Bloodlines were the manifestation of a family's special lineage through unique powers and abilities, known as Bloodline Abilities. Depending on the purity of one's bloodline, the chances of awakening the Bloodline would differ dramatically. The main descendants were almost guaranteed to manifest it, while the side families had much worse luck. Moreover, the purity also controlled the potential, leading to subtle differences even between the same Bloodline. This allowed the Engelsheft Families of the Zino Kingdom to heavily discriminate against the strong and the weak. In a way, this was exactly the same as traditional nobility families, only the defining criterion was changed. In every world, one's future was decided by their birth! There was no escaping this cruel truth unless one challenged the very worldly order itself!
And Freon was doing exactly that. As one of the last remaining descendants of the legendary Arcellius Family, he inherited the Arcellius Bloodline and its Bloodline Ability, Thousand Core Resonance. Once considered the strongest Bloodline Ability, it boasted extremely high battle potential. Allowing any Arcanist to consecutively use any spell, while elevating it to another level in terms of power, speed, range, versatility, and efficiency, was a godly weapon. However, the repercussions were equally as great. A single wrong step would lead to crippling or outright killing themselves! It required a very high level of control, foresight, and awareness to maximize its potential, not something anyone could use. Freon wanted to use it to change his sister's fate!
After reaffirming his resolve and waiting for his injuries to fully heal, they headed to an isolated chamber inside the underground hideout. Protector Avin raised his hand and created a magical spell. The simple spell flooded the light fixtures above, transforming the dark room into a sunny one in an instant. Besides the lack of windows, there was no obvious sign they were underground. Making themselves comfortable, Protector Avin finally began the conversation.
"There's two steps involved in Bloodline Awakening. The first is awakening the Arcellius Bloodline inside you, and the next is awakening the Bloodline Ability. Both will be extremely difficult. It will require a tremendous amount of effort to fully excavate your hidden potential."
"Doesn't awakening a Bloodline automatically awaken the ability as well?" Freon asked confusedly.
"No. To be more specific, only a few gifted people who awakened their Bloodline can also awaken their latent powers. The same holds true in the Arcellius Family," he patiently explained.
A Bloodline constituted more than just the ability. It had the potential to completely overhaul the body's Magic Potential, allowing them to access higher Core Levels with relative ease. In many ways, it was very similar to spirit Rena's tempering technique passed onto Elizabeth. Although a tempering technique was an inferior version to a Bloodline, the technique could be freely taught to anyone and that was a very powerful advantage! For strengthening a large group of people, say an army, then a tempering technique was perfect. Their average strength may be low, but a Bloodline could only be inherited by a select number of people. Faced with quantity over quality, a tempering technique was by far the stronger option!
"Awakening a Bloodline has no requirements on Core Levels, unlike the Bloodline Ability. However, we can be sure that you have the potential for it since we've already seen it appear."
"Alright… How do we begin then?" Freon asked.
"The only way to awaken your Bloodline is through repeatedly stressing your body through near-death experiences to force your latent potential to appear. Well, to put it bluntly, you're going to suffer a lot." He then explained the method properly.
Freon gave a strained smile. "It's fine if I suffer a lot if it's worth it. I can reach the Condensed Drop level, right?"
Core Levels were divided into two levels, now three with Protector Avin's return. They were Gaseous Fog, Condensed Drop, and Blue Depth respectively. Analogous to the physical Realms of Mastery, the Gaseous Fog was the foundation stage. Forming the Core, constructing the Channels, and then building up the Magic Energy inside their bodies were the goals here. As the name suggested, the density of Magic Energy was wispy like a fog, almost intangible and invisible. This represented the total power they could output at any time. The vast majority of all Arcanists resided at this Core Level. Even the Engelsheft Families' heirs were at most Peak Gaseous Fog or Half-Condensed Drop. Only a few could breakthrough to the next level!
When an Arcanist condensed their Magic Energy from a fog into a single drop, then they would have reached Low Condensed Drop! At this point, their power output would increase by magnitudes, allowing them to cast vastly superior spells with ease. And with their strong command over Magic Energy, contrary to martial artists and Martial Energy, they could truly show the power of Rank 2 existences! According to the Zino Kingdom's estimates, less than thirty people in the entire world had Condensed Drop Core Level. Excluding the Ten Dawns and the Conquestian, that meant around twenty people were avoiding the public eye. That showed how overwhelmingly rare and difficult it was for people to reach this level!
Finally, when one condensed their Magic Energy a step further to form an ocean, then they would have achieved Blue Depth. That was why their aura felt like an ocean from above! It was a physical manifestation of their Core Level! Currently, the only person who managed that monumentally challenging task was Protector Avin Arcellius, once known as the strongest Arcanist of his generation. The difficulty in reaching this point could not be overestimated. One could see that from the martial artist equivalent of Instinct Realm. In the Alzar Kingdom, the last recorded Instinct Realm died over a hundred years ago. However, the Zino Kingdom had never witnessed a single Blue Depth being born in over five hundred years… If the Instinct Realm was labelled as a legendary, almost mythical, realm then Blue Depth was deemed as outright impossible! It was no wonder that the Zino Kingdom was anxious to remove this threat. The power of a Blue Depth Arcanist was unfathomable!
