The competition area was noisy, the air filled with the scent of various spices.

The contestants were busy with their culinary creations, while the five esteemed gourmet judges and several hundred general public judges focused their attention on the competing teams.

However, Shen Qiang's attention remained on that beautiful judge.

He pulled out his phone.

He searched for the gourmet, Chu Qing.

The returned web pages had over seven thousand results.

About her, the hottest news was just two pieces: one about her culinary book "Delicious Map," and the other was more gossipy, essentially dubbing her the "Gourmet Queen" and speculating about why she was single.

That made Shen Qiang want to laugh.

Gourmet Queen.

That nickname could sort of fit, as she was beautiful, knowledgeable, and her book was a bestseller. Calling her the Gourmet Queen naturally wasn't a problem.

But her being single wasn't strange at all.

Because she was a Three-tailed Demon Fox.

An ordinary human, no matter how handsome or skilled at cooking, couldn't possibly conquer her.

Moreover, after seeing those gossip messages,

Shen Qiang felt a hint of pressure in his heart.

In fact.

There were just too many records about fox demons, from folklore to historical documents, not only in Huaxia but also abroad.

However, even within the Medical Saint Inheritance,

the understanding of fox demons wasn't very detailed.

Simply put, there were many types of fox demons.

Ordinary fox demons were foxes that had cultivated into spirits. This type was a clear-cut monster.

A more formidable kind was a naturally spiritual fox demon, a unique race almost akin to humans.

It is said that this type of fox demon was a descendant of ancient fox spirits and human cultivators.

Beyond that.

In the Immortal Realm of Central State, there also existed the Celestial Fox clan.

Some of them were mighty, others were weak.

The Observation Skill could not see through this Three-tailed Demon Fox's true body, but there are three types of fox demons that fit the three-tailed characteristic; one type is the legendary descendant of a fox spirit and a human cultivator, characterized by having three tails.

The second type is the Nine-tailed Fox.

Youthful Nine-tailed Foxes possess three tails; adolescent ones have six tails, and they only grow all nine tails when they reach adulthood.

And the third type is formidable.

That would be the Celestial Fox clan of the Immortal Realm.

It is said that members of the Celestial Fox clan gain more tails as their cultivation increases—the more tails, the more powerful the cultivation. According to records related to the Medical Saint Inheritance, the most powerful Demon King of the Celestial Foxes has thirty-two tails and is a supreme powerhouse that even the Immortal Emperor would not dare to provoke lightly.

All three types of fox demons have periods when they possess three tails.

As for which type this stunningly beautiful judge is, Shen Qiang, with his current cultivation and Observation Skill, couldn't tell.

Moreover, according to the Medical Saint Inheritance, concerning the sparse records on the Fox Demon,

the beauty judge before us, capable of hiding her tails and whose every gesture inspires awe and admiration, is likely positioned above the Nascent Soul Stage but below the Dao Fruit Stage in terms of cultivation strength.

If it came to a direct confrontation, Shen Qiang was unsure whether he could defeat her.

Moreover, based on some regulations of the Dragon Group,

their attitude toward them was no different from how they treated ordinary cultivators.

That is, so long as they do not commit evil acts, crimes, or harm the public, they are ignored.

Thus, her bold appearance here wasn't hard to understand at all.

Furthermore, given her special origin, her sense of smell and taste far surpassed those of a normal human. Therefore, it was not surprising that she became a successful gourmet and judged various cuisines.

After much consideration, Shen Qiang decided he should just watch and see how things unfold.

After all, she was very famous; logically speaking, the Dragon Group couldn't possibly be unaware that she was a Fox Demon.

Since she was unharmed, Shen Qiang naturally wouldn't foolishly jump out and try to play the hero by slaying demons and defending the way.

Shortly after,

as time went on,

a series of delicious dishes were successively perfected.

When the clock struck 11:30 AM, the host loudly announced, "Time is up, please all chefs stop your cooking process. In the coming segment, we'll enter the food tasting and judging phase. During this process, each team may add one dish, but any further cooking will disqualify the team from proceeding in the competition."

All teams obediently ceased cooking.

Lv Shuyao's father wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at Shen Qiang's untouched stove; although his eyes carried a hint of disappointment, he smiled at Shen Qiang.

For it was normal; these sixteen dishes were his meticulously crafted masterpieces, perfectly matched recipes. If Shen Qiang had recklessly forced a medicinal dish into the lineup, not only was it unlikely to win, but it might too have ruined the entire meal.

"Now, please all judges and the audience look at the big screen. This banquet comes from the top seed of the Provincial City Division of the current championship, representing the Datong River team!"

The big screen displayed a table that was pleasing to the eyes, featuring a clearly French style that dazzled the audience.

"It looks terrific, under the broad leaves of lettuce, the whole table of dishes appears very romantic. The wine in the tall glasses further accentuates the romantic ambiance. According to the competition's rules, the full mark for overall presentation is ten points, and seeing this delightful food, I feel I must give full marks!" said an elder sitting at the judges' table into the microphone.

The host's eyes sparkled, "Congratulations to the Datong River, for starting beautifully with the romantic French style. Now, other judges, please score!"

"9 points, 8 points, 9 points... 6 points!" exclaimed the host. "My goodness, facing such a romantic banquet, our gourmet queen, Chu Qing, has given only a barely passing six points!"

The audience was quite surprised, buzzing with discussions, and at that moment, the host asked, "Miss Chu Qing, could you tell us why you gave such low scores to such enticing dishes?"

The beautiful judge on the panel smiled slightly and said, "What we are hosting is the Huaxia Cuisine Grand Prix, not the French Cuisine Grand Prix, so my six points are merely an acknowledgment of the chefs' hard work."

Upon hearing this, the audience erupted in chaos.

"Right, this is the Huaxia Cuisine Grand Prix, what's with the French banquet?"

"Exactly, it's so off-topic, they should be outright disqualified."

While the crowd discussed heatedly, upon hearing the translation, the French chef noticeably agitated shouted loudly.

The host frowned, turning the microphone toward the translator next to the French chef.

The translator said, "Chef Adrian protests Miss Chu Qing's low scores based on traditional Huaxia reasons. He believes that although Huaxia has thousands of years of culinary culture, they are merely the commoners of cuisine, for most Huaxia dishes are rough, whereas French people are the true culinary nobility. Thus, Miss Chu Qing's evaluation is biased."

"These low scores are the result of behind-the-scenes manipulation, and the reason is that Miss Chu Qing knows, as culinary commoners, Huaxia chefs could never win against the noble elegance of France."

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