Chapter 154: Phoenix, Invincible

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Phoenix, Invincible

Glazed Fire churned beneath the pot, sending steam billowing from the cauldron.

Lu Wu placed the rice noodles inside. To the side, the brother and sister and the two small beasts all wore serious expressions.

They were about to fire the first shot for Lu Wu’s stall today.

"Based on my research over the last few days, I’ve mixed together the most highly-rated chilis to be the key ingredient for today’s competition."

"To ensure fairness, the amount of chili in each side’s bowls will be exactly the same."

"During the competition, no Spells may be used. No cheating. No substitute eaters."

"The first one to finish everything wins."

Of the four contestants, not a single one was human.

Rice noodles slid from the strainer into the bowl. Lu Wu ladled on the broth, piled on a thick layer of snail meat, and added the essential deep-fried egg, peanuts, and sour bamboo shoots.

Lu Wu added the star of the show—the chili—spoonful by spoonful. Some customers who couldn’t handle spice gasped at the sight of the lethal-looking dose.

"Is it really that brutal?"

"This is nothing. It’s just the beginning."

The rules of the competition were simple: each contestant had to eat three bowls of river snail noodles. The spiciness of each bowl would increase progressively, and this was only the heat level for the first bowl.

Utility man number one, Qin Zhan, placed the finished bowls of river snail noodles on the table.

The contestants took their seats.

"CHIRP! CHIRP!"

Huohuo slapped its wings on the tabletop, signaling for them to hurry up and start.

"Brother, don’t be nervous. It’s okay if you lose. Your little sister will help you claim this victory."

Dragon Ball whispered, tugging on Long Zhang’s sleeve.

Her delicate face was full of adoration for her brother.

"You’re the best, sis."

Long Zhang was deeply moved. "But don’t you worry, your big brother isn’t going to lose."

’After all, the final winner gets invited to Boss Lu’s home for a private meal.’

"Mmm-hmm, your sister believes in you."

Fondling the medicine in her hand, Dragon Ball considered whether she should use it on this second brother of hers.

’As expected, Second Brother isn’t as gullible as Eldest Brother.’

’But I don’t want to give this opportunity to my dear brother.’

’She wanted to get all cuddly with the fragrant Boss Lu. Ideally, she’d even sleep in the same bed with her.’

’Her true form was an octopus with many, many tentacles; she was confident she could... *serve* Lu Wu well.’

’And winning this competition was the first step toward getting to Boss Lu.’

’Boss Lu, wait for me!’

"Eugh."

Lu Wu shivered, shaking her body to dispel a sudden chill before raising her hand.

"On your marks..."

"Get set... Go!"

The moment the order was given, Long Zhang and Dragon Ball grabbed their chopsticks and sprang into action.

Dragon Ball was petite, with a small, cherry-like mouth. But despite its size, her noodle-slurping speed was astonishing.

Onlookers could only see that small mouth opening and never seeming to close, as large mouthfuls of noodles vanished from her bowl.

The opponents were formidable, but the two small beasts were no slouches either.

Dahuang was the first to make a move.

With a flick of its tongue, it swept the river snail noodles from the bowl straight into its mouth.

Dahuang didn’t even bother to chew; with a single gulp, the noodles slid straight down its gullet.

Huohuo, on the other hand, ate with exceptional elegance.

One peck from its little beak, and a noodle vanished.

Of the four contestants, Huohuo was the slowest.

"Lord Huohuo, hurry up, faster!"

Seeing that Long Zhang’s bowl was nearly empty, the human customers couldn’t sit still any longer and began to cheer Huohuo on.

Their eyes were fixed on Huohuo, filled with a burning, urgent anxiety.

Spurred on by the crowd, Huohuo’s eyes darted about as its fiery feathers fluttered.

"CHIRP! CHIRP!"

’The bird isn’t worried, but the humans sure are.’

’This bird calls it lulling the enemy into a false sense of security before striking when they least expect it.’

"Awesome!"

