It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

"Then, the competition begins!"

With the sound of passionate gongs and drums, the competition officially began. But how exactly should one compete in spicy food? Naturally, there are rules. This first round of competition was dubbed "Challenge."

The term originates from ancient times, when two armies faced each other, challenging each other to show their strength. It's a bit like a modern military chant, but with more hostility. Besides the shouting, both sides would also send out their generals for a first-round duel.

When used here, there are naturally corresponding changes.

"Here's a basket filled with fifty kilograms of chili peppers. I'm the host, so I'll take the initiative and have a whole basket of snacks!"

After the fight began, Ling Qing showed no sign of letting Bai Lin off the hook. She still smiled, but the numbers she spoke were a subtle way of putting pressure on Bai Lin. In a flash, she used both hands to lift the basket and dumped it directly over her head. Within ten seconds, the basket was completely devoid of any trace of red.

This scene, reminiscent of a battle to slaughter fresh meat and devour living creatures, truly horrified Bai Lin. Afterward, Ling Qing wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. Watching her lick her bright red lips with the tip of her tongue, a wave of horror washed over him. Looking at her again now, her rose-red eyes seemed to have become a product of seduction and subsequent devouring. Was there any trace of the delicate, girlish demeanor left?

"Thank you for the treat. It's your turn, Holy Son."

Bai Lin swallowed. This challenge meant the other party ordered a certain amount first, and then the other party followed suit. After consuming the same amount, the other party could challenge again. Each time they challenged again, the amount must not be lower than the previous one.

This is a whole basket of things coming up, obviously to give me a warning. Damn, never mind, do it!

Glancing at the basket beside her, Bai Lin wondered when she had ever been a coward. Why was she afraid of chili peppers? This couldn't be right. She grabbed a handful and stuffed it directly into her mouth.

Suddenly, it was as if countless volcanoes erupted deep within her body, and an incomparable heat filled her brain, causing her to immediately stop thinking. The scarlet demon entered her mouth, crawled towards her intestines, and wreaked havoc within her body.

It’s so spicy. Too damn spicy.

"Hey, hey, hey, Contestant Shengzi, are you okay? If you're already dying, all these spectators here are like doctors, they can treat you right away. Don't just stand there, looking like a coward."

Seeing Bai Lin pause after taking a bite, the evil spirit at the commentary desk immediately arched its back. Bai Lin then realized that she had been stunned for a moment. Compared to the opponent's heroic spirit, she had just taken a handful and this happened, which naturally confirmed the "unfavorable" mentality of the audience before the game started. She slammed the table in anger and roared,

"Bullshit, who said I can't do it? I'm just warming up first, watch carefully."

As he spoke, Bai Lin also lifted the basket and stuffed his head into it. In just a few seconds, he had eaten all the bright red fruits.

It was very spicy, so spicy that he felt dizzy and felt like he was going to lose his breath in the next second. But when Bai Lin put down the basket and breathed in the fresh air again, every pore on his body almost simultaneously enjoyed the free air.

Sweat oozed from her body, and an unprecedented sense of refreshment appeared in her body as the spicy food was finished.

Chapter 982 Handsome, Holy Son

Even though her tongue was still numb and she was skeptical about whether she could even speak normally, Bai Lin was surprised to find that this feeling was actually quite pleasant. Sure enough, it was her own psychological effect, unintentionally exaggerating this matter.

That's right. I've already chewed the ores from the dwarves and drank lava beer in the abyss. I've also eaten a lot of different kinds of food along the way. Why should I be afraid of just a few peppers?

"Oh, it seems that the Saint Son contestant is still very capable. Little sister with white hair, do you have anything to say to her?"

The evil spirit held the loudspeaker and handed it to the poet with a playful look. The poet raised his thumb and said,

"Handsome, Holy Son."

The audience certainly didn't come here to laugh at Bai Lin. As soon as the scene started, they also started to cheer for Bai Lin. Compared to Ling Qing, Bai Lin was not so particular. She wiped the corner of her mouth casually with her hand, and with a big hand, she gathered the baskets on both sides directly towards her. She only heard her say,

"Here, it's my turn. Don't run away right after calling a turn!"

The first part of the competition, the challenge, does have a certain intellectual component. If you feel your opponent is asking for too much and you can't handle it all, you can simply forfeit the round. This can also be used as a tactic to wear down your opponent, encouraging them to eat a lot while you declare defeat at the appropriate time.

That's why Bai Lin made such a declaration. It seems that she wants to make a big move. Ling Qing was a little surprised by this, but she just spread her hands and replied,

"We, the people of Cheongdam, have never given in on this matter. Please just come."

