"All bloodlines indeed have the same general potential," the Novice Scholar explained. "But Spirit Folk, for all the advantages we inherited from our Ancestral Spirits, have a weakness compared to human cultivators. If our bloodlines become muddled then our bodies can develop with weaknesses or contradictions in how our meridians grow and their compatibility with energy. It's similar to how Spirit Folk need to follow cultivation manuals that are compatible with their bloodline or risk cultivation deviation and it's also the reason that powerful cultivation families and clans rely so heavily on arranged marriages between compatible bloodlines," she explained patiently.
"A mixing and muddling of bloodlines with unions based more on love than power can occasionally result in extraordinary synergy but more often than not leaves hidden complications that, if left uncorrected, will limit how far a cultivator can progress in their cultivation," the older woman added, keeping her explanation a little bland.
From what she could see, both of these young women came from reputable families. What she didn't add was that problems of muddled bloodlines were all but universal among the children who resulted from unwilling unions. The Bamboo Silk House was no stranger to children who grew up seeking vengeance for a mother who was wronged by a father who didn't deserve the name. As such, the Bamboo Silk House not only had considerable experience identifying people who suffered from the complications of a muddled bloodline, but it also had a great deal of experience resolving those issues.
"And this tool lets you see those complications?" Su Yao asked, suddenly uncertain about her future in the sect. She knew that her family had never cared as much about bloodline compatibility when arranging matters of marriage as much as they'd cared about worldly accomplishment and potential. Even then, plenty of people in the Su family had defied tradition and found a partner in love rather than in matchmaking and her parents had been one such couple. Did that mean her potential would be less?
"Not this tool but the next one. Why don't you step forward so we can see your bloodlines and then we can assess if there are challenges to your future that must be addressed," the older woman encouraged. "Remember what I said though, these tools tell us where you should begin, not where you'll end up. There are powerful if expensive pills that can reform your body and cleanse your bloodline if you find that your parentage is holding you back."
"You may have to dedicate years to earning them," Florist Dongtian cautioned. "The cheapest of such pills that I'm aware of costs nearly fifty-thousand contribution points, but a diligent Aesthete who is willing to take a few risks with the missions they select could earn that in five years or less. You just have to decide that it's important enough to work hard for. Now, come, let's see what you're working with."
Following the older woman's instructions, Su Yao dripped a drop of blood on the spirit tool and waited for an image to manifest above it. The first to appear was a small, dark, three-eyed raven. Coiled around the raven, however, was the much larger and brighter Three-Eyed Sapphire Serpent that Wu Ling expected to see from a member of the Su family.
"Now that is fascinating," Florist Dongtian said, making rapid notes in her ledger. "Normally, serpent and avian bloodlines exist in a state of disharmony but your Three-Eyed Sapphire Serpent bloodline has found points of congruence with your less dominant bloodline. This is what I meant about unusual synergy. I'll be interested to see what surprises someone with the combined bloodline of a Three-Eyed Sapphire Serpent and a Raven of Ill Omens brings to the sect."
"Raven of Ill Omens?" Su Yao asked, her heart greatly disturbed. "Mother always said her family had a thin bloodline of the Dark Moon Crow. Are you sure it's a Raven of Ill Omens?"
"Positive," the older woman said. "Though I can understand why your mother's family might want to conceal their origins. As far as I'm aware, a Raven of Ill Omens has the ability to see ill fortune before it happens and the raven itself is rarely harmed by the ill fortune it sees. Some people think that the raven is the cause of ill fortune and hunt it to prevent dark fate but the raven is just the messenger and killing it won't stop disaster from befalling the person it warned. Your mother may not even know if your family has suppressed the truth for several generations. It's something you should discuss with her privately, but at least at first glance, it doesn't look like it will harm your cultivation. It may even strengthen it."
"Thank you for telling me," Su Yao said, reaching out and taking Wu Ling's hand for comfort. "Sister Wu Ling, will you come with me when I speak to my mother?"
"I can, but I think this is something you should discuss with her alone. Every family has their secrets. We've learned one of yours today but that doesn't mean it will make your mother comfortable to know how many others know," he explained delicately. "If you'd like, I'll come with you when you go to retrieve your things but I'll stay out of the room when you have your private conversation. I can even distract your father if you'd like," he offered. "That way, help is close but you can still talk to your mother privately."
"Mmm," Su Yao said with a short nod. "That's a good idea. We'll do it that way."
"Now young lady," Novice Dongtian said, looking at Yao Meifeng. "Are you ready for yours?"
"I'm ready," she said, already having a good idea of what she'd find. Moving quickly, the young musician pricked a finger and waited for her drop of blood to form into a pair of manifestations chasing each other through the air above the spirit tool.
"Oh, now that is interesting," the Novice Scholar said, looking at Yao Meifeng in surprise. "I imagine there must be a story here, but are you aware of the forces at work within your blood young lady?"