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31 China Within the Bream

Leon presents his first dish. He made 'Bream Sashimi' (raw dish) from the face, fin, and tail areas. Though these areas are very difficult areas to cut, Leon did it perfectly. The second dish is 'Fish Head Soup'. Next are raw slices again but this time are meant as the main dish. The four elders are to dip the slices in a boiling soup. Lastly Leon presents 'Steamed Fish Head'. The elders are quite pleased. Instead of four, Mao only brings out one big dish. On it seems to be just the whole fish, uncut even. Then Mao asks Shilou to come over and help cut string that is around the Red Sea Bream. Almost magically the fish opens up into the shape of China. Each of the four regions are represented (Beijing, Szechwan, Shanghai, Guangdong) along with the distinctive taste of each. The event is decided to be a tie. Leon insists on one final round to decide an ultimate winner. There is only one fish left though. Mao slices it perfectly in half so each has an exact half. Leon takes out a sealed knife from the Underground. What is this mysterious blue glow?

Cooking Secret: None specified.


Sacred Knife Skill Contest (Leon, part 3 of 4)
32 Ice and Fire! Clash!! Spirit of a Chef

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Leon uses the North Star Heavenly Wolf Blade that is made of ice. The technique used is called the Arakan Crystal Slice. He has to use his bare hand to cut properly. Leon's right hand gets bad frostbite. Leon slices thin, mirror-like pieces. People wonder how Mao will react to the disadvantage of this new knife. Mao uses his mom's knife and cuts the Bream. As Mao brings down the blade, the fish seems to explode into little pieces. Mao looped the steel wire in and out of the Hundred-Hole knife. Suddenly, the ice blade shatters. Using the shattered pieces and putting the fish slices on top, Leon completes his 'Ice Bream Mountain'. The fish has reached its maximum freshness at this time. The four elders dip the slices in soy sauce and they praise the perfect flavor. Mao takes a lot longer to finish. Since the peak of freshness has past, the four elders are a bit reluctant to try it. Mao made 'Reincarnation Spring Rolls'. Surprisingly it feels as if the fish came back to life in their mouths. The knife Mao used earlier was heated so the freshness was preserved while he was cutting it. Both chefs sacrificed their right hand to make an amazing dish. The four elders take a long time to decide but they finally agree on a winner.

Cooking Secret: Heated knife.


Sacred Knife Skill Contest (Leon, part 4 of 4)
33 Legendary Tool! The Secret of the Eternal-Spirit Knife

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Mao wins. The legendary cooking utensil is given to Mao. A huge dragon comes out of the knife and an image of the dragon is now visible on the knife. When Mao cuts the now-stale fish, it becomes fresh again. Mao says there is also another successor of the knife. He gives it to Leon to hold. We find that Leon went on a journey to learn more about cooking but could not find anything interesting. He joined the Cooking Underground. Though it was tough he was happy with learning so much. When he finally mastered the techniques though, he had become cold-hearted and did something unforgivable. At that time he realized the true nature of the Underground Society. He tried to escape and wanted to get the Legendary Cooking Utensil to fight the Underground. The dragon also appeared when Leon held it, signifying that Leon was also worthy. A party is held later to serve the dishes Mao and Leon made to the public. When Mao hands it over to Leon, the dragon image disappeared. The fake Leon that stole Shell's stick appears. He came to get the Legendary Utensil. When he is trapped, he stabs himself with it. (WARNING: This scene is a little gruesome and bloody!!) When the Legendary Utensils are used for something other than cooking, it loses all it's power. Luoh tells them about how there are at least 7 more utensils, all made from a meteorite by the same chef, Shuri. The 8 utensils were spread around china. Now Mao, joined by Leon and Shell, have been sent off to find the remaining utensils before the Underground does. Shilou and Mei Li sneak off and join them.

Cooking Secret: None.


