Chapter 166: Settling the Score with Yu Xinghan

Applying his precise control over physical strength to the digestion process—even going so far as to fire off bursts of palm force to aid in eating—was something the old Zhang Yu had never even imagined.

But thanks to his monstrous mastery of body control, Zhang Yu picked it up with remarkable speed.

At first, he had to slam his palm into his abdomen with full force, forcing his stomach and intestines to compress and churn.

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Soon enough, his movements became lighter, the noise of each strike quieter and more controlled.

This signaled how comfortable he had grown at manipulating his digestive system with raw physical force—directing and channeling energy through his body like a virtuoso.

Eventually, it looked as if Zhang Yu was merely patting his belly gently, but the tremors shook his whole frame, giving off low, muffled booms.

He could feel fine pulses of palm force ripple through his muscles, fat, and organs, crushing and squeezing the food in his belly—making room for yet more synthetic food to go down.

Zhang Yu’s bizarre technique didn’t go unnoticed. Meng Tao had been watching, and before long, some of the slower students began mimicking him in hopes of speeding up their digestion. But they barely lasted a few tries before their organs began to ache—some even on the verge of internal injury.

One of the Righteous Gods was closely monitoring Zhang Yu’s readings via his Detection Patch.

“This Zhang Yu has frightening control over his body,” he observed.

“Every palm strike not only targets the food inside with surgical precision, but somehow avoids damaging the organs. In fact, sometimes he even gets the organs involved in the energy flow.”

“At this level… he doesn't seem like a typical first-year student from Songyang City.”

“Is he cheating?”

Huang Zichou replied coolly, “If it’s all skill, how could it be called cheating? Mastery over one’s physical strength is part of one’s ability.”

“The truth is, students who are strong enough to use this technique don’t need it. And those who actually try to rely on it to gain points usually end up hurting themselves.”

The other Righteous God sighed. “Honestly, I still think tolerance to medicine is a better metric. Body Refining is about how well you can handle the drugs.”

Another nodded in agreement.

Huang Zichou didn’t respond. He merely glanced sideways at the agreeing god and silently wondered how much money they’d taken from the pharmaceutical companies.

“There’s been quite a push lately for drug-based evaluations. They say it measures both talent and potential, while also moving product and finishing human trials.”

“Hard to say who’s driving that agenda...”

While the Righteous Gods debated, Zhang Yu’s eating pace was rapidly increasing. In a blink, he’d climbed to 16th place.

Right ahead of him—at 15th place—was none other than Yu Xinghan.

Yu Xinghan noticed the rapid approach.

“Oh? He’s catching up?” he mused.

On the light screen, the 55th pillar representing Zhang Yu surged upward after hitting 16th place, still rising.

Yu Xinghan smiled slightly, a memory flashing through his mind—Zhang Yu in a full sprint during their athletic competition months ago, chasing after him with relentless determination.

Though Yu Xinghan had edged him out in speed, he’d lost in the Sky Pillar round.

Thanks to Li Xuelian’s misjudgment, he hadn’t been able to go all out—and missed his shot at the championship.

There was definitely regret.

“But this time,” Yu Xinghan’s pulse quickened, “no one’s holding me back. I can finally go all out.”

With that thought, he abruptly stopped eating.

Zhang Yu glanced at the light screen—at the pillar just ahead of his own that had frozen.

“31st pillar… that’s gotta be Yu Xinghan, isn’t it?”

As if a switch had flipped, he turned toward Yu Xinghan—met with eyes blazing with battle spirit.

“This guy…”

Zhang Yu felt like he was back on that competition field, Yu Xinghan pulling ahead while they both sprinted full throttle.

“Wants a rematch, huh?”

Their gazes locked. The tension was palpable—an invisible clash of fighting spirit sparking between them.

3...

2...

1...

As if on cue, both burst into action, launching into a synchronized frenzy of devouring synthetic food.

Loud gulps and gurgling organs echoed from Yu Xinghan’s direction—he’d become a ravenous beast, gorging himself with terrifying intensity.

Just as he finished one bucket of food and grabbed the next, he checked the light screen.

And froze.

