"I probably..." Hippo muttered blankly, "got stood up?"

By the time he realized it and looked down at the curry fish jelly he had taken three bites of, he suddenly lifted the plate, opened his mouth, and poured the entire fish jelly into it, chewing frantically.

The terrifying spiciness and anger exploded from his face once again, turning that gray visage bright red. Numerous bloodshot strands surfaced in his eyes.

"It's Apocalypse!" he exclaimed excitedly, identifying the ingredients. "It's Apocalypse that's giving me this uneasy feeling... Such pure Apocalypse! Unprecedented! Was it specially made for this dish?"

Panting heavily, the emaciated man spoke vaguely, "There's also anger, this artificially added rage, such remarkably pure fury and murderous intent..."

"Blood, there's the taste of blood."

The she-demon inhaled the spicy aroma of the curry incessantly, her eyes glowing. "Poisoned blood, rare poisoned blood, of dragon kind... oh, oh... it hides deep Sorrow and powerlessness, and inescapable decay... such a familiar feeling, it's just like the taste of Mother's cooking."

"It's too exquisite, truly irresistible."

The gaunt man grinned and chewed greedily on the fish jelly. "With every bite, you can feel the intense anticipation and the inevitable sense of loss, as if wavering between gain and loss... Is this the true essence of the Pigeon Curry?"

The frenzied Gluttony came to an abrupt halt.

In the silence, only the last shadow remained, nonchalantly eating the curry from his plate without offering any opinion.

Until the end, when he put down his spoon.

"In terms of technique, there's still something lacking. No, I should say... it's as if you never even considered being a chef, did you?"

The shadow slowly wiped his mouth and commented, "Your creativity and ingredients have compensated for your shortcomings. It's clear that you possess a fine culinary heart and dark wisdom, with ample potential in the art of cooking."

He paused and, not with arrogance but with careful deliberation, delivered his verdict: "This dish, although it doesn't qualify for the main banquet of the Abyss, is acceptable as a casual snack. I'll give you seven points."

"Eight points," the she-demon chimed in.

"Seven and a half," Hippo judged.

"Seven points," the emaciated man said.

Thus, Huai Shi passed the preliminary round and advanced, having perfectly completed the competition and receiving an invitation to the global competition six months later.

In the silence, the youth took a cheerful step back and turned to leave.

As they brushed past each other, he heard a snicker from Scarface Man. "Pigeon Curry? What a load of pandering trash."

Proudly withdrawing her gaze from Huai Shi, Scarface Man cradled her cauldron and slowly approached the judges' table.

"Please taste my creation—Witch Stew!"

The lid of the cauldron was slowly lifted, revealing numerous fish heads and tangled tentacles in the dark green soup, exposing a nightmarish, grotesque sight. The malicious aura of Source Substance spread unceasingly from it, bringing terror and screams; it was like curses and screeches from the deepest pit of Hell.

Just by gazing at it, countless whispers seemed to arise in one's ears.

"It's not angsty! Not angsty! Just read the first fifty chapters..."

"Would Windy Pigeon deceive you?"

"Even though he died, he has grown!"

Merely by looking, you could feel the malice and Curses that had seeped into it. As if it heralded misfortune, making one want to give it a wide berth.

Huai Shi's footsteps paused for a moment, and he curiously turned back, as if anticipating the result, wearing a disdainful smile. This enraged her further, making her clench her teeth.

Soon, you'll realize how weak and laughable your work is compared to real dark cuisine!

With such anger and hatred, she ladled out the soup and elegantly presented it to the judges. Its superb presentation was far superior to the pretentious display from Huai Shi just moments ago.

The judges exchanged glances, their appetites seemingly whetted for a moment, but as they carefully tasted a spoonful, they were taken aback, furrowing their brows. Because it had no taste... Still no taste! Was it the same as before?

No, it was more like it lacked salt and MSG... Although the texture was fine, no matter how they tasted, they couldn't find the rich impact they expected. The judges furrowed their brows again, scooping another spoonful and carefully smacking their lips, their brows slowly, deeply creasing.

"Didn't add salt?" Hippo asked, displeased, looking up.

"The ingredients don't seem very fresh either," the emaciated man shook his head. "Flat and flavorless."

"It's like a pot of soup that has been boiling for too long, with no fresh feeling at all," the she-demon coldly shook her head. "Just mediocre."

Scarface Man stood there, stunned, watching the judges. Her lips trembled in astonishment, the color beneath her facade draining from her face. After a long while, as if clinging to her last hope, she looked towards the massive shadow at the back.

The shadow remained silent. To be precise, after the soup was served, he had sniffed it and hadn't touched it since.

Perceiving the contestant's gaze, the shadow coldly glanced at her. "You lost."

