Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
That was right!
What Bu Fang intended to make this time was the Oyster Pancake, the one whose fragrance would permeate for ten miles.
If the Stinky Tofu was the most stinky dish, then the most fragrant dish would be none other than the Oyster Pancake. All deep-fried dishes were extremely fragrant and it was especially the case for a dish such as the Oyster Pancake.
This was a decision which he came to after he pondered for a long while. It would be difficult for an ordinary Oyster Pancake to amaze the crowd, so Bu Fang changed its ingredients and chose better ones to let the effects of the Oyster Pancake reach an extremely astonishing degree.
“Fine, it’s fine as long as you don’t make such overwhelmingly stinky dishes. Even though it was delicious, the stench it emitted was truly too unbearable.” After observing him for a long while, the judge didn’t discover anything amiss about the dish Bu Fang was about to cook.
The dish this time should be a more ordinary one. As long as it wasn’t stinky, it shouldn’t cause much trouble.
The competitors in the surrounding ascended the stage and stood before their own platforms as they started to prepare for the match.
All of them curiously looked at Bu Fang.
In the elimination rounds, doctors, poison masters, and people who were not alchemists had mostly been eliminated. After all, they were at too much of a disadvantage when compared to alchemists.
However, Bu Fang was a chef and he was unexpectedly still in this round of the competition. Such a fact amazed many people.
“Hurry up and look! It’s the chef who took part in the competition yesterday!”
“This is already the elimination round! I’m looking forward to the dish he will cook this time. The stench from the dish he made yesterday was really too smelly…”
“I’m suddenly looking forward to him passing these rounds. Don’t all of you think that it would be quite a funny scene if a chef makes it into the top fifty?”
…
Probably because of the presence of Bu Fang, many spectators crowded around the eighth arena. They were all spectators who had seen Bu Fang’s performance the day before. They probably heard about it from someone that Bu Fang was in eighth arena again and they came over to watch him.
Almost everyone heard that a chef participated in the Magical Hand Conference. How could they not come over to watch him in action?
The competitors in the arena were all astonished by the great number of spectators. They were only in the elimination rounds… Why were there so many people surrounding the arena?
These participants had heard of what Bu Fang did before and they knew that he was a chef. Many of them laughed at him for joining the Magical Hands Conference… A chef who joined the Magical Hands Conference, was he looking down on them alchemists?
How could truly excellent alchemists be affected while refining elixirs?
With them there, it would be impossible for that chef to pass those rounds.
Many of the competitors in the arena started getting ready for the match and they shot Bu Fang a vicious gaze.
“Snort… He’s just a cook. He’s just a clown who is trying to amuse the crowd.” A man, who wore a cyan long robe coldly snorted as he looked at Bu Fang in disdain. He had a reason for being this proud as he was an alchemist from the Heavenly Pill City’s Pill Tower. If an alchemist couldn’t even defeat a chef, wouldn’t he be just trash?
In this Magical Hands Conference, there were many genius alchemists who were standing on the bronze platforms. This man who was wearing a green robe was one of those geniuses.
A mere chef wanted to challenge alchemists in their specialized field… None of the alchemists treated him as an opponent. After all, the difference in standard between chefs and alchemists was too large, there was no way for them to compete with each other.
In front of the disdainful gazes of the alchemists, Bu Fang paid them no heed. He was inspecting his Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife at the moment and he blew a breath of air toward the blade of the knife. A sharp air emerged from it.
After a while, the judge walked to the arena’s center and started announcing the rules of the first elimination round.
“This is the first round of elimination after the preliminary round. Compared to the preliminary round, the competition in the elimination round is more stringent. The requirement on the participant’s abilities is also very high!” The judge looked at them and took a deep breath as he spoke.
He knew that there were many talented alchemists there. However, there were some words which he still needed to say regardless of their status.
