Within the virtual and real space constructed by Narnia, the Apostle of the God of Law Mingke'er, departed. His mission was complete, and there was no need for him to remain.
Asuye, a God Level Dragon-Hunting Spider from the Devouring Faction, is sharing some of his cultivation experiences on the Devouring Path with Gustavo. According to the Devouring Faction's custom, the guide is essentially a teacher, and while bearing this title, one must naturally fulfill corresponding obligations.
Asuye's initial explanation wasn't complicated; it consisted of some common knowledge about the Devouring Path, such as the side effects of devouring the power of rules, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the Devouring Path. It was largely the same as what Yilisham had said, except that she used more precise terminology.
But later on, Asuye's presentation became more complex, revealing truly valuable information that immediately captured Gustavo's attention.
According to Asuye, the Path of Devouring is complex, but if it is simplified and condensed, it is also very concise.
In short, the Path of Devouring can be summarized by two basic points.
[Devouring Foundation] and [Mental Will].
The [Cornerstone] is the strength of the [Law of Devouring] + the strength of [Energy] + the strength of [Physical Body] + the strength of [Soul].
[Mind] refers to the strength of [mental willpower].
Embarking on the Path of Devouring is like driving an off-road vehicle that's constantly accelerating.
High-speed and bumpy roads will severely test the Sturdiness of the vehicle body, including the tires, steel frame, windshield, and so on.
At the same time, it also greatly tests an individual's driving skills.
Of these, the former, the quality of the off-road vehicle, is like the "Cornerstone," while the latter, driving skill, is the "mind."
The car body is not sturdy or reliable enough, making it easy for the car to crash and people to die.
Inadequate driving skills can easily lead to a car crash into a deep ditch or ravine, resulting in a fatal accident.
If the Cornerstone is not strong enough, the devouring Black Hole within the body will be burst by the influx of enormous power of rules, and it won't even be able to digest and absorb it.
If the [mind] is not strong enough, the chaotic laws will impact the spirit, giving birth to a [Mind Beast] deep within the soul, similar to a second personality. Once the soul and body are occupied by the Mind Beast, one will become chaotic and insane, tantamount to courting death.
Historically, any powerful member of the Devouring Faction who perished outside of combat did so because of problems with their [Devouring Foundation] or [Mental Will], without exception.
Asuye gazed at the thoughtful young clansman before him and said, "Your Devouring Talent is quite remarkable. I can sense that it's at least at the upper-level of the limit. Talent is the embodiment of the power of laws; the stronger the talent, the more helpful it is for studying the Law of Devouring."
"Not only that, your soul strength is also fully up to standard. Only your energy and physical body are lacking, but your potential is enormous. As long as resources are sufficient, you can quickly make up for your shortcomings. In this way, your [Devouring Foundation] will be more than enough for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Gustavo abruptly looked up, a blazing fire flashing in his spider-like eyes. "Teacher Asuye, if I want to break through to the God Level, how many times stronger do I need my [Devouring Foundation] to be?"
"God Level?" Asuye laughed. "By my standards when I broke through to God Level, you're still far from it. You need to increase the strength of your Cornerstone by at least 50 times!"
"50 times?" Gustavo's eyes widened involuntarily. Even though he was prepared, he was still unsettled when he heard this terrifying number.
But when Gustavo recalled the terrifying gap between True God and Demigod, he instantly felt relieved. If it were so easy for True God to ascend, how could such terrifying, overwhelming combat power be generated?
"You're surprised already? Heh, I haven't finished yet." Asuye smiled knowingly, then sighed, "I hope you don't take my standards as your benchmark. I'm just an ordinary member of the Devouring Faction, and my Cornerstone strength is only average. Those elite members of the faction, the two Main God, the Lord of the Fallen Star and the Lord of the Fallen Realm, and even the supreme Treacherous Destruction Spider Mother, they are the ones you should learn from and strive to be."
"Then... how strong is their Cornerstone?" Gustavo asked, his spider eyes widening involuntarily.
