Stone Carvings

Inherited innate bloodlines are generally divided into several grades.

From weakest to strongest, they are the low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and true-grade bloodlines (the true-grade bloodline is also known as the true divine beast bloodline; theoretically, the founding ancestor of any innate family possesses this type of bloodline). However, as time passes and the inheritance continues, the power of the bloodline gradually weakens until it disappears.

Of course, this does not exclude the possibility that a certain generation or a specific individual might suddenly experience a surge in bloodline power. If such a thing happens, the rise of the family becomes much easier.

For instance, the Luo family's holy ancestor (Sanbao's grandfather) possessed a very rare true-grade bloodline, a height that none of his peers or even those several generations older ever reached.

Because of the sudden surge in the Luo family holy ancestor's innate bloodline, his direct descendants—his sons, grandsons, and so on—inherited a great deal of that power. While their bloodlines might not necessarily surpass his, they were incomparable to those of other clansmen.

Sanbao's father and eldest brother also possessed true-grade bloodlines. Naturally, there are degrees of strength even within the true-grade; the Luo family holy ancestor's bloodline grade was higher than that of Sanbao's father and brother, which is the normal state of bloodline inheritance.

As for the ordinary members of the Luo family, they generally only possess low-grade or mid-grade bloodlines, with high-grade bloodlines being pitifully rare. For example, Luo Dingyi's bloodline grade is mid-grade.

For most members of divine beast families, the grade of this innate bloodline is usually determined at birth. There are exceptions, of course, and Sanbao's hidden bloodline is one such case; his bloodline grade is not fixed.

Before activation, he is equivalent to having no grade at all. After activation, it could potentially be low-grade, mid-grade, or even high-grade or true-grade.

Before activation, no one can predict this. However, according to the rules of inheritance, the concentration of Sanbao's bloodline should be at least high-grade, with the possibility of it being true-grade, though there is a smaller chance it could be mid-grade, low-grade, or even grade-less.

To put it bluntly, Blood Fusion is a way to grant innate bloodlines to those who possess none. As for how much can be added, it depends on the specific circumstances and the individual's fortune.

In other words, those undergoing Blood Fusion usually start without any divine beast bloodline, but after a successful fusion, they may potentially acquire a low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, or even a true-grade bloodline.

Of course, this is only a theoretical possibility.

Generally speaking, it is almost impossible to obtain a true-grade bloodline through Blood Fusion, and obtaining a high-grade bloodline is also extremely difficult. Most successful candidates for Blood Fusion end up with mid-grade or low-grade bloodlines.

Sanbao's situation is different from the Blood Fusion of ordinary people, as he already possesses this innate talent within his body; it was merely hidden, and now it only needs to be activated.

As for what the final talent grade will be, everything depends on Sanbao's own fortune.

Fortune plays tricks on people, a point Sanbao feels deeply.

If his fortune had been insufficient, he would have died at the foot of Luo Family Mountain long ago. To be alive again now, his fortune can be considered extreme.

Every type of innate bloodline has its own unique characteristics. The Luo family, for instance, inherits the bloodline power of the Purple Copper Golden Roc.

Those who possess this bloodline have physical strength and movement speeds far superior to ordinary people, and their vision and hearing are beyond the reach of ordinary spirit cultivators.

Because of this, Sanbao is very expectant regarding his own bloodline grade.

One can imagine that once these talents are acquired, they will provide incomparable advantages in future cultivation and combat.

"Thirteen said that after reaching a certain level of cultivation, besides physical refinement, the power of the soul becomes very important. For those with innate bloodlines, soul power is even more critical, sometimes even surpassing physical cultivation. Since I have no way to cultivate my body right now, I can only cultivate my soul first. Fortunately, soul cultivation does not require the activation of any bloodline power. Plus, since Thirteen has already given me the secret manual containing the holy ancestor's insights on soul cultivation, I shall start from tomorrow..."

After clearing his thoughts, Sanbao had a wonderful sleep.

"Third Master, do you have any instructions?" Early the next morning, Meimei arrived at Sanbao's door, waiting for his orders.

"Nothing for now. If I need anything, I will call you. When I don't call you, just do whatever you need to do." Sanbao scratched his head in embarrassment and said with a smile, then headed straight toward the back mountain.

