Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1021 A terrifying transformation in his own strength!

The excruciating pain, so intense it made him want to faint or even end his own life, mingled with an intense, instinctive sense of bliss—a feeling of leaping into a new level of existence, of his physical potential being limitlessly unleashed. These two diametrically opposed sensations, like ice and fire, were violently intertwined, dancing wildly in his nerve endings. At times he felt as if he were being slowly tortured to death, and at other times he felt as if he were ascending to heaven, experiencing ultimate bliss.

This contradictory and distorted experience was enough to break even the most resolute mind, leaving one truly unable to live or die. Torn between these two extremes, his consciousness was like a small boat in a raging storm; ultimately, darkness swallowed everything, and he completely lost consciousness.

This coma lasted for three days and three nights.

Over these three days, his body underwent a dramatic, transformative change. His metabolism increased more than a hundredfold; cells were dying and regenerating at an astonishing rate, old tissues were being broken down, and new, more powerful tissues were being built. This was an incredibly energy-intensive process.

When Gao Yao's eyelids twitched a few times with difficulty and finally reopened, the light from the outside world pierced his pupils, causing him to squint slightly. However, what overwhelmed all his senses was not the dazed feeling of seeing the light again, nor the strange sensations after his physical transformation, but a primal, violent impulse originating from the deepest, most primitive, and most violent part of his being—hunger!

An indescribable hunger! It felt as if every cell in his body was screaming in agony, his stomach like a bottomless pit emptied of energy, frantically sending him signals of needing energy, needing substance, needing to be filled! This hunger was so intense that it even temporarily suppressed his desire to explore the changes within himself. He had only one thought at that moment: to eat!

Instinct drove him to crawl almost on his hands and feet toward the location of the system space. His consciousness probed in, and the vast amount of food he had previously stockpiled—roasted beef and mutton, dried meat jerky, steamed rice cakes, various fruits and vegetables—were devoured with astonishing speed, as if struck by a black hole, stuffed into his mouth, and swallowed almost without chewing. He ate without any decorum, even in a pathetic manner, like a starving ghost reincarnated.

Thanks to the near-infinite storage space of the system, the supplies stored within far exceeded ordinary people's imagination. Otherwise, in this secluded underground palace, having just completed his astonishing transformation, he would probably have become the first "Fifteenth Level of Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill" master in history to starve to death—what an absurd and tragic end that would have been.

This meal lasted for nearly an hour. Gao Yao himself couldn't remember exactly how much he had swallowed. At his feet, mountains of vegetables and bone fragments almost submerged him. Only when he finally felt the all-consuming hunger slowly recede like the tide, and a long-lost feeling of fullness returned, did he suddenly come to his senses.

A rough calculation left him speechless with astonishment at his terrifying appetite. Before his breakthrough, his appetite already far exceeded that of ordinary people, roughly equivalent to the level of professional competitive eaters in later generations. He could easily consume the equivalent of four or five strong men in one meal. Moreover, thanks to his high-intensity cultivation and the characteristics of his technique, he never had to worry about obesity, nor did he need to rely on vomiting to maintain his health like those competitive eaters.

But this time, it was completely different! He clearly realized that what he had just eaten was mainly various kinds of meat, and its total weight was probably close to a hundred pounds! This did not even include the vegetables and rice that were eaten as "side dishes"!

One hundred pounds of flesh! That's almost half of his own body weight! Just thinking about that number makes one's scalp tingle and is hard to believe. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't feel any bloating or discomfort, but instead had a feeling of being full of energy and vitality, Gao Yao would definitely have wondered if his stomach had turned into another dimension, or if he would be bursting at the seams at any moment, dying a gruesome death.

"Is this...is this even human?" Gao Yao looked down at his still flat, even somewhat lean abdomen with more defined muscle lines, and muttered to himself, his face filled with absurdity and horror.

Once his physical condition had completely stabilized and the burning hunger had completely disappeared, Gao Yao let out a long sigh of relief and tried to stand up. As soon as he stood up, he immediately noticed the difference.

An unprecedented sense of "control" arose spontaneously. It was not simply a matter of increased strength, but a subtle feeling of being able to clearly "perceive" and "command" every inch of skin, every muscle, and every bone in the body. With the slightest thought, a deep muscle in the shoulder blade would tremble gently; with a thought, even the smallest movement of the toes could be executed without error.

This body seemed to have evolved from a sophisticated machine that required only conscious control into an "avatar" that was completely synchronized with consciousness and acted as if it were an extension of its own limb. This feeling was incredibly wondrous, as if it had broken down some kind of barrier between a person and their own body, and stepped into a completely new realm.

He gently moved his hands and feet, and his joints made a soft but crisp "crackling" sound, like popping beans. It was a sign that his muscles and bones were working together and his blood and qi were flowing smoothly. He walked to a pavilion built of hard granite and looked at the thick stone pillar that required one person to hug. He was moved and wanted to test the power hidden in his transformed body.

He didn't strike any fancy pose; he simply threw a punch at the stone pillar casually, as if swatting away a fly. He estimated that he only used about four-tenths of his strength in that punch, afraid that if he used too much force, the recoil would injure him.

however--

"call!"

The fist pierced the air, producing no longer a simple whistling sound, but a deep, suppressed growl, like the whimper of air compressed to its limit! Then—

"Bang!!!"

A deep, thunderous explosion rang out!

The solid granite pillar, upon contact with his fist, did not merely crack or develop a fist mark. Instead, it felt as if it had been struck by an invisible, massive hammer. The point of contact dented and cracked, and the cracks spread like a spiderweb throughout the entire pillar! With a loud crash, the upper half of the pillar, which was more than half a person tall, broke off and collapsed, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere!

Gao Yao remained frozen in place, his pupils slightly contracting, still in his punching stance. He himself was startled by the terrifying effect! Four-tenths of his strength? Only four-tenths?! Before his breakthrough, even if he had used all of his Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill in a full-force strike, it would have been uncertain whether he could have broken the solid rock pillar, let alone shattered it!