Asuye thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "These data aren't entirely accurate because there's no standardized quantitative template, but they're generally correct. According to the proportions we've summarized, the Cornerstone strength of the two Devouring Main God when they broke through to the God Level should be 80 to 110 times mine. As for the Spider Mother, I really don't know, but it's definitely higher than that of the two Main God."
"80 to 110 times... In other words, if I want to advance to a level above the Main God, before breaking through to the God Level, the strength of Cornerstone Cornerstone should ideally reach this level, which is currently at least... 4000 times?!"
The calculated value made Gustavo dizzy; he simply couldn't imagine how he could possibly complete such a terrifying task.
Seeing Gustavo's reaction, Asuye smiled knowingly, then his eyes became wistful.
Back then, when he heard this terrifying number from his teacher, he was filled with shock and disbelief.
But the facts are undeniable: the various data points of the two Main God during their breakthroughs are recorded in the Treacherous Destruction Hall as encouragement for future generations.
After much thought, Asuye finally came to a conclusion—we are different!
In this world, there are some people who are known as "other people's children." Nothing can stump them. From birth, these people seem to be destined to overturn the worldview of ordinary people.
After recovering from his dizziness, Gustavo quickly raised his question, "Teacher Asuye, how did you all improve upon such a powerful Cornerstone? Don't you ever encounter a bottleneck?"
"Bottlenecks? Of course there will be, and you'll encounter them every time you improve," Asuye said.
"So... you achieved your advancement by breaking through bottlenecks time and time again?"
"Of course... no." Asuye gave a wry smile, "Breaking through bottlenecks isn't so easy!"
"The bottleneck I mentioned above is actually just a metaphor or analogy, not a true 'hierarchical constraint.' Once the latter is broken through, it's a qualitative change, directly elevating one to God Level. The bottleneck I'm talking about belongs to the category of quantitative accumulation. Although it can also become powerful due to a dramatic increase in quantity, it ultimately Dharma Form to a qualitative change!"
After hearing Asuye's explanation, Gustavo suddenly understood, "You mean, below the God Level, the improvement of [Devouring Foundation] is like a water-filled balloon; before the balloon completely explodes, you can still add water to increase its overall mass?!"
Asuye thought for a moment and said, "Your understanding is novel, but surprisingly apt... That's right, it's a balloon!"
"The strength of the three-dimensional attributes of soul, body, and energy is like the skin of a balloon. Continuously strengthening these three is like increasing the toughness of the skin. And the water injected into the balloon can be compared to the strength of the Law of Devouring. Brilliant! You have a good understanding, kid. You hit the nail on the head!" The more Asuye pondered, the more he felt that Gustavo's analogy was very apt, and he seemed quite pleased.
Gustavo, however, remained thoughtful and said, "Therefore... the key to improving the Cornerstone lies in maintaining a balance between the balloon's outer skin and the internal water pressure, preventing the water from bursting the skin, but also preventing the skin from becoming too loose, thus wasting 'potential redundancy'..."
Upon hearing this, Asuye looked at Gustavo suspiciously, "You kid... have you been in contact with the Devouring Path before?"
"No!" Gustavo was a little confused. They were discussing a problem, how did the conversation suddenly turn to this?
Looking into those innocent eyes, Asuye opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He suddenly remembered his earlier thought, "Have I met another person who defies common sense?"
Gustavo, unaware of the complex emotions triggered by Asuye's keen insight, continued to bombard him with questions.
Asuye is a rather competent teacher, or rather, Gustavo's talent makes it worthwhile for him to invest time and effort to become such a competent teacher.
The two exchanged words, with Asuye mostly explaining and Gustavo listening attentively. Every now and then, Gustavo would raise a question or two or offer his own insights, giving this God Level being from the Devouring Faction a slight shock.
The more Asuye interacted with Gustavo, the more he valued this new faction member.
And so, amidst the pleasant discussion, Narnia's roar came from all directions.
"Are you two done yet? I'm fucking exhausted! Asuye, hurry up and come out. There will be plenty of opportunities to become a teacher later. If you don't get out now, I'll shut down the virtual world and let you have a 'close encounter' with the King of the Demonic Sea!"
