172: Snatching food from the tiger's mouth

“Give me the century soup,” Lin Luo said, hovering in the air, his voice calm but brooking no argument. “I won't interfere with your departure.” The aura emanating from Alpha Luo was deep as an abyss, making Lin Luo instinctively feel that this person would be extremely difficult to deal with, and he didn't want to get tangled up here unless necessary.

Hearing this, Alpha Luo let out a cold sneer: “How rare. I never expected someone would dare to target our Gourmet Association. Kid, don't you know? The Gourmet Association is the one that always plunders the world's delicacies; no one has ever dared to reach out to us!”

Before his voice faded, eight arms beneath his black cloak suddenly rose!

Swish swish swish swish—!

Eight pristine white plates, sharp as blades along their edges, flew out of his hands as if they had a life of their own!

They did not attack in a straight line, but traced bizarre arcs in the air, instantly sealing off all possible evasion space around Lin Luo from every tricky angle: above, below, left, right, front, and back!

The rapidly spinning plates tore through the air, emitting a sharp, piercing shriek!

Zzzzt zzzzt zzzzt—!!!

The sharp edges of the plates violently collided with the Multi-colored Protective Aura that automatically manifested on Lin Luo's body!

Instead of the expected energy annihilation or ricochet, an ear-splitting noise erupted, like a high-speed grinding wheel cutting metal, along with a series of dazzling sparks!

These seemingly ordinary plates possessed terrifying material composition and rotational force!

Crack! Crackle crackle!

To Lin Luo's slight surprise, the surface of the resilient protective aura instantly spread with countless fine cracks, like glass struck by a heavy hammer!

Lin Luo slightly furrowed his brow. In his Dantian, the Multi-colored Crystal Core suddenly accelerated its rotation, and a more vast and pure energy surged out, rushing through his meridians and flowing throughout his body!

Buzz—!

In an instant, brilliant multi-colored light burst forth all around him! The originally dim and near-shattered protective aura was instantly repaired and reinforced, its radiance skyrocketing, resembling a miniature colored sun blossoming over the sea!

Clang! Clang! Clang!... A series of crisp, loud metallic clashes! The eight sharp plates, which had been firmly gripping the aura and attempting to slice it apart, were forcefully shaken back by this sudden burst of powerful energy!

Alpha Luo swiftly waved his eight arms, precisely catching the returning plates one by one. His arms felt slightly numb from the shock, and for the first time, a look of gravity appeared in his eyes.

The two exchanged a look and acted almost simultaneously.

Poof. Poof. With two soft sounds, almost at the same time, both men landed steadily on the thick snow at the edge of the Ice Continent below.

“Gourmet Association, Alpha Luo.” Alpha Luo announced his name, his large nose twitching slightly, as if savoring Lin Luo's presence in the air.

The look he directed at Lin Luo had lost some of its contempt, gaining instead a measure of scrutiny and a trace of undetectable admiration. “Kid, who are you?”

Lin Luo casually uttered a few words: “IGO Gourmet Hunter, Lin Luo.”

“Lin Luo... Heh.” Alpha Luo chewed on the name, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Kid, interested in coming to the Gourmet Association's kitchen? There's a much broader stage there, and endless new ingredients.”

He actually extended an invitation directly. Clearly, the strength and special abilities Lin Luo displayed had prompted him to attempt recruitment.

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling directly upon the gourmet box hanging around Alpha Luo's neck, which was emitting a seven-colored halo. “We can discuss joining later,” his tone remained calm, “first, give me the 'century soup'.”

Alpha Luo was unmoved and instead raised the stakes: “If you join the Gourmet Association, what you can access will be far beyond ingredients at the level of 'century soup.' Even treasures from the depths of the Gourmet World can be easily obtained, provided you are strong enough. That is where true powerhouses and those who pursue ultimate flavor belong.”

Hearing this, Lin Luo shook his head and smiled playfully: “Oh? If that's the case, then this 'century soup' isn't too precious to you and the Gourmet Association, is it? Why not just give it to me as a welcoming gift. Once I have it, maybe... I really will consider switching allegiances.”

Alpha Luo's large nose let out a cold, disgruntled snort. He naturally understood the mockery and insincere perfunctoriness in Lin Luo's words. Since they couldn't see eye-to-eye, there was no need for further conversation.

Swish swish swish swish—!

His eight arms rose almost simultaneously!

The eight sharp-edged white plates flew out of his hands once more!

This time, they spun faster, their trajectories were more tricky and bizarre, subtly forming a combined attack formation. The sharp shrieks tearing through the air merged into one continuous sound, like the Death God's summons, cutting toward Lin Luo from all directions—front, back, top, bottom, left, and right—leaving no blind spots!

Every plate seemed to have transformed into the most precise and lethal flying blade, locking down all of Lin Luo's possible evasion routes.

However, the eight rapidly spinning, sharp plates that were about to slice Lin Luo suddenly froze simultaneously in mid-air!

It was as if they had been instantly seized by an invisible, infinitely vast hand! They trembled violently, emitting unwilling hums, yet they completely slipped out of Alpha Luo's control, and then—

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A series of crisp shattering sounds rang out! The incredibly hard, special metal plates, whose edges were sharp enough to cut through energy shields, shattered into countless tiny metal fragments in mid-air, like fragile glass, scattering onto the snow.

“That's far enough.” A sudden female voice rang out—old, yet full of vigor and undeniable authority. “I won't let you take another step.”

Following the sound.

