Chapter 322: Project Selection
The sound of Zhang Yu devouring his meal echoed throughout the restaurant.
Accompanying the rumbling of his stomach, thunderous roars erupted from within Zhang Yu’s abdomen, shaking the air around him.
He grabbed his rice bowl, tilted his head back, and sucked down the entire contents in a single gulp. The visible bulge in his throat and chest swelled as the rice surged downward into his stomach.
Then, Zhang Yu opened his mouth and exhaled, unleashing a torrent of martial dao Gang Qi. Like a misty cloud, it swept up most of the Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder from the platter and hurled them into his mouth.
Amidst resounding bangs, Zhang Yu’s steel-like teeth clamped down, pulverizing the flesh of the Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder into a burst of intense savory flavor, punctuated by bursts of exotic oil that danced across his tongue. Even Zhang Yu’s eyebrows couldn’t help but twitch in delight.
With each bite of rice and morsel of meat, Zhang Yu felt the food transforming into streams of vital essence, surging through his body and being ravenously absorbed by his muscles, organs, bones, and every fiber of his being.
Gongshu Jin, observing from the side, thought to himself, “This guy… his digestive system is insane!”
“But ordering three more bowls of Heavenly Essence Rice and three more plates of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder… that’s way too much! Isn’t he afraid of his stomach bursting?”
Meanwhile, the other diners in the restaurant cast amused glances at Zhang Yu, who was devouring meat and rice with gusto.
Through their Bionic Eyes, private chats buzzed among them.
“Heh, another three bowls of rice and three plates of meat? Adding to what he already had, that’s five bowls of Heavenly Essence Rice and three plates of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder… Isn’t this overdoing it? I wonder how he’ll manage to finish it.”
“Could he be temporarily stuffing himself, planning to throw it all up later?”
“Heavenly Essence Rice is condensed food essence, highly concentrated. If it’s not digested quickly after consumption, it will clump together in the stomach. At that point, the only way to remove it would be through surgery.”
At the same moment, Ye Xingli turned to Mo Shangjin beside her and asked, “Your Junior Brother is quite amusing, isn’t he? How much do you think he can eat?”
Mo Shangjin felt helpless. He knew next to nothing about Zhang Yu, having only brought the newcomer along to meet people from their faction.
He had no idea Zhang Yu would make such a “grand entrance,” boasting about his appetite and showcasing his eating prowess.
Being from the same faction, Mo Shangjin didn’t want to embarrass Zhang Yu. He casually remarked, “My Junior Brother Zhang Yu has a unique constitution, but this is the first time I’ve seen him eat so much.”
The group then watched as Zhang Yu devoured the food and meat like a whirlwind.
When Zhang Yu had finished three bowls of rice and a plate of meat, the surrounding students began to murmur in surprise.
By the time he had consumed four bowls of rice and two plates of meat, even Mo Shangjin, Ye Xingli, and Cang Lanyu couldn’t hide their astonishment. Students around them started recording the scene with their Bionics.
By the time Zhang Yu had consumed a full five bowls of rice and three plates of meat, he felt as if his body had transformed into a super-high-pressure cooker. Intense streams of nutritional essence surged through his veins.
His flesh and blood, like fields flooded by a deluge, seemed unable to absorb the torrent of potent energy.
Zhang Yu sensed that this single meal had replenished his body more completely than a month’s worth of previous efforts. Not only had his deficiencies been fully restored, but a substantial surplus of energy now flowed through his body, ready to be gradually absorbed in the days ahead.
Patting his stomach, Zhang Yu sighed contentedly, “Ah, that hit the spot! It’s been ages since I ate my fill like that.”
Simultaneously, a slight sense of bewilderment arose in his heart. “This Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder, though delicious, doesn’t seem to have any particularly special properties. Could it be some kind of imitation?”
Fu Ji replied, “The Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder served at buffets are definitely farmed. They’re likely fast-grown dragon and phoenix meat, lacking both wisdom and cultivation. Eating them is just a potent boost to vital energy and blood — what special properties would you expect?”