Long Zhang fished out the last of the toppings from his bowl and ate them, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

There was still plenty of broth left, and Long Zhang didn’t want to waste it.

He glanced up and saw that Dahuang was hot on his heels, but Huohuo was only halfway through.

’Victory is in sight.’

Long Zhang smiled smugly, picked up the large bowl, and began to GULP down the soup.

He drank quickly.

"Go, Your Highness!"

With the voices of his clansmen in his ears, Long Zhang confidently set down his empty bowl. Just as he was about to raise his hand to call for the next one, he saw Huohuo across the table tilt its head toward him. Then, its tiny beak stretched into a massive maw.

WHOOSH!

After that sound, Huohuo kicked the bowl up with its claw. The bowl flew into the air, and just as the broth and noodles were about to spill, Huohuo caught it all with precision.

In the blink of an eye, the entire bowl of river snail noodles was gone, without a single drop of broth spilled.

"That’s not fair! The bird’s cheating!"

A member of the Sea Clan voiced their objection.

"I thought you said no Spells were allowed!"

"That wasn’t a Spell, that’s her racial talent."

As the referee, Lu Wu had to step in and uphold fairness. After all, Huohuo’s true form was far larger and more imposing than a palm-sized sparrow.

Huohuo had already started on the second bowl, its surface almost completely hidden beneath a layer of bright red chili.

The heat level had clearly increased.

Flames began to flicker on Huohuo’s tail feathers.

Truly, spicy enough to catch fire.

"So that’s how we’re playing."

Dragon Ball, who had been in third place, had an epiphany after seeing Huohuo’s performance.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.

Many tentacles emerged from beneath her skirt.

They were the soft, pink, tender kind, and even their suckers were heart-shaped. The moment they appeared, some women in the crowd covered their faces and shrieked, "So cute!"

And then...

The cavernous maw reappeared.

Eight tentacles, each one holding a pair of chopsticks.

In a flash, the bowl in front of Dragon Ball was empty.

The cavernous maw closed.

A tentacle shot out and brought over the second bowl of river snail noodles.

"I only do this occasionally, you know."

Dragon Ball looked at the humans she had just stunned, covered half her face with a tentacle, and gave a shy smile.

"See that? If you don’t behave from now on, I’ll have that octopus lady swallow you whole."

A father took the opportunity to teach his unruly child a lesson.

HIC!

A child in the crowd was so frightened they burst into tears and started hiccupping.

Did children’s lives not matter anymore?

Seeing its opponents kick things into high gear, Dahuang refused to be left behind.

Its tongue moved even faster. After it had licked the bowl completely clean, the ever-attentive Qin Zhan brought over the second one.

"Brother Dog, go! You absolutely cannot lose!"

’If Dahuang loses, what does that make me, someone Dahuang has already crushed before?’

Qin Zhan’s tone was deeply earnest.

But Gou Aotian, focused solely on chowing down, paid no mind to Qin Zhan’s fragile sensitivities.

Its head was buried in the bowl.

Behind it, its tail whipped back and forth so fast it looked like it might achieve liftoff.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

’So yummy, so yummy.’

’So spicy, so spicy.’

The chili-eating competition was in full, fiery swing.

The final bowl of river snail noodles was already waiting in the wings for its lucky recipient.

Following his sister’s lead, Long Zhang also unleashed his tentacles.

One tentacle held a handkerchief, dabbing at the beads of sweat that the spice had brought out on his forehead.

"HISSS... it hurts just watching."

As everyone knows, spiciness is a sensation of pain, not a flavor.

The customers who couldn’t handle spice grimaced just watching the scene.

"Look! Lord Huohuo is the first to start the third bowl!"

"Long live Lord Huohuo!"

"It’s almost over! It looks like Lord Huohuo has this in the bag!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

CHIRP! CHIRP!

Hearing these words of praise, Huohuo let out a delighted cry.

’I, Huohuo, the Phoenix, am invincible! No octopus can defeat me.’