「Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Sovereign-grade cultivation method: Mystic Heaven Scripture.」
Cael's breath caught.
"Open the second one!"
「Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Sovereign-grade alchemy manual: Pill Sovereign's Heart Scripture.」
"Holy..."
Two techniques. Both Sovereign-grade.
To understand why Cael's heart was pounding, one needed to understand how techniques were ranked in this world.
Mortal. Earth. Heaven. King. Sovereign. Venerable. Imperial. Saint. Immortal.
The Ashford family's current main cultivation method? A fragmented King-grade scripture passed down from their ancestors. And that was already considered impressive for a family without a single King-realm expert. Many King-level forces didn't even have techniques of that caliber.
Even at the Ashford family's peak tens of thousands of years ago, when they'd stood among the Holy Clans, their complete cultivation method had only reached the Venerable-grade.
These two techniques were a full tier above that.
Sovereign-grade methods were the kind of scriptures that only existed in the vaults of Imperial dynasties. The kind of inheritance that sects would wage wars over.
And he'd just pulled two of them from starter packs.
All of Cael's resentment about the system's late arrival evaporated instantly.
You absolute beauty of a system.
He examined the techniques more closely.
Mystic Heaven Scripture — Created by the Mystic Sovereign. Divided into four chapters. Completing each chapter dramatically increases the speed of spiritual energy absorption and overall cultivation efficiency.
Pill Sovereign's Heart Scripture — Created by the Verdant Pill Sovereign. Contains his lifetime of alchemical knowledge, unique refinement methods, and a comprehensive collection of pill recipes, including many long-lost formulas.
Cael skimmed through the recipe section. Hundreds of pills. Thousands, maybe. Many marked as "extinct" or "lost to time."
His hands were practically trembling.
"Open the third pack!"
「Congratulations, Host. Your luck has reached extraordinary levels.」
「You have obtained the Immortal-grade formation: Divine Execution Sword Array.」
Cael's mind went blank.
Immortal-grade?
The highest tier he'd ever heard of was Sovereign. Imperial and Saint were already the stuff of legends. But Immortal?
"System," he asked slowly, "what's above Sovereign-grade?"
「Above Sovereign is Imperial. Above Imperial is Saint. Above Saint is Immortal.」
"..."
No wonder the system had given a special notification. This wasn't just good luck. This was the kind of fortune that defied probability.
The Divine Execution Sword Array.
According to the system's description, it was created by the Voidmist Immortal King. Using this formation, the Voidmist Immortal King had once defeated an Immortal Emperor while only being at the Immortal King realm. The higher the grade of the swords used in the formation, the greater its killing power.
Immortal King. Immortal Emperor.
Cael didn't even know what those realms meant. The highest he'd ever heard of was the Great Emperor realm, and that was already considered mythical.
But one thing was certain: those realms were far, far beyond anything in this corner of the world.
With this formation alone, fighting across realms would be trivial. Prodigies? Chosen ones? Sons of destiny?
Put them in front of this sword array and see how many breaths they last.
"Young Master?"
The servant's voice yanked him back to reality.
Right. The Sterling family. The marriage discussion.
Cael took a steadying breath. The techniques weren't going anywhere. He could study them later.
"Lead the way."
He sensed something was wrong before he even entered the reception hall.
His father, Marcus Ashford, sat in the main seat. His expression was dark, jaw tight with barely contained anger.
"The agreement was for Lyra," Marcus said, his voice cold. "Now you're telling me it's been changed to Sera? How can you alter the terms so casually?"
"Where is Patriarch Sterling? This was decided between the two of us personally. If there are changes, he should be the one explaining them. Why send you instead?"
The Sterling elder across from him remained unmoved. "Patriarch Ashford should refrain from causing a scene. This is the Patriarch's decision."
"And he couldn't tell me himself?"
"You'll understand in time."
Cael paused at the doorway, processing what he'd heard.
Lyra Sterling was out.
Sera Sterling was in.
He knew both names. Everyone in the Valdrian Empire did.
Lyra Sterling was the current clan leader's eldest daughter. Talented and beautiful, with solid potential. A safe choice for any political marriage.
But Sera Sterling?
She had been something else entirely.
Sera Sterling was the most brilliant genius the Sterling family had produced in a thousand years. Born with a Spirit Bone, she was prophesied to reach the Imperial realm if she survived to maturity.
From the moment of her birth, she received the family's full resources. Every treasure, every technique, every opportunity was funneled toward her development.
And she delivered.
Body Tempering at six. True Essence at ten. Tribulation realm at sixteen.
Sixteen.
To put that in perspective, Marcus Ashford, the strongest member of the Ashford family and a man who had cultivated for over a century, was only at the sixth level of the Tribulation realm.
Sera had reached the same realm before most people finished puberty.
Her talent was monstrous.
But then came the incident that changed everything.
While training outside the empire, Sera encountered the Saintess of the Azure Veil Sanctuary.
The Saintess challenged her to a duel. Sera accepted and crushed her with overwhelming force.
The Saintess said nothing.
Her guardian, however, did not take the defeat well.
Claiming that Sera's attacks had been "excessive," the guardian struck without warning. A Heavenly King against a junior who had just entered the Tribulation realm.
The fight, if it could even be called that, lasted a single blow.
Sera's Spirit Bone was shattered. Her cultivation crippled. Her future erased.
She had a guardian of her own, of course. Every genius of her caliber did. But he was only an early-stage Earthly King, three full stages below the enemy.
