Lord of Demonic Machinery left the hall, the remaining Dragon-Hunting Spider scattered. Just as Gustavo was about to exit the Northern Spirit Spacetime, Saiyilin's alluring voice came from behind him.
"Gustavo, would you like to have dinner together? I've prepared a whole dragon feast, including your favorite spicy baby dragon, grilled Blue Dragon hind leg, and dragon Blood Marrow wine aged for a thousand years. Would you like to try some?"
Gustavo, who had initially intended to ignore Saiyilin, stopped involuntarily upon hearing her words. He turned around, smiling politely, and Earth Dao, "My dear Saiyilin, the Dragon Banquet is nothing to me. You know I've never been good at refusing a beautiful and elegant lady like you."
Upon hearing this, Saiyilin secretly pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "But you didn't agree to go on dates with me the last few times..."
However, since Gustavo had agreed, that was a victory. Saiyilin was still overjoyed and waited for Gustavo to arrive at the agreed-upon dinner time.
"Saiyilin, would I have the honor of joining you at the banquet?" A Dragon-Hunting Spider who had overheard their conversation approached and said, its eyes filled with undisguised admiration for Saiyilin.
Saiyilin turned around, tilted her head slightly, revealing an expression completely different from when she faced Gustavo, and said, "Come to my dinner party when you've defeated me, Robinho!"
"This..."
Robinho, the Dragon-Hunting Spider, froze, but Saiyilin ignored him and left the hall, disappearing without a trace.
At this moment, Kasaimela, whose strength was comparable to Saiyilin's, came over and comforted him, "Robinho, don't be angry. Saiyilin is just like this. She only looks down on those who can conquer her. Any clansmen weaker than her will never win her favor. Give up, brother."
"Hmph, I won't give up. Sooner or later, my strength will surpass Saiyilin's, and then she definitely won't reject my pursuit," Romanio said stubbornly before logging off.
Kasaimela shook her head helplessly, forcing a bitter smile. "By the time you catch up to Saiyilin's strength, she and Gustavo will probably have a whole bunch of kids. Once they become partners, given the values of the Mitrola Clan, how could a third party possibly have a chance to interfere?"
Kasaimela was right; the saying "a woman pursuing a man is easy as pie" is not just a saying. The only thing he hadn't expected was that Gustavo was completely unmoved by the temptation of Saiyilin, who was considered a super beauty in the eyes of the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan. He gracefully and swiftly finished off the entire dragon feast, let out a satisfied burp, and took his leave. The whole process was incredibly smooth and seamless.
All that remained behind him Saiyilin, who looked at his retreating figure with a resentful expression, biting her lip as if she were looking at an unfeeling stone.
On the way, Gustavo used energy spider silk to condense an oversized toothpick, picking his teeth while thinking disdainfully, "Hmph, foolish woman, trying to steal my body with a whole dragon feast? Dream on... But her cooking skills are indeed quite good. I can freeload more meals from her in the future. Anyway, I can just use my face, and I don't even have to spend money. Sweet!"
Gustavo didn't take finding a partner seriously; he had no need for it at all.
After all, strictly speaking, he himself can give birth; the Bloodline Sanctuary is essentially a component of Gustavo's physical body.
As for the emotional value provided by a partner, can it possibly compare to a mountain of tangible, palatable, and even edible Transcendent resources?
Moreover, having a partner brings constraints and vulnerabilities. Gustavo prefers a solitary lifestyle, and he's never used to having someone else around.
In fact, there are many powerful individuals in the Astral Realm who share a similar mindset to Gustavo.
The more powerful Transcendent is, the weaker their desire to find a partner.
If a child doesn't have a partner in childhood, then once they grow up and become accustomed to the deceit and treachery of the world, and the fickle nature of human nature, it's virtually impossible for them to open their hearts to others.
Without genuine affection, a so-called partner is nothing more than a hypocritical ally seeking personal gain.
Conversely, if a partner is chosen in childhood, the stronger one becomes, the more one will naturally value that pure affection.
Because at this point, what matters is not just the partner, but also that youthful time that can never be returned to; the older people get, the more nostalgic they become.
Back at the Fallen Star Nest, Mora and Bradley were sparring and honing their Combat Skills. Upon seeing Gustavo, the siblings exchanged a glance and pounced on him from either side.