“In this elimination round, every participant will have half an hour to produce an elixir which is at least of the ninth grade. Moreover, the quality of the elixir has to reach the mid-rank. If your elixir does not reach the standard, it will be considered as a failure. At the end of the half-hour mark, we will use a special detection array to evaluate your product. It’s necessary for all of you to show your abilities in order to pass this round.”
Refining a ninth grade elixir in half an hour was truly somewhat difficult.
Many people couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air when they heard him. They knew that the elimination rounds were difficult, but they didn’t expect that it would be this difficult.
It would be strenuous for even some One-Mark Alchemist to refine a ninth grade elixir in half an hour. Not to mention the fact that there were many competitors who were not at the level of a One-Mark Alchemist.
“The half-hour countdown will start now.”
The ambiance of the whole plaza changed as an extremely deafening bell sound resounded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Everyone tightened their nerves in an instant and began to show their abilities. A myriad of flames appeared the moment the competition started. Alchemic flames, spirit flames, and all sorts of flames rose into the sky.
When Bu Fang spouted a mouthful of his Ten Thousand Beastial Flame, all of the flames in the eighth arena trembled. Although everyone knew that Bu Fang was a chef who used a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame to cook, when the scene of him cooking with the flame in front of them appeared, their hearts still ached.
They were all jealous and envious of him.
The requirements for a good flame was extremely high when practicing alchemy. If an alchemist could obtain a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame, their strength would experience and indescribable growth.
“Such a waste of a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame…” There were many people who muttered in their heart when they saw that Bu Fang was cooking with a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame. They secretly hated Bu Fang in their hearts.
The golden Ten Thousand Bestial Flame, which was like a blazing sun, flickered for a while before it went into the bottom of the Black Turtle Constellation Wok and started burning in it.
The oil inside the wok quickly became scalding and started boiling.
While the oil was being heated, Bu Fang displayed his extremely magnificent cutting technique. With a slight flick of his wrist, the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife started dancing on his palm. As it spun around, whistling sounds were emitted. It seemed as though the knife was ripping space apart which dazzled and stunned many people.
Bu Fang took out an eighth-grade spirit herb and as the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife spun around in his hand, the carrot-like spirit herb was shredded. The long strips seemed as though they were dancing in the air as Bu Fang controlled them with his true energy. They fell orderly on a porcelain tray which was on the platform.
The spectators couldn’t help but exclaim in alarm when they saw such a scene.
In Heavenly Mist City, they rarely saw a restaurant. There was no need to mention that they hadn’t seen a chef cook. Such a magnificent sight truly stunned all of them.
Bu Fang’s knife work was too quick and they were not able to follow his movements with their eyes. They were only able to hear the rhythmic slashes before the ingredients were neatly sliced. Moreover, every single slice seemed identical to each other.
The spectators unceasingly exclaimed in alarm and surprise as Bu Fang displayed his cutting technique.
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The alchemists in the surrounding were displeased by such a sight, “What the hell… He’s just cutting ingredients, what are all of you shouting for? Can’t you be quieter?”
Even though they had grievances in their heart, they were unable to pour them out as they had already started to refine their elixir.
Alchemy was different from cooking. The alchemists had to extract the spiritual essence in the medicinal ingredients before fusing them according to various procedures to forme a pill.
Each step was extremely strenuous and difficult. They had to keep their mental force at its peak state in order to complete all the steps.
It was also the first time that the judge witnessed Bu Fang’s knife skills. When he saw Bu Fang’s exceptional skill, he couldn’t control himself as he exclaimed in surprise.
However, he was, after all, a judge. Besides supervising the competitors, he still needed to maintain the order of the arena. After shouting once, he waved his hands at the spectators and tried to keep them under control.
After the crowd settled down, all of them looked at Bu Fang fervently.
This was the first time they had seen a chef at work and it was a fresh feeling for all of them.
As the match went on, more and more people appeared around the eighth arena.
Placing his palm above the oil in the wok, Bu Fang felt as though the heat was mildly scalding. He knew that the oil had been heated up enough and he slightly nodded his head.
