If she could eat another cup… wouldn't that mean six years of progress?
'If I can keep eating this, I'll surpass my peers in no time. I might even become the strongest of the younger generation in the entire sect…' The thought alone made her heart quicken.
As though sensing her junior sister's thoughts, Tiana brought the cup of instant noodles closer to herself, wrapping one arm protectively around it. She cast a sharp glare at Kafla before refocusing her gaze on her meal.
Observing this, Kafla let out a small snort. She knew better than to reach for her senior sister's food unless she wanted a beating.
Meanwhile, Tiana hastened her movements, swallowing the tasty noodles in one gulp.
'My body… what's happening?' Tiana thought, feeling her mana surge immensely through her Life Vein the instant the fiery noodles touched her tongue. Each bite unleashed a rush of heat that raced through her, melting the icy energy within her body.
Within her mind's eye, a colossal crimson dragon erupted from the depths of the boundless fiery realm, its molten scales glistening like liquid fire. It roared thunderously as its golden eyes locked onto her, then roared once more with a fiery breathe at a towering ice phoenix that had suddenly appeared from the opposite end of the void.
SCCREEECCCHH!! The phoenix's wings stretched wide, releasing a blizzard that covered the abyss in frost.
The two powers met fire and ice, dragon and phoenix, each refusing to yield. The clash erupted into a burst of intense radiant energy that illuminated Tiana's entire spiritual sea.
Then, slowly, the impossible happened… the flames began to cool, and the ice began to burn. The dragon lowered its head, circling the ice phoenix in a slow spiral as their forms intertwined. Its fiery scales merged seamlessly with the phoenix's frozen feathers.
What had once been opposition transformed into perfect harmony.
Meanwhile, Tiana's breathing quickened. Every nerve in her body trembled as both energies flowed through her Life Vein in unison, igniting every thread of mana she possessed.
"Ahhh—!" A low gasp escaped her lips as her body arched slightly.
A faint aura radiated from her skin. To the outside world, Tiana was surrounded by countless wisps of ice energy, glowing with a soft bluish light. At the same time, her hair shone with deeper intensity.
Kafla's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open as though it might hit the ground. "Senior sister… she's undergoing her bloodline awakening?! This isn't supposed to be possible… Master said her bloodline was too weak to awaken or cause any drastic changes…" Kafla said, her lips trembling.
She glanced at Jonathan, who stood to the side, staring at Tiana with a blank expression. "…Store Manager Jonathan, please don't be annoyed by my question… but what did you put in this Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodle?"
Jonathan didn't respond. He hadn't even heard what Kafla had said. Even if he had, he couldn't answer. Not only was he unaware of the full effects of the instant noodles, but even if he had known, it would have been impossible for him to reveal such critical information.
This was also his first time truly witnessing magical power. In previous times, even though Van and Kafla had experienced significant increases in strength, he couldn't sense anything, partly because of the system's protection and partly because those changes had occurred internally, making it difficult for him to perceive them even without the system's safeguards.
But now, seeing a person with magical powers surrounded by floating wisps of icy energy, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Although Jonathan caught Kafla's broken words about Tiana undergoing a bloodline awakening, he still asked, just to be sure, "Hey system, what's going on with her?"
[ She is currently undergoing a bloodline awakening. The bloodline within this woman's body belongs to a mystical being known as the Imperial Frostplume Phoenix, a native species of this world. The purity of her bloodline has increased from ten per cent to thirty per cent after consuming the Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodles, allowing her to awaken it. ]
Jonathan wanted to ask if there was a meal he could eat to inherit or awaken a bloodline himself, but he quickly held himself back. He remembered the system words about this growing into an obsession and realised that the system was right.
He should focus on managing the store.
"Since the Spicy Dragon Flavour Instant Noodles can purify and awaken bloodlines, why don't we increase the price? It would be much easier and faster to earn profits that way," Jonathan said, his mind spinning with the instincts of a shrewd businessman, just as he had when he'd once considered selling his uncle's convenience store before being whisked away to another world by the system.
However, the system's response was unexpected.
[ I advise against that, Host. The prices were not set on a whim. They were carefully determined by the system to balance affordability for the residents of this world with the store's profit.
If the Host raises the prices, you would risk losing customers because the products would become too expensive. Although you might earn more per sale, your customer base would shrink drastically.
In other words, you would be limiting yourself to a few wealthy buyers for the sake of short-term profit. On the other hand, keeping the prices balanced ensures steady income and a wider reach. ]
'Okay, I'll think of something else later,' Jonathan nodded inwardly in response. He had been too lost in thoughts of profit to remember that the purpose of this store wasn't merely to sell extraordinary items, but to reach as many people as possible.
Seeing that Jonathan was ignoring her, Kafla quickly sealed her lips, afraid that she might anger the hidden expert. She realised how improper her earlier question had been.
Wasn't it enough that her senior sister had managed to awaken her dormant bloodline against all odds? Besides, once Tiana was stable, they would return to the sect and report to their master to ensure that nothing had gone wrong within Tiana's body.