Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 87 The Championship is a Foregone Conclusion, Xia Yitian, You're Finished Today (Fifth Update)
I had no time to heed the raunchy remarks of a certain Black Pearl chef.
"Inside the competition venue"

After summarizing the event, the host announced the results of the "Infinite Reincarnation Cooking Showdown".

[Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef: Passed All 7 Rounds]

[Lai Chi On: Passed all 7 rounds]

[Lolo hums: Passed in 6 rounds, rejected in 1 round]

[Wang Qingrui: Passed 5 rounds, rejected 1 round, pending 1 round]

Who is the winner of the Infinite Reincarnation Cooking Showdown?

[Contestant: Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef]

Chef: Lai Chi-On

As the exciting music started playing, Xia Ming and Li Zhian walked from opposite sides of the competition area to their seats at the round table.

The two smiled at each other and each pulled out a chair to sit down.

As they sat down, the host picked up the microphone!

"Welcome everyone to the live broadcast of 'One Meal to Fame'. After seven rounds of brutal tofu cooking challenges, who is finally sitting in our final battle seat?"

"The founder of 'Nearby' restaurant, a master chef and wine connoisseur, Lai Chi-On, has consistently performed well since the start of the competition. He is a highly skilled and experienced chef~~~"

"From the moment all the chefs took the stage, he presented us with a variety of dishes, including the fragrant 'roasted pigeon' in the land, sea, and air showdown, and the intoxicating 'fermented rice wine' in the food street competition!"

"The philosophical theme of 'it's rare to be confused,' which is deeply enriching in our understanding of life, is joined by seven cold tofu dishes at the end!"

"Chef Li's actions demonstrate the depth of knowledge, breadth of skills, and ingenuity of creativity of the older generation of Chinese chefs, all of which are worth observing and learning from by the younger generation."

After introducing Li Zhian, the host pointed towards Xia Ming's side.

"An ordinary barbecue restaurant owner stood out from thousands of applicants, and after a brutal competition among 86 people, entered the public eye with his signature dish, 'grilled scorpions.'"

"Later, he went viral online with his 'balut and fermented mung bean juice,' and his 'fried pork chop with offal soup' completely won over the judges of a hundred people."

"In the food street competition, he used his exceptional wisdom and strategy to single-handedly defeat 15 other contestants and ultimately emerge victorious. His exclusive recipe, 'Turtle Jelly Ice Cream,' has been replicated by numerous online food bloggers, and it even topped the trending searches for two related terms!"

"In the theme of life, a noodle dish 'Boundless Love' resonated with many netizens. While seemingly filled with mixed emotions, the courage to change the world single-handedly is truly admirable."

"In the final infinite cycle of cooking, he successfully passed the challenge with seven hot tofu dishes, and his 'Tofu Fish' dish drew continuous praise from the judges!"

"With his imaginative ideas, solid culinary skills, and boundless creativity, he has shown us the brilliance of a new generation of chefs."

"And now, our 'One Meal to Fame' live competition has reached its final stage!"

"Will the older generation of chefs prevail, or will the new generation of chefs stand firm until the end? The format of the final round of the competition will be revealed soon!"

Inside "Brother Hui's General Store" in Sichuan and Chongqing.

Xia Yitian stretched.
In his view, this last match was actually meaningless.

No matter what the challenge is, Chef Lai Chi On will always go easy on him.

The chefs who came over knew that in a competition like this, which had a specific purpose, they would definitely have to show their seniority in the end.

After all, they received appearance fees when they came, and even if they win first place, they can't take the prize money with them.

Those empty titles are insignificant to chefs; any regional professional competition would be more convincing than this variety show.

Wen Zhixia, who was standing to the side, was even more knowledgeable about this matter. She had already had someone investigate and found that the biggest financial backer behind this variety show was the "Luo family".

They also found out that Luo Luo Heng Heng Ji is Luo Jin Ran, the daughter of Luo Ming Yuan, the third son of Old Master Luo.

"One day, you said, wasn't it because the Luo family initially wanted to use this variety show to promote Luo Jinran, but then realized they couldn't, so..."

Xia Yitian glanced at Wen Zhixia.

"Are you kidding me? You think they're guaranteed to make that kind of frozen tofu?"

"Besides, given Old Master Luo's temper, he probably wouldn't do something like this. But it doesn't matter anymore, since this is basically just a formality anyway."

