I'm extremely interested in Nen abilities.

Longevity rice!

If, hundreds of years ago, when the Grand Elder was still a young monster, he was fed this immortal rice from the Dark Continent by that human who carved many statues of gods on the beach...

No wonder he lived so long, and no wonder he held the humans who left the statue in such high esteem, even venerating the Buddha statue as a temple and worshipping it for generations.

Longevity rice!

After arriving in this world, Jing Yang's first ambition was to diligently cultivate his mental abilities, hoping for longevity and, ideally, immortality. The most reliable and promising path, naturally, lay in the Dark Continent, for it contained the legendary Immortality Rice!

No matter how skilled you are at Nen, how much hope do you have of defeating that old monster Netero?

Netero's lifespan is probably limited to a little over a hundred years. Even without the King Ant, it's hard to say how long he could live.

In comparison, it seems that the path of consuming large amounts of longevity rice is more reliable and dependable.

At least, judging from its name, this rice is meant to prolong life.

Anyone can cook rice.

However, this may not be the case for cultivating Nen abilities.

Ultimately, how well this skill can be developed is not entirely within the control of the Nen user, since human abilities have their limits.

A single thought can lead to Buddhahood, or it can lead to demonic possession.

The almost limitless plasticity and creativity of Nen means that there is no clear direction ahead on this path.

This isn't like the cultivation world, where you're directly guided through Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Tribulation Transcending, and Mahayana, with each level arranged for you, and all you have to do is put in your effort and get to the top.

No matter how many difficulties we cultivators face, we all share a common and very specific goal in our hearts—to transcend tribulations, ascend to immortality, and become a celestial being!

The Hunter world, however, is not like that.

Jingyang currently believes that the simplest, most direct, and clearest path is probably only to frantically accumulate the total amount of thought, which can be linked to life-level transformations such as longevity and transcendence... However, whether the total amount of thought can prolong life, or how much total amount of thought needs to be accumulated to prolong life, is completely unknown to him!

So, it's the immortal rice!

This is the optimal solution that is most likely to achieve the goal.

To successfully reach the Dark Continent and find the "New World Chronicle Draft" that Kurapika recounted, the Immortal Rice must possess considerable strength.

This is what Jingyang has been doing all along: accumulating strength in preparation for forming a group and heading to the Dark Continent in the future.

Who would have thought that we would find such a large pile of longevity rice in this godforsaken mountain?

...If these really are immortal rice.

After Xiao Di used the bulging-eyed fish to absorb all the rice grains extracted from these boulders, a series of thoughts flashed through Jing Yang's mind until Ao Si called him, bringing him back to his senses.

"What's wrong?" Ousi asked, puzzled. "Is there something wrong with this rice?"

He even thought the rice was poisonous. After all, the rice had decomposed so quickly after being unsealed, and there was no guarantee it wouldn't release some toxic or harmful gases.

As for the materialization ability that Shizuku unleashed...

Spatial Nen abilities are extremely rare and possess immense strategic value. However, Ouji didn't believe this had anything to do with him.

Jing Yang pondered for a moment and said, "Whether there are any problems or not, we'll have to ask the Grand Elder later."

Ousi then stopped asking questions.

The group waited for a while while Kurapika remained unconscious. Then, footsteps came from afar in the night. It was the Grand Elder of the Black Mist Lions, who had finally returned.

"So fast?" Xiao Di asked in surprise, thinking that the other party was going back to the place where the tribe lived.

"The preparation I'm referring to is preparing these stones. They have to be suitable for use."

The elder now possessed only three grayish-white stones. They were uniform in size and similar in material—similar to the pendants worn by all the Black Mist Lions.

Even so, he pulled out a metal tool from his pocket that looked like a chisel or a flat knife, and it was rusty and looked quite old.

Since Jing Yang had asked to see how he made the small jade Buddha pendant, he would demonstrate it to the three human guests, Jing Yang and his companions, from beginning to end. After all, even if the pendant was successfully made, it wouldn't have the teleportation function anymore—the black jade Buddha statue itself had already been cracked by the patriarch's antics. Even if the technique was leaked, it wouldn't matter.

"Your friend looks a bit better." The elder glanced at the unconscious Kurapika before starting work.

As for the huge rock in the Buddhist temple that had been broken and scattered all over the ground at some point, he was surprised but didn't pay much attention to it.

Ryan, the Black Mist Lion who had already buried his three companions, said, "Even the fiercest Black Mist Lion would need at least two or three months to recover from being this weak. This human's body is truly incredible." As he spoke, he looked at both Kurapika and Jingyang and the other two.

Jingyang said, "We are indeed in good health."

Is that so? Ouji disagreed. Even by the standards of Nen users, Kurapika's condition was improving at an astonishing speed.

When he was first rescued, Kurapika was practically skin and bones, making people wonder how he had managed to survive until now.

But now, his condition has improved a lot. His hands and cheeks are not so withered, and his breathing is not so weak, but has become more steady and long.

If the melody is here, you can hear the strength and frequency of Kurapika's heartbeat being restored.

Little Drop knew that this wasn't due to Kurapika's unique constitution, but rather the effect of the stars on his body.

Jingyang had discussed with her before what the principle of Starmark recovery was. What is certain now is that Starmark does not forcibly excavate or overdraw the body's life potential to forcibly restore the body—this seems to be putting the cart before the horse and is full of suspicion of stepping on one foot to climb to the top.

Take Kurapika in front of us as an example. His body is already so depleted and weak that he has no resources left to overdraw on his star and recover his body.

