After chopping down his first bamboo, Yuan had to sit still for several minutes before he even thought about moving again. "I haven’t felt this weak in a while…" he sighed as he turned to look at the bamboo he’d just chopped. A moment later, Yuan reached for his sword again despite the lingering ache in his arms. With a swift motion, he chopped off a tiny piece of the bamboo. Then, without hesitation, Yuan tossed the piece of bamboo into his mouth and closed it, letting it rest on his tongue without chewing. ’As I thought, there is spiritual energy in this bamboo,’ Yuan mused to himself as he settled into the lotus posture. He began cultivating on the spot, absorbing what little spiritual energy was in the bamboo. Although he couldn’t sense spiritual energy in his current state, he knew the Bamboo Garden was growing Spiritual Bamboo, a common ingredient used in alchemy during the Primordial Era. While the spiritual energy they contained was minuscule and would barely speed up his cultivation, he wasn’t in the position to be picky. Moreover, it helped him recover his fatigue much faster, allowing him to work toward his next bamboo. Once Yuan had recovered enough energy, he picked up and dragged the first bamboo he chopped, which weighed around 15 kilograms, to the designated area where quotas were gathered and verified. After delivering the first bamboo and having it verified, Yuan returned to the bamboo garden to continue his work. Each bamboo took about an hour of effort, including the time he needed to recover in between. The repetitive process was grueling, but he persevered, chopping down four more bamboo stalks over the next several hours. "I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast…" Yuan sighed, his stomach growling loudly. Although he had been absorbing spiritual energy, the majority of it was being utilized to advance his cultivation, leaving nothing to satisfy his hunger. Unfortunately, the cafeteria only operates at set times—once for breakfast and once for dinner. The time for breakfast had long since passed, leaving Yuan with limited options. He either had to wait until dinner or find his own food through other means. Yuan initially considered fishing for his meal, but after a moment of thought, he realized he didn’t have the necessary tools to do so. With a sigh, he abandoned the idea and resigned himself to waiting for dinner. Returning to his living quarters, Yuan settled onto the firm bed, sat in the lotus position, and began cultivating once more. Despite the hunger gnawing at him, he focused his mind and absorbed the spiritual energy around him, which helped relieve some of his hunger. Once it was time for dinner, Yuan immediately set out for the cafeteria, eager to finally satisfy his hunger. As he stepped out of his living quarters, he noticed a stream of others leaving their homes as well, all heading in the same direction. Judging by their expressions and hurried steps, it was clear they had also skipped breakfast and endured the consequences throughout the day, much like he had. "I can’t believe I’m experiencing hunger like a mortal," someone nearby muttered. "I didn’t even realize it was hunger at first since it’d been so long since I experienced hunger," another voice remarked. "I thought I was sick or something." "I’m actually kind of excited. This will be my first meal in a hundred years," said an old man. When Yuan arrived at the cafeteria, he wasn’t surprised to find it packed with people. The flavorful aroma of the food filled the air, making his stomach rumble even louder in anticipation. Without hesitation, he stepped into the line for food. Sometime later, after receiving his food—a simple meal of a bowl of white rice, some vegetables, and a single slice of meat—Yuan found an empty seat in the bustling cafeteria. He sat down quietly and began eating, savoring each bite. Despite its simplicity, the food tasted amazing, even heavenly. The meal was neither too filling nor too little—just enough to satisfy Yuan’s hunger and replenish some of his energy. After finishing dinner, Yuan returned to his room to cultivate. However, unlike his usual routine of cultivating throughout the night, his current weak body didn’t have the stamina to sustain such efforts, so he went to sleep when he became too tired to cultivate. The following day, Yuan visited the cafeteria first thing in the morning to eat breakfast. The cafeteria was just as packed as yesterday. Clearly, everyone had learned their lesson to not skip breakfast. After dinner, Yuan had a brief chat with Lan Yingying to talk about their progress. "I spent all of yesterday trying to memorize the cultivation technique, but I still can’t make any progress," Lan Yingying said with a sigh. "That’s normal. It’s only been one day, after all. Don’t forget, you’re no longer a genius but an ordinary mortal," Yuan reminded her. "How long does it typically take a mortal to memorize a cultivation technique?" Lan Yingying inquired. "It depends, but it isn’t strange for an ordinary person to take months to memorize a cultivation technique." "Months…? Just to memorize a Mortal-rank cultivation technique?" Lan Yingying swallowed nervously. Yuan chuckled at her reaction and said, "It’s not easy being ordinary and without talents, is it? Keep in mind, this is the reality most people in the world face every single day." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 "I’ll try again today. If I don’t make any progress, I’ll take a break and start working on my quota," she sighed a moment later. "Good luck," said Yuan. A while later, Yuan headed to the training hall to pick up his tools. However, instead of reaching for a sword, he chose two water buckets this time. With his body still aching from yesterday’s exertions, he decided to take it easier today and focus on the simpler task of gathering water. Carrying the water buckets, he walked to the river to fill them. Once they were full, he returned to the training hall to pour the water into the pots with his house number on it.