Inhaling the unmistakable fragrance that filled both inside and outside of the competition venue,

everyone was staring, dumbfounded, at Shen Qiang, who was calmly making the final adjustments.

"The exotic aroma from earlier was just the soup base!" exclaimed the stunning Fox Demon judge, shock written all over her face as she watched Shen Qiang, her emotions churning beyond measure, "Its purpose was to enhance, to ultimately elevate the flavor of the truffle to its zenith! Top-notch! Real top-notch, this is truly top-notch truffle!"

"Although I was anticipating before, I thought this young man's unique flavor might just stand a chance against Truffle Steak! But to my amazement, it was merely an embellishment; the true delight turns out to be this truffle, which brought out the taste to its pinnacle!"

"Magnificent! Absolutely astonishing!" another judge watched Shen Qiang in awe: "I originally thought when he said he would cook with truffle that 'the Chinese are the ancestors' was just a joke. Little did I expect, he really made a truffle dish! And he perfected it!"

Almost at the same moment as the judges' shock, the scent that swept through the competition venue like a hurricane, drifted through the doors, windows, and air conditioning out onto the streets.

Not only the security guards of the banquet hall, even Shen Qiang was captivated.

Even the passersby on the street couldn't help but halt in their tracks, looking towards the Banquet Hall.

"What a delicious smell! Even though I just had lunch, just by smelling it, I suddenly feel hungry again."

"I really want to eat it!"

"I must visit the Banquet Hall next time."

The passersby, filled with longing at just a whiff of the escaping aroma, couldn't possibly experience the atmosphere within the competition venue at that moment.

On the competition stage.

The pale-faced owner of Datong River stared blankly at the pot in front of Shen Qiang that was no longer on the fire, murmuring in disbelief, "Impossible, he's just an inexperienced young man full of bluster, how could he possibly create such a fantastical delicacy!"

Meanwhile, the French chef who made the Truffle Steak was also watching Shen Qiang, his eyes wide as he murmured in French with incredible shock, "Top-notch, no, this is a dreamlike cuisine that surpasses top-notch; this marvelous truffle aroma is simply indescribable in words. How is this possible? The chefs of China are ordinary citizens, they can't possibly master the truffle cooking that only nobility are privileged to!"

And as they grappled with their disbelief,

the public judges in attendance had already gotten to their feet with a bang, followed by thunderous applause.

"We won! We definitely won! My god, the real masters are among the people, just smell this enchanting aroma, rich and full-bodied, it has brought out the unique fragrance of the truffle to the utmost!"

"My god! Before, I really thought that we in China had no one capable of making delicious truffle dishes, but smell this, compared to it, what is the aroma of the previous Truffle Steaks!"

"Well done! Our Huaxia's food culture has a unique style over five thousand years, although I still don't know what this young man's name is, but I know, it's because of young people like him that the revival of Huaxia is not just talk!"

Amid everyone's shock, Shen Qiang felt a slight twinge of heartache as he stored the used Earth Spirit Embryo back into the Storage Ring.

The thin nine slices had consumed roughly one-ninth of the entire Earth Spirit Embryo.

This level of consumption was acceptable to Shen Qiang.

The remaining Earth Spirit Embryo could still be reserved for refining the Jiazi Pills.

Turning off the stove.

Shen Qiang calmly ladled the soup into five small bowls.

There were no green leaf garnishes.

No red cherry accents either.

But at this time, the five judges on the judging platform had already eagerly picked up their soup spoons and straightened their napkins with eyes full of anticipation.

The venue was silent.

Everyone was staring intently at the five judges on the platform.

And at this moment, their eyes contained only the soup that looked ordinary to the extreme.

The leading judge, a very old man already balding, now picked up his spoon and gently took a sip. In an instant, his eyes widened.

"The truffle flavor, heightened to the extreme, instantly assaulting the taste buds within the mouth, awakening the numbed taste receptors. Amidst the rich and mellow fragrance, a youthful vigor surged within my chest! I seem to have found the feeling of my youth, back when I had six-pack abs, a full head of black hair, and my mother's%... Yes! This is the taste of my mother's cooking!"

The elderly leader's eyes turned moist as he silently drank the soup.

Beside him, a skinny middle-aged man gently tasted the soup and then froze. His mind inexplicably conjured an image of a sunny afternoon by the riverside under a willow tree, with a woman holding an umbrella smiling at him.

"Rich, natural, a heartwarming fragrance, without the slightest ostentation, a gentle and tender warmth..."

Watching the two lost in thought, the hefty judge carefully brought the soup to his lips, and like struck by lightning, he was stunned.

"The clear fragrance, like a stream, completely cleansed the taste buds soiled with grime. The flavor was mellow and smooth, just like when I was a kid hiding behind my mother, unable to resist snatching vegetables from the plate..."

Seeing the three of them daze.

The last elder hesitated for a moment but still brought the spoonful of soup to his mouth.

Within an instant, the vivid memory of him running under the noon sunlight along the ridges of the fields, and a woman leaning on a hoe smiling at him saying, "Child, are you hungry..." flooded his mind.

At this moment, the beautiful Fox Demon judge Chu Qing looked somewhat nervously at the soup in front of her.

The rich truffle aroma was unmistakably clear.

It made her involuntarily swallow her saliva in secret.

"Don't disappoint me!" she whispered to herself.

She carefully scooped up a spoonful, and the beautiful Demon Fox brought the soup to her mouth.

In an instant, she, too, was stunned.

"An exquisitely delicious truffle flavor, like a storm sweeping through the mouth, instantly exciting the taste buds. It was warmly fragrant and rich but also clean and natural. It was like the satisfaction of lying exhausted in mother's embrace after running around in the fields as a child."

"The warm care dispelled the hunger, a luxury without pretense, no feeble taste battering. After savoring this delicacy, it was more than just a taste I felt, but an endless satisfaction in my soul!"

In that moment, the heart of the overwhelmed Demon Fox judge palpitated intensely as she fixed her gaze on Shen Qiang, who was smiling while serving the soup to Lv Shuyao's father, Cheng Tang.

His ordinary face, became handsomely radiant in this moment.

Clutching the microphone in a daze, the Demon Fox judge, her voice trembling, asked, "Excuse me, may I ask what this soup is called?"

Once again, all eyes converged on Shen Qiang.

Shen Qiang smiled and said, "The name of this soup is a bit odd—my master calls it... 'Gift from Mother Earth'!"

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