He threw that Oyster Pancake which had been smeared in rice milk into the wok.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
A continuous sizzling sound immediately resounded as the oil inside the wok started rolling around while white steam rose up from inside the wok.
Bu Fang revolved his body’s true energy and poured it into the wok. The oil in it started to swirl and it seemed as though it turned into a whirlpool.
At this moment, the Oyster Pancake in the wok experienced some changes. It seemed as if it bloomed as the spirit energy around it charged to the sky. It looked like tentacles shooting into the sky, like a blooming epiphyllum. Blinding rays of light shot out in all directions.
“Wow! It’s too beautiful.”
“So this is what cooking looks like… It’s too cool!”
“It’s so fragrant… Do any of you smell the aroma in the air?”
…
The spectators who were below the arena went into an uproar once again.
A burst of fragrance was emitted from the Oyster Pancake in the wok and the smell was really strong. As steam rose up into the sky, a fragrant smell filled the area.
Almost all of the spectators managed to catch a whiff of the fragrance and the expression on their faces changed. It became one of intoxication and saliva formed inside their mouths. They smacked their lips.
That was an indescribable fragrance. As it drilled into their nostrils, it felt like a mass of silk as it aroused their taste buds. All of the hair on their bodies stood on end.
They had never smelled something so fragrant before in their lives.
Was this a pill’s fragrance?
No! Not even the fragrance of a Spirit Pill was able to smell so good.
What in the world was that?
Since the spectators had already smelt the fragrance coming from the Oyster Pancake, how could the judge not smell it?
The judge was very gratified. Indeed, this kid didn’t cook the same smelly dish he made the day before. The fragrance coming from this dish was much better.
Smelling the aroma coming from the Oyster Pancake, the judge became unable to help himself. He smacked his lips and saliva filled his mouth. His turned his gaze and fixed it on Bu Fang’s bronze platform.
This aroma was… It was extremely fragrant!
All of a sudden, the judge’s body stiffened as his expression gravely changed, and his body shook like a leaf as he looked at Bu Fang.
Bang!
The sound of an explosion filled the arena. The explosion came from a medicine furnace somewhere in the back of the arena. A doctor had a face full of regret as he pulled the hair on his head. His eyes were bloodshot and he seemed extremely angry.
Fragrance? That damned fragrance! Why did it have to smell so good?
The moment he smelled the aroma coming from the Oyster Pancake, the doctor felt as though his spirit got thrown into a whirlpool. He became distracted and his medicine furnace instantly exploded. All of his efforts were wasted.
How infuriating!
This doctor wasn’t the only one who was affected. As the fragrance filled the area, the atmosphere on the arena changed.
The judge’s pupils constricted as he looked at the scene around him in panic and alarm.
Indeed… There was an ugly expression on the face of a majority of the participants at this moment.
As the aroma of the Oyster Pancake drilled into their nostrils, it stirred up their feelings and made them crave delicacies. Moreover, it wasn’t often for the participants to smell such a nice aroma. How were they supposed to resist the temptation from such a fragrant smell?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of medicine furnaces and pill furnaces exploding reverberated throughout the arena.
The moment the furnaces exploded, the judge was not the only person who was stunned. The spectators who were standing below the arena were also shocked. They were brought back to their senses by the sound of explosions.
Bu Fang was calm as usual and he focused all of his attention on the Oyster Pancake in his wok. With a flick of his wrist, the Oyster Pancake which was fried till it was golden brown flew out of the wok and landed on a porcelain plate.
As his Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife flashed, he lightly made a cut in the middle of the Oyster Pancake.
As the outer layer of the Oyster Pancake was sliced open, the white and tender ingredients inside were exposed. Huge and fat oysters popped out and a burst of fragrance was released.
“My product, the enhanced version of the Oyster Pancake… is complete.” Waving his knife a few times in the air, he firmly gripped his Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, then said with an expressionless face after raising his head.
The moment the words left his mouth, there were sounds of explosions which came from the back.