Chapter 3

Although the cheap nutrient solution was the kind found on the black market, diluted with carbohydrates, it was definitely filling except for not meeting the nutritional standards.

Yuan Hanshuang’s daily meal consisted of four bottles, with an extra one only when she needed to grow or gain muscle.

Reflecting on her excessive consumption at the psychic awakening base, she finally realized that something was wrong.

However, it was impossible for an ordinary person to drink thirty bottles of nutrient solution at once, even if it was due to the “minor symptoms that appear shortly after psychic awakening.”

The next day, Yuan Hanshuang went to the black clinic. The doctor at the clinic was the one who prescribed medication for her father and had a woodpecker manifestation. This manifestation gave him a natural advantage in the field of medicine.

After the patient stabilized, the small woodpecker spread its wings in the air and activated its examination skill. As the skill activated, a faint green detection circle appeared out of thin air and slowly descended onto the head of the young girl with golden hair.

 It circled around her body before dissipating in the air. At the same time, the condition of the examinee was honestly conveyed to the owner. The doctor couldn’t help but be puzzled. “What illness do you want me to diagnose? Your body seems to be healthy.”

Yuan Hanshuang exclaimed, “I’ve been feeling hungry for no reason these past two days. Yesterday, I drank thirty bottles of nutrient solution in one night. Do normal people experience this?”

That was indeed very abnormal. The doctor skeptically had the woodpecker examine again, but received the same result. “There’s really nothing wrong with your body.” He put down his pen and closed the empty medical record book. “Although this clinic is unofficial, I am also a talent user. If there were any problems with your body, the manifestation would have detected them. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Have you experienced any other abnormalities in the past few months?”

“Yes.” Yuan Hanshuang replied, “On the day of my awakening, I ate a lot at once.”

But at the time, her mind was focused on making money and she didn’t think about it.

The doctor pondered, “The timing of the problem after awakening suggests that the root cause lies in your manifestation.”

 “Excluding bloodline factors, manifestation itself is the manifestation of human personality and subconscious. Some talent users, after awakening their manifestation, develop unusual preferences. For example, talent users with rabbit-like manifestation tend to buy carrot-flavored nutrient solutions. Talent users with spider-like manifestation usually develop a great interest in insects. Talent users with beetle-like manifestation… I shouldn’t have given that example.”

Remembering that it was almost mealtime and to not lose her appetite, the doctor abruptly changed the subject, “I’m just providing a suggestion. You can try focusing on this aspect.” “However, your symptoms make me think of a particular illness.”

In fact, the doctor already had a preliminary diagnosis in mind for the golden-haired girl. He suspected it was an extremely rare disease known as manifestation Deficiency.

The cause of this disease was usually the awakening of an overly powerful manifestation. The human body couldn’t withstand such a strong manifestation, resulting in a lifelong defect that was incurable. The most famous case was the Son of Myth, who awakened a mythical manifestation at the Luminous Temple.

However, the D-level child in front of him clearly didn’t meet the criteria for manifestation Deficiency. Although the clinic was unofficial, the doctor wore a white coat and his heart wasn’t black. Without a confirmed diagnosis, he couldn’t make a hasty conclusion.

“Of course, this is just a speculation and isn’t reliable.” The doctor reassured her, “Since there’s nothing wrong in the examination, it might just be a short-term condition. Go back and observe while resting. After a while, if there’s still a problem, we can think of another solution.”

Deep in thought, Yuan Hanshuang left the clinic. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that the doctor might have accidentally guessed right. Although her two manifestations  seemed ordinary when looked at separately, the fact that they had dual forms was already unusual enough. Having some side effects was normal.

Unable to solve the problem or determine its root cause, she could only go to the convenience store, spend money, and buy another batch of a hundred bottles of nutrient solution for her home.

However, those hundred bottles of nutrient solution were ultimately just a stopgap measure. That night, Yuan Hanshuang drank thirty bottles, finished another thirty for breakfast the next day, and the same for lunch. For dinner, with only ten bottles left, she was still hungry to the point of feeling like her front chest was touching her back. Those hundred bottles of nutrient solution didn’t even last until the third day!!!

