Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 23: Sea, Land, and Air – A Three-Themed “Team Cooking” Showdown!
"It really is a team competition."

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the screen; in fact, he wasn't good at team competitions.

Because in the Blood Blade Sect, under normal circumstances, no kitchen staff would dare to delegate certain procedures to others, since you can't be sure if they would tamper with the process.

Even each full-time chef in the kitchen has their own dedicated bowl, and if there is a problem with the food or if a complaint is filed, they will be held accountable.

Even though Xia Ming was the beloved apprentice of the head chef in charge of the kitchen and was liked by all the chefs, he still operated cautiously and alone most of the time.

The advantage is obvious: Xia Ming is extremely versatile and has the ability to cook for multiple people.

There are also downsides. It can be quite tiring, and because you can't coordinate with others, you have to make some trade-offs when time is tight.

Although the master chef sometimes helps Xia Ming, he has also said that...
"Here, do not completely trust anyone, including myself. On the path of demonic cultivation, only you can ultimately reach the pinnacle."

Xia Ming listened to this advice, and although he encountered numerous crises over the past 30 years, he overcame them all.

But when faced with love at first sight, he was momentarily confused, but luckily he reacted quickly, otherwise his junior sister would have run away with all his hard work.

"So, in team competitions, what I need to do is not to trust my teammates, but to make good use of them. To do that, I must get the captain's position and find people who are willing to cooperate with me (and be used by me)."

Just as he was pondering this, the rules for the team competition groupings were announced simultaneously on the radio and on the big screen.

This team competition will use a "free grouping format"

[Based on the order of victory in the battles, the chefs will each lead a team, consisting of "Shuai Xiaojian," "Chen Xiaodong," and "Zeng Huaijun."]

[The contestants are: "Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef", "Little Flower", and "Only by Fighting Will You Win" each leading a team.]

Now, please have these six people stand on the platform in front.

As the announcement was made, six people whose names were called stepped out of the line and stood in the designated area on the ground.

The live stream chat erupted in noise again as the six people who stepped forward came forward.

What the heck? Something weird seems to have infiltrated these six teams.

[The "Chuan-Yu Ice and Fire Chef" team is hilarious! Does anyone actually dare to join his team?]

No matter what, we'll probably all end up as cannon fodder in the production team, since it's really not fun having a group of just one person.

[I just don't understand, did the Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef steal the wives of these people upstairs? He won based on his skills, what's the difference between him and the other contestants, and who gives you the right to yell at him?]

[The Sichuan-Chongqing "Ice and Fire Chef" relies on skill? Don't be ridiculous! Grilling scorpions is considered skill? Boiling fertilized eggs in soy milk is considered skill? Competitions aren't just about winning or losing; they also involve technique. Tell me, what technique does this guy have? Is he using a syringe to draw blood from the fertilized eggs?]

[Hilarious! He loves using syringes so much, he should be a nurse, not a cook.]

It's clear that some viewers have strong opinions about Xia Ming being chosen as the team captain.

However, all the large screens in the arena were occupied at the moment, so Xia Ming couldn't see the comments no matter how harsh they were.

His focus now was on the three different colored stages that were emerging from under the floor in front of him.

Just then, the broadcast resumed.

[You're probably wondering what this stage means, right? Don't worry, please look to your left.]

Upon hearing the announcement, Xia Ming instinctively looked to his left. Red, blue, and yellow containers corresponded perfectly to the three stages in front of them.

"So, this must be the test question!"

After muttering to himself, all the lights in the arena suddenly went out in an instant, except for the three containers in front of him, which were lit with lights of the same color.

[As you all have probably guessed, this is the question for this round of tests.]

So, let's see what's inside!

With a loud shout over the loudspeaker, the three containers in front of everyone exploded simultaneously, revealing three test questions inside the containers of three different colors.

[Sea][Land][Air]

The moment Xia Ming saw the three large characters inside the container, he raised an eyebrow and looked down.

Under each theme, a dazzling array of ingredients were displayed.
For example, in the category of "Sea", the back row is filled with fish tanks, with various kinds of sea fish swimming in them, and in front there are sea cucumbers, octopuses, shellfish, razor clams, seaweed, and kelp.
The middle category, "Land," is filled with all sorts of fresh meat, some of which are still dripping blood.

Pork, beef, mutton, chicken, duck, rabbit meat—all kinds are available.

The most eye-catching thing is the whole pig displayed on the cutting board in the middle. Judging from its freshness, it was obviously just brought over from the slaughterhouse.

