Part 1: The Ritual of Legacy and the Qi of the New Earth
Skull Rock dawned radiant. The night following the great battle and the ascension had left the clan exhausted, but the air was so dense with Qi that every breath was a blessing. The waters of the oasis bubbled with new vitality; plants bloomed out of season. Even the spirit animals of the valley seemed more intelligent, as if the earth itself were greeting its new masters.
In the central plaza, Samael stood like a colossus atop the stone altar, his robes fluttering in the morning wind. Around him stood the pillars of the clan: Kael, Violeta, Eris, Lilith, Cedric, Xylia, Elowen, and Seraphina. The disciples and new apprentices, now numbering more than four hundred, formed a circle of respect and expectation.
Samael made a gesture, and the Spirit Vein seed glowed from the center of the Rock, releasing a pulse of energy that shook the fortress's foundations. The Qi swirled, connecting everyone into a single web of destiny.
[System (Samael only):]
Collective Luck Event activated.
All core clan members may advance one cultivation stage, break bottlenecks, and partially awaken sealed talents.
Holy Land Bonus: +1 additional stage to Red Aura heirs (Kael, Violeta, Eris, Elowen, Xylia, Cedric).
Bloodline Bonus: Bearers of dragon bloodlines may manifest a glimpse of their true element.
Samael raised his right hand, an ember of crimson Qi burning in his palm.
"Today, the earth recognizes its sovereigns. Today, the Morningstar Clan ceases to survive and begins to conquer."
The circle of leaders approached. In the center, Samael performed the Ritual of Blood and Will, cutting his palm and letting a drop fall onto the stone. The others did the same. The blood mixed in a violet and golden glow.
An ethereal roar swept through the plaza. The Qi was absorbed by each of them: Kael, Violeta, Eris, Elowen, Xylia, and Cedric felt the world shift inside them.
Part 2: The Awakening of the Red Bloodlines
Elowen: Alchemy and Wood Dragon
Elowen knelt, hands extended on the ground. A green torrent emerged from her body, invisible roots connecting with the spirit vein.
The sealed dragon bloodline in her blood, until now a mere pulse, burst into life. Her back shone with golden-green scales, and her mind was flooded with visions of forests, poisons, and life blooming and dying in eternal cycles.
[System: Elowen Morningstar — Wood Dragon Bloodline, max affinity with alchemy and medicine.]
New Ability: "Hand of Life and Death" (Can heal or poison with a touch, accelerate the growth of sacred herbs, and transmute low-grade pills to high-grade).
Cultivation: Peak Transcendent Stage 9.
Xylia: Empress, Ruler of Worlds
Xylia, standing on a slab of jade, awakened an ancient and overwhelming power. The air around her folded; her shadow doubled and tripled, as if all space wanted to serve her.
A crown of white lightning appeared on her forehead for an instant. The sealed bloodline broke.
[System: Xylia — Lightning Dragon and Dominion Bloodline.]
Empress Memory: Reincarnation confirmed, partial access to crowd control techniques, manipulation of will and order.
New Ability: "Mandate of Celestial Thunder" (Can dominate large areas, control local weather, and strengthen ally morale in battle).
Cultivation: Peak Transcendent, sensing Origin Realm.
Cedric: The Regressor, Emperor of Formations
Cedric sat in lotus position on a tapestry of seals. The dragon bloodline, until now a faint note in his blood, roared like an ocean of silver and fire.
His eyes shone scarlet and sapphire.
[System: Cedric — Metal Dragon and Matrix Bloodline.]
Awakened Ability: "Forge of the Seal Emperor" (Can construct or dismantle Saint-grade formations in minutes, manipulate terrain, and convert enemy weapons into resources).
Past Life Memory: Partial access to knowledge of a Great Formation Emperor.
Cultivation: Transcendent Stage 9, limit.
Kael: Sword Heart and Crimson Edge
Kael felt his sword seed pulsating stronger. A dragon of purple flames and red scales formed above his head, roaring silently.
[System: Kael — Crimson Dragon Bloodline, affinity with sword and spirit fire.]
New Technique: "Sovereign's Cut" (Ignores spiritual and physical defenses for an instant if the will is pure).
Cultivation: Peak Transcendent, one step from Origin Realm.
Violeta and Eris: Twins of Void and Destruction
Violeta trembled, and the ice around her fractured, revealing an inner layer of space and void.
[System: Violeta — Ice and Space Dragon Bloodline.]
New Ability: "Step Between Worlds" (Can teleport short distances, freezing the space between two points).
Eris, wrapped in black and blue flames, saw her spear absorb destruction and remake it into light.
