Food: Randomly set up stalls, even the little guy is drooling.

Lu Feng was bewildered and somewhat surprised. Who was this person, suddenly sending him an invitation out of the blue?

Xie Zong said, "Your skills and the taste should be enjoyed by more people in a bigger place."

The guy waiting to buy steamed buns couldn't help but chime in, "Hey bro, when the boss asks who you are, he means, what's your name, and why are you suddenly getting an invitation?"

Xie Zong then realized, showing off the invitation in his hand, "Isn't it written here?"

"The National Pastry Competition?" the guy said. "Another new scam? Pretty creative, one of those pay-to-win competitions?"

Lu Feng shook his head and said sincerely, "Sorry, I really haven't heard of it."

He has system tasks to complete, so he doesn't have time to participate in any competitions.

Xie Zong's solemn expression began to falter. He had assumed that the person in front of him had a proper master, but he hadn't even heard of the National Pastry Competition, which represents the highest honor in the pastry industry.

Fortunately, Chen Haoran came to the rescue.

"Boss Lu, this is Chef Xie Zong from Bi Ran Ju, the best steamed bun shop in Xingcheng." Seeing Lu Feng's still bewildered expression, Chen Haoran realized that this person was an outsider at all.

Both he and Xie Zong thought he must have heard of the saying "Goubuli in the north, Biranju in the south." Biranju, as a representative of southern pastries, is a well-known brand in the industry.

"Biranju, oh, you mean the one on Zhongshan Road? The ridiculously expensive one, but their hibiscus buns are really good." The diner finally understood. "But you two, please make way, it's my turn to buy buns."

The two quickly stepped aside, and Lu Feng handed over the prepared buns, then continued to greet the next person.

Lu Feng roughly understood now that the person in front of him was referring to Biji Ju, which was probably a top-tier pastry shop in this world, just like the Xie Family Pastry Shop in the otherworld of gourmet food.

"Invite me?" Lu Feng glanced at the light screen in front of him.

[Host: Lu Feng (23 years old)]

[Level: Intermediate Apprentice (Experience Points: 2455/3000)]

In the system's eyes, he was still just an intermediate apprentice.

Invited to participate in a national competition by the head chef of a seemingly prestigious restaurant?

Xie Zong nodded. "Xiao Lu, the most prestigious pastry competition in the country is being held this Sunday in Lucheng. It doesn't care about background, only skill. Any pastry chef under 35 can participate. You don't need to participate in the qualifying rounds; I can directly invite you to the finals."

The title of "national competition" sounded intimidating, and just as Lu Feng was about to refuse, Chen Haoran quickly added.

"First prize, 200,000 yuan!" Chen Haoran held up three fingers, emphasizing his words, "After tax! Boss Lu, that's more than you earn selling steamed buns here."

Chen Haoran's expression was precise and clear.

"How much did you say?" Lu Feng's eyes widened.

"Two hundred thousand," Chen Haoran continued, "Second prize is one hundred thousand, third prize is fifty thousand. Anyone who makes it into the top twenty will receive a ten thousand yuan prize and a certificate. Accommodation, meals, and travel expenses will be covered by the organizers."

Two hundred thousand. Lu Feng's mind went blank.

[The host has triggered a keyword, activating the job change quest.]

[Job Change Quest: The Path of a Chef. To become a truly recognized chef, three core conditions must be met.]

1. Practice makes perfect. Reach the maximum experience level for Advanced Apprentice, and ensure all basic skills are at level 2 or higher.

2. Emerging talent. Achieving a top-three finish in any national-level culinary competition.

3. Proof of Originality. A true chef does not simply copy and paste; they must create original recipes that are recognized by the system.

[Current Main Storyline: Emerging Talent. The host must participate in the National Pastry Competition while masked and achieve a top-three finish.]

[Due to a conflict with the job change quest, the weekly quest schedule has been adjusted from six consecutive days to any five days.]

[Side quest triggered.]

[Side Quest: Master's Wish. Your promise to Master Jie Badan has finally been fulfilled! Jie Badan's regret is that he couldn't make his dishes stand out. Please let Badan's Wild Vegetable Steamed Buns shine at the grand gathering of the national pastry industry and receive the recognition they deserve.]

[Task Reward: Unravel the mystery of the "Ba Dan" style "bangbang," which is essentially two rolling pins.]

[Warning: All ingredients for the official competition will be provided by the organizers; bringing your own ingredients is prohibited.]

A series of system notifications overwhelmed Lu Feng.

The pressure of money, the system's tasks, and the master's dying wish—is there even a choice?

I want them all!

"I'll go." Lu Feng paused, then made a request that Xie Zong found utterly absurd, "Master Xie, could I participate masked?"

Xie Zong's expression was strange. In all the years he had been involved in competitions, this was the first time he had ever heard of someone participating while masked.

He nodded in agreement, "If you insist, of course you can."

Lu Feng said with relief, "Then I'm fine."

Xie Zong nodded in satisfaction. "Add a green bubble, and send me the information later. A staff member will contact you to help you book your flight and hotel."

Beside the steamed bun stall, Liang Tao slapped Xiao Chen hard on the shoulder. "How many followers have you gained?"

Xiao Chen quickly checked the data, "At least 3000!"

"The more netizens question the authenticity of this steamed bun's deliciousness, the more they come here, actually take a bite, and slap themselves in the face, which will increase the topic's views. It's a pity there are too many competitors. If only I were the only one making this material." Liang Tao rubbed his hands, looking at the other streamers next to him.

Even the chilly autumn winds couldn't deter his determination to create a blockbuster product.

Liang Tao roared, "We'll edit it live on our phones! We have to be first!"

Xiao Chen had no choice but to order takeout on his phone; he didn't get to eat a single bite of the steamed bun.

We were busy until 11 p.m., and the steamed buns in Lufeng were sold out, which marked the successful completion of Wednesday's task.

[Weekly task, completed on the third day (300/300)]

He returned home, lay down on his bed, and began to carefully read through the system's regulations.

"Participate while masked..." Lu Feng muttered to himself, feeling that there was something seriously wrong with this system.

Recalling Xie Zong's strange look, it was almost unsettling.

The system allows him to participate in the competition, but it also doesn't want him to promote himself excessively, which is a complete contradiction.

However, that's not the point.

The clause "You can't use your own ingredients..." made his heart sink even more.

His greatest strength lies in his proficiency, which allows him to quickly improve his culinary skills.

Another aspect is the ingredients. The system's shop is filled with the world's top-tier ingredients, especially the wild vegetables needed for wild vegetable buns, which are unique to this other world.

The competition ingredients were provided by the organizers, meaning he lost his cheat code. For him, this was tantamount to cutting off his own arm.

A missing arm, a mask—great, great, he could totally cosplay Yang Guo.

"As expected, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and the system won't issue any easy tasks." Lu Feng smiled wryly, feeling the pressure weigh heavily on his shoulders.

The 300,000 yuan prize and system rewards are very tempting, but the prerequisite is that he has to fight his way out of the encirclement with his own abilities.