Feel the Pressure from the Underdogs!

"Mere laggards dare to be so arrogant!?"

"Tsk, you've been gone for a while, and your temper sure has grown. I just wonder if your skills can back up that temper!"

"Bastards! A bunch of laggards daring to say such things! Fools who don't recognize their own place!"

Understanding that these people were the laggards who had left initially.

The students of the 20th training hall, who had been guessing their identities and were somewhat intimidated by their aggressive attitude, now had faces alternating between pale and red. Some, exasperated, began to shout loudly.

"Stop your yapping. We're here to challenge your cooking skills, not your mouths. Who here has the highest point ranking? Come out and accept the challenge!"

Reaching up to clean his ear, Mitsui San, who was at the forefront, appeared exceptionally calm in the face of the exasperated individuals before him.

After Dylan's special training, he no longer reacted to this level of shouting.

Whether someone truly had skills would be revealed in a real contest. No matter how good it sounded verbally, it was all just empty talk.

"We don't even know if what you're saying is true! And even if it is, the strongest among us isn't someone you can challenge just because you want to."

"Let me do it! I alone can take all of you down!"

"Consider facing others only after you've defeated me."

In the 20th training hall, a young man with a pompadour hairstyle, hearing that these laggards dared to challenge them, spoke with a blatantly arrogant expression.

Although he didn't know why their cooking skills were supposedly so great now, he was a genius ranked in the top one hundred; there's a world of difference between him and these vermin from the bottom rungs of the culinary world!

"Your opponent is me, Saito! Do you remember our duel a year ago? Back then, my skills were inferior. Today is my battle of revenge!"

Seeing the pompadour guy from the 20th hall step forward, someone also stepped out from the laggard legion, now glaring at him with incomparable fury.

"Who might this be? Isn't this that trash Soma Yukihira who I crushed 3-0 last year? How did it feel to have the club you worked so hard to create snatched away?"

Seeing the person who emerged from the laggard legion, the pompadour guy, Saito, thought for a few seconds. A refined figure from his memory overlapped, and a mocking expression couldn't help but appear on his face.

Although his appearance had changed quite a bit, and his previously wretched look had vanished, a laggard was a laggard after all. Nothing could change that!

"To be honest, that feeling wasn't very good. However, being able to crush you here will be enough to compensate for my emotional damage."

Taunted verbally, the man named Soma Yukihira didn't say much, frankly admitting his state of mind back then, a fighting spirit now rising in his eyes.

He was indeed too weak back then. Even if he gave his all, he couldn't protect the club left behind by his seniors. That was the time in his life when he felt most powerless, and it was also the beginning of his decline.

It was Professor Dylan who, after learning about his past, actively guided him and helped him regain his confidence. Now was the time to redeem the club's name!

"Arrogant! A defeated opponent will always be a defeated opponent! Since you're looking for death, I don't mind crushing you one more time. Let's have a Shokugeki!"

Challenged by a previously defeated opponent, the pompadour-haired young man named Saito's face turned ugly, and he subsequently proposed a Shokugeki to Soma Yukihira.

"You don't need to say it; I already had such intentions. We can start now. The loser withdraws from Tōtsuki immediately!"

"Fine, I accept this bet!"

Facing Saito's challenge, Soma Yukihira's expression wasn't very good either, but he managed to maintain his composure, looking at him and speaking word by word.

Although, given the opponent's points, he would inevitably be expelled even without Soma Yukihira's intervention, sending him off personally versus him being expelled by Tōtsuki—the feeling was different!

Therefore, to test what he had learned during this period, and also to avenge himself, he decided to do it himself. This time, he would definitely crush him underfoot!

"Very good! This is the kind of atmosphere we need! Fight to your heart's content! Compete, struggle! The strong are born upon heaps of white bones!"

Just as both sides were on the verge of clashing, facing off against each other, Dylan's voice suddenly sounded from a distance. He approached with footsteps, accompanied by Wang Hai, who looked exceptionally respectful.

"Professor Dylan!"

"You're here, Professor Dylan."

