The preliminary results of the God of Cookery Cup were quickly announced, with fifty contestants eliminated on the spot. This included many King-level spiritual chefs, who might have held back their best techniques in the first round or made a mistake that lowered their dish's quality. Regardless, they had no chance to retry.
Zhang Dali advanced with an overwhelming advantage, his total score even breaking into the top ten. Among the top ten, all were established King-level spiritual chefs. As a recent graduate, his presence was remarkably conspicuous.
Zhang Dali’s fame soared. Coupled with the online buzz before the competition, people began to suspect he might indeed be a dark horse, with a real chance of winning the God of Cookery Cup…
…
"Dali, you were amazing!"
Chen Shu and Zhang Dali returned to their hotel immediately. To avoid any trouble, they didn't linger around and refrained from any sightseeing, wary of any potential overzealous fans.
"It was alright…" Zhang Dali scratched his head. "Actually, this was my highest level…"
"Hmm?" Chen Shu turned to look at him. "Then what about the next two rounds?"
Most contestants wouldn't reveal their full capabilities in the preliminaries, as each round required a different dish.
"I'll make Golden Perfect dishes again…" Zhang Dali said helplessly. "To break through, I'd need to reach High-grade King-level, but that's beyond my current ability."
"…" Chen Shu's mouth twitched. So, he had already shown his hand from the start?
"If I can luckily pass the second round…" Zhang Dali mused. "I'll use Monarch ingredients in the finals!"
"What level of dishes can Monarch ingredients achieve?" Chen Shu asked.
"Uh… most likely Golden Perfect dishes."
"And what about a small chance?"
"High-grade Golden…"
"…" Chen Shu's mouth twitched again. "So, you're not confident about winning the God of Cookery?"
"Who can guarantee that?" Zhang Dali shrugged. "It all depends on the opponents' skill and my own performance on the day."
"Then why did you act so confident in front of the mentors and seniors?"
"I had to save face, didn't I?"
"…" Chen Shu's mouth twitched. He had actually believed Zhang Dali was a sure winner.
"It's up to luck…" Zhang Dali yawned and promptly fell asleep. Although it was only twenty minutes of cooking, it consumed a significant amount of mental energy.
"Sleeps even more than me…" Chen Shu shook his head and went to the window, gazing down at the entire city. For some reason, he felt a sense of unease, as if something was about to happen. However, the system hadn't provided any options, nor did he feel any immediate danger, just a vague, instinctive restlessness.
"Could someone still be trying to kill me?" Chen Shu muttered. It was a shame the system's red light alert had ended; otherwise, he could have searched the entire city.
"Whoever it is, messing with me is like playing with fire…" He stretched and turned back to his room. If someone were to launch a sneak attack, his bandit intuition would detect it in advance, giving him enough time to summon the spatial rabbit for protection. Moreover, the system would likely provide relevant options. Unless it was a Legendary-level expert… But at that level, a sneak attack seemed unnecessary…
…
The next day, the second round of the God of Cookery Cup commenced as scheduled. The audience's enthusiasm was palpable, with many of them being Zhang Dali's supporters.
"Chen Pi, did you hire more online trolls?" Zhang Dali raised an eyebrow, surprised that his stingy best friend had arranged for public support again.
"What are you thinking?" Chen Shu pouted. "I, the Southern Jiang Bandit, only ever hire online trolls for one day!"
"You shone brightly yesterday, these people are your supporters."
"Really?" Zhang Dali looked skeptical. "I was only ninth yesterday; how can I be more popular than the first-place winner?"
"Who told you you're only twenty-two years old?" Chen Shu smiled. "Don't you see your supporters are mostly young people? They're all eager for you to overpower everyone and win the God of Cookery title!"
"Is that so…" Zhang Dali's expression shifted, but he quickly understood. The spiritual chef world placed too much importance on seniority. For chefs of the same rank, older individuals were often more respected. While this was a virtue, many veteran spiritual chefs became arrogant, resting on their laurels. Young people accepted guidance but not unsolicited criticism, and some naturally grew frustrated with these veteran spiritual chefs. Now that Zhang Dali had emerged, he had naturally garnered immense support from countless young people who hoped he would break the old-fashioned norms of the spiritual chef world.
"Following yesterday's competition, only fifty contestants remain in this tournament!" the host announced with a smile as he took the stage. "Now, please welcome our contestants!" Da Feng Novel Network.
The contestants walked onto the red carpet one by one, heading to their respective workstations. Having been introduced yesterday, the host did not elaborate on each person's information. Only the cheers of the crowd filled the venue. Zhang Dali stood tall, his chest puffed out, filled with confidence thanks to the support of so many. Not only were there numerous supporters at the venue, but the internet was also ablaze.
"Damn, is the youngest God of Cookery going to be born?"
"Didn't you guys notice something? This guy is best friends with the Southern Jiang Bandit! Are all the people he hangs out with freaks?"
"My dear Watson, you've found the key point…"