Bearer of Dragon Blood (13)

When Ian removed the gauntlet covering his entire left arm and elbow, a pale azure radiance suddenly flared up, like a bright moon rising in the dim meditation chamber and illuminating both their faces.

The young man's left arm had already crystallized, yet it did not look grotesque. Instead, it possessed a peculiar beauty, as though an artist had painstakingly carved an arm from crystal. Light flowed through the gleaming azure lattice patterns, revealing every muscle fiber and blood vessel within the arm in exquisite detail.

After seeing this arm, even Elder Manyan, who had long prepared himself mentally, could not help trembling slightly all over, nearly drawing in a sharp breath.

But he still calmed himself. After shaking his head, he asked Ian in a voice he forcibly steadied, "May I... examine it closely?"

"Please."

Ian readily agreed and extended his ether-crystallized arm before the old man. Elder Manyan took several deep breaths, then closed his eyes and opened them again.

Crack-like silver vertical pupils lit up within his green eyes as the elder carefully examined the crystalline arm before him, as exquisite as a work of art.

"The dragon blood I awakened manifested in my dragon horns and eyes. They have extended my lifespan, enhanced my ability to control Origin Matter, and allowed me to see many things humans cannot."

As he observed, the old man explained to Ian, "But I awakened too late. I am too old. If it had been young people like you, the power in your bloodline would have been enough to take you a step further."

"And your arm..."

Gazing at it intently, Elder Manyan sighed. "It is too perfect. Such a wondrous structure—I cannot fully analyze it, but I can sense an aura similar to that of a Crystal Dragon, yet stronger than an ordinary Crystal Dragon... It is said that the king of the Crystal Dragons is also one of the Ancient Dragons. It seems that rumor is indeed true."

"This arm must have caused you much trouble in the past, yes? But do not worry. An exceedingly powerful force resides within it. Even with my eyesight, I cannot discern the upper limit of that power. It is as deep as the sea and as majestic as the vault of heaven. It is, without question, the power of an Ancient Dragon!"

Once this was confirmed, Ian could clearly tell that Elder Manyan's attitude toward him had improved considerably.

And he was indeed correct—the ether crystal passed down to him by the Ether Crystal Dragon truly held power comparable to that of a True Dragon or Ancient Dragon. Ordinary people simply could not comprehend the limits of the Seed Engine.

For the old man to see even this much was already a result of his dragon pupils' extraordinary powers of observation.

Ian possessed the blood of an Ancient Dragon. That meant he, Anfa, Sheo, Elder Manyan, and the others were truly of the same kind. They were all people who had awakened their bloodlines through one chance circumstance or another, or who had inherited dragon blood from their parents at birth.

And the core of the Dragon-Worshiping Cult was precisely such a group of dragon-blood awakeners.

The entire Dragon-Worshiping Cult was an organization through which they helped one another. The ordinary people who sought the power of Ancient Dragons were merely peripheral members pursuing strength. Most served some powerful dragon-blood awakener, and thus, with small groups as their core, a scattered "cult" had spread across the lands of Terra.

"Ian, the most important thing is to hide this power."

Elder Manyan personally helped Ian put his gauntlet back on, concealing the obviously crystallized arm. His tone was grave. "Too many people. Too many lessons. Dragon-blooded people who failed to hide their peculiarities all met tragic ends. Through good fortune, they obtained one of the strongest inheritances in this world, yet could not use that power to protect their own lives."

"To say nothing else, the Spirit Cognition Institute and the Truth Institute within the Empire have always been trying to unravel the power of Ancient Dragon blood. Their research has indeed achieved considerable results, but all of it has been built upon the persecution of dragon-blooded people... This may sound alarmist, but believe me: the Empire may look splendid on the surface, yet filth and corruption lie hidden beneath..."

The old man habitually offered warnings, and Ian was willing to listen patiently... though even without Elder Manyan's reminder, he knew exactly what the Spirit Cognition Institute was.

Alarmist? Ian thought Elder Manyan might even have painted the Spirit Cognition Institute in too flattering a light.

After explaining the importance of concealing dragon blood, Elder Manyan taught Ian a technique for hiding his "dragon blood."

The Origin Matter fluctuations of draconic organs were extremely distinctive, equivalent to a kind of Origin Matter key. Those familiar with them could easily detect them, which was also why the Dragon-Worshiping Cult had noticed that he was a dragon-blood bearer.

