Chapter 7

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Hancock's voice. "Sister Jiri, may I come in? It's time to eat. Come out for dinner!"

"Creak—"

Uchiha Chisato walked over and pulled open the cabin door, smiling at Hancock. "Dinner's ready? Thank you. Please lead the way."

After saying that, she turned back and waved at Xunjing, then followed Hancock out of the room.

Xunjing set down his pen, rose, and followed.

Before long, the group arrived at a spacious dining hall.

"Lady Jiri, welcome!"

"Welcome, welcome!"

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

When the female warriors of Kuja Island saw Uchiha Chisato appear, they all thanked her with respect and gratitude.

Their eyes also held admiration and fervor.

Clearly, for the female warriors of Kuja Island, powerful women were more likely to earn their favor and worship.

Of course, a few hooligan girls also came over and started teasing Xunjing.

Leaving Xunjing utterly helpless.

What was this even supposed to be?

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

She personally led Uchiha Chisato and Xunjing to the seats of honor. Only after the two of them picked up their chopsticks did she call for everyone else to begin eating.

Uchiha Chisato picked up a piece of meat and put it into her mouth. The instant she swallowed it, her brows shifted slightly.

A warm current rose in her stomach, spreading from her esophagus through her limbs and making her entire body feel much better.

Her eyes lit up.

The vitality and nutrients contained in this meat would have counted as precious medicinal materials even in the Ninja World.

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

Interesting.

Thinking of the sea beast she had sensed earlier, brimming with life force, and recalling what Xunjing had said, turmoil surged within her heart. Her expression, however, remained calm as 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. But it's only an ordinary Sea King, just over a hundred meters long. I wonder whether it suits your taste?"

In truth, the leader had long noticed that something was off about Uchiha Chisato and Xunjing.

Their physiques and vitality were unbelievably weak.

If she had not witnessed Uchiha Chisato's strength with her own eyes earlier, she would never have believed that someone so frail could be so powerful.

In the Pirate World, everyone tacitly accepted one rule—strong people were bound to possess robust physiques and abundant vitality.

Even those who had eaten Devil Fruits possessed far greater vitality than ordinary people.

Yet Uchiha Chisato's vitality felt inferior even to hers.

As for Xunjing, there was no need to mention him. He was weaker than even an ordinary child.

Still, she did not dwell on it. She merely assumed that the two of them had physical ailments; after all, they had come to seek treatment.

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

But inwardly, she was calculating.

Meat from a Sea King over a hundred meters long already had this effect. What about one several hundred meters long, or even over a thousand meters?

She did not dare imagine it.

She felt that with Sea King meat alone, combined with the Life-Nourishing Art for a month, her physique and vitality could increase severalfold at the very least.

The meat in her mouth slowly digested, waves of heat flowing through her entire body one after another.

She could clearly feel every cell in her body acting as though it had been starved mad, desperately absorbing the warm current.

Her body visibly improved.

Even her complexion became much rosier.

Her Life Origin had been depleted by prolonged Chakra refinement. Now that she had suddenly received supplements of vitality and highly nutritious substances, the effects were simply too obvious.

Xunjing, on the other hand, had it much worse.

He had only swallowed one piece of meat when it felt as though something had stuffed his stomach full. The bloating was uncomfortable, and digestion was painfully slow.

Uchiha Xunjing felt that faint vitality spread from his stomach, leaving him warm all over.

The soreness and exhaustion left behind from practicing earlier faded considerably, as though they had been soaked in hot water.

Even the illnesses in his body seemed as though a layer of dust had been wiped away.

He frowned.

"Even digesting food has become this difficult?"

He knew perfectly well that this body's foundation was far too poor. Although Sea King meat was nourishing, he simply could not eat much of it.

After picking up two more small pieces and stuffing them into his mouth, he stopped and turned toward his mother and the leader.

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

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

If even that could not save his illnesses, then he could only prepare medicine himself and first improve his digestive function.

Uchiha Chisato froze for a moment. She met her son's gaze and immediately understood what was in his eyes.

"All right, go on ahead."

She turned to the leader, her tone apologetic. "This child hasn't recovered yet. Sorry for causing you trouble."

"Don't say that." The leader waved her hand. "I hope he recovers soon."

He added, "Don't worry. We'll be finished here shortly, and then we'll take you to Drum Island for treatment."

After saying that, he called out to Hancock not far away. "Hancock, take little brother Xunjing back to his room."

"All right."

Hancock put down the food in her hand, stood up somewhat reluctantly, waved at Xunjing, and led him out of the dining hall.

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

In the corridor, Hancock kept glancing at him as they walked.

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

There was sincere sympathy in her voice.

Xunjing smiled and nodded.

"I will."

Naturally, he had confidence—after all, he had cheats.

He also took a glance at Hancock's favorability.

52 points.

That was not low.

He thought regretfully, Too bad I'm too weak right now. If I'd been the one to save Hancock and the others this time, her favorability would probably have already reached the threshold for binding.

The girls of Kuja Island were simple-minded and especially prone to developing feelings for those who saved their lives.

Before long, Hancock left after escorting him to his door.

Xunjing did not keep her and simply told her to go back and continue eating.

After she had gone far away, he placed the meat on the table and stretched his body.

After resting for more than an hour and eating some Sea King meat, most of the soreness and fatigue in his body had already faded.

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

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

Streams of heat spread from his abdomen and surged through his whole body.

His entire body felt pleasantly warm, so comfortable that he could hardly bear it.

[Consumed Sea King meat to assist in cultivating the Life-Nourishing Art. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, Life Origin +0.01]

"Damn! Not only has the lifespan gain doubled, it can even restore Life Origin?"

"This Life Origin is probably related to my congenital deficiency."

"There's hope!"

"Maybe with Sea King meat and the Life-Nourishing Art alone, I can heal my body without taking medicine or slowly recuperating."

Uchiha Xunjing grew more excited the more he thought about it.

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

Keep practicing!

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

More importantly, supported by the Sea King meat, not only did he not feel tired, but his condition grew smoother and smoother.

Xunjing practiced over and over again like this.

[Consumed Sea King meat to assist in cultivating the Life-Nourishing Art. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, Life Origin +0.01]

[Consumed Sea King meat to assist in cultivating the Life-Nourishing Art. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, Life Origin +0.01]

The Sea King meat in his stomach rapidly broke down into vitality and nutrients, which Xunjing's body devoured completely.

His complexion visibly improved.

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

He looked much healthier.

Only after practicing more than ten times in a row did Xunjing finally feel that his body truly could not endure any longer. Most of the Sea King meat in his stomach had also been consumed, and only then did he stop practicing.