"Are you here to preside over our match?"

Hearing the voice, everyone looked over. Then, seeing Dylan standing in front of Wang Hai, the black-clad youths immediately showed excited expressions.

"Professor Dylan... speaking of which, I haven't seen him at all during this mid-term assessment…"

"I see! No wonder these laggards disappeared; it turns out he took them for special training."

"However, while you were in special training, we weren't idle either! If you think you can defeat us just like that, you're far too naive!"

Dylan's appearance made the students of the 20th hall think a lot. None of those standing were fools; with a little thought, they understood the cause and effect.

Special training?

What a joke!

They had also been training desperately during this period.

Every day after training, they would collapse into bed as soon as they hit it. Some even vomited. Every one of them had pushed their potential to the absolute limit!

Under such circumstances, they didn't think for a moment that they would lose to the laggards after their special training!

"You underwent humane training, while what we encountered was hellish training where a moment of carelessness could mean losing your life!"

Hearing the words of the student from the 20th hall and looking at the scene, Mitsui San's expression was淡然 (calm/indifferent).

He wasn't wrong. During the cruelest times of the hellish training, students even had to stay up all night, only getting three hours of rest a day.

Those with stronger abilities could finish their tasks early and rest a bit more, but laggards were laggards after all, and most of them were weaker.

They didn't even know how they persevered, only that there was a conviction hidden in their hearts at that time.

They had to go down and take revenge on those who bullied them!

As laggards, the bottom rung of Tōtsuki Academy, they had all, more or less, suffered unfair treatment.

Having important things plundered through Shokugekis, being ridiculed for making subpar dishes in class, being bullied in various ways—these were not uncommon occurrences at Tōtsuki.

"I'm not interested in Shokugekis of this level. If you want me as an audience, then strive to survive until the end."

"Remember, you are the challenger. If you lose just once, there will be no future for you."

As the surrounding noise gradually subsided, Dylan waved his hand and said with a smile, looking at their faces.

The competition venue was already set up for them. Next would be a real, no-holds-barred competition. Hopefully, the training during this period had truly allowed them to transform!

A slight smile played on Dylan's lips. He then looked at Wang Hai, who had been silent beside him, and said:

"For this Shokugeki, you will act as a judge. Remember to ensure fairness and impartiality."

"Leave it to me. I'm also very curious what virtues or abilities those brats possess to actually receive the Chief's personal cultivation!"

"Then take your time and watch."

After saying this, Dylan turned and left.

And Wang Hai, after he departed, resumed his stern expression and then withdrew his gaze.

"Since it's a Shokugeki, both sides will provide one judge. Including me, that will form a three-judge panel to evaluate the dishes from both sides of the Shokugeki."

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Wang Hai took two steps forward and spoke to the leader beside him.

"I have no objection."

"Then let's do it that way!"

Meanwhile, after Dylan left the 20th training hall, he made his way to other halls to check on their situations.

For this mid-term assessment, due to the excessive number of students, it was divided into twenty venues. The lower the venue number, the higher the overall skill level of the students.

Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri were both in the first venue.

Miyoko Hojo, Ikumi Mito, Yūki Yoshino, and others were assigned to the third venue and were among the top performers there.

This time, in their offensive, the laggards weren't carried away by their newfound strength; instead, they very rationally chose to challenge the nineteenth and twentieth training halls.

Because their initial points were still low, challenging stronger opponents in the higher-ranked halls wouldn't yield many points even if they won, and the risk was high.

Therefore, they planned to start from the bottom, step by step, fighting their way up and seizing points from other students!

In the last five days of the mid-term assessment, students could freely challenge stronger opponents on the leaderboard, jumping a maximum of two hundred places at a time, with no limit on the number of challenges.

And now, on the last day of the mid-term assessment, everyone had only one chance to challenge and be challenged. In other words, the challenger risked everything, and the challenged could be pulled down with a single mistake, though there was still one chance to return to the top fifty.

If one had no objections to their ranking, they could also choose to forgo the chance to challenge, needing only to defend their position.