"No... this... this can't be possible!"

She rushed forward like a madwoman, snatched the bowl from Hippo's hands, and took a sip herself. The impactful, malevolent Source Substance burst in her mouth—excruciating and palpable—leaving her incredulous.

"I clearly made no mistakes at all! There were no errors in any step..."

"No, you were wrong from the very beginning." The she-demon mocked her, revealing the truth, "You were too slow, one step behind."

"Just one step behind. That alone sealed your fate."

Hippo shook his head with pity. "You lost. It's regrettable. We cannot let you advance, but considering your hard work... we will not Curse you. Please leave the stage."

"No!" The woman roared, furious beyond containment. "There must be a problem here! There must be!"

The gaunt man snapped his fingers disinterestedly. An attendant approached, suddenly grabbed her by the neck, and roughly dragged her towards the exit. The woman screamed frantically, struggling as her cloak fell away, revealing a swath of bizarre, dark blue tattoos on her shoulder.

When she saw Huai Shi, she froze.

Huai Shi was smiling, as if he had expected this all along.

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head with pity. "After tasting my, uh... my pigeon curry, you won't be able to taste anything else."

That had been his purpose in serving his dish before his competitor!

The debilitating toxins extracted from Blood of Green Crown Dragon, when mixed with Apocalypse, were designed to doubly paralyze the judges' sense of taste and perception. This would send both their bodies and Souls into a brief period of sensory dullness after the intense stimulation. During this time, everything they ate would taste bland and flavorless.

The moment Huai Shi presented his dish before hers, her defeat was sealed.

"It was you! It was you!"

The woman screamed madly, reaching out to scratch him, but she couldn't make it. The attendant quickened their pace. It almost seemed as though they had deliberately waited for Huai Shi to finish his explanation before tossing her out through the door that materialized before them.

The door closed, and the woman vanished from sight.

Huai Shi looked up to see the judges smiling enigmatically. They didn't seem angry about being tricked. Instead, their glances towards Huai Shi were filled with praise and encouragement. Perhaps it was because he had successfully upheld the Chef Demon competition's spirit: prioritize dramatic conflict over actual results.

The life-and-death struggles between contestants were the perfect entertainment to accompany a meal, weren't they?

At that very moment, Luo Xian stepped forward with her pot, heading for the judges' table.

Huai Shi stood there, stunned. His earlier warning was not only for the defeated woman but also a reminder to Luo Xian to delay presenting her dish. But he hadn't expected her to be so confident. She served her dish directly!

Even the judges seemed surprised.

"Commendable courage," Hippo nodded in admiration, then frowned at the sauerkraut fish before him. He poked at it with his chopsticks, his frown deepening. Something seems off, he thought. There's no golden light, no soaring aura of resentment, no exotic fragrance spreading... This plate... it just looks like ordinary sauerkraut fish! He skeptically took a bite.

Then he froze, his expression warping as if he had seen a ghost, or as if a ghost that had popped out of nowhere had seen him. In any case, he looked utterly haunted, staring blankly at Luo Xian, his fingers twitching.

"You... you..." Hippo struggled to speak as he suddenly raised his hand to cover his mouth. Amidst the audience's screams of horror, he bent over and vomited. Vomited!

After withstanding countless trials, a judge was brought down by this dish of sauerkraut fish.

Not just Hippo; the emaciated man also foamed at the mouth, forcibly covering it to prevent himself from vomiting. Fortunately, his mouth was small enough for him to cover it. But the she-demon was already covering her face, screaming loudly.

Could it really taste that bad?!

Even the shadowy figure, after being stunned for a long moment, expressed disbelief: "The younger generation is to be feared! The younger generation is to be feared! This young one will undoubtedly be a dragon among men..."

That potent?

Huai Shi watched the judges with his mouth agape. He took out a magnifying glass to closely examine the remaining fish in the pot, but no matter how he looked, it still seemed like ordinary sauerkraut fish. There was nothing unusual in its scent or appearance. It even made him a bit hungry.

"Want some?" Luo Xian offered, picking up a piece of fish with chopsticks, placing it on a plate, and passing it to him with a helpless smile. "To be honest, I think it's just so-so."

Huai Shi gazed down at the plate in front of him, swallowing hard.

Truth be told, I know I might be courting disaster, but I can't help wanting to know... just what does this dish taste like? I watched the entire cooking process, after all. No poison was added, nor were there any unusual cooking techniques. It's just ordinary fish. How bad can it possibly taste...?

With such thoughts, Huai Shi made a decision he would regret for the rest of his life—he picked up the chopsticks.

He took a bite.

Three seconds later, he knelt on the ground, retching up noxious bile, tears streaming down his face.

"How can it be..." he shouted in anguish, "How can it taste so bad!"

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