Ramen

The first round of the Autumn Election quarterfinals had already been arranged.

And starting from the Autumn Election quarterfinals, the Moon Heaven Hall would be used!

Xu Yue versus Mito Ikumi, Hisako versus Hayama Akira, Tadokoro Megumi versus Yukihira Soma, and Kurokiba Ryo versus Alice.

Compared to the original story, the matchups had changed considerably.

There was also no suspense whatsoever in the results of the first matches. Xu Yue, Hayama Akira, Yukihira Soma, and Alice emerged victorious.

Well, Kurokiba Ryo and Alice should originally have been evenly matched. In terms of pure cooking ability, Kurokiba Ryo might even have had the edge.

But who told him she was his former owner? In his ditzy mode, Kurokiba Ryo instantly GG’d.

After winning that first hopelessly one-sided match in the Moon Heaven Hall, Xu Yue used the resonance of victory to once again connect with the Culinary Will gathered there.

Longing for culinary skill and longing for victory converged, then flooded into Xu Yue’s heart.

An indescribable sense of pleasure rose within him.

He had felt the joy those chefs experienced upon winning.

Because of the absence of a true self in his heart, when Xu Yue stuffed this temporary substitute into that void, it brought him a different kind of thrill.

Moreover, it was far more efficient than self-hypnosis.

Still, each time he won, Xu Yue only absorbed a portion of the will that would not affect himself at all.

Any more than that, and he would run into the same dilemma as before—he was afraid that power spilling out unconsciously would cause major trouble.

"Going by efficiency, it seems I’ll need about ten times to finish it. There’s one more semifinal and one final ahead. Looks like I’ll have to make up the remaining times through the Elite Ten battles after becoming one of them."

Having completed this harvest, Xu Yue had no choice but to make slight adjustments to his future plans.

There was no need to Ascend to Heaven in One Step and seize a seat immediately. He could first challenge the lower-ranked Elite Ten a few times.

And without a doubt, the Autumn Election was actually one of the gateways to becoming an Elite Ten member in the future.

Under normal procedures, once the third-year Elite Ten graduated, the reserve candidates who filled their spots would likely be the winners of the Autumn Election.

But obviously, Xu Yue had no intention of waiting that long for the third-years to graduate.

Using Reincarnation Points to delay things in a Punishment mission was a rather poor bargain no matter how he looked at it…

"The semifinal matchups are out!"

"Xu Yue versus Alice, Yukihira Soma versus Hayama Akira. What a clash of dragons and tigers."

"Indeed, this year’s students are truly too strong."

"That’s right. I never expected that even with 33 points, I still couldn’t break through. What a shame. In previous years, I could’ve made it into the quarterfinals."

"…"

As the semifinal roster was announced, the entire school buzzed with discussion.

In terms of scores, Xu Yue and Alice had the highest marks among the semifinalists.

However, since it had only been a scoring contest, and the judges for Groups A and B had been different, the general consensus was that every match would be fiercely contested.

Especially Xu Yue and Alice.

The two had tied for first place in Group B.

They had failed to determine a winner before, but this time, they could settle it in a Food Wars!

Compared with the preliminary judges, starting from the quarterfinals, even Senzaemon himself had personally appeared to take part.

As the Demon King of the culinary world, his judging experience was far greater. It would not be easy for another tie to occur this time! (Mist)

"Hey, you cheater! This time, we can finally settle things fair and square!"

As Xu Yue and Alice stepped onto the stage, Alice was the first to point at Xu Yue without the slightest courtesy.

She admitted that this guy was strong and that his cooking methods were impressive.

But during the final stage of the training camp, he had cheated by using a dish where one egg counted as one serving of ingredients. That was how he had taken the largest number and won her Ryo away, leaving her completely unable to adjust during this period.

She did not even have an errand-running lackey anymore!

She had originally planned to show him what she was made of during the Autumn Election preliminaries.

Yet he had also scored 95 points. It made her so mad!

Fortunately, Grandpa would be judging personally this time. There would definitely be a winner.

I’ll show you that before high-tech methods, traditional cooking is destined to be eliminated sooner or later.

Xu Yue looked at the puffed-up Alice glaring at him and revealed a friendly smile.

"Would Lady Alice like to win Kurokiba Ryo back? If you wager that you’ll become my lackey if you lose this time, I’ll return Kurokiba Ryo to you. I can even let you win me over as well."

"Bring it on! This time, I’ll show you my true strength!"

Alice’s face was filled with confidence.

Using her specialized equipment, she had refined every detail of her dishes down to the level of scent molecules, perfectly simulating the optimal flavors needed by the human body.

When it comes to taste, I absolutely won’t lose!

In the eyes of the old Elite Ten, Xu Yue was a cooking machine.

Yet Alice herself used machines.

It could be said that neither of their dishes possessed their own soul. Neither had their own chef’s heart, and neither had found their true path.

All the way here, they had relied on overpowering flavors to conquer their opponents.

Even the reasons they had lost points in the preliminaries were almost identical.

"Oh, before the competition has even begun, both contestants already seem brimming with fighting spirit! Let’s look back at their journey. During the earlier training camp, Xu Yue used the compact advantages of Tea Eggs to sell an astonishing five hundred servings. Then, during the preliminaries, the two were placed in the same group and received the same score. They’ve been locked in this fateful rivalry from the very beginning, and this time, they can finally determine a true winner!"

That professional host clearly knew how to stir up the crowd. With ease, he cast the two onto opposing sides.

Neither Xu Yue nor Alice voiced any objection.

They merely walked toward their respective cooking stations at the same time.

Compared with Xu Yue’s traditional cooking station, Alice’s was covered in all sorts of impressive-looking technological equipment.

There were plenty of Black Technology products among them!

Unfortunately, the strict control the space exercised over technology meant that obtaining them without paying a price was wishful thinking.

"Then, the first semifinal match—Xu Yue versus Alice—officially begins! The theme is ramen!"

As the host’s words fell, Xu Yue felt the atmosphere throughout the Moon Heaven Hall grow solemn.

It was as if countless chefs had appeared around him. He could even make out the outlines of Dojima Gin and Seichiro.

This was where the wills of countless culinary peaks converged!

To earn their recognition and resonance, he had to make the finest dish, wield that dish as a weapon, and defeat his opponent!

Ramen!

Bang!

A lump of flour rapidly came together into dough before Xu Yue flung it onto the cutting board.

Since it was ramen, of course it had to be pulled by hand to count as ramen!

He assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist, then smashed his hands heavily into the lump of dough, kneading it so rapidly that countless afterimages appeared.

It was as though a circle had formed…