Deep trenches formed under Zhang Wei's fist wind, the explosive airflow a manifestation of his will.
For so long, Zhang Wei's understanding of martial arts had been minimal, gleaned only from a few rudimentary books in the library.
Coupled with the lack of any teacher, Zhang Wei's martial understanding was quite superficial.
But what did that matter?
Strength multiplied by skill equals combat power. As long as Zhang Wei's skill was not zero, then boundless strength meant boundless combat power!
Under the fist wind, the cold-sheltering tent exploded with a roar!
Numerous low-level guards were flung into the air, and the hundreds of yaks in the distance were startled, running back and forth restlessly.
At the center of the fist wind, Yize stood in the trench, hands shielding his head, his once luxurious attire now resembling rags.
Zhang Wei walked forward, his standing body still emitting faint heartbeats.
"Still alive?"
Yize lowered his stiff, emaciated arms and forced his eyes open.
"Who... exactly are you?"
Zhang Wei thought for a moment. "You know, I'm just a small helper in the kitchen."
"Cough cough... cough... You mean to say, within the Century's Treasure Association, a mere kitchen assistant could defeat me with a single punch?"
"Evidently, this is the fact."
Yize laughed heartily at the sky, and even until his last breath, he refused to believe a single word Zhang Wei uttered.
After digging a deep pit, he tossed Yize and his subordinates into it, sending off anyone still breathing.
These people had all seen Zhang Wei's true face; they could not be allowed to live.
"It's a shame my shapeshifting technique is still too crude; the facial alterations are quite minimal."
He tossed the corpses of the headless men into the pit as well. While it wasn't ideal to be buried with his enemies, it was better than their bodies being exposed to the elements.
The Secret Realm Exploration Association still had a large amount of luggage, all packed on the backs of the ice yaks.
Everything was stored in the Treasure Vault for later unboxing.
Without their leaders, some of these yaks would return to their settlement, while others would fall prey to beasts.
Zhang Wei was not one to be squeamish. He slaughtered all the more than a hundred yaks cleanly, enriching his collection.
...
...
He returned to the Great Glacier. It was not yet dawn, and no one noticed Zhang Wei had been out all night.
He sank his consciousness into the Treasure Vault.
Dense piles of miscellaneous items accumulated like mountains!
"I never expected the Treasure Vault, usually barren and spacious, would also require cleaning."
First were the over a hundred cargo boxes carried by the ice yaks.
These boxes were as large as ten cubic meters, with extremely high capacity.
"Winter clothing... fodder for the yaks... purified water... medicine powder for colds..."
"Is this... a map?"
More accurately, it was a map of the Human Realm!
On this planet, there were still vast areas not under human control.
In the most central region of the map, one could vaguely discern the outlines of Eurasia, North and South America, Antarctica, and Oceania.
"As expected, this planet is also Blue Star!"
"Or perhaps, this is a parallel universe of Blue Star."
According to the original work's description, this planet had been infested by food substances billions of years ago.
Then, through the cooking of Gourmet Nobles, an indescribably delicious substance was cultivated deep within the earth, known as the Field of Ingredients.
This food substance could fuse with anything, including rocks.
These living rocks continuously absorbed energy and grew, eventually erupting from the mantle to form new landmasses, increasing the planet's surface area by hundreds of times.
The original surface of this planet was merely a small area in the center of the Human Realm.
"A planet that grows is truly terrifying."
Soon, Zhang Wei found the Ice Hell Plains on the map. Although it wasn't in the central area of the Human Realm, it wasn't far off.
"The further one moves from the center of the Human Realm, the more food substances there are, and the stronger the beasts become!"
"This means that the Ice Hell Plains are relatively safe places in this world."
After examining the map, Zhang Wei's sense of crisis intensified.
The arrogance and complacency that arose from defeating Yize with a single punch vanished without a trace at this moment.
He continued to rummage.
Over a hundred books of various types, most of them ledgers, acrobatics manuals, and explicit illustrations. Only a handful discussed martial arts.
A massive amount of metal currency, totaling at least several hundred thousand Belli by face value.
A large chest of gold, silver, and jewels; he had no idea what they carried this stuff for.
Innumerable fine wines and prepared dishes, likely for Yize and his subordinates' enjoyment.
"Hmm? What's this?"
In the last box, there were surprisingly a dozen large red and green pills.
At the very bottom was a notebook titled "Research Notes."
"So these are the Pigeon Blood Pills and Emerald Pills that Yize took in his final moments."
Zhang Wei took out a Pigeon Blood Pill and scraped a layer of powder from it onto his tongue.
A spicy, stimulating, salty, and fishy taste flooded his tongue, and Zhang Wei's heartbeat instantly quickened.
"The Secret Realm Exploration Association... indeed has some interesting ideas. This item is quite fascinating."
"With these notes, it should be possible to replicate them."
Medicine and food are of the same origin, and many seasonings themselves are traditional Chinese medicines.
Zhang Wei had diligently studied Chinese medical principles to create medicinal diets, making him a semi-physician.
Zhang Wei then took some Emerald Pill powder into his mouth. This time, it had a fruity, sweet, and cloying taste.
"Even a tiny bit of powder contains so many nutrients. If I swallowed the whole pill, I'd become fat in a short time!"
The composition of the Emerald Pills was mixed, resulting in a rather crude taste. Yet, the energy intensity was astonishing, on par with Rainbow Fruits!
"Could it be that these Emerald Pills are made from ingredients of the same caliber as Rainbow Fruits?"
"Unlikely. The taste difference is too great; this is clearly a concoction made with an incorrect ratio."
Zhang Wei flipped open the notebook, his surprise growing.
"Essence Food Technique!"
"NB!"
"As expected of a transcendent world, such a divine skill beyond imagination exists!"
According to the book, the power of Gourmet Cells could be used to refine ingredients.
The nutrients in food could be concentrated into powder and used to make military compressed rations – Soldier Ration Pills.
An ordinary person who ate one would not feel hungry for three days.
"It's a bit like Bigu Pills, but this technique hasn't been widely promoted."
"One reason is the troublesome preparation, and the other is that this world places great importance on eating. Not feeling hungry for three days is considered a severe torment."
"The Secret Realm Exploration Association, based on Soldier Ration Pills, altered the formula to create Pigeon Blood Pills and Emerald Pills."
"However, due to a lack of high-intensity medicinal guides, they turned their attention to Rainbow Fruits."
Zhang Wei stroked his chin, meticulously studying the formula, and finally memorized it.
He tossed the useless items into the ever-burning stove and walked into the side hall.
"Time to eat."
Mo Du, in the corner, did not stand up. He merely tilted his head and looked at Zhang Wei.
"Two years. You've been taking care of me for two years."
"How much longer do you intend to keep me confined?"