A month had passed, and Barbatos was deep in seclusion.
After an intense hour, a wave of divine energy surged through him as he successfully broke through from Three-Turn Demigod Peak Stage to Four-Turn Demigod Initial Stage.
In other words, Barbatos had finally become a Silver Demigod!
"I didn't expect that a hundred thousand divine energy strands wouldn't be enough to reach Silver Demigod. Fortunately, a week ago, after I reached Three-Turn Demigod Peak Stage and used up all my divine energy strands, I asked Restara for more pocket money."
Barbatos realized that being a kept man wasn't so bad when his wife was incredibly rich and capable.
At least he didn't have a mentor to rely on like his classmates, but he had his wife to support him.
Compared to having a mentor, Barbatos trusted his future wife more than a stranger native to the Endless Void.
They say having a mentor is like having a second parent, but even blood-related siblings would betray each other for an imperial throne. So, trusting a non-blood-related mentor when it came to divine treasures seemed even riskier.
It took a significant amount of divine energy for Barbatos to become a Four-Turn Demigod, as he required ten times more energy than an average demigod.
This was not only due to his status as a first-generation god but also because he absorbed as much divine energy as his body could withstand before using it to break through each stage.
Most demigods would use just the required divine energy per stage. Barbatos, however, pushed himself to the limit, absorbing divine energy to the brim until he felt he could no longer withstand it.
A month ago, when he became a Two-Turn Demigod Initial Stage, Barbatos needed a total of 22,000 divine energy strands to reach the Three-Turn Demigod Initial Stage.
This was because each turn in the demigod stages is further divided into four stages: Initial Stage, Intermediate Stage, Late Stage, and Peak Stage.
The reason it didn't require as much divine energy for him to become a Two-Turn Demigod was that he had already reached One-Turn Demigod Peak Stage.
He hadn't wasted his time doing nothing a year ago. He wasn't just waiting for his hundredfold increase opportunity to arrive; he was also cultivating his divine power.
Furthermore, he was merely the God of Wind at that time, so it didn't require as much divine energy compared to after he became a first-generation God of Free Wind.
Sacrificing his wind godhead and becoming the God of Free Wind had also propelled him to the very peak of One-Turn Demigod, so he only needed one thousand divine energy strands to advance to Two-Turn Demigod.
"From Three-Turn Demigod Initial Stage to Three-Turn Demigod Peak Stage, it took me 52,000 divine energy strands. And from Three-Turn Demigod Peak Stage to Four-Turn Demigod Initial Stage, it took 30,000 divine energy strands."
"In total, it took me 102,000 divine energy strands just to reach Four-Turn Demigod Initial Stage. The white crystal that Restara gave me wasn't enough, so I asked for two more a month ago."
"So currently, I have two white crystals, one of which is slightly used. In total, I have about 198,000 divine energy strands left as my pocket money."
Having that much money, Barbatos realized just how costly divine cultivation could be. Specifically, his method of cultivation was particularly expensive because he filled himself to the brim with divine energy before completing each Turn.
For comparison, it took 20 divine energy liquids for the average Gold Demigod to ignite their divine fire and exalt their kingdom of god into the Endless Void, becoming a True God. One divine energy liquid was equivalent to one hundred thousand divine energy strands.
In total, it took one divine energy liquid and two thousand divine energy strands for Barbatos to reach the Four-Turn Demigod Initial Stage.
"Sigh, if my future wife wasn't rich, she would have already gone bankrupt raising this prodigal future husband of hers," Barbatos mused.
He still had 198,000 divine energy strands as his pocket money. He decided to invest in his believers, understanding that due to the high cost of his divine cultivation, his power was exceptionally strong, allowing him to perform leapfrog battles.
In other words, he could defeat demigods stronger than his current power level since his divine energy quality and quantity were superior. Additionally, his godhead was that of a first-generation God of Free Wind, so only Restara and other first-generation demigods posed a significant threat to him.
"My power increased too quickly. Although my foundation is stable, my believers' power can't keep up with my current level. An average Four-Turn Demigod's followers could easily decimate my main believer race."
Barbatos reviewed his remaining divine energy strands, considering his next move.
He knew that most demigods relied on the natural reproduction of their believers, taking advantage of their infinite lifespan to gradually increase their numbers. However, Barbatos didn't have the patience to wait years for his believers to multiply naturally.
He remembered the Reproduction Cards he had read about in the god forum. These cards, created by the powerful Gods of Life, could instantly add 100 adult members to his low-rank Wolf Beastman Race.
The standard Reproduction Card cost 10,000 divine energy strands, or 0.1 divine energy liquid. For mid-rank races, the Elite Reproduction Card was available but came at a steep price of 200,000 divine energy strands, or 2 divine energy liquids.
With his current funds, Barbatos calculated that he could afford several standard Reproduction Cards. This would significantly bolster the numbers of his Wolf Beastman Race, accelerating his plans and expanding his influence in the Eternal Continent.
For most demigods, using Reproduction Cards wasn't necessary; their infinite lifespan allowed them to wait patiently as their believers naturally increased.
But for Barbatos, time was of the essence. He needed to strengthen his forces quickly to compete with other powerful demigods and to keep up with Restara.
Barbatos made up his mind. He would invest in the Reproduction Cards to give his Wolf Beastman Race a much-needed boost. This would not only increase their numbers but also improve their overall strength and readiness for the divine wars ahead.
"I'll use the remaining divine energy strands to purchase Reproduction Cards in the Divine God City," he decided.
"Well, it's time to leave seclusion and go shopping."