Chapter 473 444: Heroic Epic

Mogu said without the slightest hesitation, "My Lord, I can eat it. My remaining lifespan should be enough."

"Are you sure?"

Mogu said in a low voice, "My Lord, after we are recruited, our remaining lifespan is calculated based on our state before we fell. According to a Fishman's age, I am still in my prime."

'Based on the lifespan remaining before they fell…' Qin Ziwen thought of something. He looked at Jia Liangcai, who was returning with his men, and at Dr. Qian and Tao Fu behind him.

The three of them were quite old; they probably couldn't risk eating the Cursed Golden Apples.

But they could still eat the regular Golden Apples.

Qin Ziwen turned to Mogu. "You're a Four-Star Extraordinary right now. One more star and you'll reach the limit of the Extraordinary rank. Is there a path beyond Extraordinary?"

"My Lord, there is a path beyond Extraordinary. It is called Ascending to Godhood, and it contains the tiers of Epic, Legendary, and Mythical. For beings of this level, no number of ordinary people would matter to them. These three tiers are less like ranks and more like titles of respect for their great power. They are living epics, living legends." Mogu seemed to be recalling something. "I once witnessed a Legendary being from afar. He effortlessly conjured a hurricane and a tsunami, single-handedly destroying a naval fleet that claimed to be invincible."

Qin Ziwen asked, "You're one step away from the limit of the Extraordinary rank. Do you have any idea how to break through and achieve that ascension?"

Mogu slowly shook his head. "I don't know either. I just once heard someone in a tavern say that to become an Epic, you need to be at least a Heroic Level Extraordinary to even qualify. From what I heard, it was called something like… a Heroic Epic?"

Qin Ziwen smiled. "No rush. We can take our time. It's enough to know there's a path forward."

"My Lord." Jia Liangcai came to his side. Behind him, a group of Recruiters clasped their fists in salute.

"Did Liangcai tell you anything on the way here?"

They all shook their heads.

Qin Ziwen then told everyone about the Golden Apples.

Qian Muzhen said hastily, "How could this old man be worthy of such a divine object? My Lord, I absolutely cannot accept."

Tao Fu's expression turned serious. "My Lord, I haven't done anything special, just my duty. I cannot accept such a valuable treasure."

'If none of you are taking one, how can I possibly accept?' Shi Hu's eyes bulged like bronze bells.

Zhang Meng was tempted. He licked his lips, glanced at his lord, then at Qian Muzhen and the others, and kept his mouth shut.

Qin Ziwen said, "This isn't a request, it's an order. But it's best if you all reach Five Stars before eating. Zhang Meng, Shi Hu, you two will set an example for the others in a moment."

Shi Hu's eyes lit up, and he shouted gleefully, "Thank you, My Lord!"

Zhang Meng grinned, not standing on ceremony either.

Qin Ziwen had Qin Ziwu fetch seven Golden Apples and three Cursed Golden Apples.

When the ten apples were laid out in a row on the table, it was a spectacular sight.

Qin Ziwu looked at his big brother, then at Mogu, and then at Du Yu.

He lowered his head and counted on his fingers. No matter how he counted, the number seemed wrong.

Qin Ziwen said, "Stop counting. The Cursed Golden Apples have side effects, and not everyone is willing to eat one. I just picked a few for now. If it's not enough, I'll go get more."

A look of realization dawned on Qin Ziwu's face. "Oh, I see! Big Brother, I'm going to eat this one!"

"Are you sure you want to eat it?"

"Seize the day, as they say. Who knows if I'll even live long enough to die of old age? Better to get as strong as I can now." Qin Ziwu nodded with certainty.

"That's a good point."

"My Lord, I'm eating it then." Shi Hu picked up a Golden Apple, held it to his nose, and sniffed. It had a faint, fruity fragrance.

"Heh heh, the Lord already gave the order. What are you hesitating for, Stone?" Zhang Meng picked up a Golden Apple and took a big bite. Though it looked brilliantly golden, the flesh was incredibly crisp. Zhang Meng thought it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten.

