The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Melt rolled his eyes and collapsed, leaving only four fighters remaining around the hotpot. Some possessed extraordinary strength, others had incredibly thick skin; those who survived this brutal struggle were no ordinary individuals. Each harboring their own thoughts, they raised their chopsticks under the watchful gaze of the hotpot master.

—If you don't want to be defeated by Hotpot Master's double-click, you have no choice but to take the initiative.

Compared to the worst possible outcome, such as pig's blood and termite cakes, xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and stinky tofu are at least within the realm of edible food.

—Strike first, seize the barely edible food... and let them struggle in the giant X!

—I'm going to eat my fill tonight!

Four people, each with their own agenda, simultaneously reached for their chopsticks, the wooden handles clashing fiercely in the hot pot! Stinky tofu. Steamed buns. Stinky tofu. Pig's blood. Amidst sighs of lamentation and exclamations, the four froze for a moment, then reached for their chopsticks again! Once more!

The speed at which they snatched the ingredients was dazzling. The four hot pot warriors abandoned their appetite and composure, adopting a battle-ready expression. The stinky tofu, proven harmless, was the first to disappear, followed by the tomato soup dumplings, which looked terrifying but were actually just so-so. Most of the termite cakes had already sunk to the bottom, so it didn't matter. Finally… only pig's blood and white pig brains remained in the hot pot!

Lu Wenjun's chopsticks trembled: "Senior Polly... I never thought that someone as fragile as you could hold on until now..."

Polly sneered: "I, I, I'm a woman who's eaten X before..."

"I already said it's cheese, not X!"

"Compared to that hellish taste, what are mere pig's blood and pig brains!"

Polly angrily picked up a piece of pig brain with her chopsticks! She threw the pig brain into Kano's bowl!

"—Kano will definitely win!"

"Huh?! After making all those grand pronouncements, you're actually giving them to me, Polly-chan?! Isn't that a bit too much?!"

Kano was terrified, while Polly slipped under the covers and began to flee from the table. The woman, sensing danger, tried to run! Meanwhile, Hotpot Master was watching Kano intently; if he dared to run, he'd be met with a merciless double slap!

"The Millennium Cave Group has suffered a crushing defeat." Mingxiao sneered. "Kano, do you have any last words?"

Kano raised his head, striking a pose of heroic sacrifice: "I will definitely drag you all down with me!"

Before he finished speaking, Kano hurled his chopsticks into the pot like spears. A horrifying spray of broth erupted, and a piece of pig's brain and blood fell into the bowls of the other three. Seeing this horrific scene, which one person couldn't oversee, Hot Pot Master instantly transformed, revealing three more faces! This was Hot Pot Master's three-headed, six-armed form!

"Hotpot Master has so many faces now! How disgusting!!"

"Why would they put something like that in the pot?!"

The all-powerful "Hot Pot Master" stared at the four of them. There was no escape now; it was a test of patience. The first to succumb to the pressure and speak would be the initial loser.

"Then, I'll eat first as a sign of respect."

However, at this moment, Lü Wenjun was the first to stand up! With the force of wielding a knife, he picked up his chopsticks and shoveled the horrifying food in the bowl into his mouth in one gulp!

"Wenjun, you—"

"The flavor is unique." Lü Wenjun closed his eyes. "Hmph, it's just so-so. I can still keep going!"

The other three, including Hotpot Master, were all taken aback. Kano asked, "How... how did you do that?"

Lu Wenjun smiled smugly: "It's just the broth for a dark hot pot. Do you know how many inedible dishes a chef makes when developing a new menu? The awfulness of semi-finished products far exceeds your imagination. However, we always manage to dispose of all the failed attempts ourselves!"

A dreamlike glow emanated from behind him. It was the glow of resentment and regret emanating from the chefs chewing on their failed attempts!

"Because it's a matter of respect for food. A true expert in cooking will never allow ingredients to go to waste. Even in hot pot, it's the same!" Lü Wenjun sneered. "With this mindset, I can savor a dreamlike deliciousness... because I'm already envisioning the success of the next dish!"

"Damn it..."

"We lost..."

Kano and Polly were both slumped over the table, feeling the helplessness of the underdog in the face of the chef's imposing presence. While one side was still deferring to the unpalatable food, the other had already devoured it; the battle had already been decided in a mental aspect unrelated to willpower!

“I… I remember now…” Kano struggled to say, “The Hot Pot Master was… something Bill specially designed when we played with the Dark Pot last time. Its purpose was to prevent everyone from wasting food pointlessly…”

"Sorry, Mr. Hotpot. We won't let your efforts go to waste..."

"It's not too late to turn back now, let's all eat together!"

The hotpot master melted away in a benevolent smile, transforming back into warm, buttery goodness. The other three raised their bowls together, resignedly bringing the last bits of pig brain and blood to their mouths—

“……………………Eat it.”

He lost his ability to think on the spot.

unpalatable.

It tastes awful.

It tastes awful, awful, awful, awful!

Every cell in my body was struggling, every thought in my mind was screaming. It was a force powerful enough to drag one's will into darkness, a taste beyond disgust and horror, the ultimate in unpleasantness!

"You..." "Why..."

How could that be possible? How could anyone have any illusions while eating something like this!

Polly and Kano looked at Lü Wenjun in despair, only to see two streams of soup slowly dripping from the corners of his mouth... Then, Lü Wenjun knelt down on the spot, his soul flying away!

"What--!?"

Lu Wenjun's spirit lingered above his head.

“Actually, I was almost dead when I first entered the market,” he said. “But if I hadn’t persisted, how would you have fallen for it?”

