Chapter 176: Awakening the Bloodline, The Legendary Second Stage
“No!” Long Jiu’s answer was crisp and decisive.
Still not reassured, Long Yuxin said, “Are you really not harming him?”
“The Great Elder is taking Long Tianxing to enter the Dragon Blood Pool to awaken his bloodline; once successful, he will become an invincible warrior. We should be protecting him, not harming him,” Long Jiu’s mouth twitched as he thought to himself that Long Yuxin was truly troublesome.
“How invincible?” Long Yuxin was determined to get to the bottom of this.
Thoroughly defeated by Long Yuxin, Long Jiu turned his head to one side, no longer paying her any attention.
Feeling self-defeated, Long Yuxin sat on a chair in the great hall, eating the large, sweet strawberries from the fruit platter.
Ye Feng also sat in a chair, using a Mini Banana Palm Fan to fan himself and cool down.
In the air some miles away.
Long Tianxing sat on the widely-built and portly Great Elder’s shoulder, flying toward the deep mountains together.
“Great Elder, how much further?” Long Tianxing was a bit nervous, afraid of being sold out.
“Relax, little guy, just over that mountain and we’ll be there.”
The Great Elder was so fat that his eyes were squinted, making him seem kind and benevolent, giving off an air of trustworthiness and dependability.
Soon, the two landed.
This was a valley spanned over miles, in the center of which stood an ancient castle covered with old trees, massive and decrepit.
The two entered and found an ancient grand hall built inside.
“Dragon Blood Hall!”
Looking at the plaque above the hall door, Long Tianxing recognized those four characters.
Breathing heavily, the Great Elder said, “This is where the bloodline is awakened. Thousands of years ago, it was created by the Son of the Dragon God and has continued to this day.”
“Who is the Son of the Dragon God?” Long Tianxing inquired when he did not understand.
“That is my master, your great ancestor, and the first person in this world to obtain the Divine Dragon bloodline. He created the Dragonfolk Clan because he was revered as the Son of the Dragon God, so your bloodline can also be called the Dragon’s Descendant Bloodline,” Elder of the Dragonfolk Clan patiently explained.
“Does my bloodline have any special use?” Long Tianxing scratched his head.
Apart from his silver hair, blue eyes, his red lips and white teeth, and his handsome appearance with an appealing gaze, he felt he had no other advantages!
With some difficulty, the Great Elder stooped down and said, “You have not awakened your bloodline yet and don’t know the powerful force contained within your body. So, after you enter the Dragon Blood Pool, you will understand.”
“What kind of power is it?” Long Tianxing became more confused.
He really wanted to directly understand the specific usefulness of the Dragon’s Descendant Bloodline, but the Great Elder kept speaking in riddles, which made him somewhat anxious.
“Come with me, young man.”
The Elder of the Dragonfolk Clan, holding a wooden staff in his left hand and leading Long Tianxing with his right, entered the Dragon Blood Hall.
Inside the hall was pitch black.
“Agulasidomuska!”
Elder Agudo chanted the mysterious spell, and the bronze walls of the Dragon Blood Hall immediately lit up with Soul Lamps, illuminating the interior and revealing what was inside.
Twelve celadon-colored Soul Lamps were placed against the wall.
A perfectly octagonal Blood Pool, made of bronze, contained clear water that was so transparent you could see the bottom.
“Go ahead!”
The Great Elder spoke leisurely.
“Okay, good!” Long Tianxing took off his coat and jumped into the Dragon Blood Pool.
But, looking around at the clear waters, he scratched his head, “Great Elder, why is this clear water, shouldn’t it be red?”
“Don’t rush, wait for me to chant the spell. Be patient for about half an incense’s time, and don’t disturb me in the meantime,” Elder Agudo drank a bucket of water, then raised his wooden staff with both hands and began to chant.
The spells were very odd.
Long Tianxing found that he did not understand a single word, and they were so abstruse that he couldn’t even remember them.
The chanting was tedious and boring.
It felt like a half-year had passed, and just when Long Tianxing was getting impatient, the Great Elder suddenly reached out and touched his head.
“Did a dog just pat me on the head?”
Long Tianxing blinked, feeling very odd.
The next moment, however, he suddenly noticed an anomaly in the Dragon Blood Pool; countless dragon chants resounded, and the originally clear waters suddenly turned into a golden-red color, spinning rapidly like a vortex.
And there he was, sitting cross-legged at the vortex center.
“Ah! It feels like something is pulling at my body…” Long Tianxing suddenly felt an intense heat all over, as if he were being roasted in a furnace.
“Little guy, don’t worry, this is stimulating your potential… Calm down, guide yourself with your heart, and tap into your existing potential!”
