Chapter 143: It’s Bad Enough to Become Sentient, But It Also Gorges on Spicy Hot Pot

10,000!

Hearing the system's notification sound, Zhang Chu sprang up from the floor. "The pills for Spirit Realm practitioners are absolutely insane. That 80 million per pill was worth every cent!"

10,000 in mental energy.

If he were at the Armaments Division's special combat hunting grounds, based on 8-star star beasts, he would need to hunt 250 of them. Even in the brain-computer beast sea, he would need to slay 25 8-star demi-humans. Yet now, all he had to do was pop a pill, take a sip of water, and lie down to sleep to improve.

Zhang Chu had always believed that if a problem could be solved with money, one should never gamble with their life.

Pop pills! Spending money to pop pills is the golden path!

Zhang Chu did nothing all night. He took the 80-million-per-pill Spirit Molding Pills one after another, like they were candy. However, he remained cautious. After all, the Spirit Molding Pill was meant for Spirit Realm practitioners; if an ordinary Dual-Power Warrior were to consume it, their meridians would be unable to withstand the potency, causing irreversible damage.

Therefore, Zhang Chu only took one pill at a time. He would wait for the system notification and ensure his body felt fine before swallowing the next one.

He roughly calculated the time. It took half an hour to digest one 1-star Spirit Molding Pill, meaning two pills per hour. To reach 8-star as quickly as possible, Zhang Chu spent a full 15 hours consuming all of the pills. The massive increase in both combat power and mental energy left his body feeling an unprecedented sense of exhaustion.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhang Chu fell straight asleep. This was the most peaceful sleep he had had since his rebirth.

When he opened his eyes again, he was woken by hunger. Pills could improve his cultivation, but they couldn't fill his stomach.

"Damn it, I slept for ten hours straight?" Looking at the pitch-black sky outside, Zhang Chu realized it was already eight o'clock in the evening. He was so hungry that his steps were unsteady, and he didn't even have the energy to check his personal status panel.

Wearing his oversized shorts and flip-flops, he headed out. There was a convenience store at the entrance of Xisha Garden that also sold spicy hot pot.

"Boss." Zhang Chu entered the store, his stomach growling; the scent of the spicy hot pot almost made him faint from hunger.

"Young man, take my advice: show some restraint." Before Zhang Chu could speak, the middle-aged man at the register handed him a box of condoms. "Even the big shots here in Xisha Garden don't push themselves this hard. Look at those dark circles under your eyes."

Uh... Zhang Chu was mortified. Does he really look like some kind of sex-crazed pervert?

There are still plenty of decent people in this world. Like him!

"One bowl of spicy hot pot, two flatbreads, and a bottle of beer." Zhang Chu was too lazy to explain and found a place to sit. He secretly felt relieved that the convenience store owner was an ordinary person who didn't know much about the world of warriors; otherwise, if he were recognized as the "Light of Binzhou," he would end up on the trending topics again.

"Mr. Zhang, I didn't realize it was you. Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone. This box is on the house."

Before he could even settle into his seat, the middle-aged cashier came over with the spicy hot pot, handing him the box of condoms with an "I've been there, I understand" look.

"Uncle, it’s really not what you think. I'm just hungry and wanted some spicy hot pot."

"Even if you're hungry, you shouldn't be eating six-dollar spicy hot pot."

The uncle didn't give Zhang Chu a chance to explain and walked away. From a distance, he took out his phone, zoomed in, and clearly snapped a photo of Zhang Chu wolfing down his food, making sure the box of condoms was plainly visible, before posting it to his social media: "Shocking: The Light of Binzhou visited my shop. I gifted him a box of condoms as a sign of respect. I hope Mr. Zhang takes care of his health; the development of Binzhou is a heavy responsibility."

At this moment, Zhang Chu had no idea of the severity of the situation. If nothing went wrong, he would definitely be the trending topic on the forums tomorrow.

He finished one bowl. Then another.

Must say, six-dollar spicy hot pot is quite delicious. The owner, acting quite enthusiastic, continued to update his social media: "Breaking news: The Light of Binzhou, Mr. Zhang, is crazily devouring five bowls of spicy hot pot. He's so physically drained his legs are shaking. Should I give him a heads-up? Waiting online!"

What the hell! What is going on?

Six bowls of spicy hot pot, plus three white flatbreads. He even drank all the soup and still felt only eighty percent full. The key was that he seemed to be growing hungrier. "Does this Spirit Molding Pill have some kind of side effect? I'm not a mukbang streamer, what the hell am I doing?"

"Stupid system, come out and explain what's going on!" Zhang Chu was a bit worried and quickly summoned the system.

"Ding, detected that the host's body is consuming energy on a massive scale. Please replenish your energy immediately."

Soon, a red pop-up window appeared before his eyes. Massive energy consumption? And it was a red pop-up! Usually, red pop-ups were important system alerts. Zhang Chu's heart sank. "Damn it, these Spirit Molding Pills aren't fake, are they? If this continues, won't I have to eat 24 hours a day?"

He recalled that he used to love the sweet potatoes in the spicy hot pot, but today he had only eaten meat.

"Gurgle!" Sure enough, his stomach groaned ungraciously. There were only Zhang Chu and the owner in the shop; in the empty and quiet environment, the sound was quite explosive.

The owner was stunned. He proactively grabbed a large basin and brought it over. "Mr. Zhang, I'll refill this for you. Treat it like a buffet; no extra charge."

Looking at the spicy hot pot in front of him, Zhang Chu bowed his head and dived in. Hunger really makes one lose all dignity! This stunt absolutely shattered the owner's worldview. He took another photo and posted it: "Who can relate, guys? The Light of Binzhou is actually a glutton; he's devoured six pounds of spicy hot pot!"

Finally, Zhang Chu burped. He checked his personal information panel:

Combat Power: 1,210,000/1,500,000
Mental Energy: 1,410,000/1,500,000

He wasn't far from breaking through to 8-star.

"Damn it, I have to go to the Kewei Research Institute tomorrow and have Zhao Wuming check my body." Zhang Chu paid and left. As he was leaving, the owner enthusiastically insisted on stuffing the condoms into his pocket, saying that he was an adult and would have use for them.

"Everything is for the best," he thought, and Zhang Chu didn't stop him, heading home quickly. He needed to call Zhao Wuming to arrange an early check-up for tomorrow.

Just as he entered his home, Zhang Chu felt a slight tingly sensation in his lower abdomen. "I'm so full. That spicy hot pot was really good. Can you take me to eat it again next time?"

"Who's there?" Zhang Chu was startled and quickly scanned the room.

So what if he was a Dual-Power Warrior? Fear of ghosts was an instinct carved into the DNA of every soul-transmigrated person from Earth. A young, delicate girl's voice appearing out of thin air nearly scared him to death.

"Me." The voice came again. Zhang Chu looked down at his stomach, confirming the sound was coming from within. "What the hell are you?"

The next second, Zhang Chu felt something moving along his meridians in his lower abdomen, and then a purple vine sprouted from the palm of his hand.

The vine quickly knotted itself into the shape of a child. "Human, I want to eat spicy hot pot again tomorrow, okay?"

Holy crap! Seeing this scene, Zhang Chu felt the world go dark, and he fainted on the spot.

The Spirit Vine seed had become a sentient spirit! And it was a spicy hot pot fanatic!