Chapter 162: Gluttony

Having heard the words of the Righteous God, and realizing that the next exam would be a contest of gluttony, many of the competitors felt a jolt of surprise, each beginning to ponder their own strengths and weaknesses in this arena.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, however, were wide-eyed with excitement, secretly thinking that the next test would be a chance to eat and drink their fill for free.

"A buffet, is it?" Zhang Yu mused to himself, "This old master will make sure to eat back the registration fee, the travel expenses, and the teleportation fee!"

Bai Zhenzhen speculated, "The next exam wouldn't be an all-you-can-eat pre-packaged meal buffet, would it? That would be bliss!"

Zhang Yu countered, "We're taking the Foundation Establishment exam, how could they possibly serve pre-packaged meals? At the very least, it would have to be something like demon beast meat, high in value and difficult to digest – that's what would make a good test."

As the two were discussing what they might eat in the next exam, Yu Xinghan walked up to them and said, "This is the Immortal Capital, after all. It wouldn't be unusual to eat dragon meat in the next test."

As he spoke, his eyes were filled with longing, and he couldn't help but salivate uncontrollably.

Hearing the words "dragon meat," both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were taken aback, followed by disbelief.

"All-you-can-eat dragon meat?" Zhang Yu asked, "Wouldn't that be too exaggerated?"

Yu Xinghan replied, "What is dragon meat in the Immortal Capital? Which of these Immortal Capital residents isn't wealthy? Ordinary food wouldn't be enough for them to digest."

He gestured towards Yun Jing, saying, "See that Number 11 over there? He's a prominent figure in the Immortal Capital High School. It's said that he spends tens of millions each month just on outsourcing his cultivation."

Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed, "These damn rich people are truly wealthy! Where do they get so much money?"

Yu Xinghan explained, "They're from the 1.5th level... you from the 1st level wouldn't understand the affairs of the 1.5th level."

Bai Zhenzhen retorted, "Then how did you, from the 1st level, learn about the 1.5th level?"

Yu Xinghan replied, "I learned it from my master, of course. He's always been keeping an eye on the Immortal Capital's intelligence. After all, this place gathers the wealthiest companies, the most advanced technologies, and the students with the most potential in Immortal Dao from the Kunxu 1st level. Paying attention to this place is like paying attention to the future trend of the Immortal Dao world."

He then looked at the two of them and pitched, "Would you like to subscribe to some insider news about the Immortal Dao world and sharp commentary from Golden Core True Immortals from me?"

Charging for information was a new business that Yu Xinghan had recently started, and it had been quite profitable for him.

Zhang Yu was intrigued, but when he thought about his current savings, he grimaced and said, "Maybe later."

Just then, barrels of food were being transported to the scene, under the expectant gazes of Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan.

But when the lids were opened, revealing the synthetic food inside, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were filled with disappointment.

Especially those who had been eating synthetic food for months felt disgusted at the thought of having to compete by eating this stuff, and their faces turned green.

Zhang Yu cursed in his heart, "Damn it... I paid a 30,000 spirit stone registration fee last time, and this is what we get to eat?!"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Yu Xinghan's face as he secretly wondered, "How much did these Righteous Gods pocket?"

As the proctor, Deng Bingding, continued to explain the rules of the exam.

In short, the exam was to see who could eat the most, with an unlimited supply of synthetic food.

During the exam, competitors were forbidden from using their spirit roots or magical power. In other words, they couldn't use any power other than that of their physical bodies. However, mental cultivation techniques, as a power of brain visualization, were considered part of the physical body's power and were not restricted.

Furthermore, any means such as vomiting or hiding food would be considered cheating, and upon discovery, the offender would be permanently disqualified from taking the Foundation Establishment Certification exam.

Deng Bingding said, "Ingestion, digestion, and metabolism are the roots of a powerful physique and a major manifestation of physical strength."

"A true powerhouse must have powerful internal organs, a delicate control over their body, and a strong ability to muster the strength of their intestines and stomach."

"It can be said that the stronger the physical body, the stronger the digestive ability, and the greater the appetite. This is inevitable."

"This trial will examine your physical strength and control over your body from this perspective."

"If simple running, jumping, and bearing weight are external physical skills."

"Then today, we will test your internal physical skills."

"May you all work hard."

In the blink of an eye, as the exam officially began, a row of bar graphs reappeared on the light screen in front, showing the competitor's number and the amount of food consumed.

With the countdown of 3, 2, 1, the bar graphs on the light screen immediately surged upwards.

With a loud, whooshing sound, a strong man picked up a large bucket and, like a whale swallowing, gulped down the synthetic food in the bucket.

As the synthetic food poured in, there was even a sound like surging river water, drawing the attention of many students around.

The strong man, named Meng Tao, quickly swallowed a large bucket of synthetic food, then frowned slightly.

"This is really disgusting."

The synthetic food in the bucket had not been seasoned in any way, and Meng Tao felt like he was eating dirt.

