He Sai was obviously scared.
Lu Bu'er, on the other hand, vaguely felt a sense of anticipation. Just moments ago, he had been worrying about whether he might not be able to awaken the Seeds of the Heavenly God within him due to lack of contact with the Specter Fiends; now, an opportunity had presented itself!
"It's for the sake of humanity, as well as for you. Only on the battlefield can you quickly accumulate Merit Points. Otherwise, as you advance further on the path of evolution... you won't have many years left to live."
These words from the old Priest exploded in the ears of the young men like thunder.
"What does that mean?"
"Not many years left to live?" He Sai murmured to himself.
These words, of course, also struck Lu Bu'er. Since his awakening, he had hoped that this new civilization might have a method to cure his illness completely.
But after hearing the Priest's words, his heart sank slightly.
"I have explained to you the principle of the Sacred Rhythm before. Its essence is to accelerate cellular division. Yet, there is a limit to the human body. Without external interference, each cell division shortens the telomeres of chromosomes, and you will age increasingly."
The old Priest said indifferently, "Once you have stepped into the Extraordinary Realm, every increase in strength means accelerated cellular division, and your ageing will be very rapid."
Lu Bu'er finally understood why those soldiers outside looked so aged. So this was a side effect of the Sacred Rhythm, and even the Priest himself may not be as old as he appears.
"Only the Divine Tree Marrow Fluid, exclusively owned by the military, can replenish the Life Energy for the Cocoon Breakers, maintaining normal vital signs and the limit of lifespan, rejuvenating them. However, Divine Tree Marrow Fluid must be exchanged after accumulating enough contributions, and only those qualified can do so."
The Priest continued with detachment, "Take Qingmu, for instance. He has only traded for six bottles, yet at the age of twenty-nine, he already appears to be approaching middle age. That was his choice. You can also opt not to delve deep into your practice, maintaining First Rank and losing just two or three years of life at most, waiting to retire from service. This is what most people choose."
He Sai's mood plummeted. Not long ago, he was yearning to have Transcendent powers, to be like the superheroes in movies, saving the world.
But he had never imagined that the Sacred Rhythm could cause premature aging.
According to the Priest, the Divine Tree Marrow Fluid is something you can exchange only through battle, by making outstanding contributions and accumulating Merit Points.
Otherwise, you just linger in the military until retirement.
No cultivation, no evolution.
Scraping by on the bare minimum, waiting for a change in job.
The vast majority opt for safety and do precisely that.
That is the two choices offered to you.
Either embark on a path of evolution between life and death.
Or languish, bide your time until retirement.
"That can't be..."
He Sai knew one thing very clearly.
Lu Bu'er's body absolutely couldn't withstand it.
He... didn't have much time left.
Even entering the Extraordinary Realm would still be an inescapable checkmate for him.
In the silent hall, Lu Bu'er's face was expressionless, and his eyes showed neither sorrow nor joy.
"After coming to five hundred years later, continue to struggle on with my last breaths?"
He felt it was not necessarily the case.
Because he had thought of something.
He had cancer. If the cancer cells could also be used to extract Life Energy through the Sacred Rhythm, then he would not lose any lifespan.
Especially at that time, when the Seeds of the Heavenly God entered his body, the mechanical voice from the metal shell indicated that it had selected him because it had found a special diseased host.
If this was the hidden artifact his parents spoke of, then it must have something to do with the ultimate secrets of this world, possibly even a massive impending catastrophe.
This also meant that this world was not peaceful, and it was very likely that something big was going to happen in the near future. He had to find a way to protect himself and become powerful using this artifact.