Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto considered Xiang En’s conditions for a moment.

They were certainly stacked against him, but not enough to be unacceptable.

"All right. I accept."

Xiang En’s smile stiffened slightly.

She had expected Haruto to negotiate at least some of the terms. Instead, he had agreed without the slightest hesitation, and that only deepened the unease in her heart.

But they had already come this far. There was no turning back now.

She gritted her teeth and continued.

"Good! Since you’ve accepted the conditions, we’ll begin the first match immediately!"

"The theme of the first match is—soup!"

"You will have two hours. Chicken must be the primary ingredient, and each of you will prepare one soup. The final winner will be decided by our three judges!"

Xiang En stepped aside.

Luo Ke immediately strode forward, sweeping his mechanical claw through the air with a sharp whistle.

He stared arrogantly at Haruto.

"Brat, I, Luo Ke, will be your opponent in the first round!"

"I’ve been dying to crush this so-called Traveling Chef and show everyone what you’re really worth!"

All Luo Ke wanted was to thoroughly defeat Haruto and prove to Xiang En that all her elaborate preparations had been completely unnecessary.

Haruto glanced at him.

"Can we start now?"

Xiang En wasted no more time.

"The match begins!"

The instant she gave the signal, Luo Ke burst into laughter and rushed toward the ingredient racks.

He grabbed five plump Qingyuan chickens, each one glossy and well-fed.

"Watch carefully, brat! I’ll show you what real knife work looks like!"

With a roar, Luo Ke’s mechanical steel claws began spinning at high speed.

A piercing hum filled the courtyard as the blades swept toward all five chickens with a violent rush of air.

"Arhat Tiger Claw!"

Cold light flashed.

Chicken feathers exploded into the air like a sudden snowstorm, fluttering down across the courtyard.

Barely ten seconds later, Luo Ke stopped.

His mechanical claws retracted.

All five Qingyuan chickens had been completely plucked, without so much as a single fine feather remaining.

More astonishingly, their skin was perfectly smooth and intact, without even the slightest cut or blemish.

"Excellent!"

All three judges exclaimed at once.

The Arhat Tiger Claw was truly extraordinary.

Luo Ke raised his chin proudly and shot Haruto a provocative glance, though his hands never stopped moving.

The blades of his mechanical claw sliced precisely into the chickens’ abdomens, moving so quickly that only afterimages could be seen.

Within moments, all five birds had been completely cleaned.

Even the tiny blood vessels and membranes lining the abdominal cavities had been removed without leaving a trace.

Luo Ke then brought out ingredients he had prepared in advance.

Rehydrated dried scallops, fish maw, Jinhua ham, dried shiitake mushrooms, and more dried scallop meat were all stuffed into the chickens.

Then he lowered the birds into a large pot that had already been prepared, covered it, and began simmering everything slowly.

Standing before the stove, Luo Ke occasionally adjusted the charcoal fire beneath the pot, his expression full of confidence.

Soup was one of his greatest specialties.

His Five Tigers Chicken Soup was one of his finest signature dishes.

As far as he was concerned, defeating Haruto with it would be effortless.

Haruto’s preparation on the other side, however, was so simple that nobody could understand what he was doing.

He walked over to the ingredient rack and casually selected a single Qingyuan chicken.

Just one.

He did not take a knife.

He did not use any special cooking tool.

Haruto simply extended one hand and lightly brushed his fingertips across the chicken.

The motion looked almost careless.

Yet everywhere his fingers passed, feathers detached from the skin on their own.

Within seconds, the entire chicken had been completely plucked.

Its skin remained smooth and flawless, without even a trace of redness.

The result was somehow even cleaner than what Luo Ke had accomplished with his mechanical claws.

Catching the scene from the corner of his eye, Luo Ke’s pupils contracted slightly.

A strange feeling crept into his heart.

Still, he refused to be intimidated.

He had no idea what technique Haruto had used, but soup was ultimately decided by flavor, heat control, and mastery of the ingredients.

Then Haruto’s next move left everyone even more confused.

After placing the cleaned chicken on the cutting board, he raised one palm and began gently patting its body.

One tap after another.

His movements were slow and light.

Each strike produced almost no sound, only an extremely faint vibration resembling the hum of a bee.

Anyone watching carefully would have noticed the porcelain bowls resting on the same table trembling slightly with every tap.

The clear water inside them rippled in countless tiny circles.

What appeared to be casual patting was anything but.

Haruto’s Nen had already penetrated every inch of the chicken.

