Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

The moment the host announced the start of the match, Mao and Wu Xiong immediately got to work.

Wu Xiong grabbed more than a dozen live prawns, and his kitchen knife flashed rapidly up and down.

Within only a few seconds, every prawn had been cleaned.

The shells came away intact, the veins were removed without leaving a trace, and the remaining shrimp flesh was glossy and translucent like polished white jade.

Once all the prawns were prepared, Wu Xiong immediately turned his attention to the bright red chilies beside him. His wrist flickered, and the peppers were reduced to perfectly even pieces in moments.

At Yangquan Restaurant’s station, Mao had also prepared fresh prawns.

His speed was somewhat slower than Wu Xiong’s, but the ingredients were essentially the same.

"Hey, look! They’re both using shrimp!"

The spectators quickly noticed the similarity.

"You’re right! Shrimp is the main ingredient on both sides! Are they both making shrimp dumplings?"

"Now this is getting interesting!"

The crowd buzzed with speculation as everyone watched the two cooking stations intently.

From beneath the arcade, Haruto observed both sides with obvious anticipation.

The sun gradually climbed overhead, flooding the square with brilliant light.

Before long, noon arrived.

GONG—!

The clear ring of the bronze gong cut through the noise of the crowd.

"Time’s up!"

The host immediately raised his voice.

"Thank you all for waiting! The tasting portion of the tiebreaker now officially begins!"

"As arranged, we’ll start with the Dumpling Brothers!"

"Yesterday, they stunned the entire competition with their Flame Dumplings and shattered the all-time sales record!"

"What kind of surprise will they bring us today? I can hardly wait!"

The crowd immediately surged toward the Dumpling Brothers’ station.

Haruto had already come down from the arcade and moved with them toward the front.

Since he was here, there was no chance he was going to miss Wu Xiong’s Giant Dragon Dumplings.

Standing behind his stove, Wu Xiong looked at the tightly packed crowd with complete confidence.

Then he placed one hand on the lid of the bamboo steamer in front of him.

"Everyone, watch carefully!"

"This is my invincible creation—the Giant Dragon Dumpling!"

The instant he finished speaking, Wu Xiong ripped off the lid.

A blast of scorching steam erupted from the steamer, carrying with it an overwhelming fragrance of fresh shrimp.

The aroma contained not the slightest trace of fishiness. There was only the natural sweetness of shrimp, mingled with the clean fragrance of the rice-flour wrapper and a faint hint of chili.

The layers of scent were rich enough to make everyone swallow involuntarily.

As the steam gradually cleared, sunlight fell into the bamboo steamer and scattered into tiny points of light.

The diners gathered at the front let out a collective gasp.

For half a second, it seemed as if even their breathing had stopped.

Inside the steamer lay an enormous, lifelike dragon.

The "head" had been carved from a lobster head by Wu Xiong’s extraordinary knife work. Its horns rose proudly, its whiskers were fine and delicate, and the entire thing looked so imposing that it seemed ready to burst from the steamer and soar into the heavens.

The dumpling wrappers forming the dragon’s body had been made from rice flour.

Thin as cicada wings, they had turned glossy and translucent after steaming, gleaming like polished glass.

Through the semi-transparent skin, pieces of bright red chili could be seen clearly inside, arranged like glittering scales along the dragon’s body.

The sealed edges of the dumplings extended from the head all the way to the tail, rising section by section like sharp dorsal fins.

"This... this isn’t even food anymore! It’s a work of art!"

"That knife work is unbelievable! He carved a lobster head into that?!"

"Yesterday’s Flame Dumplings were already impressive, but this is on another level!"

The surrounding diners erupted into excited discussion.

Haruto stared at the dragon-shaped creation inside the steamer with genuine admiration.

Thanks to his extraordinary physical abilities, his own knife skills were already among the best.

Even so, reproducing craftsmanship at Wu Xiong’s level would still take real effort.

Haruto accepted one portion and picked up a Giant Dragon Dumpling with his chopsticks.

The translucent rice-flour wrapper had a slight springiness to it. It flexed gently as he lifted it, yet showed no sign of tearing, and the filling inside could be seen clearly through the skin.

Haruto placed it into his mouth.

The rice-flour wrapper carried a light, clean fragrance of rice.

Its texture was smooth and tender. When his teeth bit down, the paper-thin skin split easily while still retaining just enough elasticity to avoid sticking to his teeth.

Then the juices trapped inside burst across his tongue.

The savoriness was intense enough to make his mouth tingle, rich without becoming greasy.

