Chapter 4: Mutation

Upon awakening once more, Jiang Shou was roused by a terrifying sense of hunger. As he opened his eyes, he realized he was slumped in the corner of the courtyard. Jiang Shou immediately sprang to his feet, feeling extremely hungry; he was on the verge of going mad from hunger

He has not yet attained martial arts cultivation, and usually can jump no higher than a little over 1 meter. Bumping his head against the blue bricks would only result in him injuring himself and bleeding.

The person living next door to Jiang Shou is also a newly initiated servant, just beginning their cultivation. Jiang Shou has seen them a few times when coming and going, and they have often teased and mocked him.

"Junior Brother Jiang? You are quite patient, managing to seclude yourself for over twenty days at once? Oh, it seems this seclusion has indeed been effective; you've reached the peak of the first level?"

Is this an illusion

Originally, the wooden barrels were filled with cured meat, weighing at least forty to fifty pounds. In just a few hundred breaths, Jiang Shou managed to consume it all completely. Even more terrifying was the fact that despite having eaten dozens of pounds of cured meat in one go, the horrifying feeling of hunger within him remained; he was still just as hungry, as if consuming dozens of pounds of meat had not satisfied him in the slightest

It was a shivering itch, yet Jiang Shou could not help but crunch down a piece of the spirit stone, as the tantalizing aroma of the stone near his mouth instinctively compelled him to eat it all.

As of now, he has also confirmed that during his last fainting spell, he was unconscious for 23 days, and his cultivation level has mysteriously surged to the peak of the first stage. Could it be due to the fact that not long ago, he consumed ten spirit stones in one go?

Increasingly feeling strange, Jiang Shoucai could not help but reach out to touch it. As soon as his finger made contact with the black object, it suddenly came to life, rushing into Jiang Shou's finger like flowing water in the blink of an eye. Jiang Shou was immediately alarmed and attempted to shake his hand away, but just as he swung his arm, his vision went dark, and with a thud, he collapsed.

Not bad, although your aptitude is rather dull, and you haven't sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for the past eight or nine days. However, over the course of the past month or so, you have finally reached the peak of the first level in your cultivation. It may be a bit slow, but it is not enough to drive one to despair, haha." The honest youth laughed again, mockingly patted Jiang Shou's shoulder, and then turned to leave.

Then, Jiang Shou was starving mad

In a flash, he dashed towards the stone house, and Jiang Shou did not even notice that he had leaped over ten meters in a single bound, entering the house in just two strides

As if biting into an ice cube, the moment the spiritual stone was consumed, a fragrant aroma filled the air. Even as it entered the mouth, the spiritual stone transformed into streams of wondrous energy that swiftly enveloped Jiang Shou's entire body

In a moment of shock, Jiang Shoucai grabbed a piece of spirit stone and brought it to the corner of his mouth. After hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth to bite down, crunch!

After a moment of surprise, Jiang Shoucai abruptly turned his head to look at the side bedroom, where ten spirit stones were placed on the bedside table, along with several scrolls of cultivation texts

What are "and * picture * books"?

Jiang Shou quickly walked towards the door again, heading to the cafeteria. He needed to find more food, but just as he stepped out of his own courtyard, he encountered a figure emerging from the neighboring courtyard. The other party's words left him even more bewildered.

Ghazghaz

However, a normal martial artist operates their techniques to absorb spirit stones, and after absorbing them into their body, they refine their physical form, which is then transformed into vital energy for cultivation. Most people in the Servant Valley require at least ten days to consume ten spirit stones, yet he finished them all in just a few dozen breaths, gaining a full measure of cultivation in the process

On the stone table in the open stone house's living room, there was a wooden barrel filled with a pile of cured bacon. This was the food he had just collected from the cafeteria for the past seven or eight days before he fainted. After all, new recruits in the miscellaneous roles have a two-month training period, and only with a foundation in cultivation can they be assigned various miscellaneous tasks. During the first two months, it was quite normal for those in miscellaneous roles to collect multiple portions of food and remain indoors for cultivation.

But after leaping up, Jiang Shoucai was greatly astonished, for just a moment ago he had effortlessly jumped to a height of four to five meters, soaring well above the courtyard wall.

The bricks fell like fragments, and Jiang Shou was bewildered

Even in the words of this seemingly honest youth, there is not a lack of sarcasm, yet the other party's words left Jiang Shou quite astonished: had he really been in seclusion for over twenty days? At the peak of the first level of spiritual communication?

