Chapter 513: Food Eating Competition

This giant was none other than the famous magic chef whose fame rivaled Ci Hai Shen's - Da Dou.

Spotting Ci Hai Shen, Da Dou roared with laughter. “Ci Hai Shen! Last time you schemed and plotted, nearly destroying my arms!”

“But misfortune turned to fortune, and my strength grew even greater.”

Da Dou touched the flame patterns on his arms. “This time, I'm here to settle the score!”

Ci Hai Shen's expression darkened further.

It was indeed his deliberate scheme that crippled Da Dou's arms. Unexpectedly, upon returning home, Da Dou's master had sacrificed his own arms to heal the injuries, granting him the totem tattoo of the beastman race's Fire God.

After mastering the totem tattoo, Da Dou regrouped and honed his control over fire to an extraordinary level.

He made a name for himself in the magic chef world, defeating several gold level magic chefs in culinary competitions.

He had long vowed to exact revenge on Ci Hai Shen.

This time, he must have heard Ci Hai Shen had arrived at Snow Bird Harbor and followed him here.

“I didn't expect to run into him so soon,” Ci Hai Shen remarked, caught off guard. Truthfully, he'd anticipated their confrontation at the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's capital during the national ceremony.

Da Dou stood with hands on hips, glaring at his distant adversary. “Ci Hai Shen, if you want to pick your assistants, just say so! Why all this roundabout nonsense?”

“Pretending it's a tasting session? Hmph! Playing these scheming games, I despise your tactics.”

Da Dou pushed through the crowd, striding purposefully toward the long table.

His towering frame easily lifted the canopy draped around the table.

He casually picked up a dish, the “Spring Buds” made from raw fish slices. He merely sniffed it at nose level before crushing it between his fingers.

Da Dou sneered, “Same old method again!”

“Ci Hai Shen, you're still relying on the power of your Preservation Knife. Your own strength hasn't improved one bit!”

Ci Hai Shen was struck at his weakest point.

But could he be blamed?

His bloodline concentration was what it was, his personal ceiling had long been reached. Only by relying on external equipment could he achieve significant strength gains.

Da Dou was different.

This young giant possessed high bloodline concentration and was still in his growth phase.

His talent on the culinary path was also exceptional.

Back then, Ci Hai Shen had plotted against Da Dou precisely because he saw Da Dou's talent and bright future, and jealousy had driven him to act.

“Hmph, my gear is certainly part of my strength,” Ci Hai Shen retorted. "When you cook, don't you use utensils? What's strapped to your back?"

“My pot is merely silver level.”

“Ridiculous! Are you so poor you can't afford gold level gear that you envy others who use it? Poverty has warped your soul."

“Bullshit!”

…

The two gold level figures erupted into a fierce argument.

Across the square, countless transcendents watched with wide eyes, then grew thoroughly engrossed.

Attending this tasting event, they'd not only sampled transcendent cuisine but unexpectedly feasted on “gossip.”

And what a juicy scandal it was, unraveling the grudges and past conflicts between two gold level heavyweights.

Two gold level figures publicly trading insults? That was a rare sight indeed.

The verbal sparring continued for a while, but Da Dou gradually found himself on the defensive. After all, a giant's tongue couldn't match a sea elf's sharp wit. He finally snapped, "Ci Hai Shen, cut the crap. Let's settle this with a cooking contest. If you won't accept, you're nothing but a coward!"

Ci Hai Shen snorted coldly, initially refusing to respond while hurling insults.

Da Dou seized on Ci Hai Shen's apparent evasion, berating him as a coward and a chicken who dared not accept the challenge, insisting he was inferior.

Buoyed by this, Da Dou's momentum surged, overwhelming Ci Hai Shen.

Ci Hai Shen's face remained impassive, though inwardly, he took this contest with Da Dou extremely seriously. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made the special trip to Snow Bird Harbor to recruit the magic chef Mei Lan Du from the city lord's entourage.

The proud sea elf gradually grew enraged by Da Dou's taunts.

“That damned giant must be cast back into the abyss to learn respect for his elders!”

The sea elf now found himself cornered. Da Dou had exposed his true intentions and intimidated him, severely hindering his plans to recruit assistants.

Moreover, the sea elf placed immense importance on his own mindset. If he avoided battle now, he feared he would carry psychological weakness when facing Da Dou again at the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's competition.

Having weighed these factors, Ci Hai Shen resolved to accept the challenge.

However, he was still a master strategist. He immediately sneered coldly, "Da Dou, you rely on being a giant with a booming voice to put on this grand show. Heh, do you really think I'm unaware of the schemes you're plotting right now?"

"Not only do you have your own hands, but your teacher's hands are also at your disposal. That's precisely why you don't need a sous chef or an assistant."

“You chose to challenge me during my vulnerable period of recruiting assistants, clearly taking advantage of my weakness. How cunning.”

“That said, your luck has been truly extraordinary!”

“Inheriting your master's arm not only restored you to your peak but propelled you even further.”

"What? Is scheming now part of your master's teachings too? You've grown a lot, youngster."

At the mention of his mentor, Da Dou's face darkened instantly, fury boiling over, “Don't you dare insult my teacher!”

