Facing the four people's ridicule, the muscular man remained silent.
After a long while, the simple expression on the bald muscular man's face vanished, and a flicker of intelligence appeared in his eyes.
He smiled faintly, "Is it really that bad?"
The short, stocky man retorted mercilessly, "Heh, not only are you not very smart, but your eyesight is also poor. Take a good look at these rules! The full score is 400! But with your skill, getting thirty-five points is already a great honor!"
The muscular man shook his head and spread his hands, "As expected of the most excellent judges, to discern the taste of my dish from just the dishwater. Truly eye-opening!"
"What did you say?"
"Dishwater, you know. What you're drinking are merely the remnants of the dish's steam. Oh my, you didn't realize that, did you?"
The bald muscular man said with a teasing smile, his eyes full of mockery.
However, to Zhang Wei, it looked like a successful scheme!
It was deliberate!
Absolutely deliberate!
He was questioning the judges' professionalism, and the judges had indeed fallen for it.
What was his objective?
Zhang Wei pondered carefully; he seemed to have experienced something like this before. The tactic was called 'seizing the initiative' or 'gaining the upper hand from the start.'
The red-haired monster was nearing his end. He quietly approached Zhang Wei and said, "It seems you'll need a bit more time. The second spot will be mine!"
Zhang Wei nodded, remaining silent.
The red-haired monster continued, "You've been tricked by this bald guy. He's not simple! From the initial mockery towards you, to the conflict with me, it was all his plan to feign an easy-to-handle, brainless image!"
Intimidating the judges!
This was not simply a conflict with the judges; it was a true social stratagem!
Firstly, judges are the controllers of power, holding the ultimate say in a contestant's future.
In this relationship, contestants are at a significant disadvantage. Everything should be decided by the judges' preferences, with no room for resistance or defiance.
Coupled with the high-class nature of the competition and the contestants' lack of fame, this made the judges even more arrogant, criticizing and berating contestants as they pleased.
This resulted in judgments driven by emotion rather than substance, with scores arbitrarily awarded based solely on personal preference!
Zhang Wei murmured, "This move is extremely clever. By attacking the judges' professionalism, he forces them to be cautious with every word and action."
"Their mistakes will not only affect their own honor but also the prestige of this grand competition."
As expected, beads of sweat appeared on the foreheads of the four judges. They had realized the seriousness of the situation. Mistaking food scraps for a proper meal and then ostentatiously awarding points and offering commentary...
It was like stray dogs and cats rummaging through garbage, holding a meeting by the trash can!
Such humiliation was a torment to the judges' hearts, their faces paling and flushing alternately...
Several times they wanted to erupt in anger, but that would be irrational and would further confirm the judges' incompetence! Consequently, the four of them would become a stain on the competition and bid farewell to the judging profession forever.
No competition would ever invite these four stray cats and dogs again, as they would simply lower the event's standing...
Just as the four were about to make a move, the sky suddenly darkened!
Countless white strands of hair descended from the sky, completely surrounding the competition area!
This move... it looked like the 'Demon King's Hair' used by one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Gourmet!
A white-robed elder descended from the sky, piercing through the countless strands of hair. It was the chief judge – Elder Chang Xu!
He was also Kurama's master!
The four judges hurriedly stood up, "Greetings, Elder Chang Xu!"
"Enough. Your role in this competition is over. I will temporarily take charge here."
The four exchanged a mournful glance and could only retreat reluctantly.
As they left, the bald muscular man continued to repeat their earlier critiques.
"Who are we? What's so special about a bowl of soup, no different from a roadside stall?"
"This kind of soup, if I used it for gargling, I'd find it very ordinary. However, for the sake of my job, I drank it earnestly..."
"Compared to ordinary chefs, I'm not entirely too ordinary..."
"With my level, perhaps I shouldn't participate in such competitions next time, as it just lowers the competition's standard..."
"Hahahaha..."
As the muscular man's voice echoed, the faces of the four judges turned even redder...