotion as he looked at the shimmering golden shark fin soup in front of him. He had not been without tasting shark fin soup cooked in this way, but that was decades ago.
He didn't expect to see such a fine shark fin soup now.
With a hint of nostalgia, he picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of the golden, thick shark fin soup. The rich umami flavor exploded in his mouth, like a long poem written over many years, allowing one to feel its profoundness.
Closing his eyes, he savored every flavor blooming on his tongue. The pork spine and buttered old hen formed a rich and solid soup base. Chicken feet and duck wings, being the most flavorful parts of the chicken and duck, played a crucial role when added to the soup, adding a finishing touch.
"The broth is rich and mellow, and the shark fin is crisp and springy. The combination of the two is truly excellent!"
After tasting the Golden Broth Shark Fin in front of them, all the judges showed expressions of enjoyment. Nakitiri Senzaemon's clothes also burst open a little, but that was the extent of it.
Even though it was an incredibly delicious shark fin soup, to him, it was merely a tasty dish. The completeness was quite high, but it was limited to that; it didn't make him feel particularly impressed.
Of course, if Kurokiba Ryo also couldn't produce a dish that impressed him or was even more delicious, the outcome of this match...
"Eat quickly! Devour it! The taste will change if it gets cold!"
Placing one large bowl after another in front of the judges, Kurokiba Ryo bent down, his voice filled with an indescribable aura, urging and waiting for the judges to give him a satisfactory answer.
"This is... Tagine Pot Braised Catfish Fin. I see, catfish fin is also a type of shark fin."
"But if that's all it is, then this is just an ordinary braised catfish fin, nothing special."
"Hmm, the aroma is quite unique, subtly different from ordinary braised catfish fin. Is shrimp paste stuffed into the shark fin?"
Without tasting, several judges looked at the catfish fin in front of them and started discussing. This was also their customary discussion phase before officially eating a dish.
"What's all this chattering about from just now? When it comes to cooking, you can only know if it's good or bad by tasting it. You have to eat it with your mouth, not just look at it with your eyes."
Looking at the constantly bickering judges in front of him, and with the dishes placed for a long time without any movement, Kurokiba Ryo couldn't stand it and slammed the table hard, then glared at the judges with bloodshot eyes.
"Now, begin tasting."
Even though the judges had experienced many storms, being stared at by him still made their hearts flutter. They hurriedly picked up their chopsticks and sent a piece of hilsa fish fin into their mouths.
The first taste was a braised flavor, which was normal, but as the hilsa fish fin was bitten open, a rich umami flavor exploded in their mouths, causing the judges to widen their eyes.
"This is? This is a rich broth made from East Star Grouper, Giant Grouper, Portunid Crab, Australian Green Lobster, and Red Flower Crab, by removing their flesh and keeping their shells, then boiling them down.
Then, the broth is cooled into a jelly, stuffed into the hilsa fish fin that has been cut open in the middle, and sealed with shrimp paste. This way, after heating at high temperature, the broth can remain inside the hilsa fish fin, and the moment you bite into it, a rich, savory aroma surges out!
This feeling is like plunging into an underwater world, full of the strong preying on the weak. However, we are at the top of the food chain! We can freely swim in the ocean and enjoy the delicious food!"
The judge on the far right, his face flushed after eating the hilsa fish fin, began to speak. The hilsa fish fin itself had an incredibly tender texture; if not handled carefully, it would easily fall apart.
Under these circumstances, to still be able to stuff broth into it, compared to his rough exterior, this guy is unexpectedly meticulous.
"The rich sauce is shouting, combined with the boiling seafood broth inside, there's a beauty of orderly struggle amidst chaos! To be able to forcibly take off my clothes, he truly is an extraordinary fellow!"
Looking at his torn clothes, Nakitiri Senzaemon let out a long sigh through his nose, then evaluated with admiration. To be able to achieve this level in his student days was truly remarkable.
"Unpolished Gem Era"
Taking the giant brush from the hands of his subordinates, a long scroll was spread out in the center of the competition venue. With bold strokes, the four large characters "Kurokiba Ryo" were written upon it.
"Alright!"
