Chapter 164: Gluttony

The moment the Righteous Gods announced the next round of the Foundation Establishment exam would be a test of food consumption, a ripple of shock spread through the crowd. Many contestants began rapidly analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in this unexpected domain.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, lit up with excitement. Free food? That sounded like paradise.

“A buffet, huh?” Zhang Yu thought gleefully. “I’m gonna eat back every bit of the registration fee, transportation cost, and teleportation fare.”

Bai Zhenzhen guessed aloud, “Wait, you don’t think it’s gonna be unlimited pre-made meals, do you? That would be amazing!”

Zhang Yu responded, “Come on, this is the Foundation Establishment exam. They wouldn't be serving pre-made stuff. At the very least, it’s gotta be something like demon beast meat—high-value and hard to digest. That’s how you really test someone.”

As the two fantasized about what delicacies they’d get to eat, Yu Xinghan joined them, saying, “This is Xiandu City. For the next exam, even dragon meat wouldn’t be surprising.”

As he spoke, his eyes sparkled with anticipation, and his mouth began to water uncontrollably.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen blinked at the mention of dragon meat, then looked doubtful.

“Dragon meat? All-you-can-eat?” Zhang Yu said. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

Yu Xinghan waved it off. “In Xiandu City, dragon meat is nothing.”

“Everyone around here is loaded. Normal food wouldn’t even make a dent in their digestion.”

He motioned toward Yun Jing. “See number 11 over there? A legend among Xiandu high schoolers. Rumor has it he spends over ten million a month just outsourcing his cultivation.”

Bai Zhenzhen muttered, awed, “These filthy rich bastards… just how do they have so much money?”

Yu Xinghan replied smugly, “That’s 1.5th Floor stuff… of course someone from the 1st Floor wouldn’t get it.”

Bai Zhenzhen snapped back, “Then how’d a 1st Floor guy like you learn about 1.5th Floor gossip?”

Yu Xinghan grinned. “From my master, duh. He’s been tracking all the intel in Xiandu City.”

“After all, this place gathers the richest companies from Kunxu’s 1st Floor, the most advanced Immortal Dao technology, and the most talented students with cultivation potential. Tracking what happens here is like tracking the future of the Immortal Dao…”

Then, with a grin, Yu Xinghan looked at them and pitched, “Wanna subscribe to my Immortal Dao intel digest? Includes exclusive commentaries from Gold Core Cultivators.”

Monetized Q&A had been Yu Xinghan’s latest moneymaker, and it was turning quite a profit.

Zhang Yu looked tempted—until he remembered his current balance. He clicked his tongue and said, “Maybe later.”

Right then, barrels of food were wheeled in under the eager gazes of Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan.

But as the lids were lifted, revealing synthetic food inside, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s faces fell.

After months of choking down synthetic food, the thought of bingeing this stuff for competition made their stomachs turn. Their faces turned green.

Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “Seriously? I paid thirty grand to register and this is what I get?”

Yu Xinghan’s face twitched with embarrassment. “How much did these Righteous Gods skim off the top?”

Meanwhile, proctor Deng Bingding continued outlining the rules for the round.

Simply put, eat as much as you can. The synthetic food was unlimited.

No using Spirit Roots, no using Mana—no powers at all aside from raw physical strength. However, since Heart Techniques were powered by mental visualization and technically part of the body, those were allowed.

Also, no cheating—vomiting or hiding food would result in a permanent ban from earning a Foundation License.

Deng Bingding declared, “Ingestion, digestion, metabolism—these are the foundation of physical power, and a reflection of bodily strength.”

“A true powerhouse must possess mighty internal organs, micro-control over their body, and exceptional digestive capabilities.”

“The stronger the body, the greater the digestion, the larger the appetite—it’s a natural law.”

“This round tests your internal strength—not just the external stuff like running, jumping, or lifting weight.”

“So, give it your all.”

In the blink of an eye, the exam officially began. A holographic screen lit up with a bar graph showing contestant numbers and food intake.

As the countdown hit zero, bars began to shoot upward.

With loud slurping noises, a burly man picked up a massive bucket and gulped it down like a whale swallowing krill.

