The Culinary God Contest Finale / Beyond the Realm of Perfection

"Ah!" Startled Koyanskaya raised her long tail. Even though she dodged it, the arrow suddenly exploded around her! A series of sparks flew.

Koyanskaya was once again blasted away by the blast wave, using the momentum to fly to the light-filled window on the roof. Facing so many Servant at once, how could she possibly win? Knowing the situation was unfavorable, she quickly made her escape. Grabbing the window with one hand, she looked back down and snorted:

"I was originally going to make you regret it to the point of despair, but if the sleeping true form awakens prematurely and the white god reappears, that would be a real headache. Fine! Then I'll let you go, now that you're just a remnant of your life. Anyway, this world is busy enough for you! Hehehehe!"

"What's going on?!" Shirou nocked his bow, modified his Spiral Sword into an arrow, and asked.

"Hehehe, you'll soon find out! Here, this is for you." The fox woman said, pulling something out of the cleavage of her chest and tossing it to all the humans below.

Shirou took it and felt it was still warm. When he opened his hand, he saw that it was a small glass bottle filled with pink shards. Turning his head, he saw that the Elder Liu had caught the same thing.

This is exactly the same pink vial that Lord El-Melloi II seized from Pablo; the only difference is that Pablo's vial had been used up by 30%.

Lord El-Melloi II examined the small pink bottle held high on his fingers, frowning as he said, "Fox! How many of these do you have?"

Among the Commonwealth countries, India is famous for its spices, Canada for its drugs, and every pile of cow and sheep dung in Australia breeds hundreds of thousands of flies. If his reasoning is correct, this vixen is trying to combine these three into one.

"Hehehe, so you're the strategist of the group that's attacking me this time? If you're really as cunning as that old man Jiang Shang, then guess who I am! In the end, you don't even know my identity, do you?" The pink-haired woman smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescents, like a fox licking its paws after finishing a chicken, her smile laced with a cunning and somewhat sinister edge.

"Hmph, another one who likes to concoct elaborate puzzles." Lord El-Melloi II lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke. Then, a glint flashed in his eyes; his Appraisal Eye had already detected enough elements to begin his deduction.

"Pablo mentioned the name Koyan before, but since you're on our side, you're probably using an alias. A beautiful, captivating, and troublesome female fox demon, known for her wickedness and shrewdness, is a common figure in the legends of various countries. But if there's any connection to Jiang Ziya, the founding advisor of the Zhou Dynasty, then there's only one: 'He made a pool of wine, hung meat like a forest, and had handsome men and beautiful women chase each other naked within it, for a long night of drinking...'"

You are— Daji! A symbol of national ruin and disaster!

As the tail of the nine-tailed fox, possessing a hatred for humans, the urge to wreak havoc on the world is probably innate to you. Therefore, the things you do will never be limited to small-scale antics in a small place. If you have the ability, the target of your wrath would probably be the entire world."

Koyanskaya frowned, her anger showing, and said unhappily, "Tsk... you guessed right, but could you please not put it so harshly? I just played some pranks on the humans I hate the most. Their eventual destruction was their own fault, hehehehe..."

"Stop!" Shirou stepped forward and said, "You are not the only evil, and you don't need to bear all the negativity alone. Whether it's the Golden-haired, Jade-faced Nine-tailed Fox, Su Daji, or Tamamo-no-Mae, they are all mistakes you made together."

"Hehehe, are you serious? You still want to persuade me? You truly live up to your reputation as a white god." Koyanskaya looked at the man in surprise and giggled.

"Yes! You all realized the problem in the past, which is why you didn't hesitate to weaken your power and transform into nine. Indeed... the sins you committed in the past are unchangeable facts, but what you do now is your choice, and it is your chance to repent and start anew." Shirou sincerely agreed, looking at the fox girl.

