Consecutive Battles

Chapter 333: Consecutive Battles

Hayama Akira’s dish was undoubtedly the first to be served.

With his knife skills, preparing sashimi alone barely took any time at all.

Just when everyone thought Hayama Akira’s dish was simply this plate of sashimi, he took out a gas torch and began searing it.

In an instant, an explosive aroma spread through the air, turning every judge at the table into its captive.

This familiar scene brought back many memories for the students who had seen Xu Yue present his dish on the first day of the training camp.

It was a very similar dish!

Even Mizuhara Fuyumi, a former Elite Ten graduate who usually wore an expressionless face, was flushed red at this moment. Once she put the seared fish into her mouth, she immediately realized that, in terms of spice usage alone, Hayama Akira had actually surpassed Xu Yue!

His flavors were far more integrated than Xu Yue’s dish from last time.

In comparison, Xu Yue focused more on violent bursts of flavor, while Hayama Akira melded everything into one.

No, it was more than simple fusion…

"The sauce poured over the sashimi uses vinegar, top-grade extra virgin olive oil, and Pacific saury liver. The rich flavor of the fish liver seeps onto the tongue bit by bit, further bringing out the sweetness of the saury’s fat, but…"

"Under such intense flavor stimulation, he only used one spice— allspice!"

Compared to Xu Yue’s control over aromas, Hayama Akira had already transcended the limitations of spices!

The flavor had not weakened in the slightest. Instead, it had been elevated.

In terms of spice application alone, he was unquestionably number one at Totsuki Academy!

The first dish to be served, and the fastest one at that, had received incredibly high praise.

Immediately afterward, Yukihira Soma brought out the "rice bran-pickled Pacific saury" he had prepared for so long.

He completely avoided the saury’s fresh flavor. During the season when fresh Pacific saury was supposed to be eaten, he had stubbornly turned it into pickled saury instead.

Paired with rice to balance the flavor, it displayed an entirely different and unique taste.

He had completely circumvented the weakness in his choice of ingredients.

"The deep savoriness within the saltiness spreads with every chew. He has taken an entirely different path, and in terms of flavor alone, it should be said that this dish is no inferior to the previous one."

Using slightly inferior ingredients to earn such an evaluation fully demonstrated Yukihira Soma’s abilities. His versatility and ability to overcome problems were undoubtedly outstanding.

Years of tempering under his father had given him a deep and solid foundation. Other than Xu Yue, he was the one who had improved the most at Totsuki Academy!

However…

"It has Seichiro’s flavor."

Dojima Gin and Senzaemon Nakiri both had the same thought at the same time.

Although this young man had already developed the beginnings of his own chef’s heart, the outside influence on him was simply too great. Years of exposure to Seichiro in the kitchen had heavily shaped his personal style.

When the flavors were otherwise evenly matched, the gap between the two showed itself in this regard.

In no time, the three judges, all of whom held considerable standing in the culinary world, had already decided the winner between Hayama Akira and Yukihira Soma.

The gap was not large, but a gap was still a gap!

Then, as if by prior agreement, they all looked toward Xu Yue, whose dish had already been plated and brought out.

Come to think of it, he was the student most lacking in what was known as a chef’s heart.

And the specialties he was best at had been specifically countered as well.

In terms of spices, Hayama Akira’s use surpassed his. In terms of freshness, the Pacific saury chosen by Hayama Akira was also of the highest quality.

And besides…

Why had he chosen fish bones as his main ingredient?

Certainly, fried fish bones were a dish found in many places, but compared to the fish flesh itself, this ingredient was still inferior in fresh flavor and texture.

Yet when Xu Yue’s three plates of fish bones were placed before the judges, they looked at the golden, crisp bones glistening faintly with oil. Even without any obvious aromatic impact, all of them inexplicably swallowed.

This kid’s ability was right there for all to see. He should not disappoint them…

The crispy, fluffy fish bone pieces coated in thickened sauce entered their mouths. As they bit down, an ultimate, luxurious freshness instantly flooded their entire mouths.

The distinctive crispness of fried food, mixed with a slight oily smoothness, combined with the explosive freshness. It was as though the flavor of an entire fish had been sealed within its bones.

That taste of life blooming made everyone feel as though they had become newly born little fish, joyfully swimming through the water.

The ultimate luxurious enjoyment of flavor nearly left all three of them weak in the knees.

And…

That faint Culinary Will, that nascent chef’s heart that embraced all things and accepted all rivers, also gave them a vague sense of the vastness of the World Will itself.

Their spirits briefly came into contact with the soul of cooking within Moon Heaven Hall!

This kid had already comprehended the beginnings of a chef’s heart?

But something felt off. They had clearly sensed that will.

Yet it also felt as if it were a puppet on strings, completely under the other party’s control.

Without wholehearted passion devoted to cooking, could someone fully control a chef’s heart?

They had never heard of such a thing…

Xu Yue had only just begun absorbing the Culinary Will of Moon Heaven Hall twice. Aside from improving his own abilities, the beginnings of a chef’s heart had indeed emerged in his cooking!

However, since it was entirely meant to complete himself, and he was absorbing it into his body through this steady resonance, Xu Yue naturally had to ensure absolute control over it.

He could allow it to influence him slightly, but it absolutely could not affect his own subjective will.

Under such circumstances, it was perfectly normal for these three culinary giants to detect something unusual about this still-incomplete nascent form.

But regardless, its absolute freshness was unquestionably number one in terms of stimulating the taste buds. That domineering nascent chef’s heart, which embraced all things and accepted all rivers, had also completely elevated the spiritual realization of fish bones containing the fresh flavor of fish flesh, lending it an indescribable support.

With the two fused together, this dish, which had not been much different from the other two, now displayed a clear gap.

There was no confusion and no hesitation.

All three judges wrote down the name they favored at the same time.

Xu Yue!

3-0-0!

A complete victory without the slightest suspense!

"What?!"

"He beat those two powerful opponents with fish bones?"

"But the judges gave the other two such high evaluations!"

"You can even do this with fish bones?"

"…"

All the watching students found it hard to believe.

When it came to ingredient selection, Xu Yue had chosen fish bones, something that was practically discarded waste.

Yukihira Soma’s method of avoiding a contest of freshness through pickling had already been remarkable enough.

But Xu Yue had used the part most difficult to cook to defeat the part with the finest fresh flavor.

The difference between them was obvious at a glance!

"The results are in! The champion of the Autumn Election is our very own Xu Yue! Xu Yue, who possesses the second ‘God Tongue’!"

"Now that Erina Nakiri has entered the Elite Ten, let us look forward to the day Xu Yue joins them as well! I have no doubts about it!"

Once the results came out, the host excitedly screamed as she announced them, while also directly fanning the flames around the Elite Ten.

"Well, there’s no need to wait any longer. Let’s do it now. I’d like to ask the three judges to witness a Food War between Etsuya Eizan, the Ninth Seat, and me, with an Elite Ten seat on the line."

However, Xu Yue smiled and took the microphone from host Kawashima Rei, casually dropping this earth-shaking announcement.

In an instant, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.

The Elite Ten represented the pinnacle of Totsuki Academy!

Kawashima Rei had only said that to build up the atmosphere, and he was actually this straightforward about it?

That’s both updates done. I still have to go out later… looks like I’ll have to stay up late writing tomorrow’s chapters again…