The chain of hunger had now been troubling Aki for a period of about six weeks, and he was almost glad to be finally facing it. However, he could not help feeling dread at the tribulation ahead of him. The visage of the emaciated woman struggling to hold onto her will against the threat of death had not left him. I never did enquire about whether she succeeded, did I? Wait, I think the sect census I gathered showed that there had been two graduates from the outer sect to the inner sect in the past year. Hopefully she was one of them.

Aki turned his mind back towards the trial in front of him. He had not been waiting to face this tribulation idly. He had formed his plan and made his preparations. So, on the day after finishing his foundation establishment, he left the residence with Passionate Seeker at his side.

It was a day cloudy enough to match Aki’s broodings. Branches swayed in the forceful wind, creaking ominously. Aki regarded the landscape ahead of him with his face calm, then turned to his disciple.

“Apprentice, I trust that you have sent all of the messages, and made sure all of the preparations I ordered have been finished?”

“Yes, master. You have been especially mysterious lately. I could not figure out the purpose of your arrangements.”

“There is no need for you to know, this is a discreet personal matter. Don’t worry about it.”

They flew off south, heading past the lands of the sect, towards the mortal town of Southpool. The town was situated near the border of the sect’s direct lands, between a small lake and the hills that bisected the sect. Smoke gently rose from chimneys throughout the town, drifting off into the clouds above. Aki and Passionate Seeker landed into a central square, startling the people going about their daily business.

The town had a quaint feeling to it, which Aki appreciated. Wooden houses were arrayed along narrow dirt paths and laundry was being hurried inside as the clouds threatened rain. Mortals were hurrying this way and that on their daily chores, groups of people were walking about and chatting amiably and couples meandering about with clasped hands; there was a certain sense of life to the place that the sect lacked. I guess I’ve forgotten how... sterile the sect feels after spending so much time there. This place really puts it into perspective

Aki followed Passionate Seeker along the streets as the mortals stared at them with wonder. Sect members rarely visited the town, as mortal affairs were of course beneath them. Aki gazed at the taverns along the road wistfully, cursing the more dubious benefits of his enhanced body. He had procured a sample of the beer drank in the city, but to his dismay noticed that his body automatically purified all of the alcohol out of it, not leaving him even the first bit buzzed! He had truly cursed the strength of his body that day.

Their journey eventually brought them to the outskirts of the town, to a large warehouse, at which point Aki dismissed Passionate Seeker.

“You are dismissed, apprentice. Return here in two days and two nights, then my affairs should be settled.” Or I will be dead. He silently added.

After she left, Aki stood for a moment in front of the warehouse. Well, no point delaying this. Let’s get to it. The door opened into a large dimly lit room. Inside, servants were hurrying in and out of a back room carrying large, heavy-looking vats. In the centre of the room stood a table set with cutlery, before which a very nervous looking man was waiting. He trembled with nerves as Aki approached, but managed to force out a nervous voice.

“H-honoured immortal, we have prepared the feast as we have been instructed. When will the guests be arriving?”

“The only attendant to this feast will be me. We shall start promptly, bring out the first meal!”

Indeed, Aki had formed a grand plan indeed for this tribulation. He understood why a sect focusing on abstaining from mortal pleasures would react to a trial of endless hunger by grimly withstanding it while meditating, but that approach did not really speak to Aki. He had instead contracted a vast number of chefs and servants to prepare a feast of a truly grand magnitude. If he was to be assaulted with endless painful hunger, he would eat! He would eat, eat, eat a bit more and continue eating! He would hold a true festival of decadence!

The servant gazed with disbelief at Aki, but then decided that the ways of cultivators were not his to question, and the first meal was brought in. Vast vats full of porridge were set by the table, with servants standing ready to give Aki additional plates of food as he finished with one. Aki had decided on porridge as a first dish, as he felt he should have some structure to the process. If he was to eat for two days and two nights, he would have a breakfast, brunch, lunch, supper, dinner and a night snack. Of course, there would be no breaks between these, and they would roll in a continuous cycle until he was done.

Aki sat down, focused his spiritual sense, and felt at the chain binding him; it was time to begin. He began exerting pressure on the chain, steadily increasing it to the snapping point. Suddenly, he felt a snap in the connection, and it began exerting crushing pressure right back at him. He was hit by severe exhaustion and a hunger worse than anything he had felt before. His body grew emaciated and weak in moments, and the servants around him gasped with shock. It took Aki a moment to focus himself amid the pain, but eventually he managed to grimly pick up his spoon and begin to eat.

