Chapter 37

Chapter 037: The Food Zone Goes Live

When Yan Cang first built the Fate Net, he had harbored the idea of "hiding his merit and fame," intending to quietly serve as a behind-the-scenes platform provider—the kind that operates without anyone knowing.

Who would have thought that his overly "dazzling" faction contribution points, like a searchlight in the dead of night, would forcibly push him from behind the curtain to center stage?

The others weren't struck by some idiot aura either; not only were they not foolish, but their logic was razor-sharp.

When the leaderboard first appeared yesterday, some had already linked him to the Fate Net due to his massive faction contribution.

Today, with the leaderboard refresh, his contribution points skyrocketed to astronomical numbers once again, and combined with the timing of the Trading House's launch, it was almost like slapping the answer right in everyone's faces.

How could he still hide?

Hiding was definitely out of the question.

But watching the endless flattery and his own prominent spotlight on the Fate Net...

Upon careful reflection, this feeling wasn't half bad.

Of course, this little bit of vanity didn't affect the fundamentals.

He didn't get carried away by it, nor would he change his original intentions.

He would still only be a "platform service provider."

From now on, he would only continue to optimize the Fate Net, providing a more convenient "stage" for all users.

As for stepping onto that stage—how well the play went, whether they could survive, whether they could thrive?

That was each person's own skill.

A babysitter? He would never be one, not in this lifetime.

Let alone the fact that his current Energy Pool was utterly insufficient to directly protect over a billion people.

Even if he could in the future, Yan Cang would only choose to continue providing better platforms and opportunities.

In doing so, he would foster a thriving ecosystem.

Rather than becoming an all-encompassing, all-answering deity.

If the survival of a nation or a civilization had to rest on one person's shoulders,

Then what meaning would anyone else have?

That would be ruinous!

...

Withdrawing from the Fate Net, the subtle pleasure of being praised gradually subsided.

Yan Cang decided to continue his cultivation.

He composed his mind and sat back down cross-legged.

His consciousness sank into his body, ready to continue nurturing the faint wisp of Sword Qi within his Dantian.

The cultivation of the Sword Nurturing Art was essentially "Refining Essence into Qi."

He needed to guide and gather the scattered Essence Qi throughout his body, circulating it along specific paths, and finally channeling it into his Dantian to serve as nourishment for that illusory sword shadow.

The process wasn't complicated.

In fact, after loading decades of "future" cultivation experience, it was practically second nature.

When the Essence Qi flowed through his body, there was indeed a warm and soothing sensation, as if every cell were being gently massaged.

But to be honest, this process... was extremely boring.

It required complete focus, with no distractions.

Constantly repeating the same paths, over and over again.

Even with the ability to multitask, he couldn't guide the circulation of Essence Qi throughout his body while doing something else on the side.

Because the "Essence Orifices" were spread all over his body, including his fingertips and eyeballs; his consciousness needed to guide every wisp of Essence Qi within them.

If he made a large movement, the positions of the Essence Orifices would shift, causing the Essence Qi to go astray.

In this way, at the very least, all previous efforts would be wasted, and at worst, it could harm oneself.

And when constantly repeating the same task while demanding full concentration, it's naturally easy to feel bored.

Especially when the task itself isn't particularly difficult...

Suddenly, Yan Cang felt that having decades of cultivation experience all at once wasn't entirely a good thing.

How careless!

No wonder the legendary Qi cultivators usually secluded themselves in desolate, uninhabited mountains...

And they emphasized staying far away from the temptations of the mortal world.

Looking at it now, it turns out that cultivation is so grueling that even ordinary human life becomes a beautiful sight.

But it was only his first day of cultivation, and he could still handle it for now.

With each breath, imperceptible Essence Qi seeped out from countless acupoints, converging into a stream that slowly flowed along a predetermined path back into the Dantian.

That illusory sword shadow seemed... to have brightened and solidified by the tiniest fraction.

This is what cultivation is all about.

It's a water-grinding effort, a war of attrition against one's willpower.

There are no shortcuts—only the monotonous repetition of the same cycle, over and over again.

"But... is there really no way to slack off?"

After completing another Cycle, Yan Cang couldn't help but entertain this thought.

Then, he instinctively thought of the Golden Chest.

