: The Eighth-Rank Chef Qualification Examination Begins!

Three days later, at noon.

Government Office Square.

On the makeshift bluestone platform, a dozen stoves were lined up in a row, firewood crackling, and condiments such as oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were neatly arranged.

The crowd below the stage stretched from the square all the way to the street corner, and many heads also peeked out from the windows of the teahouses on both sides.

Nan Xu stood behind the ninth stove, carefully wiping the knives with his head down.

"Ah-Xu, you can do it!"

Xiao Zou's voice came from below the stage. Nan Xu turned around and saw him squeezing at the front of the crowd, waving his hand vigorously.

Behind him, Luo Qinzhu waved and gave him an encouraging smile.

Nan Xu smiled, looked away, and rubbed the kitchen knife back and forth on the whetstone a couple of times.

Just then, the crowd suddenly became agitated.

"Young Master Jiang!"

"The second young master of the Jiang family has arrived!"

Nan Xu looked up and saw a handsome young man in a moon-white brocade robe walking from the east side of the square. The crowd spontaneously made way for him.

It is Jiang Yuqiao.

"I can't believe my eyes, Young Master Jiang is actually here to participate in the assessment too?"

"Of course, Young Master Jiang is one of the top genius chefs in Shexian County. He passed the ninth-rank assessment several years ago. It's just that he has been keeping a low profile and hasn't shown his true abilities yet."

"So, his current strength must far surpass that of an average eighth-rank cultivator?"

"Of course, the Jiang family's direct lineage of craftsmanship, how could it be anything less than superb?"

"It seems the other candidates will be relegated to the background this time..."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion. Jiang Yuqiao walked past Nan Xu's stove without glancing to the side, his white-soled boots making light, quick steps on the bluestone table.

He walked to the third stove and stood there. He flicked his hand on the brocade pouch at his waist, and several portions of ingredients appeared on the stove as if by magic.

Nan Xu thoughtfully examined the ingredients Jiang Yuqiao had taken out—besides the usual seasonings, the most eye-catching items were a mandarin fish, a jar of wine, and a small sealed container.

The mandarin fish weighed around two pounds, with a long and slender body, scales that shimmered with a pale golden light, bright red gill covers, and clear, bright eyes, as if it had just been pulled from the river.

This is a unique mandarin fish caught during the annual peach blossom season in spring. Its flesh is firm and delicious, making it a top-grade mandarin fish.

The fish in Jiang Yuqiao's hand had no injuries, its scales were intact, and its tail fin was large. In terms of both size and appearance, it was a top-quality fish.

Mandarin fish are rare this season, let alone those of this quality. You can't buy mandarin fish like this on the market at all. According to Nan Xu's judgment, they were most likely raised by the Jiang family in their secluded little haven with fixed seasons and environments.

The quality of that jar of wine was definitely not low. Even though it was unopened, Nanxu could smell the faint aroma of the wine. He estimated that it was Shaoxing Huadiao wine aged for at least ten years.

Using this kind of wine to cook fish has a far superior effect in removing fishy smell and enhancing aroma compared to ordinary cooking wine. Moreover, Shaoxing wine leaves a unique sweetness after being added to the dish, which can elevate the taste of the fish to another level.

As for the small jar, it was sealed so tightly that even item identification was impossible, and Nanxu couldn't determine what it was.

But when he saw that Jiang Yuqiao treated this small jar more carefully than the mandarin fish and the wine jar, he knew that this thing must be more valuable than them.

Perhaps sensing Nan Xu's gaze, Jiang Yuqiao suddenly turned his head, looking past the stoves towards Nan Xu.

Upon seeing this, Nan Xu met his gaze without any hesitation.

Their gazes met in the air, as if sparking an invisible flame.

"Thump—"

With the sound of a gong, the entire venue fell silent.

The chief examiner from the government office walked out of the main hall and, accompanied by two deputy examiners, ascended the high platform directly in front of the square.

"It's Lord Ding!" the audience exclaimed.

"I had heard that Lord Ding had come to Huizhou, but I didn't expect that he would be the examiner himself this time!"

"I didn't expect this eighth-grade chef assessment to be so exciting. It was worth all the time I spent squeezing in to get a front-row seat..."

Ding Baozhen stood at the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so candidates below. He cleared his throat, suppressing the noise of the crowd.

"This examination for the qualification of eighth-rank chefs in Huizhou Prefecture will be presided over by this official."

He didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "The assessment rules are very simple, there's only one—make the dish you're best at."

"Bring all your knife skills, cooking techniques, seasoning, and all the skills you've acquired over the years on the stove into one dish." Ding Baozhen's voice clearly echoed throughout every corner of the square. "Bring your own ingredients, one hour."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over the dozen or so stoves.

"To become a qualified eighth-grade chef, basic skills alone are not enough; you must be able to make at least one 'signature dish.'"

Ding Baozhen waved his hand dismissively: "If you want to pass the test, show me your best skills and let me see your limits!"

"Thump—"

The second gong sounded, followed by Ding Baozhen's authoritative voice:

"I hereby declare...the assessment begins!"

The dozen or so candidates started working almost simultaneously. Nan Xu took a deep breath, pulled out a whole old hen with its whiskers and tail intact from the food bag, and began to prepare it swiftly and efficiently.

At the same time, Jiang Yuqiao also drew a narrow willow-leaf knife, twirled it between his fingers, and landed it steadily in his palm.

With a flick of his wrist, the blade flashed like willow leaves, tracing the fish's spine upwards. Scales flew like snowflakes wherever it passed, yet the fish skin remained intact. The entire process of scaling, gutting, and removing the internal organs was fluid and seamless.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"As expected of the second young master of the Jiang family!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. Compared to Jiang Chengjin, the previous chef from the Jiang family, his knife skills lacked unnecessary flashy techniques, but were much more effortless and controlled.

Even Xiao Zou couldn't help but feel worried for Nan Xu when he saw this scene.

After processing the fish, Jiang Yuqiao sheathed his knife and methodically took out scallions, ginger, and Shaoxing wine to begin marinating the fish.

The three examiners on the platform were also talking in hushed tones.

"The second young master of the Jiang family is indeed quite skilled with a knife," Prefect Zhao said, stroking his beard as his gaze swept over the seasonings beside Jiang Yuqiao.

"So it seems he's going to make the famous Huizhou dish, stinky mandarin fish... no, he's using fresh mandarin fish, so it should be braised mandarin fish."

"Considering that outsiders like Lord Ding might not be used to the taste of stinky mandarin fish, did you specially change the recipe?" Gao Wenjie asked with interest. "If so, he really put his heart into it."

"I just hope he doesn't make things worse." Ding Baozhen remained noncommittal, turning his gaze to the ninth stove.

Upon seeing this, his eyebrows involuntarily rose.

On stove number nine, a whole row of ingredients was laid out in front of Nan Xu.

A chopped old hen, with yellow skin and firm meat, has had its head, tail, claws, and wings removed, leaving only the most essential part: the torso.

One type of ham is made from locally sourced Anhui-style pork, cured to a deep red color and a glossy sheen.

Beside it were more than a dozen kinds of mountain delicacies, including Wenzheng Mountain bamboo shoots from Shexian County, rock tripe picked from the cliffs of Huangshan Mountain, as well as bamboo fungus, matsutake mushrooms, wild mushrooms, pigeon eggs, goji berries, red dates, ginseng rootlets...

Such a wide variety of ingredients couldn't help but arouse a sense of curiosity, even for the well-traveled Ding Baozhen.

What dish is Nanxu going to cook this time?