Spring arrived quietly.
Too quietly.
The Azure River Sect bloomed with color—spirit flowers opened, beasts roamed more actively, and the disciples' cultivation speed increased marginally across the board.
Everyone called it a blessing year.
No one knew why.
Li Yuan knew.
---
Chen Yue's body changed first.
Not abruptly. Not dramatically.
But undeniably.
Her spiritual circulation slowed, becoming deeper, more refined. Her cultivation realm stopped progressing entirely, yet her aura grew calmer, heavier—like still water hiding an unfathomable depth.
Li Yuan noticed the signs immediately.
The system confirmed them without ceremony.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
Bloodline Event Approaching.
Status:
— First Descendant Conception: Confirmed —
Estimated Manifestation:
Within this world cycle.
Warning:
From this point onward, suppression is no longer viable.
---
Li Yuan sat alone in the courtyard that night.
The spirit tree shed a single leaf.
It landed in his palm.
Warm.
Alive.
---
The heavens reacted in subtle panic.
---
Three days later, an envoy from a neighboring sect arrived unexpectedly, bearing gifts far exceeding outer-disciple etiquette.
Two days after that, a wandering alchemist appeared near the mountain gate, offering rare pills at absurdly low prices.
Even the weather aligned unnaturally—no storms, no disasters, no fluctuations.
The world was compensating.
Overcompensating.
---
Inside the residence, Chen Yue rested, one hand unconsciously placed over her abdomen.
"I feel like I'm being watched," she said softly.
Li Yuan sat beside her.
"You are," he replied honestly. "But not with malice."
She smiled faintly. "Then I won't be afraid."
That calmness sent a chill through Li Yuan's spine.
Not fear.
Reverence.
---
That night, the system opened again—larger, heavier, almost solemn.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
Major Event Detected.
The First Descendant is being acknowledged by the World Core.
World Response Options:
• Blessing
• Constraint
• Conditional Protection
Outcome:
— Conditional Protection Selected —
Explanation:
The child will be protected, but its growth will attract convergence.
---
Li Yuan leaned back, eyes closed.
"So even you hesitate," he said.
The system replied.
---
[This is not hesitation.]
[This is caution.]
---
The birth came without pain.
Without screams.
Without chaos.
As if the world itself had softened reality for this moment.
When the child's first cry echoed through the residence—
The sky froze.
Literally.
Clouds stopped moving.
Birds halted mid-flight.
Even time seemed to pause for a single breath.
---
Then—
A pulse spread outward.
Invisible.
Absolute.
---
Across the Azure River Sect, elders jolted awake.
Cultivators in seclusion spat blood—not from injury, but shock.
Far away, ancient beings opened eyes that had been closed for centuries.
---
Li Yuan held the child in his arms.
A boy.
Small.
Fragile.
Yet the space around him felt complete.
The system unfolded with unprecedented clarity.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
FIRST DESCENDANT SUCCESSFULLY BORN
Bloodline Tier:
— Eternal Seed —
Inherited Traits:
• Stable Destiny Core
• Passive World Affinity
• Calamity Resistance (Low)
Bloodline Reward Granted:
— Progenitor Authority Expanded —
• Legacy Range Increased
• Fate Interference Resistance +25%
• Descendant-linked Fortune Generation: Activated
---
Li Yuan laughed.
Not loudly.
But deeply.
So this was the reward.
Not power.
Not cultivation.
But continuation.
---
Chen Yue looked exhausted but radiant.
"What… is his name?" she asked weakly.
Li Yuan looked down at the child.
The boy's eyes were open.
Clear.
Too clear.
As if already observing the world.
"He'll carry the name Li," Li Yuan said. "And his given name…"
He paused.
"…will be Chen."
Not for sentiment.
But for balance.
---
Outside, the spirit tree bloomed fully—for the first time in recorded sect history.
Petals rained like snow.
The Third Elder stood on his balcony, trembling.
"A child…" he whispered. "A single child… and the heavens bend."
---
The system delivered its final message of the day.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
From this moment onward—
The bloodline has entered irreversible expansion.
The world will adapt.
Or be replaced.
---
Li Yuan held his son closer.
His smile was calm.
Unshakable.
"Grow slowly," he whispered.
"We have eternity."
---