The audience watched on in shock. They felt speechless and somewhat confused.

All because Bu Fang"s actions seemed dumb.

Throwing away the delicious flesh of the fish, but keeping a hideous fish head... What was there to eat in a fish head? It did not even look pleasant.

Would a fish"s head ever appear more appealing than white, tender flesh of a fish? That would just be putting the cart before the horse. Could this chef have become dumb because he had cooked so much?

The chief judge was also confused, but he chose to keep quiet about it. All he did was watch Bu Fang and think. Since he earnestly wished that Bu Fang make a mistake, why would he share any of his concerns with the chef? To him, it would be best that this chef failed this round. When that happened, nothing untoward would happen in the later rounds.

All the alchemists on stage sneered. They all felt that Bu Fang had begun to lose steam; after all, with the wrong ingredient that he was planning to use, what were the chances of him actually making a delicacy this time around?

However, despite this development, they did not drop their guards. Therefore, they kept their noses sealed, to prevent themselves from perceiving anything.

This way, they would not be distracted by any fragrances.

Bu Fang, on the other hand, did not know that he had invoked various thoughts from the onlookers just by keeping the fish"s head. However, even if he knew this, he would not care a whit about it.

The Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife suddenly became captivating; it was as though it was goldplated. There was even a wisp of dragon"s might emanating from it.

It was at this moment that the audience finally noticed the kitchen knife in Bu Fang"s grip.

So, that kitchen knife wasn"t a normal kitchen knife... The pressure and might it exuded was much more powerful than that of a semi-divine tool!

Using a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame to heat his wok and a semi-divine tool as a kitchen knife... This cook was ready to soar into the sky!

Such a luxurious guy!

With a turn of the Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, Bu Fang sc.r.a.ped off all the scales on the giant fish head. After that, he chopped the head in half, but not all the way. This caused the fish head to lay flat.

After was.h.i.+ng it with Heaven Alps Spirit Spring Water, Bu Fang carefully dealt with the fish head.

He then proceeded to take out lots of spirit herbs from the system"s dimensional storage. He ground the herbs and squeezed out their juices, which he smeared on the fish head. In order to ensure that the fish head fully absorbed the juices, Bu Fang used a special technique to rub the fish head.

Afterward, he sprinkled in some spices into a huge basin he had previously prepared. The fish head was marinating inside this basin.

While waiting for the fish head to marinate, Bu Fang took the chopped chilies and began to stir them. An aromatic, spicy fragrance of chilli wafted outwards.

When the spicy fragrance reached Bu Fang, he wrinkled his nose and narrowed his eyes.

The alchemists around him were all tensed up. This was the last round of the elimination stage, after all; none of them had dared to relax. Everyone was putting in their best to produce the best elixir.

Thus, they no longer had any time to spare a thought for Bu Fang"s cooking.

Bu Fang took out the Black Turtle Constellation Wok and smashed it onto the bronze platform. He spouted the golden Ten Thousand b.e.s.t.i.a.l Flames below the wok. Rolling up, the flames emitted the hot breath of fire, burning bright but looking cool.

Using such a cool-looking Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame to cook was really a waste.

When the chief judge witnessed the scene, he became so enraged that he almost spat out blood.

He had the urge to go up to Bu Fang, the wasteful brat, and slap the h.e.l.l out of him.

"If the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame was given to an alchemist... then there will be hope for the emergence of a Four Clouds Alchemist!" The chief judge looked on at the Ten Thousand b.e.s.t.i.a.l Flames with bloodshot eyes.

Bu Fang poured Heaven Alps Spirit Spring Water into the Black Turtle Constellation Wok before adding in the essences of spirit herbs. Although the spirit herbs were not of a very high level—mostly fifth-grade and sixth-grade herbs—what was being used was the essences of these spirit herbs. The moment the essences entered the wok, there was an immense surge of spirit energy.

The sauce in the wok began to boil, so Bu Fang proceeded to begin the next step.

He took out an enormous steamer that would contain the fish head just nicely.

After putting the marinated fish head into the steamer, he laid the bits of chopped chilies onto the fish head. The beautiful color contrast between the green and red chilies was very eye-catching.

"Is he really going to cook that fish head?"

"A fish head... can it really be eaten? Furthermore, isn"t that too much chili?"

"Could this be a dark dish? It looks very scary... I would rather die than eat that!"

...

Below the stage, the audience was discussing amongst themselves loudly. They found the dish Bu Fang was making weird.

Forget about cooking a fish head... Why was so much chili placed on the fish head? The entire fish head had now been covered in chili; could it still be eaten?

Wouldn"t it be too spicy?

However, what Bu Fang needed was spiciness. After all, the theme of his dish was "spicy".

The moment the chief judge saw Bu Fang take out the steamer, he felt absolutely unwilling. He had now come to fear the steamer. The previous day, Bu Fang used the steamer to make the steam crab; however, the dish had no aroma before it was steamed.

Was the same thing going to happen this day? Was there to be another captivating fragrance explosion later on?

Plop Plop...

Inside the wok, the steamer was covered by the rising hot air, and a steady stream of water vapor escaped out of the bottom.

Bu Fang raised his hand above the steamer and began to guide the spirit energy that had emerged at the bottom of the wok into the steamer.

Such a unique technique.

The chief judge"s eyes lit up; he was marveled. He could sense that Bu Fang"s mental force movements were very fast. It seemed like it was not easy to cook a dish that almost defied logic, after all.

As most time pa.s.sed, the audience got more bored. Although Bu Fang"s actions were visually captivating, they were not exciting at all. They wanted to see furnaces explode! Where were the explosions?!

