On the Celestial Yang Continent, martial arts flourished.
From the moment they could remember, everyone on the continent shared a single, nebulous goal: to become a peerless expert!
However, this world was never fair. Some people were born extraordinary. They possessed special physiques.
Cultivating martial arts was twice as effective for those with special physiques, their progress immeasurably faster than those with ordinary bodies.
The stronger the physique, the greater their future achievements would be.
Powerful Martial Artists with ordinary bodies were a rarity.
And a person's physique was inextricably linked to their own bloodline.
Every youth on the Celestial Yang Continent had to awaken their bloodline before the age of sixteen. However, most were destined for ordinary bodies, and the few who were able to awaken typically only manifested a Spirit Body.
Physiques above the Spirit Body were one in ten thousand.
...
The watery moonlight washed over the land.
War Dragon City, the Lin family.
A pretty young woman, holding a child in each hand, was heading toward the Blood Exchange Pool.
"Auntie, is Grand-Uncle back?" the child in her left hand, who was about eleven or twelve, asked as he walked, looking up at the young woman.
The night was clear and moonlit, but starless. Yet the child's eyes were bright and full of spirit, outshining even the stars.
The young woman stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, a strange glint flashing in her eyes. She smiled gently and said, "Yes, he is. Tonight, your Grand-Uncle will protect you. Hao'Er will definitely be able to awaken his bloodline's power. Maybe our Lin family is about to produce someone with a special physique!"
The young woman was quite attractive; when she smiled, she revealed a row of pearly white teeth, making a very favorable impression.
But as she finished speaking, she looked toward the child on her right, her eyes shining and her expression quite excited.
Twelve-year-old Lin Hao didn't notice anything unusual. He nodded earnestly. "Auntie, don't worry. I've been at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm for a long time. Tonight, I'll definitely awaken my bloodline's power and enter the Fourth Layer!"
On the Celestial Yang Continent, the initial realm of martial arts was the Blood Coagulation Realm.
In War Dragon City, countless people had reached the first three layers of the Blood Coagulation Realm.
But in the vast War Dragon City, the only twelve-year-old at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm was Lin Hao.
It was no exaggeration to call him a genius.
However, even for a young genius, if he couldn't enter the Fourth Layer, it would all be for nothing.
The Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer was like a great chasm that many people could never cross.
To be unable to enter the Fourth Layer and awaken one's bloodline meant losing the right to ever become a powerful expert!
Right now, the young Lin Hao was at the crucial stage of awakening his bloodline.
But Lin Hao wasn't nervous at all. He even suddenly made a funny face at the child on his right and said with a grin, "Brother Wu, I'll protect you from now on."
Although the boy on the right was called "Brother" by Lin Hao, he was a good deal shorter.
Hearing this, the young Lin Wu's eyes narrowed. As if he had heard an absurd joke, a sneer appeared on his lips.
Then, he looked up and saw the Blood Exchange Pool ahead, and his eyes burned with fervor.
The next moment, a wind rose.
Beside the Blood Exchange Pool, an old man in his sixties appeared without any warning.
"Hao'Er, come here."
The old man's expression was stern and dignified, not one for smiling.
He was the Patriarch of this branch of the Lin family, the "Grand-Uncle" Lin Hao spoke of, and also Lin Wu's biological grandfather.
"Grand-Uncle!" Lin Hao cried out happily and ran over.
Lin Hao felt incredibly fortunate.
'I've never met my mother, and my father left when I was just a boy. Grandpa told me he went searching for Spirit Medicine to help me awaken my bloodline. Even though I didn't have my parents' love, Grandpa treated me extremely well. Then later, Grandpa left without saying goodbye. But that didn't affect my standing in the family at all. Brother Wu's mother treats me like her own son, and Grand-Uncle treats me just like my real grandfather would, cherishing me like a treasure.'
Holding his Grand-Uncle's hand, Lin Hao felt he had almost forgotten his own parents and grandfather.
"Hao'Er, get in the Blood Exchange Pool, quick! Circulate the Cultivation Technique I taught you! Wu'Er, you get in too." The old man's expression was somewhat agitated as he hurriedly ordered Lin Hao and Lin Wu into the pool.
Coagulating blood, condensing one's lifeblood essence, awakening the bloodline—this was the ultimate secret of special physiques.
Only by successfully coagulating blood and undergoing a blood exchange and restructuring in the Blood Exchange Pool could a special physique shed its mortal shell and achieve the supreme Great Way!
The Lin family had a basic Cultivation Technique specifically for blood coagulation, but ever since his grandfather had also left, Lin Hao had switched to a different technique at the old man's request.
It was precisely this Cultivation Technique that made Lin Hao feel even closer to his Grand-Uncle.
Because Lin Hao had discovered that as soon as he circulated this technique, the flow of qi and blood in his body was immeasurably faster than when he used the Lin family's basic Cultivation Technique.
Although he was young and no disciples in the family bullied him, having been born into a world where martial arts were revered, he had known the importance of cultivation since he was a small child.
At this moment, Lin Hao took off his shirt and sat cross-legged in the Blood Exchange Pool. He circulated the Cultivation Technique with all his might. His bones and tendons hummed in unison, his heart beat like a great drum, and the sheer vitality of his qi and blood was astounding.
The old man's expression was blazing with fervor. He himself had a Spirit Body and was already an expert at the Elemental Realm, but the vitality of his qi and blood was far inferior to Lin Hao's.
The cultivation of martial arts on the Celestial Yang Continent had a clearly defined system of levels. From lowest to highest, they were the Blood Coagulation Realm, the Elemental Realm, the Soul Gathering Realm, the Spirit Transformation Realm, and so on...
Within this system, each realm was further divided into nine layers. Every layer one advanced added a thousand catties of brute force, and advancing to a new major realm increased one's power tenfold!
For example, although the Elemental Realm was only one realm higher than the Blood Coagulation Realm, the strength of someone at the first layer of the Elemental Realm was ten times greater than someone at the Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation!
A Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Artist was like an ant before an Elemental Realm expert!
And in the vast War Dragon City, the number of Elemental Realm experts could be counted on one hand.
The young Lin Hao was only at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm and had yet to awaken his bloodline, but his physique was already terrifyingly robust!