Perhaps it was because Wu Dao's presence was too overwhelming.
The Piaoxiang Building served the food quickly. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, several meat dishes had been brought to the table.
Wu Dao, who had long been ravenous, naturally didn't bother with table manners. Spotting a plate of sliced boiled chicken, he reached out and grabbed it with his bare hands.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH...
He opened his cavernous mouth and, bone and all, his two rows of triangular shark teeth clamped down and chewed relentlessly. The hair-raising sound of splintering bone echoed through the main hall.
It was like a beast from the Primordial Chaos feeding.
Or like a mountain demon wearing human skin that had entered the mortal world.
In particular, Wu Dao's sharp, black, metallic-sheened shark teeth were not something a human should possess.
It terrified many of the other diners, who, faces pale, hurriedly paid their bills and left, afraid that Wu Dao, in the heat of his feast, might tear them apart too.
'Tch...'
Seeing this, Wu Dao couldn't help but feel contempt. He wasn't ashamed; on the contrary, he was proud.
'Just a bunch of low-level creatures obsessed with superficial beauty. Shortsighted and small-minded. How could they understand the wondrous power of human evolution and ascension?'
CRUNCH, CRUNCH...
The cannibalistic, ghost-like chewing sounds continued unabated.
Wu Dao was not affected in the slightest. He continued to feast, wolfing down his food. His massive mouth was like a meat grinder, pulverizing plate after plate of meat so quickly that the kitchen couldn't keep up.
BUUURP.
Finally, after finishing over twenty plates of meat—enough to stuff seven or eight men—Wu Dao felt warm currents spreading from his stomach and let out a satisfied belch.
"Waiter, is the room ready yet?"
He picked his teeth with a nail as sharp as an iron hook.
Wu Dao called out casually.
The gaping hole in his right arm was hindering his movements. Now, with a stomach full of nutrients, he had enough to circulate his energy and repair it.
But he needed to find a quiet place; he couldn't possibly expose the Essence Devouring Art in front of everyone.
"It's all clean, sir. This humble one will take you there right away."
The fat Shopkeeper, trembling all over, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and personally hurried over. He led Wu Dao upstairs, not daring to mention a word about the bill.
"It's not bad. Prepare another table's worth and send it to my room later."
Wu Dao said, picking his teeth and offering his praise generously. At the same time, he tossed out a Silver Yuanbao the size of a baby's fist and gave his instructions.
"Oh, as long as you're satisfied, sir! I'll go instruct the kitchen to prepare it at once."
The fat Shopkeeper hastily accepted the yuanbao, his face beaming. For a moment, he felt Wu Dao wasn't so terrifying after all—he was dearer than his own father.
Whether Wu Dao could actually eat another table of food was not his concern.
As long as he was paid, he wouldn't even bat an eye if the customer threw all the food from the kitchen away.
CREAK—
Just as the two reached the door of the prepared room, the black-lacquered door of the adjacent room happened to open.
Wu Dao subconsciously glanced over.
A clean-shaven face, eyes like jet-black lacquer, dressed in an elegant green robe with a longsword at his waist. His features were handsome and striking—a fine, jade-like young swordsman.
But this was just the surface.
Wu Dao could clearly sense a faint yet incredibly sharp and fierce killing intent concealed within the man's gentle and approachable Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
Divine Power Realm!
And an extremely special one at that. 'His threat level is at least on par with Meng Qingshuang, perhaps even higher.'
'A Sword Cultivator?'
Wu Dao's gaze shifted downward, calmly assessing the slender, black-sheathed sword hanging at the green-robed young man's waist.
'When one carries a sharp weapon, their killing power naturally increases.'
'Even more so for an Extraordinary human who has dedicated themselves to the way of weapons.'
This seemingly frail young man was undoubtedly a Martial Artist who specialized in the Sword Dao, and his attainments were not low.
His every move faintly exuded the restrained air of a Grandmaster. It was clear his Sword Dao had reached the realm of a Master of Hundred Transformations, making him nearly unrivaled in combat against those at the same level!
This was not an exaggeration, but a simple truth.
When physical abilities were comparable, how could someone who trained in fists and feet hope to fight someone who specialized in weapons? Unless you were indestructible, you'd be sliced to ribbons in minutes.
CREAK—
While Wu Dao was lost in thought, the fat Shopkeeper had already opened the door.
