Victor Bloom slowly drifted back to consciousness, only to find himself lying on a sickbed, a warm, damp towel covering his forehead. His head throbbed as if splitting apart, with what felt like a billion voices screaming inside his mind. A shrill ringing filled his ears, whining endlessly.
It felt as if his head was about to explode—the pain so fierce he wished he could chop it off and kick it as far away as possible!
Unable to help himself, he let out a groan. From the outer room, Selena’s voice called: "Young master is awake?"
Selena hurried over, the scent of medicine clinging to her. She looked at him, both anxious and relieved.
"I lost," Victor said, his expression blank.
Selena quickly replied, "Young master, you slept a long time. I’ve been brewing medicine for you..."
"How long did I sleep? Where is this?" Victor’s mind thundered with the sound of his own heartbeat, his words muddled.
"We’re still in the Imperial Capital. You’ve been asleep for more than two days now."
Selena helped him up, propping him half-sitting on the bed. "Jade heard there’s a divine physician in the Imperial Capital, quite skilled, so she rushed out to invite him."
Victor tried to lift his hand, but suddenly groaned—a pain like being struck on the head with an axe.
"Young master, it’s best not to move, or even to think!"
Selena quickly explained, "You followed that troublemaker Quinn’s rhythm without meaning to—he attacked, you defended, so you were already at a disadvantage. On top of that, your cultivation method requires you to constantly create counter-divine arts, which drains your mental strength. Even a single thought taxes your brain. Now that you’ve injured your mind, you must rest and wait for the divine physician."
Victor closed his eyes, fell silent, and didn’t move again.
He remembered what had happened: Quinn first used the Solar-Shooting God Cannon to drain part of his mental power. After Victor saw through it, Quinn applied psychological pressure, then led him along at his own rhythm.
As they walked, the real contest was already a battle of momentum—Quinn held the offensive. Whenever Quinn’s killing intent stirred, Victor immediately sensed the threat and changed his movement technique, redirecting his yuanqi to defend.
Victor’s cultivation method was extraordinary—he could create counter-divine arts in response to an opponent’s attacks. But since Quinn never actually struck, Victor’s divine arts were only just forming and never unleashed.
In this way, Quinn kept up a constant offensive in momentum, forcing Victor to defend. In just two hundred li, Victor exhausted his mental strength—his mind and body couldn’t hold out, and he coughed blood repeatedly before collapsing unconscious.
At that moment, Quinn stopped walking. If Quinn had gone any farther, Victor would have been dragged along until he coughed out all his blood, his mind burned out and dead—he’d only stop as a corpse!
Utter defeat.
For the first time, Victor tasted such failure—a bitter feeling he’d never known before.
From outside came Jade's voice: "Yan, come out for a moment!"
Selena hurried out and said, "The young master is awake, but he still can't move. Has the divine physician arrived?"
"He has—but..."
Selena stepped outside, then cried out in surprise: "Why is it you again?"
Jade's voice came with a wry laugh: "I'm even more surprised than you, but I had to beg and plead before he'd agree to come..."
Victor Bloom opened his eyes weakly and said, "Invite the divine physician in."
The curtain lifted and Quinn Shepherd walked in, smiling: "Brother Victor."
Victor stared at him, stunned, and suddenly his head throbbed violently. Quinn quickly stepped forward, produced a few Spirit Buddha Pills and had him take them, smiling: "You really shouldn't let your emotions swing too wildly. I've been through something similar myself—my body nearly collapsed from training a certain technique and I almost died. Your case is different: you've simply overtaxed your mind and spirit, way beyond what your body can handle. Actually, your injuries aren't severe—if you rest and recover, you'll be fine in a month or two. But with my help, you'll be back on your feet in half a day."
Victor swallowed the Spirit Buddha Pills, feeling much better. His head still ached, but not as intensely, and gradually he could move his hands and feet again—his body felt like his own.
"So you're a divine physician too?" he rasped.
"Not quite divine, but my medical skills rank second. You won't find anyone better in Everpeace."
Quinn examined him for a moment, then wrote out a prescription and handed it to Jade. Smiling, he said, "With my spirit medicine, your body will recover in just two or three days. Winning and losing is normal for soldiers—and for cultivators like us. Don't dwell on it."
Victor stared at him, then suddenly sighed: "In some ways, I really can't compare to you. You beat me with strategy, but I can't bring myself to resent you at all. I came down from High Heaven under my master's orders to kill you, thinking I'd finish the job and go home. I never imagined I'd start to see you as a friend."
Quinn sighed, "Overlord Bodies are hard to find. But in the end, you and I are still enemies—we can't ever truly be friends."
The two fell silent.
Soon after, Jade returned with the medicine. Quinn immediately refined spirit pills and gave them to Victor.
Victor staggered off the bed, his body still trembling. Frowning, he said, "I can feel my physical injuries healing, but why can't I stand steady? My hands are still shaking..."
Quinn thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up. He smiled, "I know exactly what's wrong. Come with me." With that, he got up and walked outside.
