The Culinary Department’s Exchange Hall Square.
Gan Lan strolled leisurely into the square. To say it was packed to the brim would be an understatement. Not only were there students from her department, but those from other departments had gathered as well—even students from the neighboring First Military Academy had shown up.
It was just like a superstar’s concert from the Earth Era. No, it was even bigger! Fortunately, the square was vast enough that the massive crowd didn’t feel cramped at all.
She actually spotted glow signs bearing her name. When some fans noticed Gan Lan looking their way, they waved frantically and cheered her on.
Gan Lan offered them a gentle smile and a nod. She was someone with fans now. At first, only a few dozen people followed her, but now her audience had surpassed a million. Although a million people were barely a fraction of the academy’s total population, it was more than enough to leave her deeply satisfied.
They had never doubted her. Most had chosen to believe in her, and now they had come in person to cheer her on.
Gan Lan wanted to repay them. She decided to teach them how to cook right here, live on the spot! That way, whenever they craved a dish, they could make it themselves. Being self-sufficient meant they would never go hungry. She was such a smart cookie!
Zhao Mengru swept her gaze across the square. Seeing Gan Lan’s fan group, the corners of her mouth curled up. So what if she had supporters? Soon enough, Gan Lan would be trampled under her feet.
As Gan Lan walked to the center of the venue, Zhao Mengru mocked, "Don’t cry too ugly later. If you beg me now, I might just go easy on you. At the very least, I won’t kick you while you’re down after the academy throws you out. How about it?"
Gan Lan was speechless. What could she even say to that? She didn’t know where Zhao Mengru got her confidence. She figured she would just let her gloat a little longer, otherwise she wouldn’t even have a place to cry later. Shaking her head, Gan Lan ignored the clown and walked to her station.
The station was fully equipped with all the necessary kitchenware. There were even some utensils she hadn’t seen before, along with a red button on the side whose purpose escaped her. There was no memory of such a thing from the original owner of this body.
Five teachers sat at the judges’ panel. Gan Lan recognized two of them: Professor Ye and her course instructor. She had seen two others in Professor Ye’s office. Sitting in the center was an elderly man with snow-white hair and a stern expression.
Just past noon, the suave and dashing host took the stage. Gan Lan was a bit surprised when she saw him—wasn’t this Wu Mingyu?
Wu Mingyu winked at Gan Lan before addressing the audience. "The competition rules have already been announced over the broadcast, so I won’t repeat them. Viewers in the academy’s live stream can use the sensory tasting feature, but voting rights are restricted to Culinary Department students! Without further ado, let the competition begin."
Gan Lan noticed Wu Mingyu pause his steps before adding, "Oh, I almost forgot." He offered an awkward smile. "During the cooking process, the two competitors can press the red button to raise an Isolation Shield, completely hiding them from our view. So rest assured, your recipes and cooking techniques will not be leaked."
Hearing this, Gan Lan nodded. So that was what the red button was for. It was quite a great invention.
The Isolation Shield was modeled after the Protective Shields used by Mecha Warriors. While a Protective Shield blocked physical damage, the Isolation Shield blocked people, objects, and sound from within, making it impossible for outsiders to see or hear anything—though they could still smell the aromas.
Gan Lan had no intention of using the Isolation Shield. She raised a hand and waved at Wu Mingyu. "Host, is it okay if I don’t use the Isolation Shield? I am willing to make my recipes and techniques public."
Her eyes were resolute. It wasn’t that she was unaware of the immense value these recipes held, but she simply didn’t want to hide them. Money only mattered as long as she had enough to live comfortably; the culinary arts were her true lifelong pursuit.
The audience erupted into a commotion upon hearing her words. She could even faintly hear someone shout, "Gan Lan! Are you a fairy?"
Gan Lan’s mouth twitched.