"Hmph! I don't want to listen to any old lady or grandpa lecturing me here. So be it~! Goodbye! No! I hope we never see each other again~!" Koyanskaya shrunk her body, transformed into a blur, smashed through the glass on the high wall, and disappeared.

"Ah! She got away! I really should have locked her up, she'll do so many bad things, woof~! Tamamo Nine, not one of them is easy to deal with~!" Tamamo Cat said angrily, looking down on her other sisters.

"That's right~! Master Shirou from the other world, let's go capture Tamamo Nine together and imprison them all~!" Tamamo Cat excitedly suggested, raising her paws high.

"Hey... no, no, we're all in the same boat... no, gourd. We can't afford to fight amongst ourselves. What if we get captured by the snake demon and the scorpion demon?" Shirou waved his hands repeatedly, trying to dissuade them.

Chapter 454 The Final Culinary God Competition

Shirou will not show mercy to incorrigible villains, and as the Origin Servant, Shirou Emiya also has times when he sacrifices the lives of a few for the happiness of many. Among the many destinies, there are even those who, driven to the brink of collapse, choose to stop killing with killing.

A boy who aspires to be a champion of justice may end up on a path that is incomprehensible and abandoned by humanity.

Human Evil is similar; it is born because of humanity, or arises directly from humanity. These monsters, which seem to bring destruction to the world, are actually the result of humanity.

Ultimately, they are the evil that humanity must overcome. The seven beasts possess the most extreme beliefs of humans, yet they genuinely strive to do good for the world as they believe in it. However, this very emotion will bring the greatest destruction.

This confirms the point that, without extraterrestrial invasion, the only force capable of destroying humanity is humanity itself.

However, the evil of Human Evil is not immutable. From birth, Fou was brought into the tower by Merlin and then came to Chaldea to observe humanity. In this closed environment, she was moved by the hearts of humans and finally gave up her energy and wisdom accumulated over thousands of years for Mash. But this is not the end. As a young beast, Fou will one day grow up again and witness humanity with her own eyes once more.

If humanity has become utterly depraved by that time, then they will pay the price for their actions.

Regarding the female fox who is the Human Evil, he hopes to guide her back to the right path. There is no love without a reason, nor is there hatred without a reason. If it is because humans have made mistakes that she hates humans so much, then...

Perhaps one day she too will be able to let go of her grudges and, like Tamamo-no-Mae and Tamamo Cat, live her own life.

Perhaps there will be someone like Mash, who influenced Fou, who will accept and influence her.

However... Tamamo Cat's words don't seem to be entirely unreasonable.

The female fox who just escaped was indeed lawless and a troublemaker.

Tamamo-no-Mae also love-struck; she'll do anything to please her Master. She splits herself because she was worried about losing control and committing evil. When she needs power, she recklessly merges back into one. After using the power, she recklessly cuts off her tail. In a moment of impulse, she even raises her Spirit Origin to the point of having three tails.

On the other hand, the ambitious, meowing, barking, and carrot-loving cat-eared maid might actually be the most reliable one.

"The Calabash Brothers are being sent off one after another. Do they also have to be put into a pot to be refined into pills, otherwise they won't be able to truly grow up?" Shirou said, resting his chin on his hand in thought.

"Gourd? Master, what are you talking about? Are you talking about a gourd monster? But meow isn't a gourd, nor a fox, but a cute, adorable maid's dog~!" Tamamo Cat tilted her head and corrected her with a laugh.

Hearing the conversation, the Elder Liu joined in, saying, "Gourds, I've seen them before. Seven gourds of different colors on one vine—that's truly a rare sight."

"Grandpa, grandpa, and then meow?" Tamamo Cat asked curiously.

"Ah, because it was a poor and remote place, I didn't have much food with me, so I picked them, cooked them, and ate them. They tasted delicious!" Elder Liu said with a nostalgic expression.

"Huh? It ate it?!?" Shirou exclaimed in surprise.