A faint touch of chili followed, cutting through any hint of shrimpiness and pushing the natural sweetness of the seafood even higher.

Haruto bit down again and reached the shrimp filling.

The shrimp meat had been repeatedly worked until it developed elasticity.

The instant he bit into it, the filling bounced lightly between his teeth while still preserving the tenderness of fresh shrimp.

Its sweetness filled his mouth.

It was the pure, clean sweetness of fresh seafood, without excessive seasoning getting in the way.

Springy.

Crisp.

Tender.

Those three textures unfolded one after another, blending perfectly with the smooth rice-flour wrapper and the savory juices inside.

Haruto chewed slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly in appreciation.

There was no denying it.

In knife work, presentation, heat control, flavor, and texture, this Giant Dragon Dumpling was nearly flawless.

Wu Xiong had every right to be proud.

At least when it came to dumplings, he was unquestionably among the best.

Haruto swallowed the final bite, the lingering sweetness of shrimp remaining in his mouth.

His anticipation for Mao’s Rising Dragon Dumplings immediately climbed even higher.

If Mao was going to defeat something this polished, then just how incredible would his own dumplings be?

Once everyone had finished tasting the Giant Dragon Dumplings, many diners were still savoring the aftertaste and praising the Dumpling Brothers.

The host raised his voice once again.

"Thank you to the Dumpling Brothers for presenting us with such a spectacular Giant Dragon Dumpling!"

"And now—it’s Yangquan Restaurant’s turn!"

The crowd immediately shifted its attention.

"At only thirteen years old, he’s already capable of representing Yangquan Restaurant, and yesterday he miraculously fought the Dumpling Brothers to an exact tie!"

"What kind of dumplings will this young culinary prodigy, Mao, show us today?"

"Let’s find out!"

The diners who had been crowded around the Dumpling Brothers’ station surged toward Yangquan Restaurant instead.

Everyone was curious.

What could Mao possibly create that would stand against Wu Xiong’s magnificent Giant Dragon Dumpling?

Under countless watchful eyes, Mao stood behind the stove and lightly lifted the lid of the steamer.

Steam rolled out, carrying the fresh sweetness of shrimp.

Unlike the powerful fragrance of the Giant Dragon Dumpling, this aroma was milder and purer, washing over the crowd with a clean, refreshing quality.

When the steam cleared enough for everyone to see inside, the diners at the front froze.

Then quiet whispers began spreading through the crowd.

A few people even laughed.

Inside the steamer was another dragon-shaped dumpling.

But compared with Wu Xiong’s intricately carved, majestic creation, Mao’s version looked downright pathetic.

The dragon head was somewhat crude.

The wrapper was not fully transparent.

Its body lay limply in the steamer, while the pleats along its back were crooked and uneven, without any sense of sharpness or power.

Rather than a mighty dragon, it looked more like a sleepy little snake that had barely managed to wake up.

"Hahaha! The difference is huge!"

"You’re kidding. That thing is supposed to beat Wu Xiong’s Giant Dragon Dumpling?"

Even the host could not resist making a joke.

"If the Dumpling Brothers’ creation is a mighty dragon roaming the seas, then Mao’s dumpling looks more like a dragon that’s still fast asleep."

The crowd burst into laughter, clearly agreeing with the comparison.

Wu Xiong visibly relaxed.

Facing everyone’s ridicule, however, Mao showed no embarrassment at all.

Instead, he stood calmly and raised his voice.

"Everyone—my dragon is only just about to wake up!"

The moment he finished speaking, Mao stepped down hard on the bellows.

The flames beneath the steamer surged.

A tremendous amount of steam erupted from below and completely swallowed the bamboo basket, hiding everything inside.

The surrounding diners stared at the white cloud of vapor in confusion.

Then—

A ray of light suddenly pierced through the steam.

As the cloud began to thin, the inside of the steamer became visible once more.

And under everyone’s stunned gaze, the limp dragon-shaped dumpling moved.

Its body slowly arched upward.

The section forming the dragon’s head began to rise little by little.

Even the soft, drooping pleats along its back gradually stood upright.

It looked exactly like a sleeping dragon awakening within the clouds, slowly lifting its head before launching toward the heavens.

"Everyone!"

Mao looked at the stunned crowd and proudly announced,

"This is my special creation—"

"Rising Dragon Dumplings!"

The entire square fell silent.

Then, a moment later, deafening cries of astonishment exploded from every direction.

"Rising Dragon Dumplings?! It actually moved!"

"The dumpling moved on its own! Am I seeing things?!"

"How did he do that?! How is that even possible?!"

"It’s alive! The dumpling came alive!"

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