"He crushed him!"
"Kurokiba! Kurokiba! Kurokiba!"
Seeing Kurokiba Ryo's victory, the crowd immediately erupted in cheers for him.
In the first round, the Chinese side's three out of four wins had made them lose face somewhat, with even the Daughter of Molecular Aesthetics, a hot favorite to win the championship, being eliminated by that Chinese person.
Now it was good; the Chinese contestant had been defeated by Kurokiba Ryo, and there shouldn't be much problem with the remaining Hayama, after all, that kid with glasses looked very weak.
Looking at Lei Yuxing, who was holding a handheld game console with a Pervert smile, everyone silently thought to themselves: "This person is no good, absolutely no good."
Hayama Akira had no reason to lose to such a person.
So now the situation was very clear: as long as Yumeko Jabami, who would appear last, defeated Feng Xuanya, all the challengers from the Chinese side would be eliminated.
"Then, the next group of contestants will appear in one hour. Free lunch will now be distributed at the venue."
All Far Moon Academy students were full of anticipation, hoping that the hot favorite to win, Hayama Akira, could defeat Lei Yuxing. Those few Chinese people who suddenly joined in, who hadn't even participated in the preliminary rounds, actually dared to meddle with the Autumn Elections!
— — — — — — — — — —
4:1
Hayama Akira looked at the score with a dilated pupil, staring disbelievingly at the academy's headmaster who was writing the three large characters "Lei Yuxing" with a brush. He actually lost, lost to such a person!?
His gaze turned to the bespectacled otaku bouncing around with his handheld console in front of him. Hayama Akira's eyes were filled with unwillingness. The taunting words he had spoken to the opponent when he entered the arena now felt like slaps, stinging his face.
"Yay, SSR, sister, put your black silk feet in my mouth!"
Looking at the screen on his phone, Lei Yuxing pushed up his glasses, his face filled with excitement. After spending thousands of yuan, 300 draws, he finally pulled his favorite black silk older sister character.
The artwork, the drawing skills, were definitely worth the asking price of several thousand. When this trip to Japan was over, the academy would give him another 10,000 yuan scholarship, and then he could spend money to draw black silk lolis!
Sure enough, the two-dimensional world was the best!
"Why?"
The theme was "staple food," but his rich-flavored omurice actually couldn't compare to the other party's simple fried rice!? There must have been a problem somewhere, otherwise, how could he lose?
"You'll know if you taste it yourself."
Looking at Hayama Akira, who was leaning on the counter, lost in self-doubt, Lei Yuxing served him the remaining portion of the dish from the pot, then spoke in broken Japanese.
He really had the face of a supporting character, Lei Yuxing thought to himself. His strength was quite good, but relying only on spices, it was impossible to win against him. However, handsome guys were really annoying.
"That guy, he's not even using Fujian cuisine to win. Last time it was Cantonese cuisine, this time it's Huaiyang cuisine. He said he was coming to promote Fujian cuisine culture, but I don't know where he learned so many different cuisines."
Feng Xuanya watched Lei Yuxing serve Yangzhou Fried Rice to Hayama Akira in the arena, couldn't help but stomp her foot in anger, pouting and complaining with great dissatisfaction in her voice.
In this world, chefs cherish their dishes as if they were treasures. Even if they get into a culinary academy, they will only be taught relatively conventional basic dishes.
To truly learn something, one must apprentice under a Master Chef for further study, which for ordinary people is like getting a postgraduate degree. Otherwise, they are considered self-taught, unless they are capable enough to get into Oriental Academy.
Oriental Academy gathers all the strong individuals from the Eight Great Cuisines, and some retired senior Master Chefs also reside there. The entrance examination is extremely rigorous, with the number of new students each year controlled at around three thousand. Don't think that's a lot; you have to remember this is a school open to the entire world, and it has eight major departments supplying students.
Furthermore, there are no age restrictions for students entering through examination. Even if you are fifty or sixty years old, as long as you want to enter Oriental Academy, you can participate in the annual entrance examination.
Under these circumstances, the difficulty of the entrance exam is evident.