At the same time, for fairness, challenges on the last day were restricted: the ranking difference between challenger and challenged could not exceed fifty places, meaning number fifty-one could not challenge number one.

"Professor Dylan, long time no see."

As he was passing by the third venue, a slightly hesitant voice sounded. Dylan turned his head and found that the speaker was Ikumi Mito, looking rather reserved.

When the girl saw him look over, her initially bright eyes flickered somewhat, but she raised her hand to greet him, her heart beating a little fast.

"Mito, huh? It has indeed been a while. Are you making tempura?"

Since someone greeted him warmly, Dylan naturally couldn't remain cold-faced. He walked over with a smile and asked, making small talk.

"Yes! Today's task is to fry tempura."

"But I just can't get it right. I've been practicing all day, and only a dozen or so met the passing standard, with the highest score being merely seventy points, for a total of 2 points."

Seeing Dylan arrive at her cooking station, Ikumi Mito immediately showed him her work, a dejected look on her face.

"The problem with yours starts with the batter. When mixing flour and cold water, you need to chill it in the refrigerator first. Chilling suppresses the gluten, and the crispy texture will improve."

"I see!"

Seeing Dylan identify a problem she hadn't noticed just by observing the state of the batter, Ikumi Mito looked enlightened.

"Besides that, it's the ingredients. For a professional chef, pre-processing is necessary before frying any ingredient."

"Mushrooms need to be scored, asparagus needs to be peeled with ends trimmed, and also this…"

Using the ingredients available on Ikumi Mito's table, Dylan began to explain fluently.

Although the day's lesson was on deep-frying, cooking was a comprehensive skill. If the preliminary preparations weren't done well, no matter how superb the frying technique, the resulting tempura wouldn't be delicious.

"Taking what you have now as an example, without making too many adjustments, let me explain the issue of heat control for ingredients when deep-frying."

"Actually, these things are not easy to describe with words. Just watch carefully, learn diligently, and pay more attention to my technique."

Having said this much, Dylan stood before the cooking station and began to speak. Feeling a stir of interest, he decided to give Ikumi Mito a demonstration.

His actions also piqued the curiosity of those around, especially Miyoko Hojo and others who had noticed him earlier and were hesitating whether to approach.

"Let us watch, Professor Dylan."

Miyoko Hojo strode forward, an eager expression on her face.

"That is to say, there are many things we don't know either!"

Ryōko Sakaki also said so, trotting forward and firmly occupying the spot to Dylan's left, which offered an exceptionally good view.

"Me! Count me in!"

Yūki Yoshino said, turning off the fire under the oil pot she was heating, and similarly came up behind him, her large eyes filled with eagerness.

Dylan didn't say anything upon seeing this. After testing the oil temperature with a few drops of batter, he tossed the items to be fried into the oil. The most important thing in frying tempura is maintaining a constant temperature.

However, just as he was about to say something…

"What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to rebel? Not cooking at your own stations? What are you all gathered there for?"

Just as everyone was intently focused on the pot, a slightly angry voice came from the doorway.

It turned out that when Dylan entered, the teacher in charge of this venue had gone to the restroom. Now, having just returned, she saw a group of people huddled together and immediately looked displeased.

"Separate at once! Each of you will do an extra 100 sets of practice! If this happens again…"

The whip in her hand cracked loudly against the floor, creating a sharp sonic boom. The female teacher's expression was stern, as if her whip would lash out fiercely if these people didn't separate immediately.

"The extra practice isn't necessary; I called them over. If you want to watch, you can come too, Huang Yun."

Just as Ikumi Mito and the others felt troubled, standing rooted to the spot, slightly angered by the woman, Dylan's voice came from within the group.

"It's the Chief! Apologies, I didn't see you in the crowd earlier. You lot, move aside, leave the centermost spot for me!"

Hearing the voice that chilled her to the bone, Huang Yun's expression visibly changed from cloudy to clear. The whip in her hand was hidden behind her back, and then she pushed through the crowd, brazenly occupying the very central position.