"So the monster chefs in this world are all monster-eating dogs!" Tamamo Cat exclaimed in surprise.

"As expected, all the old men here are dangerous people!!!" Enma-tei said warily, startled.

"If there's nothing else, we'll head back now." The three bluebirds peeked out from under Enma-tei's clothes, their bodies trembling.

"Yes, it's getting dark, time to go home," the second bluebird chirped.

"Wait, don't go yet, I haven't caught the bugs for you as promised." Enma-tei stretched out her small hand, trying to stop the bluebirds.

"Money is important, but health comes first. We can't afford to die from overwork. Let's go, chirp!" the bluebird chirped.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp~!" The three bluebirds, quite disloyally, flapped their wings and flew away.

"I'm truly sorry for leaving you with this mess. But we have to go back now," Caesar said, gesturing with his hand in apology.

"But, are you sure there won't be any problems? If it spreads all over the world, it'll probably be very difficult for just the few of you, won't it?" The gentle older sister Boudica looked at Shirou with concern and asked.

Consort Yu glanced at the humans who were not good at dealing with her and said, "Hmph, they don't seem very nervous? It doesn't seem to be a big problem."

"No, the problem is actually quite big, but it can still be solved, right, Master?" Shirou asked, looking at the Elder Liu hadn't shown any sign of panic from the beginning.

"Ah, back when I was a teenager wandering the world, I encountered many chefs in the dark culinary world whose dishes had peculiar effects. A few seasonings are really nothing to me."

"But then again, the effect of this seasoning is very similar to the semi-finished product of my mother's signature dish." The Elder Liu muttered, looking at the pink powder in the small bottle that became tasteless and invisible after being incorporated into the ingredients.

"Then... let's begin!" said the Elder Liu.

"Yes." Shirou nodded. He had come here for this very moment!

"Eh? What are you going to do, woof?" Tamamo Cat asked, putting her two paws on her face in a cute manner.

"Of course it's the final match!!"

Shirou and the Elder Liu looked at each other at the same time, their eyes burning with fire and their hearts full of fighting spirit.

"Hehehe." The surrounding Servant laughed when they heard Shirou and the Elder Liu's words.

"Huh... Really? It's gotten this bad, are we still going to have to continue the cooking competition?" The only normal person on the side, the strategist, said helplessly, covering his face.

"A true hero! That's exactly how it should be!" said Iskandar, King of Conquerors, laughing heartily.

"Men are so passionate and energetic, they remind me of the Celtic warriors of yesteryear. Keep it up, both of you!" Boudica said, waving her hand.

"Hmph, if you've gone this far, then I'll play along. But if your cooking isn't up to par, don't think I'll easily get away with this," Consort Yu said, arms crossed.

Enma-tei nodded in agreement, saying, "Chirp! Yes, food is the most important thing for people, and chefs should treat their culinary skills as if they were the most important thing. I really hope those immature little girls can learn from this serious attitude."

"Well then, I'll contact my beauty Cleopatra now and have her prepare a new venue for our match," Caesar said with a wave of his hand, since the current venue was indeed unusable. Therefore, the final match was moved to the Roman temple below.

Cleopatra, who was broadcasting live, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. Even someone as beautiful as her couldn't control the situation.

After all, the previous commotion had already caused a huge online uproar, with some claiming it was an earthquake, others saying they saw flashes of light from an explosion, and still others saying they were thrown out after crashing through glass.

However, even more sensational news soon flooded the internet: X-Mask's identity was revealed.

"Young man, is this really a good idea? Your carefully concealed face is about to be exposed," the Elder Liu asked with a light laugh as he looked at Shirou.

"Now that things have come to this, there's no point in hiding anymore. The mess left by that fox spirit needs someone to step up and clean it up." Shirou shrugged, then looked at her.

"Shirou..." Erina sensed the man's thoughts in his eyes and said, moved.

"Yes, yes, we'll get married after this match. Do you really want me to make such a promise?" Shirou said helplessly to the woman.

