Satou held his kitchen knife and carved rapidly on the ice block, his movements dazzling. Though fast, they did not lose their beauty, flowing like clouds and water.
Puffs of ice flakes bloomed under his blade, sparkling in the sunlight. In a short while, the ground was covered with a thick layer of ice shavings.
The ice block also became smaller and smaller, and its outline became clearer and clearer.
Miyoko Hojo stood gracefully to the side, quietly observing Satou's focused profile, a hint of enchantment flickering in her beautiful eyes.
Satou was fully concentrated, his eyes fixed only on the ice sculpture. With every cut, a puff of ice flakes flew up, many of them landing on his hair, yet he seemed oblivious.
Unconsciously, he entered a peculiar state, as if his entire being had become clear and empty.
In a short burst of effort, an exquisite phoenix head appeared before everyone.
Then, the magnificent wings.
Although Satou had spent a long time on the preparatory work, his actual carving speed was extremely fast. In just ten minutes, a lifelike rough draft of a phoenix appeared before everyone's eyes.
As Satou moved, more and more people noticed what was happening.
More and more people gathered in front of Satou's cooking station, all holding their breath, not daring to even let out a gasp.
Even these laymen could feel a unique charm from Satou's effortless and calm movements.
Before long, more than half of the tourists Wai around Momo's cooking station were drawn away, with only a few regretting not being able to squeeze in due to the large crowd.
Twenty minutes later, all the details were completed.
The phoenix bird was beautifully feathered and magnificent, its phoenix eyes gazing around with a majestic aura, and its beautiful tail feathers trailed long.
The entire phoenix bird was exceptionally lifelike, crystal clear, and shimmering in the sunlight, giving everyone the feeling that in the next moment, this phoenix bird would spread its wings and soar into the sky.
What was particularly stunning was that the texture of every single feather had been meticulously carved, which was truly breathtaking.
"This is simply a work of art! Oh my god, it's absolutely amazing!"
A foreigner peered in with a magnifying glass, observing carefully, and found that every feather was lifelike, immediately exclaiming loudly and exaggeratedly.
Momo made the final cut, put down his carving knife, and let out a long breath.
Subsequently, he noticed the deserted scene in front of his cooking station and couldn't help but feel bewildered, not understanding what had happened. When he subconsciously turned his head to look at Satou's side, he was immediately stunned, and then completely amazed by this ice sculpture that seemed about to come to life.
Satou sheathed Wenqu and let out a breath.
Although he didn't spend much time, every second required extreme concentration, so the consumption was still very high.
However, with the enhancement effect of the Wenqu knife, he successfully completed this ice sculpture.
Even from his critical perspective, he was very satisfied.
Moreover, he had just entered a wonderful state, and now that he had exited it, he felt that his knife skills seemed to have improved further.
Miyoko Hojo, who was nearby, quickly handed Satou a towel and water.
"Breathtaking."
At this moment, a voice sounded.
Satou turned his head and realized that Hojo Head Chef, Ayato, and others from the organizer's seats had already stood behind him, all looking at his work with admiration.
"I didn't expect you to be so impressive. Your work is much better than mine."
Momo also walked over, looking at Satou with a complex expression, both shocked and admiring.
He never expected that in Neon, there would be such a formidable young man. Such knife skills, let alone among his peers in China, even among the older generation, would be hard to find a few.
This instantly made him put away all his contempt for chefs studying Chinese cuisine in Neon.
Are all Far Moon students so amazing?
"Yours is also very impressive."
Satou glanced at his finished work and praised him.
"No, although his work is exquisite, it is merely a craft. Ordinary people can make it if they put their heart into it, but yours is different. Your work is not dead, but alive, possessing its own spirit."
Ayato said from the side, "The difference between a craft and a work of art is whether the chef has infused his essence and spirit, and this cannot be achieved just by effort."
At this point, he couldn't help but look at Hojo Head Chef, smiling and saying, "I didn't expect your son-in-law to be such a genius."
The chefs from other restaurants in Chinatown also looked at Kitajo with envy.
"I say, old ghost Kitajo, you really did have a good daughter."
Hiroshi Tomita patted Hojo Head Chef on the shoulder and sighed.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Before, they often joked about this matter, but from now on, they would never dare to.
Who said having a daughter was useless? Didn't he snag such a good son-in-law?
Hojo Head Chef was already overjoyed, wishing he could laugh three times towards the sky.
At this moment, he felt indescribably pleased, all the years of resentment vanished. His only regret was that Satou was not his son-in-law.
"It seems I need to find a way to urge Miyoko. This girl is really something; she's usually very decisive in her actions, but when it comes to matters of the heart, she's so hesitant. If she likes someone, she should just be straightforward."
He thought to himself.
Listening to everyone's teasing, Miyoko Hojo's cheeks flushed, and she glared fiercely at her father.
Hojo Head Chef chuckled foolishly, then leaned into Satou's ear and whispered, "Satou, they're just joking, you don't mind, do you?"
Satou looked at him helplessly.
"This knife skills exhibition, first place will definitely go to Kitajo Restaurant. I don't think anyone has any objections, do they?"
Ayato said.
Everyone shook their heads, indicating no objections.
The results of the on-site tourist vote were identical: Satou's ice sculpture, with more than double the popularity of the second-place entry, won first place in the knife skills segment of this Food Festival.
However, Satou then got a headache.
Because too many people wanted this ice sculpture.
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