Next is the category of "empty".

Pigeons, quails, pheasants, ostriches, and magpies—the meat portion is indeed less than the first two. But it has an entire cabinet full of insects: cicadas, crickets, locusts, bees, and even a cabinet full of bees, along with a large bucket of raw honey.

Upon seeing so many ingredients, everyone's faces showed surprise.

Some people even looked on with shining eyes.

For example, the "Fish Master" relaxed the moment he saw the fish, indicating that he had found his favorite theme.

There's also "Lolo Hum Hum Hum," which suddenly grins the moment it sees an insect!

"I didn't expect this to happen. This game is definitely in the bag!"

He shared the same idea as "No pain, no gain," and he believed his beef dishes could easily outshine all the other contestants.
Unlike these contestants who were somewhat specialized in one area, most of the contestants were more surprised by the show's generosity.

Because all the ingredients used in the competition, except for the pre-processed meat, were fresh.
Just as everyone was surprised, the broadcast also began to complete the "sugar daddy's task".

[That's right, as you can see, the "sea" category includes 54 different types of fish, as well as seafood such as sea cucumbers and octopuses for you to choose from.]

In the "Land" category, in addition to common poultry and livestock, we also offer flavorful meats unique to 11 regions, as well as incredibly fresh offal.

In the "empty" category, besides common birds that are legally permitted for consumption by the state, there is also a large selection of insects to choose from.

[We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Kangaroo Delivery for their strong support. With Kangaroo Delivery, we can enjoy the same fresh ingredients at home as those featured in the program. Scan the QR code to join the live stream.]

After a somewhat natural-sounding advertisement was read out, the broadcast finally began to announce the specific rules of the competition.

[The six team captains will each choose one of the three questions in front of them, based on their winning order. The two teams that choose the corresponding question will then compete against each other based on a draw.]

[Next, please let Chef "Handsome Little Sword" and contestant "Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef" choose their respective stages first!]

As the words fell, Xia Ming and the handsome Xiao Jian opposite him exchanged a glance.

The production team claims to be selecting stages, but it's more like they're screening contestants.

Xia Ming looked at the platform in front of him and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Actually, all three themes were fine for me, but it was different for the team."

"If I choose seafood, then my team needs to have Fish Fairy, but this guy doesn't like me, so even if I'm forced to join the team, he won't be willing to cooperate with me sincerely."

"Under the same circumstances, I would be better off throwing this landmine and choosing between 'land' and 'air' deployments."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Ming saw Shuai Xiaojian across from him raise his head, smile, and walk to the "sea" position.

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow. Shuai Xiaojian was the one who managed to sit in the "handsome" position in the second round. Whether it was his skills or his reputation in the circle, he was undoubtedly very high.

There are only 11 people on each side. Assuming that they can be perfectly matched, it would be a 443 situation.

There must be quite a few people willing to follow Shuai Xiaojian, which means his team must have at least four people.

"Perfect, he chose the sea, and I don't want the Fish-Sage either."

Xia Ming withdrew his gaze, his eyes continuing to switch between "land" and "air".

If you choose "empty," Lolo will hum and groan.

Just as he was hesitating, his nose suddenly twitched.

He smelled a very faint floral scent and a hint of perfume inside the arena.

Sensing something was wrong, Xia Ming quickly followed the scent with his eyes, but the production crew wasn't in the center of the competition area, and the chefs on either side hadn't made such a basic mistake.
The source of this fragrance can only be the huge cylinder on the right.
After identifying the source of the fragrance, Xia Ming pondered for a moment and then smiled with relief.

I was a little confused when I saw him smiling in the live stream.

What's this guy laughing at? Is he trying to make fun of himself because he knows he doesn't have any teammates?

[I told you he was a good-for-nothing, but you didn't believe me. Just look at what he chooses, and you'll see.]

I think he most likely wants to choose "empty" because it contains a lot of insects, which perfectly suits his cooking style. Plus, choosing "empty" is like being tied to our Luo Bao, making it a guaranteed win.

I think he actually wanted to choose "the sea," but the handsome chef chose it first, and he got scared!

Just as the viewers in the live stream were making various guesses about Xia Ming, he simply strode forward and walked onto the yellow stage in a few steps.

Seeing this, "Ai Pin Cai Hui Ying" standing next to "Xiao Hua" frowned instantly.

Because Xia Ming chose...
【land】

(End of this chapter)