On the field, the Chef God’s operations had already bee dazzling to behold. All sorts of ingredients and seasonings that no one had ever seen before transformed under his hands—even though these were ingredients no one present had ever laid eyes on, and they were turning into a dish almost no one had ever seen, watching the process alone was enough to convince anyone...
"This is absolutely going to be insanely delicious!"
Phantom swallowed hard.
The edian was even a little dissatisfied. "This chef usually refuses to use such good stuff or put in this much effort when cooking for us, but on the arena stage against an opponent, he suddenly pulls out all his trump cards. What a betrayal of trust!"
Wang Yuyang spoke slowly. "Actually, I’ve had it once before... I passed through Guangdong Province one time and he invited Yuqiang and me to his restaurant for a visit. I brought him a bottle of [Misty Islands Vintage] as a gift, and after he got happily drunk, he made Yuqiang and me a dessert called ‘Eternal Union.’"
As Wang Yuyang said this, everyone in the Free Alliance turned to look at him with curiosity.
"Was it good?"
"A very refreshing fruity fragrance, a texture as smooth as jelly... Just saying that might sound ordinary, but it really couldn’t be described by mere good flavor and texture alone," Wang Yuyang, usually calm and posed, couldn’t help but show a longing expression as he recalled it. "Let me put it this way... Three days after eating it, Yuqiang and I went to challenge a new [dungeon], and when a boss tried to cast a mental curse on us, it failed."
"It was a deliciousness that pletely transcended human experience—and not like in those literary works where you can’t taste other sweets afterward. No... It was the kind where you genuinely regret not being able to eat it again, but you also feel a sense of fulfillment."
As Wang Yuyang spoke, the edian stroked his chin.
"After the Chef God finishes this fight, we’ve got to make him whip up some for us too!"
The other members nodded in agreement.
They were already thinking about what came next.
After all, in their eyes, since the Chef God had already pulled out all his hidden tricks, how could he possibly fail?
And on the field...
The Chef God’s dish was also nearing pletion.
"Truly perfect... My condition has never been better."
"As expected, people really need to push themselves sometimes. Among all the dishes I’ve ever made, this one is probably the best!"
The more skilled a person is, the more they can be called a "master," the more they are susceptible to the powerful boost of "good condition" and "sudden inspiration" at certain moments.
Even though their baseline was high enough that they didn’t need "feel" to guarantee excellent output...
pared to ordinary "experienced hands" and "experts," their ceiling was also much higher.
For others, fluctuations in condition might determine whether today’s performance went from eighty points up to ninety.
But for those who had reached the pinnacle in a certain field—masters who bined hard work, talent, and opportunity—when they were in top form, they could produce results worth ten thousand points.
And at this very moment, the Chef God felt the boost of his own "inspiration."
"Too perfect... I’d give myself ten thousand points!"
"Still one minute left, plenty of time—when I open the lid at the last moment and add the final seasoning, it will definitely make her unable to resist the aroma!"
The Chef God envisioned this in his mind, then finished the cooking.
He plated the "ten-thousand-point dish" tailor-made for Robin, covered it with a silver lid, and placed it on the serving cart.
Now, the Chef God couldn’t wait to see the expression of shock, happiness, and satisfaction mixed together on Robin’s face after she took a bite.
This was also the expression the Chef God had always been pursuing.
After all...
In the Chef God’s view, "culinary art" as a craft was pletely different from things like artistic creation. It was born solely to bring happiness and beautiful experiences to others.
No matter how satisfied he was with a dish, if it couldn’t be tasted and appreciated by a diner, it was nothing more than meaningless highbrow isolation.
The end point of cooking wasn’t the moment the dish came out of the pot, but the moment it was tasted and eaten.
"e on, Robin—be captivated by my dish! Even knowing that you can win just by saying ‘it’s not good,’ you’ll still have no choice but to say ‘it’s delicious’!"
With his hand on the serving cart, the Chef God’s face displayed an almost morbid anticipation.
"Let it be so good that you cry tears of joy and can’t contain your happiness!"
Having thought this, he shouted loudly.
"This is a dish dedicated to you, Miss Robin. I name it—‘The Lonely Artist’!"
As the Chef God spoke... the cracked, transparent glass soup pot opened.
Unbeknownst to him, the geometric shapes outside had already piled up enough to obscure everything around the original pot.
In fact, the Chef God noticed with some surprise that the pot he had thought reliable had shifted position somewhat.
But it didn’t matter... It wouldn’t affect anything.
After all, he hadn’t fallen off.
Pushing the serving cart, the Chef God looked toward Robin, who had stopped drawing in the distance and was sitting there staring at him.
"It seems that even though you haven’t tasted this dish yet, you already know I’m going to win, right?"
The Chef God smiled, then walked along the narrow stone path toward Robin’s direction.
Since he had watched the lobsters traverse it several times from above, the Chef God also took the shortest route.
As he walked slowly, he began to sense something was off.
The distance of the stone path seemed longer than expected.
Had the venue already changed?
No—
Suddenly realizing something was wrong, the Chef God snapped his head up.
The distant scenery, the arena spectators, the stone path beneath his feet, and the figure of Robin...
None of it was right.
"Is this... was this all drawn?"
The Chef God murmured, whipping his head around, only to discover that the direction he should have been heading was on the opposite side.
He had stepped into the "picture" Robin had depicted!
Realizing this, the Chef God immediately turned and spotted Robin standing in the distance, holding a sketchbook.
And in her hand...
She held an eraser.
The Chef God’s face changed dramatically, and he immediately sprinted, pushing the serving cart.
Unfortunately, it was too late!
The stone path beneath his feet vanished instantly, and the Chef God plummeted downward.
At the critical moment, the Chef God desperately pushed the serving cart upward—this cart carrying his great culinary masterpiece landed on the edge of the real stone path.
But the Chef God fell into the mist below.
Watching the Chef God fall, Robin carefully walked over.
She opened the serving cart. The dish inside had lost its shape due to the shaking.
Robin picked it up, finished the entire dish, and then spoke softly again.
"Although this dish still has flaws, and although it’s gone cold... it really is very, very tasty."
As her words fell, the voice of the Referee Earl rang out.
"The Chef failed to plete the dish within fifteen minutes, and he has now lost consciousness for over ten seconds. Therefore, the winner of this match is... Robin!"
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