Jiang Shouze was momentarily taken aback in the area, but quickly rushed towards the cafeteria with the * map * book, as it was better to collect some food to eat regardless of the circumstances

In fact, if he had not approached closely, he would not have discovered this object. After all, the ground near the corner is already a mix of black and gray, quite dirty; from a distance, he would only assume it to be the color of the ground. However, upon closer inspection, the object is actually floating above the ground.

Crouching in the corner, Jiang Shou carefully examined the patch of blackness, finding it increasingly strange. It was still the scorching noon, with the sun shining brightly, yet this pitch-black void hung eerily, lacking any semblance of thickness. This was entirely beyond his imagination

Not only that, after consuming dozens of pounds of cured meat, he faintly felt that his physical strength had increased somewhat.

With a thud, he fell to the ground, losing his balance. Jiang Shou's head struck heavily against the wall, resulting in a significant chunk of the blue stone bricks that made up the courtyard wall being shattered by his forehead.

He found that after consuming so many spirit stones, the hunger within him not only did not diminish, but instead grew countless times larger, with a sense of hunger that was even more terrifying and unbearable than before, pushing him to the brink of collapse

... ...

What a joke

He could clearly feel the air currents drilling into his flesh and blood, which was a completely different sensation from eating cured meat before. Eating cured meat would bring a sense of comfort throughout his body, but now, as he swallowed, the air currents surged and rushed chaotically within him, causing his entire body to itch.

A breath of air stirred the weeds, yet Jiang Shou discovered that as the grass swayed, he could easily pass through the blackness, completely unimpeded. This entity not only appeared to lack thickness, but also resembled pure nothingness, allowing the wild grass to sway back and forth within it.

I am so hungry

Isn't it noon now? Could it be that I haven't just fainted for a moment, but rather for more than twenty days?

More than 100 jin of cured bacon, this is the food for a normal martial artist for about ten days. He finished it all in one go, yet it still barely filled him, leaving him hungry with his stomach pressed against his back. Even though he felt his strength subtly increasing during the process, when will this damned feeling of hunger ever be alleviated?

Although touching his head is painful, it is merely a pain without any other abnormalities. Yet, he actually smashed a piece of stone with his head? Just a moment ago, he jumped four to five meters high?

Compared to such a person, he indeed feels a sense of superiority within himself

Food, must find food

Moreover, he has not yet sensed the elemental spiritual energy of the world, nor is he able to cultivate through his techniques, so how could he have reached the peak of the first level of spiritual communication?

What is going on?

He was extremely hungry, and he couldn't help but glance towards the location of the spirit stone, for at that moment he distinctly caught a whiff of an intoxicating fragrance. The problem was that the spirit stone was the purest and most concentrated crystallization of spiritual energy. Usually, just having it nearby and taking a sniff would invigorate his spirit and bring him a sense of tranquility. However, now, as he inhaled, he found the aroma overwhelming, making his stomach rumble incessantly.

Seeing the pieces of cured meat piled up in the wooden barrel, Jiang Shou did not hesitate to grab a piece and started eating it.

He has tested the hardness of this wooden table; usually, a punch would only leave his hand in great pain. But now, he accidentally exerted force and instantly crushed the corner of the table

After consuming a piece of spiritual stone, a torrent of wondrous energy surged towards his entire body, penetrating into his flesh and blood. Jiang Shou then seized a second piece and began to eat. Remarkably, all ten pieces of spiritual stone were devoured within just a few breaths.

After a period of time, at the No. 697 auxiliary courtyard of Zayugu, Jiang Shou, having consumed over a hundred pounds of cured meat in one go, could only shake his head in despair and smile wryly once again.

For a moment, Jiang Shoucai was taken aback, then he suddenly stood up. The unprecedented hunger within him made it impossible for him to think calmly; he only knew that he had to find something to eat as soon as possible

Moments later, suppressing the terrifying hunger, Jiang Shou picked up a stone the size of his palm and crushed it with a squeeze, turning it directly into dust. With just a slight exertion of strength, he reduced a stone that would have been impossible to break before into tiny fragments. This strength was simply astonishing

Where did I get such great strength from

With a loud thud, Zhong Jiangshou stepped forward to the table, but due to the force of his movement, he involuntarily reached out to press against the tabletop. With a crack, the corner of the sturdy wooden table was effortlessly crushed by him into splinters.