Han Sen was feeling far too hungry. His body was incredibly tired, and he knew he should have been resting, but he was overwhelmed with a strange ravenousness.
He knew such behavior was dangerous. Heresy Mantra was able to hasten his recovery, but he knew the power to do so couldn't just come from anywhere.
If he wanted to recover and get back in tip-top shape, he had to have power.
He was currently not supposed to have any. Curse of Immortality was sure to damage him further, by making him so active in such a weakened condition.
Han Sen kept on scoffing down sacred-blood flesh. He couldn't get enough of the stuff, and he thought each and every fatty, red morsel was better than the highest-class nutritious solution.
After another hefty slab of meat, the hunger of his crying stomach did not relent. The energy inside was not able to keep up with his heart.
But as hungry as he was, his stomach was full. His belly had inflated like a balloon, and there was no room left for food.
His heart was good but his stomach wasn't; there was no way he could eat any more. And even if he was in fine health, he couldn't come anywhere close to eating as much as he just had.
Han Sen was sitting on the floor like a pregnant woman, with his appetite still fierce.
His stomach was stuffed, and yet, he was still so hungry. It was an annoying conundrum to deal with, as two contradicting pains collided.
If Han Sen wasn't as strong a person as he was, he'd undoubtedly be screaming.
His face was all pale, and a ghastly sweat had started to form. His clothes were all soon drenched in this sweat.
Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.
Han Sen placed his hands on his belly and tried to suppress it and fight back against its calling for more food.
Jade-Sun Force could barely provide him with energy. If he wanted to get it started, to put him in better shape, he'd need nutrition. Just like if there was no oil, there was no way to refine gas. Unfortunately for him, Han Sen was too full right now. Even a single pea or grain of corn would be enough to tip him over the edge.
"I should have learned a hyper geno art to improve the fortitude of my stomach," Han Sen said to himself, remorsefully realizing it was now too late for that.
When he crossed Ghost Mountain, the big white snake gave him a Dragon Saliva. It was a super-class geno treasure. If he drank it, he'd most assuredly be energized.
But Han Sen didn't want to use it in such a condition. He was fighting back against the use of something that might save his life.
Han Sen's body was beginning to shrivel now. The fat was burning at a hastened rate, and he was immediately appearing much slimmer.
"Heresy Mantra should be practiced by women; it sure helps you lose weight." Han Sen remained light-hearted, despite his predicament.
While Han Sen contested with whether or not he should eat the Dragon Saliva, the crystallized organs inside him started to feel relieved.
Han Sen was shocked when he noticed this. He found that the crystals inside him had been detached from his organs into a slimy, fatty state; and now, they were being absorbed.
Han Sen was afraid the crystals would change his body, which was why he had not tried absorbing them. But now it was happening whether he wanted it to or not.
He noticed the refined crystals did not blend into his body. They were instead burned like fat, providing energy to his heart.
The heart pounded inside his chest like the chugging of machinery as it worked hard to refine materials. And as this occurred, his stomach began to feel lighter. The hunger he was feeling began to subside.
As Han Sen digested these crystals inside, the media was having a field day back in the Alliance. They were ecstatic over the fact Dollar had managed to kill two king spirits and make three royal spirits obey him.
The Alliance did not typically talk about the Third God's Sanctuary, and all subjects of its discussion were usually banned.
But this time, they allowed talk of it. Regarding this event, people were given permission to speak and report freely over Dollar's accomplishments.
Dollar's name was on the tip of everyone's tongue once more. He was the talk of the town, as everyone idolized and theorized how powerful he must have been.
The surpassers, who had a better understanding of the power Dollar must have had to defeat his foes in the way he had, thought it was a miracle.
It was difficult to carve out a living in the Third God's Sanctuary, and more often than not, luck was the deciding factor over whether or not you'd end up a slave to a spirit all your time there.
What Dollar had managed to achieve was something no other human believed possible. He had now become a superstar.
Some people began to whisper suspicions, though.
Humans who lived in spirit shelters heard talk about a spirit known as The King, and while Divinity's Bout was on, they often heard spirits refer to Dollar as The King. They were one and the same. They were saying Dollar was actually a spirit.
But such talk was not given the time of day and was quickly hushed by the authorities. Dollar was in the Third God's Sanctuary, and he was able to use beast souls.
Not many people knew about the connection between Dollar and The King, so there was no big fuss made of it. The validity of their claims could not be verified, after all.
The spirits in the shelter were ravenously discussing The King's victories, too. They believed he would one day become an extremely powerful emperor.
He was the first human to ever make spirits feel this way.
Humans and spirits were hoping to catch a glimpse of Dollar or The King the next day.
But much to their surprise, Han Sen did not show up.
They all then discussed the reasons why he might not have continued his participation in the competition, but none believed it to be fear. Aside from a king spirit with eight gene locks, the remainder of his opponents were to be royal spirits. There did not seem to be a comprehensible reason why he would not show up.