“Ci Hai Shen, even as a senior, you're consumed by jealousy and envy. You're nothing like a true elder should be. So, drop that pretentious act.”

“If you fear what my mentor left me, then I won't use the Flame Totem.”

“Do you dare?”

“You and I will face off alone. Are you still afraid?”

Ci Hai Shen roared with laughter. His taunts had succeeded in provoking Da Dou, forcing him to abandon his greatest strength.

Ci Hai Shen feared Da Dou's Flame Totem above all else.

After all, Da Dou's mentor was a respected Magic MasterChef in the beastman race. The Flame Totem was his mentor's ultimate technique.

For Ci Hai Shen to face Da Dou wielding the Flame Totem would be like fighting two opponents at once.

“Since you, Da Dou, are so eager for a lesson, I shall accept your challenge this time.” Ci Hai Shen finally relented, accepting the duel on the spot.

The announcement sent a roar of excitement rippling through the square.

Many cheered loudly.

The crowd, always eager for spectacle, was thoroughly intrigued by the prospect of a duel between two gold level magic chefs.

The Snow Bird Arena's owner, present at the time, immediately offered to open his venue as a platform for the two magic chefs to face off.

Other arena owners only then realized the opportunity, but lacking the resources to compete with Snow Bird Arena, they could only sigh regretfully.

Upon hearing Ci Hai Shen finally accept the challenge, Da Dou breathed a sigh of relief and added, “A duel? That's perfect!”

“Let us engage in a heroic duel as chefs.”

“But though this duel isn't a matter of life and death, there must be some stakes involved."

"Ci Hai Shen, if you lose, you must compensate me with your Preservation Knife!"

Ci Hai Shen was furious.

The Preservation Knife was a gold level artifact, his most formidable culinary tool. It was virtually impossible to find on the market, and even with blueprints, crafting a second one was nearly impossible.

It wasn't that it couldn't be made, but it required an Alchemy Great Master's personal intervention and the collection of thirteen rare ingredients to form the “Thirteen Delicacies.” Only with the Thirteen Delicacies as the primary material could the knife be forged.

All thirteen ingredients were gold level, and most could be purchased on the high-end market. But a few, like the Purple Cloud Fresh Mushroom, existed only in the sky, and were extremely rare. That wasn't the most troublesome part. The most difficult ingredient was the Fresh Carrot Cockscomb Flower. Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to find anywhere in the world, though it was quite common over three hundred years ago.

“Da Dou has gotten clever!”

“If I lose this duel and lose the Preservation Knife, I'll stand no chance against him at the kingdom's national banquet.”

Ci Hai Shen naturally didn't want to agree to such a wager, but having already accepted the challenge, he couldn't back down. He could only say, “So you covet my Preservation Knife.”

“I can agree, but you must offer an equal wager in return.”

Ci Hai Shen had assumed Da Dou possessed no formidable culinary tools, yet once again, the latter shattered his preconceptions.

Da Dou pulled a steak from an inner pocket of his clothing.

This was no magic dish, but an alchemy artifact.

A gold level alchemy artifact!

Ci Hai Shen gasped in surprise, exclaiming, “The Meat Eye?”

The Meat Eye was a rare culinary tool of equal caliber and value to his own Preservation Knife.

Ci Hai Shen was instantly captivated.

“Then let's do it! I accept this wager!”

Ci Hai Shen's tasting session was interrupted as the two gold level magic chefs decided to hold a culinary duel at the Snow Bird Arena.

Such an event required reporting to the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, and advance communication was essential.

Ci Hai Shen further proposed selecting referees, suggesting the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord serve as chief judge.

After all, culinary contests were unique battles where victory was hard to judge by appearance alone.

But Da Dou refused.

“How can I be sure there aren't people close to you among the referees?”

"You arrived at Snow Bird Harbor before me, and this is the realm of the elves."

"I am a giant, an outsider."

"Therefore, this duel must be fair, let everyone serve as the judge. If you can bribe them all, I'll concede defeat without a word."

A sharp gleam flashed in Ci Hai Shen's eyes: “You want an eating contest?”

"Of course! Isn't that the most fundamental culinary contest?" Da Dou declared.

Ci Hai Shen pondered for a moment before nodding slightly. “I accept.”

Seeing the two great magic chefs reach an agreement, the crowd at Snow Bird Square erupted in commotion.

“What is an eating contest?” someone asked.

An expert replied, “There are many forms of culinary duels, and the eating contest is one of them. the most fundamental of them all.”

“The competing chefs prepare transcendent dishes of various levels on the spot, inviting others to sample them.”

“The more people eat, the more transcendent dishes are consumed. This proves the chef's popularity, making them the ultimate victor.”

Another voice raised doubts: “Isn't that similar to a tasting event?”

“Of course not.”

"Tasting events feature chefs creating novel dishes with various challenges, often deliberately difficult for diners. Therefore, chefs pay out of pocket, using prize money to entice transcendents to sample their creations."

“But in an eating contest, chefs will spare no effort to create flavors that are easier to consume and more pleasing to diners.”

“That's entirely different!”

“I can't wait! Who would've thought that two gold level magic chefs would face off, in an eating contest, no less?”

“Yeah, we're in for a real treat this time.”

The crowd buzzed with chatter, everyone buzzing with excitement.