The night sky above Azure Stone Village trembled.
Dark clouds swirled unnaturally, spiraling toward the old mountain behind the village. Thunder rumbled—not loud, but heavy, as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath.
Inside the ruined ancestral shrine, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor.
His breathing was uneven.
Pain surged through every vein in his body.
Crack—!
A sound echoed inside him—not of bone breaking, but of something shattering deep within his soul.
"Ugh…!"
Lin Xuan clenched his fists. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth as his dantian burned like molten iron.
This was not normal cultivation pain.
This was awakening.
The Sealed Bloodline
In his mind, the endless void split apart.
A massive presence stirred.
Scales the size of mountains shimmered in ancient gold and black. Eyes like collapsing stars slowly opened, filled with indifference older than time itself.
A dragon.
Not a beast.
Not a spirit.
But something far more terrifying.
『Ancient God Bloodline Detected』
『Status: Sealed – Fragmented』
『Compatibility: Perfect』
A voice echoed—cold, mechanical, yet divine.
Lin Xuan's consciousness shook.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
The dragon lowered its colossal head, gazing directly at him.
Mortal child…
Your blood carries my sin.
Your fate carries my curse.
The moment their eyes met—
BOOM—!
A surge of power erupted from Lin Xuan's body.
The shrine exploded outward, stone pillars shattering into dust. A pillar of golden-black light shot into the sky, piercing the clouds.
Villagers screamed in terror.
Cultivators miles away opened their eyes in shock.
The Lowest Realm… No More
Lin Xuan was thrown backward, crashing into the mountain wall.
Yet instead of pain—
he felt clarity.
His cultivation base moved.
No—
it leaped.
Body Tempering: 1st Layer → 3rd Layer → 6th Layer
In seconds.
His weak meridians widened, reforged by an unknown divine force. Impurities were burned away, expelled as black mist from his skin.
Lin Xuan gasped, staring at his trembling hands.
"They're… strong."
But before he could rejoice—
A sharp, chilling sensation stabbed his spine.
Eyes From the Shadows
High above the village, on a floating jade platform hidden within the clouds, an old man opened his eyes.
His pupils contracted.
"Ancient… dragon aura?"
Impossible.
That bloodline had been erased ten thousand years ago.
Yet the heavens had reacted.
The seals had cracked.
The old man clenched his staff.
"So the prophecy begins again…"
Elsewhere, within a distant sect, a young genius suddenly coughed blood as his spirit beast wailed in fear.
In the depths of forbidden lands, ancient beasts stirred uneasily.
The world had noticed.
The First Oath
Back in the ruins, Lin Xuan struggled to stand.
The dragon's voice echoed one final time.
Grow stronger.
Or be devoured by destiny.
A symbol burned itself onto Lin Xuan's chest—
a dragon-shaped seal, faint yet unmistakable.
『Ancient Dragon God – First Contract Established』
『Unlocked Ability: Dragon Sense (Passive)』
『Warning: Your existence has been marked』
Marked.
Lin Xuan laughed weakly.
"So even the heavens don't want me to live quietly, huh?"
His gaze hardened.
The timid boy who endured humiliation…
the abandoned child…
Was gone.
"If the world only respects strength," he said quietly,
"then I'll climb until even the heavens must bow."
Thunder roared.
Far above, the clouds split—
as if something ancient had truly awakened.