Chapter 35

Chapter 035: Daily Training

Soon.

Yu Jing completely cleared from her mind the brief memory of that useless black silk and the black iron chest.

More important matters now occupied her thoughts.

After quickly exchanging for a nutritionally balanced instant lunch at the Trading House to hastily satisfy her growling stomach,

her attention swiftly shifted to the preliminary preparations for the [Chinese People's United Charity Foundation (People's Union Association)].

Even just setting up the initial framework involved a complex web of matters that needed coordination and confirmation:

The preliminary design of the organizational structure, standard procedures for Fate Point collection and distribution, a verification mechanism for help requests, and selecting suitable management personnel...

Fortunately, relying on the efficient information processing capabilities granted by the "Digital Heart," she methodically sorted through her thoughts.

At the same time, she collaborated remotely via the Fate Net with several temporarily coordinated liaison officers.

Gradually, this organization, entrusted with an important mission, began to take its initial shape.

During a break in her work, Yu Jing glanced at the post she had made earlier.

Sure enough, it had exploded.

The post had been pushed to the top of the Casual Chat Zone, and the number of replies was climbing at an astonishing rate.

Seeing the image of the golden chest, the vast majority of people were deeply shocked:

[Golden chest! A real one! First time seeing it!]

[Same here. I'd heard about golden chests on the Fate Net before, but this is the first time I've seen a picture.]

[So golden chests really exist? Then what am I, who opened three black iron chests in a row? An unlucky loser?]

[Not really, because most people have opened three black iron chests in a row.]

[The OP is way too lucky! Not just a golden chest, but it also dropped such a practical supernatural ability!]

["Digital Heart" has perception enhancement, information processing, and energy interference—sounds really high-end.]

[First you got a pistol, and now this... Sister Jing's luck is insane!]

[Congrats to Sister Jing for finally overcoming her childhood trauma.]

[Sister Jing already had a gun, and now she has superpowers too... What's there to fear about the wilderness? Afraid the wilderness isn't violent enough?]

[Absorbing some of that luck! Begging Sister Jing for a chest-opening livestream next time.]

[I'm absorbing some too. I don't ask for much, just hoping tomorrow's chest will at least be a bronze one.]

[Yu Jing, isn't that the second name on the Personal Contribution Ranking... The actual person?]

— "It's her! Sister Jing is really nice!"

[Wow, sis is really pretty, and her luck is so good. I'm so jealous!]

— "Pretty? How do you know?"

— "There's another post on the OP's profile page with a selfie. You'll know once you see it."

...

Amazement, envy, admiration, curiosity... all kinds of emotions intertwined in the reply section.

In just over half an hour, the comment section had gained millions of replies.

Such was the power of a golden chest!

A reply was impossible to come by.

Yu Jing merely skimmed over it briefly and then stopped paying attention.

But she mused to herself, "After this, my reputation on the forum has truly taken off."

"This influence might... be useful when the People's Union Association goes public."

But it was still too early to talk about that now.

She closed the forum and continued with her work.

At the same time, multitasking, she controlled her body to continue hunting in the forest, stockpiling more Fate Points for the upcoming People's Union Association and her own contribution ranking.

This wasn't difficult for her to do now.

Amid efficient work and hunting.

Time quietly slipped by.

The sunlight gradually slanted westward, draping the forest in a warm, golden veil.

Just as Yu Jing was stowing her prey into her space.

The long-silent Special Task Force group chat suddenly buzzed with a new message.

It was from the team member responsible for "information collection and integrated analysis."

"Report: Deputy Team Leader Yu Jing, after multiple rounds of screening and regional inquiries, the information team has found a trial participant with the same name as the target."

"Preliminary basic information has been compiled. It has not yet been confirmed whether this is the Chief, but... the information team assesses the likelihood as low."

It wasn't "found," but "discovered a namesake."

Yu Jing's gaze sharpened, instantly grasping the key point.

The efficiency was faster than expected.

But the result... low likelihood?

Still, due to the rarity of the surname "Yan," every person sharing the Chief's name warranted special attention.

Yu Jing immediately asked, "Specific details?"

"We've collected some of their identity information from Earth, family background, and all public posts on the Fate Net Forum."

"Current information cannot fully confirm or refute."

"The information team requests permission to contact their relatives and friends for deeper insights."

"Permission denied." Yu Jing didn't hesitate, rejecting it outright.

"Send me a copy of the compiled data first."

"Understood."

Ending the communication, Yu Jing looked up at the sky.

The sunset had dyed half the sky red, and the forest light was growing dim and hazy.

"It's getting late."

She decisively abandoned the idea of continuing the hunt and turned back toward the wooden cabin.

As she walked, she browsed the brief profile of the Chief's namesake on the Fate Net.

...

At the same time.

In the upgraded, cozy wooden cabin.

