Exquisite Cuisine

Guided by the Jile Clown, Luo Jun stood on the starting line. The track was very wide, and the Horse-Leg Monster next to him was more than ten meters away, with a transparent protective barrier in between to ensure that the two did not interfere with each other.

I wonder how difficult the first level is. It shouldn't be too outrageous... But thinking about how many Senior didn't make it out, Luo Jun didn't dare to be careless and made serious preparations.

"Alright! Ready... Go!"

At the command of the Jile Clown, Luo Jun pushed off with both legs and shot out like an arrow, quickly running half a lap, but the monster was nowhere to be seen.

How far behind me?

Out of curiosity, Luo Jun looked back and discovered that the monster was still wriggling around not far from the starting point, moving on its two legs.

this...

Admittedly, this Horse-Leg Monster is incredibly fast; it could easily catch up with a real horse. However, compared to Luo Jun's leg strength, which surpasses even that of a high-speed train, it's far inferior.

Could this be a trap? What's this guy up his sleeve?

Luo Jun didn't dare to let his guard down and kept running at full speed. He finished the whole course in less than three minutes. By the time he reached the finish line, the Horse-Leg Monster hadn't even finished the first lap.

"Congratulations, guest! You've easily won the Level One Challenge!" Fireworks erupted from the central castle, and a giant Holographic Projection of the Jile Clown appeared above. "What a fantastic competition! Guest, your speed is truly breathtaking. I'm confident you'll achieve excellent results in the following competitions as well!"

"Of course, whether or not you participate in the next challenge is up to you. So, would you like to take the three thousand dollars, or continue with the next challenge?"

Luo Jun naturally chose to continue.

The second challenge, the Strength Challenge, was even simpler. A giant, inverted communicating vessel appeared in the arena, filled with liquid in the middle. Both ends of the vessel were blocked by a piston. The challenger stood under one piston, and a Muscle Monster stood under the other. The two of them pushed the piston upwards together.

Because of the principle of hydraulics, when one piston moves upward, the other moves downward with the same force. Regardless of the method, as long as you can overpower the monster on the other side and push the piston all the way down, you will succeed.

This was no challenge for Luo Jun at all. He simply pushed upwards with one hand and easily pressed the Muscle Monster down, completing the challenge effortlessly.

The Third-Order, "Endurance Challenge," takes place in a confined space where machine guns are mounted on the walls and fire continuously at the challenger for one minute. Regardless of the method used, surviving the fire counts as a successful challenge.

This wasn't difficult at all; a mere machine gun barrage couldn't even scratch Luo Jun's skin, let alone his Gathering Origin Protective Qi. He passed the test easily.

Luo Jun knew he was very strong now, but even so, weren't the first three levels of challenges a bit too easy?

That Horse-Leg Monster was indeed much faster than the average person, but it was still within the range of a regular animal. With the physique of Cultivators and the assistance of internal energy, even if one was not Martial Combat Faction, it wouldn't be difficult for them to outrun it within a dozen kilometers.

According to Luo Jun's assessment, these machine guns were just ordinary firearms, with at most an added feature to prevent the barrels from overheating; their power was not enhanced.

This level of attack would pose a significant threat to most Foundation Establishment Realm, but those who can enter this mission are at least at the Heart Refining Realm. With the support of various abilities and magical artifacts, surviving this ordeal shouldn't be a problem.

As for the Second Checkpoint challenge, the Strength Challenge, Luo Jun won too easily and didn't even realize his opponent's strength. But if it's even easier than the Third Checkpoint, then it shouldn't be too difficult.

The first three levels are so easy, so the Fourth Checkpoint should be a bit more difficult, right?

After all, from this stage onwards, the rewards are related to the exit.

Luo Jun chose to continue, and the Jile Clown clapped his hands again, changing the scene. In the square in front of the castle, a long table appeared, with ten plates placed on it from front to back, each covered with a silver lid, the contents of which were unknown.

"This challenge is called the Gourmet Challenge!" the Jile Clown introduced. "In the previous three challenges, you've proven your speed, strength, and endurance, demonstrating that you're a formidable warrior. But for this challenge, I've decided to let you try something different!"

"Each of these ten plates contains a small portion of food, enough for a normal person to finish. However, the taste may be slightly different from regular food... From the moment you lift the lid of the first plate, if you can finish all ten plates within one hour, you've succeeded!"

