Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Let’s go!
Translator: 549690339
“Come on, come on!”
“Everyone, let’s do this!”
Amidst a clamor, Qin Lang, along with twenty-two other contestants stood at the starting point of the competition venue.
Outside the competition venue, a crowd gathered, drawn in by the pervasive publicity of the Shi Qi Commercial Building.
Although not as large scale as a regular competition, this event by the Shi Qi Group would be fully filmed and edited later for promotional purposes through the company’s channels.
This had been confirmed with each of the contestants.
The host of the event stood on a lift, slowly rising up to a high platform at the side of the venue, then raised the microphone and began with a passionate voice, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the fun competition sponsored by the Shi Qi Group — Shi Qi Cup Rookie Tacit Challenge!”
“Shi Qi Group, as a responsible and accountable enterprise, is dedicated to supporting the Spirit Chef Association and to provide more encouragement for the rookie Spirit Chefs…”
After elaborately praising the organizer, the host got to the point.
“We have a total of twenty-three contestants in this competition, and they all share one common point…” He paused briefly as portraits of the contestants appeared on the electronic screen behind him before he continued, “All of them obtained their first Food Spirit and became Spirit Chefs less than a month ago!”
“In the world of Spirit Chefs, they are just starting!”
“Now, they are about to undertake a challenge of tacit understanding with their partners, whom they’ve just gotten acquainted with but will rely on for the rest of their lives!”
“The twenty-three contestants in the field, are you… ready?”
“We’re ready!”
Among the twenty-three people, Zhao Chen’s shout was particularly clear.
“Then now…” The host slowly began, matched with the numbers appearing on the electronic screen behind him, starting the final countdown for the competition.
“Five…”
All twenty-three contestants drew their eyes back, taking up their respective positions, staring at a vacant platform not far away.
That was where they would undertake the first challenge.
The first challenge, blindfolded catch.
As the name suggests, Spirit Chefs would blindfold themselves and stand in a fixed area with a basket, and the Food Spirits would throw small balls towards the direction of the Spirit Chefs from another fixed area in the field.
The Spirit Chefs needed to judge where the balls would fall and catch them in the basket. The first to catch ten would move on to the next challenge.
And the way for them to do this while blindfolded was not by identifying positions from sounds.
“Four…”
“Star Spirit Protection, shield!”
At the countdown of four, a Seven Star Map appeared behind Zhao Chen and several other contestants.
The ability to share senses with Food Spirits granted by the Star Spirit Protection was what this challenge was about.
Even blindfolded, Spirit Chefs could observe their surroundings through the eyes of their Food Spirits.
To observe themselves from the perspective of a Food Spirit, then adjust their stances to catch the balls.
It sounded easy, but it posed a challenge for the newbie Spirit Chefs.
“Three…”
As the host continued to countdown, more contestants had the Seven Star Map appear behind them and initiated their Star Spirit Protections.
“Two…”
In the field, only Qin Lang had yet to activate his Star Spirit Protection.
Gazing at the other Spirit Chefs who had already activated theirs, Qin Lang shook his head helplessly.
What’s the rush?
There were three challenges in this competition, with no chance to recover spiritual power in between.
Star Spirit Protection consumed a small amount of spiritual power, but it was still a consumption nonetheless.
He crouched slightly, assuming a starting position, and gave a nod to Dan Bao, whose eyes were ablaze with the spirit of competition.
“One…”
“Bang!”
At the sound of the starting pistol, Qin Lang forcefully launched himself forward, racing to the location of the challenge with Dan Bao.
Perhaps because the other Spirit Chefs had concentrated their efforts on Star Spirit Protection, he had focused all his energy on the sprint. Qin Lang was the first to arrive, choosing the one closest to the passage that led to the next challenge from among the ten contestant areas.
Advantage +1.
“Star Spirit Protection, shield!”
Standing within the designated area for Spirit Chefs, Qin Lang slowly initiated his Star Spirit Protection while putting on a blindfold with the help of a staff member.
As he reached out for the basket to catch balls towards Dan Bao, Dan Bao already had the first ball in its mouth.
This was the first time Qin Lang was observing himself through the eyes of Dan Bao.
Although it was a new experience, he was quite confident in himself.
“Let’s get started!”
Qin Lang spoke through mental communication, giving Dan Bao a firm nod in its direction at the same time.
Flames flickered rapidly in Dan Bao’s eyes. The next moment, it tossed the ball in its mouth into the air, spun around, and its rotund tail accurately hit the ball as if it were a bat.
Meanwhile, it took another new ball from its basket with its mouth.
This was the way Qin Lang had planned for Dan Bao to throw the balls after observing the competition venue beforehand. It was very suitable for Dan Bao, who had a flexible large tail.
“Swoosh!”
With Dan Bao’s forceful hit, the small ball flew almost along a straight line in the air towards Qin Lang.
Catch to the left…
Thinking he had roughly predicted where the ball would land from Dan Bao’s perspective, Qin Lang mentally guided himself and quickly moved the basket in his hand to the left.
But just a moment later, he realized something was off.
Because what he saw was a mirror image, he should move to the right instead!
Although he managed to correct himself, the moment’s hesitation caused him to miss the first ball.
“It’s okay, let’s go again!”
After encouraging Dan Bao, Qin Lang quickly regained his composure.
Dan Bao, with a ball in its mouth, didn’t pause. After tossing a ball up and spinning around to hit it, it picked up another ball as it smacked the previous one hard.
“Here it comes!”
Qin Lang shouted quietly. This time, he made his move without hesitation after he had locked onto his target.
“Thud…”
After a soft sound, Qin Lang felt the basket in his hand lighten slightly.
He caught one!
And the view from Dan Bao confirmed this.
Nine more to go!
Battle spirit rose in Qin Lang’s eyes.
The other Food Spirits in the field weren’t much slower than Dan Bao, and they also began throwing balls.
Because of their different forms, their ways of throwing balls varied greatly.
For example, Zhao Chen’s Yangyang used its horns to flip the balls high and throw them, Qi Xiaoyu’s Food Spirit had a slender tail like a little devil, which could wrap around the balls and swing them out.
There were also some Food Spirits in the field that had arms, tentacles, or other forms. They were also throwing balls in their own ways.
Most of the other Spirit Chefs, who seemed to be undertaking this kind of challenge for the first time, appeared somewhat ragged.
Soon, one of the contestants was the first to complete catching ten balls. He cheered and then ran off to the next challenge venue with his Food Spirit.
Hearing the host’s congratulatory voice, Qin Lang, who had just caught his tenth ball, took off the blindfold, put down the basket, and closely followed the first contestant to the next challenge venue.
Charge on!
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