Freon, who was a Medium Gaseous Fog Arcanist now, had his views forcibly opened. Condensed Drop was no longer something unattainable for him, nor was it the final endpoint either. Although he held little confidence in scaling to the same heights as his uncle, with the Arcellius Bloodline flowing through his veins, it should be straightforward to propel himself into Condensed Drop! At least, that was what he thought when he saw his uncle shake his head.
"It's not that easy. If everyone could become a Condensed Drop like that, then wouldn't all those from the Engelsheft Families do that as well?"
Those Engelsheft Families boasted extraordinary Bloodlines as well. Although they were inferior to the Arcellius Family's Bloodline, they were not exactly pushovers either. Otherwise, how could they reign supreme in a society ruled by magic? They had the qualifications to stand above everyone else! But even they struggled at the Condensed Drop bottleneck. Just like it was for the Perception Realm, a Rank 2 existence was magnitudes stronger than a Rank 1. It meant that a person was overcoming their innate limitations, breaking through to become a transcendental power! How could it be so easy? Freon was greatly underestimating the difficulty!
Freon's mood plummeted with those harsh words. He gave a bitter face and said, "That makes sense. I was getting ahead of myself."
"I never said it was impossible for you," Protector Avin said. "Only that it would be incredibly challenging. Although you may have gained the Bloodline Ability, do not take it for granted. True power only comes with appropriate effort. We'll start awakening your Bloodline immediately. Prepare yourself."
At those words, Freon nodded seriously and took a deep breath. He relaxed his body and steeled his mind. Protector Avin raised his palm and a flame appeared at his fingertips. This was not a true fire, but pure Magic Energy! Mastering either Magic or Martial Energy allowed one to materialize it in the real world. The Sword King showcased the same ability whenever he executed the Cloud Sea Style. Using this magical fire, Protector Avin directed the flame into Freon's body. He could track and control the Magic Energy travelling through the Channels with his vast Magic Perception. Then, when it arrived at a certain location, under the man's control, the flame writhed and aggressively exploded throughout!
Boom! Instantly, every blood vein convulsed and pulsed on Freon's body, depicting a horrific scene. Sweat poured from his forehead as immense pain emerged from every bit of his being. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists to prevent screaming. But it was for naught. The pain was unrelenting and merciless. It felt like his body was about to explode! Freon began yelling! If not for the isolated chamber, then his voice would echo throughout the hideout. However, even that was not enough. He quickly tired out and his vision dimmed. On the verge of losing consciousness, Protector Avin finally stopped, and the pressure instantly disappeared. Freon collapsed in a small pool of sweat, unable to move anymore.
This was one of the problems Arcanists had: the vulnerability of their Channels and Core! The same held true for martial artists and their weak bodies, but they had a solution to this. They could wear armor! Of course, armor was not an omnipotent thing, and it could not protect against extraordinary threats like magic, poison, or Martial Energy. This was a large reason why martial artists were so weak against Arcania. They had no way of resisting! Nevertheless, it still offered critical protection and Perception Realms could maneuver their bodies freely, even while wearing full plate armor. The Royal Guards were a prime example of this.
Opposite of this though were Arcanists. The Channels and Core of a body were intangible. There was no such concept of 'armor' for this. This made any Arcanists extremely susceptible to attacks targeting these areas. Protector Avin recognized this issue as well. A simple attack could unleash unprecedented destruction inside one's body without sufficient preparation. Therefore, he created his own spells that specifically reinforced his constitution to protect from external threats. When Ten Dawn Rosemary Arkfell tried probing his condition using her Magic Perception, she was unable to because of this! This prevented the woman from gauging his Core Level until the heavenly phenomenon occurred.
And Protector Avin was using this principle to 'torture' Freon. He had effectively mastered his control over Magic Energy, allowing him to manipulate it as easily as his body. Using that, he could attack Freon from the inside. Even without physical injuries, since the intangible and tangible were tied together, the injuries could manifest on the surface. The same held for Elizabeth's state. The damage to her Core was affecting both her body and soul. Everything comprised the person known as Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel! This was the method that Protector Avin mentioned. To constantly beat down the body and force Freon's latent powers to emerge!
After waiting half an hour for Freon to recover, the boy raised his head slowly and panted, "Damn! You really… weren't holding back… were you?"
"If I did, then how long would we take? And don't relax just yet. I gave you a mere taste. The true training begins from here on out."
"That was a mere taste?" he paled.
"Like I said, you need countless near-death experiences," Protector Avin said sharply. His eyes seemed to pierce Freon straight down to the core. "Sit if you want to continue or go if you want to quit. I won't stop you. The journey towards the peak is not for the weak-hearted! Unless you temper yourself properly, you'll only reach an early grave."
"Are these words you should say to your nephew?" Freon asked wryly.
"Right now, I'm your master, not your uncle. Remember that carefully."
The boy adjusted his posture, steadied his breathing, and cleared his thoughts. "You're right. I was saying something useless again. I won't get stronger if all I do is keep complaining. Let's continue!"
Protector Avin nodded. "Good. I'll raise the intensity to another level. Try not to faint!" he said as a much brighter flame appeared. Following that, harrowing screams filled the chambers again…