Chapter 164: Rematch with Yu Xinghan

Applying his control over physical strength to the process of digesting food, Zhang Yu even used full palm strikes to aid in eating.

This was something Zhang Yu had never done before.

But with his formidable skill in controlling his physical strength, Zhang Yu mastered this technique very quickly.

Initially, he had to repeatedly strike his lower abdomen with full force, driving his stomach and intestines to contract.

Soon, his movements became more subtle, and the sounds of his palm strikes grew fainter.

This indicated his increasing familiarity with using physical strength to influence his digestive system, as he became more adept at controlling the flow and pull of that power.

Eventually, Zhang Yu appeared to be merely patting his stomach lightly, yet it caused his entire body to vibrate repeatedly, producing a series of low, muffled thuds.

He felt the subtle palm force transmit through his muscles, fat, and internal organs, crushing and compressing the food in his stomach, which allowed him to consume a few more mouthfuls of synthetic food.

Zhang Yu’s actions not only caught Meng Tao’s attention, but soon other struggling high school students began to imitate him, hoping to accelerate their own digestion. However, after just a few attempts, they felt a dull ache in their internal organs, almost incurring internal injuries.

A minor deity had been closely observing Zhang Yu and continuously monitoring the data transmitted from the detection patch.

He commented, "This Zhang Yu has an incredibly strong command over his physical strength."

"Each palm strike not only accurately transfers force to the food in his stomach, but also prevents injury to his internal organs in the process. Sometimes, he even manages to involve his internal organs in the power application."

"This level… doesn't seem like something a first-year high school student from Songyang City would be capable of."

"He's not cheating, is he?"

Huang Zichou calmly replied, "If he can achieve this through skill, how can it be considered cheating? Skill in physical strength is inherently part of one's ability."

"It's just that in this examination, anyone capable of employing such a technique already possesses sufficient physical and digestive strength, rendering this skill supplementary rather than essential."

"Conversely, those who attempt to use this technique to boost their scores often lack the necessary proficiency and end up injuring themselves instead."

The minor deity continued, "Oh, I still think that instead of comparing food intake, we should compare drug resistance. Taking medicine is the most crucial ability for body tempering."

Another minor deity wholeheartedly agreed.

Huang Zichou remained silent, simply glancing at the agreeing minor deity and wondering inwardly how much money they had received from pharmaceutical companies.

"Indeed, there's been a recent push to replace exams with drug administration, arguing it could gauge students' strength and potential based on the dosage they tolerate, while also facilitating drug sales and experiments."

"It's unclear who's behind this push…"

As the main deities conversed, Zhang Yu's eating pace quickened, and in the blink of an eye, he had climbed to 16th place.

Ahead of him was Yu Xinghan, who had already reached 15th position.

Yu Xinghan also noticed Zhang Yu gaining on him and thought to himself, "Oh? Has he caught up?"

As he watched the constantly growing column for number 55 on the display, which had just reached 16th place, a slight smile appeared on Yu Xinghan’s lips.

In that moment, his mind flashed back to the sports competition a few months prior, where Zhang Yu had sprinted with all his might, relentlessly pursuing him.

On that occasion, while Yu Xinghan had bested his opponent in the speed challenge, he had lost to him in the subsequent Sky Pillar segment.

Although it was Senior Sister Li Xuelian's misjudgment that prevented him from exerting his full power during the Sky Pillar segment, causing him to miss the championship, it was impossible not to feel some regret.

"And this time…" A surge of excitement rose in Yu Xinghan’s heart. "Here, no one is holding me back or preventing me from giving my all."

With that thought, Yu Xinghan abruptly stopped eating.

Zhang Yu looked at the display, at the person ahead of him, and at the now-stagnant column for number 31, and felt a slight jolt.

"Number 31 is Yu Xinghan, isn't it?"

The next moment, as if something clicked, he turned to face Yu Xinghan and met a gaze filled with competitive fire.

"This guy..." Zhang Yu felt as though he was back on the track from months ago, watching Yu Xinghan fall back, only to then sprint alongside him from the same starting line.

"Does he want to settle the score with me?"

Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan exchanged a glance, their intense competitive spirits seemingly clashing in the air.

As if by unspoken agreement, three seconds later, both inwardly roared with determination and began ravenously devouring the synthetic food before them.

Loud gulping sounds, interspersed with the gurgling and rumbling of internal organs, emanated from Yu Xinghan. In that moment, he seemed to transform into a massive beast, devouring the synthetic food from the bucket like a whale.

But as the synthetic food in his current bucket dwindled, and he turned to grab another, Yu Xinghan was surprised to see on the display that not only was the gap in their food consumption not widening, but Zhang Yu was actually closing in.

"This guy… he's still catching up?"

Witnessing this, beads of sweat began to trickle down Yu Xinghan's forehead.

Soon, more and more sweat appeared.

This wasn't due to nervousness, anxiety, or fear.

The sweat signified his complete dedication.

As a student at Bailong High School, he had also undergone the digestive system modification surgery long ago.

When he began to sweat, it indicated that his digestive system was operating at a high intensity.