Noticing the frail young man frown slightly in displeasure, Wu Dao grinned, retracted his gaze, and entered the room. He had already formed a deep impression of the man.
The realm of Master of Hundred Transformations.
An ordinary person would need to immerse themselves in honing a single skill for fifty or sixty years to have a chance at achieving it.
But that young man, who looked to be in his twenties at most, had already reached it. One could only imagine his Comprehension and talent. In this remote little place, it was no exaggeration to call him a genius.
People like him were rarely fools, and they certainly didn't act without reason.
He must have already known what the anomaly in Canyun Mountain was and confirmed that it held great benefits for him, which was why he was staying here.
Inside the classical and elegant room.
'It's also highly attractive to those in the Divine Power Realm...'
Wu Dao sat at the table, his eagle-claw-like fingertips tapping the surface. His thoughts churned, and he licked his lips. His appetite for the anomaly within Canyun Mountain rose to another level.
However, since a strong competitor had appeared, he couldn't just ignore him.
"The Swordsman in the room next door, do you know his background?"
Wu Dao didn't beat around the bush, looking up to ask the fat Shopkeeper who was about to leave.
'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'
Although his current strength was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he was not arrogant enough to look down on any opponent, especially not a young genius whose Sword Dao had already reached the Master of Hundred Transformations level.
"Eh... you don't know, sir?"
The fat Shopkeeper looked surprised, as if the green-robed Swordsman was quite famous in the area. He explained in a low voice:
"That young master's name is Cloud Heaven Flow. His master is Yang Wufeng, the recognized head of Sword Dao in the Prefecture.
Though he's barely twenty, he has already reached Divine Power Peak. His Sword Technique is perfected to the point of mastery, comparable to famous masters. He often acts chivalrously, saving people from peril. In both virtue and Martial Power, he's one of the leading figures of the younger generation at Fangcun Sword Hall.
Furthermore, he possesses a Yellow Court Sword Embryo and is expected to undergo a Rebirth before the age of twenty-five, truly stepping onto the Path of Transcendence.
However, I heard he was injured by demonic miasma a few years ago, which damaged his foundation. That's why he's always sickly. But his strength still can't be underestimated; he has almost no rivals within the Divine Power Realm."
"Demonic miasma?"
Wu Dao's expression flickered slightly as he voiced a question that had been on his mind: "Within Guangqing Prefecture, are there many strange incidents like the one in Canyun Mountain, or should I say, demonic and strange creatures?"
Ever since his first encounter with a strange entity, which activated his attribute panel and gave him a taste of its benefits, he had been keenly interested in anomalies. But limited by the lack of information, his understanding of the Alien Species of this World was far too limited.
He knew almost nothing about their strengths or numbers.
"This humble one wouldn't know about that."
The fat Shopkeeper said with some apprehension, "But before the Dali fell into chaos, I'd never heard of such strange things. Maybe it's like the old saying goes: 'Chaotic times breed many demons and evils.'"
"I see. Alright, you can go."
Wu Dao felt a flicker of regret and waved for the fat Shopkeeper to leave.
CREAK—
The door closed tightly, and the room fell silent.
'Looks like from now on, I'll have to make more contact with people from the Extraordinary Side.'
Wu Dao stared at the closed door, his eyes glinting as he processed the information he had just received.
Demonic, evil, and strange entities.
They were mostly dark, furtive, and vicious things that fed on human flesh, bone, and spirit.
An ordinary person would die upon contact, so it was normal for them to be ignorant. Only Extraordinary cultivators could confront them head-on, fight and contain them, and leave behind informational Classics for posterity.
'If I want to rely on anomalous food to rapidly increase my strength in the future, I'll have to deal with the forces of the Extraordinary Side.'
'Alone, like a headless fly.'
'The limitations are too great!'
But those were matters for the future. Right now, the anomaly in Canyun Mountain was the top priority.
Cloud Heaven Flow wouldn't be the only one.
There were surely many other masters hidden in Pan Shui Town, all here to strike it rich.
These were all potential competitors!
He had to return to his peak condition as soon as possible and be on high alert to deal with them.
Wu Dao never underestimated anyone unless he was absolutely certain of his advantage.
'A careful hand can steer the same ship for ten thousand years, but a moment of carelessness can sink an empire.'
You only get one life. If he were to capsize in a gutter, he couldn't guarantee he'd get a second chance!