Meanwhile, Gongshu Jin, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed at Zhang Yu’s empty plate. The shock in his heart surpassed even his amazement at Zhang Yu’s performance in the Gravity Simulation Chamber.
“I could barely manage one bowl of either the Heavenly Essence Rice or the Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder.”
“Zhang Yu actually has such an enormous appetite?!”
“Could he be eating massive amounts every day? Or has he cultivated a digestive-enhancing cultivation art? Or is it simply his natural constitution?”
“Truly worthy of being my friend.”
Gongshu Jin knew that while postnatal training played a significant role in improving digestion, innate factors also had a profound impact. Some people were simply born with a greater appetite.
In that instant, Gongshu Jin realized he still knew far too little about Zhang Yu.
Across the table, Ye Xingli gazed at Zhang Yu with admiration. “Your appetite is truly worthy of a wealthy person,” she remarked.
“To have such a voracious appetite as a freshman, your future rankings will undoubtedly be exceptional, and you’re destined to become wealthy one day.”
“Old Mo, the Civil Engineering Department has truly produced a Heavenly Chosen.”
Mo Shangjin smiled faintly beside her. “If it weren’t for the opportunity Xingli provided, I wouldn’t have realized Junior Zhang had such a prodigious appetite.”
Zhang Yu patted his stomach. “Senior Mo is right. I rarely get to eat this much normally. I owe it all to Senior Sister Ye. I just hope Senior Sister Ye continues to successfully refine Treasures every month.”
Ye Xingli chuckled. “It’s just a little food. Add me as a friend, and I’ll invite you to my next banquet.”
Then she sighed, “But refining Treasures isn’t easy. The next one might not be for another year or two.”
Zhang Yu inwardly marveled. “Sure enough, even the casual scraps from these wealthy people’s tables are enough to fill a poor man like me to bursting.”
Over the next few hours, the banquet was a resounding success. Guests toasted one another, and Zhang Yu found himself the center of attention for many students. In addition to Mo Shangjin, Ye Xingli, and Cang Lanyu, he made numerous new friends and was invited into several group chats.
Inside a 100-square-meter suite on the 450th floor, Ji Yuanshu’s gaze flickered as a Qi Luck monitoring notification popped up in his Bionic Eye.
Just moments ago, the Qi Luck had shifted, and Zhang Yu’s chances of victory had inexplicably increased by a fraction.
Ji Yuanshu investigated the source of this minute change in Qi Luck and discovered a student-uploaded video of Zhang Yu eating.
The video had no plot, no description, and showed only Zhang Yu continuously eating meat. Its view count was extremely low.
Ji Yuanshu realized that without the Qi Luck monitoring notification, he likely would never have noticed it.
“An astonishing appetite?”
“But ultimately, it’s just a marginal increase in opportunity.”
On the way home, Zhang Yu felt his entire body brimming with energy. He was convinced he could work three months straight without rest, even if he took medication and pulled overtime every day.
“Time to go cultivate at the construction site.”
As Zhang Yu scrolled through the available projects, he found himself hesitating.
“Joyful Union University’s amusement park is definitely appealing, but the project doesn’t start for a while yet.”
“And while the amusement park is tempting, it’s too far. I’d miss Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan’s breakthroughs.”
“Joyful Union University’s amusement park is still a good option, but I’m worried about the high cost of living there…”
Fu Ji couldn’t help but interject, “You little brat… after all this thinking, you still only want to go to an amusement park? Don’t you ever wonder why those places are classified as high-risk projects? Do you really think you’re ready for that?”
Zhang Yu muttered inwardly, “Ah, too bad I don’t have the Joyful Union Sacred Body.”
After weighing his options, Zhang Yu decided to consult his Elder Sister.
A moment later, Zhang Pianpian replied: “Go to the tenth underground level and cultivate in the tomb.”
