Night in the Confluence was supposed to have been the most advantageous time for the former imperial army, but under the mantle of the relic's rosy glow, that greatest advantage was now gone.
Under the overnight assault of the Jibei Circuit Defense Department's grand army, the former imperial troops, whose morale had long since collapsed, surrendered in droves. At present, the forces of Great Shun were advancing along the main roads, continuing to hunt down and mop up the remaining remnants of the enemy.
The airship carrying Yao Zhiyi, Chen Chuan, and the others had by now returned to Fortress Zone 4 and docked at the mooring point, though none of them had disembarked yet.
It happened to be dinner time. The airship had a dedicated culinary staff, and two sets of meals were soon brought up and placed before the two of them.
Chen Chuan glanced over. On the surface, the meal looked exceedingly simple: just a bowl of rice, a plate of sliced meat, and a bowl of fresh shellfish soup.
The grains of rice were large and plump, heaped high in a mound before him, drenched in an extraordinarily rich, jade-white broth that instantly whetted the appetite. Each slice of meat was the size of an adult's palm, crystal-clear and translucent, paper-thin like cicada wings, piled layer upon layer over the dish.
The fresh shellfish soup had a deep, lustrous hue, appearing smooth as silk; tender, halved shellfish meat lay completely submerged within it, garnished with flakes of an unknown, emerald-green herb, looking utterly enticing.
Yet this was by no means simple food. He could sense that an intensely alluring fragrance emanated from it, causing the mutated tissue within his body to stir restlessly, as if instinctively craving these things.
Yao Zhiyi invited him, "These are all special high-energy nutritious ingredients produced in the Confluence. For this excursion, the higher-ups specifically prepared several extra portions for us. These things have an expiration window, so you might as well help me eat them."
Chen Chuan nodded, waiting until Yao Zhiyi made the first move before picking up his chopsticks. He lifted a slice of meat and tasted it, finding that it melted the moment it touched his tongue. In an instant, a warm current flowed throughout his entire body. At the same time, his mutated tissue seemed to fill out slightly, conveying an urgent longing for more.
Yao Zhiyi explained from the side, "At our limit, while our destructive power is immense, our consumption is correspondingly high. This demands taking in massive amounts of nutrition and energy to replenish ourselves.
"Our spirit can guide and absorb a certain amount of external power to keep our bodies in an adequate state, but if our spiritual power is insufficient, relying on that alone can merely sustain daily activities—it cannot support the drain of prolonged, high-intensity combat.
"Thus, consuming high-energy food becomes essential. Without it, once we enter combat, what gets depleted is our very vitality.
"Therefore, under circumstances where the cost outweighs the gain, martial artists generally will not proactively seek out combat, and will do their utmost to avoid unnecessary fighting in order to reduce such losses.
"Furthermore, if you want to cultivate, that also expends a great deal of bodily energy, which requires supplementing with even more high-energy nutritious food."
As he spoke, he looked at Chen Chuan. "You fought a battle earlier and yet didn't feel particularly hungry. That's because you've only just stepped into this limit; while surging upward with all its might, your spirit breached a certain height and absorbed enough energy from the other world to replenish yourself. That energy will continue to remodel your physique.
"However, once your spiritual power passes its peak, it will gradually recede, and the energy you absorb afterward will slowly decrease until it levels off at a stable state.
"The energy you obtained was originally meant to be devoted entirely to your own development, yet a portion of it was burned away in battle. So if you don't take in some nourishment now, it might affect the heights you could have otherwise attained."
Hearing him say this, Chen Chuan tried examining himself inwardly, yet he found no sign of the spiritual recession Principal Yao described. His spirit remained at a high level, continuously providing him with a steady supply of energy; there were occasional fluctuations, but they were almost negligible.
This was likely because he had broken through in an unprecedented state, surpassing theoretical limits, which accounted for the difference.
After speaking a few words, Yao Zhiyi quickly polished off his plate of meat. Exhaling a breath, he continued, "The food I eat is usually supplied by Center City and the Confluence. The larger the territory controlled in the Confluence, the richer the ingredients that can naturally be provided.
"Taking this old man as an example, I have a fixed monthly quota that is basically sufficient for my daily cultivation. If combat is required, then depending on the specifics, additional supplies are allocated before or after.
"So generally speaking, every martial artist needs a complete supply system behind them to keep their combat strength at its peak at all times."
Chen Chuan nodded. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Principal, is it like this for all martial artists?"
"Not necessarily,"
Yao Zhiyi said. "Some martial artists who dislike constraints choose to hunt for themselves.
"Most of the medicines and ingredients we use originate from the Confluence, and certain things of extraordinary benefit to us can only be obtained from specific Confluence creatures, which isn't something logistics personnel can accomplish.
