The recipes that were once criticized so harshly they led to self-imposed isolation.

Xiao Li listened in a daze; this wasn't cooking, it was like conducting a culinary chemistry experiment.

But it had to be said, that although the boss's "dark cuisines" sounded intimidating, their appearance and taste were surprisingly good.

Every night after developing new dishes, Liu Yang would have the diners taste-test them, carefully observing their reactions.

Some dishes made people's eyes light up, while others left them agape.

He recorded the feedback on each dish in a small notebook, contemplating which one to use as his competition entry.

"Boss, are you trying all the impossible combinations?" Xiao Li couldn't help but ask, watching Liu Yang bring out another dish, "Squid Ink Tiramisu."

"Innovation requires boldness," Liu Yang said with a smile,

"But most importantly, it should be unexpected and delightful, not just shocking."

Xiao Li nodded, understanding somewhat.

Over the week, he realized that his boss not only knew how to cook but also understood the characteristics of ingredients, the principles of cooking, and even the psychology of taste.

This was more than just a regular chef; it was like a culinary scientist.

And Liu Yang was enjoying himself.

The system had given him top-notch culinary skills and knowledge, allowing him to turn these seemingly impossible combinations into delicious dishes.

Seeing the diners' expressions change from skepticism to amazement was incredibly satisfying for him.

"How's the learning going today?" he asked Xiao Li while cleaning up the kitchen.

"Boss, what you teach is so professional!" Xiao Li said with admiration,

"It's just that some combinations are too surprising, like that wasabi ice cream..."

Liu Yang's eyes lit up: "Speaking of surprising combinations, I have another idea."

He took out a bag of squid ink from the cabinet, "Let's try this tomorrow."

"What are we going to do with this?" Xiao Li leaned in, as nervous as a student just entering an exam room.

"Deep Sea Hell Ramen," Liu Yang said with a mysterious smile. At 8 pm, Xiao Yuanshan paced in the backyard, his phone in hand getting hot from his grip.

He had already found his master's number in the contact list but hesitated to press the call button.

This Hu Jing, now a judge in the competition, was the master he had apprenticed under twenty years ago.

Back then, his master ran a small shop by the roadside, always thinking about various novel dishes.

He always said, "Cooking requires an innovative spirit; you can't stick to the old ways."

Looking back, those "quirky" recipes of his master had become the forefront of the culinary world.

"Should I make this call?" Xiao Yuanshan's finger moved back and forth on the screen,

"Although it's been years since we last contacted, we were master and apprentice after all..."

He took a deep drag of his cigarette and finally decided to press the call button.

After three rings, a slightly hoarse voice came from the other end: "Hello, who is this?"

"Master..." Xiao Yuanshan's voice trembled, "It's Yuanshan here."

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a hearty laugh:

"Haha, I thought the voice sounded familiar! So, it's about the competition, huh?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanshan felt as guilty as a student caught cheating.

Xiao Yuanshan took a deep breath: "Master, I'm planning to make 'Prosperous Dragon and Phoenix' and 'Nine Turns of the Universe Banquet'..."

"Oh?" The interest in the voice on the other end was palpable,

"These are both imperial dishes; even when I make them, I have to put in 120% effort."

"That's why I wanted to ask for your guidance," Xiao Yuanshan said softly,

"What do you think about these two dishes in the competition..."

"If you can bring out the skills required for these dishes," Hu Jing said with a smile,

"You'll amaze everyone.

But you're quite ruthless, choosing dishes with such complicated procedures."

Hearing his master's words, Xiao Yuanshan's courage grew:

"Um... Master, could you reveal the competition's scoring criteria?"

"You old fox!" Hu Jing teased, "Alright, I'll tell you.

This competition mainly looks at three aspects:

First is the inheritance of traditional techniques, second is the integration of innovative elements, and third is the overall control of flavor.

The score ratio is 3:3:4."

There was a pause on the other end: "But let me warn you, there are quite a few tough competitors this year."

"Let me warn you, there are quite a few tough competitors this year..."

Hu Jing's words were cut off by Xiao Yuanshan.

"By the way, Master," he suddenly remembered something, his tone becoming extremely flattering,

"Do you remember that book you published a few years ago, 'Infinite Possibilities of Taste Exploration'?"

"Hmm? That one..." Hu Jing's voice hesitated for a moment,

Still remember that book, which had been harshly criticized.

"Now someone is studying that book!" Xiao Yuanshan's tone was sweeter than his honey-glazed BBQ pork,

"I heard that 'Wasabi Ice Cream,' 'Chili Candy Floss,' and others are selling well,

At first, I just thought these dish names sounded familiar until I called you today,

I remembered they were all from your book."