"Don't make any promises! If you're going to propose, then do it properly, kneel down in front of me, and present me with a diamond ring!!!" Erina said, embarrassed and annoyed.

Shirou pulled the blonde woman into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Yes, I promise you everything, so marry me, Erina."

"Um... yes... really! I know! So! Shirou! You have to win!" Erina blushed, hugging her beloved man tightly. After a while, she let go, took a step back, looked directly at her beloved, and offered her best wishes.

"Oh! Well then... I'll give it my all one more time! After all, this kind of opportunity to meet someone whose culinary skills have reached the realm of gods is a once-in-a-lifetime chance." Shirou said with a smile, walking towards his kitchen counter with a stern look in his eyes.

At this moment, the Elder Liu had already walked to his cooking station with his hands behind his back and told the staff his request.

Before long, the staff brought him three pigs.

The first pig has a very distinctive appearance. Its body is snow-white, while its head and tail are blackish-gray. It is the famous Jinhua Twin-headed Black Pig from China. It has been a famous food since ancient times. It is fed with local black beans and barley, and its meat is tender and succulent. Its hind legs are also the raw material for the world's top-quality ham.

The second pig was much smaller, with markings similar to a Dalmatian. It had a white body and black markings around its eyes, making it a miniature pig. Its meat was naturally fragrant, and even without any seasoning, its aroma could be smelled from miles away.

The third is a pig covered in thick, curly wool, resembling a sheep. This is the Hungary Woolly Pig, with very little lean meat and a body fat percentage of up to 70% of its body weight. After a light frying, it becomes incredibly juicy and delicious, a rare delicacy. It is often referred to as the Kobe beef of pork.

"Westerners prefer to eat more beef, nomadic peoples prefer mutton, but the Chinese people in the East have relied on pork for thousands of years. Even when studying abroad, they really feel uncomfortable without pork."

As he spoke, the Elder Liu picked up his butcher's knife and, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, swiftly dissected the Jinhua Twin-headed Black Pig, taking its hind leg meat.

The sweetest and most delicious parts of the miniature pig, along with the marbled, snowflake-like pieces of fat from the Woolly Pig, are selected.

The cleaver in the Elder Liu's hand transformed into afterimages, slicing off cilantro and meat while simultaneously lifting them high into their respective serving dishes.

The Elder Liu then pulled out another cleaver, held it with both hands, and with a series of blurry movements, chopped the pork into minced meat, marinated it with spices, and mixed it evenly.

The Elder Liu's movements were fluid and graceful, seemingly using ancient techniques, but in fact he incorporated many modern elements, which was the source of his strength.

In China, there are two views on ancient times. One is the antiquarian school, which originated from Confucius's desire to restore the Rites of Zhou. They believe that ancient sages were omnipotent and that people in the most ancient times were more simple, kind, and lived happier and healthier lives. They believe that there were immortals and divine doctors in ancient times, but these have now been lost.

One group is the antiquarian school, which rejects all superstitions that cannot be falsified and advocates the spirit of scientific innovation. They believe that science is the primary productive force, development is the hard truth, and weakness will only lead to being bullied.

In fact, it's not just in China; even in the West, many people yearn for the ancient sages in religious stories, believing that the world hides ancient and mysterious forces that were once incredibly active but are no longer visible as miracles.

The wisdom passed down through the ages in ancient times is indeed not to be underestimated. Those recipes that have withstood the test of hundreds or even thousands of years, and have been experimented on and improved by generations, contain the essence of human wisdom.

Those recipes and dishes that have stood the test of time, even something as simple as a dipping sauce, often represent wealth worth hundreds of millions, or even tens of billions.

However, with the arrival of the new era, the profession of chef has actually been driven towards upward development.

In ancient times, chefs faced difficulties with transportation and were generally confined to their hometowns to make a living. However, modern people can travel overseas at any time, have far more opportunities, and are able to use a wider range of cooking methods. But with so much to learn, it is difficult to truly master any skill.