Eating ten plates of food in an hour is considered a success? That sounds even easier than the previous three challenges...

Luo Jun stepped forward, lifted the first plate, and found a small piece of fruit inside, somewhat like an orange or lemon, but with black seeds scattered throughout the flesh.

That's it?

Luo Jun picked it up and put it in his mouth. Instantly, an indescribable sour taste assaulted his taste buds, and the intense stimulation went straight to his brain, like a Mental Shock. Luo Jun almost instinctively opened his mouth, wanting to spit out this deadly thing.

But at the last moment, Luo Jun used his last shred of reason to shut his mouth and forcefully swallowed the piece of fruit...

Goodness, so this is what the Joker meant by "a slightly different taste"?

Luo Jun prided himself on his strong endurance, but the sourness still gave him quite a shock! The confidence he had built up in the first three rounds was shattered by this seemingly insignificant piece of fruit... He was now truly beginning to doubt whether he could make it through this round.

But now that we've come this far, we must continue!

With that thought in mind, he lifted the lid of the second plate.

This is a crystal-clear, light green bead that looks like a colorful glass bead, but considering it's on a plate... Luo Jun guessed it was probably a candy ball.

Does sourness turn into sweetness?

If I can't stand sourness, surely I can tolerate sweetness?

Luo Jun picked up a candy and put it in his mouth, and then his understanding of the world was instantly refreshed...

An indescribable sweetness exploded in his mouth. Even more terrifying, the candy melted instantly, filling his mouth and coating his tongue. Moreover, the liquid was extremely viscous, making it sticky and difficult to swallow. It even coated the spaces between his teeth, causing Luo Jun's braces to ache terribly...

It took Luo Jun a lot of effort to swallow the sugar syrup. He leaned on the table and gasped for breath before forgetting the taste. Then, with slight trembling, he lifted the third plate.

Inside is a small, deep, flat silver spoon filled with a spoonful of grayish-white powder.

First it was sour, then sweet... Is it going to be bitter next?

Luo Jun's hands trembled as he picked up the small spoon, tilted his head back, and poured the entire contents into his mouth. To prevent spitting it out, he immediately covered his mouth and nose with his hand. Even so, the soul-piercing bitterness and the dry, powdery texture still made him cough and gag uncontrollably. It took him a great deal of effort to finally get through it...

When we got to the fourth plate, we opened it and found a bottle about the size of an oral liquid, filled with red liquid.

Sour, sweet, bitter... could this be spicy?

Thinking of this, Luo Jun picked up the small bottle.

To be honest, it's been a long time since he's tasted that kind of spiciness since his body became so strong.

To some extent, spiciness should be a combination of pain and heat, not a flavor. So, does that mean that spiciness is actually the easiest hurdle to overcome?

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, picked up the bottle, unscrewed it, and poured it all into his mouth in one gulp...

Luo Jun's face turned red, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He immediately covered his mouth, otherwise he felt like he would breathe fire... The long-lost spiciness was back!

After catching his breath for a while, Luo Jun finally recovered. He flapped his tongue while looking at the five plates behind him.

If the previous sour, sweet, and bitter flavors were at least stimulating in terms of taste, he could tell that this spiciness was definitely not something that could be compared to ordinary tastes!

This is a kind of Mental Shock! It has nothing to do with your tongue or taste buds; it's entirely based on your brain automatically sensing the taste after the food enters your mouth!

But if it really is Mental Shock, then this challenge is a bit too abnormal... Luo Jun's current mental attribute is close to 400 points, and with the enhancement from his acquired Foundation Body Refinement Realm, in terms of mental resistance, ordinary people are probably like fireflies compared to the bright moon. Even Luo Jun has such a strong reaction, so it's impossible for others to pass this test, right?

In that case, I have even more reason to persevere!

This might be the only chance to find a way out!

Luo Jun gritted his teeth and lifted the fifth plate.

Inside was a small dish of pickled vegetable shreds, about the thickness of chopsticks, cut into two-inch pieces and arranged on the plate. They were reddish-black in color and had some broth underneath, indicating that they had been thoroughly marinated with soy sauce or other seasonings.

Luo Jun took two deep breaths, mentally prepared himself, and then picked up the small plate and poured the contents directly into his mouth.