And so, another round of competition began. While wasting food was certainly not something to be encouraged, occasional indulgence could be considered a good thing for the entire race.

What's more, this time, all the chili peppers were provided by our wealthy princess. This was simply the cost of her convalescence while she was staying here. With shareholders around, shouldn't she be able to eat as much as she wants?

The atmosphere on the field intensified, their faces flushed red, and they looked like two hot peppers. They exchanged blows, their battle never dulling. The audience, initially pessimistic about Bai Lin, began to rub their hands, eager to see who would emerge victorious. Some even harbored a desire to compete with the legendary Saint Son.

After all, Lingqing represented their entire race, all the inhabitants of this land. Their cheers grew like a flame, filling the cold night with a warmth no less intense than daylight.

If the confrontation on the field could be compared to hand-to-hand combat, then this one was a grappling match on the ground. Neither of them gave the other an inch, tightly gripping each other's vital points, constantly displaying their sharp edge, leaving no room for either to breathe.

Bai Lin put down the wine cup in her hand. It was the special wine she had brought from the dwarves, the kind that chilled the throat. Of course, even at extremely low temperatures, we know that wine can exacerbate spiciness. This is undoubtedly a form of self-harm, a sedative with side effects.

However, she didn't seem to care at all. She didn't even bother to wipe off the wine residue as she ate 14 baskets of chili peppers, one by one.

Just drink them all before the spicy effect of the wine takes over, and then slowly recover when the other person is feeling the spicy taste.

Bai Lin's idea was a good one, but it certainly wouldn't be easy to execute. Her fighting speed was incredibly fast, having long surpassed the speed the human eye could detect. However, eating behavior couldn't be generalized.

Most people experience a time in their lives when they go all out for a meal. Perhaps it's to meet a deadline, or perhaps it's simply a school requirement. But the act of competition is something most people never experience. It's hard to imagine going to a meal with the intention of crushing your opponent, right?

People often say, "Roll up your sleeves and get to work." But working too much, and for someone like Bai Lin, it was a bit strange. But she finally got serious. She opened her arms wide, as if facing a vast army of crimson soldiers, and began to eat.

Just like in a continuous attack, each bite was done to completely crush the peppers, achieving the most efficient and powerful peak, and continuously withstanding them. Holding that breath, he completely absorbed all the peppers through his body and mind. No matter how many enemies there were, he was determined to completely devour them, and he gave his all to this cause.

Crunch, swallow. Pick up, fight again. Her movements were fluid, yet powerful and relentless. By the time she came to her senses, she had completely devoured fourteen baskets, a full seven hundred kilograms of peppers.

"Wow! One minute, no, a full fifty-eight seconds. Contestant Shengzi completed the feat of eating fourteen baskets of chili peppers in just fifty-eight seconds?! Her strength is truly unfathomable. Perhaps we've underestimated her all along. Or perhaps, our current expectations of her are nothing more than a slight?"

"A few minutes ago, I was thinking that no matter how many more achievements this contestant achieved, I wouldn't be surprised anymore. But every time she challenges me, I can't help but marvel. Holy Son, you truly deserve the name!"

The evil spirit's passionate commentary echoed. Her expression was filled with rapturous excitement, clearly embracing Bai Lin's perspective, and she was unreserved in her praise. Bai Lin, on the other hand, felt a bit dizzy. She stared at the moon, feeling as if flames were burning in the air on either side of her vision, clouding her consciousness.

Does the title of Holy Son also mean being able to eat spicy food? Never mind, I'll just accept the compliments.

Bai Lin didn't want to dwell on it, nor did she seem to be able to. Ling Qing, sitting across from her, looked equally distressed. She was still reveling in the afterglow of the chili peppers from the previous round. Perhaps because she'd overly tried to overpower her opponent with her speed in the thirteenth round, she was still panting heavily, showing no sign of continuing the fight or accepting the challenge.

When she saw Bai Lin completing the challenges one after another, she was still a little unconvinced.

Chapter 983 Three! Two! One!

And when she leaned back in her chair, no longer having the strength to fight the next round, she finally realized her defeat.

"Contestant Lingqing, why are you still waiting? Are you willing to let an outsider steal all the limelight while you just sit there and watch it all happen? That shouldn't be the case. Hurry up and accept this round of challenge and give her the most powerful blow!"

The fire was being fanned, and both sides were already used to this kind of commentary. The princess's voice was heard at this moment.

"Lingqing, in one minute, our break time will be over. You better hurry up."

That's right, there's a maximum break time limit between challenges. Otherwise, if you wait a long time before eating, the competition won't be over. Ling Qing was certainly aware of this. She sighed deeply, looking at the mountain of peppers in front of her.