"Andy Lai was in poor condition due to the long recording period, so for this last dish, all he had to do was show his seniority."

"Even if we lose, no one will react. After all, given my age, the audience will naturally understand."

"Xia Ming has passed through many rounds of competition. As long as he doesn't mess around in this final round, he's definitely going to win the championship. He's lost his shop now, so even if he has some spare money, he probably won't have much."

"The prize money for first place in this competition is over 80 yuan after tax, so he certainly won't give it up easily."

"Based on past experience, he will most likely go home first after winning the championship."

Thinking of this, Xia Yitian frowned.

Wen Zhixia nodded when she saw his expression.

"Okay, I'll wait for you. Wait until Xia Ming comes back, say hello to him, and then we can leave."

Xia Yitian looked at Wen Zhixia curiously. "He's such a grown man, why should I wait for him to come back!"

"However, our global culinary training program is coming to an end, and we're probably not back for another year or two. If we don't see each other now, we might not see each other again for another year!"

Hearing Wen Zhixia's words, Xia Yitian sighed.

"This kid has honed his culinary skills right under my nose without telling me. Do you think he'll put on some kind of father-son show with me?"

“He’s an adult now, he has his own life and his own path to choose.”

"As his father, what I need to do is help him when he is confused, not interfere in his life."

“You see, he can still do very well without family-style training, so we should leave his future to him.”

Wen Zhixia shook her head.

"Although I shouldn't interfere in your family affairs, I still think Xia Ming needs more professional training."

“I’ve watched the replays before. Many times, his matches have a kind of sinister quality. When he has the strength to back it up, this is certainly a good thing, but if his foundation is insufficient, it will only backfire on him.”

“I still think you should find him a teacher to mentor him and let him learn more positive things. It’s not too late to show his personal characteristics after he has a solid foundation.”

Xia Yitian looked at Xia Ming, who had already walked to the stove, and pondered for a long time before silently nodding.

"This kid has a lot of crooked tricks up his sleeve, and he's quick-witted, which I think is a strength."

"But what you said makes some sense. Here's what I'll do: I'll give my senior brother, Li Sanpang, a call."

As he spoke, Xia Yitian reached out his hand to Wen Zhixia.

Looking at the outstretched hand, Wen Zhixia blushed slightly and then slowly placed her hand in Xia Yitian's hand.

Xia Yitian was also taken aback when he saw this.

"No, Wen Zhixia, that's not what I meant."

Wen Zhixia was taken aback.

"Then what do you mean?"

Xia Yitian withdrew his hand.

"The number! Li Sanpang's number! I threw away my phone before, how could I remember my senior brother's number?"

Wen Zhixia felt as if a string in her mind had snapped, and her outstretched hand clenched into a fist.

"You're finished! I'm going to beat you to death today!"

Seeing this, Xia Yitian blinked and then put on a melancholy expression.

"Although I lost my phone, your number will always be buried in my heart. I will never forget that string of numbers."

"Otherwise, Wen Zhixia, how do you think I called you?"

Upon hearing Xia Yitian's words, Wen Zhixia's clenched fist instantly lost its strength, and her anger vanished in an instant.

"Okay, one day. Wait a moment, I'll ask around for you."

"Don't you have it on your phone?"

"I came in a bit of a rush this time, and I left my work machine at the hotel. It's okay, I'll have someone check it, it'll only take 20 minutes."

Upon hearing that it would take 20 minutes, Xia Yitian wore a troubled expression.

"Forget it then. Here's what you'll do: open the drawer behind you and hand me that little brown notebook."

Wen Zhixia blinked, then opened the drawer, took out a small notebook, and handed it to Xia Yitian.

"One day, what is this?"

"A phone book? Haven't you ever used one before?"

"Then why are you asking me for phone numbers when you already have a phone book?"

"It was just something I did on a whim."

Hearing Xia Yitian utter the word "casually," Wen Zhixia felt as if she had been electrocuted. After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke.

"What's my phone number today?"

"138."

As Xia Yitian fell silent while reciting the number, Wen Zhixia immediately understood what was going on!
The flames that had just died down reignited, and she raised her right hand and swung it straight at them!

"Xia Yitian, you're finished today! Even the King of Heaven himself couldn't save you."

With a roar from Wen Zhixia, the brawl inside the general store is about to resume.
(End of this chapter)