Even so, countless people still flock to it every year, because any student who graduates from Oriental Academy, no matter which hotel they want to become a Master Chef in, will not be rejected.
There is also the Oriental Cuisine List, which is constantly changing. As long as one can leave their name on it, even for just a minute, they will be immortalized and recorded.
Among them, the top ten are one tier, and eleven to one hundred are another tier. The ranking changes within the top ten are internal, while the ranking changes from eleven to one hundred are external.
In Oriental Academy, age does not represent culinary skill.
"It's actually so delicious, even though it's just fried rice?!"
The rice grains were distinct, the fried rice tasted savory and fresh, emitting a faint aroma. It contained various ingredients: ham, egg, shrimp, mushrooms, diced chicken, mushrooms...
But if it were just like this, then this dish would only be an egg fried rice with rich ingredients.
The real secret lay in the rice itself.
After stir-frying ham, mushrooms, and diced chicken over low heat until fragrant, chicken broth was added to the pot. Dried scallop threads and diced sea cucumber were then added and simmered, and once their aroma was released, the mixture was served into small bowls.
This rice, having absorbed the essence of three large bowls of broth, could still remain distinct and flavorful, undoubtedly demonstrating powerful skill. Every single grain of rice was soaked with the taste of the broth.
Delicious, it was truly too delicious. Although he didn't want to appear so undignified, he simply couldn't stop. His hands moved as if they had a mind of their own, unable to cease.
Not long after, the dish in front of him was eaten, the plate cleared. Lei Yuxing had already disappeared, leaving only Hayama Akira standing alone on the competition stage, with the cheering spectators below.
"What a wonderful match!"
"That person actually stir-fried such a large pot of soup into the rice, it's a bit outrageous, isn't it? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it until I died!"
"Exactly! I was thinking earlier that guy must be crazy, adding so much soup to fried rice, does he even know how to cook? Now it seems the clown was me all along."
Discussions like these were endless. Looking at the people leaving, Hoshino Sora didn't move. The crowd was too large now; he would leave when most of them had cleared out.
"Truly authentic Yangzhou Fried Rice."
Thinking of Lei Yuxing's cooking on stage just now, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but exclaim.
He had made Yangzhou Fried Rice when he was running his own shop; most of the finished products were only 'Black Iron' or 'Bronze' quality. The difficulty of the dish was evident. Even if he were to cook it now, 'Silver' (medium) would be his limit.
But looking at the other party's effortless demeanor and the distinct grains of fried rice, if the system were to rate it, the rank would certainly not be low. This was undoubtedly a testament to his skill.
"Authentic is authentic, but this isn't what we learned at Fujian Academy. He's supposed to be representing Fujian Academy, but this guy really doesn't make things easy for people."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's complaint, Feng Xuanya appeared behind him at some point, sighing as she spoke. The dish was good, but it shouldn't have been displayed here.
"Good luck with tomorrow's match. I'm really looking forward to facing you in the semifinals or finals."
Hearing the voice, Hoshino Sora turned his head. Feng Xuanya spoke fluently in Chinese, completely ignoring Alice Nakiri's somewhat displeased expression. After speaking, she didn't bother with her and turned to leave directly.
"What the! There's a living person right here, and she completely ignored me! What kind of attitude is that? Talking in some language I don't understand, it's so annoying."
"She probably just said good luck to me tomorrow, and that she'll be waiting for me in the semifinals or finals."
"Hoshino-kun, you understand Chinese?"
Before Alice Nakiri could reply, Shiina Mahiru, who was beside Hoshino Sora, asked curiously.
"A little bit. Is that surprising?"
"Yes, quite surprising."
Mito Ikumi said from ahead.
"Speaking of which, where did Yumeko go? Why haven't I seen her all day today?"
"She went to prepare tomorrow's dish. That guy is really arrogant; he's going to compete with Yumeko tomorrow and still dares to come watch the match. Isn't he going to prepare his dish?"
"Maybe he already thought about it the night before."
Shrugging his shoulders, Hoshino Sora stood up. By now, there weren't many people left in Tsukiten Space, and the exit was relatively clear. It was time to leave.
"What about Hoshino-kun? Your opponent's strength isn't weak either, why don't you look nervous at all?"