Eating the porridge in front of him helped him focus his mind and slightly alleviate the pain, but no matter how much he ate, the hunger inside him did not fade one bit. He ate the first plate, then immediately moved onto the second. He ate and ate, with servants rushing out new vats of porridge which continued to disappear into him ceaselessly. It was as if his stomach was a black hole wafting away everything he ate. He continued for hours, focusing only on the food in front of him. Time steadily passed, and eventually he was served dinner.

Before ending up here, Aki had been a person who could generally not eat that much all at once. Therefore, he had decided to use this opportunity to experience something he had only dreamed of previously: having a full course meal. For the first dish some light finger food was brought in, salted bits of potato that almost felt like fries. He did not rush with his eating and forced himself to a leisurely pace. His hunger would not fade no matter the speed, after all.

After the fries, the Hors d'oeuvres were brough in, which was followed by the Amuse-bouche. Aki was rather proud of remembering those fancy terms. He enjoyed the following soup, appetizer and salad. He devoured the fish presented and gobbled up the first main course, a roasted duck. He tried to enjoy the palate cleanser, and then started on the second main course, a whole roasted boar. It took him almost two hours to eat the whole boar, after which he moved on to the tasty berry pies that had been set for dessert. He finished the full course meal with some light pastries and tea.

This of course did not sate his hunger at all, and thus he had to continue on, eating ever more. More dishes were brought in, an endless array of food that was gradually dulling his taste buds. By early morning Aki was starting to lose focus and really feel the pain of ceaseless hunger.

Aki however had made arrangements to ensure that he had the means to remain motivated. Ever since coming into this world he had been craving one food above all: the hot wings he used to order every week. Aki decided to make use of this intense desire, and so had arranged for the very last meal to be served to be chicken wings with some sort of local spicy sauce. Hopefully it would be a proficient emulation of the hot wings he craved. Even as he began to grow disgusted with eating, the dreams of the hot wings awaiting him at the end of the struggle helped him keep focus.

By the second day, Aki had turned into a machine that only ate, and he could no longer perceive much of what was going on around him. He had lost all sense of time and only focused on eating. For him only three things existed: himself, the food in front of him and the spoon connecting one to the other. He had stopped even tasting anything.

Aki did not know how long he was in this state, and he was only released from it when he suddenly felt the pressure against him dissipate, turning into a vast flow of energy which began to flood into his veins. He stopped eating for the first time in two days and two nights. The energy continued flowing into his body, clearing away the haze from his mind and making him feel renewed. Eventually the energy flow subsided, but it still took Aki a moment to regain awareness of himself, after which he turned to gaze around him.

The servants were staring at him with open horror, standing still in the middle of carrying back dishes. Aki noted that though he no longer felt hungry, he did not feel full either. He did not feel disgust at the idea of eating more either; some sort of mental reset had clearly taken place.

“You, there is no longer any need to prepare more food. Are the chicken wings in spicy sauce prepared?”

“Honoured immortal, we will prepare them at once!”

Aki steadied his mind and began to examine himself. Damn, I really did it using this method. This was not overall too pleasant of an affair, but at least it’s over now. I’m honestly not even sure whether this food ploy helped at all. Hopefully I can still taste something, my craving for those hot wings has not lessened one bit. Aki idly picked at the food left on his plate and noted that he could now again taste things. I guess I was just too in the zone. Now that I’ve gathered myself again, I should be fine.

The long-awaited hot wings were at last brought out, and Aki waited with bated breath. After the plate was set in front of him, he stared at it reverently. It at least looked like a proper serving of hot wings. In order to maximise his enjoyment, he had ensured that the other dishes did not contain any flavours that were too strong. His desire for something spicy had been gradually growing the whole time he had been eating.

Aki slowly picked one of the wings up, closed his eyes and placed it in his mouth. It tasted like a chicken wing in some sort of rather pleasant sauce. However, Aki could not taste one bit of spice in it. An unspeakable horror built up inside of him, as he came to a terrifying realization.

Of course, my body purifies beer of alcohol, so would it not also classify spice as a harmful substance, purifying it!

His horror turned into an unspeakable anger. The desire that had been building for two days and two nights found a new destination in his fury. The servants shook with fear as Aki began trembling with rage. He slowly opened his eyes and took the decidedly-not-hot wing out of his mouth. He stared at it with open hate for a moment, gathered the full strength of his cultivation into his arm, then threw it away with all the power of his rage, while the servants ducked for cover. The chicken wing smashed straight through the roof of the warehouse, not slowing one bit. It flew off high into the sky, eventually disappearing far off into the horizon.

It took Aki a long time to calm down, during which the servants continued shivering with fear on the ground. Eventually Aki managed to return his face to a pleasant, sagely smile. This however only served to increase the fear the servants were feeling.

“Thank you all for a job well done. This feast has been a great success.”

Aki smiled pleasantly, then left the warehouse without glancing back.