As the synthetic food poured in, his stomach rumbled like rushing water, drawing glances from the other students.

The man’s name was Meng Tao. In moments, he’d emptied a whole bucket, though he grimaced.

“Ugh, this stuff is disgusting.”

Unseasoned and bland, the synthetic food tasted like dirt to Meng Tao.

Still, pride beat out disgust. He grinned.

“Hahaha! I’ve trained with a Gluttonous Spirit Root. My digestive system’s built for mass intake.”

“Even if I can’t use it now, the habits and advantages still give me an edge.”

“I might even crack the top three—maybe top two!”

As he scarfed down food, Meng Tao glanced at the rankings on the screen and his eyes lit up.

First place: Number 23

Second place: Number 11

Third place: Number 18

Seeing himself in third place filled Meng Tao with glee—at first.

But as the top two pulled further ahead, joy turned to unease.

He looked over at Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao—and froze.

Yun Jing’s chest had split open into a gaping hole. He was dumping food straight in, no chewing needed. It was like pouring one barrel into another.

Meng Tao gawked. “He’s abandoned taste and swallowing entirely? Eating is just fueling up for him now!”

Meanwhile, Ye Lingxiao’s body was swelling with Qi and blood. His muscles stretched, and he ballooned into a hulking form.

Every part of him expanded—arms, chest, throat, stomach. He picked up a food bucket like it was a teacup and chugged.

Meng Tao thought, “He can reshape his body structure like that…?”

“Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao… their bodies are monsters. Do they even have weaknesses?”

“Still, placing in the top three is a win for me.”

At that moment, Deng Bingding spoke again.

“Some students may wonder—why synthetic food?”

“Because it digests easily, is low-burden, and works with all kinds of digestive systems. Perfect for standardized testing.”

“I know it’s not to everyone’s taste—but adapting quickly is part of the challenge.”

Huang Zichou heard the explanation and scoffed inwardly. Budget cuts, obviously.

“These kids eat like bottomless pits. If we served anything valuable, they’d eat through the budget in minutes. Synthetic food’s unlimited—let ’em eat their fill.”

As Deng Bingding droned on, Dai Xingzhi stuffed his mouth while silently cursing.

“This is vile.”

As a resident of Xiandu’s northern sixth ring, Dai Xingzhi had never had to eat synthetic food. That was for poor out-of-towners.

Now forced to gulp it down, he was finding it increasingly revolting.

“It’s not just the stomach—your mind has to stomach it too. Only poor folks who eat this daily could possibly be used to it…”

“Ugh, I’m gonna throw up…” Zhang Yu muttered, staring into his bucket with a dark face, misery radiating off him.

“After months of this crap, I was already done. And now we’re competing with it?”

“Whoever said ‘endure bitter hardship to become a superior man’—screw them. All my synthetic meals are dragging me down in the Foundation Establishment exam!”

Finally, Zhang Yu couldn’t take it. “Proctor! Can we get some seasoning?”

Deng Bingding replied coolly, “No. Overcoming taste is part of cultivation. It’s also part of the test.”

Dai Xingzhi glanced at Zhang Yu’s pained expression and sneered internally. “Definitely a spoiled rich kid.”

“To be that disgusted by synthetic food… What the hell does he usually eat? Must be filthy rich and picky.”

Even in Xiandu, rich high schoolers would sacrifice taste for better scores. Zhang Yu’s reaction screamed pampered.

Especially when compared to Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, Dai Xingzhi was even more convinced.

“Hmph, even among the rich, these out-of-town trust-funders can’t compete with us Xiandu elites.”

As the students continued their feeding frenzy, chasing one another up the leaderboard...

Minor god Huang Zichou looked over the field and announced, “Phase Two begins now.”

Suddenly, Meng Tao’s furious pace began to slow.

And not just him—several other previously unstoppable eaters were visibly slowing down.

From the network stream, Huang Zichou commented, “Heh, the so-called Gluttony Showdown—this isn’t just about speed eating.”

“As Lord Deng just said, it’s about metabolism and digestion. It’s about gut strength and internal control.”