Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

“Ahhhh, I wanna train in martial arts too, I wanna be a muscle boss, sell me some of that medicine!”

The dense barrage of comments blocked the view, making Lu Xuemei frown deeply, and she quickly chose to block them.

Then, a familiar figure appeared, it was Qianjin, who had been missing for several months.

In the video, Qianjin, who looked just as he did initially, was still skinny with dark skin, lifeless eyes, and exuded an overall sickly weakness, entirely lacking the youth and vitality a young man should have.

“Damn!”

“Don’t die on my phone, man!”

“Big brother, what have you charged yourself with?”

“Moderate yourself, take care of your health, otherwise you’re gonna die young.”

Despite the block, the premium bullet screen comments still contained plenty of teasing.

However, as the video progressed, the person’s physical form began to change, his flesh, dark skin, and lifeless eyes gradually became robust, plump, and bright. Ten days, twenty days, thirty days, and before you know it, ninety days had passed, and he was reborn. Sturdy in stature, he looked remarkably strong.

“Damn!?”

“Did they switch actors?”

“What drugs is he on? This is so exaggerated.”

“Bro~ther!”

“Either switched person, special effects, or fake duration.”

“If he really got like this in ninety days, I’ll do handstands on hot coals.”

“Looking for the formula, contact, and friendship!”

“Reply to my message, please!”

“Though still far from Madman Big Brother, it’s not bad. Can you teach me? I’m begging here.”

“…”

Bullet screen comments whizzed by, each expressing different reactions.

Yet the video offered no response, just the sight of the man’s impressive vitality.

“…”

Lu Xuemei frowned without making a sound.

In contrast, Meng Qianqian on the side was full of exclamations reigniting the battle.

“Wow!”

“So manly!”

“Was Qianjin always this handsome?”

“How come I never noticed before?”

“Fangirl, you’re about to drool all over the screen.”

Several girls laughed and teased, mocking Lu Xuemei, who just turned away with an even uglier expression and ignored them.

Meanwhile, the video jumped to the next segment.

“Food Supplement Skills—Buffet Method!”

“Buffet owner: Don’t you come over here!”

“Big brother, are you the reincarnation of Zhu Bajie? How can you eat so much?”

“I’m the restaurant owner; I have called the police!”

“It must be spot substitution or editing; this eating is beyond human capabilities.”

“Debunker bro never gives up!”

“Maybe he’s got a toilet under his butt, eating and pooping at the same time.”

“Don’t be disgusting. This is a buffet. How can you substitute spots or edit?”

As expected, the video jumped, and once more, the screen was covered with bullet screen comments.

Lu Xuemei frowned deeply and blocked them again, only to see the skinny Qianjin dining in front of the camera, annihilating the food on his plate with both an astonishing and composed speed that flowed smoothly and was almost artistic.

Although it was a recorded video, he made no comment, completely different from other “eating broadcasts.”

A mere video lasting just over ten minutes, yet he devoured an incredible amount of food.

Lu Xuemei frowned and scrolled through the progress bar, and sure enough, the subsequent videos titled “Food Buffet Method” all featured the same content—eating.

Although the main subject was the same, the people and locations changed, and the variations in appearance along with the switch in restaurants, silently narrated the efficacy and process of “food supplementing.”

After several videos, it finally reached the conclusion of the “Food Supplement Skills” section.

“Food Supplement Skills—Food Supplement Technique and Qi and Blood Art!”

The video switched to a man facing the camera, not eating, but adopting a lecturer’s pose.

“In the Martial Path, the human body is the foundation, and Qi Blood is the essence!”

“To step onto the Martial Path and become a Martial Artist, you must first strengthen your Qi Blood, and fortify your body.”

“As the saying goes, ‘food is the most important thing for the people.’ Eating is the most direct and effective method of nourishment.”

“But how to eat, what to eat, and how to transform and utilize afterwards, turning the nutrients from the food into Qi Blood of the body.”

“These are the core principles of the Food Supplement Skills!”

“You must not only know how to eat, but also how to train!”

“Once your body has become strong enough, and your Qi Blood sufficiently vigorous, you can attempt Martial Arts Cultivation, turning your Qi Blood into Inner Strength and even True Qi.”

“This is the essence of the Qi and Blood Art!”

…

His words did not convey any specific techniques, but they threw out martial arts concepts and training processes, unveiling the mystery to the public and presenting them clearly and concretely.

“Food supplements?”

“`

“Qi Blood?”

“Martial Arts?”

Lu Xuemei’s brow furrowed in shock and uncertainty.

Was this Qianjin still the same one she knew?

What exactly had happened in these few short months to change him so drastically?

A sense of unease lurked in her heart, but she found it difficult to express, so she gritted her teeth and continued watching.

“Heaven and earth give birth to myriad things to nourish mankind, and the martial path cannot be separated from the aid of medicine.”

“Physicians must understand the principles of medicine and the nature of the human body, Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, rulers and ministers, to fully leverage their effects without harming life.”

“Compared to ordinary food, the nourishing effects of medicinal substances are stronger and can be used internally or externally!”

“This medicinal bath skill is an external method. When combined with Pile Technique movements, it can greatly strengthen the Qi Blood of the body.”

“The first step in preparing a medicinal bath is to recognize the various medicinal substances and their properties…”

After the introduction video on traditional Chinese medicinal principles ended, the scene switched to show Xu Yang, bare-chested and wearing only shorts, stepping into a steaming tub, soaking in thick, pitch-black medicinal liquid.

Then, he closed his eyes and silently practiced the Pile Technique.

