154: Finally, I have some confidence.

Compared to the loud exclamations of Toriko and the others, Sunny appeared unusually "quiet"—he was eating frantically at an astonishing speed, and as he ate, tears rolled down his face like broken pearls.

Slurp, slurp, slurp...

An increasingly intense, jewel-like radiance began to bloom from his body, making him look dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.

"Why... why is it so delicious!!!" Sunny finally choked out a shout, completely conquered by the taste, crying tears of joy from how good it was.

Suddenly, he looked up, his teary eyes filled with determination as he looked at Lin Luo: "Lin Luo! I've decided! I want to make the jewel meat the main course of my 'Full Course Meal Menu'! Is that okay?!"

Because the one who captured it was Lin Luo, even the proud Sunny had to ask for Lin Luo's opinion.

Lin Luo didn't care about such things, and he had no desire to create a full course menu himself, so he replied with a smile: "Of course, that is your freedom."

"Hey! Sunny!" Toriko was not happy when he heard that and immediately jumped up. "I already decided on the jewel meat first! It's my main course! Don't even think about stealing it!"

Sunny did not back down, and the radiance on his body grew even brighter: "Toriko! Don't you see? I am shining brilliantly! The jewel meat chose me! It is destined to be mine!"

"Stop spouting nonsense! It's clear that I decided on it first!"

"I don't care! It's mine now!"

Lin Luo ignored the pair of troublemakers beside him who were arguing until they were red in the face over the "ownership" of the jewel meat. He cut off a piece of the meat, which glowed with a gentle luster, and put it into his mouth.

As that extremely pure deliciousness blossomed on his taste buds once again, and the meat juices, where smoothness and wildness perfectly blended, flowed over his tongue.

All the delicacies he had tasted in the past, those top-tier ingredients that once made him marvel, now paled in comparison to the jewel meat, like clumsy imitations encountering the only authentic masterpiece. Their taste, texture, and even the life energy they contained were worlds apart from this ancient food treasure that condensed the essence of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

He savored the texture of every meat fiber, feeling the immense energy gently permeating every cell in his body. At this moment, the enjoyment of taste and the resonance of his life level reached perfect harmony.

Light bloomed from Lin Luo's body, yet the most brilliant source of light actually came from his Dantian, which had long been silent!

It was as if countless tiny fireworks were dancing and bursting in the Void Realm of his Dantian, rising up into misty, colorful vapors. That was the purest, most overflowing life essence and gourmet energy, now surging and gathering in that small space with unprecedented concentration and vitality. In the spiritual cultivation terminology of his world, this was unequivocally "Life Primordial Qi," so rich it could not be dissolved.

A soft "Eh?" escaped his lips, carrying incredible surprise, instantly drawing everyone's gaze toward him.

One could see that strange rhythms were rippling across the surface of Lin Luo's body, rising and falling like a heartbeat, but it was not the rhythm of a heartbeat; rather, it was a deeper, more essential pulse of life.

"Is this... the gourmet cells evolving?" Sunny put down his fork in confusion.

Coco frowned slightly, purple light swirling in his eyes: "It doesn't look like it. My 'Electromagnetic Waves' see his Life Magnetism Field fluctuating violently, his energy field is expanding rapidly, and his aura... is getting stronger and stronger, and the form is very unfamiliar."

Just then, Lin Luo opened his eyes abruptly, a flash of colorful light seemingly passing through his eyes. He had no time to explain, only hurriedly dropping the phrase "Please continue eating," his figure transformed into a stream of light, rapidly darting toward the room prepared for him by the research institute.

Closing the door, Lin Luo immediately sat cross-legged, sinking his entire consciousness into his body, focusing on the Dantian that was undergoing a drastic change.

Just now, under the impact of the extreme deliciousness and energy, he had a flash of inspiration and subconsciously operated the Cultivation Technique that had long been silent due to incompatible world rules. Unexpectedly, this time, the Cultivation Technique actually "activated"—not by absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, but by drawing upon the immense life essence within his body, which was filled to the brim and nearly overflowing due to the jewel meat!

This thick, mist-like life essence began to flow and circulate along the specific Meridians recorded in the Cultivation Technique. The paths originally used to circulate spiritual power were now replaced by the surging life essence, operating in a brand-new, vibrant way.