 Yuan Hanshuang was at a loss.

At this eating speed, she could consume ninety bottles in a day.

Helpless, she had to spend a large sum of money to buy high-grade nutrient solution from a legitimate nutrient store.

After all, normal interstellar people only needed to eat one or two meals a day. Only those like her, who drank cheap nutrient solution, needed multiple meals a day. As she paid, Yuan Hanshuang’s hand trembled slightly, her heart bleeding. “I hope this batch of high-grade nutrient solution works.”

And it did work. Previously, Yuan Hanshuang could drink ninety bottles a day, but with the high-grade nutrient solution, she only needed ten bottles a day.

It seemed more cost-effective, but because each bottle of high-grade nutrient solution was ten times the price of the cheap one, in terms of star coins, she didn’t actually save much money.

What was even more absurd was that even after drinking ten bottles of high-grade nutrient solution a day, Yuan Hanshuang was still hungry.

The difference was that she felt lightheaded and could bear it slightly. “No, I can’t succumb to hunger.” That night, before dawn, Yuan Hanshuang woke up hungry. She looked at the ceiling and finally burst out in silence, “If being hungry makes me want to eat, what’s the difference between humans and animals?!” “Rise, you people who refuse to be slaves!”

She found a strip of cloth and tied it around her stomach, hoping to tighten it.

The bitter method passed down from her ancestors was indeed effective. After tying it, Yuan Hanshuang felt that she wasn’t as hungry as before.

It was known that a person wouldn’t die if they didn’t eat for a day.

This time, she was determined to fast for a day and see the results. At noon, Yuan Hanshuang was absent-minded, her mind wandering, and her meditation and practice efficiency greatly reduced. By the evening, her vision started to darken.

In this state, it was impossible for her to focus and practice. Helpless, Yuan Hanshuang could only pull the blanket over herself and try to sleep. However, she was too hungry to fall asleep, so she had to punch herself in the head, successfully falling into a state of unconsciousness. She had a sweet dream. In the dream, the sky was filled with fluffy white clouds.

Yuan Hanshuang flew in the air, reaching out to pick them. The clouds turned out to be soft marshmallows.

She couldn’t wait to bite into them and ended up eating the entire sky. The next day, Yuan Hanshuang stared at her wet and tooth-marked blanket, falling into silence for a moment.

After crossing over, her life had been simple, and she was able to save some money in the first two years. But after buying herbs for her father’s treatment, her income suddenly became insufficient, forcing her to cut back on expenses.

She spent her time practicing at the fighting arena and occasionally took on part-time jobs when she had extra time.

In the interstellar era, human labor was limited, not to mention that Yuan Hanshuang was only nine years old and had fewer job opportunities.

Calculated as a monthly income, even working from early morning till late at night, she could only earn two thousand star coins, barely enough to cover her basic needs after deducting various expenses.

With intense training and Yuan Hanshuang entering her growth period, her appetite doubled.

Her father, as an adult male, also had a big appetite, and both mouths in her family could eat. Now her appetite was growing exponentially, and for a while, she couldn’t bring any economic benefits to her family.

She had only been able to save a small amount of money, and it was quickly depleted in just a few days. What’s more, despite eating so much, her height hadn’t changed in the slightest. Ah! This life is really hard to live!

“No, I must find another way. I can’t make our already struggling family worse off.”

Yuan Hanshuang looked at the dwindling balance in her Jing Card, feeling a heavy cloud hanging over her heart.

As someone with aspirations and dreams, she knew how to adapt. In a state of extreme hunger, Yuan Hanshuang’s mind was especially clear.

If she didn’t understand her own physical condition, she would be unworthy of the title of a martial arts master. After observing for two days, Yuan Hanshuang discovered that she could only practice well when she wasn’t too hungry.

When she was hungry, her practice speed was as slow as a tortoise. Especially when she was extremely hungry, she couldn’t even achieve a meditative state, let alone practice. During these hungry and unsatisfied days, Yuan Hanshuang’s cultivation