Clone Ascension

Dongli University, President’s Office.

Evan and Wendy sat at the reception table while President Winston Hale faced them with his usual gentle smile.

Evan subtly shifted his chair to the side, letting Wendy sit in the center—

a deliberate gesture to make it appear he was only accompanying her.

President Hale began warmly.

“Professor Lewis, what made you suddenly interested in Bloodline Crystals?”

Wendy returned a polite smile.

“My current research touches on them, but I lack deeper understanding.

So I came to consult you.”

President Hale nodded.

“Bloodline Crystals aren’t exactly secret.

You simply don’t know much because they’re extremely rare.

Even I have never handled one personally.

My knowledge is only surface‑level.”

Wendy replied,

“Even so, you certainly know more than we do.”

President Hale chuckled.

“Well, since you’re curious, I’ll explain.

Think of a Bloodline Crystal as a type of extract—

a high‑tier extract that only Saint‑tier evolvers can absorb.

Absorbing it grants a skill,

and at the Saint‑tier,

it can completely replace normal extracts.”

Evan’s heart tightened.

Only Saint‑tier evolvers can absorb it?

Then how did FangBro and I absorb ours?

And Princess Seraphine?

And Liam Zhao?

President Hale continued:

“Unlike normal extracts,

a Bloodline Crystal contains only one skill—

but that skill is extraordinarily powerful,

stronger than S‑grade skills of Tier‑5 or Tier‑6.

Some say the skill inside is a proto‑divine skill,

a fragment of godhood.

Thus, many believe Bloodline Crystals contain

the secret to becoming a god.”

“Proto‑divine skill?!”

Wendy and Evan exclaimed together.

President Hale nodded.

“You know that after breaking through the Saint‑tier—

after completing the seventh evolution—

one reaches the level of ‘God.’

The seventh evolution is the dividing line between human and divine,

and nearly impossible to cross.

Because Bloodline Crystals contain proto‑divine skills,

they are believed to hold the secret to godhood.”

Evan’s mind churned.

Above Saint‑tier… is God?

Is Evolution’s Grace also a proto‑divine skill?

Why can I use it at the Mortal‑tier?

Why does it not match what President Hale described?

And most importantly—

can proto‑divine skills be cloned?

If so, they would flood the world.

Why would the Filthsoil Organization fight so desperately for them?

The more he learned,

the more questions he had.

Wendy paused, then asked:

“Do you personally believe Bloodline Crystals contain the secret to becoming a god?”

“I do.”

President Hale’s tone grew solemn.

“Because their origin is extraordinary—

something beyond human understanding.

Only a god could have created them.”

Evan leaned forward slightly.

If Bloodline Crystals weren’t beast extracts,

and contained proto‑divine skills…

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

then where did they come from?

President Hale answered:

“As far as I know,

every Bloodline Crystal on Blue Star

comes from a single place—

the Divine Dice.”

Evan and Wendy exchanged confused looks.

President Hale sighed with reverence.

“It is a miracle—

a creation only a god could leave behind.

The Divine Dice appeared over three hundred years

after the start of the Evolution Era.

No one knows where it came from.

From the outside, it looks like a massive stone die.

But inside lies a shifting, boundless space.”

He continued:

“The Divine Dice remains sealed most of the time.

Every five years, it opens once.

Only the most talented Butterfly‑tier evolvers of Linhua Continent

receive entry slots.

Inside, they face divine trials.

Many die.

A few receive divine rewards.

Those who survive to the end

may receive a Bloodline Crystal.

But only the most extraordinary geniuses

ever obtain one.”

Evan’s expression stayed calm,

but his heart was anything but.

Divine trials?

Divine rewards?

This sounds unreal…

He asked:

“Who has received a Bloodline Crystal in recent decades?”

President Hale stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“In the past thirty years,

I know of only one person—

the Shepherd King.”

Evan’s heart skipped.

The Shepherd King.

So Princess Seraphine’s Bloodline Crystal

must have come from him.

But that raised more questions.

Why didn’t the Shepherd King absorb it himself?

Why could someone as weak as Princess Seraphine absorb it?

Was his Bloodline Crystal… special?

Evan asked:

“Was the Shepherd King strong in his youth?”

President Hale nodded firmly.

“Extremely strong.

Among his generation,

he was unquestionably number one—

a once‑in‑a‑generation prodigy.

He entered the Divine Dice,

won first place,

received the divine reward,

and within a year,

completed his fourth evolution,

becoming a Saint‑tier Overlord.

He was widely believed to be the most likely

to complete the fifth evolution

and become a Supreme.

But twenty years have passed,

and he remains stuck at the Overlord stage.”

Evan hadn’t expected such high praise.

Nor had he expected the Shepherd King

to have once been so dazzling.

A genius who once shone brighter than anyone—

now silent, shadowed, unreadable.

What was he planning?

What was he waiting for?

Evan couldn’t see through him.

But he sensed danger.

Before I become Saint‑tier,

I must never set foot in Shepherd Nation.

Even after becoming Saint‑tier…

I should avoid it.

President Hale had nothing more to add about Bloodline Crystals.

Evan, however, was intrigued by the Divine Dice

and asked a few more questions.

President Hale shook his head.

“I was a research evolver transitioning into a mental evolver.

My combat power wasn’t formed during my Butterfly‑tier.

I never had the chance to enter the Divine Dice.

If you’re curious, ask Uncle Sterling.

He entered once in his youth—

though he was eliminated in the third round, haha!”

He laughed heartily.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

“By the way,

you haven’t absorbed the Deep‑Sea Electric Eel Extract

from the freshman assessment reward, have you?”

“Not yet,” Evan replied.

President Hale nodded.

“Then you should visit the Dawnsea Naval Base.

General Elias Storm wants to see you.”

Evan blinked.

“Elias Storm…

the only female Overlord of Dongli?

Commander of the entire Dongli Navy?”

“That’s the one.”

“What does she want with me?”

President Hale smiled mysteriously.

“A good thing.”

“Can you tell me?

If it’s urgent, I’ll go immediately.”

“It’s a good thing.

Just go.”

But after Evan pestered him relentlessly,

President Hale finally relented.

“She wants to discuss two matters.

First—

she wants to trade for your Deep‑Sea Electric Eel Extract.

She’ll offer a higher‑quality Tier‑3 extract in exchange.”

Evan’s eyes lit up.

“A higher‑quality Tier‑3?

The eel extract is already S‑grade.

Anything higher would be… S+?”

He was immediately interested.

“And the second matter?”

President Hale’s smile turned playful.

“She wants to meet you.”

“Meet… me?”

Evan froze.

President Hale continued:

“If she weren’t stationed at Dawnsea,

she would’ve come to the university herself.”

Evan felt something was off.

“Why does she want to meet me?”

President Hale chuckled.

“She has a granddaughter.

Of marriageable age.

She’s been looking for candidates.

She seems to have taken an interest in you.”

Evan stared blankly.

I’m not even eighteen…

and I’m being sent to a blind date?

Wendy couldn’t help laughing.

“President Hale,

isn’t it a bit early for Evan?

He’s not even an adult yet.”