With the advancement of science, ancient secret recipes and materials that no longer exist have been rediscovered thanks to the continuous progress of chemical technology in this era.

Both have their advantages, and it would be a great pity to lose either one, but this is an inevitable phenomenon of the development of the times.

But Liu Angxing! This old man broke free from the constraints of his time.

Having lived through an era more than others, mastering the cuisine of two eras, and perfecting it through his talent and experience, he became a being beyond limits. His strength lies precisely in the weight of an era he carries within him, something modern people lack!

For decades, the Elder Liu has been like a mountain pressing down on the entire culinary world, and two mountains stacked together, almost unshakable.

Chapter 455 Surpassing the Ultimate Realm

While ancient, traditional recipes are wonderful, they are extremely difficult to preserve. It is said that perfect timing, location, and human effort are all indispensable.

The world flows on with time; the years are merciless, and the climate of heaven and earth changes. Icebergs melt, and the earth may collapse, just like those extinct animals. Some formulas that were once incredibly precious are gradually buried and become useless pieces of paper because the ingredients can no longer be found.

Some unique skills, due to changing environments and the pressures of life, have gradually lost some of the precious qualities once possessed by our ancestors. (Monthly fee group 694936135) Unique skills that once required years or even more than ten years of arduous training to master are now rarely sought after by anyone in modern times.

Thus, many culinary treasures were gradually lost and disappeared without a trace.

Compared to the scarcity of resources in the past, we actually have more ingredients available now. However, due to pollution and over-exploitation, high-quality ingredients that grow naturally have become more expensive and rarer.

However, in reality, these ingredients, apart from certain species that are now designated as nationally protected animals or are extinct, are not included in the list of food ingredients.

Back then, those precious ingredients were directly supplied to royalty, nobles, and the highest-ranking officials. People of lower status couldn't afford them, so there wasn't much difference between them.

However, tonics such as bird's nest and ginseng, fruits unique to each region, lychees that Yang Guifei loved to eat, and imported goods from overseas gradually became popular in every household.

The three types of pigs used by the Elder Liu are products that took tens of thousands of years to finally take shape. They were specially bred for their unique taste and are meat pigs with different characteristics and rich flavors.

According to archaeological research, pigs have existed forty million years and are active in mountain forests. It is conceivable that they were domesticated by humans not much later than dogs. By the Shang Dynasty, a castration technique had been developed. The nine-tailed fox, later known as Tamamo, was inspired by this and learned the martial art of castration.

By the Han Dynasty, there were already large-scale pig farms officially established by the government. By the prosperous Song Dynasty, meat was a staple food for ordinary families. Although it was not yet widespread due to regional changes, some places had developed delicious cooking methods. For example, Su Dongpo's Dongpo pork and Jinhua's smoked ham were rare local delicacies.

During the Ming Dynasty, because the word for pig was homophonous with the emperor's surname "Zhu," it was considered taboo, so a campaign was launched to ban and exterminate pigs. However, the campaign was quickly reinstated, and although pigs suffered a devastating extinction, they survived thanks to their strong reproductive ability.

By the 16th century, influenced by the Age of Exploration, it spread from China to the rest of the world, leading to the development of even more varieties.

And so, after several ups and downs, pigs, along with chickens Wagyu, have become one of the three essential and valuable sources of meat nutrition for all humankind.

The combination of ancient and modern, the new chemical reaction between ancient techniques and modern materials and technology.

The Elder Liu recited the recipe's incantation. "The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things... The essence of the Three Treasures meat is infused into the filling, gathering the boundless deliciousness of the universe."

After preparing all the meat ingredients, the Elder Liu poured out flour on the table, added water, and kneaded it into a dough. Then he raised his hand high, lifted the dough with his fingers, and began to spin it rapidly in the air.