Chapter 81: Ultimate Treatment, A New Method of Devouring
Zhang Chu had an intensely awkward dream.
The heroine was Zhang Xueying.
The pose was the Lotus Seated Goddess.
Just as he was about to reach the climax, the sound of a door opening startled him so much that he jolted awake, his eyes snapping open: “Damn… It was just a dream! Wait, why am I saying ‘just’? Shouldn’t I be relieved?”
Where was he?
Surveying the creamy white walls around him, Zhang Chu turned his head and was confronted by a pair of heavy breasts, scarcely forty centimeters from his nose.
She wore a nurse’s uniform.
Large bust, slender waist, and on the badge at her chest, bold letters read: “Martial Arts Research Institute Hospital, Senior Ward Nurse Qian Meng.”
A hospital?
And a senior ward, no less!
His last memory lingered at the moment before he fainted.
The power of the high-energy armored tank shell was immense; if not for the gravitational field and the Thirteen Fiery Swords deflecting the shell, he would have been reduced to ashes.
Upon waking again, the first thing he saw was this impressive bust.
No, wait, it was the senior ward!
“Teacher Zhang Chu, you’re awake?”
“Then call me Director!”
Nurse Qian Meng noticed Zhang Chu’s dazed stare and offered a gentle smile before turning to leave.
Is this what motivates people to reach the top?
No wonder everyone wants to join the Martial Administration Bureau or the Martial Arts Research Institute.
Even the hospital nurses are so young and appealing.
Zhang Chu indulged in his daydreams for a while before finally beginning to examine his own body.
“System?”
He checked that he wasn’t missing any limbs and quickly called out, “Am I alright?”
“Detected minor injuries to host, no risk to life. Would you like to continue learning the second form of Passive Devouring?”
A white system popup appeared before his eyes.
Still as cold and indifferent as ever.
Despite such serious injuries, it didn’t even offer a word of concern.
“Learn my ass! Can’t you let me rest for two days?”
The senior ward within the system was only accessible to leaders like Luo Zhidong; even the bed was a state-of-the-art ergonomic design.
The system, after being cursed at, went silent.
Zhang Chu sat up, looking at his body covered in medicinal patches, and glanced up just in time to see Luo Zhidong appear at the door, carrying a fruit basket: “Xiao Chu, how are you feeling? If you feel any discomfort, I’ll have the hospital’s martial arts experts consult immediately!”
Luo Zhidong’s enthusiasm made Zhang Chu feel somewhat uneasy: “Uh… I think I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry, Xiao Chu. I’ll personally oversee your case. I won’t let those old scoundrels from the Martial Administration Bureau take you away!”
Luo Zhidong was resolute, and his rare moments of firmness were now devoted to Zhang Chu.
“Director Luo, what was that about me being your junior disciple?”
Zhang Chu recalled Luo Zhidong’s words before he fell unconscious.
That must be why he was in the senior ward.
“Teacher Guan Zifang, a four-star Spirit Realm practitioner, is my mentor.”
Luo Zhidong took a matching badge from his storage ring: “This is Teacher Guan’s token. As far as I know, only you and I possess this badge.”
“??”
“You said Old Guan is a four-star Spirit Realm practitioner, but isn’t he a four-star Dual Power Warrior?”
Zhang Chu was stunned.
He began to understand.
In the Level Six Forbidden Zone at Canglong Mountain, Guan Zifang had always shown him mercy!
If he were really a four-star Dual Power Warrior, how could he have the map to the Star Beast Tree Hole Spirit Realm’s Fishing Platform?
Damn! Old Guan really hid himself deeply.
Could it be that he was involved in the construction of the Binzhou Star Beast Tree Hole?
Next, Luo Zhidong briefly recounted Guan Zifang’s legend.
No system cheats, yet he rivaled those reborn.
Before thirty-five, he was a nobody, unable to reach even one star.
At forty, he was blessed by fate and became a Chosen One.
From then on, he soared, awakening not only the Chosen Power but also, at fifty, the Martial Power, becoming Binzhou’s only dual-power Chosen One and Warrior.
He was the epitome of the late bloomer.
Among Binzhou’s upper echelons, there was a saying: “As long as Guan Zifang guards Canglong Mountain, there will be no Star Beast tide attacking the city!”
Clearly, Guan Zifang was revered as a deity in Binzhou.
Yet in recent years, Guan Zifang had secluded himself in Canglong Mountain, running a strange beast zoo, and was rarely remembered.
Everything about Guan Zifang—
Luo Zhidong summarized three points, taking three hours.
Had the head nurse not urged him to change the medication, Luo Zhidong might have summarized six points.
By evening.
Luo Zhidong departed, the nurse finished changing his dressings, and Zhang Chu was left alone in the ward.
“Who would’ve thought Old Guan was so incredible—now I’ve gained Luo Zhidong as a senior disciple for free. Won’t I be walking tall in the Martial Arts Research Institute from now on?”
“When I’m discharged, I’ll find time to go to Canglong Mountain and thank Old Guan.”
Thinking back, Zhang Chu felt his luck was extraordinary.
Arguing with a four-star Spirit Realm practitioner and surviving—what a miracle!
“Director Luo, investigate Su Mingyue. Her ties with the Fallen God League run deep.”
Now that Luo Zhidong was his senior, he could confront Su Mingyue head-on.
Expose her!
No, investigate her thoroughly!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Zhang Chu pulled up an anonymous number’s text message with Su Mingyue’s photo shoot, screenshotting both the message and the image, then posted them anonymously in the gossip section of the Martial Artist Forum.
If she wanted to play dirty, let her taste her own medicine!
After updating the post, Zhang Chu remembered the system’s three reminders today.
“System?”
“Tell me about the second form of Passive Devouring.”
As soon as he spoke, the system activated, and a white popup appeared:
“Passive Devouring Second Form: daily passive devouring count increases to thirty; new ability to devour Star Beast cores added.”
“Would the host like to practice the second form?”
Reading the popup, Zhang Chu was so excited he nearly jumped out of bed.
This was ridiculously powerful.
To be able to devour cores—this was exactly what he needed.
Previously, devouring the cores was foul, fishy, and huge—truly disgusting.
Now, with the second form activated, it was a godsend for a transmigrator like him!
“Practice!”
Soon, Zhang Chu mastered the basics of devouring through the system demonstration.
Similar to the first form, but no need for direct contact.
He could simply use his mental power to connect and directly devour the core or the energy of green plants, up to a distance of ten meters.
In other words, within ten meters, he could devour from afar.
Zhang Chu quickly used his mental power to connect with a one-star core in his storage ring.
As soon as his mental power enveloped the core, a surge of pure energy entered his body, coursing through his meridians: “Ding! Host has devoured one one-star Star Beast core, combat power +5!”
The first attempt was a success, and Zhang Chu couldn’t stop himself.
No need to even remove the cores.
The system’s voice echoed endlessly in his mind.
Half an hour later.
All 270 cores had been devoured.
He checked his personal information panel:
“Combat Power: 7435/20000.”
“Mental Power: 5967/20000.”
The second form of Passive Devouring was simply phenomenal!
Zhang Chu couldn’t wait to be discharged and spend three days and nights battling in the Star Beast Hunting Grounds at the Boundary Hall.
“Teacher Xiao Chu.”
Just as he was planning his next promotion, the ward door opened, and Zhang Xueying entered in black stockings, carrying a bouquet of flowers…