The reason why Narnia, a member of the Control Faction who is usually inscrutable, was so angry is actually not complicated. She had been urged a dozen or twenty times and pretended not to hear.
However, this time, Narnia clearly erupted completely, Asuye stood up with considerable regret.
To be honest, having a good teacher is an absolute delight. Students not only understand every word you say, but they can also immediately apply what they've learned to other situations. You're truly a soulmate among soulmates.
Unfortunately, Narnia was about to lose her temper, so the lesson had to be canceled.
Before leaving, Asuye instructed, "Make good use of the devouring power I injected into your body; it can greatly enhance the strength of your Cornerstone."
"I understand, thank you, teacher!" Gustavo solemnly gave Asuye a gesture of gratitude characteristic of the Mitrola Clan.
His figure gradually disappeared, as if merging into space. Asuye was gone, and only Gustavo remained in the entire virtual and real world.
The next moment, a bone bead descended from the sky, landing in front of Gustavo, followed by Narnia's voice. "Boy, this is the resource you requested."
After saying this, the virtual and real worlds shook violently, and cracks appeared from all directions like a dense spider web. The cracking sounds of space splitting apart rose and fell, and finally, the world collapsed with a bang.
Clearly, Narnia had lost control of her power and was overexerting herself, which is why she recklessly used brute force to destroy the illusory world. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, it should have gradually faded away.
Buzz!!
The sensation of his soul being shaken jolted Gustavo awake. Once he came to his senses, he quickly put away the bone bead and observed the reaction of the King of the Demonic Sea behind him. Seeing that the latter did not react in the slightest, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon examining his own situation, deep within his soul, the wooden badge, which had been completely sealed, could no longer interfere with his Fortune. A dark cloud gradually dissipated from Gustavo's heart, and he was finally able to break through to the Demigod level.
Examining the various resources inside the bone bead, a dazzling array of cultivation supplies came into view, with hundreds of six-star level items, including twenty or thirty of Legend quality or higher.
Top-tier elemental crystals, top-tier pure Soul Crystal, and other general-purpose resources were piled up in huge quantities, like mountains. If counted by Star Wheel, the resources here could fetch at least 8 million Star Wheel, an astronomical sum.
"With these resources, coupled with the [Devourer] talent, I can break through to the Peak Demigod level in a very short time..."
An excitement flashed in Gustavo's eyes; it had been too long, he had been suppressing it for far too long.
Forcibly severing one's own foundation time and time again, causing one's strength to regress, feels like feeding oneself poison in order to transform oneself into a 'poisonous body' so as not to be eaten by 'beasts'.
Drinking poison to quench thirst!
But it is necessary!
Those who haven't experienced Dharma Body.
Do you really think Gustavo's powerful willpower came from nowhere? Everything has a cause and effect!
"Before that, I need to further refine [The Devourer]."
Gustavo glanced at the King of the Demonic Sea behind him, and a look of urgency flashed in his eyes once again.
He is not safe yet.
The abundant resources in the bone beads did not come from nowhere; they were earned through his hard work and sacrifice.
The difference is that after Asuye leaves, his identity as Devouring Faction will definitely be confirmed, and he will most likely not die. Even if the King of the Demonic Sea wants to kill him, Herzan will not agree.
If a member of the Devouring Faction were to fall right under their noses, especially if that member was a true warrior willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the race, even Herzan would face considerable blame.
With this bottom line in place, the situation is vastly different from before.
At least, Gustavo can be bolder in his actions.
No longer afraid of angering the King of the Demonic Sea, since someone else will cover for them.
Of course, this doesn't mean he can recklessly act blindly.
It's time to show off your tightrope walking skills.
Using some rare resources, Gustavo began the final refinement of his [Devourer] talent.
His eyes were bright, like emerald suns. "I spoke with Asuye before, and he said that if the Mitrola Clan's Devouring Faction could obtain the Earth Guardian's ' Power of Adaptation,' it would be like adding wings to a tiger..."
"Very good, then let's fuse the ' Power of Adaptation ' with the ' Devourer ' first!"