"Difficult, could it be!"

Lu Wenjun's spirit smiled radiantly.

"This is the art of war in the dark, young master, you've offered your tongue!"

Kano and Polly both got lost in the darkness, and the last sound they heard was that inhuman, maniacal laughter.

"Then you will all come to hell with me, ahahahaha!!"

Thus, the duel at the top of the tower has come to a conclusion.

Among the defeated men lying scattered on the ground, only one person was still holding chopsticks.

"...Isn't it delicious? Why are you all making such a fuss?"

That was the sole victor of this Dark Hot Pot duel.

A true hellish chef, Lord Mingxiao!

·

Follow up.

"Finally, I'm back..."

Lu Wenjun looked at the scale, filled with emotion.

Kano, who lost the hot pot duel, simply dispelled the spell (or perhaps the spell failed because he fainted). After that, he was chased away for a while by Aunt Eise, who discovered the truth, and ended up hanging at the tavern entrance as a mascot for a whole day.

"Please spare me, my lord!"

"When will the mascot start talking?" Huther said menacingly. "Shut your mouth, or I'll hang you up for another week!"

"Help! Someone save me!" Kano screamed.

Judging from Mr. Cabone's gloating smile, it seems that Kano, that scoundrel, has a pretty good relationship with the two people in the tavern.

And everyone in the academy finally returned to their original weight. Lü Wenjun checked himself in the mirror for a long time before finally confirming that he had returned to his original slender figure.

"As expected, a slender figure suits me best."

Miss Hisamitsu put her cheerleading uniform back on and patted her smooth belly with satisfaction: "We don't need that meaningless stuff like fat. Being slim is the best!"

"Wow... I really admire how you can wear this kind of clothes without batting an eye. I feel so embarrassed just looking in the mirror."

Lu Wenjun looked up expectantly.

That was precisely his purpose in using dark tactics to ensure victory—

Senior Mingxiao in a bunny girl outfit!

Semi-transparent black stockings encased her slender legs, and a tight-fitting bodysuit resembling a school swimsuit accentuated her perfect figure. The wide-open top of the garment revealed large expanses of rounded and fair skin.

Mingxiao hesitated as she put on her high heels, then made a bunny gesture with her hands by her ears. Her bunny ears stood up high, and the auricles of her ears turned a lovely pink.

"This, like this?" The senior student asked shyly.

"------"

That's dangerous.

He almost lost consciousness without realizing it.

Like a believer, Lü Wenjun raised his hands high and shouted, "I will etch this scene into my mind forever!!!"

"No! Delete it! Do you hear me?!"

"No! That's awesome! Long live senior!"

"When did you become such a lecherous man?"

"It's always been this guy, hasn't it?"

In conclusion...

Taking a sprint diet once in a while is pretty good!

·

Part 2.

"However, Kano and the others only activated their technique today, right?"

That's right.

"And there were signs of your weight gain even earlier."

"..."

Miss Hisamitsu said ruthlessly, "Didn't you gain those initial 11 pounds yourself, you idiot!"

Lu Wenjun tried his best to argue: "Anyone can accidentally gain weight, and I'm being careful now!"

It turns out that even with rigorous training in the past, there's still a possibility of gaining weight in a relaxed environment. This is a real trap that all college students may face.

Just in case, and to maintain his condition, Lü Wenjun quietly picked up his family's traditional exercise method again, which he had put aside for a while. Now, at a fixed time every week, you can see him running wildly through the bamboo forest under the influence of the Mingwang fire.

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Chapter 74.5 [Senior Kano's Technique Lecture Notes] (This chapter is free)

-Kano E: Alright, let's begin the decryption of the plumpness transformation technique~

-Lü Wenjun: The private message was suddenly about this.

-Kano E: Senior, I'm a man of my word. I promised to teach you, and I will!

-Lü Wenjun: Senior! I respect you so much!!

- Kano E: The core of this technique is actually the "Horn of Abundance" itself.

-Kano E: The Horn of Plenty is a mythical artifact that brings endless food. There are two theories about its origin: one is that it was the horn of Amalthea, the goddess of nourishment who fed Zeus; the other is that it was the horn of Acromeu, the river god defeated by the great hero Heracles. The common thread between these two origins is…

-Lü Wenjun: The divinity of the nature god, perhaps?

- Kano E: Correct~ Therefore, when constructing a spell, one must first emphasize the influence of divinity on people in order to establish it as an assimilation spell.

- Kano E: Secondly, it highlights the original meaning of the word "abundance". The food in the Corner of Abundance represents the power that makes people grow, and the image of a plump goddess is a very common element in the worship of agricultural gods and goddesses in primitive society. By constructing the logic from this perspective, the effect of plumpness can be evolved.

-Lü Wenjun: Such a strong ability to make connections...

-Kano E: To expand the range, I added cooking smoke, a symbol of "cooking," which complements the food element well, as a medium to extend the spell's influence. Finally, I added a touch of mystery, and the wide-ranging enrichment spell was complete!

- Kano E sent you a compressed file.

-Kano E: The design and thought process behind the magic circle are explained above~~

-Lü Wenjun: Impressive! As expected of Kano-senpai! Allow me to study this carefully...

(Ten minutes later)

-Lv Wenjun: Hey, wait a minute.

-Lü Wenjun: I'm only just receiving this? How big is this file?? Even the entire set of exercises for a whole semester isn't this big!

-Kanoe: (laughing)

-Lv Wenjun: Really? What is this? This thing is definitely more than just a mystery, right?

-Kano E: Little Kano doesn’t know~~