(Fake Leon, part 1 of 1)
34 The Evil City, Shanghai. Underground War Declared

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The members of the Underground are discussing the recent events and how to launch the next step in getting the legendary tools. Shouan appears and says that they should not underestimate their opponents and that he has a personal grudge against Mao. Shouan leads the next plan. Mao and company travel to Shanghai. They are surrounded by a mob of violent chefs who accuse them of being part of the Underground Society because of Leon's tattoo. Their boss comes to the rescue, it's Sanche. Sanche invites them back to his restaurant. Shanghai Cooking Board is in turmoil. Suddenly something is thrown through the glass in the ceiling. An old man is tied up and then an Underground Flag is thrown over him. The Underground has the many cooking officials, including Sanche's dad, as hostages. The challenge is for 4 chefs to compete for the cooking society members. They are to meet at midnight by boat. Sanche wants to be fourth chef but Leon and Shell want to test his strength. Leon says to use old shark fin. Sanche brings it to life in the form of sausages. By braiding bamboo, ham, and shark fin Sanche passes and can go with them. There is a boat waiting for them with the old man we saw from Lien's mansion. The crew is blindfolded and taken to a huge castle-like ship.

Cooking Secret: Sanche, braid shark fin.


Underground Challenge
35 Great Cooking Arena on Water. Power of the Iron-Arm Soup

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A gigantic cooking area is in the heart of the ship. Ingredients, judges, and even an audience are present. Apparently the Underground has a map for the tools from Sanche's father but they need Mao's map to decode it. Shell and Leon pin the maps to ceiling to ensure that the Underground doesn't just try to cheat and steal them. The battle consists of four rounds: soup, dim sum, and then two others. The first one from the Underground is Rouko. Sanche is shocked to find that the leading figures of Shanghai are the judges. It doesn't matter to them who is in charge as long as they benefit. Sanche wants to compete this round. Rouko's claw instantly removes all the feathers from five chickens, removes bones and separates meat, all without using knives. Sanche chooses sea turtle as his main ingredient. Rouko presents his soup with a Whole chicken in each bowl. He used egg whites to make the soup clear then used ingredients stuffed inside chicken to make it flavorful. The judges really love Rouko's dish but Sanche says that Rouko does not understand what the soup is supposed to be for. Sanche's soup looks like a plain green melon.

Cooking Secret: Rouko, egg whites.


Banquet Cooking Battle (Sanche vs Rouko, part 1 of 2)
36 Sanche's Special! Cold Jelly Soup!

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Sanche has one melon for each judge. Mei Li helps him to carry them over but of them she tipped over. The soup did not spill. In fact, one of the judges put his spoon on it and it bounced back. Sanche made a special soup that was in the form of a firm jelly. Sanche cooled the soup in the melon and added sour plums to increase appetite. The judges ate it but seems very passive, especially compared to their reaction to Rouko's dish. Rouko says a soup should be satisfying and was confident that he won. The voting was the white spoon for Rouko and the red for Sanche. It was unanimously red. Mao strangely gives a full summary. Since the theme of this fight is a full course meal, soup should start and lead into next dish. Rouko's soup was too good and would overpower the other dishes. Judges only ate a little of their bowl. On the other hand Sanche's bowls were empty and the judges were anxious for next dish. Sanche won this round but it is too early to rejoice. Rouko is branded with a mark of incompetence and cannot cook anymore. You only get one chance in Underground and cannot lose against the surface cooking society. The second round is dim sum. Of course Shell steps up for this one. The competitor is Lakon, the last descendant of the Hakura family. The Hakura family are known as the originators of dim sum and Lakon is called the Dim Sum King. He was thought to have died fifty years agao but he's still alive and over 100 years old. Though Lakon was respected even by the Emperor, he joined the Underground to gain more techniques and a special dim sum manual. To show off, Lakon makes a soup with one long noodle. Shell returns the challenge in the form of double-layered dumplings. Both are psyched and ready to fight. A roulette-type wheel is brought out and the subject picked turns out to be steamed buns. This is bad for Shell as steamed buns are the Hakura family's specialty.

Cooking Secret: Sanche, sea turtle gelatin.


Banquet Cooking Battle (Sanche vs Rouko, part 2 of 2)

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