Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
A Crab?
A huge crab?
The chief judge was a bit shocked; if he wasn’t wrong, then that crab should be an eighth-grade water spirit beast. This water spirit beast was from the Boundless Ocean. It was rare to spot such a spirit beast on land.
As an alchemist, he had naturally seen this beast before, but in some ancient books and records. The roes from this crab could be used for alchemy, and it could also be used by female cultivators to keen their skin shiny and smooth.
What did Bu Fang plan to do with such a huge crab? Did he plan to cook it?
The alchemists on stage acted as if they were facing their mortal enemy. They did not know what Bu Fang was going to do next. Know your enemy and yourself in a hundred battles, and so they had learned from Bu Fang’s past activities.
In his first match, the guy made a dish that was so stinky that it caused a number of alchemists to fail, with a dozen people exhausted; however, Bu Fang himself had passed that round.
In his second match, the guy did not make any stinky dishes. However, that time, he did the complete opposite and made a sweet-scented Oyster Pancake, but somehow, this dish also caused a lot of alchemists to fail. All the talented alchemists in that round of Heavenly Pill City have fallen through. However, the chef himself made it through that round.
And only God knew what he was up to now.
The chief judge turned his sharp gaze toward Bu Fang, trying to figure out why the chef was always making trouble. However, he was soon disappointed because Bu Fang did not even raise his head, neither did he return the chief judge’s gaze.
“This is the second round of elimination; the difficulty will be the same as the first round. In half an hour, you will all need to make a ninth-grade elixir or something similar. This time, we have limited slots; only the first ten people to finish will pass; the others will be eliminated,” the chief judge announced, with a tone of voice that was just as cold as the rules of the round.
However, contrary to his expectation, after he made the announcement, the audience began to laugh and whisper amongst each other.
“What if less than 10 people are able to finish?”
“I think the judge will go crazy.”
“The referee will soon know how it feels to be dominated by that chef…”
…
When the chief judge heard what the audience was discussing amongst themselves, his face darkened, and he began to wonder why the audience was taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. They should know that this was a serious match!
“Quiet! Remember that I stated that the second round of elimination has started!” The chief judge coldly said.
Within the audience, the judge who had been temporarily dismissed by the chief judge was watching the ensuing events with wide eyes. Although he had been temporarily relieved of his previous position, the judge did not feel sad; instead, he looked forward to Bu Fang’s match.
What was Bu Fang going to whip out this time? A crab? Was he really going to cook that crab?
If he really was just going to cook the crab, then it should not affect the other competitors, right?
After the chief judge signaled the start of the round, everyone on the stage began to move, and soon, flames of different colors emerged. The people all gathered up.
After all, Bu Fang now had a high reputation, so all his matches garnered a lot of attention.
Hong hong hong!
Various flames burned brightly, and heat from the stage increased. Almost all the contestants were alchemists. Doctors and Poison masters were rarely seen at this point in the contest.
Bu Fang was the only one on stage who was not an alchemist. However, not everyone was as good as he was. He had already become the biggest dark horse in this Magical Hand Conference.
Not many people in the audience thought that Bu Fang had a huge chance of advancing to the semifinals, least making it into the top hundred.
Bu Fang chose not to bring out the Ten Thousand Bestial Flames. Instead, he just stared at the crab.
This was a crab he had caught back in the Grand Serpentine City, at the time when the Oceanic Species sieged the city. Back then, all manner of Oceanic Species had emerged from the seas. They were a nightmare to the serpent-people and Grand Serpentine City, but to Bu Fang, these Oceanic Species were all rare ingredients. Like that huge Supreme-Being Mantis Prawn which was still in his system panel.
Bu Fang had his plan for choosing this crab. Before, he had selected the dish Oyster Pancake, which smells good to the extreme. This started the road to the popularity of Cloud Mist Restaurant. It made Bu Fang delighted, so he planned to focus on fragrance for this round.
Do crabs smell good after they are cooked?
Of course, they certainly do. The Pan-Fried Flower Crab was extremely fragrant. If a dish like that was already this fragrant, how fragrant would a dish made with an eighth-grade ingredient be? After all, an eighth-grade crab was a much better ingredient than a normal crab.
Green smoke curled around his hand, and the Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife appeared in his grip. Bu Fang twirled the knife in the air, and then he swung downwards, cutting off the ropes binding the enormous crab.
Si la~
As soon as the ropes were was cut, the enormous crab, who had long since been tired of foaming at the mouth, suddenly moved; its eight legs and two large pincers suddenly perked up as it tried to right itself.
Ding dong ding dong!
The sounds of the crab’s legs hitting the bronze platform attracted the attention of the audience.
The people from the Heavenly Mist City had never seen a ferocious Ocean Species’ crab before. They all exclaimed in surprise and excitedly watched the incessant crab wave its pincers around. The contesting alchemists were all shocked, and they involuntarily looked over. They let out long breathes of cold air when they saw the enormous crab.