Lu Xuemei frowned upon realizing something was amiss. She glanced at the video’s duration and discovered it lasted for several hundred minutes.

“Medicinal Supplements Section – Medicinal Bath Static Pile Technique!”

“What’s going on?”

“He’s not going to soak in this pitch-black medicinal water for tens of hours, is he?”

“Isn’t he afraid of becoming bloated from the soak?”

“My fingertips get all wrinkled after just an hour in the water, and he dares to soak his entire body for tens of hours?”

“Could there really be some martial arts involved?”

The barrage of comments flew, filled with shock and curiosity, while Zhou Xiaohua and others in the dorm reacted with a mix of astonishment and exclamations.

Without a word, Lu Xuemei dragged the progress bar to the end.

At the end of the video, Xu Yang was still sitting in the tub, his eyes closed, his body motionless, only his breathing undulating and his chest slightly swelling. The originally pitch-black medicinal liquid had now turned a faint yellow and nearly transparent.

“66666666”

“Big brother, awesome!”

“He really did it for tens of hours.”

“The color of the medicinal water has become so pale.”

“Could it be that he’s like Madman Big Brother, having real martial arts skills?”

“I need the recipe for this medicinal bath, money is not an issue!”

“After Madman Big Brother started, a bunch of so-called martial arts streamers popped up online, but most of them are just fooling people. There are very few genuine ones like Madman Big Brother and UP.”

“Does Big Brother take disciples?”

Tens of hours of medicinal bath soaking directly quelled the voices of skepticism, and the direction of the comments shifted accordingly.

However, the person in the video didn’t care. After the medicinal bath was over, he took the pressure cooker off the stove and began rolling pills by hand for all to see.

“Using a pressure cooker to prepare medicine, truly unadorned and simple!”

“Where does the streamer live, let’s get acquainted?”

“Can these pills really be eaten?”

“Please, sell this medicine on your stream, I will definitely buy it.”

The audience expressed a strong desire to buy, but Lu Xuemei searched for a while and found no purchasing channel.

No product pitches, not an advertisement?

Could it be…

A surge of realization hit her, and she felt even more bewildered.

But now, there was nothing she could do but clench her teeth and continue watching.

After the Food Supplement Skills and Medicinal Supplements Section concluded, the video switched to a mountainous area.

The Agricultural Section!

The first video was about buying land and building houses, at the foot of the mountain, at the edge of the fields, and beside a reservoir.

Machinery was used for construction, and while the houses were not beautifully decorated, they had the charm of humble cottages.

Even so, the viewer count and live comments remained high.

“Watching farming online, like being a cyberspace laborer!”

“Big cities are too competitive, martial arts can’t withstand it, have to go back to the countryside to lie down.”

“This is the life I dream of—no need to work, build a small house, plant crops, raise a dog, hunt in the mountains, fish in the river. So comfortable and simple, how nice is this life?”

“Wake up, simple and plain, do you know how much they spend a year just on this mountain, land, and reservoir, not to mention the investment in these crops, especially those medicinal fields, without capital you can’t do anything.”

“I thought you were just an ordinary rural streamer, but turns out you’re a big capitalist dealing in lands, so boring, not in love anymore!”

“These medicinal fields with a decade or two of cultivation, what good medicine can they possibly grow, don’t end up selling us subpar products in your streams.”

“Holding the yellow bird in the left, and the blue bird in the right, do you also know falconry?”

The agricultural section was nothing extraordinary—just building houses and cultivating fields. As it was the beginning phase of planting and there were no harvests to show, people weren’t too surprised. They were unexpectedly interested only in the Falcon and Dog Taming Technique at the end, but it was still within their acceptance.

On the contrary, back in the dorm, Motor Mouth Emperor, the War Goddess Besties, and Meng Qianqian once again raised their voices, igniting conflict.

“Hey, why did he run back to the countryside?”

“Isn’t it because some people are just too shameless?”

“Such a waste, with his popularity, after monetization, he could easily be a millionaire.”

“Oh, God, please grant me such a boyfriend, I swear I won’t cheat!”

“You can’t say it like that, Jiang Tao’s family owns a big company, a wealthy heir is hundreds of times stronger than some internet streamer.”

“But he has to be serious about it; what if it’s just a fling? After getting his fill, he might just kick you to the curb.”

Zhou Xiaohua and Meng Qianqian pulled two neutral girls into their snide conversation, making Lu Xuemei grind her teeth in frustration, unable to retort, and even her best friend Li Shuangshuang remained silent, without offering support.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiaohua felt even more pleased and opened the tipping interface, not bothering to look as she randomly pressed, then said to Meng Qianqian, “Qianqian, this tablet screen is so unsatisfying, I declare, for everyone’s benefit, I’ll go buy an indoor projector tomorrow, and we can all watch Jin’s live broadcasts together!”

“Jin?”

Upon hearing this, Meng Qianqian also let out a strange cry and laughed, saying, “Then what about your Jiang Tao?”

“Hmph!”

Zhou Xiaohua snorted coldly, “Trash, let him drop dead. How could that pretty boy compare to my Jin? Look at that chest, those shoulders, that back, those abs, those long legs—feels so secure, okay? Not to mention he knows martial arts. Look at this—horseback riding, archery, saber and sword skills, proficient in everything, no, so handsome it’s killing me!”

“No wonder you’re called Zhou Xiaohua, you’re such a fan girl!”

“I like it, it’s none of your business!”

“Haha…”

Some laughed and played around; some were silent. In one dorm room, six girls made for an eventful scene.