HUFF—
Wu Dao sat cross-legged on the bed, let out a light breath, and adjusted his state. His body quickly grew red and hot as he entered the Divine Ghost Heaven State.
The Divine Ghost Heaven Secret Technique.
It could not only explosively increase his Combat Power for a short time but, when controlled properly, was also a Divine Skill for healing.
In his previous life, during the time before he had fully matured, the Divine Ghost Heaven Secret Technique had helped him survive countless brutal assassination attempts by the old humans.
As long as it wasn't a case of missing limbs or the direct loss of an organ, any injury could be healed quickly with Divine Ghost Heaven.
Of course, this was only because his Potential Release progress was insufficient.
If he reached the Overlord Domain at 85% Potential Release, where every single cell possessed its own complete consciousness and his Life Force was incredibly potent, even regenerating a severed limb would be easy.
VMMMM—
After a few breaths, Wu Dao's bones, muscles, internal organs... all of his organs, inside and out, began to vibrate. The food in his stomach broke down rapidly, transforming into streams of Healing Fluid that surged throughout his body.
Wu Dao focused his mind, directing the Healing Fluid toward the hole in his right arm. To the naked eye, flesh granulated, sinews grew, and skin formed over the wound.
In a matter of ten-odd seconds, the hole in his right arm was completely filled in. Muscle and sinew were restored, and the skin was like jade, showing no signs of injury.
At the same time, the nutrients from the meat dishes that could have fed seven or eight men were completely exhausted, and his stomach was once again empty.
"The Energy contained in ordinary food is too low, after all."
Wu Dao's state returned to normal. He opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. Feeling the hunger pangs from his stomach, he couldn't help but shake his head.
The Beast King Extreme Domain.
The best food for it was medicinal cuisine cooked with herbs.
Only then could it provide enough nutrients to convert into Healing Fluid, maintain his stamina, break his shackles, and enter the next realm.
But his current conditions were limited. He wasn't overly demanding. Ordinary food was a bit inferior, but as long as he ate enough of it, the nutrients were barely sufficient.
KNOCK, KNOCK—
About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and the faint aroma of meat drifted into the room.
"Come in."
Wu Dao, who had been resting his spirit on the bed, let out a breath and opened his eyes. Saliva began to pool in his mouth.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH...
A moment later, the hair-raising sound of splintering bone and chewing flesh echoed in the room, savage and violent, as if it were a Demon Cave.
"Another troublesome one..."
In the room next door, the jade-faced Cloud Heaven Flow sat on his bed, his longsword laid across his lap in meditation. Hearing the grating chewing sounds from beyond the wall, he couldn't help but open his eyes and frown.
Wu Dao could see that he was no simple character.
How could he, Cloud Heaven Flow, lack that same Eye Power?
In their brief meeting just now, the impression Wu Dao left on him far surpassed that of any Divine Power Realm expert he had ever encountered.
'As scorching as a furnace, as ferocious as a tyrannosaurus!'
'Once the restrained, terrifying Power within that inhumanly savage, nine-foot-tall body erupts, he will instantly transform into a beast of Primordial Chaos.'
But if it was just brute strength, Cloud Heaven Flow wasn't too concerned. In a fight to the death, he was seventy percent confident he could end it quickly.
What truly made him wary were Wu Dao's arms and fists, which were as abnormally thick and calloused as a whale's waist and a whale's head.
'Skill in fists and feet.'
'To train to the point of altering one's physique... anyone capable of that has refined a Cultivation Technique to their very bones, a Grandmaster who has achieved true mastery!'
'A Fist Dao Grandmaster?'
'But what's with that strange sense of familiarity?'
Cloud Heaven Flow's eyes narrowed. His thoughts churned, and a torrent of memories surged. The faces of a group of imposing Boxers appeared in his mind.
The same Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the Fist Dao.
The same whale-waist arms, the same whale-head fists.
"The Giant Whale Sect..."
He softly uttered those three words.
Cloud Heaven Flow had a guess about Wu Dao's origins, but he still needed to verify if it was true.
After all, the Giant Whale Sect, which had once been so prominent in Guangqing Prefecture, had fallen apart decades ago. It was only normal for its legacy to have been scattered.
"But no matter who it is, if they stand in the way of my Breaking the Cocoon, then I'll have no choice but to be impolite..."
SHIIING!
The sharp glint of a blade being unsheathed.
A hint of coldness appeared on Cloud Heaven Flow's gentle, jade-like face.