Chapter 164: Gluttony

Chapter 164: Gluttony

When the High Deity spoke, the competitors learned that the next trial would be a contest of appetite, and a ripple of shock ran through the gathered participants as they began to weigh their own strengths and weaknesses on this particular track.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's eyes lit up at the news, thinking that the upcoming test might allow them to feast for free.

“a buffet, perhaps?” Zhang Yu mused inwardly, “I’ll make sure the registration, travel, and teleportation fees are all eaten back.”

Bai Zhenzhen guessed, “The next exam won’t be an endless all‑you‑can‑eat of pre‑made dishes, will it? That would be sheer bliss.”

Zhang Yu replied, “We’re here for a foundation‑building exam; it can’t be about pre‑cooked meals. At the very least it should be something high‑value and hard to digest, like beast meat, which would truly test us.”

Just as the two were debating what the next round might involve, Yu Xinghan stepped up beside them and said, “We’re in Celestial Capital; even dragon meat would be a perfectly ordinary prize for the next test.”

As he spoke, his eyes filled with longing and his mouth began to water uncontrollably.

The mention of dragon meat made Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen startle, then a flicker of disbelief crossed their faces.

“All‑you‑can‑eat dragon meat?” Zhang Yu asked, “Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”

Yu Xinghan replied, “What does dragon meat even mean in Celestial Capital?”

“Everyone here is a millionaire; ordinary food would never satisfy them.”

He pointed toward Yun Jing and said, “Did you see number 11? He’s the rising star among the high‑schoolers here, and rumor has it his outsourcing training costs run into the tens of millions each month.”

Bai Zhenzhen sighed, “Those filthy rich kids are truly… where do they get all that money?”

Yu Xinghan answered, “He’s on the 1.5‑level… you on the first level can’t possibly understand.”

Bai Zhenzhen pressed, “Then how did you learn about the 1.5‑level news while you’re still on the first?”

Yu Xinghan said, “From my master, of course. He’s been monitoring every scrap of intelligence from Celestial Capital.”

“After all, this place gathers the wealthiest Tier‑1 firms of Kunxu, the most advanced technologies, and the students with the greatest potential in the immortal path. Watching it is like watching the future compass of the cultivation world…”

With that, Yu Xinghan turned to the two and pitched, “Would you like to subscribe to my frontier reports on the immortal world? I also have incisive reviews from the Golden Core Immortal.”

He charges for the tips; it’s a new side business that has been fattening his pockets lately.

Zhang Yu showed interest, but when he thought of his current savings he grimaced, “Maybe later.”

At that moment, barrels upon barrels of food were rolled onto the arena under the eager eyes of Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan.

When the lids were lifted and the synthetic fare inside was revealed, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen wore faces of pure disappointment.

Having survived months on synthetic meals, the thought of having to compete by eating this stuff made their stomachs churn and their faces turn a sickly green.

Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, “Dammit… we paid thirty‑thousand registration fees and this is what we get?”

Yu Xinghan’s expression flashed with embarrassment as he thought, “How much greed have these High Deities accumulated?”

Meanwhile, the chief examiner, Deng Bingding, continued to outline the rules of the trial.

In short, the contest measured who could consume the most, with an unlimited supply of synthetic food.

During the test, no one may employ spiritual roots or magical power; in fact, any aid beyond the flesh is forbidden, though mental cultivation—being a function of the brain—is considered part of the body and thus allowed.

Any cheating methods such as vomiting or hiding food are strictly prohibited; detection results in an immediate revocation of the foundation‑building qualification.

Deng Bingding intoned, “Eating, digesting, metabolizing—these are the roots of bodily strength and a prime manifestation of physical power.”

“A true master possesses robust internal organs, fine‑tuned control over every internal process, and a prodigious capacity to marshal gastrointestinal force.”

“The stronger the body, the greater its digestive power, and the larger its appetite—this is inevitable.”

“This round therefore assesses your physical fortitude and your command over your own flesh.”

“If running, leaping, and bearing weight are the external arts of the body…”

“Then today we test the internal arts of the body.”

“Give it your all, everyone.”

In an instant, as the exam officially commenced, a row of bar graphs flickered onto the front screen, displaying each contestant’s number and allotted portions.

With the countdown “3, 2, 1,” the surged upward in a frenzy.

Amid a roar of crashing sound, a hulking man hoisted a massive barrel and, as if swallowing a whale, gulped the synthetic fare in one reckless gulp.

The torrent of synthetic food surged like a river, its roar drawing the curious gazes of countless onlookers.

The brawler, named Meng Tao, devoured an entire barrel in a heartbeat, then furrowed his brow slightly.

“Goddamn, this is terrible.”

The synthetic morsels were utterly unseasoned; to Meng Tao they tasted like swallowing earth.

Yet his pride in conquering the volume eclipsed any distaste for the flavor.

