Two more days passed.
Leo was brutally beaten twice a day by Zani, followed immediately by soaking in the pungent medicinal cauldron to rapidly heal her torn muscles.
That evening, a pleasant chime echoed in Zani’s mind.
[Ding~] [Quest: Have a disciple officially enter the Skin Tempering Realm.] [Status: Completed] [Rewards: 10 EXP and a 9th-Grade Artifact – Skin Tempering Rod.] [EXP: 100/100] [Ninth-Grade Artifact: Skin Tempering Iron Rod] [Summary: A top-tier artifact within the Ninth Grade.
It possesses internal formations allowing the user to freely adjust its total mass, ranging from a minimum of 5 kg to a maximum of 50 kg.
In major sects, it is the standard tool utilized by masters to help disciples mend and temper their skin, hence its name.
Warning: While it can be utilized in actual combat to generate terrifying kinetic force, it is entirely ineffective against experts who have reached the 3rd Stage of Body Tempering.] Sitting alone in his quarters, Zani stared at the translucent blue screen.
However, instead of being overjoyed by the rewards and his full EXP bar, his eye twitched.
She entered the Bronze Skin stage in just two days?!
Zani thought, clutching his chest as his fragile ego took a massive hit.
After taking a few deep breaths to adjust his mood over his own inferior talent, Zani turned his attention back to the desk in front of him.
Currently, Zani is busy learning how to synthesize the medicinal cauldron.
It is simply a highly concentrated paste created by heating and mixing specific herbs with boar secretions in a small utensil.
The reason it is called a ‘cauldron’ is because the resulting paste must be diluted in exactly one standard-sized wooden cauldron of boiling water to achieve the perfect medicinal bath.
HISS.
A foul stream of black smoke suddenly erupted from Zani’s small mixing bowl.
“ARGH!” Zani groaned, burying his face in his hands as he ruined yet another batch.
“At this rate, I am going to burn through my remaining money before the competition even starts!” The next day.
Although the morning sun shone brightly in the sky, its brilliance faded in front of the massive, uncontainable smile plastered across Zani’s face.
“Hahaha!
I finally mastered the brew!
I truly am an absolute genius!” The disciples practicing in the yard watched in awe and deep respect as their unfathomable Master proudly strutted toward the main gates, laughing and talking to himself.
As he approached the heavy iron gates, a familiar figure in premium silk robes was already waiting for him.
“Oh, Brother Chaao!” Zani greeted, his eyes curving into sharp crescents.
“You have already arrived.
Welcome, welcome!” Today was their final meeting to lock in the tournament logistics, after which the Mayor’s Manor would utilize its vast network to handle the marketing.
Later that exact same evening, an identical, massive parchment notice was posted on the Iron Core Gym’s notice board, as well as on every major street corner throughout the vicinity of Grains City.
NOTICE: THE GRAND CULINARY COMPETITION On the First Day of the First Autumn Month, a grand Culinary Competition will be held at the Iron Core Gym.
Passionate participants from all over the city and beyond are cordially invited to compete!
This historic event will finally determine the absolute Best Chef of Grains City.
First Prize: A live Mud Boar Piglet AND 10 Silver Coins!
Hosted by the Iron Core Gym.
Officially Approved and Sponsored by the Mayor’s Manor.
Below the massive headline, small text detailed the strict rules, the runner-up prizes, and the mandatory participant registration fees.
It also explicitly mentioned that up to one thousand audience members could enter the grounds to watch, provided they paid the spectator entry fee.
The moment these notices hit the streets, the entire city exploded with chaotic news.
People were going absolutely mad.
Until now, the citizens had only ever heard of grand Martial Tournaments being held in the distant major cities.
This was the very first time a city-wide competition was being held in Grains City, and it was a unique, never-before-seen cooking competition!
“A culinary competition?
What do you think that will even look like?” “I think it’s fake.” “Father, we must participate!
If we win, our noodle stall will become famous overnight!” “The Best Chef of Grains City?
