Chapter 321: Zhang Yu’s Appetite
Over the past month, Zhang Yu’s cultivation progress had slowed due to his depleted physical reserves. He had devoted more resources to strengthening his foundation and nourishing his physical constitution.
Now, a month later, though his progress had been much slower, he had still reached Dao Heart level 13 (98.5%), Magic Power 573.4, Physical Strength 14.65, and Magic Power Quality 159%.
Having mastered the Azure Vortex Qi Technique, Primordial Chaos Fetal Breath Sutra, and Heavenly Fortune Longevity Art, Zhang Yu had also completed the fourth breathing technique required for Qi Meridian Everflow.
At this very moment, he was sitting cross-legged in his dormitory room, practicing the fifth breathing technique required for Qi Meridian Everflow.
A milky-white Gang Qi surged from his mouth, swirling around his body in layers like ethereal mist, forming a grand external circulation.
This cultivation art, known as the Gale Qi External Circulation Breathing Method, utilized the external circulation of martial dao Gang Qi to assist in the absorption of spiritual energy.
Through this method, he refined his control over martial dao Gang Qi while simultaneously practicing his breathing technique.
Zhang Yu had chosen this breathing technique because he believed that after reaching Level 15 physical strength, the efficient transmission of physical power through Gang Qi would become crucial for enhancing his combat efficiency. Mastering Gang Qi control early on was therefore essential.
Zhang Yu mentally calculated, “In another month, I should be able to fully replenish my body’s deficiencies, and my physical strength should break through to Level 15.”
Just as Zhang Yu was diligently cultivating, a message popped up in his Bionic Eye: an invitation from Gongshu Jin.
Gongshu Jin: “A senior from the Artifact Refinement Department has forged a new magical artifact and is hosting a Treasure Appraisal Banquet. Senior Mo Shangjin invited us to come and see it.”
Ever since his meeting with Director Gao, Zhang Yu had noticed he seemed to have been categorized into the faction led by Director Gao and Tu Lishan.
Mo Shangjin, who had already mastered the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, was also part of this faction.
Even Gongshu Jin, ranked one position below Zhang Yu in their class, had joined this faction before him.
In recent weeks, the two had occasionally greeted Zhang Yu and shared snippets of internal Civil Engineering Department affairs with him.
Seeing Gongshu Jin’s invitation now, Zhang Yu’s interest was piqued. “A Treasure Appraisal Banquet?”
He asked: “Is there food?”
Gongshu Jin: “It’s a banquet hosted by a senior from the Artifact Refinement Department. Of course there’s food — it’s a buffet.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat, followed by a surge of joy.
In Myriad Laws University City, food was a luxury. The poor subsisted on daily medication, while only the wealthy had the privilege of dining. Naturally, the richer one was, the more they could eat.
A buffet, therefore, was a treat reserved for the wealthiest of the wealthy.
Upon hearing this news, Yu Xinghan exclaimed, “A buffet?! A freaking buffet?! And they’re treating everyone?!”
“This is… blatant flaunting of wealth!”
Zhang Yu nodded in agreement, swallowing hard as he thought, “Those Artifact Refinement Department folks are loaded. I hope they keep refining magical artifacts successfully every day so they can keep throwing these feasts.”
Yu Xinghan turned to Zhang Yu. “Brother, can you bring me along?”
Zhang Yu shook his head regretfully. “If I could bring extra people, I’d invite our whole dorm. But even I’m just being brought as a guest.”
Hearing this, Yu Xinghan sighed inwardly. “Li Xiao was right. Even a tiny crumb from those rich bastards upstairs would be enough for us to feast like kings.”
“But sucking up won’t get you into their circle.”
“You have to force your way in with your own skills, like Zhang Yu.”
Under Yu Xinghan’s envious gaze, Zhang Yu continued his diligent cultivation, finally awaiting the Treasure Appraisal Banquet the following day.
Myriad Laws University City, 568th floor.
Zhang Yu followed Gongshu Jin into a restaurant.
This was Zhang Yu’s first time in a Myriad Laws University City restaurant. Stepping inside, he found the space about the size of a classroom, but the decor was exquisite, and the air was thick with mouthwatering aromas that made his mouth water uncontrollably.
Over a dozen people had already gathered in the restaurant. At the center of the group stood three figures, their rankings glowing brightly above their heads like radiant crowns.
One of them was Mo Shangjin from the Civil Engineering Department, whom Zhang Yu had met previously.
Another was a woman whose skin shimmered like the starry sky, her white hair gleaming like precious gems. Brand names and model numbers of various Bionics floated around her, enough to intimidate most university students into backing away in fear, lest they accidentally bump into her and be forced to pay compensation that would bankrupt them.
Zhang Yu glanced at the “Artifact Refinement Department, 15th Rank” above her head and recognized her as Ye Xingli from the Artifact Refinement Department, the organizer of this buffet.
Beside him, Gongshu Jin watched Ye Xingli, his heart pounding rapidly.
“Every piece of her top-tier Bionics is custom-made, limited edition… Compared to hers, the stuff I’m wearing is practically junk.”
“She’s too beautiful… This woman is absolutely stunning. If I could just dual cultivate with her once, I wonder how much I could earn.”
Gongshu Jin, an academic overachiever from childhood who had focused solely on cultivation throughout his life, had never been interested in dual cultivation. After all, he wasn’t one of those students aiming for Joyful Union University.
But seeing Ye Xingli’s immense wealth, he couldn’t help but want to be cultivated by her himself.
Her wealth radiated from within, a fatal attraction that held his gaze captive.
Zhang Yu turned his attention to the final man in the group: Cang Lanyu, ranked 9th in the Talisman Department.
As Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over him, he noticed a dazzling radiance shimmering from every inch of Cang Lanyu’s being — his clothes, face, hands, and even each strand of hair.
