Liu Ming looked at Alice, then at Erina. It was just a competition, crying was a bit much.
It made it seem like he was bullying a little girl.
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Liu Ming quickly changed the subject. He looked at Erina and asked, "How are the assessments going?"
"They're all finished. We can leave anytime," Erina said indifferently.
"In that case, let's pack up too," Liu Ming stretched, his tone immediately becoming lazy. "After two days of work, I can finally enjoy this vacation properly."
Erina gave him a disdainful look. For Liu Ming to use students as examiners and still claim to be busy was quite audacious.
However, she was more concerned about another matter. She stared at Liu Ming and asked, "Which dish was more delicious, this one I made or Tadokoro Megumi's yesterday?"
Alice's emotions came and went quickly. She calmed down a bit after a moment, secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and focused her gaze on Liu Ming.
She was also a little curious: who was more formidable, Tadokoro Megumi, who had defeated an Elite Ten, or Erina, a current Elite Ten?
Liu Ming scratched his head helplessly and said, "Your themes are different, so there's no way to compare them."
Erina didn't believe Liu Ming's words at all. She pressed further, "Didn't you give each dish a score yesterday? We can compare them using that."
"How many points do you give this dish I made, and how many points did you give hers?" Erina asked with a serious attitude.
"You really want to know? Wouldn't it be clear if you had a Food War with her?" Liu Ming suddenly thought of this method. Since the current Elite Ten were unwilling to have a Food War with Tadokoro Megumi, he could only trick Erina.
Upon hearing this, Erina couldn't help but frown.
Using an Elite Ten position for a Food War seemed a bit disadvantageous.
"Lady Erina, don't listen to him. He's only saying that because he wants Tadokoro Megumi to get an Elite Ten position."
Hisako, who had been standing quietly by the side, could no longer remain silent. She nervously tugged at Erina's sleeve.
"Hisako, what do you mean by that? Do you think I would lose?" Erina said with a displeased tone.
"No, I just worry that Lady Erina will fall for his trick. Tadokoro Megumi doesn't have anything equivalent to challenge you to a Food War with."
Hisako quickly explained when she saw Erina misunderstood her meaning.
"Hey, Mr. Examiner, Erina is my goal! You're not allowed to steal her!" Alice also stood beside Erina, staring at Liu Ming with dissatisfaction.
Liu Ming shrugged indifferently. "If that's really the case, then you'll have to work hard. If you keep cooking with your current methods, you probably won't ever beat her."
"What do you mean by that?" Alice looked puzzled.
"As cuisine has developed, customers' demands for it have also become higher and higher. It can be divided into color, aroma, taste, meaning, form, and nourishment," Liu Ming began to explain concisely.
Although Erina didn't want to admit it, she had to acknowledge Liu Ming's superb culinary skills. Now, seeing that Liu Ming seemed to be giving Alice some pointers,
Even though she looked indifferent, she secretly perked up her ears.
"This might be a bit complicated to explain, so let's put it another way: from the initial enjoyment of taste, it developed into visual enjoyment, and finally, now, spiritual enjoyment."
"Those dishes you create with advanced instruments certainly have a magnificent appearance, providing a shocking visual feast."
"But that's all they are. No matter how exquisite a dish is, looking at it too much will always cause visual fatigue."
"Unfortunately, most people haven't seen through this point, which makes them stop at the threshold of the spiritual level, unable to open that door."
"And if you blindly rely on machines, you will probably stop there too. Your highest achievement will always remain at the level of taste and sight, but the spiritual level will be beyond your reach."
"This is just spiritualism; there's no scientific basis for it." Alice was a staunch supporter of technology-based cuisine, so of course, she wouldn't be easily convinced.
"I'm not denying science, but rather stating the limits that current science can reach."
Liu Ming reached out to stop Alice, who wanted to retort.
He continued, "It's like, in ancient times, people didn't care whether the earth beneath their feet was flat or round. It wasn't until someone raised the corresponding question that people truly began to explore it."
"Or take universal gravitation. Before humans discovered it, did it not exist? It's just that the science of that time hadn't reached that depth."
"Just because science can't explain it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It just means that humanity's current understanding cannot explain it."
"Just like the spiritual enjoyment I just mentioned, you shouldn't resist it just because you don't understand it. Doing so will prevent you from ever understanding it."
"Are those Shining Dish you make the dishes that have entered the spiritual level?" Erina couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly interjected.
"Shining Dish?" Alice had never heard such a term before.
"You heard right. Those are special dishes in his restaurant. My grandfather took me to eat them once not long ago. The feeling at that time truly couldn't be described by just 'delicious'. My mind felt as if it had been cleansed, very warm," Erina's expression became serious.
After returning from Liu Ming's place, Erina had also tried to cook similar dishes, but unfortunately, they all failed.
"This is too much, Erina! You and Grandpa are really too much! How could you not invite me for such a good thing?" Alice said, huffing.
It seemed her focus was misplaced.
"Blame Grandpa if you want. He's the one who took me. I was also confused on the way," Erina directly shifted the blame to her grandfather, Senzaemon.
"Hmph, I don't care. Anyway, I want to go eat it once too." Alice wouldn't listen to Erina's explanation and started to act like a spoiled brat.
Liu Ming looked at the two sisters, who had started arguing again, speechless. He rarely tried to show off, and he was interrupted halfway through.
Never mind, it doesn't matter.
He had originally planned to give them some pointers, but since they didn't want to listen, he was too lazy to continue.
In fact, he didn't know that what he had just said had already been remembered by all four of them.
Hisako and Ryo Kurokiba were exceptions; they were used to being invisible and didn't talk much.
Erina held a grudge against him, so she couldn't bring herself to admit it.
And Alice, a genius in molecular gastronomy, hadn't even tasted Liu Ming's cooking yet, so there was no way she would believe his words.
Seeing that Liu Ming seemed to be preparing to leave, Erina quickly spoke up again, "Wait, I have another question."
Liu Ming stopped, looking at her with confusion.
Erina was silent for a moment before looking at Liu Ming seriously and asking, "Did Tadokoro Megumi step into that realm?"
Liu Ming was startled at first, then smiled mysteriously. He said with ill intent, "Wouldn't you know if you had a Shokugeki with her?"
Erina's expression immediately turned sour.
Another Shokugeki? How much do you dote on her? Do you really want her to snatch my Elite Ten position?
Erina was now both annoyed and wronged. As the proud eldest daughter of the Nakitiri Family, she couldn't even compare to a country bumpkin from the countryside.