Chapter 7

Just then, a knock came at the door, followed by Hancock's voice. "Jiri, can I come in? The food's ready. Come out and eat!"

Creak-

Uchiha Chisato walked over and opened the cabin door, smiling at Hancock. "It's ready? Thank you. Please show us the way!"

With that, she turned and beckoned to Xunjing, then followed Hancock out of the room.

Xunjing put down his pen, got up, and followed them.

Soon, they arrived in a spacious dining hall.

"Lady Jiri, welcome!"

"Welcome, welcome!"

"Thank you for saving us earlier, Lady Jiri!"

At the sight of Uchiha Chisato, the female warriors from Kuja Island offered their thanks with respect and gratitude.

Their eyes also shone with reverence and fervent admiration.

Clearly, to the female warriors of Kuja Island, powerful women were far more worthy of their affection and admiration.

Of course, a few shameless women also gathered around Xunjing and started teasing him.

They left Xunjing looking utterly helpless.

What was all this supposed to be?!

The leader clapped her hands and said with a smile, "All right, Lady Jiri and her son are here. Let's eat! This way, Lady Jiri."

She personally led Uchiha Chisato and Xunjing to the seats of honor, waiting until they took their first bites before telling everyone else to dig in.

Uchiha Chisato picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. The moment she swallowed, her brows stirred slightly.

Warmth rose in her stomach and spread along her esophagus toward her limbs, leaving her whole body feeling much better.

Her eyes lit up.

The vitality and nutrients in this meat would have made it a precious medicinal ingredient in the Ninja World.

Yet here, it was merely an ordinary piece of meat?

Interesting.

Recalling the sea beast brimming with vitality that she had sensed out at sea, as well as what Xunjing had told her, she kept her expression calm despite her swirling thoughts. She turned to the leader and asked, "This is Sea King meat, isn't it?"

The leader nodded and answered with a smile, "That's right. Just an ordinary Sea King, though, a little over a hundred meters long. I hope it's to your liking?"

In truth, the leader had already noticed something odd about Uchiha Chisato and Xunjing.

Their physiques and vitality were unbelievably weak.

Had she not witnessed Uchiha Chisato's power firsthand, she would never have believed someone so frail could be that strong.

In the Pirate World, everyone took one rule for granted-powerful people possessed strong bodies and abundant vitality.

Even those who had eaten a Devil Fruit had far greater vitality than ordinary people.

Yet Uchiha Chisato felt as though she had less vitality than the leader herself.

And Xunjing was even worse. He couldn't measure up to an ordinary child.

Still, she didn't dwell on it, assuming they had health problems. After all, they had come to seek medical treatment.

Uchiha Chisato smiled and replied politely, "It's very good. Thank you for going to the trouble."

Inside, however, she was quietly weighing the possibilities.

If meat from a hundred-meter Sea King had this effect, what about one several hundred meters long, or even over a thousand?

It was almost unimaginable.

She felt that eating this Sea King meat for a month while practicing the Life-Nourishing Art would multiply her physical strength and vitality several times over, at the very least.

As the meat she had swallowed slowly digested, waves of warmth surged through her entire body.

She could distinctly feel every cell in her body desperately absorbing that warmth, as though starved beyond reason.

Her body was visibly improving.

Even her complexion had grown noticeably rosier.

Years of extracting chakra had depleted her life origin. Now that she was suddenly receiving vitality and highly nutritious substances, the effects were astonishingly clear.

Xunjing, on the other hand, was having a miserable time.

He had swallowed just one piece of meat, yet his stomach felt as though something had stretched it taut. The bloating was uncomfortable, and digestion was painfully slow.

Uchiha Xunjing felt a faint stream of vitality spread from his stomach, warm and soothing.

The soreness and fatigue left by his earlier training faded considerably, as though he had soaked in hot water.

Even the ** ailments within his body seemed to have had a layer of dust wiped away.

He frowned.

"Even digesting food has become this difficult?"

He knew perfectly well that this body's foundations were far too weak. Sea King meat was nourishing, but he simply couldn't eat much of it.

After putting two more small pieces into his mouth, he stopped eating and turned to his mother and the leader.

"Mom, I don't have much of an appetite. I'll take some food back to the room."

He wanted to see whether the Life-Nourishing Art could help him break down the nutrients in the meat.

If even ** couldn't help, he would have to prepare medicine himself to improve his digestive function first.

Uchiha Chisato paused briefly. Meeting her son's gaze, she immediately understood what he was trying to convey.

"All right. Go ahead."

She turned to the leader, her tone apologetic. "He still hasn't recovered. Sorry for the trouble."

"Please don't say that." The leader waved a hand. "I hope he gets better soon."

She added, "Don't worry. We'll finish up here soon, then take you to Drum Island for treatment."

Then she called to Hancock nearby, "Hancock, take young Xunjing back to his room."

"All right."

Hancock put down her food and stood up rather reluctantly. She beckoned to Xunjing and led him out of the dining hall.

Xunjing picked up the plate of meat in front of him and followed.

In the corridor, Hancock glanced at him as they walked.

"Your illness looks pretty serious. I hope you get better soon."

Her voice held genuine sympathy.

Xunjing smiled and nodded.

"I will."

Of course he was confident-he had a cheat, after all.

He also took a quick look at Hancock's affection score.

52 points.

That wasn't low.

He thought with some regret, It's a shame I'm so weak right now. If I'd been the one to save Hancock and the others, her affection would probably have reached the binding threshold already.

The girls of Kuja Island were simplehearted, and especially prone to developing feelings for those who saved their lives.

Soon, Hancock brought him to his door and left.

Xunjing didn't keep her, simply telling her to go back and finish her meal.

Once she was gone, he put the meat on the table and stretched.

After resting for over an hour and eating some Sea King meat, most of his soreness and exhaustion had faded.

He sat cross-legged and began practicing the Life-Nourishing Art.

As Xunjing practiced, he clearly felt the Sea King meat in his stomach digesting faster.

Streams of warmth spread from his belly and surged through his whole body.

He felt warm all over, wonderfully comfortable.

[Practiced the Life-Nourishing Art with the aid of Sea King meat. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, life origin +0.01]

"**! Not only did the lifespan gain double, but it can even restore my life origin?"

"This life origin probably has something to do with my congenital deficiency."

"There's hope!"

"Maybe Sea King meat and the Life-Nourishing Art alone can restore my health, without any medicine."

The more Uchiha Xunjing thought about it, the more excited he became.

He had underestimated the value of Sea King meat to people from the Ninja World.

Keep training!

With such excellent results, and the Life-Nourishing Art helping him digest the meat, he had no reason to stop.

Most importantly, with the Sea King meat sustaining him, he didn't feel tired at all. Instead, he felt better and better.

Xunjing continued practicing, over and over.

[Practiced the Life-Nourishing Art with the aid of Sea King meat. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, life origin +0.01]

[Practiced the Life-Nourishing Art with the aid of Sea King meat. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, life origin +0.01]

The Sea King meat in his stomach rapidly broke down into vitality and nutrients, which his body absorbed completely.

His complexion visibly improved.

His face was no longer deathly pale and haggard. Instead, a faint flush of color appeared.

He looked much healthier.

Only after practicing a dozen or so times, when his body truly couldn't keep going and most of the Sea King meat in his stomach had been consumed, did Xunjing stop.