If the alchemists on stage were to know what the audience was yearning for, they would have the urge to vomit blood.

After a long time, the audience below finally grew excited.

This was because Bu Fang had finally moved.

He withdrew his hand and heaved a small sigh. He took the steamer out from the wok and placed it on the bronze platform.

Was it time for the reveal?

It was time for the much-antic.i.p.ated reveal! They wanted to witness for themselves, a fish head... What kind of dish would the chef produce?

However, to their surprise, Bu Fang didn"t open the lid.

Instead, he took a humongous crystal stone container out from the system"s dimensional storage.

After cleaning out the Black Turtle Constellation Wok, Bu Fang poured some oil into it.

When Bu Fang opened the lid of the Abyssal Chili Sauce"s container, a very spicy smell burst forth from within. This caused Bu Fang to cringe.

Bu Fang scooped out half a spoon of the chili sauce and tipped it into the wok. Then, after giving it some thought, he scooped out another half a spoon of chilli sauce and tipped it into the wok, making the total amount of chili a spoonful. Since the theme of the dish was "spicy" his decision was not out of place. Besides, we would not be the one to eat the dish, so why not make it spicier?

Sizzle!!

When the Abyssal Chilli Sauce entered the wok, it began to sizzle.

Bu Fang began to stir the chili sauce, and almost immediately, an overwhelming spicy fragrance surged out of the wok.

Even the smoke surging from the wok had a slight red tint.

When the breeze blew by, the spicy smell quickly began to spread across the stage.

Spreading...

The chief judge immediately saw the red smoke and was awed by it. This chef was literally G.o.d; he could even make smoke have a color!

Could this be another kind of fragrance?

When the spicy fragrance spread closer to him, the chief judge took a deep breath, trusting Bu Fang"s skills.

This fragrance...

The chief judge was flabbergasted.

The moment the fragrance pervaded his nostrils, his eyes widened, for his nostrils had begun to burn. In an instant, his entire nose turned red.

"Ah! What is this smell!! "

The chief judge raised his head, and his bloodshot eyes widened. His skin became red at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Thud thud thud!

While holding his nose and howling continuously, the chief judge retreated several steps back. He felt as though his nose no longer belonged to him. It burned as though a fire had been stoked within it, and the scalding feeling was just too painful!

Sizzle!

Bu Fang calmly stir-fried the chili sauce for a while; although its aroma was very thick, he was not affected. This was because he had made the necessary preparations beforehand.

What"s wrong with that person? Bu Fang looked shocked as he watched the chief judge about to rip his own clothes apart.

The spicy aroma continued to spread...

Many in the audience were confused. When the aroma was blown their way, they all widened their nostrils, preparing to take a good whiff of it. What the heck was with this aroma that appeared out of nowhere?

Moreover, why was the aroma so strong?

The moment they perceived it, the nostrils of the audience clenched instantly. Their faces turned red, and their eyes became bloodshot.

They finally understood why the chief judge had been howling maniacally...

This felt so bad!

So bad that they wanted to cry.

"Cough cough cough. This smell... This chef intends to commit murder!"

"Hot! So hot! This smell… can kill!"

"I trusted him so much, and yet he made me smell this! I want to pummel his chest!"

...

The members of the audience were furious. Because of the thick spicy aroma, everyone was coughing non-stop, and their eyes had turned bloodshot.

Some even began to shed tears.

Soon, they were sobbing.

First, the aroma caused a burning feeling, and now it was making them choke. This was just too painful.

Could this be their comeuppance for being busybodies?

The chief judge burst into tears… Feeling as though all hope had been lost, he just sat there bawling. Tears cascaded from his eyes like a waterfall.

However, the ones who were suffering the most were not the chief judge, nor the audience members. It was actually the alchemists on stage, who were trying to brew their elixirs.

They had sealed their nostrils at the start of the round, so they were using their mouths to breath.

Therefore, when the spicy aroma was blown their way, it entered their mouths. Immediately, their eyes widened, for their mouths felt like they had been set on fire. Their mental forces began to wave, and they began coughing, all the while trying to make their elixir. Furthermore, they had to maintain control over their furnaces to prevent them from exploding.

Bang bang…

Unfortunately for them, explosions soon began to rock the stage. It was a fiery sight to behold.

This time, no one in the audience had the time to watch.

They now understood why the alchemists held so much resentment for the chef. They themselves were tempted to tear the chef into pieces!

Bu Fang gave the spatula a jolt and scooped up a scoopful of the melted Abyssal Chilli Sauce. He glanced at the sobbing audience and chief judge, feeling confused.

Could it be that these people are touched by my culinary skills and prowess?

Continue crying then!

He held the spatula with one hand and opened the steamer with the other.

Fwoosh...

White steam quickly surged out. In the next moment, heat waves surged out of the steamer and into the air, looking like a mushroom cloud.

Bu Fang immediately brought over the spatula, without raising an eyebrow. In an instant, the boiling hot Abyssal Chilli Sauce was poured over the fish head, which already had the chopped chilies spread over it.

Buzz…

An invisible wave seemed to spread out.

At that moment, the l.u.s.ter inside the steamer became brighter. An even stronger and thicker spicy fragrance overwhelmed the place like a storm!

Guru…

On the porcelain plate, the giant fish head was covered by chopped green and red chilies. When that scalding hot Abyssal Chilli Sauce was poured over it, the fish meat quivered slightly, and a fragrant spicy aroma instantly began to permeate the surroundings.

Like a flower blooming, showing off its l.u.s.ter to the world.

Bu Fang placed the spatula back into the wok. He heaved a sigh and squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

"Chopped Pepper Fish Head. Complete."