The Great Elder’s expression turned very serious.
Long Tianxing could feel the Great Elder’s dog-fur covered hand trembling, seemingly with excitement.
“What astonishing potential, even greater than your father Long Yuanqing’s. You truly are a lucky child!” the Great Elder exclaimed in amazement.
Long Tianxing did not speak.
He tried to follow the Great Elder’s guidance, continuously digging into his potential. He discovered a mysterious power hidden within his body, which he directed outward with his will.
Suddenly, that powerful force burst forth!
“Ah!”
Long Tianxing felt an intense pain all over his body and couldn’t help but let out a miserable scream.
The next moment, he found himself glowing all over, emitting a terrifying momentum. In an instant, even the Great Elder’s dog hand was repelled, and the entire person retreated three steps in a “thump thump thump” manner, ending up sitting on the ground with a thud.
“Great Elder, are you alright?” Long Tianxing immediately rushed over, reaching out to grab the Great Elder’s elephant-leg-like thick dog hand to help him up.
However, Long Tianxing found his own hands had turned into a pair of pale silver claws!
With a gentle grasp, he pulled up a clump of Elder Agudo’s dog fur.
“Ah, how have I turned into a monster!”
Long Tianxing’s expression was one of horror. He quickly jumped beside the Dragon Blood Pool, only to see the water clear to the bottom, the glittering surface reflecting a shattered figure.
But, this was not human!
It was a strange creature standing upright, covered in silvery dragon scales with two one-inch long dragon horns growing on its head, and even a half-meter-long silvery dragon tail sprouting from behind.
Long Tianxing found it difficult to adapt to his current state and was greatly shocked.
“Don’t panic, this is your combat form,” the Great Elder, sitting on the ground and trying to get up but realizing he was too heavy to rise at once, could only wave to Long Tianxing, “Come here, I’ll teach you how to enter and exit your combat form.”
“Okay.”
Long Tianxing immediately ran over and noticed his strength had increased manifold, effortlessly lifting the Great Elder, who weighed several thousand pounds.
“You are now in combat state, also called the ‘Dragon Transformation Form,’ which is the Dragonfolk Clan’s innate ability to enhance strength. As long as the bloodline is awakened, one can enter the Dragon Transformation Form.”
“The higher the grade of the bloodline, the more complete the dragon transformation will be after entering the Dragon Transformation Form.”
“If the bloodline grade is not high, like Long Jiu, after entering the Dragon Transformation Form, only his hands can transform into claws, not significantly enhancing his combat ability.”
“Your bloodline is of Supreme Grade, making you the thirteenth Supreme Grade bloodline owner in our Dragonfolk Clan’s history. You can transform into a perfect dragon form and even have the potential to break through the second stage.”
The Great Elder was very excited and shared all the secrets he knew.
Long Tianxing listened carefully and soon learned how to enter and leave the combat state.
“Dragon Transformation!”
As Long Tianxing recited the incantation, his body began to glow, reverting to his original form with silver hair and blue eyes. If he recited the incantation again, he could enter the Dragonfolk fighting form.
“Great Elder, is there a time limit to how long I can stay in combat state?” Long Tianxing returned to his human form and curiously asked.
“No,” the Great Elder shook his head, “But your strength in combat state is finite. If you exhaust your strength in an intense battle, you will revert to human form and need to wait for your strength to fully recover before you can enter combat state again.”
“How long will that take to fully recover?”
“It varies from person to person; you’ll have to try and see.”
“Alright…oh, by the way, Great Elder, what did you mean earlier about breaking through the second stage?”
Hearing this question, the Great Elder leaned on his staff, his gaze becoming distant as if lost in memories.
“That is an extremely powerful form, capable of transforming from a dragon form into a true silver five-clawed dragon, with combat power increasing by several orders of magnitude. Sadly, within the Dragonfolk Clan, only my master once reached that realm and was invincible at the same rank.”
The Great Elder fondly remembered the days when the Son of the Dragon God transformed into a silver five-clawed dragon and the formidable adversary he was.
Unfortunately, even the strongest beings eventually reach the end of their lifespan.
Thinking this, Agudo sighed deeply.
Long Tianxing felt the Great Elder’s sorrow. He clenched his fist and said, “Don’t worry, Great Elder. I will continue to develop my potential and strive to reach the second stage someday.”
“Hahaha, you sure have the spirit!” the Great Elder patted Long Tianxing’s shoulder and lifted into the air with him, “We should head back now. In a bit, we’ll need your Supreme Grade bloodline to open the gateway to the Three Thousand Realms and bring back Long Yuanqing and his War Team.”
“Three Thousand Realms?”
Long Tianxing was hearing this name for the first time and his face was filled with confusion and curiosity.