Yan Cang, seated cross-legged on the soft bed, slowly emerged from his focused cultivation state.

He hadn't woken naturally but was forcibly pulled out by a sharp pang of hunger in his stomach.

"Ugh..." He clutched his protesting stomach, his face dazed as if just waking up.

"Why am I so hungry..."

After a few seconds of blankness, he suddenly snapped to attention.

He hadn't eaten lunch yet!

His gaze shifted to the window, where the sky was filled with brilliant evening clouds—nowhere near the noon sun.

"It's... already this late?!"

Yan Cang was somewhat surprised.

For his first attempt at cultivating the Sword Nurturing Art, Yan Cang's mind sank completely into the wondrous state of guiding the faint currents of Qi within his body, sensing the opening and closing of his Essence Orifices, and gently nurturing the sword shadow in his Dantian.

He completely lost track of time.

In truth, for normal cultivators practicing "Refining Essence into Qi," using their own bodily essence as fuel, they would generally have to stop after circulating the energy through a few cycles.

Then they would have to wait for their body to naturally recover its essence, while also needing to eat to replenish what was lost.

But he was different.

Yan Cang had a nearly limitless Energy Pool!

During cultivation, whenever his internal essence was depleted, he would silently draw a thread from the Energy Pool to replenish it, forming a perfect "perpetual motion" cycle.

If it weren't for the fact that his physical body still needed food to sustain itself and would experience physiological hunger, he might have been able to cultivate straight through until the next morning.

"No helping it. After loading decades of experience, picking up cultivation again feels way too smooth."

"Even though it's not particularly interesting in itself, there's always this confidence that I'm a genius. It's really satisfying!"

Yan Cang muttered, feeling the hollow ache of his empty stomach.

"Time to eat! Eating comes first!"

Driven by an intense hunger, he quickly opened the Trading House.

As for what to eat?

There was no need to think about that.

"Bear paw, it has to be bear paw!"

The craving he'd missed out on in the morning came back with double the force.

Yan Cang browsed with enthusiasm, quickly skipping over the "plain bear paws" that were merely roasted and had a rough appearance.

He locked his gaze onto the listings of two sellers who advertised "ancestral recipes" and "meticulously prepared" dishes.

Without any hesitation, he directly ordered two portions!

One was braised in soy sauce, and the other was described as "Orchid Bear Paw."

He also added a clear, refreshing mushroom and vegetable soup to cut the richness.

After purchasing, Yan Cang jumped off the bed.

Despite sitting cross-legged for so long, he didn't feel the slightest numbness in his legs.

He walked to the table and took out his dinner from his Mental Space.

A flash of light, and the aroma instantly filled the entire cabin.

The braised bear paw had a dark red, glossy sauce and rich gravy, looking extremely appetizing.

Yan Cang couldn't wait to take a bite.

Hmm... it tasted good. The bear paw was soft and sticky, with a mellow soy flavor.

But it was only at the level of "not bad." It didn't seem to exceed his usual expectations of "delicious."

He then turned his chopsticks to the plate of "Orchid Bear Paw."

The paw was cooked to a glossy golden-red hue, plump in form, with a clear, rich broth.

He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

Yan Cang's eyes instantly lit up.

An indescribable, complex savory fragrance exploded on his taste buds.

The meat was so tender it was almost falling apart, melting in the mouth, yet it still retained a gelatinous elasticity.

The rich broth had completely soaked into every fiber, carrying a salty-sweetness with a hint of returning sweetness, along with layers of flavor from some unique spice.

Unlike the intense soy flavor of the braised version.

This "Orchid Bear Paw" highlighted the pure freshness of the ingredient itself and the tender, moist texture brought by exquisite heat control. It was so delicious he almost swallowed his tongue.

"This is good! This is really good!"

Yan Cang praised it endlessly, his chopsticks moving like lightning.

Soon, he had devoured the entire Orchid Bear Paw, leaving only the bare bones.

Because he was hungry, his appetite had grown considerably.

So, he went ahead and finished off the braised bear paw as well, leaving not a single bite behind.

Sipping the clear broth to settle his stomach, Yan Cang thought about the two bear paw dishes—priced similarly yet offering vastly different taste experiences—and sighed inwardly:

"As expected, no matter how good the ingredients, it all comes down to the chef."

He recalled the description from the seller of the "Orchid Bear Paw": a descendant of Liaoning cuisine, who hadn't made this dish in over twenty years and wanted to test if his skills had rusted.

Liaoning cuisine?

Yan Cang scratched his head.

He didn't know much about culinary styles, but he found this dish absolutely breathtaking.

Whether other Liaoning dishes would suit his taste, however, was another matter.

Of course, the main reason was that his stomach didn't want to "belong" to any single chef.

Instead, it wanted to "possess" many chefs.

But contacting, communicating, and placing orders with each one individually... was too much trouble.

"I need to think of a way to make this easier."