"Exactly! Soma Yukihira is very strong. If you're not careful, you'll suffer a great loss!"
Shiina Mahiru asked curiously. Soma Yukihira's strength was undeniable; he had once defeated Mito Ikumi, who used top-grade Wagyu beef, with cheap meat. She had witnessed that match firsthand.
Mito Ikumi also agreed from the side. As an opponent he had faced, she clearly knew Soma Yukihira's strength.
"What's the point of being nervous? Besides, I've already decided what dish to make. I'll do my best tomorrow."
Soma Yukihira.
The original protagonist of the Food Wars! world, with a father who is the ceiling of the setting. He gets stronger every day through his father's rigorous training. He is a young man with extremely strong creativity and adaptability.
His eyes revealed a fighting spirit. If it were his past self, he would try to avoid confronting strong opponents, but now that he had strength, the thing he most desired was to face strong opponents.
Sweating over cooking, competing in creativity, and vying in taste—that feeling was unexpectedly wonderful!
Fortunately, he came to the culinary academy, otherwise, how could he compete with so many interesting people? He was really looking forward to tomorrow's match!
[Trigger Task]: Autumn Elections
[Trigger Stage Task ③]: Duel of the New and Old Protagonists
[Task Introduction]: After a long period of effort, your strength has made significant progress, and you have shone brightly in the Autumn Elections. In the quarterfinals, your opponent is Soma Yukihira.
[Task Requirement]: Defeat Soma Yukihira with your cooking.
[Task Reward]: Cooking Skill: Precise Control
[Precise Control]: Possesses an exceptionally excellent perception of an object's weight, with a physical deviation of no more than 0.01 grams.
Hoshino Sora, who was getting up to leave, paused at the sound of the notification in his mind, then a look of joy appeared on his face.
Having been a chef for so long, he naturally knew what this ability represented. It was a skill that many chefs might only grasp after decades of training, yet he had obtained it so easily!?
No, it was too early to be happy. He had to win the competition first. Before that, he needed to make some preparations.
"Alice."
"Here, what's wrong?"
Blinking her eyes, Alice Nakiri paused, looking at Hoshino Sora who had suddenly called her name. A mysterious blush appeared on her face, and then she turned to look at the young man who had called her name.
"I'm coming to your place tonight. Will you cook for me?"
"Huh, I can, but why so sudden?"
Looking at Hoshino Sora's tall figure, the sudden words made Alice Nakiri's expression momentarily stunned, and various possibilities flashed through her mind.
"I just want to eat your cooking. Is that not allowed?"
"Hmph, you have good taste, but I need to go back and prepare first. Come over after eight o'clock tonight."
"Alright, then we'll go this way now."
Hoshino Sora pointed to the path beside them, indicating their separate ways. This was the dividing point between Yōbi Dormitory and Alice Nakiri's home; their residences were not actually too far apart.
"See you later."
But why was Alice's face so red? It was just asking her to cook dinner for him, how strange.
Unfortunately, Kobayashi-senpai and Akikubo-senpai were out of the dormitory, which is to say, the entire third year was currently out on inspection, busy with matters related to their graduation.
Otherwise, with his Chef's Heart, eating their dishes would surely allow him to learn a lot. After all, one person cannot shine in all areas.
The function of the Chef's Heart was to acquire a portion of others' cooking experience. If someone excelled in areas he was not good at, he could gain corresponding experience by tasting their dishes.
Alice Nakiri's Molecular Cuisine techniques, Mito Ikumi's meat processing techniques, Akikubo-senpai's dessert techniques, Kobayashi-senpai's rare ingredient cooking techniques.
To gather the strengths of many and create a perfect superhuman, never falling behind in any field—this was Hoshino Sora's idea, and also the reason he chose the Chef's Heart.
If it were a different environment, he might have chosen other tools to enhance his strength, but in Far Moon Academy, a place where strong individuals and geniuses gathered, the Chef's Heart was undoubtedly the best shortcut to becoming stronger!
-----------------------
✨ Want early access to the latesat chapters and exclusive content? Support me on Patreon and unlock special perks!
👉 [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]