Almighty Devouring System

C4 – Picking Martial Arts

Wei Pengxing had never been on the receiving end of such a threat before.

Peng Gengkun was merely a commoner disciple, whereas Wei Pengxing hailed from an affluent family.

Now, facing Peng Gengkun’s intimidation, Wei Pengxing was petrified. He promptly acquiesced to Peng Gengkun’s demands.

However, Wei Pengxing hesitantly admitted, “I truly don’t have thousands of Spirit Stones.”

Peng Gengkun arched an eyebrow and retorted, “If you can’t produce that many Spirit Stones, then I have no choice but to disable you.”

Before he could finish, Wei Pengxing blurted out in desperation, “Wait! I can give you twenty Spirit Stones to start with.”

Peng Gengkun considered the offer. “An elite disciple only earns five Spirit Stones a month, so him offering twenty is quite generous. Wei Pengxing may be a scion of wealth, but he couldn’t possibly have thousands of Spirit Stones on hand. I’ll accept the twenty for now.”

With a measured tone, Peng Gengkun stated, “Alright, hand over twenty Spirit Stones and I’ll spare you.”

Wei Pengxing nodded hastily and retrieved a pouch containing the twenty Spirit Stones from his Space Ring.

Upon receiving the stones, Peng Gengkun’s gaze fell upon Wei Pengxing’s ring.

“What’s this?” he inquired.

Wei Pengxing, eager to please, explained, “It’s a Space Ring. It can store many items, though not living beings. Simply channel Innate Astral Qi to activate it.”

With a flash of understanding, Peng Gengkun deftly removed the Space Ring from Wei Pengxing’s finger.

“Not a bad Space Ring, but it’s mine now,” Peng Gengkun declared. “Thanks for the tutorial. I’ll let you off the hook this time.”

Peng Gengkun’s fists tightened as he warned icily, “Cross paths with me again like this, and I won’t be so lenient.”

With that, he deposited the Spirit Stones into the Space Ring and strode off toward the library.

This encounter had been profitable for Peng Gengkun, who had not only bested Wei Pengxing but also acquired a hefty sum of Spirit Stones and a valuable Space Ring.

Peng Gengkun was quite pleased with his haul, while Wei Pengxing was left on the verge of tears.

Wei Pengxing was humiliated in public, not only receiving a beating but also having his possessions stolen by Peng Gengkun. In that moment, he was utterly disheartened.

As his followers approached, he barked, “Follow me!”

“We’ll get revenge for you, we’ll take down Peng Gengkun,” they vowed.

Before anyone could finish, Wei Pengxing delivered a sharp slap to the speaker.

“We’re no match for him right now. We need backup. Come with me to the Inner Sect. I refuse to believe he can take down the elite disciples there.”

Meanwhile, Peng Gengkun was on his way to the library when he realized the Space Ring had vanished. The System had informed him that the ring, imbued with Spiritual Energy, could be ingested and absorbed. Without hesitation, Peng Gengkun swallowed it whole.

“By consuming the Space Ring, you’ve gained 500 Growth Value points. The Leviathan-roc Space is now accessible, allowing you to store items at will.”

“You will require three days to digest it.”

Peng Gengkun was puzzled. He had unlocked the Leviathan-roc Space using the Space Ring, preserving its item storage capability. Yet, the notion of needing three days to digest the ring left him feeling helpless, especially since it didn’t result in an immediate level-up.

To clear his confusion, the System elaborated, “The digestion time depends on the amount of Spiritual Energy within the item—the less there is, the quicker the digestion; the more there is, the longer it takes. Defeating enemies will increase your Leviathan-roc level, speeding up the digestion process.”

It all clicked for Peng Gengkun.

With a hint of resignation, he remarked, “Even after swallowing something, I still have to digest it before it takes effect. And to think it takes this long to digest a ring…”

But upon reflection, Peng Gengkun found the system quite reasonable. Given that conventional cultivation methods were out of reach for him, he had to resort to consuming items rich in Spiritual Energy. If he could enhance his power without the digestion step, his advancement would be unreasonably rapid.

“I currently have 150,500 points. Just another 500 points and I’ll level up. It’s incredible that I managed to advance from Low Rank to Intermediate Rank in Qi Refining in just three days.”

With that thought, Peng Gengkun couldn’t help but feel elated.

He made his way to the library. This time, he was granted entry without any hindrance.

The library was guarded by an elderly man who, after inspecting Peng Gengkun’s token, gave him permission to enter.

“As an elite disciple, you’re entitled to select a Martial Arts technique from the library. However, with your current status, you’re limited to the first floor,” the old man informed Peng Gengkun. “Elite disciples are eligible to undertake certain missions within the sect. Should your contributions to the sect be significant, you’ll gain access to the higher levels of the library.”

Peng Gengkun nodded in understanding, expressed his gratitude to the old man, and proceeded into the library.

Inside, he was greeted by rows upon rows of bookshelves, each brimming with volumes that left him in awe.

Several disciples from the Flying Cloud Sect were engrossed in studying Martial Arts. They barely glanced up as Peng Gengkun entered.

Approaching a bookshelf, Peng Gengkun noticed it was dedicated to Fist Technique books.

“There are so many books on Fist Techniques. How will I ever get through them all?” he wondered, feeling overwhelmed. Besides Fist Techniques, the first floor housed a variety of Martial Arts books, with ten rows just for Fist Techniques alone. It was impossible for Peng Gengkun to read them all.

Still, he couldn’t just pick any book to study; he had to make his selection carefully.

Then, Peng Gengkun’s attention was caught by two disciples at another bookshelf, fervently debating over an ancient tome.

“You can’t study this Palm Technique. Don’t be tempted just because it’s a Grade Two Martial Arts,” one said.

“But this shelf is filled with Grade One Martial Arts books, and there’s only this one Grade Two book. Why shouldn’t I study it?” the other argued.

Their conversation piqued Peng Gengkun’s curiosity.