Become Stronger!

"Looking at it this way, the seemingly least cost-effective [Extravagant Meal] actually had the highest value for money, followed by [Simple Meal], while the seemingly plentiful and lavish [Filling Meal] actually had the lowest value for money."

Feng Buzhi muttered to himself, feeling the nutrients from the food turn into a warm current that flowed into his body.

Normally, he would not have been able to fully absorb the nutrients from an [Extravagant Meal].

After all, an [Extravagant Meal] contained nearly twenty times the nutrients of a [Filling Meal]. His body simply could not absorb all of it.

That was what happened when the other people in town exchanged for an [Extravagant Meal]. On the surface, they ate the [Extravagant Meal], but most of its nutrients could not be absorbed and would be expelled a day later.

The reason Feng Buzhi could completely absorb all the nutrients from an [Extravagant Meal] was [Basic Cultivation Assistance].

The purpose of [Basic Cultivation Assistance] was to aid basic exercise and cultivation before advancing to the next rank.

According to Pei Chao, many people had already tried [Basic Cultivation Assistance] during these past seven days.

Several people in Zhao Gang's group, which Pei Chao had once belonged to, had tried [Basic Cultivation Assistance], but the results had not been very good. Some people had not reacted at all after using it.

This was not because [Basic Cultivation Assistance] was useless, but because they had not grasped the trick.

So-called [Basic Cultivation Assistance] was not some foolproof cultivation aid that allowed one to cultivate automatically after spending Abyss Points, nor did it directly raise one's strength like enlightenment poured into the mind.

Using [Basic Cultivation Assistance] required a certain technique: exercise.

After ordinary people seriously exercised, the parts they trained would feel sore. During that soreness, those exercised areas would undergo a degree of strengthening through the body's self-regulatory ability.

For example, when training the biceps, during the body's self-regulation after exercise, with an appropriate nutritional supplement, the bicep muscles would be strengthened.

Generally speaking, this self-regulation was a slow process that required persistent exercise accumulated day after day.

[Basic Cultivation Assistance], however, could accelerate that process.

For example, if one kept running in this town for an entire day, then used [Basic Cultivation Assistance] after running to the point of utter exhaustion, they would find that the soreness in their body rapidly disappeared, while a feeling of hunger or bodily emptiness arose.

At that point, they could appropriately replenish nutrients through eating. Some obese people would not even need to replenish nutrients; their fat would directly transform into nutrients and strengthen their bodies.

Their endurance would become stronger, their leg muscles more developed, and their running speed would increase somewhat.

This was an immediate improvement. Results that ordinary training required months to achieve could perhaps be attained in just a few days with [Basic Cultivation Assistance], without any need to worry about overtraining and injuring oneself.

In short, the harder one trained, the better [Basic Cultivation Assistance] worked.

As long as sufficient nutrients were ensured, strength, endurance, speed, and even human reflexes could all be strengthened.

And for Feng Buzhi, who could break through the shackles of his body, the effects of [Basic Cultivation Assistance] were even stronger.

Humans had limits, and ordinary people's training had limits as well.

Take running, for instance. Even if an ordinary person trained persistently from childhood, their hundred-meter time would only be a little over ten seconds.

A little over ten seconds was the limit of ordinary human training.

Even using [Basic Cultivation Assistance] in this world, ordinary people would find it difficult to break the ten-second barrier for a hundred meters.

But Feng Buzhi was different.

By breaking through the shackles of the human body, he could reach seven seconds for a hundred meters, perhaps even slightly faster. (PS: Breaking through the shackles tripled physical fitness; it did not mean speed could be directly tripled.)

Yes, breaking through the shackles of the human body could also be regarded as a form of exercise.

In essence, pushing one's body to its limits until one was sore all over and suffered muscle strains was the same type of injury as the bodily backlash he suffered from breaking through his shackles. His backlash was merely many times more severe.

Because the injuries were too serious, breaking through the shackles normally could not produce a training effect.

But here, there was [Basic Cultivation Assistance].

Under the effects of [Basic Cultivation Assistance], Feng Buzhi felt as though his body had become more solid, his flesh, blood, and bones all growing tougher.

He felt as though he had become a sponge filled with countless holes.

Those countless holes represented hunger, emptiness...

As the [Extravagant Meal] turned into nutrients and flowed into his body, those holes were gradually filled.