After walking a few steps, Sanbao suddenly remembered something, turned back, and said, "Meimei, can you help me find a few pens? Preferably the kind that can carve characters into stone."

"Pens that can carve into stone?"

Meimei was full of confusion. The instructions from this new master were truly strange. Aren't pens just for writing on paper? To carve into stone, one would need an iron tip.

However, Meimei was chosen to serve Sanbao for a reason, and she possessed her own unique traits. Her momentary confusion quickly faded, and she replied, "Very well, Third Master, please wait a moment. I will go find some."

"Good, then I will wait for you at the back mountain," Sanbao said, leaving the small courtyard and heading toward Deer Mountain behind the Luo estate.

Deer Mountain is located right behind the Luo estate. As soon as he stepped out of the back gate, Sanbao was effectively at the foot of the mountain.

From a distance, he saw a white figure moving slowly on Deer Mountain. Sanbao was slightly stunned. There are dozens of peaks on Deer Mountain, but the one adjacent to the Luo estate is private territory. Not to mention outsiders, even the servants of the Luo estate are not allowed to go up without permission; only members of the Luo family can walk there freely. He wondered who it was; they seemed to be undergoing some kind of training.

The answer was revealed quickly. As he walked closer, Sanbao clearly saw the person in white—it was his "second nephew," Luo Caiguang, who was currently carrying a large stone on his back while moving slowly toward the summit.

Sanbao then remembered that this was the result of Old Luo using his two grandsons to establish authority in front of him, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

Looking around, Sanbao was very satisfied with this cultivation environment. The mountains and plains were covered in green-yellow rocks of various sizes, making it the perfect place for him to practice stone carving.

The method of soul cultivation recorded in the holy ancestor's manual starts with stone carving.

"When you see anything that interests you, use the pen in your hand to carve it onto stone. Rely entirely on your intent to carve; the more vivid the carving, the better. At the minor success stage, it can be indistinguishable from the real thing; at the major success stage, you can store your soul within it, with infinite marvelous uses. When carving, remember to control your intent according to the manual... Practice diligently every day, and over time, your soul power (also known as mental power, representing the strength of the soul) will gradually increase."

This was a passage from the holy ancestor's manual, aside from the specific cultivation techniques. Although Sanbao did not understand why this would increase soul power, fortunately, other than needing to ponder the manual, the operation was highly practical. It was just drawing, after all; he would know once he tried.

Back at Lanjing Villa, that had been his specialty.

Snap. A branch was broken off a small tree by Sanbao. After stripping away the small leaves, a simple drawing tool was born.

Looking up, the mountains and plains were filled with stones and trees, so he decided to start by drawing the simplest thing: a stone. Finding a smooth rock, Sanbao began to carve with the wooden branch in his hand.

Squeak...

Sanbao drew two lines on the stone, only to sadly discover that not even a scratch had been left on the surface.

"I must not be using enough force. I'll try again."

Hiss... hiss...

Sanbao used all his strength, but there was still no scratch on the stone. It seemed that this stone carving was indeed very different from drawing on paper. Sanbao analyzed the reasons again: his pen wasn't sharp enough, and the stones on Deer Mountain seemed particularly hard.

Of course, the most important reason was likely that his own strength was too small. If it were Thirteen, he could probably leave a mark on this stone just by blowing on it.

"If I can't carve on this stone, the ground should be fine, right?" While waiting for Meimei to bring the iron pens, Sanbao began a new attempt.

Horizontal, horizontal, vertical, curve...

With just a few short strokes, the shape of a stone was carved into the ground by Sanbao; it wasn't bad, but it lacked clarity, likely due to a lack of strength, so he tried again...

Soon, the ground was covered in various drawings of stones, some large and some small, some deep and some shallow, all in different shapes.

"Huff, huff..."

In less than a quarter of an hour, Sanbao was already drenched in sweat.

This body is truly too weak... Sanbao felt very dissatisfied with his current physique, and immediately sat down on a rock to rest.

"Eh, isn't this Uncle San?" Luo Caiguang was coming down from the mountain and spotted Sanbao from afar; only when he got closer did he call out a greeting.

"Mn, hello Caiguang~"

Sanbao didn't stand on ceremony, answering in an old-fashioned, patronizing tone. After all, based on his true age, he could barely qualify as this fellow's uncle.