The Chef's Trial

"If you were down there, what would you make?" Jiawei whispered to Tian Qi, who had been casually switching his screen from one contestant to another.

"Not sure. Maybe Caramelized Chicken Bones with Rock Sugar Glaze?" Tian Qi replied with a hint of mischief.

Jiawei frowned. "Chicken bones?"

Tian Qi nodded casually. "Yeah. Pressure-cooked until tender, then fried and coated with a glaze made from rock sugar. The result? A crispy snack with a perfect balance of sweet and savory."

Jiawei pictured it in his mind, slowly nodding. It sounded surprisingly solid. "Where'd you come up with that idea?"

Tian Qi chuckled softly. "Just popped into my head. I experiment a lot with random recipes in my realm, so I've got plenty of experience. What about you? Haven't you thought of what you'd cook if you were down there?"

Jiawei shook his head. "I don't have much cooking experience. My dishes are pretty basic. The fanciest thing I've ever made is just… regular noodle dishes that I sell to make a living."

Tian Qi gave a thoughtful nod. "And yet you got selected for Realm Scouting with that? That means you've got something, maybe something you don't even realize yourself. Who knows? Maybe you're actually the strongest one in this room."

Jiawei chuckled at the comment. "Trying to cheer me up, are you?"

Tian Qi smirked, a glint of confidence in his eyes. "If you feel like you're short on ideas, spend more time in the library. Practice pairing ingredients—everything from the mundane to the bizarre. There's still a month before the preliminaries end. You've got plenty of time to learn and train."

Jiawei nodded in agreement. From this moment on, he will dedicate his time to learning and training.

They turned their attention back to the competition. Jiawei's screen was already switched back to Jiang Xiaoting. The timer, prominently displayed on the screen, showed 55 minutes remaining for the contestants to cook.

He wasn't sure what Xiao Jiang was planning to make, but he watched as the young girl meticulously cleaned banana peels, washing them thoroughly and trimming off the tough edges with precision.

Once that was done, she swiftly grabbed water spinach stalks, slicing them into tiny pieces with quick, decisive movements.

The cheerful little girl from before is now gone. 

As she cooked, Xiao Jiang's demeanor transformed entirely—she was intensely focused and serious. An almost intimidating aura seemed to emanate from her as she worked, contrasting her youthful appearance.

Impressed by Xiao Jiang's confidence, Jiawei decided it was time to check out someone else. His first choice was Li Qi.

She is at her cooking station, boiling something in a pot. Jiawei squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of what she was up to, but there were no obvious clues.

"Is she making soup?" he thought.

Steam rose around her, carrying the faint, earthy aroma of potatoes. Jiawei somehow catch the scent of it. 

"Ah? Potatoes?" he whispered to himself.

Jiawei was right. Not long after that, Li Qi turned off the stove and drained potato skins and tossed them into a blender with just enough warm water to transform them into a velvety puree.

But she didn't stop there. Into the bowl went a handful of flour, a pinch of tapioca starch, a drizzle of olive oil, and a whisper of salt. With her sleeves rolled up, she kneaded the mixture by hand, her fingers pressing and folding until the dough turned soft and smooth. There was no hesitation in her movements.

Then came the real magic. She rolled out the dough, thin as a breath, and began cutting it into small squares. Each piece was carefully rolled into a delicate, hollow tube, using nothing more than a skewer. The technique was hypnotic—swift and fluid, like watching a master craftsman at work.

As she worked, a faint sheen of flour dusted her fingertips, giving her the look of a sculptor shaping her masterpiece.

Jiawei, somehow, couldn't look away.

Potato skins, something most people would toss without a second thought, were being reborn as pasta. He could already imagine the texture—slightly chewy with just the right bite—and the flavor, a rustic warmth that carried the essence of potatoes, elevated by the light touch of salt and oil.

How could he never think of such a recipe before? It would make tons of money with so little cost back in his realm.

The tray of tiny macaroni shimmered under the kitchen lights, each delicate piece a flawless creation that seemed almost too perfect to eat. Jiawei found himself staring at it. His throat tightened as he swallowed, the faint pang of hunger creeping in. He could already imagine the soft, chewy texture and the subtle, earthy flavor melting on his tongue.

"Damn it! Xiao Jiang! I forgot to keep an eye on her!" Jiawei thought, quickly switching his screen back to Xiao Jiang. "Damn. I also forgot to check on the other contestants too. All because I got too caught up watching Li Qi."

He sighed, realizing his mistake. He was supposed to be monitoring the others, analyzing how skilled they actually were. Who might pose a serious threat? Who could potentially become an ally? If he paid enough attention, he might've even spotted a few weaknesses or strengths to exploit. But instead, he'd spent way too much time fixated on Li Qi alone.

Who knew what Xiao Jiang had been doing earlier, but now the young girl is carefully wrapping portions of some kind of a mixture in plastic wrap, shaping them into neat cylinders. Jiawei noticed several of these mixture rolls, seemingly super similar to a sausage, already lined up at her station, their ends tightly twisted and secured to keep everything contained during whatever process came next.

"What's inside Xiao Jiang's dough, anyway?" Tian Qi whispered suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Jiawei turned, startled. "Weren't you watching her this whole time?"

Tian Qi grinned sheepishly and shook his head.

Jiawei sighed, glancing back at the screen before muttering under his breath, "I wasn't paying attention either."

Tian Qi let out a soft laugh. "Looks like we're both useless."

The cooking time seemed to fly by for Jiawei, even though he was just watching the competition. He could only imagine how much faster it must have felt for the contestants themselves, who were racing against the clock to finish their creations.

Suddenly, the sharp beeping of the countdown filled the arena.

"Three… two… one! Time's up!" boomed the announcer.