If only there were a treasure that could provide something like "auto-cultivation" or "idle cultivation"!

But that was a matter for noon tomorrow.

The thought flashed by, and he shook his head, plunging back into the tedious yet necessary "water-grinding effort."

Time quietly slipped away in the silent cultivation.

Inside the wooden cabin, only the Multifunctional Everlasting Lamp emitted a steady, soft glow.

He cultivated for several hours straight.

When Yan Cang emerged from his deep meditative state, a fierce hunger suddenly struck him.

He glanced at the refresh time of the Supply Box and deduced that it was nearly dawn.

At this hour, it was about time to quietly go online and check the Food Zone.

But... his stomach was growling!

"Refining Essence into Qi" essentially involves converting bodily energy.

Although he constantly replenished his consumption from the Energy Pool,

the process of repeatedly tempering the Essence Orifices and guiding the Essence Qi was itself a deep exercise and drain on the body.

So...

"Let's have a late-night snack first." Yan Cang patted his stomach.

Having made up his mind, he quickly opened the Trading House interface.

In the dead of night, there were still quite a few transactions being completed in the Trading House, but the selection of freshly made, steaming hot food had indeed dwindled.

Yan Cang couldn't be bothered to pick and choose.

After a quick browse, he selected a portion that looked generous in quantity and boldly seasoned—the "Secret Recipe Charcoal-Grilled Wild Boar Skewers (10 skewers, large portion)"—along with the indispensable "Cola Bottle (500 ml)."

Place order, pay, retrieve.

The sizzling, greasy skewers carried a virtual aroma of charcoal fire, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, generously sprinkled with cumin and chili powder. The fragrance instantly dominated the entire wooden cabin.

He casually twisted open the bottle cap of the cola.

Relaxing, he leaned back into the comfortable Ergonomic Chair.

With one hand holding a skewer and the other a cola, he devoured the feast without any pretense of dignity.

Simple food, under the dual blessing of extreme hunger and the relaxation of body and mind after cultivation, burst forth with astonishing deliciousness.

After happily finishing the late-night snack, he quickly wiped away the grease stains on his hands and mouth.

That mental fatigue from prolonged intense focus seemed to be mostly dispelled by the food and the feeling of fullness.

"Burp~" Letting out a satisfied burp, Yan Cang rubbed his stomach, feeling his energy had recovered quite a bit.

"Alright, time to get down to business."

With a thought, his consciousness once again sank into the vast, boundless Fate Star Sea.

This time, the goal was clear: to add a brand-new section to the Trading House: the [Food Zone].

In his vision, it would be similar to a food delivery interface.

At the same time, a rating and collection system would be introduced.

Chefs with good skills would naturally earn high ratings and lots of collections, forming a virtuous cycle.

For Yan Cang himself, he only needed to collect all the "master chef shops" that matched his taste and had exquisite skills.

From then on, whenever he craved something, he could just go to his collection folder, "pick a card," and place an order.

Just thinking about it felt blissful!

Yeah, let's do it.

With Yan Cang's intention set.

Within the vast Fate Star Sea, invisible rules were quietly woven and embedded.

The light representing the "Trading House" adjusted slightly, and its internal structure began to sprout new branches.

A simple yet practical ordering system was established, perfectly interfacing with the existing trading rules.

No server-wide announcements, no flashing notifications.

This update was like a silent upgrade.

The [Food] section, like a quiet new module, silently appeared on the main interface of the Trading House.

Yan Cang checked that the functions were running smoothly, then withdrew from the Fate Star Sea with satisfaction.

"Done! Tomorrow morning, I should be able to try out this Food Zone."

"Time to sleep now."

The night was deep, and all was silent.

He yawned, lay back on the soft bed, and casually dimmed the Everlasting Lamp to its lowest night-light mode.

Sleep, like gentle tides, soon engulfed him.

And as he sank into his dreams, the newly added [Food] section on the Trading House interface...

Was gradually being discovered by some night-owl users.

And slowly, within a small circle, it sparked a wave of surprise and curious discussion:

"Did a new section appear on your Trading House too?"

"I saw it, it's called the Food Zone?!"

"You can open a shop and operate, or place orders for meals?"

"Are you sure it just appeared?"

"Did the Chief... get hungry in the middle of the night?"