Easy as Pie

Inside the main hall of Gourmet Hall, where Food God Acacia was worshiped.

The moment Leiyin and Natalie entered, they saw a crowd gathered around a huge chopping block, with a sharp knife stuck into it.

This was this year's Male Gourmet Election. Anyone who pulled the knife from the chopping block would win the grand prize.

"Pure brute force absolutely won't be enough. Unless you carefully observe the wood grain of the chopping block and apply just the right amount of force, there's no way you'll pull out this cleaver. The temperature and humidity on this day will also have an effect. In any case, 'luck' is indispensable!"

The host introduced the event like this, and many people present were already eager to give it a try.

Natalie watched the stage with great interest. "This is Gourmet Hall's midyear ceremony, one of the Gourmet Festival events. What do you think? Want to give it a try?"

Leiyin crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's watch first."

"Not enough to rely on brute force? Don't try to fool us!" The first person to step onto the stage was a heavily muscled man. He was a Gourmet Bodybuilder Coach.

Once onstage, he gripped the knife handle with both hands. His feet seemed rooted to the ground as he exerted all his strength and pulled.

The cleaver did not move an inch.

"Damn it! What's going on? It won't budge at all." The bodybuilder coach looked frustrated. The cleaver was secured in the chopping block far more firmly than he had imagined.

He had failed, and he walked off the stage in disappointment.

More than a dozen challengers tried after him, but they were even weaker than the bodybuilder coach. The cleaver did not move even half a millimeter.

"Is it really