Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

GONG—!

The deep crash of a gong suddenly reverberated throughout the entire Culinary Arena.

Everyone looked up at once toward the high wall surrounding the grounds.

Under the gathered chefs’ attention, three stern-faced officials in government robes stepped to the edge of the wall.

The man in front had a square, imposing face. He looked over the contestants below before speaking.

"Chefs participating in this year’s Super Chef Examination, the examination is about to begin."

"As always, dishes will be judged in the order they are completed and presented."

"The examination will continue until sunset this evening."

He paused, sweeping his gaze across the entire gathering once more.

"Five chefs will ultimately pass this examination."

"If five contestants receive passing marks before sunset, the examination will end immediately."

The moment those rules were announced, the crowd erupted.

Everyone understood exactly what they meant.

They were not merely competing on quality—they were competing against every other contestant for time.

Their food had to be good, but it also had to be finished quickly. Even if someone created the greatest dish in the world, once five people had already passed, they would not even get the opportunity to present it to the judges.

"Now, we will announce the theme of this examination."

Ignoring the commotion below, the leading official gestured behind him.

Two powerfully built attendants immediately carried a rolled sheet of white cloth to the edge of the wall. With a sharp flick of their arms, they unfurled it down the stone surface.

Every eye locked onto the cloth.

Only a single bold character had been written across it in heavy black ink—

Noodles.

"The theme of this examination is noodles."

The chefs below reacted in different ways, but nobody believed for a moment that the challenge could be that straightforward.

Sure enough, the official continued.

"Next comes the concept your dish must embody."

A second roll of white cloth was brought forward and unfurled beside the first.

This one bore four forceful characters:

Peerless Under Heaven.

The leading official looked across the contestants.

"Before noon today, prepare every ingredient you intend to use. At noon, you will enter the Culinary Arena and begin cooking."

"Your completed dish must embody your answer to this theme."

"That is all."

With those words, the official turned and left the wall.

The rules had been explained.

The theme had been given.

From this point onward, it was up to the chefs themselves to carve out a path through the competition.

Haruto stared at the two banners, his eyes flickering slightly.

He already had complete confidence in how he intended to answer the theme.

The only thing that concerned him was whether his participation might accidentally take away the qualifying spot that should originally have gone to Lan Feihong.

Haruto had recovered the penghui stone for Mao, which meant Mao could begin cooking immediately instead of wasting valuable time searching for it. He would almost certainly finish his own Peerless Under Heaven Noodles far earlier than he had in the original course of events.

That left Lan Feihong, who should originally have been the second-to-last contestant to finish, in a rather dangerous position.

Unfortunately, there was not much Haruto could do about that.

He could hardly walk over and tell Fei, ’You might want to cook a little faster today.’

Mao, completely unaware of Haruto’s thoughts, was staring at the arena with confusion written all over his face.

"Um... what exactly is the Culinary Arena?"

He scratched his head and turned toward Wang Hu, who had not yet left.

"The Culinary Arena is the place specifically prepared for the Super Chef Examination!"

Wang Hu answered casually.

Then, without waiting for Mao to ask anything else, he turned and hurried away.

There was no longer any time to waste chatting.

He needed to come up with a noodle dish that embodied Peerless Under Heaven, gather every ingredient he required, and return before noon.

Watching Wang Hu disappear into the distance, Mao opened his mouth, then reluctantly swallowed the question he had been about to ask.

He still had no idea what "Peerless Under Heaven" even meant.

Wang Hu was not the only one leaving.

The other chefs quickly scattered as well, and within moments, most of the crowd outside the arena had vanished.

"I’m heading off too, Mao."

Haruto gave Mao a light pat on the shoulder and smiled.

There was nothing useful to do here before noon except stand around beneath the sun, so he might as well find somewhere comfortable to rest until it was time to enter.

Before leaving, Haruto glanced toward Lan Feihong, who was still standing nearby.

Fei would explain the meaning of Peerless Under Heaven to Mao soon enough.

There was no reason for Haruto to interfere.

Once Haruto left, only Mao, Meili, and Lan Feihong remained in the open space outside the arena.

Mao looked increasingly troubled.

He simply could not figure out what the examination theme was asking for.

Meili became anxious watching him stand there in a daze.

"Mao! Have you figured anything out yet? Everyone else has already gone to prepare their ingredients! If we don’t move soon, we’re going to run out of time!"