This radiance originated from projections deep within the Spirit Realm, converging and intertwining within Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye before transforming into rows of cryptic patterns and script.
Heavenly Eye Bionic: See your world with perfect clarity!
The preferred Bionic of Kunxu Second Layer natives — not wearing one marks you as an outsider.
Watch live streams on the Great Void Illusionary Realm: Experience the fusion of spirit and flesh…
Seeing the endless advertisements plastered across Cang Lanyu’s body, Zhang Yu quickly averted his gaze, cursing inwardly, “Damn it! Did those few glances just make him more money?”
Beside him, Gongshu Jin looked at Cang Lanyu with envy. The man possessed an Advertising Talisman bestowed by a Righteous God, constantly connecting him to the depths of the Spirit Realm. Under the Spirit Realm’s influence, his entire body would refresh with various advertisements at any time, anywhere. The longer someone stared at him, the more personalized and irresistibly alluring the advertisements became.
“Every glance at him earns him money, every gaze makes him stronger!” Gongshu Jin thought to himself. “He’s the kind of man you wouldn’t dare look straight in the eye if he were your opponent.”
As Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin observed the group, the dozen or so men and women in the arena also noticed them.
Ye Xingli, her skin shimmering with what seemed like starlight flowing beneath it, smiled faintly. “You two are late. As punishment, each of you must eat a bowl of rice.”
The moment the bowls of rice were placed before them, Zhang Yu was struck by the rich aroma. Just the scent made his mouth water, and he felt a surge of renewed energy coursing through him.
Gongshu Jin, standing nearby, observed the scene and thought to himself, “A punishment meal?”
He knew the rice before them was no ordinary grain.
“Each grain of this Heavenly Essence Rice is a condensed sphere of highly concentrated nutritional essence,” Gongshu Jin thought. “Just a single grain can sustain a Qi Refining Cultivator for three days and nights.”
“Overconsumption could easily lead to indigestion, excessive vital energy in the stomach and intestines, dizziness, and blurred vision…”
He recalled that Foundation Establishment cultivators with small appetites would experience stars dancing before their eyes and feel top-heavy and light-footed after eating just half a bowl of Heavenly Essence Rice due to the immense digestive burden. This was known as “rice sickness.”
Gongshu Jin suspected that many in the dining hall were secretly hoping to witness the spectacle of the students succumbing to rice sickness and embarrassing themselves.
After all, most students on the Second Layer couldn’t afford the rice, nor did they bother to train their digestive capacity. Their meager appetites made them highly susceptible to rice sickness.
In short, Gongshu Jin understood that in this world, where wealth dictated one’s dining habits, a large appetite earned respect, while a small one invited contempt. Rituals like “honoring meals” and “punishment meals” were merely standard practice.
Just as Gongshu Jin was focusing his energy, preparing to devour his meal, Zhang Yu suddenly reached out and snatched the bowl, opening his mouth to swallow it whole.
“Hey, don’t!” Gongshu Jin lunged to stop him, thinking, “This guy Zhang Yu! Doesn’t he even know what Heavenly Essence Rice is?”
Zhang Yu swallowed half the bowl in one gulp, the fragrant rice exploding on his tongue, each soft, sweet, and glutinous grain flowing across his tongue, unleashing boundless flavors.
But soon, he noticed the rice was unusually resilient. Despite chewing it over a dozen times, he struggled to break it down.
At the same moment, a senior student chuckled, “Take it easy. Heavenly Essence Rice is hard to digest. You’re supposed to eat it in small bites, not gulp down half the bowl at once.”
The other students joined in the teasing, already picturing Zhang Yu’s inevitable dizzy spell.
But in the next instant, Zhang Yu swallowed the remaining rice whole, without chewing at all, then polished off the rest of the bowl in another gulp.
Fueled by the peak Foundation Establishment digestion power granted by his University Sacred Body, Zhang Yu’s digestive capabilities were already terrifyingly potent.
During his previous expedition to the wilderness construction site, Zhang Yu had successively integrated the Corrosion Abyss Gel Membrane and Spirit Law Secret Steel No. 15 into his stomach, essentially armoring his stomach and intestines. This transformed his digestion from unarmed combat to mechanized warfare, allowing him to fully exert his digestive power and even break down Secret Steel No. 20.
Now, with a slight peristaltic movement, his stomach functioned like a terrifying millstone, pulverizing the Heavenly Essence Rice he had swallowed and releasing its concentrated nutritional essence.
In an instant, Zhang Yu felt streams of heat surge from his abdomen, spreading through his limbs and bones. His body, parched like land after a prolonged drought, frantically absorbed the incoming warmth like parched earth soaking up life-giving rain.
After devouring just one large bowl of rice, Zhang Yu felt as if he had soaked in a medicinal bath. His physical foundation strengthened visibly, and an indescribable sense of comfort washed over him.
“Delicious! Delicious! Absolutely delicious!”
“Aren’t you eating?” Zhang Yu glanced at Gongshu Jin, who was staring blankly beside him, and snatched the other’s bowl. “Then I’ll eat it for you.”
Watching Zhang Yu devour two bowls of Heavenly Essence Rice without even a hint of satiety, Ye Xingli’s eyes flickered with intrigue. “What a hearty appetite!”
“Someone, refill this gentleman’s bowl!”
Zhang Yu glanced at the newly filled bowl placed before him and burst into laughter. “Rice without meat? How utterly unappetizing!”
“That’s easily remedied!” Ye Xingli declared loudly. “Bring him another plate of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder!”
Turning to Zhang Yu, she asked, “Can you handle it?”
Zhang Yu roared confidently, “Three more bowls of rice and three more plates of Dragon Liver and phoenix Gallbladder!”