Inside the room, the phantom of eight feet appeared silently, more solid than at any other time. She wore a gentle and holy smile, and a warm, milky-white divine light radiated from her body, pouring into Lin Luo's body like a continuous trickle.

Inside the Dantian, it had already turned into a rapidly spinning, colorful vortex, greedily absorbing every trace of the jewel meat's essence within his body. The billions of gourmet cells throughout his body seemed to be completely awakened, actively releasing the vast energy they had stored and merging into this surging torrent.

Crack... crack...

Subtle, dense sounds emanated from within Lin Luo's body. His body began to undergo visible changes—his originally nearly two-meter-tall frame, as if being condensed and compressed from the inside by an invisible force, began to slowly and evenly shrink!

This was not becoming thin, but the ultimate enhancement of density and mass. Every inch of muscle, bone, and fascia was transforming and restructuring under the scouring of the life essence, becoming tougher and purer, while the contained power increased geometrically.

The vortex in the Dantian spun to the extreme, the colorful light blazing like a supernova explosion, illuminating his entire internal vision. Then, at the moment it expanded to a certain critical point—

Hum...

Like the first hum after the birth of the Universe, the extreme expansion suddenly stopped, turning into an endless inward collapse!

All the light, vapors, and surging energy were frantically sucked, compressed, and condensed by that collapsing core!

Finally, everything returned to calm.

Looking inside, the scene in the Dantian had been turned upside down. Beside the original solitary, clear, emerald-green spiritual power crystal core, there was now a brand-new crystal core!

This newly born crystal core was initially like a grain of rice, but as it inhaled and exhaled energy, it had become the same size as the spiritual power crystal core, its entire body circulating with dreamy, colorful radiance. Red, gold, cyan, blue, purple... various colors blended and shifted, sometimes flowing like liquid, sometimes dazzling like a jewel. It floated quietly, emitting energy fluctuations that were incredibly pure, vibrant, and carried the "satisfaction" and "evolution" aura unique to top-tier gourmet food.

Lin Luo slowly exhaled a long breath, and the breath even carried a faint, colorful glow. He opened his eyes, the divine light in his pupils restrained. Although his body had shrunk a size and become more lean and slender, the sense of power and control contained in every movement was far superior to before.

After Lin Luo finished sensing the changes in his body, he finally looked up at eight feet, who was waiting quietly on the side. Her tall body was shrouded in a soft halo, and her face wore a gentle smile. Seeing Lin Luo look over, she bowed slightly and called out naturally: "Master."

Lin Luo's heart stirred, and he reached out to touch her arm—the touch was warm and delicate; it was actually a solid entity!

He withdrew his hand and asked with some surprise: "eight feet, what kind of state are you in now... exactly?"

eight feet tilted her head, tapping her chin gently with her finger as she thought about it, before replying in an ethereal voice: "Hmm... according to the terminology of this world, I should be considered an Incarnation of 'Appetite' now. However, it's a bit like those pure Appetite Demons... but not quite the same."

She continued to explain: "When Master eats delicious things, the gourmet cells will evolve and become stronger. This desire and energy to eat delicious food and to make oneself better will also make me grow along with you."

Lin Luo listened, understanding only half of it, and asked again: "Then what was going on before? Why couldn't I contact you, and how did you suddenly come out?"

eight feet blinked her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of grievance: "I was sleeping perfectly well in the book collection, but I was suddenly dragged out by a force I couldn't resist at all, and then I was stuffed into this 'Gourmet Space' inside Master's body."

As she spoke, she became happy again: "But it's not bad like this now; I am completely bound to Master!"

"Besides the powers of protection and healing, what other abilities of yours can I use?" Lin Luo stood in front of eight feet and asked. If it weren't for the body condensation and compression just now, his nearly two-meter height would have been slightly taller than eight feet's, but now he only reached her chest and needed to slightly tilt his head to look at her.

eight feet suddenly stretched out her arms and gently pulled Lin Luo into her embrace. Lin Luo's face instantly sank into a warm softness. Although the touch was fragrant and alluring, this "care" actually made him a little unable to breathe.

"Ugh... Ei, eight feet..." He struggled with a muffled sound.

eight feet then relaxed slightly, but she still circled him, lowering her head and saying softly: "I can also extract life energy. For example, a beast as tall as a person—if I want to completely drain its life force, it would probably only take a few minutes."

