Chapter Twenty: Transformation

Yang Luo changed out of his soaked clothes in the rented apartment and put on a fresh set of sportswear. Although he had lost the connection with the “Divine Evolution Hall Master,” there was still some information left in his mind, among which was “Body Transformation.”

According to the records of the Divine Evolution Hall, once a disciple absorbed the secret elixir into their body, not only would they gain unimaginable strength and a dramatic leap in the level of life itself, but after initiation, they would also enter a period known as “Body Transformation.”

During this period, the user of the secret elixir needed to absorb vast amounts of energy to accelerate the evolution of their body—in other words, they needed to consume a large quantity of food, generating intense heat within to complete their own “Body Transformation.”

Once “Body Transformation” began, the user would continually undergo evolutionary leaps at the level of life itself, until the process was utterly complete.

And once it was finished, they were considered to have truly entered the inner circle; from then on, their body would no longer require such vast amounts of energy, and their appetite would drastically decrease.

Of course, beyond “Body Transformation,” there were said to be other levels: “Spirit Transformation,” “Divine Transformation,” “Universal Transformation”... but those realms could not be described in words, nor could they be codified into any system of cultivation. Each disciple could only advance by relying on their own inspiration and talent.

Naturally, Yang Luo had no way of knowing that “Body Transformation” was merely a name full of Eastern mystique that Xi Gu had given to the “rapid growth period” following the use of the evolutionary blood, and those subsequent transformations were little more than Xi Gu’s fanciful inventions. Even he had no idea how to reach such realms.

But having already come to revere the “Divine Evolution Hall Master” as a deity, Yang Luo accepted all of this information without question and believed it deeply.

As soon as he felt a certain hunger, Yang Luo decided to follow the Hall Master’s instructions and complete his own “Body Transformation.”

So he ordered delivery.

—Five kilograms of chocolate.

A hundred grams of chocolate contains nearly six hundred calories, about five times that of beef. Eating five kilograms of chocolate was equivalent to consuming more than twenty kilograms of meat.

Yang Luo thought such a high-calorie intake would be enough to satisfy his hunger, but an hour later, he realized he was wrong.

...

“So this is the ‘massive food intake’ the Hall records spoke of—it’s this much!”

Four hours later, wearing a baseball cap and a jacket, Yang Luo stepped outside.

Walking down the street, he felt his entire digestive tract, from the depths of his stomach to his mouth, was saturated with the taste of chocolate. The very thought of that flavor made his face involuntarily twist in discomfort.

It was only three hours ago that the five kilograms of chocolate had been delivered.

The moment Yang Luo tore open the foil and put the chocolate in his mouth, hunger seemed to become tangible, consuming him whole.

—Before eating, the discomfort wasn’t that intense, but as soon as food entered his mouth and the energy joined his bodily circulation, it was as if some switch had been flipped—his entire being was ravenous for more.

“Food, food, food, food...”

In the blink of an eye, the five kilograms of chocolate vanished. As Yang Luo devoured the chocolate, he picked up his phone, selected “express delivery,” tipped the rider, and had them deliver several dozen more boxes as fast as possible.

While he waited, Yang Luo rummaged through the apartment, finding whatever snacks he could—biscuits, chips, whatever was on hand. But those meager portions did nothing to fill him and only intensified his hunger.

—Only when the courier finally arrived with dozens of boxes did he, at last, find a measure of satisfaction in the feast.

…Ah.

Snapping back to reality, Yang Luo realized that the two hundred kilograms of chocolate he’d just spent over eight thousand yuan on had been reduced to just a few remaining kilos and a mountain of empty boxes filling the apartment.

“…So this is ‘Body Transformation’?” Yang Luo clicked his tongue in amazement.

He had just consumed more than his own bodyweight in food in a single sitting, yet when the hunger finally abated, the weight seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Even when he stepped on the scale, there was no change in his weight.

But only Yang Luo himself knew that the enormous heat energy was now being converted into a swiftly circulating force within his body. With every passing moment, his strength, speed, neural reactions, and rate of recovery—all aspects of his physical condition—were still rising.

“…What astonishing power.”

Thinking this, Yang Luo caught sight of his reflection in a shop window.

The man in the glass looked just as he always had, but his gaze, his complexion, and his overall bearing had all transformed.

If, before, he had looked prematurely aged—already giving off the weariness of a man of thirty-five or thirty-six despite being just over thirty due to years of overtime—now, his eyes were bright, and he seemed to be a vigorous young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven.

And—

“It seems I’ve grown a bit taller—three to five centimeters. Is that also the effect of the secret elixir?”

Yang Luo shook his head.

He had experienced too many shocks in a single day; something as trivial as growing taller in adulthood could no longer surprise him.

“Heh…”

Smiling at his reflection, Yang Luo adjusted his cap and walked on.

...

The name “Shengyi” still hung high on the building. The place was the same, the environment familiar.

Across the street, Yang Luo sat in a café on the eighth floor of a business building facing the Shengyi Tower, gazing through the window.

It was already eight in the evening. The Shengyi Tower stood tall in the darkness, and only a handful of figures trickled out from the lobby below.

As time passed, a few more employees left after nine, and when the clock struck ten, a larger stream of staff exited the lobby.

Yang Luo understood perfectly why. Shengyi offered free late-night rides for those working overtime past ten. He used to think it showed the company cared about its employees, but in truth, it was nothing more than a way to chew through their lives, extracting every bit of value before spitting out the dregs.

One after another, the young employees emerged from the lobby, weary faces waiting for rides or hailing cars by the roadside.

Each morning, before coming to work, they were like oxygen being drawn into a body—full of energy and life. But by night, at this hour, they were like the carbon dioxide being expelled.

It had always been this way. Yang Luo was no exception.

“Was this really the life I strove for all along?”

Yang Luo pondered silently.

Just then, as most employees had left, a familiar figure emerged from the company entrance.

With eyes as sharp as a high-powered telescope, Yang Luo could see every detail—even the number of hairs on his head.

—It was him.

—His former “team leader.”

Confirming that he had found his target, Yang Luo, expressionless, picked up the bitter Americano on the table, drained it in one gulp, and left the café.