With Gustavo's support, the siblings grew rapidly, both reaching the Legendary level in terms of life rank. At their age, they were already considered outstanding among their peers as Dragon-Hunting Spider.
Two Sanctuary attacked from both sides, but Gustavo remained unmoved. He lightly raised one of his sword-wielding feet and with two swift strokes, sliced the siblings' Sanctuary into pieces.
Then came the close combat. Mora and Bradley moved all eight legs, transforming into a continuous stream of sword light that engulfed Gustavo. However, facing that one unremarkable sword leg, these sword lights were like waves crashing against a reef, shattering into pieces, without even a trace touching Gustavo's body.
Hearing the commotion, the Spider Dad Spider Mom came to the sidelines to watch this lopsided battle.
Spider Dad Sylvain and sighed, "The second brother's strength is getting stronger and stronger. Although he doesn't unleash his power, the breathtaking energy fluctuations he exudes every time I sense them give me the creeps, just like when I was weak and encountered an insurmountable ferocious beast."
"You can still sense danger, but I can't sense anything at all." Spider Mom Index rolled her eyes at her husband, her tone helpless.
She understood that this "perceptual deception" effect only occurred when the difference in strength between the two sides was too great.
It's similar to how you can only truly appreciate the grandeur of a mountain from its foot. If you're far away, you'll only see it as an ordinary, unremarkable peak.
With their parents watching, Mora and Bradley fought even more enthusiastically.
Gustavo, who was about to participate in the Fate Supremacy War, didn't mind spending more time playing with the siblings. After all, to be honest, he wasn't sure if he would actually survive.
In all previous Fate War, the highest survival rate never exceeded 20%, and this year, according to reports from major Astral Realm media outlets, it is said to be the most intense competition in tens of thousands of years, with the survival rate likely to be even lower.
Those who can participate in the Fate War are all absolute elite Demigod. In a one-on-one fight, Gustavo fears no one, but if he is unlucky and gets ganged up on, his probability of death will inevitably increase significantly.
After a long while, the two siblings, unable to make a breakthrough, gave up. Bradley gave up first, followed closely by Mora.
"I'm done fighting, it's pointless. You could easily block our attacks with just one blade foot. I really don't know how you've grown so fast." Mora lay on the ground, panting heavily, looking completely exhausted.
Gustavo, unusually, didn't utter a sarcastic remark, but instead encouraged them, "We are all children of our mother and father, sharing the same bloodline. Since I was able to become the number one Demigod on the Treacherous Destruction Continent, you certainly won't be much less capable. It's just that your time hasn't come yet. Have you ever heard of 'great things come to fruition after years of accumulation'? I suspect that you two have that kind of constitution!"
Listening to Gustavo's earnest and convincing spiel, the siblings' previously dejected eyes gradually brightened. Like fully charged combat machines, they used all their strength to get up from the ground and charged at Gustavo again.
On the sidelines, the Spider Dad Spider Mom had heard these words, exchanged a glance and saw the worry in each other's eyes. They knew that Gustavo was going to participate in the Fate Supremacy War, and they could also figure out his current state of mind from the changes in his words and attitude.
But faced with their second son, who had already surpassed them in ability, the couple had no other choice.
Whether it's strength, experience, or reaction to emergencies, Gustavo has surpassed them in every way, a fact that even Sylvain has to admit.
They didn't even dare to offer Gustavo any advice, fearing they might mislead him and affect his thinking and judgment. The only thing they could offer was silent moral support.
Watching Gustavo instructing the siblings on the field, Index and Sylvain simultaneously had the same thought, "Sometimes, having a child who is too outstanding isn't a good thing!"
Gustavo didn't return to his room until he had exhausted Mora and Bradley.
Although it's called a room, it's actually a vast alternate space, complete with flowers, trees, birds, beasts, insects, and fish. Mountains and rivers are scattered throughout, and lakes and streams are dotted everywhere. There's even an artificial sun floating in the air, radiating light and heat.
In the very center of the alternate dimension was a lake wreathed in crimson flames. This was Gustavo's private 'hot spring,' the actual temperature of which could easily burn Mid-Rank Demigod, but to him, it was just hot bathwater, perfect for a soak.
The Crimson Flame Hot Spring is home to thousands of fire elemental beings, including winged sprites, gigantic Lava giants, and fire serpents long enough to encircle the entire hot spring.
