THE GOD EATER

The giant barbarian, who was the strongest giant in the tribe and the chief of the tribe, said, ”Hold on. If this method is so good, why tell it to us? Why not keep it to yourself?”

Upon hearing this question, another elder became vigilant and said, ”Yes. What is the catch?”

A third elder even stepped back warily as they said, ”Surely, something like this couldn’t be free.”

The unicorn explained with a shake of her head, saying, ”This method was created by the Apex God to save the world. They are doing this purely for the good of the world.”

When no one believed her, she said, ”Don’t look at me like that. You’re thinking like mortals with your narrow perspective. You can’t understand the ways of a god with your way of thinking, so don’t try to judge a god by your standards.”

”Even if they want something, what is it that you could possibly have that a god could covet? There is simply nothing valuable that a mortal like you can grant them except your devotion and adoration.”

This last argument was what really convinced them. They were mortals, so they didn’t have anything that warranted a god scheming against them.

So after taking some time to discuss among themselves, the tribal chief said, ”You may prove your cultivation method. If it doesn’t work, you will be killed for trying to play tricks on us.”

The tribal chief was the only rank 3 cultivator in the tribe. He believed that with his power, he would be able to suppress this rank 2 guest.

The unicorn lady smiled at him and said confidently, ”Prepare to be amazed.”

Then she said to the elders, ”I need rank 1 volunteers who haven’t yet begun fusing with their Core Metacs for this demonstration. It is best if they have reached the end of their lifespan and are about to die.”

”What about rank 2 and rank 3 cultivators?” The tribal chief asked with a frown.

She said in reply, ”You should know that rank 2 cultivators can’t change their paths without losing their cultivation and having to start from rank 1. I doubt anyone would risk their lifelong cultivation for something that has not been proven yet.”

”As for rank 3 cultivators, they have already fused with their Core Metacs and produced Life Abilities. So they will surely die if they attempt this method.”

”Hmmp,” the tribal chief said with a snort. ”I thought your method was some miracle. It turned out to be the usual way we cultivate.”

”Just indulge me a little bit, and you’ll see what’s miraculous about my method,” she said with a smile.

The tribal chief didn’t say anything anymore. He called out to a guard, saying, ”Bring the three oldest rank 1s in the tribe.”

A few minutes later, three rank 1 cultivators were brought in. These three were one woman and two men. All three of them had gray-white hair that was falling off their heads.

The unicorn took out three small golden balls of seed the size of peanuts and handed them to the three old cultivators.

Then she said, ”Refine them into your Energy Well. As soon as it is refined, try using it to advance to rank 2.”

The three of them were confused, but they did as they were told.

The requirements to advance to rank 2 were to have peak rank 1 cultivation, 100% control skill of the Core Metac, and a rank 2 Core Metac. As the oldest rank 1 cultivators in the tribe, they had met the first two requirements.

After a long time of polishing their cultivation and skills, they had managed to reach peak rank 1 cultivation and 100% mastery of their Core Metac. It was the lack of resources to help their Core Metac advance to rank 2 that had been delaying them from advancing.

But from what the unicorn just said, they guessed that these golden seeds seemed to be rank 2 Core Metacs. So all of the things they needed to advance to rank 2 should now be in order.

After the golden seeds were refined, they floated harmlessly within the Energy Well. It wasn’t until they were activated and used to advance that they started to move.

The three seeds began germinating into a golden sapling. Unbeknownst to the three cultivators, the golden sapling siphoned all of the lifespan of its host and used it to grow leaves.

The three cultivators didn’t notice because their lifespan didn’t leave their bodies, and the process of extracting it was painless. Even the Dao Lords didn’t notice anything amiss.

None of the three golden saplings could grow a complete leaf, though. This was because a single leaf cost 10 years of lifespan to make, but none of the hosts had up to ten years left to live. The best they could manage was a stunted and miniature leaf.

As the breakthrough to rank 2 continued, the roots of the golden sapling spread out from the Energy Well throughout the body, forming Energy Threads. This was exactly the same thing advancing to rank 2 is like for normal cultivators.

However, something abnormal happened after this advancement. For an unknown reason, the three golden seedlings attracted the attention and favor of the Supreme Metac of their pathway, which led to them being bestowed with lifespan.

A whopping 20 years of lifespan was bestowed on the three of them. As barbarians who could live up to 200 years, this boon was a boost of 20 years to their lifespan.

As soon as the three seedlings received the extra lifespan, they grew two extra leaves. Together with the previous stunted leaf, they barely had three leaves now.

The effect of the extra lifespan on their bodies was also instant. The white hair of the three cultivators became darker, and their rough, aged skin became smoother.

The elders, who had been watching, stepped back in fright when they saw this. Even the three affected cultivators could hardly believe their eyes.