Chapter 1873

From the very beginning, the gazes of many Elders were like spotlights, constantly locked onto Ye Zhangqing, naturally including that Deputy City Lord from the Cooking King Immortal City.

You should know, those who attain the position of Deputy City Lord are certainly not merely relying on a single superb Chúyì; their own cultivation and strength are profoundly deep.

Even when surveying the boundless Immortal Realm where strong ones are as numerous as clouds, this Deputy City Lord undoubtedly stands at the pinnacle of the pyramid, a top-tier figure.

However, at this very moment, as the Deputy City Lord of the Cooking King Immortal City gazed upon Ye Zhangqing within the Formation Light Curtain, his originally deep and steady eyes involuntarily revealed a hint of shock that could not be concealed.

At the same time, the old man seated beside him also showed a rather strange expression on his face, his lips slightly moving as he murmured in astonishment.

"This kid… really… oh dear, we truly misjudged him before."

You should know, this old man is not of Immortal Chef origin; regarding the Way of Chúyì he can be said to be completely ignorant, but as the saying goes, one may not have eaten pork yet has seen pigs run.

Moreover, he and the Deputy City Lord of the Cooking King Immortal City are close bosom friends, having lived in seclusion in the city for many years, and the rare delicacies he has tasted are countless.

Not to mention the dishes carefully prepared by Elder Ma Qiankun and the others; even those delectable dishes personally made by the City Lord himself, he has had the fortune to taste them all.

Thus, although this elderly man is utterly ignorant of Chúyì and not a renowned Immortal Chef, his accumulated experience and insight over the years naturally give him an extraordinary perspective.

At this moment, as he witnessed Ye Zhangqing's series of skilled and exquisite cooking maneuvers, he involuntarily swallowed saliva, a strong desire welling up from deep within—truly wishing to taste these delicacies himself.

Thus, the old man subconsciously turned his head, directing his gaze toward the Deputy City Lord of the Cooking King Immortal City seated beside him, and spoke.

"This child is truly extraordinary; I believe we should spare his life."

Upon hearing these words, the Deputy City Lord of the Cooking King Immortal City couldn't help but start slightly, a flicker of surprise appearing on his face, whereupon he turned his gaze to the old man.

However, faced with the old man's sudden proposal, he did not respond immediately.

You should know, according to the long-standing custom, elders usually do not readily intervene in disputes and contests among the younger generation.

Moreover, regarding this matter, from the very beginning it has been this Deputy City Lord secretly manipulating behind the scenes, single-handedly driving it to this point.

If in the end he personally steps forward to shield Ye Zhangqing, would that not be tantamount to openly slapping himself in the face, inviting ridicule?

But the astonishingly superb Chúyì displayed by Ye Zhangqing before his eyes now causes the Deputy City Lord's heart to begin to waver slightly.

Leaving aside the final outcome of this contest, merely based on Ye Zhangqing's superb Chúyì displayed, it is already enough to arouse curiosity in the Deputy City Lord of the Cooking King Immortal City and to stir a hint of patronage in his heart.

He pondered silently, weighing back and forth, yet his face showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, as still as a dead pool.

Ultimately, whether or not to protect this child, the Deputy City Lord of the Cooking King Immortal City remains indecisive, for this matter is of great importance and requires consideration from multiple aspects before a decision can be made.

At this moment, regarding the true thoughts and calculations of those venerable, high-standing elder powerhouses, Ye Zhangqing, who is in a state of extreme seriousness, naturally knows nothing.

At this moment, his mind and eyes are filled with only one thing—wholeheartedly cooking the delicious dish he is currently preparing.

Time flowed silently, passing like a white colt through a gap.

Inside the hall, the many chief disciples completed their specially prepared signature dishes one after another.

At that moment, the Formation that had tightly enveloped the pure-blooded immortal phoenix at the center of the main hall suddenly began to flash with strands of strange light.

These lights initially flickered faintly, but soon became increasingly dazzling and eye-catching.

Next, amid the brilliant light, a somewhat illusory human silhouette slowly emerged.

This silhouette was extremely tall and sturdy, like a giant standing heaven-high and earth-firm, its majestic, robust body giving a strong sense of oppression.

He thus looked down from above upon all the chief disciples present, his gaze sharp as lightning, as if able to perceive everything.

It turned out that this mysterious appearing silhouette was the spirit born from the powerful Formation of the Cooking King Hall.

Faced with this situation, Ye Zhangqing did not show excessive surprise, for even before coming here, Elder Ma Qiankun had already given him a detailed introduction to this Formation and its spirit.

The spirit of the Cooking King Hall is quite special; unlike other spirits, it possesses the ability to judge delicacies.

Moreover, when the spirit judges delicacies, it differs from humans in that it has its own subjectivity, enabling it to achieve fairness to the greatest extent.

Thus, in almost every culinary competition in the Cooking King Immortal City, the final judge is this spirit of the Cooking King Hall.

The spirit ultimately decides who wins, and that person is the final victor; it has always been so.

Regarding this, neither Elder Ma Qiankun and his fellow veteran powerhouses nor Zhang Wuyue, Su Qingyue and their junior disciples have any objection.

With the spirit's appearance, everyone present also knew that the final judgment of victory and defeat had begun.

Who wins and who loses, and to whom the pure-blooded immortal phoenix will ultimately belong, depends on whom the spirit finally chooses.

For Ye Zhangqing and Zhang Wuyue, this is even more a decision that wagers their lives; the spirit's choice determines the victor, the victor lives, the loser must forfeit his life.

Zhang Wuyue coldly glanced at Ye Zhangqing; during the preparation of the dishes just now, he too was shocked by Ye Zhangqing's technique.

Even until now, his heart has not calmed; even if he does not want to, he cannot help but admit that in Chúyì, he is somewhat inferior to Ye Zhangqing.

I originally thought this kid, having just entered the Cooking King Immortal City, had not studied long enough for his Chúyì to be worth fearing.

But in reality, Ye Zhangqing's Chúyì seems not to be weaker than that of these chief disciples who have studied in the Cooking King Immortal City for years.

Some miscalculation; no wonder this kid dared to make a life-and-death wager with me—it turns out he has some skill.

But the more Ye Zhangqing is like this, the stronger Zhang Wuyue's killing intent grows, for proving this fellow's threat is greater.

This child must not be allowed to remain.