The gap between Earthly King and Heavenly King was a chasm. He couldn't even slow the attack down.
And the Saintess? She watched the whole thing happen and did nothing to stop it.
The Azure Veil Sanctuary was a behemoth from beyond the empire's borders. They had multiple Sovereigns in their ranks.
Against a force like that, what could the Sterling family do?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Lord Aldric, the family's ancestor, personally traveled beyond the empire seeking a cure. He consulted fourth-rank Pill Kings. He begged. He offered fortunes.
Every answer was the same.
A shattered Spirit Bone could only be repaired by a Dao Venerable or an alchemist of equivalent level. Beings so far above the Sterling family's reach that even requesting an audience was impossible.
So they gave up.
Sera Sterling, once hailed as the family's greatest hope, was quietly abandoned.
The blow devastated Lord Aldric. Shortly after, he announced he was entering closed-door cultivation and would no longer involve himself in clan affairs.
Marcus slumped back in his chair, suddenly looking years older.
"Forget it," he muttered. "Forget it."
The Sterling elder rose and left without another word.
The Ashford elders in the room simmered with humiliation and rage, but no one spoke.
What could they say?
The Ashford family of today had no leverage. No bargaining power. If the Sterlings chose to dishonor their agreement, the Ashfords could do nothing but accept it.
The debt of favor from centuries ago? Worthless if the other party simply refused to acknowledge it.
Times had changed. Power had shifted. And the weak had no right to complain.
Marcus looked up as Cael entered.
"You heard?"
Cael nodded.
His father's smile was bitter. "The Sterlings won't give us Lyra. They're only willing to send Sera." He paused, guilt flickering across his features. "This is my failure, son. I'm sorry."
"If you don't want this marriage, we'll cancel it. I'll find you someone else. Sera Sterling is..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
Everyone knew what Sera Sterling was now.
A cripple who needed servants to help her dress. A broken woman who couldn't cultivate. A fallen genius who would never rise again.
No matter how far the Ashford family had declined, surely the eldest son didn't deserve that.
But Cael wasn't listening.
His attention was fixed on something only he could see.
[ Potential Partners — Sterling Family ]
Lyra Sterling
Physique: Earthen Spirit Body (Awakened)
Grade: Purple-2
Notes: Eldest daughter of Sterling clan leader. Recently awakened latent physique.
Amara Sterling
Physique: None (Martial Talent)
Grade: Green-9
Notes: Daughter of Sterling Second Elder.
Celeste Sterling
Physique: None (Average)
Grade: White-6
Notes: Branch family. Concubine candidate.
...
Sera Sterling
Physique: Glacial Sacred Bone (Damaged)
Grade: Gold-1
Status: Repairable
Compatible Remedies: Taixuan Bone Refinement Pill, Ninefold Marrow Restoration Pill, Heavensoul Blood Fusion Pill...
Cael's eyes went wide.
Gold?
The system had explained the grading scale when it activated.
Talent was measured by color, lowest to highest: Black, White, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange, Gold, Red. Each color contained nine sub-grades.
Purple talent indicated potential to reach the Imperial realm.
Orange indicated potential for Venerable.
Gold meant potential for Great Emperor.
And Sera Sterling was Gold-1.
She didn't have a Spirit Bone.
She had a Sacred Bone.
The Sterling family thought they were the same thing. They weren't. Spirit Bones offered a chance at becoming an Imperial. Sacred Bones offered a chance at becoming a Great Emperor.
One word of difference. A universe of gap.
And more importantly...
Repairable.
The system had even listed compatible pills. Cael's eyes darted through the names, cross-referencing them with the Pill Sovereign's Heart Scripture he'd just received.
Taixuan Bone Refinement Pill — Recipe present.
Ninefold Marrow Restoration Pill — Recipe present.
Heavensoul Blood Fusion Pill — Recipe present.
Every single one was recorded in the scripture. Lost to the world, but not to him.
As long as he could gather the ingredients, he could refine them himself.
A slow grin spread across Cael's face.
"Dad."
Marcus blinked at the interruption. He'd been about to offer more apologies.
"Accept the marriage," Cael said firmly.
"What?"
"Tell the Sterlings yes. I'll marry Sera. I don't want anyone else."
Marcus frowned deeply. "Son, I know you're trying to be noble, but Sera Sterling is crippled. Her Spirit Bone is destroyed. She can't cultivate. She can't—"
"Dad."
Cael met his father's eyes. There was no hesitation in his gaze. No reluctance. Only absolute certainty.
"I want her."
Marcus studied his son for a long moment. Something had changed. He couldn't put his finger on what, but the boy standing before him felt... different.
Finally, he sighed.
"Alright. If that's what you want."
Cael could barely contain himself.
The Sterling family actually did me a favor.
They thought they were offloading a burden. Dumping their broken, useless second daughter onto a declining family to fulfill an old debt.
Instead, they'd just handed him a future Great Empress.
Lyra Sterling with her newly awakened Earthen Spirit Body? Purple-grade. Imperial potential at best.
Sera Sterling with her Glacial Sacred Bone? Gold-grade. Great Emperor potential.
It wasn't even close.
Thank you, Sterling family. Truly. You're too kind.
And it wasn't just about cultivation potential.
With the Blessed Bloodline System, the children he had with Sera would inherit some measure of her talent. Gold-grade genetics combined with whatever rewards the system gave him for high-talent offspring?
Their children could be monsters.
Cael was already imagining it.
Sera, my future wife... you have no idea what's coming.
Neither does the rest of this world.