"The Six Divine Powers!"
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Riding his mule, Wei Yuan arrived at Caixu Town and, as usual, stopped by his favorite breakfast stall.
The vendor greeted him warmly.
"The Mouth of Gluttony… I wonder what kind of effect it really has," Wei Yuan thought, his gaze sweeping over the enticing array of food on the table, a thrill of anticipation running through him.
This was the sixth divine power he had managed to summon.
He picked up his spoon and took a bite of tofu pudding.
Conversion +0.1
As glowing words shimmered before his eyes, Wei Yuan felt the tofu pudding melt into a warm, comforting stream that spread through his entire being.
Next, he savored a crispy fried dough stick.
Conversion +1
Then a fluffy veggie bun.
Conversion +1
Followed by a savory meat bun.
Conversion +3
And finally, a perfectly cooked egg.
Conversion +2 …
Wei Yuan ate with gusto, clearing everything on the table.
Yet, a strange emptiness persisted.
His stomach felt as hollow as it had before he started, as if he hadn't consumed a single morsel.
"So this is the Mouth of Gluttony?" he mused.
An unbelievable digestive power, coupled with an insatiable appetite! The Mouth of Gluttony… truly was something else! A thought struck him, and Wei Yuan waved to the vendor.
"Boss, give me ten more meat buns and another bowl of tofu pudding."
"Ten? Coming right up!"
The vendor beamed, quickly opening the steaming basket and handing over the buns.
Wei Yuan ate steadily, methodically.
Conversion +3
Conversion +3 …
Having polished off all ten meat buns and the second bowl of tofu pudding, Wei Yuan licked his lips.
He felt a sense of mental satisfaction, but the persistent hollowness in his stomach remained.
It was as if he could eat indefinitely.
He patted his belly – still flat, without the slightest hint of fullness. It was as though the feast had vanished into thin air. But he knew he had to exercise restraint.
Ordering more would undoubtedly alarm the vendor, potentially leading to him being refused service.
And if word got out about his bizarre eating habits, he risked being labeled a monster.
So…
Wei Yuan paid, offered a polite nod, and left the stall. He then made his way to another food stall, his stomach already rumbling anew.
He ordered more food and continued his unusual breakfast.
And so it went. Wei Yuan visited five different food stalls in total.
Only then did his stomach finally begin to protrude slightly, and a semblance of fullness settled within him.
"If I keep this up, my coin pouch will be lighter than air," he muttered, before heading towards the Li estate for his daily training. However, to his astonishment, no sooner had he completed his warm-up exercises than the entirety of the consumed food seemed to have vanished.
Digested completely. Clean. And the familiar pangs of hunger returned.
Seizing a brief respite from training, Wei Yuan dashed outside and bought a meat pie to quell the gnawing emptiness.
Back to training – then the insistent hunger struck again.
Wei Yuan felt like someone with an impossibly small bladder, constantly needing to relieve themselves, except his need was for more food.
He ended up consuming more than eight meals before noon even arrived. The afternoon followed the same pattern. His money was dwindling rapidly, yet all that food was being instantaneously converted into energy.
The effect was immediate and undeniable.
While holding a challenging horse stance, he finally managed to maintain it for longer than the time it took for a stick of incense to burn – at least five minutes more than his previous best!
A single day empowered by the Mouth of Gluttony had amplified his endurance by over five minutes. A remarkable improvement! By now, he had already summoned six divine powers:
God of Wealth's Blessing – Brings wealth and luck.
Might of the Giant Spirit God – Grants incredible strength.
Great Yi's Charged Strike – A powerful, focused attack.
Mouth of Gluttony from the God of Food – Super digestion, endless appetite.
Eye of Truth – Grants an Immobilization Spell that can freeze enemies in place.
Fortune Star from the God of Fortune – Brings amazing luck.
In Caixu Town, the balance of power was subtly maintained by four formidable masters – Ye, Hong, Li, and Liu. Their strength was legendary, like four insurmountable mountains casting their shadows over the town. Yet, they did not directly govern Caixu Town.
Instead, their disciples, drawing followers through displays of personal might, formed gangs, carved out territories, and levied protection fees. The larger the territory, the greater the influence.
Consequently, turf wars were a constant reality among the various gangs. Interestingly, the four masters remained aloof from these conflicts.
The victor reigned, the defeated vanished. Only raw power dictated supremacy.
On the surface, Caixu Town might have appeared as a chaotic hub of gang activity. However, the established, larger gangs maintained a degree of stability.
They rarely initiated conflicts without cause. The ordinary townsfolk were largely unaffected by their power struggles. The upper echelons of power were, for the most part, firmly entrenched.
The incessant fighting was primarily confined to the smaller or newly formed gangs, battling fiercely over a single street or a meager stall's protection money.
It was simply the rhythm of life in Caixu Town. Wei Yuan had heard tales of these gang skirmishes. They held little interest for him – he was an outsider, unlikely to be drawn into their squabbles.
Life in the countryside had its advantages. Fewer complications, less drama. Of course, it also meant being excluded from access to the prime farmland surrounding Caixu Town.
Like his own village – nestled in the mountains, its soil was far less fertile, yielding meager harvests, barely half of what could be reaped from the rich plains.
And living in the remote countryside carried its own set of safety concerns.
Having finally quelled his immediate hunger after the extended breakfast, Wei Yuan made his way directly to the Li estate. Just as he was beginning his warm-up routine, a young maid rushed over, calling out, "Hey,
Wei Yuan! Master Li wants to see you." Wei Yuan blinked in surprise. Old Man Li was notoriously indolent.
Aside from offering occasional guidance to his most promising students, he generally ignored everyone else.
For someone like Wei Yuan, still diligently working through the basics, Master Li usually left the instruction to Zhang Wu. He rarely even spared Wei Yuan a passing glance.
"....."