But seeing that he had quickly swallowed a large bucket of synthetic food, his pride overcame his aversion to the food.

"Hahahaha, I usually use the Gluttony Spirit Root! My entire digestive system has long been accustomed to eating large quantities."

"Even if I can't use the Gluttony Spirit Root now, the advantage is definitely incomparable to others."

"In this gluttony exam, I might be able to get into the top three! Or even the top two!"

So, as Meng Tao frantically devoured the synthetic food, he glanced at the light screen not far away and his eyes lit up with joy.

First place, Number 23.

Second place, Number 11.

Third place, Number 18.

Seeing himself ranked third, Meng Tao's first thought was naturally joy.

But when he realized that the top two were constantly widening the gap between them, that joy turned to surprise.

Meng Tao couldn't help but glance in the direction of Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, wanting to see how the two were eating.

And this glance shocked him even more.

He saw that Yun Jing's chest seemed to have opened a large hole. He directly poured the food into this hole, without any need to swallow. It was as if he was pouring the synthetic food from one bucket into another, pouring it into his own body.

Meng Tao was shocked. "Has he completely given up on taste and swallowing? Eating is simply like adding fuel for him!"

On the other side, as his blood and qi surged and his muscles stretched, Ye Lingxiao's entire body suddenly expanded in size.

Whether it was his limbs, chest, or throat, esophagus, and stomach, they all became gigantic, transforming him into a small giant. He picked up the food bucket in front of him as if he were picking up a slightly larger cup, and casually poured it into his mouth.

Meng Tao thought, "Ye Lingxiao can stretch his physical structure so wantonly..."

"Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao... these two people's bodies are simply monsters! Do they have no weaknesses at all?"

"But it's okay, at least I can get into the top three in this round, which is also pretty good."

Just then, the proctor, Deng Bingding, said faintly, "Some students may be wondering why we are using synthetic food for this exam."

"Because synthetic food is the easiest to digest, the least burdensome, and the most adaptable to various stomachs. It is suitable for use in examinations."

"I know that some people are not used to it, but whether or not you can adapt to the food as quickly as possible is also part of this exam."

Hearing Deng Bingding's explanation, Huang Zichou knew that these were just excuses. The real reason was to save the budget.

"These high school students can eat more than the last. If we really used something valuable, wouldn't they eat up the entire budget? Synthetic food is enough. Let them eat as much as they want."

While Deng Bingding was speaking, Dai Xingzhi, not far away, was gulping down synthetic food while thinking to himself, "It's really disgusting."

As a resident of the Upper City, Sixth Ring Road in the Immortal Capital, Dai Xingzhi had hardly ever eaten synthetic food. In his view, it was something that was specially made for poor people from other places who came to the Immortal Capital to work.

Now, as he gulped it down, he indeed felt that it was becoming more and more disgusting and harder to swallow.

He thought to himself, "Not only must the stomach adapt, but the mind must also endure this stuff. I'm afraid only those who eat it every day would be used to it..."

"Damn it, I'm going to throw up..." Zhang Yu said, drinking the bucket of synthetic food in front of him with a dark expression, feeling a sense of misery in his heart.

"I was already feeling like throwing up from eating this stuff every day for so long, and now I have to compete in eating it today?"

"Who said that 'only those who endure hardship can become great'? The synthetic food I've eaten so much of in the past... is a hindrance in the Foundation Establishment exam."

Finally, Zhang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Proctor! Can we add some seasoning?"

Deng Bingding said faintly, "No. Overcoming taste is part of cultivation, and it is also part of this exam."

Dai Xingzhi looked at Zhang Yu, who had made the request, and thought to himself, "Sure enough, he's a rich person."

He looked at Zhang Yu's expression, which seemed like he was about to throw up, and thought, "Although it's a bit disgusting, it's not so exaggerated, is it? What kind of things does he usually eat? Is it because he's too rich, so he always has demands on the taste?"

Even in the Immortal Capital, wealthy high school students are used to putting food taste lower on the list of priorities in order to pursue grades and rankings.

In Dai Xingzhi's view, Zhang Yu's performance was due to being used to comfort and not having the perseverance in cultivation that they Immortal Capital people had.

Especially when compared to the performance of Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, he felt even more so.

"Hmph, sure enough, even if they are both rich, these rich people from other places are not as good as our rich people from the Immortal Capital."

While many students were frantically swallowing synthetic food, racing against each other for the rankings on the light screen.

The small god, Huang Zichou, looked at the performance of several students and said, "The second stage is about to begin."

On the arena, Meng Tao, who had been devouring madly, suddenly began to slow down.

In fact, not only him, but at the same time, several students who had just been eating frantically also gradually slowed down.

Huang Zichou commented online, "Hehe, the so-called gluttony competition, the contest of appetite, is not just about who eats the fastest."

"Just like Lord Deng just said, it's about overall metabolism, digestion, the power of the stomach, and the students' control over their bodies."