"What's it taste like?" Qin Ziwu asked impatiently.

'He had already advanced to the Extraordinary rank, so the Golden Apple wouldn't work on him. He figured he'd never get a chance to taste one now.'

Qin Ziwu's question stumped him. Zhang Meng's face flushed red, and he stammered, "It's… it's just really good. It's the best thing I've ever eaten."

Seeing this, Shi Hu couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Xiaowu, don't make things difficult for this oaf. What kind of good food could he have possibly eaten? I bet he's never even tasted the osmanthus cakes from the county town."

Zhang Meng said angrily, "Like you've ever had any!"

"Of course I have." Shi Hu raised his head proudly. "Forget osmanthus cakes; I've had mung bean cakes, red bean cakes, honeyed date cakes, and sugar pancakes."

Zhang Meng didn't believe him. "Where would you have eaten so many good things? You probably just overheard the names somewhere."

Shi Hu raised an eyebrow. "My maternal uncle used to run a restaurant. When I was a kid, I got to try them every time I visited relatives in the county town."

With that, he picked up his apple and took a big bite. "Delicious! This is even better than any of those pastries."

After finishing the apple, Shi Hu felt hot all over. He lifted his shirt, baring his chest, as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Nearby, Zhang Meng picked up a bowl of water from the living room's coffee table and started chugging it down.

His movements as he drank suddenly froze, and the expression on his face stiffened.

"CRACK…"

Cracks spread across the ceramic bowl. Zhang Meng opened his mouth, threw his head back, and let out a roar that seemed to have been suppressed to its absolute limit.

His body began to tremble violently. Beneath his clothes, his muscles bulged and contracted nonstop, and his bones let out a series of sharp cracks, as if someone were pulling them apart one by one and then snapping them back together.

Beside him, Shi Hu squatted down, grabbing the ground tightly with both hands. His ten fingers gouged ten holes into the floor tiles.

"My tiles." Qin Ziwen's eyelid twitched. 'If these floor tiles break, I don't have any spares to replace them.'

"Looks like he's powering up." Qin Ziwu craned his neck, clicking his tongue in amazement as he watched.

"Big Brother, is there any difference between reaching Extraordinary this way versus breaking through by completing a mission with a Breakthrough Card?"

Mogu explained, "This method simply activates one's bloodline potential. It's like how some wild beasts are also Extraordinary. They certainly don't advance using Breakthrough Cards; it's their innate bloodline potential. The effect of this Golden Apple is likely similar."

Qin Ziwu was stunned. "Then didn't we lose out by using Breakthrough Cards to reach Extraordinary?"

Mogu thought for a moment, then guessed, "Extraordinaries should also be able to eat Golden Apples to awaken their bloodline potential. It just won't have the effect of breaking through to the Extraordinary rank."

Hearing that he still had a chance to awaken his bloodline potential, Qin Ziwu breathed a sigh of relief.

'Every generation has its god-tier version. If you miss out on a patch from a certain version, you always feel like you've been shortchanged.'

As he was roaring, Zhang Meng let out a long cry. With a "RIP," the tight-fitting short robe on his chest tore right open. Beneath the tattered cloth, full and solid muscles were revealed.

'Holy crap, his clothes even exploded off.'

Not far away, Shi Hu let out a grunt, and with a "RIIIP," his pants tore open.

It revealed gnarled muscles; his squatting legs looked exceptionally muscular, like a bullfrog's.

Mogu studied the two of them. "They seem to have activated the same type of bloodline. It's possible that the ancestors from your world all shared a single, powerful bloodline."

When Jia Liangcai heard this, his heart skipped a beat. 'Shi Hu and Zhang Meng are both Great Yong people, and I'm from Great Yong, too. We all share the same ancestors. Doesn't that mean the effect will be similar if I take it?'

The image of it flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes and muttered, "An offense to propriety… an offense to propriety…"

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