Liu Ming had now discovered a major problem.
Although it was satisfying to set such a tricky question earlier, when they brought their dishes before him, that was the beginning of his suffering.
What kind of bizarre dishes are these? Although my requirements are a bit strange, your dishes seem even stranger.
Those that could be seen through at a glance were a bit better; he could make a judgment without tasting them. But those that couldn't be seen through at a glance were a different matter.
As the examiner for this assessment, he had to give the students a convincing reason.
There was no other way; he could only take a bite and see.
And then trouble started.
Those dishes were truly awful.
Because they had seen Liu Ming evaluate others not long ago, in order to keep their noodles in shape, they had actually simplified the flavor.
After tasting a few times, Liu Ming really couldn't continue and had to pull Tadokoro Megumi over.
He looked at Tadokoro Megumi and said seriously, "From now on, I'll leave it to you. I believe you can make the fairest judgment."
Tadokoro Megumi was stunned; she was just a student and couldn't convince others at all. Moreover, like Liu Ming, she also hated eating unpalatable food.
"You just need to state the reason for their failure. If they still don't accept it, tell them to come find me, but tell them that once I declare a failure, there will be no chance to redo it."
Liu Ming didn't care if they accepted it or not; if they didn't, they could drop out.
This way, Tadokoro Megumi was in a tough spot. Since she was his apprentice, she could only obediently listen.
Like Liu Ming, with her God's Tongue, she also couldn't bear those awful flavors.
Then she exploded, as if Erina had possessed her, evaluating those people as utterly worthless.
Of course, some people were unconvinced, but after Liu Ming successively expelled two people, they had to accept the reason.
Moreover, Tadokoro Megumi's evaluations were indeed spot on, and they had no confidence to refute her.
When it was Takumi and Yukihira Soma's turn, Tadokoro Megumi told them to go to Liu Ming.
After all, they still had a match, and it would be a bit unfair if she were to judge it.
Seeing Takumi and Yukihira Soma, Liu Ming also became interested.
He was quite interested in their dishes.
First to be served was Takumi; his dish was Italian sweet potato noodles.
It retained the characteristics of Italian cuisine, with a strong flavor, and also incorporated a small amount of tomato and olive oil for seasoning, making the noodles even more flavorful.
"A very interesting dish, Takumi, Isami. You both passed," Liu Ming said gently.
"Excellent!" Takumi and Isami celebrated passing the assessment.
"Then, may I ask what my score is?" Takumi then remembered and looked at Liu Ming with an expectant expression.
"82 points!" Liu Ming calmly announced a score.
"Only 82 points? Then how many points did she get just now?" Takumi frowned. Although he felt the score was a bit low, he didn't raise any objections.
"You mean Megumi? I gave her 90 points," Liu Ming did not hide it and simply stated it.
Takumi's expression changed repeatedly. There was an 8-point difference. Although it wasn't much, even if it was small, he had still lost.
But Liu Ming seemed to think his blow wasn't enough and continued to explain, "Above 90 points and below 90 points are two completely different realms. Therefore, if your goal is the Elite Ten, then you need to work harder."
Takumi involuntarily clenched his hands, thinking to himself, "Is above 90 points the level of the Elite Ten?"
"Brother," Isami looked at Takumi worriedly.
Takumi took a deep breath, suppressing the unwillingness in his heart.
Then he gave Isami a smile and said, "Isami, what kind of expression is that? I am Takumi Aldini, the heir of 'Trattoria Aldini.' This small matter won't trouble me."
"Mhm," Isami nodded seriously.
Takumi suddenly turned to Tadokoro Megumi and said loudly, "Tadokoro Megumi, listen to me, one day, I will defeat you!"
On the other side, Tadokoro Megumi, who was also serving as a judge, looked over in confusion, "What happened? Did I do something? Why are you suddenly saying that?"
"It's my turn," Yukihira Soma also brought over his dish. He gently handed the dish to Liu Ming.
"Mr. Liu, this is my 'Yukihira Style Taro Anointed Noodles.' Please taste it."
"Anointed noodles, huh?" Liu Ming reached out with both hands and took it.
He took a deep breath.
The aroma of green onions, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and other ingredients immediately emerged in his mind.
Paired with a rich broth simmered from wild chicken bones.
Compared to Tadokoro Megumi's clear soup noodles, this bowl of Yukihira Style Taro Anointed Noodles was much more luxurious.
Liu Ming began to taste it, slowly taking a bite of the anointed noodles.
A rich flavor immediately exploded on his tongue.
The elegant taro blended with the freshness of the chicken broth, paired with various spices, making one's appetite surge irresistibly.
It was also a rare and excellent dish.
Liu Ming couldn't help but sigh, "Why can't other students show some spirit? Then he wouldn't have to find an apprentice to represent him. Megumi is truly working hard."
"How is it?" Seeing Liu Ming finally finish tasting, Yukihira Soma asked excitedly.
Takumi also looked over, his mood also a bit nervous.
Liu Ming looked at the two of them, extended his hand, and made a gesture with a number: "85 points, Yukihira Soma, you also passed."
"What about the two of them?" Yukihira Soma pressed.
"Tadokoro Megumi 80 points, Takumi 82 points, you 85 points," Liu Ming repeated the three people's scores.
"Lost again?" Yukihira Soma unwillingly untied the headband from his head.
Compared to him, Takumi was even more unwilling, because he was in last place.
Tadokoro Megumi was fine; after all, she knew her chances of winning were not high. But what made him unwilling was that he couldn't even beat Yukihira Soma.
In the past, the gap in their cooking skills might not have been significant.
But in these past days, Yukihira Soma had competed with Tadokoro Megumi many times, although he always lost.
However, the pressure from Tadokoro Megumi, a peer, directly fueled his fighting spirit.
To catch up with Tadokoro Megumi, Yukihira Soma had been improving at a visible rate.
It was really no surprise that Takumi would lose to Yukihira Soma now.
An hour later, this assessment finally ended, with more than half of the students eliminated.