Victor tried to follow, but his body wobbled and his legs shook. Jade and Selena quickly supported him out of the room.
As a disciple of High Heaven, Victor naturally couldn't stay somewhere shabby. Inns were too noisy, so they'd rented a quiet courtyard residence.
Quinn led Victor out onto the street, glanced around, and his eyes lit up. He laughed, "The best medicine for your illness is right here."
Victor Bloom froze for a moment, and the two girls beside him did the same. Quinn was already sitting down at a table by a noodle stall, calling to the vendor, "Ten bowls of noodles, big ocean-sized bowls. The first bowl, no chili, no oil, just a little salt. Oh, and add an egg to the dough. What are you all staring at? Sit down!"
Jade and Selena frowned, eyeing the shabby noodle stall. It was set right on the street, exposed to dust and wind as people passed by. The customers here were all burly laborers—obviously country folk working hard in the capital.
They had never eaten at a place like this. Normally, just glancing at it would make them feel dirty.
After all, High Heaven sits lofty and pure—a land of gods and immortals, where food and drink are rare treasures mortals can scarcely imagine, spotless beyond belief, utterly untouched by dust.
The noodle stall’s owner was also a burly man, hands stretching and slapping noodles with loud smacks. Clearly, cleanliness was not his strong suit.
Victor, however, sat down, panting for breath.
Jade and Selena had no choice but to sit as well. They carefully wiped the greasy table with towels, frowning as the oil refused to come off. Uneasy, they even felt the stools beneath them were slick with grease.
Victor, by contrast, sat calmly, waiting for his noodles.
The first bowl arrived—a clear broth egg noodle, served in a basin-sized bowl. The noodles were uniformly thick and white, like strands of jade resting in the soup, sprinkled with chopped scallions.
Victor stared at the noodles, unsure how to eat them.
Quinn handed him a pair of chopsticks. Victor fumbled awkwardly, poking at the bowl but unable to pick up the noodles. In High Heaven, he’d never used chopsticks; he ate spirit pills and drank dew, untouched by mortal smoke and fire.
Glancing at the locals eating around him, Victor gradually figured out how to use chopsticks and began to try.
"Eat slowly," Quinn said with a smile. "You’ve gone hungry for days. Eat too fast and you’ll hurt your stomach. What you’ve got is hunger sickness—your mind burned through your body’s energy, and when you collapsed you’d already hit your limit, then starved two more days. No wonder you’re weak and dizzy. Drink some broth first—it’ll help digestion."
Victor obediently slurped down the broth, listening to every word.
Quinn’s, Jade’s, and Selena’s noodles arrived. The girls ate with great restraint, but Quinn dumped chili oil on his and devoured it with gusto.
Victor finished his first bowl and stared hopefully at the others.
Quinn quickly said, "Let it settle first. You can have a second bowl in a bit."
Victor obediently waited. By the time Quinn was full, three empty bowls sat on the table. Quinn nodded and smiled, "That’s enough, Brother Victor."
Note: 'li' is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, roughly half a kilometer. Here, the use of 'big ocean bowl' refers to an extremely large serving, common in rustic eateries.
Victor immediately dug in, copying Quinn and drenching his noodles in chili oil. He ate until his whole body steamed with heat.
By the time Jade and Selena finished their bowls, Victor had polished off seven bowls and collapsed back in his seat, thoroughly content.
Jade and Selena exchanged glances. Their young master had never been so improper—collapsing in public like this!
"This Human Emperor is truly corrupting. If our young master spends much more time with him, he’ll end up scratching his feet and sniffing his toes like a street rogue!" The two girls shared a worried look.
Quinn stood and asked, "Brother Victor, do you have any Everpeace Coins?"
Victor looked blank, shaking his head. "Jade always handled the money."
Jade looked embarrassed and whispered, "Young master, we spent all our money on medicine. I had to pawn my own hairpin just to buy the herbs..."
Quinn produced a single Everpeace Coin, paid the bill, and shook his head. "I really don’t know how you three survive. This meal’s on me. Come on, Victor, you’ve eaten enough—best to walk it off."
Victor got up, and Jade and Selena hurried to help him, but he waved them off. "No need. I really was just starving. I’m fine now—I can walk by myself."
The four strolled along at a leisurely pace.
Jade couldn’t help but worry, "Is this Human Emperor going to walk our young master to death again?"
They left the capital and Quinn led them once more toward the Supervising Foundry. Victor’s eyes flickered. "Quinn, why are you bringing me here again?"
Quinn grinned, "Don’t get the wrong idea. While you were unconscious these past two days, the base of the Solar-Shooting God Cannon was finished and assembly has begun. I need to install and test the base, just in case there are any flaws. By the way, when will you pay me for my consultation? My house calls are expensive."
Victor snorted, "I have no money!"
"Well then, Brother Victor..."
Quinn’s eyes gleamed as he leaned in mysteriously. "Have you ever heard of the Cult of the Heavenly Saint?"