Chapter 241 - 239: Bloodline Seed

On a barren mountain in the Noon Realm, Yang Shen overlooked the migrating camp and quickly found a large rock to sit on. He had a feeling this was going to take a while to figure out.

Yang Shen opened the system in his mind.

"New Main Quest: Increase the number of clan members to 20 (20.2/20)"

"Quest Reward: One random Bloodline Seed."

The number of members had been slowly increasing, likely due to the independent growth of Yang’s Disciples and Changshen Biotechnology.

This quest had appeared right after they moved into the Yang Residence. Yang Shen had been extremely curious about it back then, because the "Bloodline Seed" was a completely new type of reward.

On Cyan Blue, there were indeed dazzling geniuses with special constitutions.

They might possess superior Comprehension or have astonishing talent in a particular field of Martial Arts.

But these marvels usually only affected the physical body and could not be stably passed down through reproduction.

Admittedly, the genes of talented individuals naturally had their merits. However, their offspring would, at best, have a chance of inheriting a "general" talent, not a one-hundred-percent "specific" replication of their bloodline.

Even in Martial Arts Clans that had been passed down for hundreds of years, any similar traits exhibited by members were merely a result of survivor bias, a product of being filtered through the same Cultivation Techniques and paths.

For example, if someone strong in the Sword Dao established a family, the probability of producing more Sword Dao experts would be higher. But this wasn’t a constitutional mutation; it was a convergence and directionality in their training methods.

This was nature’s way of balancing things. In modern biology, this phenomenon is known as "regression to the mean."

Even if a Martial Arts Family painstakingly selected for the best bloodlines, they were, at best, just seeking a "higher mean."

That was why Yang Shen was so curious about the "Bloodline Seed."

’Could it give me something like an "Ancient Golden Indestructible Primordial Dragon King Empyrean Nine-Revolutions Great Success Saintly Body"?’

’Wouldn’t that be absolutely awesome?’

Yang Shen calmed his mind and then silently thought, ’Claim.’

A moment later, the content on the system interface shifted...

He had initially thought it would be "truly random" like before, directly giving him a result he couldn’t appeal, but this time was different.

A horizontal wheel, like a character selection screen in an old game, seemed to appear in his mind, spinning continuously.

Every option was different. As Yang Shen gave them a cursory glance, he saw:

Saber Skill Constitution, Fist Intent Constitution, Spear Skill Constitution, Array Constitution, Beast Taming Constitution...

At first, he didn’t quite understand, but he soon realized this was a "special sublimation" of the current Yang Family members’ traits!

’The Saber Skill Constitution should come from Lei Lv, the Fist Intent and Spear Skill Constitutions are from me, the Array one is from Yang Mo and Yang Man, and the Beast Taming one... from Lin Yuebai?’

Clearly, these were originally just "talents," not "Bloodline Constitutions"—things that couldn’t be inherited. It was just like how he, Yang Mo, and Yang Man had completely different Spiritual Roots and talents.

’And this time... the system can sublimate one of them into an actual bloodline?’

The system didn’t just slap an "XX Constitution" in his face. Instead, it sublimated one from the traits of the clan members. That was interesting.

’But... what’s the deal with the Bloodline Seed then?’

Yang Shen even saw "Heirless Constitution"... His face scrunched up into a knot.

’What the hell is a Heirless Constitution! Wouldn’t that just wipe out the entire clan?’

’What a dangerous option. Tian Zihan, are you trying to be the death of your master?!’

These options were also a gamble. Obviously, the more people in the clan, the more likely it was to include some rare options, but there were also risks...

Tian Zihan had basically poisoned the prize pool!

Just as Yang Shen was about to perform an "emergency risk aversion" maneuver and expel Tian Zihan from the clan, the spinning wheel gradually came to a stop.

Out of more than thirty options, only three remained at the forefront.

They were: Swordsmanship Constitution, Adversity Constitution, and Speed Constitution.

Yang Shen frowned slightly. It seemed to be a choice of one out of three.

’The Swordsmanship Constitution should come from the swordsmanship talent of Xu Bamboo or Lei Yi. The Adversity Constitution comes from me.’

’As for the Speed Constitution, that must be from the Lei Brothers’ Tunneling Talent.’

Yang Shen’s mind raced... ’All three seem pretty good!’

The sword was the most versatile weapon in Martial Arts, with the highest potential ceiling.

It wasn’t inherently noble. Its status was built up by generations, by millions of powerful individuals who loved the Sword Dao. Whether in Yanhua, Europe, or Magna, the sword was considered the most mainstream weapon, possessing the greatest versatility, the highest prestige, and the most developmental paths.

No matter how the "Bloodline Seed" worked, this option was the type with a high floor and a high ceiling.

The Adversity Constitution, on the other hand, came from Yang Shen’s own Life Chart. Whenever he experienced danger and rose from the ashes, his Dao Heart and Cultivation speed would increase. It was an extremely rare growth-type Life Chart.

If it were converted into a constitution, it would probably become more tangible and even more powerful.

’It’s just that a person can’t always be going through adversity... If you keep going through it, others might not survive it...’

As for the final "Speed Constitution," in Martial Arts, being a fraction faster could mean crossing the line between life and death.

Speed was a more valuable ability than power and was also extremely versatile.

Yang Shen stared at the three options for a long time, his thoughts churning.

’I don’t know how this so-called Bloodline Seed works, this is the first time. But I do know one thing...’

’Swordsmanship and speed can both be trained. Martial Arts Techniques, Cultivation Techniques, even Artifact Refining and Alchemy in the future... there will always be opportunities to make up for them with external means. Although these two are powerful and efficient, they are not unique.’

’So...’

Yang Shen took a deep breath and, without further hesitation, chose the "Adversity Constitution."

