Someone from the Underworld Cooking Society has finally surfaced.
He is our very own Leon, the one known as the cooking master boy of Yosen Shuka.
And now, Master Luo has organized a battle between Leon and myself, for the Legendary cookware.
Listen well, Leon. Mao. The battle will take place tomorrow.
The Sacred Knife Skills Contest will be conducted at Da Xian Temple.
Sharpness of Evil! Demonic Seven-Star Knives!
Mao, are you there?
Mao, I'm coming in.
He's not here either.
Did you find him?
He's not in his room. Where could he be at this late hour?
He has a big match tomorrow.
He has to protect the Legendary Cookware from the Society.
Brother Mao probably went somewhere to escape the pressure.
I know!
There's only one place!
Mao.
Brother Mao.
What are you doing here?
We were wondering what you were doing, with the match being tomorrow.
Brother Mao, can you really win tomorrow?
I won't know till I face him.
But, I definitely can't lose against the Underworld Cooking Society.
That's right! Mao will win for sure!
Brother Mao, what is their goal?
The Underworld Cooking Society's ambition is to take over the world, through cooking.
Through cooking...
Everyone, commoners and emperors alike, all have to eat to live.
So chefs hold the key to a person's life and death.
The Society exploits the situation for evil, and are trying to wrest control.
That is what the Society is after.
They drill recruits on Underworld Techniques that were honed and perfected over the centuries.
However...
Help me please!
I can't take this any more!
Only a few have mastered these techniques.
They show no mercy to those who fail.
As many cooks have perished as there are stars in the sky.
But Brother Mao, how do you know so much about the Society?
Um, well.
I want to know that as well!
Mei Li.
It's been bothering me for a while. Were you...
Are you a member of the Underworld Cooking Society, like Leon?
That time when Leon easily dissected a buffalo with an Underworld Technique...
That's right! I've wondered about that as well. At that time, you knew...
I've never seen that before. Azure Dragon Raging Bull Slash!
How did you know the name of a technique known only to Society members?
Mao...
I'm sorry for worrying you, Mei Li.
Mao...
I knew I had to tell you and Shilou sooner or later.
Brother Mao...
Take a look at this.
What's this old notebook about?
This used to belong to my Mom.
Pai the Fairy? Did you always have this with you?
No, I found it only recently.
Recently?
During my culinary training journey around Southwest China.
In a town called Mang, located in Yunnan Province.
Mang? Did we stop over there?
Do you remember the time when we were separated for three days?
Oh yes. We entered the spooky house with the red congee.
So that's when you found it.
Yes, I visited my Mom's hometown of Mang.
This notebook was left inside her old abandoned home.
W-what is this?
Mao, what is written inside that notebook?
It contains many recipes.
That's to be expected.
But not just ordinary recipes.
What?
Recorded inside is a side of my Mom that I've never seen.
What do you mean?
This is a record of my Mom's younger days, and all the battles she fought against the Underworld Cooking Society!
Fairy Pai fought the Society?!
So that's it. She wrote Underworld recipes in that notebook!
That's why you knew of their techniques!
Yes.
That explains it. Forgive me for doubting you, Mao.
Furthermore, Mom wrote angrily about how the Society brought misfortune to many people.
I wasn't going to mention this book until I faced the Society.
But after returning to Canton and facing against Mr. Lien and Leon...
My blood has been screaming for me to succeed in my Mom's footsteps.
My Mom always wished good fortune for people.
Mr. Chouyu taught me how to make happiness with cooking.
I don't know how far my skills will take me.
But I will fight as a Super Chef!
And I will thwart the ambitions of the Underworld Cooking Society!
With this knife, which has my Mom's soul inside it.
The Sacred Knife Skills Contest should start any minute.
I heard it's a battle within Yosen Shuka.
The Legendary Cookware's inside that?
After the last owner died 400 years ago without leaving an heir, chefs have continually come to take ownership.
But so far, nobody has ever been deemed worthy to receive it.
Sheesh, sounds tough.
We will now begin the Sacred Knife Skills Contest to decide the Legendary cookware's new owner.
Hey, that's old man Luo! Why is he so serious today? He looks totally—
Ow!
The ingredient will be... red sea bream!
Look how big they are!
Done correctly, all parts of the bream can be used without wastage.
So you must handle it with utmost care, ensure that you don't scar it.
Your knife skills will ultimately decide the taste of this fish.
First candidate, Leon of Yosen Shuka. Step forward.
Amazing! He's brought along seven knives. He's well prepared!
He's fully armed for the Sacred Knife Skills Contest!
The other guy must be bristling with knives too.
I can't wait.
Also from Yosen Shuka, Mao. Step forward.
Yes!
Brother Mao?!
What are you doing, Brother Mao?
You didn't bring any knives to a knife skills contest?!
Your opponent brought along seven knives!
Where is your mother's knife, Mao?
At this rate, the Legendary cookware will be in Leon's hands!
The one who fell to the Underworld.
Mr. Chouyu, why did you organize this battle?
That's right! It's like we're helping the Underworld.
Calm down.
The Sacred Knife Skills Contest is not solely about technique.
What!?
Mr. Chouyu, what do you mean?
You'll see as the match progresses.
Leon! Mao!
Tradition dictates that the contest has no time limit.
Just present four bream dishes that you're fully satisfied with.
But I will tell you this.
The sea breams were caught today at dawn.
With that said, Allez cuisine!
Wow!
