The Void Devouring Technique shared surface similarities with the common Qi-Nurturing Method, but in essence, the two couldn't have been more different.
The Qi-Nurturing Method guided ambient spiritual energy into the body.But because the human frame contained countless invisible apertures where qi naturally leaked, the energy couldn't be retained for long.Still, this leakage had a use—the body acted like a temporary channel, redirecting qi into a blank spirit-stone shell, gradually forming a low-grade spirit stone while subtly strengthening the practitioner's constitution.
The Void Devouring Technique, however, worked as if a tiny black hole formed inside the body.It created an overwhelming, all-consuming pull that swallowed heaven and earth's spiritual energy with ferocity.Even though a normal body leaked qi through countless apertures, the devouring force was strong enough to overpower that natural dissipation.
Thus, qi didn't escape—it accumulated.Layer after layer of energy condensed inside the body, and with that level of density, the practitioner didn't even need a blank spirit-stone shell.They could form a spirit stone directly in their palm, out of nothing.
Spirit stones created this way naturally had purities far beyond normal ones.After all, the biggest flaw of refining with blank stones was the impurities contained in the stone itself—impurities a craftsman struggled to remove.
Similar theories had been proposed in the modern Federation, but no one had ever achieved them.The idea existed only in speculation.
But now…Wang Baole was staring at a complete technique that made the impossible real.
"It looks like the more I cultivate this, the stronger the devouring force becomes…"Excited beyond words, Wang Baole withdrew from the dream illusion.He sat cross-legged in his cave-residence, eyes sparkling.He could practically see the title of School Head waving at him.
He forgot everything else and dived wholeheartedly into the technique.
He'd practiced the Qi-Nurturing Method for years.Guiding qi was second nature to him.Calming his breath, he instantly sensed the boundless sea of spiritual energy in the world around him.
But although the Void Devouring Technique looked simple, the actual cultivation wasn't.Baole stumbled many times.Often the qi he pulled in leaked away faster than he could gather it.
But once Wang Baole set a goal, he fixated.Just like during the dream trial—ready to endure extreme pain for extra points—he refused to back down.
"According to the technique, I need to form a 'devouring seed' inside my body first. It must fuse with my flesh before it can overpower spiritual dissipation…"
So began another chapter of Baole's obsessive personality.
For the next half-month, he didn't attend classes.He barely ate, rushing out only to grab food before running straight back to cultivate.He thought of nothing else.
Meanwhile…
At the peak of the Headmaster's Mountain, beside a peaceful pond and a swaying willow grove, the old doctor who served as Headmaster sat fishing quietly outside a small thatched hut.
Next to him stood the Vice Head—the black-robed middle-aged man who had tried to expel Baole.Sweat trickled down his forehead.He looked painfully stiff.
After a long time, he exhaled, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply.
"Headmaster… I was wrong."
The old doctor didn't respond.He continued fishing as if he didn't hear a thing.
After another stretch of silence, the Vice Head wiped his forehead again and spoke even more humbly.
"My mistake was knowing that the Wang Baole incident could've served as a positive example—something to strengthen the academy's unity—and still choosing another path. I even instructed a Pill Department teacher to falsely accuse him of cheating."
Still no reaction.
The Vice Head swallowed and continued, voice even smaller.
"My second mistake was coveting the Armament Department's Special Admission quota. I let greed taint my judgment and tried to drive Wang Baole out… even influencing other teachers' attitudes."
He winced.He had badly misread the situation.He'd assumed the Headmaster disapproved of Baole and used that misunderstanding to punish Baole while gaining benefits for himself.
But no—Baole survived.And more importantly, the Headmaster's attitude had been the deciding factor.
Finally, the old doctor lifted his head and glanced at him.
"If you understand your mistake, then go."
The Vice Head let out a breath of relief.He'd been with the Headmaster long enough to understand—if the old man was willing to say this much, half the punishment was already gone.
He bowed gratefully and left.
Walking away, his eyes narrowed with coldness as he thought of Wang Baole.Small fry like that weren't worth his concern—but for now, he couldn't touch him.
He didn't know that after he left, a hunched old servant appeared silently behind the Headmaster.
"Master, brilliant as always," the servant chuckled softly."You used this incident to knock Vice Head Gao Quan down a notch. He'll behave himself for a while. But he confessed to many things—just not the most fatal one: overstepping his authority."
The servant continued:
"And we've confirmed it.The student who manipulated public opinion from the shadows was the School Head of the Armament Department's Spirit-Mold Hall.He is also the one who demanded the Special Admission quota.It seems his father gave him instructions."
"Ah… the father."The old doctor smiled thinly."One of the Federation's seventeen councilors… A figure like that wouldn't resort to such clumsy tricks. The matter ends here."
His eyes gleamed with mocking amusement.
"If Gao Quan had attached himself to the councilor, I might have respected his ambition. But clinging to the man's son instead? Foolish."
The servant hesitated."With a schemer like him… shouldn't we—"
"Not yet."The old doctor's gaze grew distant.
A scapegoat—a magnet for animosity—was too valuable to discard.
