Twice The Noble
Edrick confined himself within one of his training rooms, sitting cross-legged in the very center. He held a small red sphere in between his thumb and index. This was the form the pure, noble bloodline of the nearly extinct Chen clan had taken under the influence of his system.
Consuming it meant a lot more than the addition of the Cannibal Sasquatch Lord Bloodline. This was a bloodline which had been refined and built up for centuries, if not even longer than this. Zixuan Elt had been a dud, but the Elt bloodline flowing through Edrick’s veins was the reason why he was so talented in cultivation–Why he could cultivate so many techniques in parallel, and why his physique was so robust… He bet that if he tried to pick up the techniques of the vassal sects, he would certainly find himself outrageously talented in them.
The Elt bloodline promoted sheer talent above all else. Overall, it did not predestinate a scion of the clan toward a particular path. This was why the Elt clan had many vassal sects and few sub-clans–The Elt clan promoted diversity in the cultivation paths of its members.
…The Chen bloodline, however? It strongly focused on Weapon Cultivation in particular. It was to the point that their natural constitution allowed them to harmonise and understand weapons better by simply looking at or holding them. The predisposition was strong and basically forced any Chen descendant to focus solely on weapon cultivation.
Xiaolie had her status as protagonist, too, however. It granted her a general talent in all areas of cultivation on top of her noble bloodline. This was why she progressed so quickly... When coupled with the perfect Weapon Encyclopedia…
Although not quite as prominent, Edrick was definitely in the upper echelon when it came to talent.
He might even dip his toes and claim that he was in a small category of so-called ‘geniuses’... Even with all the techniques he practised, including Twisted Weapon Encyclopedia–Which was a technique which took several ‘spots’ at once–He still had space for more.
Once he fully integrated the Chen bloodline, this natural talent would be further boosted… There was no need to hesitate. What came from the system was always pristine–Perfect, even. Not only would this bloodline be added without issue or drawbacks, but it might even harmonise nicely with already noble blood.
There was no guarantee that the process would be simple or quick, though. If anything, it was pretty much certain that it would hurt like hell. Anoteros always did a good job of appearing completely unfazed in the face of agony, but he still felt pain. In fact, his senses were so sharpened that he felt pain much more vigorously than most.
Small cuts and bruises that the regular person might not even notice, he felt clearly... As long as you could endure the pain, it was a boon. It allowed him to react swiftly and identify damage with ease. When one had heightened movement speed and fast reflexes, they could feel an arrow pushing against their skin and pivot their bodies properly to avoid damage, even though the arrow’s tip would have technically hit them.
Agony was not something to be feared. It was something to be welcomed. Also, feeling pain clearly would make him more attractive to members of the Xing clan. He was still very much planning on seducing a certain someone there, after all.
In any case, Edrick knew what to expect. As such, whilst sitting with only a loincloth as clothing, he brought the solidified noble bloodline to his mouth, swallowing it whole.
The effects showed themselves immediately.
It felt like he had swallowed a sphere of super-heated steel. It seemed as though it was going to melt right through his flesh and skin. Obviously, it did not. This was just the natural reaction of a noble bloodline being consumed.
One would have to be a fool to believe that any great clan wouldn’t place a safety net to ensure that their hard-earned bloodline wasn’t simply plucked away and wielded by someone outside of the clan.
The bloodline was going to impose a trial of sorts upon Anoteros, test his mettle, his resilience–Make sure that he was worthy of carrying the blood of the ancestral Chen clan… Of course, Edrick held no doubts as to his worthiness.
The Chen clan? He was the Chen clan. The last known descendant was his eternally loyal maid. He wielded a version of Weapon Encyclopedia. He was a weapon master even before knowing that the Chen clan had existed. The patriarch of the Chen clan was Edrick Lucien Anoteros, and no one else.
The clan’s bloodline would start anew with him and Xiaolie.
Were there people more worthy than him? More in line with the righteousness of the fallen clan? Perhaps and most certainly. It did not matter, however. He was the one who had harvested the fruits of labour.
He might even claim the ancestral mountain of the clan for himself. Who knows, he might build himself a residence on top of it, or perhaps a castle? He would have to see with Haoyu in the future.
The solid blood sphere reached the scion’s stomach, beginning to break down and disperse throughout his entire body. He could feel his organs heating up, working overtime. His heart was beating far faster than normal, pumping blood like crazy.
It felt like Edrick was going to burst with sanguine crimson.
His body expelled tar-like impurities through his pores, while his muscles spasmed uncontrollably. Regardless of it all, the Elt scion remained steadfast, maintaining his cross-legged position seemingly with little to no effort.
Once again, he demonstrated his high endurance and tolerance. For in truth, this was not easy nor simple for him to do. The expulsion of impurities was also giving way to a sort of ‘refresh’ of his entire body. His bones were breaking and regrowing, the resulting shards pushed out through his flesh and skin–Which were moulting off like the scales of a serpent.
The process lasted for hours, during which Edrick did not make a sound or budge from his position, even as his body randomly tensed up and relaxed on its own accord… By the end of it. The area around him had been turned into an absolute, vile mess...
...Impurities mixed with blood, dead skin, dead muscle tissues, bone pieces, and sweat–Incredible amounts of sweat.
In short, his surroundings had been turned into a most disgusting marsh.
The noble, however, felt refreshed beyond belief. He rose to his feet, his joints popped loudly as he stretched. He stepped over the swamp of his own making and walked up to a nearby mirror within the room, taking off the now dirtied loincloth, staring at himself in full.
In appearance, he remained the same overall. He could feel that something was different, though.
He felt stronger. He felt sharper.
His affinity with all types of weaponry had grown. His understanding of various battle styles and skills had become clearer. He could even feel information about weapons that he had never been exposed to flowing through his mind…
There was no doubt about it.
He was the new head of the Chen clan, and to top it off, it seemed like this new bloodline had ended up exactly like the Cannibal Sasquatch Lord Bloodline, completely integrated into his original, true bloodline.
He had reaped the full rewards.
‘Alright then… Should I leave some more time, or should I impregnate Xiaolie right now?’