Of course, not everyone was singing her praises. There were also some unpleasant comments.
[Floor 30: It’s just a bit novel, that’s all. It’s far worse than what Ge Feng makes. With this level of skill, she actually has the nerve to call Ge Feng a defeated opponent?]
[Floor 31: Comparing this trash to Ge Feng? What a joke! Ge Feng should have taught her a lesson back then and beaten her until she was too scared to speak!]
[Floor 90: Bah! Ge Feng’s character is questionable at best. Even if he created a Super-grade Recipe, I wouldn’t give it a second glance!]
...
Gan Lan just smiled at these comments and continued scrolling. The ones praising her were much more enjoyable to read.
After finishing her instant noodles, Gan Lan logged off the Star Network and went to wash up. Although the noodles were delicious, the lingering smell of the broth meant she still needed a shower. Afterward, she lay in bed and reviewed the materials Mr. Liang had just sent her. They detailed her most formidable opponents, allowing her to familiarize herself with the competition.
Meanwhile, the competition was still ongoing. Several teachers from Mingzong sat beside the dean, all closely monitoring Gan Lan’s vote count.
"It looks like Gan Lan’s advancement is guaranteed. Arena 99 has basically become her home turf."
"Barring any accidents, the other two should also make it into the top one hundred. It’s just that their arenas have a lot of strong competitors. It’s going to be a tough fight, and breaking into the top ten might be difficult."
"Indeed, we can only rely on Gan Lan. Still, getting into the top one hundred is already a great achievement."
Hearing their discussion, the dean raised a hand to silence them.
"Don’t put too much pressure on Gan Lan," he said with a smile. "She’s still young, and her ability to handle stress might be weak. We should just offer appropriate encouragement. There’s no need to go see her in person and add to her burden."
Mingzong had truly stolen the spotlight today, and it felt incredibly satisfying. Usually, people treated their academy with coldness, disdain, or outright indifference. Today, thanks to their dark horse, Gan Lan, they had finally reclaimed their pride! Mingzong had been suppressed for far too long.
Even Ge Feng had only managed to prepare one dish, whereas Gan Lan had whipped up two in just over half an hour—efficient and delicious. How could they not be thrilled? Although they really wanted to go see her, it was best not to disturb her during the competition. Sending an encouraging message to let her know the teachers were supporting and believing in her would be enough.
"However, you still need to pay attention to Gan Lan’s personal safety," the dean continued. "Bald Huang won’t do anything about the conflict between her and Ge Feng, but the Ge Family might try to vent their anger on Ge Feng’s behalf. It’s entirely possible they could weaponize his fans against her."
The other teachers nodded in agreement. They decided to make arrangements: they would leave two of the combat robots they had brought with the dean, and assign the remaining four to secretly protect Gan Lan. It was better to be safe than sorry.
...
Gan Lan woke up early the next morning. The moment she opened her eyes, she checked the voting rankings just in case something had gone wrong. With only over three hours left until the voting closed, what if someone had spent money to buy votes?
While this loophole was difficult to exploit, it wasn’t impossible. Hadn’t there been plenty of examples of this in her past life? She wondered if this era was the same. She logged into Arena 99 and immediately checked the leaderboard. Seeing that she was still firmly in first place, she breathed a sigh of relief.
However, contestant Number 15, who had been securely in second place, was suddenly overtaken by someone who had previously been in thirtieth place, bumping Number 15 down to third.
Gan Lan sighed. It was probably someone with powerful backing exploiting the rules again. Doing something so risky could get them expelled from the Culinary World if caught. They were certainly bold.
If she were actually overtaken, she could only lament her lack of connections. Still, she was a bit curious about the new second place—contestant Number 7’s work. She clicked directly into Number 7’s tasting stream to try it for herself.
The tasting room was completely overrun by a dense swarm of live comments, entirely obscuring the food. Gan Lan had no choice but to turn off the comments before she could finally see Number 7’s creation.
The distinct, rich aroma of eggs wafted over. In a white porcelain bowl, a dish of scrambled eggs had been arranged to resemble a golden flower. The base layer consisted of these egg petals, sprinkled with dots of an unidentifiable ingredient. A tiny purple flower sat perfectly in the center of the bloom, looking incredibly beautiful.
Judging by the petal shapes, Number 7 was probably from Banan Star. The people of Banan Star had a unique love for fresh flowers.
Gan Lan picked up an egg petal and placed it in her mouth. The egg was fluffy with a hint of sweetness. The dotted garnishes on top were exceptionally crisp and burst with juice, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance. She had to admit that the taste was indeed excellent, and the presentation was top-notch. She had wrongly assumed Number 7 was buying votes.
Being able to complete such a difficult, visually appealing, and delicious dish within an hour meant this opponent was very strong. Her previously relaxed mood tensed up again.
She scrolled through Number 7’s comment section and found it filled with unanimous praise. Digging a little deeper, she finally found some useful information.
[Floor 69: Aside from her official introduction, I know she used to have poor grades and was almost expelled. Later, she had the good fortune to become the apprentice of a somewhat famous culinary master from Cold Winter Star, and suddenly shot to the top of her class.]
[Floor 70: She’s a total dark horse. She isn’t very well-known, but her skills are undeniable. This is her first competition. Honestly, she’s just a girl with a somewhat gloomy personality.]
...
Unwilling to read any further, Gan Lan called Mr. Liang directly to ask where this Number 7 had come from and why she hadn’t been in the previous materials.
"She only finished this piece in the very last minute," Liang Cong comforted her upon hearing the tension in her voice. "The exam’s core theme is simplicity. Simplicity means efficiency, speed, and great taste. So, there’s no need to worry too much about this opponent. Even though her ranking seems like it’s about to catch up to yours, who knows what the final result will be until the very last minute?"
Indeed, there was no need to worry. He wasn’t underestimating Number 7, but she had spent too much time and cut it extremely close, only finishing in the final minute. The dish was overly complex, though her skill was undeniable. Furthermore, he had looked into some of Number 7’s undisclosed background. This was her proudest creation. If she was already breaking out her best work now, what would she use to compete when the top one thousand was narrowed down to the top one hundred?
"You just need to keep a slight eye on her. Remember, you must stick strictly to the prompt!" Liang Cong emphasized once more.
"I understand, Mr. Liang. I’m just a bit nervous," Gan Lan said softly. "This opponent is really strong, so my mindset isn’t the best right now."
After hanging up, Gan Lan lay in bed and closed her eyes. She really was too anxious, too afraid of losing. This competition simply had far too much riding on it. It would determine whether she could make a name for her Huaxia cuisine, whether Mingzong could finally turn its reputation around, and most importantly, whether she could establish the foundation for developing her future planet.
It was true that people shouldn’t want too much. When you want too much, you lose your balance. As long as she gave it her all in every match and left with no regrets, that would be enough.