None of these recipes were her original creations. She was merely standing on the shoulders of giants, learning and recreating what had come before. Gan Lan’s original intention was to let the people of the future understand Earth’s culinary culture. She hoped that people in this era could one day make all kinds of delicious foods, just like the people of Earth.
She didn’t want things to remain as they were now, where even cooking a dish had to be hidden away behind a shield. How was that any different from complete isolationism?
As long as they were guided correctly, Gan Lan believed that the evolved people of the future would surely surpass the people of Earth in cooking. Moreover, she hoped they could draw from this knowledge to invent even more recipes and cooking methods. After all, the future held countless new species whose culinary potential had yet to be explored, and she was only one person.
Wu Mingyu looked at her in surprise. Culinary masters and students from the Culinary Department alike guarded their new recipes like state secrets. Offering to reveal her methods publicly was an incredibly generous move. However, Wu Mingyu remained silent, signaling for Gan Lan to wait a moment before turning to consult the judges.
Unsurprisingly, all five judges agreed, and with immense delight at that. Those willing to share secret recipes were far too rare; anyone possessing even a few new recipes was currently rolling in dough. This student’s level of enlightenment was truly commendable.
The mere fact that someone was willing to openly share their recipes, regardless of the reason, brought tears to the eyes of the elderly man sitting at the center of the panel.
For so many years, the Culinary Department hadn’t made a single inch of progress. Half of the reason was the severe lack of people willing to offer open guidance. Occasionally, a small number of recipes were shared, but their flavors were barely a step above bland. They offered little real help, causing the Culinary Department to decline year after year.
The other half of the reason was that the department was trapped in rigid, fixed ways of thinking. Gan Lan’s appearance was like a beam of light piercing through a sealed, dark room.
The elderly man saw hope in her.
Zhao Mengru curled her lips in disdain. *She’s making it public?!* Well, if Gan Lan was going to make hers public, then she would too! It didn’t matter anyway—these weren’t recipes she had researched herself.
Her family wasn’t lacking in money. These recipes were merely icing on the cake; it wouldn’t hurt to lose exclusivity over them. The most important thing was stepping on Gan Lan. While crushing her opponent, Zhao Mengru could also win the favor of the teachers, which would be immensely beneficial to her future.
Adjusting her expression, Zhao Mengru announced, "Host, I am willing to make mine public as well!"
Although Zhao Mengru’s declaration did earn her some goodwill from the teachers, the impact was greatly diminished by coming second. Still, it was a decent outcome.
Gan Lan wasn’t surprised by Zhao Mengru’s words; in fact, she had expected them. But this was for the best. With an open competition, whose skills were superior would be obvious at a glance. It saved Gan Lan the trouble of having to explicitly explain herself later.
"Alright, then let the open competition begin!" the host declared.
Gan Lan took out her five prepped ingredients: pork knuckle, pig trotters, Zhenzhen Chicken, Choubei, and lamb skewers, while laying out all her seasonings and spices.
She then publicly explained, one by one, how to process each ingredient, the cooking methods, and which spices to use for marinades. The measurements for her seasonings were precise down to the gram. She wanted nothing more than for the audience to learn it immediately!
The teachers at the judges’ panel and the live audience stared with wide eyes, completely in disbelief. They had thought "making it public" simply meant cooking out in the open. What was this? Taking on apprentices in public? This was way too detailed!
At the end, Gan Lan said gently, "With the same ingredients and the same seasonings, different people will create different flavors. That’s because food has a soul. If you cook it with love, the people who taste it will definitely feel it!"
Having said that, she began cooking methodically, though her mouth never stopped moving. She continued to dispense tips, reminding them to watch the heat and not let the ingredients marinate for too long.
The audience and judges sat in stunned silence, hanging on to her every word. Some people in the crowd even started taking notes. At the judges’ panel, the five teachers were doing the exact same. Although they could always watch the live stream replay, writing it down felt much safer.
For a time, a quiet, studious atmosphere descended over the entire square.