Chapter 597: Second Qualification Round 2

Li Qingci narrowed her eyes and frowned.

"Steamed fish..." She muttered and turned to Chef Fang.

"Is steamed fish enough to qualify for the third round?" She asked and Chef Fang shook his head before speaking.

"Ordinary steamed fish is not enough, but Shen Xu used blue crystal fish. It's a rare body refining treasure." He said but couldn't help but feel a little worried.

After all, he and the other judges had watched Shen Xu since the competition began.

Excluding the fish, Shen Xu didn't use other precious ingredients and most importantly, his seasonings were too few which made Chef Fang doubt the dish's flavour profile.

"Did Shen Xu really cook the soup in the first round?" Li Qingci questioned with a sceptical face.

"It won't be too late to decide after we taste the Steamed fish." One of the judges said.

"Mmh." Li Qingci nodded and turned to look at Shen Xu.

At a glance, the man was the most beautiful person she had ever seen.

He had a perfect face with phoenix eyes and a red mole at the corner of his left eye.

Additionally, his lips were perpetually curled in a small smile, his flaming wavy hair exuded passion, while his fire aura simultaneously tempted and warned anyone who dared to look at the man.

"Beautiful." Li Qingci muttered for hundredth time.

"Is Elder Li interested in fellow daoist Shen?" Chef Fang asked and Li Qingci tilted her head.

Not only was she beautiful, she was also an elder of Suzhou city's Li clan, a level thirteen alchemist, and a peak-stage heaven immortal realm cultivator.

Overall, she had excellent conditions and those who courted her could form a circle around Suzhou.

However, Shen Xu was a great immortal realm cultivator!

Even if she was interested in him, she didn't dare to be reckless and could only wait patiently for an opportunity.

"What's his background?" She asked, looking at Chef Fang.

Unfortunately, Chef Fang didn't know and could only shake his head.

"Our investigation revealed that he and Zhen Yuan arrived in Hefei city just before the first qualification round." He said and quickly continued.

"As for where they came from..., we can't find anything, but we know that they went to Tianchang , Nanping city, and several other places when the competition was on break."

"Did you go to the Tianji Hall?" Li Qingci asked and Chef Fang nodded before speaking.

"Tianji Hall refused to take this business." Chef Fang said and a trace of surprise flashed in Li Qingci's eyes.

It was not unheard of for the Tianji Hall to refuse some business.

However, it was rare because there were very few people who the Tianji Hall didn't dare to offend.

'Shen Xu and Zhen Yuan either have an unfathomable background or an extraordinary fate. Otherwise, the Tianji Hall wouldn't refuse to sell their information.' Li Qingci thought and a seed of curiosity rooted in her heart.

She originally came to Hefei city because she wanted to see the top scorer.

Unexpectedly, the top scorer was more interesting than she expected!

At this time, the first Chef brought their plate to the judge table and Li Qingci turned to look at the food.

"This is the meat of the steel-boned mammoth." Chef Fang observed and the competitor nodded.

"Chef Fang is discerning." The man said but Chef Fang didn't say more.

Instead, he and the other judges began examining the dish.

"The steel-boned mammoth is an excellent ingredient for body strengthening meals." One of the judges said and quickly continued.

"Level twelve dish; nine points." He said and the others agreed.

After that, one of the judges transferred the dish onto a special plate and soon after, a number appeared above the plate.

"Five points for efficacy." The judge said and frowned before speaking.

"It's a little low for level twelve ingredients." He said.

"It's indeed a little low." Another judge agreed.

Soon after, five judges including Chef Fang tasted the dish and gave it a score of six.

"A total of twenty points out of thirty." A judge said and recorded the points in the competitor's jade square.

In this way, competitor after competitor presented their dish and most of the scores ranged between eighteen and twenty five.

After waiting for half a day, Shen Xu finally got his turn and took his tray to the judge's table.

Seeing him, the judges and spectators couldn't help but hold their breath in anticipation.

"Can a steamed fish compare to some of the dishes we have already seen?" A female cultivator asked and a trace of unease flashed in her eyes.

"There are only twenty quotas for the third qualification round. Why did senior Shen choose such a simple dish?" Someone wondered.

"Is the blue crystal fish naturally delicious?"

"I have heard that blue crystal fish meat is delicate and delicious. However, it's easy to mishandle it, causing it to lose its flavour."

"Senior Shen has made a huge gamble. I hope he won't lose."

"By the way, does anyone know the senior who is sitting next to Chef Fang?" Someone asked.

"I know." A male cultivator said and his lips curled in a mischievous smile.

"She is alchemist Li from Suzhou City." He said and someone raised an eyebrow.

"Li..., could it be?" A female cultivator asked and the man nodded.

"She is Chef Li's older sister." He said.

"Did senior Shen's performance in the first round alarm Suzhou City? Otherwise, why would alchemist Li appear in Hefei city at this time?"

"Li Qingrong is the undisputed genius among the current generation's spiritual chefs. It's expected that the Li family sensed a crisis when they learned of Shen Xu's performance in the first round."

"Doesn't Chef Li have a guaranteed quota for the food festival. Why did she compete in the first round?"

"What do you know?!" Someone sneered and began explaining.

"Chef Li has a guaranteed quota but she is proud and wants to prove that her qualifcation is based on her talent and not her background." He said.