Big Eater Challenge

The setting sun dyed the workshop's heavy iron door a warm golden red.

Tang Wulin stood at the entrance with a faded canvas bag slung over his back, carrying the distinct scent of rust, coal, and heated metal.

The loose hair on his forehead was damp with sweat, clinging to his skin in strands. His cheeks were flushed a healthy red from a whole day beside the scorching heat.

His little hands were blackened, with bits of iron filings embedded beneath his nails that would not wash out. A thin, hard layer of calluses had already formed on his palms.

Yet he did not feel any pain at all. Instead, his heart was full, filled with an unprecedented sense of fulfillment.

"Goodbye, Teacher Mang Tian!"

He raised his little face and waved vigorously at Mang Tian, who stood in the doorway. A brilliant smile spread across his face, revealing two small canine teeth.

Mang Tian leaned against the doorframe. The blue tank top he wore was thoroughly soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to his sturdy muscles.

He gripped a grimy towel in one hand and casually wiped the sweat from his face.

His expression remained as cold as ever, his thick beard concealing most of it.

"Remember, from now on, come to me at this time every day."

He reminded him in a gruff voice, his tone utterly flat.

"If you're one minute late, you'll be punished by scrubbing the floors for a week."

"Got it, Teacher Mang Tian! I definitely won't be late!"

Tang Wulin nodded hard and promised.

Mang Tian grunted. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he pulled a piece of malt candy wrapped in wax paper from his pocket and casually tossed it to Tang Wulin.

"Take it. Eat it on the way."

Without waiting for Tang Wulin to thank him, he turned and slammed the iron door shut with a bang, sealing the clanging of hammers and the roar of the bellows behind it.

Tang Wulin caught the malt candy and froze for a moment. Then the smile on his face grew even brighter.

He carefully placed the malt candy into the side pocket of his canvas bag and patted it, afraid of damaging it.

He knew that although Teacher Mang Tian looked fierce, he was actually an exceptionally good person.

Today, when he had held a forging hammer for the first time, he had accidentally struck his hand. Though Teacher Mang Tian had scolded him for being clumsy, he had silently found him a bandage and poured him a cup of cool tea.

Aolai City was especially lively in the evening.

The streetlights along the roadside lit up one after another, their warm yellow glow driving away the deepening dusk.

The grilled sausage stalls gave off sizzling steam, their rich aroma drifting far down the street. An old man selling candied hawthorns carried a straw rack full of them over his shoulder, walking leisurely as his crisp, lingering cries rang out. Children leaving school chased and played with their schoolbags on their backs, their bell-like laughter spilling across the entire street.

Tang Wulin skipped along the sidewalk, his steps as light as a bird's.

Every now and then, he kicked a little stone by the roadside, mentally calculating what gift he should buy Na'er once he earned his first paycheck.

A golden figure slowly condensed at his side.

Jin Qiu still wore that gold-patterned hoodie, the dragon-scale designs along the edge of the hood gleaming faintly beneath the streetlights.

He drifted leisurely beside Tang Wulin, maintaining a fixed distance from him. He held a skewer of roasted dragon meat and was taking huge bites from it.

Pedestrians passed straight through Jin Qiu's body without noticing a thing.

Jin Qiu had long since set up an invisible sound barrier around them with his spiritual power.

The barrier disrupted the vibrations in the air, ensuring that only the two of them could hear their conversation.

Those outside could only see Tang Wulin talking to himself. They could not hear what the two of them were saying at all.

However, it was a one-way barrier. They could clearly hear every sound around them.

"Big Brother Jin!"

Tang Wulin lowered his voice and spoke to Jin Qiu excitedly.

"Teacher Mang Tian said that, with my current talent, I can take the Level One Forger exam after studying for another three months!"

He raised his little face, his eyes sparkling with pride and anticipation.

"A Level One Forger can take on lots of simple forging jobs every month! Then I can earn money myself! I'll buy Na'er that little rabbit doll she liked last time, hand cream for Mom, and good liquor for Dad!"

Jin Qiu nodded, crunching the lollipop in his mouth as he replied indistinctly.

"Of course. Just look at whose disciple you are.

"With a body tempered by the Hidden Dragon Formula, becoming a Level One Forger is nothing. You could pass the Level Two exam within half a year.

"Mang Tian struck gold this time. He's probably secretly laughing to himself."

Jin Qiu stopped cracking sunflower seeds. After flicking the seeds in his hand aside, he slightly turned his head and glanced across the street, then conjured an arrow beside him that pointed in that direction.

"Tang Wulin, look over there."

Tang Wulin followed the direction he pointed.

Across the street, the entrance of Fumanlou Grand Hotel was especially bustling.

A massive red stage had been erected before the hotel. Above it hung an eye-catching red banner more than ten meters long, with gilded letters that read: "First Fumanlou Big Eater Challenge."

Colorful balloons and ribbons decorated the area around the stage, which was surrounded by several layers of curious pedestrians.

A host in a suit stood on the stage with a microphone, shouting himself hoarse. Every so often, he drew a burst of laughter and enthusiastic applause from the crowd below.

Several servers in matching uniforms were busily setting food onto the tables onstage. The fragrance could be smelled even from across the street.

"What's that?"

Tang Wulin asked curiously.

"A big eater competition."

After sweeping the area with his divine sense, Jin Qiu began explaining the rules of the big eater competition to Tang Wulin.

"I've read the rules clearly.

"Registration begins at noon tomorrow. There are no age restrictions, no gender restrictions, and no species restrictions. Anyone can participate.

"The competition has five rounds. Each round lasts ten minutes. You eat the designated food, and whoever eats the most advances."

He paused before continuing.

"The prizes are especially generous. First place gets 100,000 Federal Coins, second place gets 50,000, and third place gets 30,000. There's also a great rule: anyone eliminated before finishing five rounds has to pay for their own meal. But as long as you can complete five rounds or more, all meal costs are waived, regardless of whether you place."

Jin Qiu looked at Tang Wulin as he gnawed on the sunflower seeds in his hand and said,

"You and Na'er make two people. With the appetites you two have, you can easily sweep the top two places if you enter.

"You'll get to eat a feast for free and make some Soul Spirit money while you're at it. It's a sure win."

Jin Qiu's words automatically underwent a round of optimized filtering in Tang Wulin's ears.

All the complicated rules and conditions vanished, leaving only the most essential and tempting words:

Eat and drink for free.

And get paid.

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up instantly.

That gleam was brighter than the stars in the sky and hotter than the flames in a forge.

He was ten times more excited than when he had just heard he could become a Level One Forger in three months.

100,000 Federal Coins!

After buying a Soul Spirit, how many fragrant meat buns could the remaining Federal Coins buy? How many sweet lollipops? How many little rabbit dolls that Na'er liked?

And he could even take Na'er to that fancy-looking hotel and eat lots and lots of delicious food without spending a single coin!

At that thought, Tang Wulin could no longer hold himself back.

He pulled the malt candy Mang Tian had given him from his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, clenched his little fists, and turned to race home.

The canvas bag on his back bounced with every stride, the water bottle inside making soft clanking sounds.