C14 Upgrade Bloodline Level

Shortly after arriving at the farmstead, I notified Xu Liang of my presence and explained the purpose of my visit: today's reburial.

Unexpectedly, I had spent four days at the Xu Family Inner Court. Thankfully, Xu Liang hadn't forgotten his promise. Perhaps he truly pinned his hopes on me, laying the groundwork for my future. Or maybe his conscience kicked in, realizing that a desolate mountain was no place for a final resting spot.

Xu Liang arrived with a group of more than a dozen, carrying a red coffin, and it wasn't long before they reached my courtyard.

Dressed in mourning clothes, I paid my respects at the grave, whispering, "You didn't make it after all. But rest assured, I will carry on for both you and him, striving for the utmost glory. With your conscience clear, you may now rest in peace."

This might have been a form of solace for me. Since my rebirth, I, who was once an atheist, have come to believe in destiny and the existence of divine beings. My own resurrection was the ultimate testament to that belief.

With my consent, the group quickly dug through the soil. Soon, a grave no deeper than three feet revealed a tattered mat, within which lay a bundle of bones wrapped in a decrepit blanket.

The sight of such a humble burial filled me with sorrow, and my eyes reddened with emotion.

I was considered worthless, as was my mother. At the time of burial, not only were we denied a place in the farmstead, but we didn't even have a coffin. I had no choice but to hastily bury my mother's body, wrapped in a mat and blanket.

"Fourth Young Master, I am truly sorry. I was foolish before," Xu Liang said, his voice betraying a sense of urgency upon seeing my expression.

He had been the one to refuse my mother's burial within the farmstead.

"I'll handle this," I said, dismissing Xu Liang's apologies. I pushed past the farmhands who were about to handle the remains and jumped into the grave pit myself, gingerly placing the bones into the coffin.

"Hmm?" I murmured, noticing a ring clutched in my mother's skeletal hand. A subtle energy fluctuation emanated from it. When I channeled my psychic force into the ring, my face betrayed a flicker of surprise. Without a word, I discreetly slipped the ring into my Space Ring and continued to retrieve the bones.

In the prime location of the farm's cemetery, Xu Ming's mother was laid to rest. He then quickly made his way back to his residence at the Fence Yard.

"My mother actually possessed such a high-grade Space Ring!"

Seated in the courtyard, Xu Ming was pinching a ring between his fingers, visibly astonished.

He had seen his mother wear this ring before. Yet, before she passed away, Xu Ming hadn't paid much attention to its whereabouts. His mother hadn't been wearing it, and her right hand was clenched tightly in a fist. Unexpectedly, it was the very ring she had once worn that she was gripping.

"Why didn't Mother give me this ring before she died, especially since she loved me so dearly?"

With this question lingering in his mind, Xu Ming directed his psychic force into the ring and suddenly, two items materialized in his hand. The Space Ring was vast, spanning hundreds of cubic meters, but it was empty except for a book of unknown material and a few pages of a letter written on white paper.

Xu Ming chose to read the letter before looking at the book. As he did, he became increasingly moved, and tears began to stream down his face. "Mother, indeed, you loved me the most."

"I could never have imagined that such bizarre Divine Arts existed in the world!"

He looked at the book with a mix of apprehension and unexpected delight.

"And to think, my mother had such an extraordinary past!"

"Blood Fiend Divine Arts!"

Having carefully read the letters his mother left behind, Xu Ming was profoundly shaken. He felt an immense warmth in his heart, yet he was also deeply saddened. He felt a profound sense of loss for this remarkable woman, and he deeply acknowledged her in his heart.

Fingering the book that contained merely a dozen pages and less than three thousand words, Xu Ming came to understand everything.

All of it stemmed from this Divine Art.

The Blood Fiend Divine Arts were not considered high-grade. On the Martial God Continent, Divine Arts were classified into God Level, Holy Level, Innate Level, and Acquired Stage, with this particular art ranking at the lowest tier of the Acquired Stage Beginner Level. It was deemed a worthless Divine Art. If given a choice, the people of the Martial God Continent would only resort to it if they had no other Divine Arts to practice. Those with alternatives would never opt for this Divine Art.

This cultivation method was not only of a low tier but also quite sinister—so much so that it made everyone hesitant to approach it.

Rumors had it that this method was once practiced by Soong Zhe, the strongest warrior on the Martial God Continent. With this method, Soong Zhe shattered the void in just a hundred years and vanished without a trace. The method became known throughout the world, yet no one could obtain it. As Soong Zhe broke through the void, the whereabouts of the method became a mystery.

Logically, a method capable of forging the world's mightiest warrior should be at least of God Level. However, this particular method was genuinely only at the Acquired Stage Beginner Level.

The true power of this method lay in its ability to evolve. It could devour a practitioner's bloodline and ascend to become the ultimate cultivation technique. A bloodline establishes a person's potential and future. People would normally go to great lengths to enhance their Bloodline Level—so who would dare let a method consume their own bloodline?

