Chapter 198 Shock
The secret skill of the imperial kitchen - Holding the Jade Hands - was mentioned by Chef Long Hongze when he was chatting with Xu Qing. The creator of the skill was the examiner when he was conducting the Chef Long assessment and was also the supervisor of the imperial kitchen at that time.

This supervisor always wanted to pass down the Jade Hand technique, but unfortunately he was unable to find a suitable successor until his death, and ultimately left with regret.

It is said that before his death he regretted that his standards were too high, which led to his inability to find a successor. He was afraid that the Jade Hand technique would be lost, so he handed the secret of the Jade Hand technique to the people in the imperial kitchen, allowing them to select the right candidate.

Even so, there are still very few people who can successfully cultivate the Jade Hand.

The Dragon chefs all have their own unique skills. They practice the Jade Hands just to learn from their predecessors and perhaps to help them in their future. They don't really spend a lot of effort to practice it.

However, it is difficult for top chefs to reach the requirements of Lan Yushou in terms of skills and talent.

The founder couldn't find a successor back then, on the one hand because his standards were too high, and on the other hand because the requirements for practicing Lan Yu Shou were very high for the chef, and it was difficult to succeed without exceptional talent.

After all these years, there are only eleven or twelve people who can successfully cultivate the Jade Hand.

Moreover, the Jade Hand technique requires a high level of talent because it has strong growth potential and can show completely different effects in the hands of different people.

The founder hoped to find a successor who could skillfully use all the variations of the Jade Hand. Unfortunately, he never found one until his death.

Later, Chef Long Hongze witnessed Xu Qing's talent and realized that Xu Qing might be the person that man had always wanted to find but had not been able to find. Handing the Jade Hand to Xu Qing might be the true inheritance.

After Xu Qing got the Jade Hand, he has been using his spare time to study it. The more he studies it, the more he discovers the mysteries of the Jade Hand.

Wei Jie used the Jade Hand to stimulate the vitality in the ingredients, but this is not the full ability of the Jade Hand, but just one of its variations.

The essence of the Jade Hand technique is to make food resonate through special techniques, selectively stimulating the characteristics of the food itself.

Vitality or life force is something that all ingredients possess. It is a quality they all share.

What Xu Qing has to do now is to use the resonance technique of Lan Yu Shou to stimulate the freshness and tenderness of the squid so that its characteristics will not be lost due to cooking in boiling water.

He stuck the chopsticks into the pot, concentrating on feeling the rolling of the water and imagining the squid shreds swimming around the chopsticks along with the rolling water.

With his high concentration, Xu Qing's sense of touch was further enhanced, and he could instantly capture the extremely subtle feeling of the squid shreds hitting the chopsticks.

At this moment, the chopsticks in his hand seemed to have really become an extension of his fingers, conveying clear feelings to him.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and gently shook the chopsticks according to the vibration pattern of Lan Yu's hand.

In an instant, a vortex appeared in the pot with the chopsticks as the center. All the squid strips were neatly arranged under the drive of the water flow and were gently sent to the tip of the chopsticks by the vortex.

Then, a subtle and extremely delicate vibration came from the chopsticks. Every squid strip that touched the chopsticks sparkled at this moment, as if an electric current was running through them, completely stimulating the deliciousness hidden in them.

The squid shreds that had been hardened and turned white by the boiling water regained their luster at this moment. The slightly hard meat became soft again. The squid shreds regained their vitality and became as fresh as if they had just been fished out of the water.

At the same time, their flavors are firmly trapped inside by the jade-like hands, and no matter how hot the water is, the flavors cannot be lost.

Xu Qing seized the opportunity and quickly fished out the cooked squid shreds. After a careful inspection, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It is worthy of being the secret skill of the imperial kitchen, it is indeed extraordinary.

This method of changing the quality of meat is truly miraculous.

With the help of Lan Yushou, Xu Qing now felt more at ease.

When Lai He saw Xu Qing actually using boiling water to cook the squid strips, he knew that Xu Qing was desperate.

He ultimately chose to sacrifice the taste of the dish for speed, but this only delayed the outcome of the duel for a short while and would not change anything.

After confirming this, Lai He no longer paid attention to Xu Qing and concentrated on cooking the ingredients.

He divided the squid into eight portions and put them into eight pots.

The squids in the eight pots look exactly the same on the outside, but Lai He actually took meat from eight different parts of the squid and cut it into even-sized slices.

The same shape is more conducive to controlling the heat and also looks better.

Lai He nodded to the men in black who were waiting around, and they immediately lit the stove.

In an instant, the eight ferocious beasts roared again, and raging flames shot up into the sky, almost dyeing the entire venue red.

Then, a scorching heat wave swept over, making everyone present sweat profusely.

It was only for the first time that Li Yan, Jidi and Meili saw the true face of the surging heat wave during the first duel.

These eight amazing brass stoves made Li Yan and Jidi change their expressions instantly.

As chefs, they are well aware of the importance of stove firepower, and these eight brass stoves can be said to have increased the firepower to the limit. I am afraid that there is no stove in the world that can match them.

Lai He stood in the raging flames, his red skin seemed to have turned into flames under the reflection of the flames. Lai He was like a demon born in fire, stretching his arms to his heart's content, waving eight iron pots up and down, with countless ingredients inside jumping and dancing in the flames, like elves born in fire.

This shocking scene attracted everyone's attention. It didn't look like cooking, but like gods and demons were using their magic power to move mountains and seas, turning mountains and rivers into copper furnaces, turning flames into oceans, and then stepping on the flames and dancing wildly in them.

Shock, fear, and wonder make people's hearts and minds dance along with it.

Xu Qing was also ready. The iron pan that had been heated in advance was now blazing hot. Xu Qing divided the squid shreds into three portions and poured them into three pans respectively. He used the rotation of the pan to make the squid shreds fly and dance in the air.

His posture was relaxed and casual, and his movements were free and graceful, as if he was not cooking but taking a leisurely stroll in the mountains.

Countless crystal squid threads gathered in the air, as if turning into the Milky Way, hanging down from the sky in strands, full of fairy spirit and otherworldly beauty.

On one side is the shocking dance of the devil, and on the other side is a green willow vase hanging down like an immortal, with an indescribable tranquility and beauty, full of natural charm.

The devil and the immortal, the moving and the still, the two were engaged in a fierce battle in the invisible, as if turning the entire venue into a battlefield between the immortals and the demons.

Everyone present felt so insignificant at this moment, and the only thing they could do was stare blankly at this extremely shocking scene.

Suddenly, the flame went out, the Milky Way lost its luster, and everything stopped in an instant, turning into two white porcelain plates, quietly placed on the table.

"I finished."

"I finished."

Xu Qing and Lai He said at the same time.

The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with confidence in their own dishes.

Lai He said, "Let's start tasting."

(End of this chapter)