Do they not know that title already belongs to me?!
Hmph.
Ignorant fools, they shall suffer my wrath!” “Hubby, should I participate too?
Don’t you always praise my stew?” “Hehehe…
It’s going to be held in an open space.
That means we can easily steal other people’s secret family recipes!” “A cooking contest?
Bah!
This is an insult to true martial artists such as myself!” “The Iron Core Gym…
Interesting…” In less than a week, fueled by the Mayor’s shadow network, the news rapidly traveled to neighboring cities, and hundreds of eager people began making the trip.
A few minutes after the notices were officially posted in the city center.
Inside the Mountain Shaking Fist Dojo.
“Hahaha!
The Iron Core Gym.
It is them again.” A towering man with a physique built like a literal mountain sat at the head of a long table.
Every time he laughed, his dense muscles violently trembled under his robes.
“Perfect.
Just perfect.
Hahaha!” Master Nagar smiled cruelly.
“Looks like we will be delaying our raid just a bit longer.” Nagar, the master of the Mountain Shaking Fist Dojo, was a deeply ambitious man.
The moment he discovered that a tiny, insignificant faction like the Iron Core Gym possessed the immense wealth of pure iron, he had become exceedingly greedy.
He had immediately ordered his subordinate bandit gang to attack the gym in the middle of the night and steal everything.
After all, the martial path is a bottomless pit of expenses, and to advance, he constantly needs more silver.
In his youth, Nagar had been a member of one of the most ruthless bandit gangs in the Earth Dragon Empire – The Diggers.
As a talented youth, he had reached the perfection of the Skin Tempering realm before he even turned sixteen.
But because he was young and his loyalty was heavily questioned, the gang leaders refused to give him a 2nd Stage breathing manual, despite his constant pleading.
Driven by ambition, he eventually stole a copy of the manual and fled, ultimately settling in the vicinity of Grains City.
At first, he returned to his roots, acting as a bandit and creating a gang, even taking in a loyal subordinate he called his little brother.
But it was simply not enough.
This region was too poor, and the Mayor’s elite guards too powerful for him to openly siege the city or its affiliated villages.
So, playing the long game, Nagar left the bandit gang in the hands of his little brother and officially entered Grains City to open a legitimate Dojo.
It was a flawless front for funding and recruiting loyal subordinates.
From time to time, he secretly used his bandit connections to rob specific targets.
Everything had been progressing smoothly.
Recently, Nagar had finally hit the bottleneck of the 2nd Stage of Body Tempering.
Although he was nearly thirty years old now, his raw power was unmatched in the city.
He could finally proceed with his ultimate plan.
His strategy was simple: Rob a few high-profile, wealthy targets to enrage Mayor Salam.
Once the Mayor left the heavily fortified safety of his Manor to personally hunt the bandits, Nagar would ambush him, sever his head, and violently capture the entire city.
He would loot everything before making his grand escape.
The Iron Core Gym was just supposed to be the second wealthy target he sent his bandits to rob.
But his men had failed.
They were captured scaling the walls and were probably dead.
The Mayor must know my intentions by now, right?
Nagar thought, his heavy brow furrowing.
So why hasn’t he mobilized his army to hunt us down?
In his frustrated rage, Nagar had been preparing to launch a full-scale attack on the Iron Core Gym just to force the Mayor’s hand.
But then, this Culinary Notice was posted.
Now, he could wait.
If the Mayor was officially sponsoring this massive public event, it meant the paranoid ruler would undoubtedly be attending the tournament in person on the first day of Autumn.
The Mayor would finally be stepping out of his fortified Manor and walking directly into the open.
Stepping outside his private hall, Nagar looked down at the courtyard.
Three youths were currently kneeling there, trembling slightly.
They were the disciples who had successfully graduated from the Iron Core Gym and chosen to join his Dojo.
“Talk,” Nagar commanded, his deep voice rumbling like an earthquake.
“Tell me everything you know about this Gym Master Zani.” __________________________________ [Question: Guess will there be a fight?]