Calm Wanderer
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(AKJ) Chapter 78 - Bloodline Memories awakening
🕑 Added 2024-09-09 09:21:59 +0000 UTCMolvograd, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
A few minutes later the four were back in their suite. There, Seraphine took her mother from Demian’s arms and brought her to the sleeping woman’s bedroom to care for her, with Brynhild calmly following behind her. The young man, however, chose to stay in the main room. After all, it would not be appropriate for him to join them. If it were Seraphine, it would be fine, but since it was Adeliya, it was better to let the girls look after her, especially since they would need to remove her clothes to wash the sweat off her curvy body... Shaking his head, he muttered half-jokingly when some lewd images surfaced uncontrollably in his head. “My mind has been corrupted... My purity is gone, taken away by a horny dark elf...” Chuckling briefly, he then decided to pass the time by cultivating, even if he was fairly sure that the gains would be minimal. Whatever the case, a lot is something and a little is also something. He would never go wrong by improving his power, even marginally.
Unsurprisingly, barely a quarter of an hour later, he spotted the two girls leaving Adeliya’s room without the person in question. “She’s still sleeping?” He asked despite knowing the answer. Seraphine was quick to respond as she sat by his side. “She is. We washed her and put her to bed. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wakes up late tomorrow morning, though.” Nodding his head, he then turned his gaze toward Bryn’s direction who had already set her body on the sofa in front of them. “So, Sis... You said you had some info on what we talked about earlier?” As those words left his lips, even Seraphine, who enjoyed teasing her older sister kept silent, her face filled with curiosity.
With a calm smile, Bryn started. “As the two of you have guessed, I know what’s that trace of strange energy inside your Dantian. It’s actually Elemental Energy.” Unlike Demian who liked to keep his audience in suspense, the young woman carried on with her explanation, robbing the young man of the ‘chance’ to interrupt her. “I‘ll go over everything so if you have any questions just keep them to yourself for now, okay?” She clearly understood him enough to catch his impatience, which made him slightly embarrassed. Nodding his head, he then said curtly. “I won’t interrupt.”
His words were echoed by the dark-skinned woman sitting by his side before Brynhild resumed. “The reason why I know so much is because I awakened some Bloodline Memories during my Epiphany. Mostly Tier 1 related with some general information, though.” At that point, she gestured toward her own body, then added. “The reason why I look like this is because of that Bloodline. That and I got lucky enough to condense an Elementary Grade Special Physique.” Turning her head toward her sister’s direction, she claimed. “Because these memories are mainly about the Golden Jade Giant race, which is the Race that Bloodline came from, I don’t have too much information about other Races. That’s probably because of the fact that the Bloodline concentration in my body is not very high. That’s only a guess, though.” To which Sera asked rhetorically. “That means you don’t know about what’s my Bloodline exactly, right?”
Letting out a sigh, Bryn responded. “You’re right... But with your intrinsic powers, it shouldn’t be too shabby. It may even be comparable to mine, which is a Transcendent Grade one.” Noticing their confusion, she added. “Right. Bloodlines are divided into four Grades. It goes Low Grade, Mid Grade, High Grade, and Transcendent Grade. The higher the grade the easier it becomes for a cultivator to reach a higher Cultivation Rank. There are other advantages, like affinity toward certain Elements or Crafting Professions, but I’m not entirely clear on the specifics.”
Noticing her falling silent, Demian used that chance to ask. “Since you have a Transcendent Grade Bloodline, what do you get out of it?” His question brought a look of satisfaction to the woman’s face who replied. “Well, reaching the Peak of the Tribulation Transcending Rank should be much easier for me than for most cultivators. I also have a great Affinity for the Earth and Metal Elements. Not only that but since I broke through to the Chi Gathering Rank, I directly condensed the Golden Jade Physique at the Peak Low Elementary Grade, and today after my Epiphany not only did my Physique reach the Peak Mid Elementary Grade, but I also condensed the Golden Jade Element Energy.”
All those terms were both very novel and somewhat familiar to the young couple, prompting Seraphine to comment. “That’s a lot of benefits. Although I’m not sure I understood everything.” That last sentence was followed by an embarrassed chuckle. Waving her hand to dismiss her words, Bryn replied. “Don’t worry about it! I’ll explain slowly.” Pondering for a second, she then started her explanation. “I’ve already talked about Bloodline, so I’ll skip that. Let’s talk about Physiques then. There are two kinds of Mortal Physiques. The first is what most cultivators possessed. They’re usually called Normal Physiques, and follow the same pattern as Inner Energy Cultivation Level and Ranks. An example would be Fourth Level Mid Chi Gathering Rank Body Strength.”