"Give me a second, Meili."

Mao scratched his head helplessly.

"What does ’Peerless Under Heaven’ even mean? I can’t decide what to cook when I’ve never heard of an ingredient or dish with that name!"

If he could not understand what the phrase truly meant, he could not even determine what direction his dish should take, much less create something worthy of passing the Super Chef Examination.

Just as Mao was beginning to panic, Lan Feihong’s calm voice came from nearby.

"Xiao He once said, ’Generals are easy to find, but as for Han Xin, he is peerless under heaven.’"

Mao froze.

He turned toward Lan Feihong.

It was obvious that the other young chef had deliberately spoken for his benefit.

"Um... who are you?"

Mao looked at him in confusion.

He did not recognize Lan Feihong, but the man had clearly been trying to help him.

Fei ignored the question and continued in the same cool, reserved manner.

"During the Han dynasty, Chancellor Xiao He used those words to praise Han Xin, whose abilities had gone unrecognized."

"To call someone ’peerless under heaven’ means they are an exceptional talent without equal—someone truly unique."

"Someone... truly unique?"

Mao murmured the words to himself.

Lan Feihong turned toward him, a trace of anticipation flickering almost invisibly in his eyes.

"If you were capable of creating those astonishing Rising Dragon Dumplings, then this theme shouldn’t be beyond you."

With that, he said nothing more and turned away.

"Wait!"

Mao quickly called after him.

Fei did not slow down.

Watching him walk farther away, Mao could only raise his voice.

"Thank you! I’m Liu Maoxing! What’s your name?"

Lan Feihong never looked back or answered.

Mao had no choice but to set the question aside for now.

...

By noon, Haruto returned to the Culinary Arena carrying the ingredients he had prepared.

The guards at the entrance carefully checked his identity and registration before gesturing for him to enter.

Haruto nodded and stepped inside.

The kitchen beyond was enormous.

More than a hundred brick-built cooking stations stood arranged in over a dozen orderly rows.

Quite a few contestants had already entered before him, each occupying a station and working against the clock.

Some were vigorously kneading dough, pounding it against their cutting boards with heavy thuds.

Others were preparing broths, their clay pots bubbling steadily while rich aromas drifted through the vast room.

Still others were rapidly slicing ingredients for toppings, their knives moving so quickly that only blurred flashes remained.

Tension hung over the entire kitchen.

Every chef wore an expression of intense concentration.

Haruto chose an open station and set his ingredients on the worktable, taking them out one at a time.

Rather than immediately beginning the main dish, he first lit the stove and allowed the flame to warm the cookware.

Then he placed a small copper pot over low heat, added a few broken fragments of the penghui stone, poured in water, and slowly simmered it so the natural alkali within the stone could gradually dissolve into the liquid.

While Haruto worked, Mao and Meili entered the kitchen as well.

Haruto glanced over.

Mao still looked uncertain, apparently not having completely figured out what kind of noodle dish could embody the idea of Peerless Under Heaven.

Sure enough, instead of immediately lighting his stove and preparing ingredients like the other contestants, Mao began wandering around the kitchen.

His behavior quickly irritated Xiao Han of Dongjiang Restaurant, who gave him a stern warning.

Lan Feihong then walked over.

Seeing that Mao had not caused any real trouble, he seemed to relax slightly before speaking.

"The Super Chef Examination is held only once every four years. Everyone here has spent years working toward this moment."

"That means everyone is under enormous pressure."

"You should stop wandering around and concentrate on your own cooking."

Mao knew Fei was right.

But even after being warned, he still had no idea how he was supposed to make noodles worthy of the phrase Peerless Under Heaven.

If he did not even know what to cook, how could he possibly pass the examination?

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.

Lan Feihong frowned slightly at the lost expression on Mao’s face.

Then he spoke again.

"Where did your cooking begin?"

Mao looked up.

"If you’re lost, think back to the origin of your own cooking."

Those words struck him like lightning.

Mao froze where he stood.

The origin of his cooking...

His own beginning...

Countless memories flashed through his mind.

Among them was the image of his mother, Master Pai, making noodles.

Whenever she prepared them, she would first boil the penghui stone to make alkaline water.

That water gave the finished noodles extraordinary strength and springiness.

Even without broth or toppings of any kind, the noodles themselves were delicious enough to become unforgettable.

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