With eyes wide like a wild animal, Nyx fell upon the tray of food like a starved beast, barely chewing as her hands shovelled more food into her mouth.

Juices and small chunks of the fruit and vegetables quickly covered her chin, yet Nyx didn't seem to mind as she continuously surveyed her surroundings. It was a habit she had picked up after her past enemies realised she couldn't be poisoned and only distracted with food.

Not that she wasn't expecting there to be poison. Nyx had already move the remaining dark essence to her stomach, ready to neutralise any impurity or toxin, just like it had been doing with her body.

While it wasn't foolproof, Nyx didn't believe they were going to use a high-grade potion on who they thought to be an ordinary mortal.

A smile, which was quite hard to achieve while eating, appeared on Nyx's face. She had always enjoyed food, and while it was only fruit and vegetables, it tasted divine to her.

Within a minute, the tray that could feed four and jug of water was empty, yet, instead of being upset, Nyx had a self-mocking, lopsided smile on her face.

Not only did she feel extremely ill after eating and drinking so fast, especially with her current condition, but she had also forgotten about the vast amount of impurities and toxins that had been prepared in her body.

Resisting the urge curl up into a ball, Nyx immediately sat down on the cold floor and started cultivating, using every ounce of her willpower not to vomit.

She couldn't afford to waste even the slightest bit of nourishment if she wanted to survive.

After a while, just when she was feeling slightly better, Nyx's eyes abruptly opened as her hands rapidly moved to her belly as she doubled over.

"Oh shit!"

A deep rumbling sound, sounding extremely unhealthy, echoed around the room.

While her pores had removed the weaker impurities and toxins from her system, those that couldn't escape had been building up around her kidneys and bowels.

Now that she had partially digested her meal, the toxins and impurities had flooded into the remnants, causing Nyx's body to instinctively attempt to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

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With speed and dexterity that Nyx didn't believe her current body possessed, she flipped onto her feet and fled towards the chamber pot.

"How could I forget this part," spat Nyx with a pitiful cry, her words more of an attempt to distract herself as she fumbled trying to pull her robe over her head.

However, coherent sentences quickly mutated into a weird chant song as she started dancing on the spot, her robe finally obeying her will. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Not going to make it~ not going to make it~~."

Ripping the tattered robe a little more, Nyx was finally able to lift it up as she squatted over the chamber pot and relaxed.

A nauseating smell, enough to make eyes water and the throats gag, quickly filled the room.

Even Nyx, who had resided in a body that had been decomposing, couldn't help but feel dizzy at the stench.

She wanted to feel regret at the loss of the partially digested food, but at the moment in time, all she could do was resist the urge to vomit and pass out.

Countless curses and prayers later, Nyx finally felt as if her body was empty. Shakily ripping a small strip of cloth from her robe, Nyx attempted to clean herself as she balanced carefully, unwilling to knock the pot's contents over near her bed.

Standing up and using her foot as she hadn't been too accurate with her new body, Nyx then proceeded to slowly push the pot past the stone table and towards the opposite corner of her cot. She knew it wouldn't make much difference, being in a confined space, so as Nyx retreated to her bed, feeling as if her eyes were melting, all she could do was lift her robe up to cover the lower half of her face.

It didn't help, the rag she had used to wipe herself having done an abysmal job, making Nyx want to cry.

This wasn't a new experience for her, in fact, this was the reason why cultivators, excluding the benefits of added safety, went into secluded training.

For those that held any pride and dignity, being seen like that would cause them to faint from embarrassment.

Nyx looked around the dimly lit room, wondering if they would come to empty the pot, as it wasn't filled before, or if she would be forced to put up with the smell until it seeped into her very bones.

It wasn't only the smell. The toxins and impurities released in the waste would contaminate the surrounding essence, reducing the already poor cultivating conditions further.

It was a catch twenty-two.

To progress, she needed to purify her body, but by doing so, she contaminated the environment reducing the essence she could absorb. Without the pure essence, she couldn't cleanse her body, and without purifying her body, she couldn't progress.

Nyx shrugged her shoulders, having no other option but to continue onwards before flopping onto her back on the straw cot and closing her eyes.

Within moments, the room's dark essence started flowing towards her and, while she wasn't anywhere near the level of being able to affect energy outside her body, the passive act of attracting the darkness once again caused the torches to dim before spluttering out.

Even with the invasive smell, Nyx revealed a smile. The darkness was where she felt most comfortable.

It wasn't long before Nyx was awoken from her cultivation once again as her door was unlocked and the torches magically relit, something that somewhat puzzled and irritated Nyx.

However, just as her mind started thinking about who could be on the other side of the door, it opened to reveal a slim man and woman in plain, white clothes.