A Living Monk

As the saying goes, only outliers are drawn to each other, while those of the same kind repel one another.

Clearly, Chen Hao was an outlier, and so was Chen Yi.

The difference was that Chen Yi was a major outlier, while Chen Hao was merely a minor one.

Thus, at first glance, Chen Yi recognized that Chen Hao was no ordinary man—he was a freak of nature, a mutant who had undergone genetic collapse and reconstruction, his body overrun by cancer cells yet refusing to die, achieving a twisted form of immortality instead!

Of course, such mutation came at a cost!

Chen Hao could only sustain his life and marginally enhance his physique by consuming nothing but wind and mud, utterly incapable of digesting normal food!

Had the Flying Star Continent still been in the age of cultivation, this flaw would have been negligible. After all, cultivators could abstain from food, drawing nourishment directly from the spiritual energy and natural essence of heaven and earth, sparing themselves the torment of swallowing unpalatable dirt and the never-satisfying gusts of wind.

But the crux of the matter was—the Flying Star Continent was now in an era of withered spiritual energy. Unable to cultivate, Chen Hao had no choice but to choke down mud and gulp the wind, forever trapped in a state of gnawing hunger!

The air-fried jade mud he carried with him was proof enough—perhaps the only thing he could stomach, however temporarily filling it might be...

And yet, Chen Hao was willing to share this "delicacy" with Chen Yi, a gesture that spoke volumes about the goodwill he held for a fellow outlier.

"I won’t eat it, thanks." Chen Yi declined the offer.

Though this ball of air-fried jade mud was the boy’s painstakingly prepared meal, and refusing it might wound his feelings—what did it matter?

Meeting Chen Yi, this ultimate outlier, was already the greatest stroke of luck in Chen Hao’s life.

Fate was mysterious and inscrutable. No matter how exceptional one was, sometimes all it came down to was that tiny bit of fortune.

Chen Hao, who had seized fate’s hand, was destined to become the vanguard of the Flying Star Continent’s revival of cultivation—the Heavenly Dao’s chosen disciple, the apprentice of the Celestial Master!

That’s right!

Chen Yi intended to take him in as a closed-door disciple—not just to teach him how to close doors, but to have him experiment with the nine unorthodox evolutionary systems derived from the Heavenly Dao’s revelations!

This was the arrangement of fate, an indispensable necessity!

After all, Chen Yi was the ultimate outlier who had strayed far beyond the bounds of orthodoxy, while Chen Hao was but a minor outlier lingering at its fringes. Only by using him as a stepping stone could the unorthodox evolutionary systems be propagated across the entire Flying Star Continent!

Gurgle~

Just then, Chen Hao’s stomach let out an ominous growl.

"Ah, my apologies. Since you won’t eat it, I won’t hold back..."

Chen Hao chuckled awkwardly, pinching a jade mud ball between his fingers and preparing to pop it into his mouth.

Chen Yi’s lips twitched slightly. With a mere thought, the pitch-black mud ball in Chen Hao’s hand vanished into thin air.

Others might not know the composition of that mud ball, but how could he not?

That damned thing was made from the despairing bodily fluids Zhou Zheng had shed while being tormented by three old hags!

As everyone knew, men had more than just sweat to relieve stress!

Before meeting Chen Yi, Chen Hao’s circumstances were one thing—but now, as a man about to become the Celestial Master’s disciple, how could he still eat such filth?

"Huh? Where’s my jade mud cake?"

The sudden disappearance of his food left Chen Hao momentarily stunned. Then, his supercharged brain whirred into action, his eyes suddenly blazing with a sharp light—shock mingled with confusion, disbelief intertwined with hope—before he finally stammered out:

"You... you... this miraculous power... are you... a cultivator?"

Chen Yi gave a slight nod. "You’re not bad. Interested in learning the Dao from me?"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Chen Hao was already prostrating himself without hesitation. "This lowly one has wandered half a life, lamenting the absence of a true master. If you would not disdain me, I vow to serve at your side—I beg you to take me as your disciple!"

His heart raced, his hands trembled.

Chen Hao was screaming inside.

Heavens!

A cultivator—a living, breathing cultivator!

Had the cultivators who left twenty years ago finally returned?

I must seize this chance!

No more eating mud and drinking the wind!

No more being called a freak!

I want to cultivate, I want power, I refuse to let anyone raise their voice at me ever again—I can’t take it anymore, I really can’t!!!

"Chen Hao, the path of cultivation is arduous. Once you step onto it, there’s no turning back. Are you certain?!" Chen Yi’s voice boomed.

Without a second thought, Chen Hao declared resolutely, "Better a fleeting brilliance than an eternity of mediocrity!"

Gurgle gurgle~

Before he could finish, his stomach issued a severe warning.

As a freak whose body had been rebuilt after genetic collapse, whose cancerous cells devoured energy ceaselessly, leaving him in perpetual starvation—Chen Hao would literally starve to death if he didn’t eat at all times!

"Master, I..."

Chen Hao’s face paled. He lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and stared at the soft, fragrant black mud cake beneath his feet, fighting the urge to drop and devour it on the spot!

Drinking the wind could quench thirst, but only mud could sate his hunger!

He was so hungry!

"Here, have something proper. Catch!"

Chen Yi shook his head and tossed Chen Hao a chunk of Earth Essence.

To Chen Yi, such a high-grade item was nothing special—but to Chen Hao, who had never tasted anything decent in his life, it might as well have been a divine delicacy!

"Thank you... munch... Master... munch... so delicious... munch... so heavenly!!!"

Chen Hao ate like a man possessed, unable to stop even if slapped.

Not only was it delicious, but it was also incredibly nourishing!

With every bite, he could feel a surge of immense power welling up inside him!

One more bite, and he could punch a bull to death!

Another, and he might even toss the 100,000-jin Sacred Summit Boulder around like a toy!

What in the world was this golden-brown mud cake?

What kind of garbage had he been eating all his life?!

This apprenticeship was worth it!

A single casual gesture from his master was already a peak he could never hope to reach!

......

OS: One day, the imprisoned fish shall return in full!