Yet, this method advanced by absorbing bloodlines. With each upgrade, even a minor one like moving from Acquired Stage Beginner Level to Acquired Middle Level, the speed of cultivation could increase tenfold. Such a prospect was irresistibly alluring.

A minor upgrade could boost cultivation speed by ten times! And if one were to ascend a major tier, wouldn't that mean a thirtyfold increase in speed?

Cultivation is a tedious and incremental process. The rate of cultivation depends not only on the Bloodline Grade but also on the tier of the cultivation method. Higher-tier methods lead to faster cultivation and yield purer, more potent Spiritual Energy. Conversely, lower-tier methods result in a sluggish pace.

Thus, the world is never short of those willing to take risks, and Zhen Biyun, Xu Ming's mother, was one such adventurer. She was the direct daughter of the Zhen family patriarch, hailing from a prominent clan in the central region of the Martial God Continent. Born with a Holy Level Middle Grade bloodline, she was a once-in-a-generation prodigy. However, at the tender age of nine, Zhen Biyun faced a pivotal decision in choosing her cultivation method. Despite her family's objections, she selected the Blood Fiend Divine Arts. In a single night, her Bloodline Level plummeted from Holy Level Middle Grade to Holy Level Initial Grade. Within three years, her bloodline was entirely consumed, leaving her with nothing but a meager Grade Two Bloodline.

The Zhen family was filled with regret and a sense of helplessness, yet Zhen Biyun had genuinely attained the Martial Spirit Stage.

Despite this, her bloodline remained stubbornly at an ordinary Grade Two, even with the support of countless pills, and it never advanced. The Blood Fiend Divine Arts stipulate that the practitioner's bloodline must not be lower than ordinary Grade Three to progress; otherwise, the Bloodline Level could never be elevated.

Zhen Biyun was young and failed to control the pace of her cultivation method's advancement, resulting in her bloodline being below ordinary Grade Three.

With a bloodline at ordinary Grade Three, no matter how advanced the cultivation method level, one would lose the right to cultivate. Consequently, at the age of sixteen, during a family competition, a mishap shattered her dantian, and she lost all her cultivation.

In the eyes of many, 'trash' has no value, a harsh reality upheld by both the Xu family and the central Zhen family.

Zhen Biyun drifted aimlessly until her path crossed with Xu Sheng.

She believed she had found her soulmate in him, entrusting her entire life and bearing a child within a year. What seemed like a promising future turned tragic when Xu Ming, at three months old, suffered a head injury from a negligent maid right before his Bloodline Level test. In a panic, Zhen Biyun cradled him, and her blood spilled onto the Space Ring, where the Blood Fiend Divine Arts within devoured it.

The Blood Fiend Divine Arts, which were supposed to only advance at the cultivator's will, unexpectedly consumed Xu Ming's bloodline, a truly sinister occurrence.

When Xu Ming's bloodline was tested, it was confirmed to be only ordinary Grade Three, branding him as worthless.

Zhen Biyun had intended to bequeath her cultivation method to Xu Ming and reveal her origins to him on her deathbed, clinging to the faintest hope that he might rise to greatness. Ultimately, she took her final wishes and the malevolent technique to her grave.

Had Xu Ming not been so observant, he would never have found the ring hidden in his mother's hand. And Zhen Biyun could never have imagined that one day, her son would ensure her peaceful rest by relocating her remains.

Indeed, it was all a series of coincidences!

Xu Ming's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "I never imagined my mother hailed from the Zhen family in the Central Region!"

He was unsure of the exact stature of the Zhen family, but one thing Xu Ming knew for certain was that any family with a foothold in the Central Region had to be formidable.

"My mother's dying wish was for me to one day proudly claim my place within the Zhen family. Sadly, she was aware that she could never fulfill this dream herself, and so she took it to her grave."

Xu Ming's fists clenched with resolve. "But now that I'm aware of her wish, I will one day walk into the Zhen family with my head held high!"

"As for this cultivation technique..." A knowing smile spread across Xu Ming's face. "It seems destiny has brought it to me. Sixteen years ago, it consumed my bloodline and has since progressed to the Middle Grade of the Acquired Stage. Devouring bloodlines? That doesn't scare me."

Armed with a system that allows him to absorb all forms of energy to enhance his Bloodline Level, Xu Ming was not deterred by the technique's requirement to consume bloodlines. He could simply use all kinds of energy to replenish and elevate his Bloodline Level.

"Moreover, this technique once enabled a generation of powerhouses to shatter the void. So, there's hope for me! If I can follow in the footsteps of my predecessors, perhaps I too can shatter the void and return to Earth. Even just to glimpse it once more would be worth it."

Determination etched itself across Xu Ming's face and eyes.

"If it's been done by others, then I can achieve it too! Shattering the void, breaking the millennium-long curse that has prevented ascension."

For a thousand years, no one on the Martial God Continent has managed to shatter the void. The reasons remain unknown, and it's been a millennium since a Monarch Level expert has emerged.