The gap between him and Zhang Yu wasn’t widening—it was closing.

“He’s still catching up?!”

Sweat began to bead on Yu Xinghan’s forehead.

And then it started pouring.

Not from fear or nerves.

This was the sweat of true effort.

A student of White Dragon High School, he had long undergone a Super-Metabolism Surgery to modify his digestive system.

Once he began sweating like this, it meant his system was operating at max output.

His gut had become a furnace—crushing and liquefying food at high speed, pumping heat and energy throughout his body.

Toxins and waste were discharged via his sweat glands, expelled as streams of perspiration.

But then—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderous sounds exploded from Zhang Yu’s direction.

His food bucket had tipped over, and he was lying beneath it.

Synthetic food poured down like a silver waterfall, and Zhang Yu gulped it down endlessly.

Meanwhile, his fists pounded his body in a steady, deafening rhythm.

One palm after another, detonating like thunderclaps in mid-air.

To Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu resembled a thunder god hammering a divine drum—each peal of thunder driving him closer and closer.

The gap on the light screen narrowed. Yu Xinghan’s sweat turned pale white.

That milky sweat meant he was now sacrificing digestive completeness for speed—undigested proteins oozing from his pores.

“Still not enough…”

Watching Zhang Yu catch up, hearing those thundering blows grow louder and faster, Yu Xinghan’s expression darkened.

His sweat turned from pale to a rich milky white.

As the color deepened, his digestion stats surged—he managed, for the moment, to stabilize the gap.

…

Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen, now down to 21st place, sensed danger closing in.

“I need a new approach.”

She rubbed her swollen stomach, thinking, “I’m about to throw up.”

“I need to digest some of this.”

Yet with her rank dropping, she found herself growing increasingly calm.

“Is it the Frost Soul Iceheart Technique kicking in?”

“I can feel my blood surging, and my mind has never been this clear.”

Data, techniques, and abilities appeared in her mind like weapons laid out for inspection—ready to be chosen.

Exam stats, tactics, and field intel poured into her brain like a flood.

She discarded option after option—until her gaze landed on Zhang Yu.

“Yuzi’s method isn’t bad…”

“But I can’t copy it wholesale.”

“I need something that fits

me

…”

She recalled the effects of her Thunderquake True Body at level 10, and the enhancements from her Zhen Spirit Root.

The technique gave her body immense resilience, allowing her to stay in high-performance states longer.

After being augmented by the Zhen Spirit Root, it also allowed her muscles to buffer and absorb energy at high speeds.

An idea sparked.

Her body began to sway—slow at first, then faster.

From swaying to vibrating, from vibrating to high-frequency tremors.

Her powerful physique and martial cultivation kept her organs intact under the strain.

The previously indigestible food now liquefied inside her under the relentless shaking.

With her body acting like a living blender, Bai Zhenzhen finally began to accelerate—leaping from 21st to 20th place, charging toward 19th.

And at 19th place was none other than Li Tongyun—still dripping with white sweat.

Her eating pace was fading fast, dread pooling in her chest.

She tried to swallow more of the paste-like synthetic food, but it felt like dirt crammed all the way up her throat.

“She’s hit her limit,” Huang Zichou commented.

Another Righteous God chuckled. “After all that diarrhea, her digestive system couldn’t take any more?”

Huang Zichou replied, “Works for a burst, sure. But sustaining it? No chance.”

Li Tongyun thought of her bet, of her parents teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

She forced more food into her mouth, desperately.

But her body had reached its true limit. With a sudden

splorch

, she vomited everything back up.

“No…”

She was already below the top 20 in the Mana exam. If she dropped below 20 here too, she’d have no hope in the Foundation Establishment exam.

And the consequences of failure—the contract that would turn her into corporate property—terrified her to her soul.

As a former executive’s daughter, she knew exactly what that meant.

Her body, her flesh, even her soul, would no longer belong to her.

“I can’t lose…”

Acting on pure reflex, Li Tongyun shoved the vomit back into her mouth and kept force-feeding herself.

But no matter how she fought, her body had reached its breaking point. All she could do was watch her rank continue to fall.