“Hahaha, I normally rely on my Gluttony Spiritual Root! My entire digestive system is already primed for massive intake.”

“Even without the root, my advantage is unmatched. This gluttony trial could see me in the top three—maybe even the top two!”

As Meng Tao continued his frenzied feast, his eyes flicked toward the distant scoreboard, a spark of delight lighting his gaze.

First place: No. 23

Second place: No. 11

Third place: No. 18

Seeing himself listed third, a flash of joy surged through Meng Tao.

But when he realized the two leaders were steadily widening the gap, that joy turned to astonishment.

He glanced toward Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, eager to see how they were devouring their rations.

What he witnessed left him even more stunned.

Yun Jing’s chest seemed to open like a gaping maw; he poured the food straight into that void, needing no swallowing at all, as if transferring the synthetic feed from one barrel into his own body.

Meng Tao thought, “Has he completely abandoned taste and the act of swallowing? For him, eating is merely refueling.”

On the other side, Ye Lingxiao’s blood surged, his muscles stretched, and his entire form ballooned outward in a single, massive expansion.

Limbs, torso, throat, esophagus, and belly all swelled, transforming him into a miniature titan; he lifted the food barrel as if it were a large cup and poured it casually into his mouth.

Meng Tao reflected, “Ye Lingxiao can stretch his flesh so recklessly…”

“Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao… their bodies are practically monsters. Do they have any weakness at all?”

“Still, it’s enough that I can secure a top‑three finish in this round, which is already a decent result.”

At that moment, chief examiner Deng Bingding spoke calmly, “Some students may wonder why we use synthetic food for this test.”

“Synthetic fare is the easiest to digest, the lightest burden, and adapts to any stomach, making it ideal for an examination.”

“I know some can’t tolerate it, but learning to adapt quickly is itself part of this stage’s assessment.”

Nearby, Huang Zichou listened to Deng’s explanation, but he knew it was merely an excuse; the real motive was budget conservation.

“These high‑schoolers can eat anything. If we served real delicacies, they’d eat the entire budget dry. Synthetic food, on the other hand, is limitless and cheap.”

While Deng spoke, Dai Xingzhi, not far away, wolfed down synthetic food and muttered, “This is truly awful.”

As a resident of the northern Sixth Ring of Upper City in Celestial Capital, Dai Xingzhi had rarely encountered synthetic meals; to him they seemed reserved for the poor laborers who came to the capital from elsewhere.

With each massive gulp, he felt the taste grow ever more repulsive, the swallow growing ever harder.

He thought to himself, “Not only must the stomach and intestines adapt, but the mind must also endure this thing; perhaps only those destitute souls who eat it every day could get used to it…”

“Damn, I’m about to puke…” Zhang Yu’s face darkened as he gulped the massive barrel of synthetic food before him, a wave of bleak bitterness washing over his heart.

“I’ve been eating this for so long, day after day, and it already makes me feel like vomiting; and today they make us compete in eating this stuff?”

“Who the hell said that suffering through bitter hardship makes one superior? I used to consume so much synthetic food… and in the foundation‑building exam it only held me back.”

At last, Zhang Yu could no longer restrain himself and asked, “Examiner! Could we add some seasoning?”

Deng Bingding replied calmly, “No. Overcoming taste is itself a part of cultivation, and it belongs to the very criteria of this assessment.”

Dai Xingzhi glanced at the petitioner, Zhang Yu, and thought inwardly, “Sure enough, a spoiled rich brat.”

He watched Zhang Yu’s expression, on the verge of retching, and mused, “It’s certainly unpalatable, but not to this exaggerated degree. What does he usually eat? Is it because he’s so affluent that he’s become particular about flavor?”

Even within Xiandu, wealthy high‑schoolers, in their relentless chase for scores and rankings, habitually relegated taste to a secondary concern.

To Dai Xingzhi, Zhang Yu’s performance simply revealed a life of comfort, lacking the disciplined resolve that the Xiandu scholars possessed.

The contrast with Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao only sharpened that impression.

“Hmph, even among the rich, those from other regions can’t match the wealth of us Xiandu aristocrats.”

Meanwhile, as scores flickered across the light screens, students voraciously devoured the synthetic fare, racing one another.

Little deity Huang Zichou surveyed a handful of students and declared, “The second stage is about to commence.”

On the arena, Meng Tao, who had been gulping furiously, suddenly began to slow his pace.

He was not alone; several other pupils, who moments before had been feasting with reckless abandon, also started to decelerate.

Huang Zichou commented in the network, “Heh, the so‑called binge‑eating contest isn’t merely a test of who can eat the fastest.”

“As Master Deng just mentioned, it measures overall metabolism and digestion, the mobilization of gut power, and the students’ command over their own bodies.”

(End of chapter)