"In time, someone will eventually lose patience and move against Gao Quan. And whoever makes a move… must come here and negotiate first."
The old doctor's smile deepened.
Three months passed…
Wang Baole's seclusion became routine.The Armament Department eventually stopped talking about him.Everyone was too busy with coursework to care.
In a sense, Baole really did achieve the low-profile life he originally wanted.
And finally—
After three months of relentless cultivation, a faint devouring seed formed inside his body.
The moment he felt the first pulse of internal suction, he wiped sweat from his forehead, exhilarated.
He immediately resumed cultivation.
With the devouring seed active, the spiritual energy inside his cave-residence shifted direction like flowing water, rushing toward him.Soon even the qi outside his cave began spiraling inward.
Eventually, an invisible vortex formed around his entire dwelling.At its center was Wang Baole's devouring seed.
Qi accumulated faster than it could leak.The sensation was indescribably blissful—as if countless tiny hands were massaging every inch of his flesh.
But Baole didn't forget his goal.He raised his right hand, guiding the technique to condense a spirit stone.
And instantly encountered the next obstacle.
High-density qi was easy to gather, but a single slip ruined everything.When he failed, the qi dispersed again—only to be devoured back into his body at high speed.
"I refuse to believe this can beat me!"
Driven half mad by the nearness of success, he bought piles of snacks, locked himself inside, and didn't step out.He cultivated, ate, slept, and lived entirely within the cave.Days blurred together.
Without realizing it, he grew fatter.Much fatter.
Layers of glossy, soft spirit-infused fat accumulated on him—spirit fat formed from excess spiritual energy being converted into bodily reserve.
Thankfully, his Special Admission robe had astonishing elasticity…otherwise it would've torn long ago.
His face changed shape.His cheeks shone with oily luster.His eyes looked smaller by the day.
Another month passed.
One day—
A diamond-shaped spirit stone finally appeared in his palm.
He tested the purity, and his laughter boomed through the cave.
"Success! Hahahaha—I did it!"
"Not fifty percent, but seventy-five percent!!"
Back in Phoenix City, after years of practice, he had only ever reached a little above fifty percent purity.Seventy-five percent…The minimum entry requirement of the Federation's top academy, White Deer Dao Academy, was seventy percent.
He felt unstoppable.
He got up—or rather, tried to.
He couldn't.
Blinking, he looked down at his nearly doubled body size.His red robe bulged grotesquely, barely containing the layers of spirit fat underneath.
His breathing quickened.His eyes widened.
"This… this—"
He let out a miserable wail.Now that the tunnel vision of cultivation was gone, he fully grasped the disaster in front of him.
"I only stopped paying attention for a moment! How—how did it turn into THIS?!"
His mind flashed back to his family genealogy.
Panic hit him like lightning.
He did math with shaking fingers.No matter how he calculated it…he was heading down the exact same life-shortening trajectory as his notoriously overweight ancestors.
Actual tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I haven't become School Head yet! I haven't become President of the Federation! I don't want to reunite with my fat ancestors!"
Desperate, he grasped for solutions.
He'd tried dieting countless times before—never worked.
"Exercise! I need exercise! I can still fix this before it's too late!"
He waddled to the door—barely fitting through.Once outside, sunlight hit his distorted red robe.His massive shadow stretched across the ground.
Baole roared in anguish and sprinted downhill with everything he had.
And discovered—he couldn't get tired.
His body was overflowing with spiritual energy, powering every movement.
His speed soared.
Feeling that the Armament Peak was too small and too many people recognized him, he ran straight off the mountain and began circling the entire Lower Institute Island.
Students saw a red blur streak past them.
"I just saw a giant ball roll by…""I saw it too!""Wait—that looked like… a Special Admission robe?"
The spiritual network exploded with rumors about "the mysterious red sphere."
At the same time…
Near the island's lake, a group of Battle-Martial Department students were running laps.Among them were Special Admit Zhuo Yifan, Chen Ziheng, and many others.Their supervising instructor—a stern, muscular middle-aged man—ran beside them.
Compared to other departments, the Battle-Martial students resembled soldiers more than scholars.They studied ancient martial arts, and in terms of real combat, they were unmatched among all departments.
Every student had to build a strong physique.Their most basic training: the island-running circuit.
It helped new students raise their physical strength and prepare for entering the Blood-Qi Realm.Although half a year had passed since the semester began, they still did occasional runs.
"Faster! Did you all skip breakfast?!"the instructor barked.
But despite his tone, he looked proud.The students were brimming with vitality.Zhuo Yifan and Chen Ziheng had already surpassed the level of island-running training, yet they still accompanied the group obediently.
"You must remember!Our Battle-Martial Department has no need for fancy tools or pills!Our strength comes from our bodies!Let artifact-makers and pill-brewers hide behind their toys—we use our fists to crush everything!"
"We have the strongest strikes!""We run the fastest!""Our bodies are invincible!!"
Their shouts echoed across the lake.Blood-qi surged like a storm.
The instructor, thrilled by their morale, opened his mouth to shout more encouragement.
And then—
A gigantic red ball—a rolling sphere of fat in a stretched red robe—suddenly blasted past them like a runaway meteor.