Fourteen baskets, and then fifteen. In her current state, she couldn't bear it any longer. Ling Qing panted and said to Bai Lin,

"I never thought you were so formidable, Holy Son. It seems I can only give you one point in this round of competition. I'll come and compete with you in the next round!"

As she spoke, she slowly raised her hand and declared loudly,

"I give up!"

As soon as these words came out, some of the audience felt that Ling Qing was not doing her best, some burst into laughter, and some seemed unwilling to accept it. However, those were fleeting negative emotions. This was a competition where friendship came first and competition came second. Amidst the laughter, our summary also tried to control her attitude and finally raised her voice.

"Alas! It seems our challenge has come to an end. In the end, with Lingqing's defeat, let's give Shengzi a point and offer her our heartfelt congratulations! I hope they can put on an even more exciting performance in the next round! Show your style and spirit!"

With this round of competition officially over, Bai Lin finally gave up and collapsed on the table, breathing heavily. It wasn't until the medical staff came up and helped her sit down with the poet that she seemed to calm down a little.

The water from the clear pond was poured into Bai Lin's mouth. Although it was the sea below the ground, the taste was purer than pure water, which also helped Bai Lin's condition to ease a lot. Someone wiped her sweat, someone helped her massage her body a little, while Bai Lin herself supported her forehead and then pretended to cry.

"Poet, I really should have put in more effort to get you to go. We're both guests, why pick me to suffer?"

"Don't even think about it, Holy Son. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to convince me. After all, I've heard what you're about to say countless times, and the effect will be very limited. Besides, don't you seem to be enjoying it?"

The poet's quiet voice rang out. She moved a chair and sat next to Bai Lin. Bai Lin certainly didn't intend to do anything stupid like deceiving the poet. She also laughed twice and said energetically,

"It feels really good to compete once in a while. I'm under that life-or-death pressure every day. It's been a long time since I've experienced such a pure competition."

"But it's really difficult. I ate fourteen more baskets of chili peppers this round. Lingqing is definitely in much better shape than me. I'm not sure I can beat her."

"Not confident anymore?"

"Not really. It's just that this has nothing to do with saving the world, so I definitely can't take it that seriously. But I'm still very interested in winning. As for the poet, what should I do next?"

Bai Lin waved his hand, then leaned over to the poet and asked with a smile. The poet gently tapped Bai Lin's head and said,

"I already said I was just competing and having fun, yet you're still asking me about the future?"

"Then why don't you give me some hints without spoiling the plot? Why are you so mean to me, boss? You have such bad intentions towards me."

It seemed that Bai Lin was in a good mood today. She hugged her head with her hands and leaned back, causing her chair to tilt and almost hit the mermaid behind her. The poet sneered at this and said,

"Just do what you want to do. There's nothing special to say. Come on, I'll be watching you from the commentary booth later."

The bell for the rematch soon rang. Bai Lin smiled and responded to the poet. Then, he proudly swished a bucket of water into his mouth, stood up, put his hands on his hips, and walked into the arena.

...Speaking of which, has that pool of water been bathed in by all sorts of races? Even though they claim it's always pure, the thought of it still feels a bit strange. Forget it, it's better not to think about it for now.

After all, you can't not drink it. It will make you feel more energetic after drinking it.

"Alright, after a brief rest, both players have returned to our arena in high spirits. In the previous match, Shengzi defeated his opponent with a score of one to zero, and victory is within reach! Will Lingqing pull off a comeback, or will Shengzi press on with his victory? Let's wait and see!"

The evil spirit's cheerful voice rang out, and the two parties standing beside the table officially entered the state.

"After the challenge, the two teams naturally began their official clash. This round of competition was a test of strength. Given a limited number of peppers, whoever could finish eating them the fastest would be declared the winner."

The evil spirit introduced this, watching baskets of chilies being carried onto the table. Twenty baskets in a row, one on each side, formed a mountain of two rows, blocking the two men from each other. This separation, preventing them from directly confronting each other, instilled a sense of tension due to the "unknown." To see the other person's state, they had to keep eating.

However, not being able to see is not a bad thing.

"It looks like both contestants are ready. So, audience, let's stop cheering for a moment and let the countdown drumbeats resound through the sky."

The voices gradually faded, but the passion within everyone remained undimmed. The hammers pounded continuously and powerfully, and as the hammers ceased to pound, the muffled thunder of the drums carried the emotion to the ears of everyone present.

The evil spirit raised his hands high,

"three!"

Hammers surge

"two!"

Thunderous

"one!"