He wasn’t asking the Yang Family members to always seek out suffering in the future, but to have a constitution that allowed them to break through by enduring hardship...

...was better than just purely suffering, right?

’If you’re going to suffer anyway, you might as well get some benefit out of it, no?’

At the very least, his own Life Chart didn’t have a trait that "attracted disaster."

Jianghuai was not safe, and Cyan Blue was in an era of great change. The strong would always face tribulations. On the time scale of the Immortal Race, this option had the highest potential ceiling and was the most irreplaceable by external items.

Following Yang Shen’s choice, the system screen changed again. The words "Adversity Constitution" gradually faded and then reformed... into a definitive result.

Its name was:

"Toughening Body - Bloodline Seed"

"Whenever one encounters a calamity, overcoming it will temper one’s origin, turning it into Nourishment for body and mind. It may enhance one’s Dao Heart or strengthen one’s physical body. The benefits vary depending on the calamity faced."

"Note: Forcing oneself to suffer without cause does not fall within the scope of this effect. The specific judgment is based on intent, not action."

"The Bloodline Seed does not directly grant clan members a special constitution. Instead, it is rooted in the clan’s own unique marvels. When a clan member’s heart is with the clan, they can gradually awaken the Bloodline Seed to nurture and transform within themselves."

"The Bloodline Seed is passed down through ’intent,’ not ’form.’ If one betrays the clan, their descendants will be unable to activate it, and the individual themselves will also lose this marvel."

"As the Clan Leader, the host has already activated it automatically. In the future, you may check the nurturing progress of the Bloodline Seed in other clan members."

This was even more miraculous and sophisticated than a direct Bloodline Constitution. It was a "marvel" that belonged solely to the Yang Family.

Not only would it be automatically lost upon leaving the Yang Family, but it could also cover everyone in the current generation.

’And it seems... does this also mean that if I get similar rewards in the future, they can stack?’

Almost at the same time, Yang Shen felt something inside him change...

It was as if a ray of Spiritual Light shot down from the void, or as if a seed that had always been inside him was eagerly bursting into bloom...

All the hardships, battles, and desperate situations he had ever experienced flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern, retroactively processing them.

The confusion after his parents’ deaths, the grief when his uncle passed away, the determination to support a family, the perseverance of his day-and-night efforts...

His first kill at the Training Camp, the chaotic fight at the Big Pharmacy, the murderous intent and cold resolve in Jinshui Villa, the peril of his clash with Luo Sheng...

The "Quenching Body" drew Nourishment from hardship, and it even had a hidden effect of turning it all into an "epiphany"!

Perhaps in the future, every member of the Yang Family who awakened the "Quenching Body" would have the chance for an epiphany at that moment.

And as it happened, Yang Shen had suffered quite a bit in his life... so much so that this epiphany was a little too massive.

He just sat there on the desolate hillside of the Noon Realm, with the River of Calamity and Pestilence in the far distance serving as a backdrop, accentuating the youth’s profound state of mind.

The thin, sluggish Spiritual Qi of the Noon Realm seemed to spring to life, surging toward Yang Shen.

But that wasn’t the main point. The Martial Arts Side was about an "Accumulation Value," while the Cultivation Side was about a "Status Value."

In the Cultivation System, a sudden epiphany... could bring about more than just a change in one’s state of mind.

Yang Shen’s aura was steadily climbing, bit by bit becoming clearer... Even the bottle of Heart-Inquiry Water he had brought to the Noon Realm seemed to be playing a role in this long-tail effect.

A full two hours later, Yang Shen opened his eyes, a golden glint flashing and disappearing.

He had reached... the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!

It was simply unbelievable...

Just four days ago, he had only just reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Yang Shen stood up and exhaled a bolt of white energy. "I never expected an epiphany... would be so helpful for raising my Cultivation Side realm. Even though it’s just a minor realm in the Qi Refining Stage, it still saved me at least one or two months of effort."

’The payoff is huge.’

’It makes me want to seek out suffering just to trade it for an epiphany...’

However, Yang Shen also knew that this epiphany was a one-time consolidation of all his past experiences. If he broke through on the spot every time he suffered a little hardship, what would that make him...

’A Super Cultivator?’

Originally, he should have reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer only when his Martial Arts Side was approaching the Early-stage True Gang. Now, his Cultivation Side was a bit ahead.

But this was good, too. No one ever complained about their realm being too high.

Yang Shen felt his Qi Sea expand once again. In terms of the endurance of his physical stamina and the vastness of his Qi Sea for Magic, his Immortal Martial Dual Cultivation truly maxed out his staying power.

As for the activation level of the "Quenching Body" in the other clan members within the system, it seemed to be related to the pressure they had endured in the past. The highest was Xu Bamboo, who started at 75%.

This also showed that activating the "Quenching Body" was not easy. Xu Bamboo, after all, had grown up suffering.

Yang Shen was able to awaken it directly because he had the advantage of being the Clan Leader, just like with his Magic proficiency in the past.

’The second highest... huh? Why is it Cao Wei?’

’What kind of pressure has she been under day-to-day to be at 59%?’

’Wait... is this girl really that stressed out all the time?’

Most of the others were below 20%. Long Jiu was at a mere 2%, perhaps because her mind hadn’t fully recovered... However, the Bloodline Seed didn’t just sprout through suffering; it would also grow on its own over time, so there was no rush.

Just as Yang Shen thought his gains for the day were satisfactory and was preparing to head down the mountain back to the transfer camp, he remembered he should also check for a new main quest.

Then, he was completely stunned.

"New Main Quest: Increase clan prestige to 1000 points (2034/1000). Completed."

"Quest Reward: One random Inherited Family Treasure (Claimable)."

’Holy shit! I completed two main quests at once!’