[System: Eris — Fire and Destruction Dragon Bloodline.]
New Technique: "Flame of Ruin" (Devours and purifies enemy Qi, restoring own strength).
Both, synchronized, felt destiny giving them a role only they could fulfill.
Part 3: The Awakening of the Clan, Samael's Advance, and the Bond of Brotherhood
The echo of the ritual swept through the fortress like an invisible heartbeat. Dozens of disciples broke stages that held them back, spirit animals showed unseen talents, and the collective morale reached an almost feverish euphoria.
On the altar, Samael felt his core shine with fierce intensity: the blood—heritage of generations of survival and sacrifice—and the void—that abyss he learned to tame—vibrated together in his Dantian, pushing him to the very limit of the Origin Realm.
[System (Samael only):]
Samael Morningstar, Origin Stage 9, limit.
One step from Half-Saint.
Blood: Bond, healing, manipulation of life essence.
Void: Suppression and devouring of energies.
Space Affinity: Basic comprehension, latent.
Saint Summoning Card: Available (Emergency use).
Luck Bonus: Collective Awakening activated.
Shared Destiny Bonus: While heirs are together, their talents can temporarily intertwine in combat.
Samael closed his eyes. For the first time, he understood that the clan's strength was not just his own: it was a torrent of blood and void running through many veins, a family of evolving monsters, potential saints, and heirs of bloodlines destined to change the continent.
In a solemn gesture, Samael cut his palm, letting a drop of blood and a flash of void mix. Then, he linked hands with Kael, Violeta, Eris, Cedric, Xylia, and Elowen. The contact unleashed a spiritual pulse: the six felt energy run up their spines, burn in their chests, and finally sear the skin over their left hearts.
In that instant, ethereal lines and ancestral symbols emerged on their skin—each different, according to their bloodline.
"Swear, here and now: if I fall, one of you will carry the dragon and the void into tomorrow. We are not just blood, we are not just abyss. We are the bridge."
The promise was sealed in soul, blood, and destiny. The marks burned for an instant and then remained as subtle tattoos—visible only when channeling power—eternal symbols of the pact of brotherhood and the awakening of a lineage impossible to erase.
Part 4: The Journey — Road to the Jade Celestial City
The Void Herald departed with the clan in perfect formation. The dark ship ploughed through the air, leaving a luminous trail over the desert. In its wake, caravans stopped, bandits hid, and even desert beasts moved aside. The Morningstar reputation traveled ahead of them.
Part 5: Arrival and Challenge at the Jade Celestial City
On the eighth day, the Jade Celestial City appeared on the horizon: a floating plateau, golden chains, walls of jade and gold, a sea of Qi swirling at its base.
Upon approach, the outsiders felt the city's spiritual weight: the Qi crushed the weak; only true heirs straightened their backs.
At the entrance, examiners from the Purple Light Sect and the Valois waited, lists in hand.
"Morningstar Clan," read an official, his tone contemptuous. "What do you aspire to, desert peasants?"
Kael stepped forward.
"To claim what our ancestors conquered."
A murmur ran through those present. Several disciples from minor sects laughed, but an examiner tried to humiliate the group, demanding a small show of power to "see if they deserve registration."
Violeta and Eris, synchronized, created a pillar of frost and fire that pierced the testing field, leaving everyone present open-mouthed.
Cedric formed a seal in the air: a golden shield that reflected a hostile cultivator's attack, returning it with double the force.
[System (Samael only):]
Clan Luck increased: All eyes are on you.
Alaric Valois, Purple Light Sect, watches from above.
High in the city, Alaric smiled coldly.
"They have arrived at last. Let the hunt begin."
Part 6: Brotherhood, Confessions, and Promises
That night, in the inn reserved for the Morningstars, exhaustion was palpable but excitement even more so. Kael, Violeta, and Eris shared childhood stories, dreams, and fears. Cedric and Xylia, for a moment, let drop the mask of strategists and shared the fear of not fulfilling the bloodline that life and destiny demanded of them.
Samael and Seraphina watched their own, each closer to becoming legend.
"Do you think we are ready?" Seraphina asked.
"I don't know," admitted Samael. "But this time, I do not fight alone."
Part 7: The Omen of the Tournament and Cliffhanger
At dawn, a messenger left the official list of participants and rules at the inn door.
The Morningstar names appeared in the front rows.
On the last page, a sealed note:
"Destiny is decided under the gaze of the heavens. The dragon that does not roar dies forgotten."
On the terrace, Samael looked at the horizon, feeling the echo of his ancestors' roar and the promise of a story that was only just beginning.