As the darkness receded, Feng Qi returned to reality.
He reached out and pressed the switch on the bedside table, and the light illuminated the room.
The two lines of text that had appeared before he left the dream left Feng Qi somewhat baffled.
"Initial energy depleted? What does that mean?"
After pondering in silence for a while, he gave up trying to figure it out and simply ignored it.
Once he got up, he could clearly feel that his physical condition had changed significantly again. At the same time, a powerful hunger surged through him, filling him with an urgent desire to eat.
He opened the refrigerator, took out some ingredients, and headed to the kitchen.
Compared to the canned food in the fridge, Feng Qi still preferred something hot.
The Star City Academy dormitories were fully equipped, giving him plenty of room to show off his cooking skills.
He skillfully cracked two eggs into a bowl, mixed the whites and yolks with a whisk, then washed and diced the tomatoes.
After heating the wok, he added two spoonfuls of oil. Once the oil was hot, he poured in the beaten eggs.
As the oil touched the egg whites, a fragrant aroma drifted past his nose, and Feng Qi's stomach protested.
He endured the hunger, chopped up a handful of scallions and tossed them into the wok. After they were lightly heated, he added the tomatoes and stir-fried them.
The aroma grew richer and richer. Once the juices seeped out, Feng Qi habitually sprinkled in salt and sugar before continuing to stir-fry.
By then, the fried rice had changed color. Every grain was plump and round, coated in a translucent golden sheen.
Before attending Star City No. 1 Middle School, Feng Qi had always lived alone.
His parents were members of the Domain Battle Squad and spent most of the year away. Other than occasionally sending money home, they rarely contacted him, so he had learned to fend for himself from a young age.
Cooking came naturally to him as well.
He was not particularly picky about food, but whenever he cooked something himself, he treated every dish with exceptional care.
Glancing at the rice in the wok, he finally added water and starch. Once the sauce thickened and reduced, a wok of golden Tomato Egg Fried Rice was ready.
Ravenous, he immediately dug in and devoured the entire wok of Tomato Egg Fried Rice in no time.
After licking his lips in satisfaction, he was about to stand when a panel suddenly popped up in his mind.
Energy replenishing. Current energy: 0.2%
The current energy percentage on the panel was slowly ticking upward, increasing by 0.01% each time.
"Eating can replenish energy?"
Feng Qi suspected that the numbers jumping on the panel were related to the fried rice still being digested in his stomach.
What surprised him even more was that he could now see the virtual panel that had only appeared in the dream while in the real world as well.
The difference was that the virtual panel in the dream displayed his physical attributes, while the one in reality showed an energy replenishment progress bar and numbers.
As for what would happen once the progress bar was full, he had no clue.
Unable to find an answer, Feng Qi returned to his bedroom.
For the rest of the time, he decided to keep sleeping and learn another new Cultivation Method in the dream. Tomorrow morning, he would head to the library and continue studying Cultivation Method Research in greater depth.
Since he had decided to put on one hell of a show, he could not neglect the basics. He had already mapped out his upcoming schedule.
After washing up, Feng Qi lay on his bed. His breathing gradually evened out, and his expression became peaceful.
The next morning, Feng Qi slowly woke up.
He rubbed his messy hair, feeling a little dazed.
He had slept comfortably and woke without the slightest fatigue, but the problem was that he had not entered the future world in his dream after falling asleep.
"Have I lost the ability to enter the dream?!"
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the energy replenishment progress bar that had appeared in his mind last night.
"Could it be that I need to fill the energy bar before I can enter the dream again?"
"One meal only replenished 1.2% of the energy. Wouldn't I need to eat a thousand meals to fill it up?!"
"Damn it!"
Day had broken. After getting up and washing up, Feng Qi headed straight for the Academy Restaurant.
The wok of fried rice he had eaten last night had only stopped him from feeling hungry. He was still far from full. After waking from a night's sleep, the intense hunger returned.
The changes in his body made him think of Mu Qing, whose appetite was equally astonishing.
She was a Rune Modifier. Her power came from Domain Creatures, which gave her an incredible appetite and allowed her to draw power from food. The more she ate, the faster her strength grew.
Although he did not have an appetite as monstrous as Mu Qing's, nor could he gain power from food, he felt that he was fundamentally very similar to Mu Qing. He had also obtained abilities from Domain Creatures.
The difference was that he did not need Rune Crystals embedded in his body. The abilities he gained from Domain Creatures were bestowed upon him in the form of Prefix Titles.
Thinking about it this way, Feng Qi suddenly felt that he and Mu Qing were perhaps the same kind after all—both monsters!
On the way to the Academy Restaurant, Feng Qi prepared to feast to his heart's content and replenish the energy progress bar while he was at it.
When he arrived at the Academy Restaurant, many students were already carrying trays between the food counters. The mixed aromas of all kinds of food wafted through the air, and his stomach could not help letting out a "roar."
After scanning the room, his gaze settled on Mu Qing, who was sitting in a corner.
Her table was already piled high with all kinds of food. Compared to the crowded areas elsewhere, the space around her was especially empty. Clearly, no one was willing to approach her.
After taking a tray, Feng Qi began choosing breakfast.
Runny cheese egg tarts, scallion potato egg pancakes, banana crepes, rice noodle rolls, fried dough sticks, bagged soy milk—one sweet and one savory—sticky rice balls... He did not stop until his tray was completely full.
"Young man, the food may be free, but wasting it is shameful," the cafeteria auntie said sternly as she looked at Feng Qi.
"You're absolutely right, Auntie!"
Feng Qi grinned and casually grabbed another burger.
Cafeteria auntie: ...
After getting his food, he walked toward Mu Qing, placed his tray on her table, and sat down beside her.
Mu Qing, who had been eating in large bites, immediately looked up. When she saw Feng Qi sitting across from her, a trace of surprise appeared in her eyes despite her calm expression.
Feng Qi said nothing. He picked up a sticky rice ball, added some pickled mustard greens, tucked in a fried dough stick, rolled it up, and took a huge bite.
"Why are you sitting here?"
"Why can't I sit here? Do you own the cafeteria? Everywhere else is so crowded, but you've got plenty of empty seats here!" Feng Qi replied without even looking up.
Mu Qing was stunned by his words. Watching Feng Qi stuff his face, she soon ignored him again.
Feng Qi's arrival also drew the attention of quite a few students in the restaurant. They were not surprised by his appetite, but by the fact that he had actually sat in front of Mu Qing.
Anyone who knew Mu Qing understood just how frightening she could be.
There had once been an incident where she lost control and nearly beat a student to death on the spot. If a teacher passing by had not intervened, that unfortunate student would have been permanently disabled even if he survived.
That was one of the reasons no one wanted to interact with Mu Qing. Who knew when they might be killed by her if she lost control?
In the eyes of many students, Feng Qi's behavior was nothing short of courting death.
Feng Qi simply ignored the astonished looks around him.
A moment later, Mu Qing raised her head.
Looking at Feng Qi, who was still wolfing down food, she wore a surprised expression. Her need to eat enormous amounts of food was related to her special physique. Ordinary food was quickly digested once it entered her stomach, leaving her constantly hungry.
But Feng Qi was just an ordinary person. Such an appetite was a little outrageous.
"What are you looking at... eat... it won't taste good once it gets cold!"
With his mouth stuffed full of food, Feng Qi looked up at Mu Qing as he spoke. Then he casually grabbed the pork chop from her tray and stuffed it into his mouth without the slightest hesitation.
Mu Qing: ...
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