The concealment secret art was a peculiar method of circulating Origin Matter.

Simply put, one chose a piece of bone or flesh within one's draconic region—or even condensed an Origin Matter crystal from nothing—and then used it as the center to create a large vortex-like pressurization structure, funneling all the power overflowing from the draconic region into it.

It was an inward-folding structure. From the outside, it was completely impossible to notice any abnormalities in the Origin Matter itself. At most, those familiar with the user might feel that their Origin Matter fluctuations had weakened slightly. As a method for concealing one's aura, it was superb.

After learning this technique, Ian also understood how Anfa had hidden her identity as a First Energy Level ascender back then—she had directly concealed all the power in her body. For a short time, it truly could make her appear to be an ordinary person.

"But wouldn't that waste a great deal of power?"

As he spoke, Ian controlled the Origin Matter within his body, circulating it around both the Ancient Dragon Core and the ether crystal.

Somewhat puzzled, he said, "Though I do not know much about draconification... it is precisely the gradual transformation of our bodies by these draconic regions that gives us strength greater than that of ordinary ascenders, isn't it?"

"But if we restrain them so much, while our dragon blood is concealed, the speed at which it strengthens us also slows greatly."

Without realizing it, the young man had changed his form of address to "we." Elder Manyan did not notice the detail. After thinking for a while, he answered seriously, "That is indeed true."

"But Ian, you must understand: although we are all members of the Dragon-Worshiping Cult... the vast majority of us will never reach the Fourth Energy Level in our entire lives, never attain the foundation of a True Dragon."

"If we do not reach the Fourth Energy Level, then draconic organs and body parts are, in essence, merely a 'benign' mutation to us. Yes, dragon blood improves our physical qualities and the purity of our Origin Matter in every respect. But unless it is restrained, this benign mutation will continually consume our bodies, transforming us toward 'dragons.'"

"Setting aside whether such mutation may have negative effects upon the 'true form of our bloodline' that we possess."

At this, the elder raised a hand and touched the dragon horns atop his head. He gave a faint laugh. "When the conversion rate reaches one hundred percent, yet the dragon-blood bearer has not reached the Fourth Energy Level... they will fail completely."

"They will degenerate into pitiful, malformed Alien dragon beasts, losing their own will as they are consumed by the instincts of the Ancient Dragon within their blood, becoming monsters through and through. Some calmly accept this outcome and, before fully mutating, pass their draconic core on to their children or disciples, allowing them to become dragon-blood bearers after birth."

"And some stake everything on one throw, forcibly using the process of mutation to unleash the power of an Ancient Dragon and transform themselves toward a True Dragon."

"And the result is the birth of immense disasters."

Elder Manyan slowly rose and led Ian out of the ritual chamber. "For example, the first earthquake that occurred in Ushtalav several decades ago was caused by an earth-element dragon-blood bearer of the Third Energy Level. After his conversion rate reached one hundred percent, he deliberately sought out a place where an Ancient Dragon was buried, hoping to use the Ancient Dragon's remains to resonate with his own dragon blood and successfully transform into a True Dragon."

"He failed. The power left behind by the Ancient Dragon resonated with his blood, and he did indeed reach the Fourth Energy Level. But he could not withstand that power and died. The violent upheaval of his psychic field before death created a massive natural disaster in the mountains..."

Ian followed the old man out of the ritual chamber. Following the elder's raised hand, he looked toward a lake at the foot of Mount Avod not far away.

A vast lake formed by a perfectly circular, hemispherical depression, more than five kilometers across—so standard that it could not have been more standard.

Ian's pupils widened slightly. He suddenly understood. He understood exactly why that lake had formed.

"For another example, the 'natural disaster' that occurred in the Bison Mountains one hundred and twenty years ago. A Heavenly Firefall that nearly erased three major mountainfolk tribes from the map."

The mountainfolk elder gazed at the enormous dark-green lake, now filled with rainwater and streams from among the mountains.

In a calm voice tinged with sorrow, he said, "This is why we are called the 'Dragon-Worshiping Heretical Cult.'"

"Because we truly are."

"Thriving because of blood, perishing because of blood—if we do not succeed, we drag those around us into destruction alongside ourselves... evil lives."