When Gustavo descended from the sky and landed in the fiery hot spring, fire elementals swarmed around him, massaging his shoulders and legs and serving him comfortably.
"This is life!"
Gustavo immersed half his body in the crimson hot spring, feeling the flow of blood in his body, and let out a long breath.
After enjoying the view for a while, Gustavo opened the information panel, his gaze moving around until it finally settled on a newly appeared entry—[Proof of Godhood].
Following this is some introductory text, and at the bottom is a progress bar -- 30/100.
According to the information panel, when the progress bar reaches 100/100, you can break through to become a True God, and there will be almost no problems.
It's possible to break through even if the progress bar doesn't meet the target, but there's a certain probability of failure.
If the progress bar exceeds 100/100, not only can you successfully break through to the True God, but you can also accumulate foundational knowledge in advance, which is what is known as laying the groundwork.
For example, the two Cornerstone of the Devouring Faction.
According to Teacher Asuye, if one wants to possess the potential of Main God, it is best to increase the strength Cornerstone Cornerstone to 80 to 110 times that required to break through to the level of True God during the Demigod stage.
Of course, this does not mean that if one does not reach this Cornerstone strength at the Demigod stage, one loses the possibility of breaking through to the Main God. That's not the case. It's just that, compared to Demigod, it is more difficult for True God to improve their Cornerstone strength.
To give an analogy, upgrading the Cornerstone of Demigod is like reinforcing the foundation of a one-story house—it's very easy.
The True God, on the other hand, provides the foundation for skyscrapers hundreds of stories high, bearing far greater pressure than the former, making the task incredibly difficult.
Leaning against the fire serpent-shaped cushion, Gustavo pondered to himself, "According to the data given by Teacher Asuye, my Cornerstone strength, if judged solely by the requirements of an ordinary True God, is actually close to meeting the standard. The reason why the progress of the Proof of Godhood is only 30/100 is largely due to other factors."
With access to multiple channels, Gustavo possessed extremely detailed information about the True God Rank, even including the evolution of the True God hierarchy.
The amazing thing is that the one who discovered the method to break through to God Level was not a genius Mage or other professional, but the 'god' himself.
In the beginning of time.
Divine mandate is an unchanging Truth.
Either you are born a god, or you will never become a god. It was an era in which Primordial God reigned supreme, and mortals were merely toys in the hands of the gods.
This ' Truth ' persisted until the beginning of the Age of Gods, that is, the period between the end of the First Age of the Astral Realm and the beginning of the Second Age.
Because of the issue of believers, the New God who embarked on the path of faith and the stubborn original Old God gradually accumulated irreconcilable contradictions, which eventually erupted into a super war.
The two sides engaged in a bloody battle.
At this time, although the Earth Mother Goddess had achieved Eternity, surpassed the Supreme God status, and created New God, she herself was also one of the oldest Primordial God. Faced with her former friend, she could not bear to harm her and chose to remain neutral, but she held a strange position that was relatively biased towards the New God.
Without the Eternal participating in the main battle, the New God of faith not only failed to gain an advantage in high-end combat power, but were actually at a disadvantage.
At that time, the power of civilization had not yet risen, and various super weapons of war capable of Destruction gods had not yet appeared. The outcome of war depended mainly on the quality and quantity of True God.
In order to win the war, the New God began to devise various methods to enhance the power of believers, and ultimately, created the [Ritual of Godhood].
In modern times, Ritual of Godhood are also known as [Proof of Godhood].
After fulfilling the initial requirements of the [Ritual of Godhood], believers can gain the approval of the gods and thus advance to the rank of "Angel." From then on, the Angel, a powerful weapon of war that shakes multiple dimensions, was born.
After creating ' Angel ', the New God of faith began to devise ways to enhance the Angel ' power. Ultimately, by combining the wisdom of all the gods and under the guidance of the Goddess of the Earth, the first Angel successfully passed all the stringent requirements of the [Ritual of Godhood] and ascended to the True God Rank.
Strictly speaking, the first powerful being who was not Primordial God but achieved the status of True God was born.
This Angel later became the "King of Angel" in the Divine Realm, ruling the "City of Angel," fighting for the gods of faith in the north and south, achieving great feats, and then falling into the Abyss by various coincidences.
Today, He also has a name that resounds throughout the Astral Realm — Lord of Hell!