The shouts of the crowd immediately surged back, like a wave sweeping away, rapidly invading with a higher posture.

Chapter 984 Intermission

The dull drumbeats had become a distant memory for everyone, and all of this was merely a backdrop for the central arena.

Our two contestants grabbed the first basket of peppers almost simultaneously and quickly showed off. They chose the left and right baskets, each with a tacit understanding. Lingqing's expression was unhurried, clearly determined to win this round.

Bai Lin naturally knew that Ling Qing had eaten less than she did in the previous round, so she was definitely in better shape this time. Furthermore, Ling Qing had already demonstrated her speed advantage in the previous match, so she didn't dare to neglect it. After a quick glance, she focused on her work. But when she still had most of the basket filled, a voice from the other side rang out.

"Oh?! Contestant Lingqing has already taken the lead and won the first basket. She was really fast as lightning. Contestant Shengzi, you have to work hard to catch up."

What?! They've already taken down a basket of my shit. They need to help quickly.

Bai Lin finished her show as quickly as possible, and the gap in the first wave had already widened by several seconds. She knew that if she continued to show off like this, she would definitely lose. Before today, she would never have dreamed that she would use her powerful speed, reflexes, and combat abilities in such a situation.

It's time to use some tricks.

"What?! What is the Holy Son doing?! This is such an unimaginable act!"

Bai Lin tossed the baskets one after another until they all reached the perfect height. A flood of chilies fell naturally into her mouth like rain. This saved her the trouble of having to eat them. Meanwhile, her hands moved swiftly, crushing the falling chilies as much as possible before putting them into her mouth.

The spiciness was intense, sweeping away everything in its path. However, Bai Lin naturally had a limit to how much spiciness she could endure at once. After five baskets, she paused to rest and dove headfirst into the basin of water she used for rinsing her mouth. Meanwhile, Ling Qing, still a bit ahead, leisurely poured in the water before continuing her sweep.

Bai Lin raised her head, her face flushed. She pulled back her wet hair, took a deep breath, and followed in the footsteps of the other party. This tactic was obviously still lacking in speed, forcing her to take risks and challenge higher limits.

"It's truly remarkable. They've actually used so many fancy techniques to master the act of eating chili peppers. But the gap is still there. Saint Son still needs to work harder to catch up!"

The evil spirit's commentary sounded again.

"However, the Saint's condition doesn't look ideal. The damage caused by the spiciness has left her body unable to sustain any reckless behavior."

The princess's voice also rang out. Bai Lin was naturally aware of this. Listening to the commentary, she couldn't concentrate on getting emotional about the words. She could only throw a few more baskets and go all out towards the rain of peppers from the sky.

Come on, let the storm get even stronger!

Every second, tens of thousands of chili peppers rained down. These bright red demons shone brightly in the blazing night sky, as if they had become Bai Lin's own burning starry sky. Gongs and drums roared, and the fire of the fire competition burned brighter and brighter! But Bai Lin's complexion also grew increasingly rosy. Each attack of chili peppers was an absolute blow to her.

Normally, she could sustain an almost endless barrage of attacks. She had never imagined that eating could cause her such a quandary. The peppers gradually fell, their spiciness steadily increasing, unleashing their full potential with each attack.

No, I can’t hold on any longer.

Finally, after throwing the seventh basket, Bai Lin paid the price for her reckless behavior. She fell, and the rain of peppers fell around her.

"Oh?! Contestant Shengzi seems to have made a major mistake. A lot of peppers fell to the ground, which is inconvenient to clean up and eat. It seems that she is getting further and further away from winning the competition."

Bai Lin rubbed her eyes with some difficulty, then casually knocked the large basket that had fallen from her head away. With a sigh, she straightened up and smiled. Her resentment instantly dissipated. She grabbed an empty basket, turned it upside down, and leaned against it, staring at the other person quietly. In just a second or two, she accepted her defeat.

As for Bo3, there's no point in playing it if you don't play it full. If you lose, you lose. It's just a game, just have fun.

"Alas, it looks like Contestant Shengzi has given up! This won't do, everyone's watching eagerly. Why don't you give it another try?"

"Forget it, I'm not as skilled as you, just admit defeat."

Bai Lin didn't offer any further arguments, nor did he respond to the evil spirit's inquiries. Ling Qing's pace also gradually slowed. After all, Bai Lin had given up, so she could slow down a bit. She held out her water cup and raised it towards Bai Lin with interest. Bai Lin smiled, tapped the cup against the wall, and then drank it all.

Oh, this little girl might have known that I would do something wrong, and she was holding her breath and holding on until the end. When I got anxious and made a mistake, she would be able to handle it calmly.