He felt as if his tongue was tied in knots, and both of his kidneys seemed to twitch simultaneously...

It's so salty... After one bite, I feel like my blood pressure is going to spike to 280...

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

But Luo Jun knew that this was all just an illusion, a sensory stimulation directly targeting the mind... The food he was eating probably didn't even have a grain of salt in it...

After a moment, he looked at the sixth plate.

We've already covered sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—what could the sixth flavor possibly be?

Whatever, I've already made it this far, what else is there to be afraid of?

Luo Jun lifted the plate, then his nose twitched, and he couldn't help but gag...

Underneath the plate was a small piece of stinky tofu... I couldn't smell anything before, but lifting the plate seemed to activate a switch, and an unbearable stench immediately filled the entire space...

It's okay! Stinky tofu smells bad but tastes good. Once it's in your mouth, it's fine!

Luo Jun pinched his nose, put the stinky tofu in his mouth, and then tears started streaming down his face...

It stinks like hell!

Luo Jun felt like he had eaten a mouthful of shit... and the stinky tofu melted in his mouth, making him feel like the person who defecated there had some kind of gut flora imbalance...

Wrong!

Luo Jun suddenly remembered reading somewhere that poop smells bad but tastes bitter?

So that means this stuff stinks even worse than shit!

Suppressing his nausea, Luo Jun swallowed all the stinky tofu soup, then wiped his mouth while looking at the seventh plate.

Strangely enough, after he finished eating the stinky tofu, the stench that had permeated the entire space disappeared, as if it had never existed.

What will happen next?

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Luo Jun opened the seventh plate and found a fried chicken wing inside.

Chicken wings?

You can tell stinky tofu smells bad, but what kind of smell could chicken wings possibly have?

Luo Jun reached out to take it, but suddenly paused.

He remembered what the previous warning had said, "Stay away from anything that flies!"

Something that can fly... could it be referring to wings?

Luo Jun frowned, looked up at the Jile Clown, and said, "I've had too much excitement before. I want to go downstairs to rest and rinse my mouth before coming back up."

"Whatever," the Jile Clown laughed, then pointed to the clock tower next to the castle. "But don't forget, this challenge has an hour limit, and you still have more than forty minutes."

"Don't worry, I'll be right back..."

Luo Jun entered the elevator, and after about ten minutes, he came out of the elevator again.

"It's ready so quickly?" the Jile Clown asked curiously. "I've already forgotten what it tasted like before."

"It's alright, I just had a glass of juice to cleanse my palate," Luo Jun laughed. "Next up are these chicken wings, right? Could you tell me what they taste like?"

The Jile Clown laughed, "It tastes like a surprise! You can only truly appreciate it by experiencing it yourself!"

Luo Jun sighed, glanced behind him somewhat casually, and then, as if making up his mind, grabbed a chicken wing, put it in his mouth, and started gnawing on it.

Although the chicken wings looked delicious, Luo Jun's expression was extremely contorted, clearly indicating that the chicken wing in his mouth was very difficult to swallow...

"Hey, tell me, what does it taste like?"

As Luo Jun was enjoying his meal, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Master, you've really put me in a difficult position..." Luo Jun thought to himself. "What kind of challenge is this? It looks like chicken wings, but it's so greasy it's terrifying. I feel like I've drunk a whole bucket of oil, and I'm about to have a heart attack and die any second now..."

"You should be grateful. I just ate a mouthful of shit!"

That's right, the one currently munching on chicken wings is actually Ailongtan wearing Imposter Mask, while the real Luo Jun is watching this scene from behind him, invisible in a cloak.

Just ten minutes ago, Luo Jun, remembering the hint, secretly used the dice to check the situation. The result showed that the chicken wing was indeed problematic, and the Severity Coefficient of eating it was as high as six times. This means that although eating it would not be life-threatening, it would definitely cause health problems.

So after thinking it over, Luo Jun decided to switch it out with Ailongtan, and also to see what was going on with this thing.

"Besides the taste, are there any other sensations?" Luo Jun pressed.

Ailongtan gritted his teeth and finished the chicken wing, inwardly complaining, "This feeling is intense enough, but I've never eaten such terrible fried chicken before, it's simply..."

Ailongtan suddenly stopped mid-sentence...

(End of this chapter)