They saw a short, elderly woman wearing a specially thickened cold-weather suit, walking slowly from the other side of the ice cliff, her back slightly bent and her hands behind her. Her face was kind, and a gentle smile played on her lips, as if she were just an old neighbor taking a stroll on the ice field.

It was the national treasure of gourmet—Setsuno!

“Setsuno...” Alpha Luo clearly recognized the newcomer, and a hint of dread and complexity flashed in his huge eyes.

His eight arms, which had just been poised to strike, slowly withdrew beneath his black cloak. His tone became stiff yet polite: “What a pleasure, Granny Setsuno.”

Setsuno acted as if she hadn't heard the coldness in his words, continuing to walk and speaking casually, like chatting with a neighbor: “Oh dear, this Ice Continent really is cold. Look, even my breath turns white.”

“White breath? Heh...” Alpha Luo sneered, his words laced with probing and sarcasm. “Is this perhaps evidence of deteriorating physical function and sluggish reactions, Granny Setsuno? What business does someone with your constitution have coming here?”

“Your tone has gotten quite arrogant, Alpha Luo.” Setsuno chuckled softly, stopping and looking up at the grotesque man who was several times taller than her. Her tone was still gentle, but carried an air of detached superiority. “Is that 'idiot' boss of yours, the one who only knows how to gorge himself and throw the world into chaos, still alive?”

Alpha Luo's eyes suddenly sharpened, his eight arms tensed slightly beneath his cloak, and his voice turned cold: “There are few people left in this world who dare to refer to our Boss that way, Granny Setsuno. However...” He changed the subject, actually offering recruitment, “If you could join the Gourmet Association's kitchen and prepare a 'Full Course' for our Boss, I think... he would be very pleased.”

“How unfortunate.” Setsuno waved her hand as if shooing away an annoying fly. “The ingredients I value are not something your 'idiot' boss has the palate to appreciate. Ingredients... determine the customer. As for me, it's nothing major,” she turned her gaze to Lin Luo, her tone becoming natural, “I'm just here to pick up Lin Luo, and those other troublesome little guys, like Toriko.”

Alpha Luo's huge eyes glanced at Lin Luo: “I see... To think that the national treasure of gourmet, Granny Setsuno, would personally come to a place like this to greet him.”

“If you understand, then don't get any funny ideas.” Setsuno slightly narrowed her eyes, the gentle smile still on her face, but her tone carried an undeniable “piece of advice”: “Just... go back obediently.”

After speaking, she stopped looking at Alpha Luo, turned around, nodded to Lin Luo, signaling him to follow, and slowly walked toward the depths of the Ice Continent. She completely treated the unfathomably powerful and still murderous Alpha Luo as if he were thin air!

This act of near-total disregard completely enraged Alpha Luo!

Beneath the cloak, his eight arms instantly gripped the newly regenerated sharp plates! Killing intent, like a cold viper, quietly crept into his heart. An elderly and frail, seemingly defenseless national treasure of gourmet... perhaps... if he caught her off guard... However, just as his killing intent surged and he was about to launch a sneak attack—

“Put those... away!!!”

Setsuno didn't even turn around, issuing only a low, slightly impatient reprimand, like an elder scolding a disobedient child.

What leaked out with this reprimand was not an earth-shattering energy shock, but a terrifying aura—vast as an abyss, towering as a mountain, seemingly carrying the weighty history of the entire Gourmet Era!

This aura was invisible and intangible, yet it instantly crushed Alpha Luo like a physical tsunami!

Poof! Poof! Poof!... The eight brand-new plates that Alpha Luo had just regenerated beneath his cloak shattered and exploded under the pressure of this utterly pure “aura,” before they even had a chance to show their sharpness!

“Granny Setsuno,” Lin Luo stopped and pointed at the gourmet box radiating a seven-colored halo that Alpha Luo was fiercely protecting with one arm. “The 'century soup,' is still in his hands.”

Hearing this, Alpha Luo's heart tightened, and his muscles instantly tensed.

If Setsuno, the national treasure of gourmet, truly intended to seize it, he had no doubt that he absolutely could not protect this hard-won treasure.

His gaze was fixed intently on Setsuno, filled with vigilance and a trace of undetectable tension.

However, Granny Setsuno merely waved her hand casually, her tone as peaceful as if discussing tonight's menu: “Since it's an ingredient they captured, we cannot seize it. That is the rule.”

She seemed intent on stopping there and leaving with Lin Luo.

But Lin Luo clearly had no intention of giving up. He paused his steps, slowly turned back, and fixed his gaze once again on the gourmet box.

“Sigh...” Seeing this, Granny Setsuno shook her head helplessly, her tone containing a hint of indulgence and reproach. “You little rascal, you truly are greedy.”

Alpha Luo's face was grim, and he coldly snorted: “This is an ingredient our Gourmet Association captured through immense hardship! Granny Setsuno, are you going to break the rules and seize it for this kid?”

Setsuno merely squinted, the gentle smile still on her face. She neither admitted nor denied anything, acting as if she hadn't heard Alpha Luo's challenge.

The atmosphere instantly became deadlocked. On one side was Lin Luo, determined to win; on the other was Alpha Luo, refusing to yield, relying on the prestige of the Gourmet Association and “the rules.” Setsuno stood in the middle like a stabilizing pillar, her attitude ambiguous.

Alpha Luo's gaze grew colder, his eight arms poised beneath his cloak. Although he knew he was no match for Setsuno, he was absolutely unwilling to hand over the century soup easily. In the midst of this tense standoff—

“How about this,” Granny Setsuno suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, her tone understated, as if discussing a trivial matter. “Alpha Luo, why don't you... just give this little rascal a share.”

Give... a share?