Zhang Pianpian explained, “The cemetery is located at a Spirit Vein node, containing an immense amount of spiritual energy. The concentration is so dense it’s almost tangible, making it ideal for you to practice breathing techniques to enhance your Magic Power Quality, nourish your physical body, and strengthen your foundational essence.”
When Zhang Yu first saw the cemetery project, he found it quite odd.
“Myriad Laws University City is prime real estate. How is there space for a cemetery?”
In response to Zhang Yu’s question, Zhang Pianpian explained, “The cemetery is for the poor. After all, only the poor lose ownership of their physical bodies upon death.”
Zhang Pianpian: “These bodies are sent to the cemetery to be used as corpse components for breathing techniques.”
Zhang Pianpian: “Massive quantities of low-quality Magic Power are consumed within University City every moment. A significant portion of this Magic Power is produced by the clusters of corpse components in the cemetery, which continuously refine spiritual energy.”
Hearing this, a flicker of understanding flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind. No wonder the price of low-quality Magic Power on the Mana Treasure Platform was so ridiculously low.
So, beneath University City, countless corpse components were constantly breathing in spiritual energy and generating Magic Power under controlled conditions.
Zhang Yu then asked, “If the poor die and their bodies are sent to the cemetery as corpse components, what happens to the bodies of the wealthy when they die?”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “The wealthy experience two deaths.”
Zhang Pianpian: “The first death is the death of the physical body, but as long as one has money, the soul can be transferred to the Spirit Realm, and the physical body remains their property, never losing ownership, so it isn’t sent to a cemetery.”
Zhang Pianpian: “The second death is the death from exhausting one’s wealth.”
Zhang Pianpian: “The longer a soul exists in the Spirit Realm, the higher the maintenance costs become. Once the money runs out, they truly die.”
Zhang Yu: “So the cemeteries only contain…”
But Zhang Yu immediately realized: by the time a rich person’s corpse is sent to a cemetery, they’ve already become poor.
“So the cemeteries only contain the corpses of the poor…”
Zhang Yu shook his head ruefully. After reviewing the cemetery project details one last time, he felt it was indeed a perfect fit for him.
Especially since he needed to cultivate the Gale Qi External Circulation Breathing Method to complete the Qi Meridian Everflow set.
“This way, I can also stay in University City and continue nurturing the Dao Seeds in Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan.”
“Hmm, the project officially starts in two weeks, which works out perfectly.”
Looking at the project requirements, he noticed that the top ten students from the Foundation Establishment Class were eligible to apply.
Zhang Yu decided to invite Yu Xinghan to join him.
Sensing the profound reserves within him — the dense essence, vital energy, and spiritual power — Zhang Yu resumed his cultivation using life-draining elixirs for the next two weeks.
This time, however, he was paying for the elixirs with his own Spirit Coins.
As he swallowed Primordial Fissure Bloodburst Pills, Life-Corroding Heaven-Seizing Powder, Hundred Tribulations Heart-Devouring Gu, and Life-Draining Heavenly Secret Powder, the familiar sensation surged through him once more.
“Damn! This is what true cultivation feels like!”
Coupled with his daily expenses and various services, his Spirit Coins dwindled rapidly, soon dropping below 7.
One day, with the completion of the 666th floor, Zhang Yu arrived at the new construction site on the 667th floor of University City.
He sat cross-legged, strands of white Gang Qi flickering around his body, expanding and contracting with his breath.
As he practiced his breathing technique, streams of Formless Cloud Gang were released, spanning several meters, carrying spiraling currents of energy to install the steel reinforcement mesh before him.
Zhang Yu mused, “The efficiency is a bit slow, but using Gang Qi for this allows me to focus more intently on my breathing technique.”
“After all, the foundation of my cultivation from now on will primarily be the breathing technique.”
Days passed. As Zhang Yu advanced the Gale Qi External Circulation Breathing Method to Level 20, the day for the cemetery construction to begin finally arrived.