Volume One: Turmoil in the Small Town Chapter 59: Eating Makes You Stronger

Now, with Du Gu Bai and his disciple gone, and Qian Mu Yun and her disciple also departed, only Zhang Heng remained. Thus, the most important thing at the moment was to find a place to hide.

It was no joke—Burial Dragon Abyss was fraught with danger. Not only were there numerous high-level spirit beasts, but also a host of treasure-seeking cultivators from the Heavenly Origin, Nascent Soul, and even Tribulation Crossing realms. Zhang Heng carried so many treasures on him, making him an obvious target for others. If he didn't find a place to hide, a miserable death would certainly await him.

Choosing a hiding spot was simple: the very cave that harbored the dragon essence would do.

Just thinking of this made Zhang Heng's heart ache.

The nearby forests had all been destroyed by the heavenly tribulation, and not a single intact tree remained. How could there be any spiritual items in such a place?

Therefore, those seeking treasure naturally wouldn't search here.

Zhang Heng possessed the Illusory Void Stone, which could mask his presence.

Thus, it was extremely safe to hide in the cave. He would wait until the chaotic spatial currents returned to Burial Dragon Abyss and the treasure seekers dispersed, each going their own way. The spirit beasts within would also return to their respective territories.

By then, Burial Dragon Abyss would once again belong to Zhang Heng alone.

The Continent of Immortal Cultivation was rich in spiritual energy. People revered strength, and power was paramount. No matter how learned or unique Zhang Heng was, if he could not cultivate, everything else was meaningless.

Zhang Heng sat in the cave for several days.

After some experimentation, he discovered that he wasn't incapable of cultivation—his body was just unusual. Every time he reached a certain point in his practice, he needed an immense amount of spiritual energy to fill himself.

Using a basic body-refining technique to absorb spiritual energy, the amount he could take in was pitifully small. It was nowhere near enough to satisfy his body's needs, so he couldn’t fill himself and thus couldn’t advance in cultivation.

Theoretically, he had already perfected the first stage of body refinement. He only needed to absorb a vast amount of spiritual energy to fill his body, and he would naturally advance to the second stage.

Hey, System, you tell me everything except how to cultivate. Why is that?

This damned system called itself the “Super Thigh-Hugging System.” Was it really only good for teaching him how to curry favor with the powerful, and nothing else? That made no sense.

Didn’t it claim to know everything? Surely it must know why he couldn’t cultivate.

Ding. The main function of this system is to help the host successfully cling to the great figures of this world.

Ding. Previously, with the presence of Du Gu Bai and Qian Mu Yun, the host’s main task was to successfully latch onto those two giants.

Ding. Currently, there is no thigh to hug. Thus, the system will assist the host in cultivation.

So, System, you do have some use after all. You’re not just here to help me butter up the strong.

Ding. Assisting the host in cultivation is to make it easier for the host to find powerful backers.

Zhang Heng chuckled. Who cared what its intentions were, as long as he could cultivate.

So, what must I do to advance my cultivation?

Had he known, he would have asked Du Gu Bai and Qian Mu Yun to fill him up before letting them leave. Now, he had really lost out.

Ding. Hasn’t the host already discovered the answer? You just need to absorb a vast amount of spiritual energy to fill your body, and you will naturally progress.

Zhang Heng said,

I know that, but the problem is, I’m only at the body-refining stage. The amount of spiritual energy I can absorb is limited, and it’s not enough to fill my body. How can I quickly absorb large quantities of spiritual energy?

Ding. Absorbing spiritual energy from the air with a cultivation technique is extremely slow. If there were an abundant source of spiritual energy for the host to absorb directly, a vast amount could be gained in a short time. For example, spiritual lakes, springs, essences, spiritual fruits, herbs, or spirit stones—all contain rich energy that the host can directly absorb.

What kind of setting is this? You can absorb the spiritual energy inside these items directly?

Hearing the system’s answer, Zhang Heng could no longer restrain his excitement. He hurriedly took out a high-grade spiritual fruit from his ring.

He asked, System, how do I absorb the energy from this?

Ding. The host only needs to eat it to absorb its energy.

The system replied.

Zhang Heng was overjoyed. Eating? That was his specialty!

If absorbing spiritual energy was this simple, wouldn’t his cultivation skyrocket in the future?

He only needed to eat spiritual herbs and fruits to advance? He liked this kind of setting.

According to this, others would worry whether their bodies could withstand high-grade spiritual herbs, but Zhang Heng had no need for such concerns.

Very good, very good. A sly smile spread across Zhang Heng’s face.

Without hesitation, he swallowed the spiritual fruit in his hand.

The fruit entered his body, its sour and sweet flavor tinged with a hint of bitterness. Not particularly tasty, but who cared about the taste? As long as it had spiritual energy, that was enough.

Sure enough, the system hadn’t lied. Soon, Zhang Heng could feel a “vast” surge of energy spreading from the fruit throughout his body. Yet in the blink of an eye, all the energy disappeared into his abdomen, without causing any change.

As a complete novice in cultivation, Zhang Heng was once again left confused. Was this considered a success?

Ding. The energy contained in this spiritual fruit was insufficient.

Hearing this, Zhang Heng took out a pile of spiritual fruits and herbs from his ring and stuffed them into his mouth indiscriminately. He had plenty anyway.

But after a while, clutching his swollen belly, Zhang Heng was even more bewildered.

He’d eaten a huge amount of spiritual herbs and fruits. Though they contained a fair bit of energy, it all vanished rapidly into his abdomen. In other words, his body still wasn’t full.

System, why? Why isn’t my body full yet?

Ding, the system replied. These spiritual fruits and herbs are mainly used as ingredients for tools or alchemy. They don’t contain much spiritual energy. The host would need to eat ten times as many for it to be enough.

Zhang Heng grimaced. Why didn’t you say so earlier?

He’d already eaten so much he was about to throw up. How could he possibly eat ten times more?

Ding. The host didn’t ask.

The Super Thigh-Hugging System’s answer was as infuriating as ever.

Sure enough, as long as my life isn’t in danger, you never intervene.

Fine, you win. Zhang Heng tried to please it. System, does this mean I need to look for items brimming with spiritual energy to consume?

Ding. Yes.

All right, all right. After catching his breath,

Zhang Heng emptied the contents of his storage ring. The cave was soon filled with all sorts of strange spiritual items, but none of them contained much energy.

When it came to the most abundant source of spiritual energy, nothing compared to spirit stones.

However, the spirit stones left behind by the powerful cultivators who besieged the Zhang family had all been left at his family home—he hadn’t taken a single one.

If only I’d brought them all. Surely my uncle and the others don’t need that many spirit stones.

Should I return home and fetch them all? Zhang Heng considered it for a moment. Forget it. Better to search for other energy-rich items instead.