"That's a good ability." Lin Luo's eyes lit up, and he was impatient to try it out in his heart.

Saying it and doing it, he pushed open the window and jumped directly from the windowsill of the research institute, intending to go to the nearby Black Grass Plains to hunt a few beasts and test eight feet's new ability.

The night wind blew in his face as he ran quickly between the buildings. eight feet, who was floating behind him like a guardian spirit, suddenly spoke softly: "Master, you should be able to achieve low-altitude flight now."

"Flight?" Lin Luo was pleasantly surprised and immediately tried to mobilize the power of the gourmet cells within his body that had fused with eight feet's will. A light and gentle energy wrapped around his entire body, and his body seemed to suddenly break free from some of the constraints of gravity, slowly floating into mid-air.

"It really works!"

He was overjoyed in his heart, and then he urged the newly born colorful crystal core in his Dantian. The crystal core turned slightly, and immense life essence and gourmet energy gushed out—

"Whoosh—!"

The next moment, his whole person accelerated violently like a train off the tracks, transforming into a stream of light that cut through the night sky, speeding toward the distant Black Grass Plains!

Just after entering the territory of the Black Grass Plains, Lin Luo was targeted by several jackals lurking in the shadows. Low hisses echoed in the night, and pairs of scarlet eyes flickered in the grass. They spread out with great tactical awareness, slowly approaching from different directions, and in the blink of an eye, they surrounded Lin Luo in the middle.

This was exactly the result Lin Luo had intended. These jackals were not high in individual capture rank, but they were fierce and cunning in group combat, making them more troublesome than some individual beasts of rank twenty or thirty.

"Awoo—!"

A sharp howl sounded like a signal, and a jackal suddenly darted out from the side and rear, opening its mouth full of sharp teeth to bite fiercely at Lin Luo's calf! Almost at the same time, another jackal staring at his back also suddenly launched an attack, pouncing straight at his lower back!

However—

Hum.

A soft, milky-white halo rippled out from Lin Luo's body surface, like the toughest invisible shield. The jackals' sharp teeth bit into it, actually making a "creak" friction sound, unable to even pierce the surface skin!

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow slightly, subconsciously pinching his fingers into a Dao Seal from his past life. But he immediately realized—the world rules were different, and this gesture had no effect.

He simply stopped moving and just stood there quietly. The milky-white halo on his body fluctuated from time to time, turning into flexible whips of light. Whenever a jackal pounced close, it would "snap" and whip out, not heavy, but enough to make them yelp in pain and roll back.

On the empty plains, besides the unwilling hisses of the jackals, more and more whimpers of pain began to mix in.

Having played enough, Lin Luo's eyes narrowed, and a whip of light suddenly lashed out, precisely wrapping around a jackal trying to escape and dragging it through the air in front of him.

The phantom of eight feet behind him appeared, and she stretched out her jade-white palm, gently pressing it onto the head of the struggling jackal.

"Woo...!"

The jackal's body stiffened abruptly, as if pierced by an invisible electric current, and it instantly stopped all movement. Immediately after, under the shimmering light in eight feet's palm, its plump body shriveled up at a visible speed—its fur lost its luster, its muscles atrophied, its eye sockets sank in...

In just a few breaths, a living beast had turned into a dry "specimen" wrapped tightly in fur, falling lightly to the ground with no more life.

Lin Luo quietly felt the warm current surging within his body—that was the pure life energy that eight feet had just stripped from those dozen or so jackals and converted and transported over. These energies were pure and gentle, quickly merging into his limbs and bones, and were quietly absorbed and transformed by the newly born colorful crystal core, becoming a part of his own power.

The whole process was smooth and natural, without any stagnation, as if this was just a perfectly normal way of "eating" within his power system.

The night wind blew across the Black Grass Plains, bringing the low howls of beasts from afar, but Lin Luo's heart was clear. He looked down at the few "specimens" at his feet that had quickly lost their temperature and become light, and then looked up at the faint, colorful glimmering light in his palm.

An alternative, yet perfectly fitting "broad road" that aligned with the core rules of this world had already clearly unfolded at his feet.

Now, living in this world, he finally had some confidence.