My Arts Evolve When Perfected

"Having endured tens of thousands of years of wind and snow, we must not forget our ancestors. The bloodline test is a gift bestowed upon us by our forebears. It activates the bloodlines passed down from them, giving us the strength to fight against the wind and snow, and the Demon Race.

Children, you are all the future hope of the North Snow Tribe. The growth and prosperity of our tribe depends on each and every one of you.

After you drink this Water of Origin, you will awaken the bloodline power from your ancestors. Perhaps some of you will not gain much power; that is the forebears’ sign that you are suited for hunting Low Tier Demon Beasts like Ice-toothed Rats.

Perhaps some of you will suddenly grow stronger and feel an intense hunger; that is the forebears’ sign that when you grow up, you are to hunt Middle Tier Demon Beasts like the Snow Patterned Deer.

If any among you feel your chests burn, your blood boil, and a surging power erupt from the depths of your soul, that is a superior bloodline. It is the forebears’ sign that you are to walk the mighty path of slaying High Tier Demon Beasts like the Ice and Snow Giant Lizard.

And if you awaken a unique Bloodline Talent and possess the potential to reach the Peak, then you are a Chosen One! It is the forebears’ sign that you will lead the tribe, and even the entire Human Race, out of the Northern Boundary Restricted Area!"

The Elder Witch Priest’s emotional voice rose and fell with a rhythmic cadence, each emphasized syllable landing like a small hammer blow on Jiang Qiu’s heart.

He spread his arms like an old crow taking flight and lifted his chin like an aged eagle spreading its wings in its twilight years.

The Witch Priest was the spiritual center of the tribe’s faith, and he was the one to preside over the bloodline test.

The entire Altar was free of white snow, as if it were made of scalding Obsidian, evaporating any snowflake before it could land.

On the rectangular tables before the Elder Witch Priest, porcelain bowls were neatly arranged. They were filled with the Water of Origin. It was said that only the Witch Priests, from one generation to the next, knew the method to concoct it, and that each tribe’s method was different.

After reciting the ritual words, he directed the able-bodied men on either side to distribute the Water of Origin. Every young whelp who received a porcelain bowl had gleaming eyes, their cheeks puffed with hot breath, eager to gulp it down in one go.

But the procedure did not allow it. They had to wait for the Elder Witch Priest’s command. Only after he gave permission to drink, and then recited some abstruse and mysterious Spells, would the bloodline test take effect.

Jiang Qiu stood in the center of the third row. He too had been given a bowl of the Water of Origin. The earthy-brown bowl held a scarlet liquid, and a thick, sanguine scent rushed into his nostrils.

The Water of Origin was as vibrant as fresh blood, yet more mellow and rich than strong liquor. It seemed that just by twitching one’s nose and taking a sniff, one could feel the surging power contained within.

’It really makes one curious... what on earth is this stuff made of, to have such a fervent aura that stirs the very blood in your veins...’

GULP~

Jiang Qiu swallowed hard, his gaze shifting. The other children had their lips pressed so tightly they had turned white, daring not to part them.

"The tribe will be glorious because of you! Drink!"

At the Elder Witch Priest’s command, the young whelps, who could no longer restrain their desire, raised their large bowls, tilted back their heads, and drank it all down. A chorus of gulping sounds rose and fell, and the eyes of the watching tribe members shone with anticipation.

"Two hundred spots, with forty-five three-and-four-year-old children. I wonder how many superior bloodlines will emerge this year?"

"Those with superior bloodlines have a much higher concentration of Luminous Blood and a chance to reach the Steel Bone Realm. It’s just a shame that such promising children are so rare, and even when they appear, they often die young."

As a few tribe members discussed amongst themselves, their gazes gradually focused on Jiang Qiu in the crowd, a few scattered glimmers of hope in their eyes. "Say, could that child [Xiong] brought back really be a Chosen One? His performance this past year has been far too ordinary."

The appearance of a Chosen One never followed any discernible pattern. No one knew when the legend began—that a Chosen One had the hope of reaching the Northern Boundary Peak.

In tens of thousands of years, only twenty or thirty generations of Chosen Ones had appeared, averaging one generation every thousand years. Who could possibly predict if the time for another Chosen One to appear was nigh?

The last generation of Chosen Ones was already a thousand years ago.

’How they wished [Hill] was the Chosen One. It would mean the tribe could continue to prosper and remain one of the most powerful tribes of the Human Race.’

’But if [Hill] really is a Chosen One, his performance utterly lacks the uniqueness one should have. Moreover, Chosen Ones never appear alone. In most cases, they come in generations of ten. A Chosen One appearing in the North Snow Tribe would mean that the Demon Race or other Human Race tribes would also have Chosen Ones. An ordinary-performing [Hill] would likely be at a great disadvantage compared to the Chosen Ones from other tribes.’

’If he can’t compete against the other Chosen Ones, it would be incredibly difficult for him to ascend the Northern Boundary Peak and claim the Enlightenment Fruit.’

"[Hill] is definitely the Chosen One!"

A childish shout interrupted the adults’ discussion. [Flower], chest puffed out proudly, her big, bright eyes twinkling with expectant starlight, declared, "He looks amazing when he wields a spear!"

Ever since Jiang Qiu came to the tribe and moved in next door, she had often heard her parents say he might be a Chosen One, born of heaven and earth. Every day, she thought about going to find Jiang Qiu.

But in the first month, many adults came to visit him; even the Leader and the Elder Witch Priest came in person. Sometimes, she couldn’t even squeeze through the crowd.

After two months, when Jiang Qiu was able to get out of bed and walk, he went to the Elder Witch Priest’s to study. The number of visitors dwindled, so she seized the opportunity to go to Uncle [Xiong]’s place to find Jiang Qiu.

’He really was different from the other children she had seen. A sharpened spear in Jiang Qiu’s hands was like a legendary Flood Dragon soaring through the air. His agile body looked so amazing as he wielded the spear.’

’He just didn’t talk much, and the things he asked about most were all related to the Northern Boundary Mountain. It was as if he was born with his sights set on the Enlightenment Fruit at the Peak, never caring about how sharp an Ice and Snow Giant Lizard’s teeth were like the other children did.’

’But gradually, the adults started saying he might not be a Chosen One after all...’

[Flower] didn’t know how to describe her feelings. She just felt the adults were wrong. [Hill] was unique, different from all the other kids her age she had ever seen.

But the adults around her burst out laughing, seeming to find her words ridiculous. No matter how red her face got or how she balled her fists to emphasize her descriptions, she couldn’t convince them.

"*%*&*... (%&)..."

The Elder Witch Priest began to chant. His low murmur, like the sound of stones tumbling in an empty valley, drowned out the discussions on the field, and the onlookers fell silent.

[Flower] could only furrow her brows and pout, her pink cheeks puffed up with hot air that she couldn’t release to interrupt the ceremony.

She clenched her small fists, her gaze fixed on Jiang Qiu in the crowd. In her heart, she silently chanted the two words, "Chosen One," replaying every legend she had ever heard about them in her mind.

’A true Chosen One always awakens a Bloodline Talent after the bloodline test. [Hill] is definitely a Chosen One.’

’But what will his Bloodline Talent be?’

’A body like [Zhuang]’s, tougher than North Sea Ice and sturdier than an Ice Armor Bear?’

’Or an appetite like [Food]’s, able to devour plants and digest the bones of the Demon Race, converting them into Luminous Blood?’