The Realm of Flavor: Beginning with Absolute Taste

Nineteen-year-old Lin Xiaochi has the rare gift of an "absolute palate," but he knows how to eat and not how to cook. A bowl of egg fried rice his mother made before she passed away becomes the starting point of his obsession with finding "flavors that make people happy." Starting out at a run-down little restaurant on Rongcheng's food street, he becomes the apprentice of a retired legendary "King of Flavor." Between the kitchen and the competition stage, he grows through arrogance over his talent, setbacks in practice, and a period of confusion and despair, before rediscovering his original purpose. Under the spotlights of the National College Cooking Competition, tensions simmer beneath the clashes between tradition and viral trends, orthodox techniques and unconventional methods, and inheritance and innovation. In the shadows of the Secret Kitchen Alliance, lost recipe books and industry secrets gradually come to light. When cooking contests become contests of heartfelt sincerity, Lin Xiaochi will finally understand: a true chef does not conquer the palate, but warms the heart. This is a passionate coming-of-age story that uses food to speak of people and flavor to convey emotion. Food is a dream, cooking is a battle, and the kitchen is a battlefield.