"Both approaches have their pros and cons. Relying on logistics means the source of ingredients is fixed, without any major surprises, but the supply is relatively stable. On the other hand, if you go out to find them yourself, it requires the martial artist to possess sufficient strength, along with a fair amount of luck.
"If your luck is bad, what you gain might not even compensate for your own expenditure. Confluence creatures of exceptionally high value are often extraordinarily ferocious and dwell in treacherous environments; with a single careless slip, you could easily lose your life there.
"In truth, certain entities on the other side regard us as food just the same, because our mutated tissue and spirits are delicacies to them as well. To put it bluntly and cruelly, we feed on each other."
At this point, he picked up the plate of rice, tilted it toward his mouth, and finished it in two or three bites. Then he went on, "Aside from replenishing through ingredients, there is another channel to reduce and restore consumption: using our spiritual power to draw energy from the other side to nourish ourselves, just as you did when you broke through your limit.
"It's very difficult to do that here. You would need to head deep into the Confluence. Simply put, the closer you are to the Ring of the World, the easier it is to replenish.
"That is why many martial artists are reluctant to stay in high-consumption places like Center City. Fighting here incurs heavy losses that are hard to restore; even the needs of cultivation have to be meticulously budgeted. Over time, that hampers the growth of one's strength."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan understood somewhat. Previously, he had almost never heard of any martial artist fighting inside Center City or outside in ordinary regions. Beyond state restrictions and excessive destructive potential, the greatest constraint was probably that they didn't want to incur too much personal expenditure.
Seen this way, the martial artists who took part in this battle had indeed made certain sacrifices.
Yao Zhiyi said, "In this battle, you contributed greatly and made real sacrifices. I will document all of this in my report and fight for the rewards you deserve."
Chen Chuan offered his sincere thanks. "Then thank you, Principal Yao."
"No need to thank me. Merits must be rewarded—you've earned this."
Yao Zhiyi then picked up the bowl of soup, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. Afterwards, he said, "The nourishment in these foods gradually dissipates. Best finish it quickly."
Chen Chuan nodded and said nothing more, focusing on eating.
He pondered for a moment. While his spirit had climbed sufficiently high, that did not mean he had no need for other means of replenishment. Setting aside combat expenditure for the moment, cultivation itself, as Principal Yao mentioned, also relied on high-energy nutrients; naturally, the more of such things, the better.
However, he had his second self. Once his second self began drawing close to him again, he would not have to worry much about physical stamina expenditure in ordinary combat.
As for going closer to the Ring of the World, that could be considered later on. After all, he had the Xuejun Saber, which could slash open fissures, allowing him to travel to the other side to cultivate or hunt.
Once the meal was finished and the dishes cleared away, Yao Zhiyi had his adjutant brew some tea. Looking outside, he remarked, "It seems the fighting can wrap up by daytime tomorrow. However, there's no guarantee the former imperial court won't react. Tomorrow, several of us will push forward to ensure nothing goes wrong. Supervisor Chen, you weren't part of the original plan, and I know you still have duties in Center City, so you should head back tomorrow. The rest of us here are enough."
Chen Chuan nodded and added, "Principal, if there is a need, feel free to call on me at any time."
Yao Zhiyi replied affirmatively, "This old man certainly won't hesitate to ask."
Chen Chuan then looked up at the rosy glow in the sky. Even without getting into its specific mechanisms, this relic was practically a strategic weapon against the former imperial court, directly neutralizing their greatest advantage. No wonder the former imperial house placed such enormous value on it.
He asked, "Principal, will this light stay lit up there continuously?"
"We tested it in special environments. At most, it can shine uninterrupted for about half a year, followed by a dormant period of half a year. However long it emits light is how long it rests. So once dawn breaks, we can reel in the light of this relic for now, and release it again if needed."
Chen Chuan asked, "Was this the first relic that appeared?"
Yao Zhiyi smiled faintly. "Not this one. When the breach appeared in the Ring of the World, we anticipated such a thing would likely emerge, so we had already been searching for one long beforehand. Later, we succeeded in finding it. It's just that we settled on this strategy afterward, using the light of the relic before us to cover up the one discovered back then."
Neither had any intention of retiring to rest. Instead, they chatted while awaiting the outcome of the battle. The night passed quickly. When dawn arrived, Chen Chuan saw the rosy glow in the sky slowly recede.
Yao Zhiyi said, "It seems everything went smoothly. In that case, I need to move the airship forward. Supervisor Chen, if there's anything you don't understand regarding cultivation, you're always welcome to ask me. Head back for now."
Chen Chuan agreed, immediately rising to take his leave of Yao Zhiyi. He then stepped off the airship, and once standing firm on the ground, watched as the vessel slowly ascended and drifted into the distance.
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Chapter 774