"Alright, you're already a Super Chef. Don't act like a child."

Turning to see the woman whose eyes sparkled with a heroic spirit, Dylan's voice held a hint of exasperation. He hadn't expected someone from the third venue to actually stay.

"This is you, Chief, personally giving a cooking demonstration! How could I not be excited and thrilled! If this were in the Dark Cooking Society, my current position would probably require a Shokugeki duel to obtain!"

Huang Yun pouted and said excitedly. Although she was almost thirty, due to good maintenance, she looked like a sixteen-year-old girl.

And the opportunity that led her to join the Dark Cooking Society was a chance encounter where Dylan saw her cooking and casually gave her a couple of pointers.

And it was those two sentences that were like a sudden enlightenment for her, allowing her to further her understanding of cuisine. Subsequently, she took the special examination and passed smoothly.

In this, there was certainly the foundation of a decade stuck as a first-rate chef, leading to a sudden breakthrough. But if it weren't for Dylan's guidance, she would have needed at least another five to ten years to reach this stage.

Therefore, she was grateful to Dylan, and also admired him. Without him, there would be no Super Chef Huang Yun today!

This was also why later, when Dylan rallied his forces, she immediately closed down the restaurant she had run for over a decade and threw herself into the Dark Cooking Society.

"Alright, I won't say more. Watch attentively, learn as much as you can. 58 seconds, the heat for this one is just right. Eat up."

As he spoke, Dylan had already used chopsticks to remove the asparagus from the pot. The asparagus was coated with a layer of golden batter, looking light and fluffy.

And a few seconds after the asparagus tempura was taken out of the pot, a golden light burst forth from it. Though not very intense, it had already reached the level of glowing cuisine.

This was the best state tempura could achieve with insufficient preliminary preparation.

Of course, there was another reason: tempura as a type of dish is too simple; its depth of flavor is insufficient to support a more advanced culinary status.

Generally, tempura can only serve as a side dish for a certain cuisine and would not appear as a main course.

"Glowing cuisine?! Can mere deep-fried tempura also reach this level…"

Staring blankly at the asparagus tempura before her, Huang Yun's face was filled with disbelief. Glowing cuisine, something she wouldn't even dare to dream of, Dylan had made it so easily?!

And it only took a minute…

While admiring Dylan in her heart, she also felt a little ashamed. Why could the gap between people be so large? He was even younger than her!

Thinking of this, a hint of resentment appeared in Huang Yun's eyes.

"The key is the control of the heat. For 'frying' type dishes, this is the most crucial aspect."

"Dry-frying, soft-frying, crisp-frying, clear-frying, oil-immersion frying, drizzle-frying, raw-frying, and cooked-frying, etc. Just 'frying' as a cooking method, if you really want to subdivide it, has many, many types."

"Each frying method is subtly different, but they all have one thing in common: control of the heat."

"…"

As he spoke, Dylan placed mushrooms into the pot.

When the mushrooms first entered the pot, countless bubbles rose, and the surface of the batter turned an enticing golden yellow.

As the bubbles gradually dissipated, Dylan dipped his hand into the batter, then flicked his fingers slightly.

Just like that, the batter became small dots that entered the oil pot. Due to their small size, they quickly turned golden yellow and were then attracted to the mushrooms.

At the 74th second, Dylan used chopsticks to take them out, without a shred of hesitation.

And the people watching around were all intoxicated at this moment, admiring this extremely clean and decisive technique, while frantically memorizing it.

The technique of adding ingredients to the pot, the technique of flicking off the batter—every scene replayed in their minds, carefully reviewing every detail.

A lesson from a Seven-Star Super Chef—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Meanwhile, at the 20th training hall.

"The winner of this Shokugeki is Suguru Soma Yukihira."

As Wang Hai's words fell, the students of the 20th hall who were watching the Shokugeki looked on in disbelief.

Saito, who could rank in the top three in the 20th hall and had a good chance of staying with a bit more effort, had actually lost?

And it was by such a crushing score of 3-0, defeated under conditions of absolute disadvantage?!

_____

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