Three weeks remained before the Rite of Ascendancy, and after weeks of intense seclusion training, the members of Li Wei's team had emerged stronger, more focused, and eager for what lay ahead. The final leg of their journey to prepare for the Rite had officially begun, and each of them had taken some time to themselves.
The sun was setting behind the tall mountains of the Li clan's estate, casting a soft golden hue over the landscape. Li Wei sat in the quiet of his room, the pale light illuminating his white hair. His ice-blue eyes, ever calm and focused, scanned his system panel. He had broken through four levels during his training, yet something peculiar caught his attention.
Only one reward?
Li Wei frowned as his system panel flickered before him. Normally, when he broke through, the system would grant him a reward for each level achieved. But this time, despite breaking through four levels, he had only received a single reward—and the text that described it was nothing but a series of indecipherable characters: "?????????"
His gaze narrowed, and he instinctively tapped the glowing words with his finger. What is this? he thought. It was the first time he had seen such an anomaly in his system.
"What is that?" he finally asked, directing his query to the system.
For a moment, silence stretched. His system had always been reliable, quick to answer his inquiries. But this time, it hesitated, the quiet only deepening Li Wei's sense of unease.
Then, a voice sounded in his mind, calm and mechanical as always. "The reward is related to your bloodline ability, which will be unlocked upon reaching the first stage of the Body Forging realm."
Li Wei's frown deepened. Bloodline ability? It was a term that, in all of his eleven reincarnations, he had never encountered. In all his lives, he had seen countless cultivation methods, mystical arts, and rare talents, but this...this concept was entirely foreign to him.
"Bloodline ability?" he repeated aloud, his voice low. "Explain."
The system hummed softly for a second, and then it began its explanation. "In this world, every individual has a 50% chance of awakening a bloodline ability when they break through to the Body Forging stage. These abilities are passed down through generations, growing more powerful with each successive awakening. However, some individuals may awaken entirely unique abilities unrelated to their ancestry. These abilities are tied to their very essence—their blood—and they enhance their cultivation in profound ways."
Li Wei sat back, eyes narrowing as he processed the information. Bloodline abilities... unique powers tied to one's very lineage... It was a revolutionary concept, even to someone as experienced as him. His past lives had taken him across countless worlds, but never had he come across something quite like this.
"Does this mean I have a bloodline ability that I don't know about?" Li Wei asked, his curiosity piqued. His mind raced with the possibilities.
The system responded, "It is unknown whether your bloodline ability is inherited or unique. The only way to unlock this mystery is by reaching the first level of the Body Forging realm. The reward will then be revealed."
Li Wei's eyes gleamed with intrigue. Despite his deep reservoir of knowledge and experience, this new piece of information filled him with a sense of excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. A new challenge...
Bloodline abilities sounded powerful. In this world, to have such an ability would be a great asset, and it made sense why the system had kept it hidden until he advanced to a certain stage. But the fact that even his system—a construct of supreme mystery—could not reveal everything at once intrigued him further.
What kind of ability could it be? he wondered.
The system remained silent as Li Wei leaned back, deep in thought. His body had already begun to feel the subtle shifts as he neared the Body Forging realm. The Qi in his dantian had grown denser, and his control over it had become sharper with each breakthrough. Now, the promise of unlocking something beyond his current understanding spurred him on even more.
Li Wei's mind wandered back to the concept of bloodlines. In all his previous lives, he had met many cultivators with extraordinary talents—innate abilities passed down from their ancestors. Yet he had never once considered that he, too, might possess such a gift. Or perhaps, something unique, something forged across the lifetimes he had lived.
The thought of it filled him with a new determination. If bloodline abilities could enhance a person's cultivation beyond the ordinary, then whatever lay in his future could be the key to surpassing even the most powerful cultivators in the Qianyuan Kingdom. The Rite of Ascendancy would soon begin, and with it, he would face opponents who might possess such abilities themselves.
His fingers traced the glowing panel before him once more, his mind sharp as ever. To awaken a bloodline ability... it's something I will need to prepare for. But for now, he would continue his training, focusing on reaching the Body Forging realm. He knew that whatever the future held, he would approach it with the same calm and calculated resolve that had guided him through every challenge so far.
Li Wei glanced outside his window, watching the sky darken. The rest of his team would be coming out of their seclusion as well, likely unaware of the world of bloodline abilities that awaited them in the higher realms of cultivation.
As he sat there, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. The mysteries surrounding his future only deepened, and for the first time in many years, Li Wei felt the thrill of the unknown. With three weeks left before the Rite, the path ahead was filled with obstacles—but also with great rewards.
Let the Rite of Ascendancy come. I will face it head-on, he thought to himself, a small smile tugging at his lips.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Li Wei closed the system panel and returned to his cultivation, calm and composed as ever. Soon, his mysteries would be revealed, and with them, the true power he had always sought.