Feng Buzhi could feel his body improving in every aspect—because he had broken through his shackles in every aspect, his current improvement was likewise all-encompassing.

"Although the roast duck contains plenty of nutrients, it's still not quite enough for me."

There were only two thin pancakes left with the roast duck, along with one large meat bun. Feng Buzhi chose another [Extravagant Meal], and his points dropped from 338 to 313.

Soon, half a roasted whole lamb appeared before Feng Buzhi, accompanied by two pitchers of beer.

Under Wang Chen's puzzled gaze, as well as the curious looks of the surrounding townspeople, Feng Buzhi—one arm severed halfway, his body covered in bloodstains—ordered another [Extravagant Meal] just as he was about to finish the roast duck. He began eating the roasted lamb and drinking beer.

"Two [Extravagant Meals], fifty Abyss Points, just like that?"

"What a big spender. How many points does he even have?"

"A big spender? I think he's just brain-dead."

"Maybe the Whispers of the Fog affected him and something went wrong with his mind. Professor Li Lin should treat him."

The people waiting nearby whispered among themselves.

Hearing their conversation, Wang Chen's eyes lit up. He thought of a way to settle Feng Buzhi: place him in the Mutual Aid Society's temporary hospital—or rather, its temporary psychiatric hospital.

Ordinary injuries could be treated by spending 100 Abyss Points, but psychological problems could not be treated even with Abyss Points. Thus, the Mutual Aid Society had established a temporary psychiatric hospital.

At present, the temporary psychiatric hospital had taken in several lunatics affected by the Whispers of the Fog. Dr. Norton and Professor Li Lin treated and studied those lunatics every day.

Of course, treating Feng Buzhi was out of the question. But Wang Chen could pretend to treat Feng Buzhi and earn Pei Chao's goodwill.

Once Pei Chao had integrated into the Mutual Aid Society and become completely useful to him, he could casually use some method to kill Feng Buzhi. That way, there would be no future trouble.

At that thought, the corners of Wang Chen's lips rose slightly. Then he suddenly discovered that Feng Buzhi, who was eating the roasted lamb, was staring fixedly at him.

Wang Chen instinctively looked away, then secretly observed Feng Buzhi from the corner of his eye. He found that Feng Buzhi did not seem to be looking at him at all, merely continuing to devour the roasted lamb at astonishing speed.

Was it an illusion?

Wang Chen frowned slightly and gently pressed his fingers against his eyes a few times.

Wang Chen had not imagined it. Feng Buzhi really had glanced at him.

Through [Basic Cultivation Assistance], Feng Buzhi's body had improved in every respect—strength, speed, reflexes, all of it. Not only that, he had developed a peculiar sensation, somewhat like a sixth sense, or perhaps a beast's instinct.

He had sensed Wang Chen's hostility toward him, so he gave Wang Chen a glance.

However, Feng Buzhi did not pay it any mind. He quickly withdrew his gaze, rapidly eating the half-roasted lamb while sensing the changes in his body.

As nutrients flowed into his body, his physical abilities increased across the board.

Feng Buzhi had extremely strong control over his body and could sense his own changes.

Take strength, for example. A normal adult man had a strength of 10. His strength had been 12, but after using [Basic Cultivation Assistance], it had likely reached around 15.

And this was only after using [Basic Cultivation Assistance] once. If he continued using it, his physical condition would become even stronger.

At that thought, Feng Buzhi, who was sitting cross-legged, decisively broke through his shackles once more and decided to continue with a second round of [Basic Cultivation Assistance].

He sat quietly where he was. The muscles and tendons of his body swelled slightly, with no visible change on the surface, but in truth, his body was rapidly consuming itself while in the state of breaking through his shackles.

Wang Chen knew nothing about Feng Buzhi breaking through his shackles.

In his eyes, Feng Buzhi had merely suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground without moving.

Feng Buzhi really did look somewhat mentally abnormal.

Having already prepared his words, Wang Chen walked forward, intending to appeal to Feng Buzhi's emotions and reason, persuading him into the Mutual Aid Society's temporary psychiatric hospital first.

Pfft!

Just as Wang Chen was about to speak, Feng Buzhi, suffering backlash from breaking through his shackles, spat out a mouthful of blood all over Wang Chen...