That information was something he was already familiar with, so he was more interested in the ‘Special Physique’ she mentioned earlier. As if she could read his thoughts, she started. “Then you have those Special Physiques. There are many and each of them has different characteristics. Most of them grant a better Affinity to their respective Elements, faster cultivation speed, etc. There are even some that grant Profession Affinity, like Pill refining or Weapon Crafting.” Pausing for a few seconds to let the information sink in, she then resumed. “The Special Physiques’ Strength assessment comes from their completion. It goes Elementary, Advanced, Mastery, and Transcendent. That last is virtually impossible to reach though. At least that’s what I gathered from my Bloodline Memories.”
Since Bryn told them earlier that she was both at the Peak of the Mid Elementary Grade and that she could crush anyone in the Chi Gathering Rank, he could guess that those Grades should roughly be divided among the six cultivation Ranks. However, there was still something about his own situation that he was not sure about. “Sis, what about me?” After briefly gazing at his face thoughtfully, she claimed. “You also condensed a Water Attributed Physique. But unlike me, before today you only had a Normal Physique.” Her words confirmed his own guess, prompting him to exclaim. “I knew it. From the feeling I get, I should be around the Mid Elementary Grade, right?”
Nodding her head, Brynhild responded. “Precisely.” Letting out a sigh, he commented. “Only at the Mid Elementary... Well, I guess it’s better than nothing.” Rolling her eyes at his words, she retorted. “Stop complaining! Do you know how many people can condense a Special Physique? Barely a fraction of Cultivators. To succeed, not only do you need great talent and comprehension, but you also need at least a High-Grade Cultivation Technique that suits your Affinity, and a lucky opportunity. Besides my Transcendent Grade Bloodline, the two main reasons why I could even condense mine were because of my low Cultivation Base and my years of accumulation at the Peak Body Strengthening Rank. Oh, and did I mention that the higher your cultivation base the harder it becomes to condense it?”
Her words made him realize that he may have underestimated the value of a Special Physique, even one that was ‘merely’ at the Mid Elementary Grade. Before he could explain himself, however, Seraphine’s curious voice resounded in the room. “Let’s not waste time on useless stuff you two. Why don’t you continue sharing with us what you know, Sis?” Brynhild seemed to agree with her little sister as she quickly changed the subject. “Back to the Blue Energy you condensed in your Dantian.” That grabbed his attention instantly. “That’s Elemental Energy. To be precise, yours should be Water Elemental Energy. It can be condensed when you reach a certain degree of understanding of your Element. Of course, the overwhelming majority of Cultivators who condense that trace do it when they reach the Peak of the Chi Gathering Rank. It’s basically one of the essential criteria for breaking through to the Foundation Building Rank.”
‘So, it was indeed Water Elemental Energy...’ He contemplated while Seraphine asked. “What are the other requirements?” To which Bryn responded. “Get your Inner Energy to the Peak of the Rank and have a Body Strength at least equal to the Early Mid Chi Gathering Rank. Of course, those are the minimum requirements and your chances of getting to the next Rank if you meet them are very low.” Demian then questioned. “Why? Is it because of the Spiritual Energy around or something?” Nodding her head, the redhead clarified. “That too. But I was talking about the Lightning Tribulation you need to go through before reaching the next Rank.” Cocking his brow, Demian remarked. “Did you say Lightning Tribulation? Is that what I think it is?”
His question made the redhead chuckle slightly before she replied. “If you’re thinking about terrifying lightning bolts falling on you with their main goal being to kill you, then yes. It is what you think it is.” ‘Just like in those novels... I wonder...’ He thought inwardly before asking out loud. “Is that Tribulation strength set or does it change depending on the Cultivator?” Nodding her head, the redhead exclaimed while wearing a satisfied grin. “I see that all those books you two read in the past were more useful than I thought. And that’s right. The Tribulation Lightning does change based on the Cultivator’s talent and strength. The higher those are the deadlier it becomes. Of course, it doesn’t mean that by being weak your chance of going through it alive increases. From what I know, it’s actually the opposite. Unless you’re unlucky or underprepared, of course. In that case, you’ll probably die even if you’re the most talented Cultivator ever.”
“That makes sense.” Demian commented thoughtfully before something came to his mind. “By the way, Love. Since you have that special vision of yours, did you notice if my father had condensed his own Elemental Energy?” Sera instantly responded as she shook her head. “He didn’t as far as I know.” Bryn immediately understood what he meant with his question as she declared. “That means the Pill that Danilov and him want to get should help them condense Elemental Energy then.” Looking at her, Demian questioned. “Do you know its name?”