There it is!
The Seven-Star Knives!
My Seven-Star Knives have an infinite number of uses!
Seven-Star Instant Power Cut!
Wow, he's simultaneously using two knives to descale the fish!
Amazing!
He doesn't skip a beat when changing knives!
His hands are so fast, I can't see them move.
This Seven-Star Instant Power Cut must be an Underworld Technique!
What are you talking about? He hasn't used any Underworld Techniques yet.
Wha?
Watch him remove the scales...
On surfaces like the dorsal side of the fish, he uses a knife that fits the curves.
In parts with smaller scales like the gills, he uses a small knife.
To cleanly bisect the fish, he uses a large knife to cut with a single slice.
When filleting the fish, he uses the medium knife to remove the bones.
He uses a knife that is best suited for the area he's working on.
The red sea bream is being cut with respect.
What's more, it's being done with speed and precision.
Indecision is the enemy in preparing red sea bream. It causes hesitation.
If your cuts aren't sharp and decisive, the fish will taste bad.
But he shows no hesitation here.
He's been able to carve up this fish without scarring it.
Leon's good!
The first dish is done!
Done already? Wow.
This is Mao's bad habit. He watches and admires his opponent's technique too much.
This is bad. He can't win like this!
It's okay. Don't worry!
What do you mean by "it's okay", Shilou?
I know Brother Mao's determined to win this.
That's right. Have faith in Mao's true strength!
Come on, Mao!
Brother Mao, show us what you can do!
What's he going to do with his bare hands?
Mao...
He's preparing to do something.
What's he planning to do?
He's removing the scales by just sliding his hands over it!
Impossible! Even knives become dulled on a bream's tough scales. Yet he's doing it bare-handed!
Is this magic?
Look carefully at Mao's hands.
What?
Hey, something's shining. That's...
A steel wire!
Mao's using a steel wire knife to descale the fish.
A Steel Wire Knife?
Amazing, that's my Brother Mao! Who'd have guessed he had a secret weapon?
I see! That knife can fit any contour of the red sea bream.
It can stand against Leon's seven knives!
No, he can't win with just that.
Dad.
What? But Mao's doing something incredible.
That thin wire can remove the fish scales.
But the fish has thick meat and bones too hard for the wire.
With only his Steel Wire Knife...
Mao can't compete against Leon!
N-no way...
He stopped.
What is he going to do now?
The second dish is ready!
Leon's finished two dishes!
What are you doing, Mao?
Hurry up, or the fish will lose its freshness!
Hey squirt. How long are you going to rest?!
Don't you want to win?
That's right!
Your fish is going to rot!
What's the matter, Mao?
I guess he couldn't make it.
No, he'll definitely come.
What's wrong, Brother Mao?
Mao.
Mao! Hey, Mao!
Excuse me! Out of my way!
Mao!
I've been expecting you, Shell!
Sorry I'm late.
It's Shell!
Why is he here?
What you have asked for, I have completed!
Here, catch!
So now he has a real knife.
It's too late. One knife is no match against seven.
You're right.
Isn't that the knife of Mao's mother?
Oh, and I thought he was going to bust out a secret weapon...
What the hell?!
What's going on? The knife bends so flexibly?
What is that knife?
Perfect! This is perfect. Thanks, Shell!
You're welcome!
That knife... can it be?!
Just watch, Mom! I'm going to beat the Society with this knife.
It's bending to the fish’s contours!
What is that knife?
He's using its flexibility to remove bones!
That's it! You won't damage the fish with that knife.
Amazing, simply amazing. This is Mao's skill!
Hey, there you are.
Shell!
Did you do something to that knife?
Yeah, but I was floored at first.
He asked me to do this unthinkable thing to Pai's knife.
Well, it's because of my skillful hands.
Look at this. All these scars from just one night.
It took me so long to temper this knife.
But because of that, the knife is very strong.
But, how can it bend that much?
Hey Mao! Show us the idea you came up with!
What? Is that light? Sunlight passes right through it!
Look! There are holes in the knife!
I get it! It can bend because of all the holes.
That's not all. Since the holes allow air to pass through,
the flesh won't stick to the knife. So you can cut more accurately.
Mei Li, that knife was probably written as a secret technique in Pai's notebook.
Yes. But it must take a lot for Mao to modify his Mother's keepsake.
Mao.
Brother Mao is serious about this match. He's showing us his real strength.
Don't waste my work. Beat the pants off him, Mao!
Good luck, Brother Mao!
It can't be. That's only known within the Underworld Cooking Society.
The Hundred-Hole Knife!
But he's a Super Chef from the overworld. How did the boy know of this?
There's something about that boy... I can't take him lightly...
Now that he has a knife that is perfect for red sea bream, they're evenly matched.
Now, whoever puts the most faith in his dish will ultimately win!
Kid, the Legendary Cookware will belong to me. Leon, the one who overcome the Society!
I will never allow myself to lose to a Society that brings misfortune to people!
The city center has a bustling din,
As I jump over the guard rails unseen.
Must hurry over to our meeting place,
And beat the dusk in a race.
In your twinkling eyes, I see so clearly,
The soothing warmth that you feel for me.
And with only that, my poor defenseless heart,
Is starting to melt and break apart.
This is a feeling that won't stop; it just keeps going straight.
And it's starting to speed up and accelerate.
I'm by your door, and knocking hard. Won't you let me in?
Let me show you my spirit filled with passion. Yeah!