Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 61: Life is like cooking, cooking reflects life; the top eight battle it out in a culinary showdown. The theme is...
The next day, after having lunch, Xia Ming arrived at the second floor of the competition venue as required by the program team. The original layout of the competition venue had been completely changed, with eight stoves distributed around the venue like a Bagua diagram.

The venue was dimly lit, with eight lights shining directly on the eight stoves to make them stand out.

In the center of the stove was a stage, where the host had been waiting for a long time.

"Welcome everyone to our live broadcast of 'One Meal to Fame'. After being selected by tens of thousands of people, competing for 86 spots, and undergoing continuous screening through subsequent rounds, eight outstanding chefs have finally made it to our Dream Hall."

"Now, I would like to formally introduce the quarterfinalists to you."

"First up is Chef Shuai Xiaojian, whom everyone knows well. He's steady and adaptable."

"Secondly, there's Chef Zeng Huaijun. His control over spiciness during the competition was simply divine."

"Then comes Chef Wang Qingrui."

"Let's welcome Chef Dong Jiaqi."

Let's welcome Chef Lai Chi On with applause.

Now that we've introduced the chefs, let's take a look at the contestants.

"First up is the adorable, charming, clever, and intelligent Lolo Hem-Hem-Hem. Her unique spice blending techniques left a deep impression on us!"

"Next up is the most unexpected contestant of this competition, an absolute genius who single-handedly broke the competition's pattern, the Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef!"

"The last one is a dark horse who left an extremely deep impression on everyone with his crispy chicken!"

As the host enthusiastically announced the contestants, the eight finalists took their seats one by one.

Once the eight people were in place, the host stepped aside.

"I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the next round's format right now. But hold on, let's look at the center of the stage first!"

Guided by the host, Xia Ming, standing in front of the stove, looked up at the center of the stove. As a stirring piece of music played, the stage split open from the middle, and a round table that was familiar to them slowly emerged.

But at this moment, there are only 4 chairs left next to the round table!
"That's right, only four people will advance this time, meaning half of the contestants will be eliminated here. As for the theme this time..."

As the host paused, eight large screens displaying different background colors suddenly fell straight down from above the round table, forming a fence that enveloped the round table. Then, on each of the different background colors, the same line of text appeared.

Life is like cooking, and cooking reflects life!

The theme of this quarter-final culinary battle is...

【Life!】

Upon seeing the large word "Life" at the bottom of the screen, the eight people present displayed various expressions.

The handsome chef looked nostalgic, Zeng Huaijun's eyes were resolute, Wang Qingrui was somewhat emotional, and Dong Jiaqi was lost in thought.
As for Lai Chi-On, he just chuckled and didn't seem to care.
On the contestant's side, a dark horse was full of confidence, as if he already had a complete plan when he saw the topic.

Lolo grumbled, her eyes revealing endless disgust, but it vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a lingering expectation and longing.

When Xia Ming saw the word "life," his expression remained calm, but his mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.
Life?

No, for memories, it's called life.

For him, calling him a "demon" might be more accurate.

A multitude of images flashed rapidly through my mind.
The parents lay motionless on the ground, the dog cage in the shadows, the markings on their necks, and the straws representing numbers stuck in front of the cage.
Robber bandits, rogue cultivators, an endless road, the Blood Sect's trials, and finally, the master's face.
Clear broth noodles, Soul River water, fish with an ever-present, peculiar bloody smell, and the bits and pieces of the Blood Blade Sect's thirty years of history.
And that thrilling, adventurous adventure, and its ultimately absurd ending.
Taking a deep breath and calming his emotions, Xia Ming remained calm, as if it were all someone else's life, just a compelling movie in the theater.
Then, he raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of disdain in his eyes as he looked down upon all living beings.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.

"What an interesting topic!"

The host, who had been waiting for quite some time, continued, "That's right, the theme of this melee is life."

"Please prepare a dish that embodies your life experiences and beliefs within the two hours you have, in order to impress the judges."

"Therefore, in addition to the original three star judges, we have also invited four special judges."

They are respectively

"Master Chef Tan Zhifeng, a first-class chef (Chinese Level 7), the food director of this program, has been dedicated to promoting and developing food for 30 years."

"Level 2 Special Chef (Level 6 in China), the youngest female Level 2 Special Chef in history, the 'Cloud Chef Fairy' who has won numerous awards at home and abroad, Ms. Luo Yumin."

"Master Sui Wubai, a first-class chef (level 7 in China), a well-known short video blogger, an outstanding chef in China, and known by netizens as the 'Kakashi' of the chef world."

"Mr. Li Shanghu, a renowned national-level food critic, a pioneer of molecular gastronomy in Cantonese cuisine, and the then 'Gold Medal Judge' of the Shanghai Regional Chefs Alliance."

As the host finished speaking, a circular platform rose up, and the seven judges sat in a row, warmly greeting the viewers in front of the camera.

Viewers in the live stream responded with comments.

I was fortunate enough to have tasted Chef Tan's cooking once, and I can only say it was absolutely divine, simply unbeatable!

Good heavens, Chef Sui is here! Today is definitely going to be a fierce battle. I wonder if we'll get to see Chef Sui's amazing skills live!

[Isn't that Grandpa Li Shanghu? Good heavens, an absolute titan of the judging world! My grandfather was fortunate enough to be judged by him back in the day, known as the "Chinese God Tongue"—are you kidding me?]

【Yumin, Yumin, we support you~】

Wait, who is this woman? Why is she acting like a fan club?

[She's participated in numerous competitions and appeared on variety shows, so she definitely has fans. But her skills are truly genuine. Sui Wubai visited her shop and gave it a perfect score. You think the youngest female level 6 Chinese chef is joking with you?]

After exchanging greetings, the seven turned their attention back to the contestants present.

Tan Zhifeng smiled kindly, Luo Yumin nodded, and Li Shanghu picked up the microphone.

"I am very happy to see some old friends and new friends I am meeting for the first time. In the culinary profession, the dishes we make are sour, sweet, bitter and spicy, and what we eat is the taste of life."

"No matter what your reasons are for standing on this stage, I hope you can give it your all and present your understanding of life and cooking through your dishes."

"Enough with the small talk, everyone's time is precious, so let's wait for your cooking."

As Li Shanghu put down the microphone, the judges' panel turned around again.

The host also announced additional rules.
Unlike before, because everyone's life is different, in order to ensure the integrity of the dishes, the production team gave everyone a full 3 hours of preparation time to think about the dishes and prepare the ingredients.

During this time, you can raise any needs with the production team, and they will do their best to meet them.

Of course, it can't be too outrageous either.
As the host shouted "Start," eight separate small doors appeared around the competition venue, leading to the rest area where contestants could manage their three-hour preparation time.

Xia Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. He had already decided on the dish for this competition, but making it here would require a lot of ingredients and procedures.
In particular, there were several unusual places that were extremely difficult to find, so he didn't hesitate and went straight into the lounge to fill out a form for the production team.

The assistant director was completely dumbfounded when he received Xia Ming's ingredient list.
"I tolerated douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), royal jelly, and these special types of chili peppers, but what does this last one mean?"

"What's wrong? Has he gone mad? He fed the judges scorpions and balut before, and now he wants to feed them dirt???"

(End of this chapter)