"What did you say?" There was a sound of something heavy falling on the other end of the line,

Followed by a fit of coughing, "S-someone is studying that book?"

"Yes!" Xiao Yuanshan continued to exaggerate,

"Master, you had foresight; it's come true, hasn't it?

Back then, you were already paving the way for today's innovative cuisine!"

Hu Jing's hand holding the phone trembled, almost spitting out the water.

Xiao Yuanshan said that someone was studying his book, "Infinite Possibilities of Taste Exploration,"

This was more shocking than being told someone was studying an ancient scripture.

That book was written during his most down-and-out years when he had just resigned from a Michelin restaurant,

At home, he daydreamed all day and wrote down some wildly imaginative recipes.

Wasabi ice cream, chili candy floss, sweet and sour pepper chicken... These dishes he hadn't even made himself, purely creative impulses.

The book was slammed upon publication, food critics said he was desecrating cuisine, and readers said he was wasting paper.

Those harsh comments were like a group of angry netizens venting, each sentence wanting to smash the keyboard:

"Damn it! What the hell is this shit?

My dog could write a more reliable recipe than this!"

"Go to hell with your wasabi ice cream! This isn't innovation, it's a crime!

I suggest sending this idiot to a culinary prison, sentence him to a lifetime ban from the kitchen!"

"Is this retard writing a recipe or a poisoning guide?

I swear, how can this brain-damaged person be a chef?"

"Fuck! This is just a pile of bullshit!

I suggest the author tries all the dishes he wrote about and see if he dies!"

"I'm convinced, truly fucking convinced! Why doesn't this idiot develop 'spicy lollipops'?

'Garlic-flavored jelly'? I'm laughing so hard I'm peeing my pants!"

"Is this bastard an escapee from a mental hospital?

Grab him back! Don't let him ruin the culinary world!"

"Damn it! This guy has completely disgraced the face of Michelin!

This isn't dark cuisine, it's the product of a waterlogged brain!"

Hu Jing looked at these comments and once doubted whether he had gone mad.

These people's creativity in骂人 (cursing) was even more fierce than his research in food, each sentence seemed to be participating in the "Annual Best Insult Contest."

At that time, he could only laugh bitterly, these keyboard warriors' literary level,

Was probably enough to make Shakespeare jump out of his coffin to give them an "Annual Best Insulter Award."

Who would have thought that now, not only was someone studying this book,

But they had made those "dark cuisines"?

Hu Jing held the phone, a smile more playful than his "shocking recipes" curling at the corner of his mouth.

"That was just something I wrote on a drunken whim," he muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery,

"Just like a drunkard writing a love letter in a bar, I didn't expect anyone to take it seriously."

He shook his head as if watching some interesting comedy:

"If this person dares to bring these things to the competition... tsk tsk, such courage, even bolder than when I put chili in the Michelin restaurant."

Hu Jing laughed helplessly, thinking that young people nowadays had such heavy tastes.

Those recipes that could send judges to the ICU, and someone dared to touch them?

This world was more magical than the content of his book.

He suddenly looked forward to meeting this audacious person –

Someone who could turn his "nonsense" into delicious dishes must be even crazier than him.

What he didn't know was that in a small shop somewhere in this city, a former rich second generation who relied on a system cheat was humming a tune,

He was reading that much-maligned "Infinite Possibilities of Taste Exploration" with great interest, as serious as a mad scientist studying a nuclear bomb formula.

His system hummed in his mind, probably considering whether to remind this "heretic.

of dark cuisine" that the judges' stomachs also had their limits.

And at this very moment, this "culinary dark lord" was contemplating whether to add some chili sauce to the wasabi ice cream. If Hu Jing knew of this idea, one wonders if he would be so enraged that he would devour his own book.

Liu Yang was deeply engrossed in the much-maligned "Infinite Possibilities of Taste Exploration," his focus akin to that of a mad scientist poring over nuclear bomb blueprints. His system hummed in his mind, likely contemplating whether to caution this "dark culinary heretic" that the judges' tolerance had its bounds.

Meanwhile, in a small shop somewhere in the city, a former rich second generation, now empowered by a system cheat, was humming a tune. He was reading the very book that had been ridiculed to no end, "Infinite Possibilities of Taste Exploration," with great relish. His dedication was like that of a mad scientist studying a nuclear bomb formula. His system buzzed in his mind, probably considering whether to remind this "dark culinary heretic" that the judges' stomachs also had their limits.

At this very moment, this "culinary dark lord" was contemplating a rather daring idea: adding chili sauce to wasabi ice cream. If Hu Jing were to learn of this, one can only imagine his reaction—perhaps he would be so incensed that he would chew up his own book in frustration.