Chapter 256 Victory or Loss
At this moment, the expressions on the faces of the four elders were extreme satisfaction, and within that satisfaction there was a sense of emptiness, as if their souls had left their bodies and gone to a distant place.

Xiang En was very curious about this soul-stirring delicacy.

But she didn't dare to taste it.

Just seeing the exquisite knife skills made her emotionally overwhelmed. If she really tasted this dish, she might not have the courage to continue the next two duels.

When Xiang En saw the expressions of the four elders, she understood that, just as she had expected, she was probably going to lose this duel.

The taste control that she was proud of was instantly punctured like a layer of paper in the face of such extraordinary knife skills.

If we lose this game, then we lose.

The real victory or defeat is yet to come.

Xiang En looked at Xu Qing's right hand vaguely.

It's ridiculous to hurt your hand just to cook a dish.

Even if he wins this battle, the subsequent confrontations will be very disadvantageous to Xu Qing.

As a chef in the dark cuisine world, how could Xiang En lose to an injured person?
Thinking of this, Xiang En's previously lost confidence returned.

At this time, the four elders gradually regained consciousness. The ultimate feeling brought by the natural charm made their body and mind seem to have returned to nature. Under the baptism of nature, all their fatigue and worldly troubles were washed away, leaving behind pure and simple joy.

It feels like the consciousness falls into a deep meditative state, gaining deep tranquility and rest from nothingness.

But when they woke up from this feeling, the first thing they felt was regret.

Unfortunately, the portion of this extremely delicious dish is too small. Even if they eat it for three days and three nights, they will not get tired of it at all.

After tasting the delicious dishes themselves, they finally understood why Xu Qing served the dishes himself.

That harmonious and beautiful natural charm is fleeting, and no one has ever been able to capture it. Even if it is captured, it will be easily destroyed and difficult to preserve for a long time.

From placing the ingredients on the chopping board, cutting and cooking, to serving them on the table and finally putting them into your mouth.

The process goes through many processes and passes through the hands of many people. Any slight mistake in any link will lead to the complete loss of this charm.

Xu Qing has preserved this elusive and difficult to retain flavor to the greatest extent possible, allowing diners to taste the most natural and authentic flavor.

No one has ever tasted this flavor.

Even the body has never recorded this ultimate freshness that is unique to nature.

In front of this natural flavor, Xiang En’s taste manipulation seems ridiculous.

Just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it will eventually be completely crushed by this ultimate delicacy without even a trace left.

Elder Huang sighed in his heart. He didn't blame Xiang En for not trying hard, but his opponent was so powerful that it was terrifying.

Any chef who tries Xiang En's taste manipulation tactics will end up in failure.

As long as the ingredients are the same and have the same deliciousness, they cannot escape the body's spontaneous balancing mechanism.

But who could have expected that Xu Qing would awaken the never-before-tasted delicacies contained in the ingredients through his knife skills that went beyond common sense.

Taste manipulation can only block the deliciousness that is within common sense, but it cannot block the ultimate deliciousness that transcends common sense and logic.

In front of this delicious food, they simply couldn't say anything against their will, because the taste had completely conquered their body and mind.

They planned everything, but were crushed by their opponent's unmatched strength.

Their defeat was not unfair and they lost with conviction.

After tasting the dishes, Elder He looked at Elder Huang with even more respect.

Initially, he was very dissatisfied with the best-of-three system proposed by Elder Huang. In his opinion, this was completely giving the opponent a chance. In the dark cooking world, they had the skills and methods, so this was almost a sure win. Why be so cautious?
Is the reason the young man named Xu?

Elder Huang was so old, but he was scared to death by a young boy. It was really embarrassing. But at this moment, Elder He was very grateful for Elder Huang's caution and his vigilance and fear of Xu Qing.

If not, they would have been out by now.

Who could have imagined that even with all their skills and tactics, they would still end up in a miserable defeat?
The opponent is really terrible.

Fortunately, such a terrible opponent is now destroying his own Great Wall.

A duel of knife skills before the God. If you can’t even hold the knife, what’s the point of it being a duel of knife skills?
Judging from the severity of Xu Qing's current injury, it would be difficult for him to recover to his peak level in a short period of time.

Then in the next two matches, victory will definitely belong to them!
As for this one, let the people in the bright culinary world be happy for now. After all, this is the last moment they can be happy.

Master Luo Tian was filled with emotion. As expected of Xu Qing, even taste manipulation couldn't stop him.

It's amazing how he can capture the natural flavor of ingredients that no one has ever tasted before.

Elder Li then spoke up: "Now that both dishes have been tasted, we can announce the results. I believe the winner of this duel is already clear."

Elders Huang and He nodded at the same time.

Elder Li announced loudly.

"Then, the winner of the first duel is—Xu Qing!"

"Xu Qing's dish brings us a natural and fresh taste that no one in the world has ever tasted. This is the elusive and most difficult to grasp natural charm hidden in the ingredients. This is a delicacy that countless chefs from ancient times to the present have never captured. This is a unique delicacy that humans have never tasted!"

"Xu Qing used his unimaginable knife skills to capture this wonderful flavor and seal it in the dish, so we are lucky enough to taste it! This is a feat that has never been achieved in history! It's really amazing!"

Hearing Elder Li's words, the people around immediately cheered and shouted the name of the winner.

"Xu Qing!"

"Great, Xu Qing!"

Amid the audience's excited cheers, Elder Li and Master Luo Tian did not look excited at all.

There is no winner's ecstasy for the winner.

And losers don’t have the despair of losers.

Because the battle has just begun.

Elders Huang and He stood up and prepared to leave.

Elder Huang said, "According to the rules, the next duel topic will be set by your side. I hope you don't have to wait too long."

After that, the group from the dark cuisine world left.

Elder Li then showed a bitter look on his face, "Xu Qing, you...ah, is it worth it for a duel?"

Xu Qing said: "It's certainly not worth it just for the sake of winning or losing. If it's just to be able to appreciate this unique and wonderful natural charm, my sacrifice is actually not too much."

His arm was simply overtired and would recover after a few days of rest.

Xu Qing was already very satisfied that he was able to preserve the natural charm that had never been captured by anyone just by sacrificing an overly tired arm.

And after this experience, Xu Qing felt that his knife skills had improved greatly.

However, this is all for later.

There are more pressing matters before them now.

Elder Li asked the common doubts in their hearts: "What should we do about the second duel tomorrow?"

Master Luo Tian thought for a while and said, "Xu Qing, give up the second match. This will give you some time to rest your body and prepare for the third match. The third match is the key to winning or losing."

(End of this chapter)