Preliminaries Begin

"Tsk, this won't do. Abalone and black sesame don't go together at all. The aroma of bamboo is too elegant, which only highlights the slight fishy smell. The harmony is too poor."

Feng Xue put the black Steamed Bun back on the plate, a look of disdain on her face.

With the help of Molecular Gastronomy technology in the Cyberpunk World, Feng Xue devoured various recipes while using Molecular Gastronomy techniques to recreate the delicacies from her memory.

Perhaps due to differences in global development, the culinary arts in this world are far more advanced than those in the present world. Maybe it's because of a long period of peace, but the Martial Arts used for fighting a hundred years ago have now spread to every household. Compared to those who make a living through physical labor, chefs can be said to be the most successful professions for martial arts masters who have transitioned to other fields.

Ordinary home-cooked dishes are fine, but when it comes to high-end ingredients, various Internal Force techniques are often required. Even Feng Xue, the "Martial Ancestor," was amazed and occasionally exclaimed, "This thing can be made like this!"

However, the advancement of martial arts cannot compensate for the technological gap. The Diamond Palm and the Tablet Throwing Hand may be able to surpass modern smashing machines, but compared to the Black Technology of the Cyber World, they can only look on with envy. This is not a technical issue, but purely a difference in perspective.

Just like how many famous chefs in modern times use exhaustive methods to combine the flavors of various common ingredients, thereby compiling food pairings and creating so-called flavor wheels, any one of these pairings, not to mention ancient times, could be considered a closely guarded secret passed down through generations of a family.

If this is true for the modern era, then it is naturally true for the future technologies of the Cyber World.

Modern people have discovered the secret of umami flavor contained in glutamic acid and nucleotides, and in the future, there will naturally be no shortage of new and constantly evolving spices.

This is also the only advantage Feng Xue has found that allows her to overtake others in culinary skills.

Now, he is trying to replicate what Molecular Gastronomy equipment can do using martial arts and magic techniques, and then apply these theories from the Cyber World to the making of pastries.

However, when it comes to pastries, in addition to taste, creativity cannot be ignored. Color, aroma, flavor, meaning, and shape are all essential.

A renowned pastry chef once said that innovation means taking a step into someone else's work and then moving beyond it.

Feng Xue naturally readily accepted this advice, so he is trying to delve into the works of others.

The first place he entered was filled with countless classic 2D dishes from his past life.

Regardless of the actual taste, that can be adjusted later. The most important thing is that it's interesting enough, and that's the core of innovation.

Lobster Dumplings, Golden Open-Mouthed Smile Dumplings, Peerless Hero Noodles, Golden Ratio Shumai, Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Steamed Buns...

He replicated each dish according to the descriptions in the original work, working backward little by little from appearance and creativity to taste. From merely resembling the form, to being palatable, and then to tasting good, these small modifications were Feng Xue's way of improving his culinary skills.

However, while most recipes can be made to a passable standard with the help of future technology and martial arts, there are still some that simply cannot reach the standard of being delicious.

For example, this Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Soul-Soothing Steamed Bun. The fishy and fresh taste of the seafood doesn't really go well with the soft dough. No matter how it's seasoned, in Feng Xue's opinion, these seafood are better suited to being steamed directly, or at the very least, cooked into a pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Even if a staple food is needed, it should be served with rice or wrapped in a thin, hot water dough that can perfectly complement the filling, rather than some fluffy dough fermented with thousand-year-old sourdough. That would not only suppress the texture of the seafood, but also highlight the fishy smell to an undeniable degree.

"Skip this one."

With a slightly regretful glance at the filling Steamed Bun, Feng Xue continued to try other pastries.

These Dim Sum include the "crispy" pastry, which is said to be painstakingly made and time-consuming; the "mo" pastry, which can be made in countless ways; the "jiao" pastry, which is simple yet full of variations; and the "bing" pastry, which is known as the ancestor of all pastries.

"It's about time."

Feng Xue secluded himself for more than half a month. By the time he had finally mastered the culinary skills and was able to transform the functions of all the Molecular Gastronomy equipment into martial arts techniques, the Dragon Gate Noodle Competition was finally about to begin.

"It's about time to go participate in the preliminary rounds."

Feng Xue packed the ingredients she had prepared into her backpack and took out a single-person flying skateboard.

He stepped onto the skateboard, and as he pressed the remote control bracelet on his index finger, the skateboard slowly rose into the air. Then, thick white mist gushed out from under the skateboard and hovered around it with the help of a stabilizer.

With a light press of the lever, the skateboard beneath her feet shot forward, and enveloped by a white cloud, Feng Xue felt as if she were riding on a cloud.

This custom-made individual flying vehicle, named "Somersault Cloud," performed remarkably well. As Feng Xue piloted it into the air, the Trait conceived within the Supernatural Tale Fire grew by two points...

With Dragon Gate Square in sight, Feng Xue immediately descended from the clouds and landed by the roadside, chanting the four-word mantra "Ah yes yes yes" as she walked straight toward a storefront at the square entrance.

The format of the Dragon Gate Noodle Competition is very simple. As long as you go to Dragon Gate Square before the main competition begins, you can participate in the preliminary rounds an unlimited number of times. Once you pass, you will qualify for the finals.

The assessment content is also very simple--

Set up a small stall in Dragon Gate Square.

As for how to determine whether something passes or fails, only the competition committee knows. However, the judging criteria will be sealed before the competition, and the entire process will be recorded on video for post-competition review, so there's no need to worry about any behind-the-scenes manipulation.

"The previous year's metric was the number of repeat customers, the year before that was the consistency of food preparation, and the year before that was the total daily sales..."

Recalling the information she had previously researched, Feng Xue arrived at Dragon Gate Square and found the organizing committee's office.

"Hello, are you here to participate in the preliminary round? Please provide your registration ID and personal information."

Seeing Feng Xue approach, the receptionist asked familiarly before he could even speak. Feng Xue immediately pulled out his Graduation Certificate and said:

"I am Sun Wukong, a graduate of the Mount Fangcun Chef Training Academy. This is my identification."

"Okay, please wait a moment." The receptionist's hands flew across the keyboard, quickly finding his registration information. After verifying his identity, a staff member immediately brought out a mobile stall. The receptionist looked at the simple ingredients Feng Xue took out of her bag and hesitated for a moment.

"Sun Wukong, our competition will record the entire process of each participant. If you leave the camera's range during the preliminary rounds, it will be considered a forfeit of the competition. Are you sure you don't need to prepare any further?"

Today, Ranked Match in the Dota 2 Client are inexplicably easier to find. Normally it takes minutes to queue, but today there are suddenly people everywhere. Does anyone know why? (Playing dumb)