The energy flowing from his hand behaved like countless microscopic needles. With each tap, it passed through the skin, meat, and bones, vibrating every muscle fiber, every piece of bone, and even the marrow inside them into an incredibly fine state.

Yet Haruto’s Nen simultaneously held the entire structure together.

From the outside, the chicken remained completely intact.

Not even its skin had been broken.

At first, Luo Ke assumed Haruto was merely putting on a show.

But the longer he watched, the deeper his frown became.

The uneasy feeling in his chest continued to grow.

Even then, however, he still could not understand what Haruto was actually doing.

After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, Haruto finally stopped.

He extended one finger and lightly drew it across the chicken’s abdomen.

The skin split open instantly.

Haruto reached through the opening and removed a mass of thick, dark-red liquid—the remains of the blood, internal organs, and other material inside the chicken, all of which had been reduced to slurry.

He casually tossed it into the waste bin.

Then he picked up the whole chicken, carried it to the stove, and lowered it into a pot.

Haruto added a small amount of salt.

That was all.

He covered the pot, turned the fire to high, and began boiling it.

Flames licked the bottom of the pot.

Before long, the water inside began bubbling violently.

Haruto remained beside the stove watching the heat, but made no further adjustments.

The more Luo Ke watched, the more baffled he became.

Soup depended above all on heat control and seasoning.

His Five Tigers Chicken Soup used five whole chickens, along with premium ingredients such as dried scallops and fish maw. Only by simmering them slowly over gentle heat could he draw every trace of flavor from the meat while keeping the broth clear yet intensely rich.

Haruto, on the other hand, had used only one chicken.

He had seasoned it with nothing but a little salt.

He had not even skimmed the scum from the surface.

And now he was boiling the pot over high heat.

It was the kind of amateur mistake that even an apprentice in an ordinary Guangzhou restaurant would know better than to make.

"What the hell is he doing?"

Luo Ke muttered under his breath.

Then he turned toward Haruto with an arrogant sneer.

"So the famous Traveling Chef Haruto is nothing but an empty reputation after all."

"With skills like that, you think you’re qualified to compete with me? Xiang En worried over nothing!"

The three judges had begun whispering among themselves as well.

"Isn’t his method far too careless?"

"How could that possibly produce a good soup?"

"It looks like there won’t be much suspense in this round."

Xiang En alone remained silent, her expression serious.

She did not understand Haruto’s method either.

But she had investigated him thoroughly.

His cooking methods were often wildly unconventional, yet he somehow kept producing dishes that exceeded everyone’s expectations.

What he was doing now looked far too strange for her to dismiss it as simple incompetence.

Time passed steadily.

Before long, the two-hour limit was reached.

"Time!"

Xiang En’s voice rang through the courtyard.

"Stop cooking!"

Luo Ke immediately stepped away from his stove and gave Haruto a smug glance.

Then he lifted the lid of his pot.

A rich, intoxicating fragrance instantly spread through the courtyard.

The broth inside was remarkably clear, without a trace of cloudiness, yet its aroma was deep and full-bodied.

The savoriness of chicken blended with the fragrance of dried scallops, fish maw, mushrooms, and Jinhua ham, unfolding layer by layer.

The smell alone was enough to stir anyone’s appetite.

Luo Ke took out three bowls and served one portion to each judge.

"My lords, please taste my Five Tigers Chicken Soup."

The three judges picked up their spoons.

Each took a sip.

Their eyes immediately lit up.

"Excellent! Truly excellent!"

Lord Xu of the carriage trade could not help exclaiming.

"This soup is clear without being weak, and rich without being greasy!"

"All the essence of the chicken has dissolved into the broth. The moment you swallow it, the warmth travels from your tongue all the way down into your stomach. It makes your whole body feel comfortable!"

Lord Zhao of Fenghe Bank nodded repeatedly.

"And the layers of flavor are remarkable!"

"There are so many ingredients, yet none of them clash."

"The chicken provides the foundation, the dried scallops and mushrooms deepen the savoriness, while the gelatin from the fish maw gives the broth a smooth, full texture. Then the salty fragrance of the Jinhua ham removes any lingering gaminess while intensifying the umami."

"It all fits together perfectly!"

Lord Ma, who controlled much of the Pearl River shipping trade, lowered his spoon and savored the lingering taste before nodding in satisfaction.

"This is an excellent bowl of soup."

"The Dark Cooking Society certainly deserves its reputation."

"As for that proposal to work together... I believe it may be worth considering."

Hearing the judges’ praise, Luo Ke’s grin grew even wider.

He turned toward Haruto, his expression openly challenging.

Haruto did not even look at him.

He simply reached calmly for the lid of his own pot.

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