Shaking her head, she replied. “There wasn’t much information about Pills in my Memories. At least in those I unlocked.” A slight frown appeared on his face at her answer, prompting her to clarify with some annoyance in her tone. “There’s no need to make a face like that. I already told you that my Bloodline concentration wasn’t very high, so it’s normal that those memories are incomplete. It’s already amazing that I’ve got any information at all, let alone everything I just shared with you two.” Looking at her facial expression, he knew that she misunderstood him, prompting him to explain. “I’m not blaming you, Sis. It’s just that I feel a bit frustrated because there are so many things we don’t know about our enemy and the situation we’re in.”
Letting out a sigh, he then clarified. “It’s not really about the Pill itself, to be honest. It’s more about Danilov’s situation. Is he the same as Roman? Can he find some other way to get that Pill or one similar or does he have to play by the ‘rules’? From the information that Sergei gave us, that man doesn’t seem to be a lone wolf, so...” The two’s expressions turned alarmed instantly at his words, with Seraphine saying. “You think that the man might find another way to reach the Foundation Building Rank?”
He nodded his head silently while his index finger tapped rhythmically on his thigh. “if that’s the case, we’re in trouble.” Bryn remarked before adding. “Even if he only reached the First Level, it’s not something Peak Chi Gathering Cultivators can deal with. Not the average cultivator anyway.” Her words immediately gave him an idea, prompting him to question firmly. “Tell me, Sis. If we can increase our Physique’s Grade to High Elementary, do you think we could deal with a First Level Foundation Cultivator?”
That question was met with a confident smile from the redhead. “Of course! You clearly underestimate the power of a Special Physique. Even now, I could be considered as having a Half-Step Foundation Building strength even if I just rely on my physical strength. If I master the right Spells and Techniques and my Cultivation Base improves then I should be able to defend myself against someone at the First Level of Foundation Building.” After she said her piece, he stared at her silently for a brief moment before questioning. “Are you absolutely certain?” She seemed to know what he wanted to hear and thus clarified. “Of course, not. It’s just an educated guess from the information I gathered from my Bloodline Memories. In any case, reaching the High Elementary Grade from the Peak Mid Grade is even harder than going from the Peak Chi Gathering to the First Level Foundation Building. I’m not saying we can’t do it before that man attacks this place, but we might as well increase our chance of winning by increasing every other aspect of our Cultivation Base while we’re at it, right?”
As he let out a sigh, some of his tension seemed to vanish, prompting him to respond. “You’re right, of course. I just wish we weren’t always pushed around by some random people trying to kill us.” Chuckling at his ‘joke’, Bryn replied. “Complaining about it won’t change our situation. But I understand what you mean. It’s a bit... frustrating.” Pausing for a second, she then added. “But if that makes you feel better if that man wants to reach Foundation Building, it’ll take him more than one or two days, and that’s without taking into account the time it’d take to master his increased powers. There is another thing.” With Sera’s and his full attention, she added. “If he had already reached the next Rank, he’d probably be here already. Since he didn’t, he’d need to go through his Tribulation. So, we only need to check with Uncle if there was some kind of strange lightning storm recently around Molvograd. If not, he only needs to notify us when it appears.”
Her words made the other two completely relaxed before Seraphine exclaimed. “That’s genius! And with our cultivation speed, even one more week will make a huge difference.” The other two agreed with her words, especially Demian when he recalled how quickly he reached his current cultivation despite having both a subpar environment and starting physical condition. “We’ll just focus on training then. Let’s see how much more powerful we can get before that man arrives.” The three chatted for a short while about their training plan before the purple-haired woman declared. “There was one thing I wanted to tell you guys earlier. I can feel the concentration of my Bloodline increasing as time passes. So, it shouldn’t take long for me to be like you, Sis, with the Bloodline Memories thingy.” Bryn and Demian chuckled at her words before he took her hand and declared. “It’s good. We need to grab every bit of strength increase we can get. And since your Bloodline doesn’t seem to be a Low Grade one, it should greatly improve your combat power.”
Nodding her head, Bryn concurred. “Dem’s right. You'll be very deadly if you can combine your intrinsic powers with your Bloodline’s Spells and Techniques.” When the young man thought of the possibilities brought by her Invisibility powers, he knew that Bryn was correct. Seraphine had the potential to be the perfect assassin. Of course, it was something that she needed to agree to since killing people is not something that came easy for most people.
“I know.” Seraphine replied with her characteristic enigmatic smile. The three then fell into their own contemplation while the room returned to a peaceful silence.
