In his past life, Zhang Wei had also strived for various titles, staying up all night to memorize biographies of famous people and a pile of things that couldn't make food taste better.
After achieving fame, he wrote his own autobiography for newcomers to remember.
He had also sat at the judges' table, presiding over their promotion exams.
But all of that was fleeting.
As life passed and he lived his second, third lives, the only things that truly accompanied him were his skills, besides the Hall of Collection.
The Hall of Collection was mysterious, and Zhang Wei didn't know if there was a third, or even a fourth.
But only skill was what a chef should pursue their entire life.
Thinking of this, Zhang Wei patted Mo Du's shoulder, "You have to work hard too..."
With Mo Du, perhaps many tedious matters could be avoided.
He wouldn't even need to collect ingredients himself in the future.
At that time, could he leave the Great Glacier?
Never mind, it's best to wait until the Century Soup is released.
Changing his form, Zhang Wei returned to the room of the Century Collection Association.
The arena was very large, with underground spaces in addition to spectator seating for tourists.
These were mainly work areas and resting places for contestants.
"Zhang Wei, why didn't I see you today?"
"Oh, I saw several formidable chefs and was squatting there to learn their techniques."
Tang Zhihun nodded, "A teachable person!"
"By the way, Head Chef, how is your recipe research going?"
It was no secret that Tang Zhihun spent his days poring over Zhang Wei's beast hide scrolls.
"Originally, I certainly had no confidence, but now..."
"Even at top restaurants, I have the courage to go for it!"
...
Zhang Wei's unparalleled strength naturally attracted attention from all sectors.
Mo Du's ability to detect and counter surveillance was extremely strong; he always sensed people watching them in secret.
And the intelligence this group could gather was meager. They only knew that whether it was the new female boss or the mysterious master chef under her, they seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Chu Xiang, former general manager of the Sky Robber Alliance, summarized all the information before her.
"The boss of this Wine and Beauty establishment is not simple. Judging by her methods, she seems to have come from the underground world."
"This person's arrival is strange... Could it be that their goals are the same as ours?"
"No, we must be cautious!"
Just then, a scroll before her suddenly lit up, its red light flashing rapidly!
"Class A Urgent Intelligence!"
Chu Xiang was stunned. Class A intelligence always concerned extremely important and urgent matters.
Since taking up her post at headquarters, she had never encountered one.
Chu Xiang quickly opened the scroll.
"According to a tip, an extremely large quantity of salt essence has suddenly appeared in the northern underground channels..."
"The quantity is extremely exaggerated, verifiable to be over 7 kilograms, and estimated to be hundreds of kilograms..."
Chu Xiang's breath hitched!
What mysteries did the North hide to be so abnormal!
One must know that the entire North's salt essence quota was less than 30 kilograms per year!
The price of salt essence was not actually expensive, but its versatility was too great; it could be used in any dish. This also led to a shortage of salt essence.
Furthermore, with the Northern Chef's Feast approaching, these salt essences would definitely be a huge variable.
Chu Xiang pondered for a moment and wrote on the paper: 'Acquire as much salt essence as possible, at all costs!'
The Black List also desperately needed this salt essence, as it was essential for the mass production of the double-colored pills.
Previously, when Haru raided the salt transport team and severely injured Bada, he had only managed to snatch 10 kilograms of salt essence.
On the other hand, the group stage matches were still ongoing.
With Zhang Wei setting a high standard, later participants no longer intended to conserve their strength and showcased their signature moves.
This made it even more difficult for smaller organizations, some ending with only one or two thousand points.
Extremely shameful.
It could be seen that the competition for last place was also fierce.
The next day, Yun Shang Zhenjun of Shuiyuntian won the championship with an absolute advantage, garnering 250,000 votes.
On the third day, the winner was also an unknown small fry, receiving an astonishing 270,000 votes!
On the third day, when Jun Qing of Wangyue Zhai appeared, a long queue formed in front of his stall.
The fourth day...
The fifth day...
On the sixth day, it was finally the turn of the Century Collection Association.
Zhang Wei did not intervene, diligently fulfilling his role as an assistant.
"Century Collection Association, 35,800 votes!"
Xi Feng's furrowed old face finally relaxed, and he was so excited that tears streamed down his face.
"Old Tang, we did it! We did it!"
If they had only received one or two thousand votes, it would have been a devastating blow to the Century Collection Association, and the entire organization would have faced skepticism.
The skill level of the chefs directly determined the development potential of the organization.
If the chefs were not good enough, even if the organization's business was excellent, its ability to protect itself would be questioned.
The North was not a benevolent place, and there was no fairness among large organizations.
With Tang Zhihun's current abilities, given sufficient materials, he could mass-produce strong individuals around level 35.
If luck, talent, and high-quality ingredients were all guaranteed, level 40 was not impossible.
Tang Zhihun was also extremely excited. He waved his hand, "Let's go to a restaurant tonight, my treat!!"
With over 30,000 points from this round, which could be converted into over three million Bailey, Tang Zhihun could take a 20% commission himself, at least 700,000!
Chefs were not lacking in opportunities to earn money, and this income was not insignificant to Tang Zhihun.
As the six-day group stage concluded, all teams' results were entered into the grand rankings.
Zhang Wei, with 650,000 votes, firmly held the first place. The second tier, mostly around 200,000 votes, consisted of very strong teams.
The group stage selected the top 128 with the highest points, and his score was only slightly over 20,000 points.
The host read out the names one by one, and the successful contestants were all exhilarated.
"Let us congratulate the 128 qualified contestants with the warmest applause. Those who failed to qualify should not be disheartened; gather your spirits and fight again next time."
"Next, we will enter the second round of the competition, the most brutal and bloody elimination stage!"
"During the elimination stage, contestants will be given standardized themes, which will test the breadth of a chef's knowledge!"
Tang Zhihun couldn't help but let out a groan, as the probability of drawing a soup dish was too low.
Besides Tang Zhihun, many other masters of specific skills wore dejected expressions, not expecting to face a themed competition so early...
Themed competitions were very difficult, requiring chefs to have broad knowledge and flexible adaptability.
Zhang Wei often participated in themed competitions in Shokugeki no Soma.
Some had limited ingredients, while others had limited cooking methods...
The simplest was the concept, as long as one could elaborate and it didn't seem too far-fetched.