The morning mist hung low over the forest, curling around ancient tree trunks and drifting lazily over the mossy floor. Axel King stretched, every muscle taut yet responsive, his body already humming with the subtle rhythm of Qi. Last night's encounter with the shadow beast had left him both exhausted and exhilarated; he had survived, but he knew instinctively that it was only the beginning.
He rose to his feet, the energy inside him thrumming like a living thing. The forest, bathed in the soft, golden light of dawn, seemed to recognize his presence. Leaves shimmered faintly, as though alive, responding to the pulse of the Qi now flowing steadily through his veins. Every step he took sent subtle ripples across the ground, an echo of the energy that tied him to this new world.
Axel's eyes, golden with a hint of his awakened bloodline, scanned the clearing. Survival meant more than instinct—it meant understanding. He knelt by a stream, cupping his hands, and studied the water. Tiny ripples mirrored the flow of energy in his body, reacting to his focused thoughts.
Meridians… dantian… Qi loops… he whispered to himself, recalling fragments of knowledge from cultivation stories. The words had been fiction on Earth, but now they had weight, substance, and meaning. He could feel the pathways inside him, invisible yet tangible, pulsing with energy like a map of his own vitality.
Axel focused. He drew a deep breath, letting the air fill him completely. The Qi responded immediately, surging upward, tracing the channels within him. Sparks of golden light traced veins along his arms and chest, coiling in elegant, fluid loops. He felt a subtle pressure at his dantian, a gentle warmth that grew steadily, and a faint resonance in the pit of his stomach—a heartbeat not his own, but ancestral, like a whisper from generations long past.
And then it spoke.
A low, faint murmur, threading through his consciousness:"Primordial blood… awaken."
The voice was neither human nor alien, neither loud nor soft, but it vibrated within him, guiding, coaxing, teaching. Axel's eyes widened. He had survived a physical trial, but now he was facing the first real test of cultivation: control.
He began to move, experimenting with the flow of Qi in his limbs. At first, the energy was clumsy, spilling in bursts he could barely manage. A pebble levitated and crashed back to the ground. A small leaf caught aloft by his uncontrolled aura flittered to the earth. Frustration and awe mingled in his mind.
I can do this. I have to… I must.
He closed his eyes, centering his mind on the pulse of his bloodline. Slowly, methodically, he directed the energy through his meridians, smoothing the chaotic surges into a coherent loop. Sparks of golden light traced each pathway, aligning with his heartbeat, the breath of the forest, and the latent power of the land. The Qi began to circulate naturally, forming the first stable connection between body, soul, and bloodline.
A sudden rustle broke his concentration. Axel opened his eyes to see another forest creature emerge—a quadrupedal beast, larger and more menacing than the one from the previous night. Its eyes glowed faint red, muscles taut with predatory precision. It growled low in its throat, assessing him, gauging his strength.
Axel's pulse surged. This was no longer an accident or a chance encounter. It was a test. He inhaled, feeling the Qi tighten in response, wrapping around his limbs like living armor.
The beast lunged.
Time slowed. Axel's instincts guided him more than thought. The energy within him responded instantly, coiling along his arms and legs, reinforcing his movements. Each step was precise, each motion deliberate. He blocked, dodged, and countered, the clash of physical strength and energy sending sparks dancing into the morning mist.
Pain shot through his arm as claws grazed his skin, but he barely felt it, absorbed by the Qi that flowed through his veins. The battle was as much a conversation with the world as a fight. Axel learned quickly: intention guided the energy. Focus shaped it. Hesitation fragmented it.
Minutes passed, the clash continuing in a blur. Axel adjusted, reacting not with fear but with understanding. Every movement refined his control. Every dodge, every strike, honed the pathways of Qi in his body. He could feel the faint resonance of his bloodline strengthening, urging him forward, whispering ancient techniques he did not yet know how to name.
Finally, with a surge of controlled energy, he released a wave of golden light from his dantian. The force struck the creature squarely, sending it sprawling backward into the forest. It growled one last time before disappearing into the shadows. Axel dropped to his knees, sweat mixing with the damp earth, chest heaving, hands trembling.
He had survived again. Not just through instinct, but through adaptation. His Qi, once wild and chaotic, now followed his intent with precision. And for the first time, Axel felt the stirrings of something greater than survival: power.
He sat by the stream, letting the water wash over his hands, the coolness grounding him. Sparks of golden light traced the veins in his arms, now steady, disciplined. The bloodline within him thrummed with life, weaving his mortal strength with the ancient legacy of the King Lineage. He could feel fragments of potential forming—nascent techniques that would later become true abilities, hints of powers that could shape the world.
Hours passed—or perhaps it was only moments. Time had little meaning here, not yet. Axel meditated, breathing, circulating Qi, feeling the pulse of life in the forest, in the soil, in himself. Each heartbeat aligned with the energy around him, each breath a thread in the tapestry of life.
Then came the first faint vision. A shimmering image, translucent yet vivid, appeared before his closed eyes. A figure—tall, imposing, robed in golden and crimson threads—looked at him with eyes that seemed both kind and piercing. Axel recognized it instinctively: an ancestor of his bloodline, guiding him, observing him, testing him.
"You have awakened," the vision whispered, a voice like wind through mountains. "But awakening is only the beginning. Discipline is your forge, struggle is your teacher, and destiny… your bloodline is your inheritance. Learn it well."
Axel's heart raced. He understood that his journey had truly begun. Survival had led to control, and control would lead to power. But this was only the first flicker, the first ember of the fire that would define his life.
He opened his eyes to the real forest. Sunlight streamed through the trees, illuminating the clearing with golden rays. Everything looked ordinary—and yet, everything was extraordinary. The air hummed with life, energy coursed through every living thing, and Axel could feel it, taste it, sense it.
A bitter laugh escaped him. I am weak… but not for long. I will learn. I will grow. I will survive. And one day, the world will recognize the King Lineage once more.
He rose, testing his legs, stretching his arms. Every motion was accompanied by subtle pulses of energy, a dance of light beneath his skin. He could feel the first whispers of Golden Core formation, the faintest hints of elemental resonance, and the stirrings of abilities yet to be named.
The forest waited, alive with unseen eyes and hidden threats. Axel smiled, golden eyes glinting. For the first time in his life, he felt unshakable. He was no longer just a man from Earth. He was Axel King, scion of the King Lineage, inheritor of the Bloodline of Hongmeng, and his journey had only just begun.