A person beside him chuckled and continued, "Whether it's the rating or the taste, it's perfect. I give it ninety-five points!"
"Thank you, teacher!" Zhang Dali's expression lit up, and he quickly bowed to the judges.
"It's a pity it's only a golden dish. I give it ninety-three points."
"There are no more than ten people in the world who can cook this dish. I give it ninety-four points!"
For a moment, the judges announced their scores one after another. The audience cheered enthusiastically upon hearing the high scores.
The other contestants, however, looked a bit displeased. They had been outshone by a greenhorn who had just emerged from the mountains?
Ultimately, Zhang Dali's score was fixed at ninety-four points, successfully breaking into the top ten. The cooking difficulty of this dish was no less than that of a King-tier high-grade dish. It was just limited by its grade, always falling a little short.
"I succeeded..." Zhang Dali clenched his fists, his expression becoming somewhat excited. He was immensely grateful that he had changed his dish, otherwise, he wouldn't have received such a high score.
Soon, the second round of scoring ended. Most contestants were dejected and quite disheartened. They had prepared for the God of Cookery Cup for so long, yet they couldn't even make it to the finals. Every edition of the God of Cookery Cup was too brutal!
Zhang Dali ranked ninth and naturally advanced to the finals. For a time, the entire plaza echoed with cheers for Dali, making it feel as if he had already won the championship. With his performance in the two rounds, a young genius in the spiritual chef world had gained global fame! Even without winning the championship, he had already made a name for himself.
"Impressive!" Master Mu Tu looked at Zhang Dali and said with a smile, "To reach the finals at such a young age, you're even more talented than my nephew used to be."
"It's just luck, mere luck." Zhang Dali became extremely humble. The other person had also reached the finals, ranking fifth, and was clearly a strong contender for the championship.
After the second round concluded, the contestants, listening to the audience's cheers, left the plaza one by one.
"Congratulations, Dali." Chen Shu had already arrived on the ground and was waiting for Zhang Dali.
"I did a bit better than expected." Zhang Dali waved his hand, but his eyes still held a hint of joy. He looked into the distance, imagining his mentors and senior sisters in China must have seen it...
"Let's go!" Chen Shu grabbed Zhang Dali, and they returned to their hotel.
"So tired~~" Zhang Dali slumped onto the sofa, his spirit completely drained.
Chen Shu sat beside him and said, "By the way, I noticed you seemed to chat with that Master Mu Tu guy?"
"We just exchanged a few words."
"Dali..." Chen Shu patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "I taught you when you were a child not to talk to strangers..."
"Get lost!" Zhang Dali pushed his hand away and said, "Are you trying to take advantage of me again?"
"Just kidding." Chen Shu chuckled, but then he turned serious and asked, "Don't you think that guy is a bit off?"
"Off?" Zhang Dali paused for a moment and shook his head.
Chen Shu stroked his chin and said, "I just feel like he looks familiar."
"Could he be your enemy?"
"I'm not sure. It's best not to get too close to him."
"Okay, we'll leave right after the finals." Zhang Dali nodded. Being in a foreign country always felt a bit unsafe.
In the afternoon, Chen Shu lay on the sofa, bored, while Zhang Dali took out King-tier flesh and blood to practice cooking.
"It seems that suffocating feeling is gone again..." Chen Shu looked at the gentle sunshine outside the window, feeling warm all over. He closed his eyes slightly, his mind racing. Was the action from the morning effective? He had deliberately sought out Fu Ning and the others to show the people in the shadows that he was aware of the crisis, and thus, they would not dare to act.
In fact, until now, Chen Shu wasn't sure if there really were malicious people targeting him. It was either his own misjudgment, or the other party's stealth abilities were too terrifying. But now that he felt completely at ease, it meant the danger was gone. Chen Shu stopped thinking about it and started to sleep soundly...
...
Meanwhile, in a teahouse on the outskirts of Nanqing City.
"Why didn't you make a move?" a masked man asked, his eyes showing a hint of impatience. If Chen Shu were present, he would surely recognize the man as contestant Master Mu Tu! Opposite him sat the black-clothed man who seemed to have no presence.
"No opportunity." The black-clothed man's expression was indifferent, and he said, "I only seek to strike a fatal blow!"
"You can't even deal with a Silver-tier brat?!" Master Mu Tu furrowed his brows and said, "Then what was the three billion I spent to hire you for? Just to spectate?"
"I told you, there was no opportunity." The black-clothed man's eyes were vacant, like dead fish.
Master Mu Tu lowered his voice and growled, "Aren't you known for assassinating King-tiers? He's just Silver-tier!"
"His early warning ability is stronger than a King-tier!" The black-clothed man's expression was calm as he said, "The target is too strong, the assassination price needs to be doubled!"
"You?!" Master Mu Tu's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected the other party to raise the price at the last minute.
"This is the rule of the Night!" the black-clothed man said coldly. "If we fail, we only charge one-tenth!" In fact, if it weren't for the organization's existing feud with Chen Shu, the price would have been even higher.
"..." Master Mu Tu rubbed his head. It seemed he had been ripped off... If the price doubled, it would be sixty billion, and his family didn't have that much money... He probed, "Is there a possibility... that the Night organization can offer loans?"
"..." The black-clothed man glanced at him, then stood up and said indifferently, "If you can't afford the price, the mission is canceled, and nine-tenths of the commission will be refunded to you!"
"Wait..." Master Mu Tu quickly called out to him, "I need to go back and discuss it with someone..."
The black-clothed man nodded and walked away. Master Mu Tu watched his retreating figure and thought to himself, "He's actually the leader of the Night group. What dog-like business capabilities..."