In that moment, his stomach and intestines functioned like a massive furnace, furiously compressing and pulverizing all the food he consumed, sending surges of heat throughout his body.

Under this high temperature, large amounts of metabolic waste were continuously expelled through his sweat glands, forming rivulets of sweat that streamed down his body.

But then…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of thunderous roars continuously emanated from Zhang Yu's direction.

The food bucket lay overturned on the table, with Zhang Yu positioned beneath it.

As the synthetic food cascaded down like a waterfall or a river of silver, he swallowed it continuously with wide-open gulps.

Simultaneously, his hands relentlessly pounded his own body.

Each strike, one after another, was like thunder continuously erupting in the air.

At that moment, Zhang Yu struck Yu Xinghan as a thunder god endlessly beating a divine drum, rapidly closing in, accompanied by the continuous crash of thunder.

Watching the gap between them continue to shrink on the display, Yu Xinghan noticed a faint white tint in his sweat.

This white-tinged sweat truly indicated his increasing urgency.

The excess undigested protein in his sweat meant that, in his pursuit of speed, he was choosing to incompletely digest his food.

"It's still not enough…"

As he watched Zhang Yu steadily gaining on the display, and felt the increasingly dense, roaring thunder-like sounds, Yu Xinghan’s gaze grew more serious, and the sweat streaming from him shifted from a pale white to a milky white.

As his sweat became increasingly white, Yu Xinghan’s data growth accelerated, finally allowing him to temporarily maintain the gap with Zhang Yu.

While Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan were locked in fierce competition, Bai Zhenzhen, who had fallen to 21st place, also sensed danger.

"I need to figure out a solution."

Bai Zhenzhen rubbed her distending stomach and thought to herself, "I'm close to vomiting from eating so much."

"I need to find a way to digest this."

Yet, as her ranking steadily dropped, Bai Zhenzhen found herself becoming increasingly calm.

"Is this the effect of the Frigid Soul Ice Heart Art?"

"I feel my entire body's vital energy becoming more vibrant."

"My mind also seems clearer than ever before."

In that moment, Bai Zhenzhen perceived all her data, cultivation techniques, and abilities displayed with incredible clarity in her mind, as if they were weapons she could choose from.

Concurrently, various pieces of information about the examination hall continuously surfaced before her eyes, transforming into data that flooded her mind.

Idea after idea emerged, each carefully considered, then discarded.

Ultimately, Bai Zhenzhen's gaze settled on Zhang Yu.

"Zhang Yu's method is good."

"But it can't be applied exactly."

"I need to find a method that suits me…"

Bai Zhenzhen’s mind quickly reviewed her martial arts, the Level 10 effects of the Thunderbolt True Body, and its derived abilities.

The Level 10 Thunderbolt True Body made Bai Zhenzhen’s physical form more resilient, enabling her to sustain high-speed performance for extended periods.

Furthermore, after being enhanced by her True Spiritual Root, the Level 10 Thunderbolt True Body boosted this resilience even further, allowing Bai Zhenzhen’s muscles and tendons to act as a buffer and energy absorber even at full speed.

As she thought this, an idea sparked in Bai Zhenzhen's mind.

Her body slowly began to sway, and as the swaying motion accelerated, it gradually transitioned into a vibration, then a high-speed oscillation.

Her powerful physique and martial arts cultivation ensured that her body and internal organs remained healthy despite the high-speed oscillations.

Meanwhile, the food that was originally difficult to digest was continuously pulverized, broken down, and even liquified by the rapid vibrations.

Relying on her body's high-speed oscillations, Bai Zhenzhen finally began to eat faster, rocketing from 21st to 20th place, and then pushing towards 19th.

At 19th place was Li Tongyun, still sweating profusely with that white tint.

As her eating speed continued to decline, her despair deepened.

She struggled to swallow the synthetic food in her mouth, but it felt like a muddy substance was already obstructing her, from her intestines all the way up to her throat.

Huang Zichou remarked, "Li Tongyun has reached her limit."

Another minor deity chuckled, "After having diarrhea for so long, is her digestive system finally giving out?"

Huang Zichou replied, "It's acceptable for a momentary burst, but it's impossible to sustain that until the end."

Li Tongyun thought of the betting contract and her parents, who were on the brink of bankruptcy, and tried desperately to force a little more synthetic food into her stomach.

But it seemed she had reached a breaking point; with a soft retch, she abruptly vomited all the synthetic food from her mouth.

"No..."

Her magic power exam was already ranked outside the top 20. If her physical exam also dropped beyond 20th place, Li Tongyun believed she would undoubtedly fail this round of the Foundation Establishment Exam.

The thought of becoming a company asset made fear coil around her heart like a venomous snake.

As the daughter of a former company executive, she knew with chilling clarity that once she became a company asset, her body, her flesh and blood, and even her soul would no longer be her own.

"I truly cannot lose…"

Almost instinctively, Li Tongyun shoved the vomit from her mouth back in. Hugging the large bucket of synthetic food, she continued to force-feed herself.

But no matter how she struggled, it was futile. She had reached her limit and could only watch helplessly as her ranking continued to plummet.