“Is this guy here to jest?”
“How does one eat this shell creature?”
“That is terribly disgusting! I would rather die than eat something made from that crab!”
…
The audience was also shocked by the sudden and terrifying appearance of the crab.
Bu Fang, however, was very calm; he had expected the crab to react this violently for a moment.
The chief judge’s face darkened. The match had only just started, but Bu Fang was already making such big things happen…
However, he could not blame Bu Fang for anything; after all, the chef was just handling his ingredients; this was the same way any alchemist would handle their medicinal materials, and he was in no place to stop the contestants from handling their materials. Therefore, he had no choice but to stand and watch.
The alchemists on stage took in deep breaths, turned their heads, and began to concentrate on the elixirs they were making.
Ka ca! Ka ca!
The enormous crab howled and glared at Bu Fang with its compound eyes. It waved its pincers wildly, and every time its pincers cut through the air, they made a sonorous sound which terrified the spectators.
Senior Brother Zhang took a deep breath and relaxed. Ok… this time there was nothing for him to worry about. At his level, he should be able to advance.
Suddenly, a muffled sound rang out.
Senior Brother Zhang’s pupils dilated, and the flames in his pill furnace increased. Not only had his mind just trembled, but also the spirit that strained tight almost collapsed!
What the hell had happened?
The other alchemists on the stage had also looked over at Bu Fang as well. There were dumbfounded.
Bu Fang, on the other hand, already had a way to deal with the ferocious crab. He looked up at the enormous crab, which was waving its pincers threateningly, and the corners of his mouth curled up. He picked up the Black Turtle Constellation Wok and hurled it at the crab.
Dong!
How heavy was the Black Turtle Constellation Wok?
Bu Fang did not know exactly, but he knew it was heavy and packed a punch. The crab could not dodge on time and was sent flying onto the bronze platform.
When the crab landed, the bronze platform trembled, which, in turn, caused the entire stage to tremble.
Everyone, including the chief judge, looked over at Bu Fang’s platform.
The crab did not seem to have passed out after being struck once; it shivered and began trying to get up again.
Bu Fang frowned and waved the Black Turtle Constellation Wok in the air before smashing it downward.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
He smashed the enormous crab three times, in succession, and even the sturdy bronze platform couldn’t help but sink down into the stage.
Each time the wok smashed the crab, everyone’s mind would tremble, and their hearts would palpitate.
Poof… However, it was the alchemists on the stage who wanted to cough out blood the most. Each time Bu Fang swung his wok, their alchemic flames would follow the beat, and their minds would tremble uncontrollably.
For some alchemists with poor focus, this would cause their furnaces to explode directly. However, luckily, only one guy’s furnace exploded this time. As all the others strengthened their minds, they were eager to cry without tears.
Could they really continue to refine their elixirs under these conditions? All the racket, which was no different from earthquakes, was just an effort to stun a crab. The chief judge took a deep breath, and his face darkened even more.
No wonder the previous judges clamored for this chef’s dismissal. Things would get really awkward whenever one came across this kind of competitor.
After the strikes, the crab was stunned, and Bu Fang could finally start the next stop of his cooking. He proceeded to twirl the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife in his hand, and the sharp glint that reflected off it was blinding.
Bu Fang placed one hand on the crab’s shell but he had no plans to pry open to crab’s shell; instead, he swung the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife heavily and repeatedly, instantly cutting off each leg of the crab with each swing.
He grabbed a crab leg and placed the tip of his kitchen knife of it, then he sliced downwards, stripping the shell of the crab leg. When the shell was split open, the white and translucent crab meat was scooped out by Bu Fang.
As the movements were smooth, it made the audience exclaim in great surprise.
After removing the meat from all the crab legs, Bu Fang placed them in a porcelain bowl he had just taken out. He poured some oil into the wok, then opened his mouth and spewed out his Ten Thousand Bestial Flame, which seemed like a miniature sun; when the audience saw it, they exclaimed collectively in great surprise.
Sure enough, that was a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame!
The chief judge’s face darkened even more. This chef actually used a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame to cook? Why had he not met this chef earlier so that he could beat the heck out of him…
When the oil in wok began to splatter about, Bu Fang tipped all the crab meat into the wok.
Chi chi chi!
As soon as the crab meat was poured into the wok, the crab fat was cooked and burst out of the fragrance, surgind up straight into the sky. This fragrance was even better than the Oyster Pancake’s fragrance.
The chief judge’s face froze.
The audience was shocked.
The alchemists seemed distracted again.
However, the fragrances did not linger in the air for long. Bu Fang took out a steamer and scooped out all the meat from the wok, along with its broth. Then, he poured some Heaven Alps Spirit Lake water into it and placed the huge oceanic crab into the steamer, covering it.
As soon as he did that, the lingering fragrance vanished completely, and the alchemists, whose hearts had been distracted, let out sighs of relief.
The chief judge looked at Bu Fang, who seemed relaxed and at ease, and an ominous feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