Let's leave these unsolved mysteries aside for now.

Kurapika's improved condition confirmed Jingyang's earlier guess. Kurapika's weakness was definitely caused by the special environment of the God-like dimension. Therefore, when Kurapika was in that dimension, the healing effect of the Star Mark became limited, or was excessively offset by the negative effects of the dimension. But when Kurapika left and returned to the real world, the God-like dimension completely dissipated, the Star Mark's healing effect returned, and it immediately began to restore Kurapika's body.

"Click, snap, click, click..."

The Grand Elder sat in the Buddha Hall, with the crumbling ruins of the massive stone wall behind him. He placed three equal-sized gray-white stones in front of him, comparing them to the black jade Buddha statue covered in cracks. He then began to carve stroke by stroke with a carving knife, his skillful technique soon producing a flurry of stone chips.

"May I ask you a question?"

Jingyang watched for a while before finally asking, "This..." He gestured with his chin towards the black jade Buddha statue, mainly its face, "When you met him by the sea hundreds of years ago, did he ever give you anything delicious? Like, flavorful rice?"

Little Drop quietly observed the old lion's reaction.

Ousi remained expressionless, but inwardly surprised, and also looked at the old lion in the sculpture.

The elder was initially puzzled, but following Jingyang's gaze, he looked at the face of the black jade Buddha statue that was exactly the same as the face of his old friend. After a moment's thought, he shook his head.

“I’ve never eaten rice,” he said, his hands still carving. “But back then, he often had meals with me.”

The old lion smacked his parched lips, sighing deeply, "White rice does taste good, but without meat, it just doesn't feel quite right."

Jingyang nodded, understanding the situation.

It's probably true that it's longevity rice.

What the hell is this person? They're actually using Nitrogen, the longevity-enhancing herb, to serve a monster? Do they think it's just ordinary rice?! Was it cooked in a rice cooker?

Jingyang gave Ao Si, who looked puzzled, an affirmative look, indicating that they could discuss the topic later.

Oushi nodded and left to look after Kurapika. He had absolutely no interest in how the now-defunct Jade Buddha was made.

"Snap, click, click..."

"Fura!"

The elder blew away the stone chips and dust on the small jade Buddha in one breath, and the first small jade Buddha was completed.

It has the same shape as the black jade Buddha statue, with multiple arms and compassionate lowered eyes, but the facial features are too blurry, and you can barely make out that it is a human face.

The elder picked up the second stone, paused as he began to cut, looked up at the face of the black jade Buddha statue covered in cracks, and sighed, "Speaking of white rice and no meat, he used to joke about his name, saying 'twice-cooked pork, twice-cooked pork, rice but no meat'... haha."

Xiao Di didn't react at all. Jing Yang's expression slowly turned strange.

"What kind of meat?" he asked.

"Hmm?" The elder asked, still carving, "Twice-cooked pork. A strange name, isn't it? I don't think you should..."

"Is it the twice-cooked pork from Hui Guo Rou?" Jing Yang asked again. "Do you know its full name?"

The Grand Elder was stumped by him. After finishing the second small jade Buddha, he blew off the dust and said, "I remember his full name... something like 'Fruit Twice-Cooked Pork'? Hmm..."

He stared intently at the black jade Buddha in front of him, its face covered in cracks, trying hard to recall.

Jing Yang asked, word by word: "Vivi Hugo = Grey Guo Meat?"

……

"Cooked pork belly, twice-cooked pork, rice but no meat, isn't that ridiculous?"

On the seashore hundreds of years ago, a man wearing a golden crown gazed at the boundless horizon. Nearby were lifelike stone sculptures, each half a person's height. Some resembled angels with outstretched wings, others were like gods holding divine swords, and still others floated like immortals. What they all had in common was that the face of each statue was exactly the same as the man's.

The man with the golden crown divided a bowl of steaming rice into a bowl for the curious black-haired lion cub. "Want some? Come, come, eat with me. The rice is good, but unfortunately there are no good dishes or wine. It's a pity, though!"

The young monster curiously took two bites, quickly finished a bowl of white rice, and then stared longingly at the man with the golden crown.

The other person laughed, "My name is Vivi Hugo = Grey Guo Meat. What about you, little guy? Do you have a name?"

……

Memories suddenly flooded back, and the Grand Elder stared blankly at Jing Yang for a long while. "Yes, that's his name. How did you know?"

Jingyang took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

...Is this never going to end?

It's Kakin's twice-cooked pork again! How come I keep running into you guys everywhere I go?

Jing Yang sighed, "Because he's very famous. Vihugo = Grey Guo Meat, the ruler of the Kakin Kingdom, oh, it used to be an empire. He was once a great ruler of the Kakin Empire, the True Martial Emperor. In the human world, there are probably not many people who haven't heard of this name..."

The elder nodded, said nothing more, and continued carving silently.

The name of the True Martial King is renowned in the human world, but it has little effect on a magical beast like him. In comparison, he finds the nickname "Twice-cooked Pork" more pleasant and endearing.

Jingyang sighed inwardly, but was also puzzled.

The True Martial King, Hugo, how could he have had so much Nitrogen rice back then? Did he hoard so much longevity rice from the Dark Continent?

They really eat it like food!

Not only did it eat it itself, it also fed it to passing monsters!

So extravagant?

What puzzled Jingyang was that since Zhenwu King had such good fortune and ability, and had already eaten Nitromi, extending his lifespan... by an unknown amount, but living for several hundred years, even longer than Nitromi, shouldn't be difficult, right? So how did he die?

Or ask a different question—

Who killed him?