Valdis remained silent, trying to comprehend everything his father had just told him.
The Blood Dragon Manual.
The original cultivation technique of the Ebonhart family.
More importantly, it might be the only cultivation method capable of fully unlocking his true potential, as his dragon blood concentration had surpassed the limit of what the other Ebonhart techniques could manage.
As countless thoughts raced through his mind, Draven continued speaking.
"Although the Blood Dragon Manual may be the only cultivation technique capable of unearthing your true potential, obtaining it won't be easy. We must first meet the Guardians and request the manual from them."
Valdis frowned.
"Why? Couldn't the main house simply store the technique in the library along with the other cultivation manuals?"
Draven sighed.
"That was how things were done in the past. However, as time passed, more and more talented members of the younger generation ignored the warnings and attempted to cultivate the Blood Dragon Manual despite not meeting its requirements, and this caused the House to lose a lot of talented individuals who could have become pillars of the Ebonhart house if they matured."
His expression darkened slightly.
"Eventually, the Guardians unanimously agreed to remove the technique from the library and keep it elsewhere. They did so to prevent future generations from throwing away their lives due to ignorance, arrogance, and greed."
Valdis hesitated before asking,
"So you're saying that everyone who tried to cultivate the technique..."
"Died."
Draven's reply was immediate.
"And deaths were not peaceful either. The technique made them suffer excruciating pain for a few days before causing their bodies to violently explode."
Valdis felt a chill run down his spine.
Draven continued.
"Because of that, anyone wishing to obtain the Blood Dragon Manual must first receive the Guardians' approval. Whether they choose to grant us access or not is entirely their decision."
Valdis nodded before asking another question.
"So how exactly are we supposed to meet the Guardians?"
"It's quite simple," Draven replied. "We only need to speak with the guardian we encountered outside. He can take us to the Void Hall."
"Void Hall?"
"Yes. It is where the Guardians reside."
Valdis looked puzzled.
"A place that important, why haven't I ever heard of it before?"
"Because ordinary members of the Ebonhart family are not meant to know about it," Draven explained. "And besides, no one can enter the Void Hall unless they are personally summoned by the Guardians. As a result, there is no mention of it in any records available to regular members of the family, while most of the higher-ranking members have merely heard about it but never seen it in their lives."
With that, Draven turned and began walking toward the exit of the hidden chamber.
Valdis quickly followed behind him.
The two soon exited the treasure vault and retraced the path they had taken earlier.
After walking for several minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance.
The guardian they had encountered before was still there, sitting in the same position as they had left him, completely motionless.
It was almost as if he were a statue rather than a living individual.
Draven approached and respectfully bowed.
The guardian, noticing his arrival, slowly opened his eyes. As his gaze settled on Draven, a hint of confusion flashed across his face.
Normally, whenever Draven visited the vault, he would leave immediately after finishing his business.
Yet this time, he had returned.
Draven spoke respectfully.
"Lord Guardian, I humbly request an audience with the Guardians."
For the first time since they had arrived, the guardian spoke.
"Why?"
His voice was calm and indifferent.
Draven replied without hesitation.
"I wish to request the Blood Dragon Manual."
The guardian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why would you want that accursed technique? You of all people should know the reason that technique was sealed."
"I do."
"And you know it will not be handed to you simply because you asked."
"I understand, Lord Guardian. However, I have a good reason for making this request."
"Oh?"
For the first time, genuine interest appeared in the guardian's eyes.
"And what reason might that be?"
Draven gestured toward Valdis.
"My son awakened his dragon marrow only a short while ago. However, to fully understand why I am requesting the Blood Dragon Manual, I believe you should examine him personally."
Valdis was startled by his father's words.
Before he could say anything, the guardian, for the first time in their two meetings, finally acknowledged his presence and shifted his gaze toward him.
Instantly, Valdis felt a strange sensation wash over his body. It was as though he was naked, and every secret he possessed was laid bare before those ancient eyes.
Yet before he could react, the feeling quickly disappeared.
The guardian's expression changed as a smile appeared on his face
"Interesting."
His gaze lingered on Valdis for a few moments.
"Now I understand your reason for such a request."
After speaking, he slowly rose to his feet.
"Very well. I shall take you to the Void Hall."
The moment he finished speaking, space itself distorted, and before Valdis could even react, everything turned dark for a moment.
When Valdis regained his senses, he found himself standing before an enormous white door.
The door was unlike anything he had ever seen. It towered hundreds of feet into the air and radiated an ancient, sacred aura.
Standing beside him was his father, Draven. However, the guardian who had brought them there was nowhere to be seen, and just as Valdis was about to ask his father what had happened, a deep voice echoed through the surroundings.
"You may enter."
The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and with it, the massive doors slowly began to open.
Without hesitation, Draven stepped forward.
Valdis followed.
And as soon as they entered, Valdis' eyes widened.
The hall before him was enormous.
Twelve thrones stood arranged in a circular formation.
Eleven of them were occupied, with one empty, and the moment Valdis saw that throne, he instinctively knew who it belonged to.
Nyxaria.
His gaze then shifted across the occupied seats, on them, where old men and women who radiated an aura of supreme power and authority, which made his father's aura seem like that of a child. And on one of those seats, the guardian from the treasure vault was seated.
Before Valdis could think further, one of the Guardians spoke.
"So, I hear you wish to retrieve the Blood Dragon Manual."
Draven stepped forward and bowed.
"I greet the esteemed Lords."
A wave of impatience swept through the hall.
"Enough with the formalities," another Guardian said. "Tell us why you seek that technique. Surely you understand the consequences of attempting to cultivate it without fulfilling its requirements."
"Yes, Lords."
Draven straightened himself.
"However, I did not bring my son here blindly to simply request the technique. I brought him here so that your esteemed selves may examine him and determine whether he is worthy of cultivating it."
He paused briefly.
"Because, in my opinion, I believe he may have fulfilled the final requirement necessary to cultivate the Blood Dragon Manual."
The hall fell silent.
The Guardians' expressions changed, and almost instantly, every one of them shifted their attention from Draven to Valdis.
The familiar sensation returned.
This time it was far stronger.
It felt as though a dozen eyes were seeing through every layer of his existence, and he could do nothing to hide anything from them.
After several moments, one of the Guardians seated beside Nyxaria's empty throne finally spoke.
"Now I understand why you would make such a request."
His gaze remained fixed on Valdis.
"My only concern is that the boy does not fully understand the consequences should he fail to cultivate the Blood Dragon Manual successfully."
Draven answered immediately.
"I have informed him of the risks. He is fully aware of the consequences should he fail."
The Guardians remained silent.
They looked at Valdis, then at one another, and finally, they nodded.
The same Guardian spoke once more.
"Very well."
"We shall grant him access to the Blood Dragon Manual."
Valdis's heart skipped a beat.
The Guardian continued.
"We sincerely hope he succeeds."
A rare trace of emotion appeared in the old man's eyes.
"Because it would be a tragedy to lose a prodigy such as him to that cursed technique."
The hall fell silent once more.
Yet Valdis could not shake the feeling that behind those words lay a story far older—and far darker—than anyone had yet revealed.