Chapter 108: Bloodline Awakening

“Roar…” With a mighty cry, the giant bear charged again. It seemed determined not to kill its enemy in one strike but to torment it slowly. Instead of launching a fatal attack, the Earth Bear chose to toy with it!
For the rest of the time, Rod was tossed around in the air like a ball by the Earth Bear.
“Damn it… How dare you…” Though his consciousness was blurred, the excruciating pain kept him awake. He couldn’t even faint from the agony, and the constant suffering made him roar inwardly in fury.
Blood streamed from his mouth, his face pale and contorted, looking extremely grotesque.
“Master, don’t give up! If you keep this up, you’ll really be tortured to death. Do you really want to be played to death by a beast, to die at its hands? Come on, where’s your will? Where’s your fighting spirit? Weren’t you determined to become the strongest person on the continent? How can you be like this now? How can you still aspire to stand at the peak in this state? If this is the case, then Xuan Yuan truly misjudged you!”
Just as Rod completely gave up, silently enduring the pain and waiting for death with closed eyes, the roar of Xuan Yuan echoed in his heart—filled with urgency, anger, and disappointment. Perhaps that was exactly how Xuan Yuan felt at that moment.
This kid really was different from those two. Although his talent was exceptional—he had reached the rank of Silver Warrior in less than a year, far surpassing those two in achievement—and he also had terrifying luck, passing three trials in quick succession to complete “Self-Cultivation” and lay a solid foundation—such accomplishments were rare. But perhaps the biggest difference was his heart.
Yes, his resilient heart. He didn’t have the same unyielding determination as those two. If they were in this situation, no matter how disadvantaged or beaten they were, they would never consider giving up. Even if they knew resistance was futile, they would still fight back decisively.
“Xuan Yuan… You… you came out? I…”
His consciousness was blurred, but Xuan Yuan’s words were like a lightbulb going off, instantly clearing his mind. His face flushed as he spoke in a low voice.

At that moment, Rod knew that Xuan Yuan must have also learned about the decision he had just made. To choose such an action under those circumstances would surely have a significant impact on Xuan Yuan. Since Xuan Yuan had chosen him in the first place, it had placed all its hopes on him. There was also that time when he broke through three levels in practicing “Self-Cultivation”; he faced great danger. Although he didn’t know exactly what Xuan Yuan had done, from its tone of voice afterward and the changes in itself, he could sense that Xuan Yuan had placed all its burden on him, with an unyielding determination!

The choice he had made was undoubtedly a shock to Xuan Yuan, shattering all its dreams and plans.

“Think about it yourself. I don’t care. At most, in another ten thousand years, I’ll find a new master. But you… you won’t be able to avenge the old man, nor will you be able to repay others’ kindnesses. Your dreams are shattered—decide for yourself!”

In a fit of anger, he left those words behind. Xuan Yuan fell silent, its heartbeat gradually slowing down, each beat sounding strong and heavy, so much so that Rod could clearly hear it.

“No, I can’t give up. Absolutely not! I still have many things to do. I can’t disappoint Xuan Yuan, I can’t disappoint the old man. Die here at the hands of this black bear? Ridiculous! Absolutely not! I’ll fight back! I’ll survive! I’ll become stronger~!”

When he was thrown to the ground by the battle bear once again, Rod suddenly opened his eyes, which he had closed earlier. A flash of brilliance passed through them, as his unwillingness and anger erupted completely at that moment.

His eyes gradually turned red, and a powerful killing intent arose. In less than a moment, his eyes were completely blood-red. That killing intent, seemingly coming from nowhere, along with resentment and unwillingness, filled Rod’s entire mind. All other thoughts vanished, and the world fell silent.

Seeming to sense the changes in the human, the Earth Bear suddenly stopped chasing and stood still, looking at him with a puzzled expression. At that moment, seeing those blood-red eyes and feeling that icy killing intent, it even felt a bit terrified.

This human had changed too much. Before, he was a weakling who could be easily defeated. But now, the look in those eyes and the aura he exuded made the Earth Bear feel a bit fearful. Yes, fearful—such an aura that only those in higher positions, only the strong, could possess, sending a chill through it.

“Bastard, I… won’t… lose… to… you!” The pain throughout his body seemed to vanish in that instant. Rod leaped up like a fish, standing firm as a mountain before the Earth Bear, roaring each word clearly. With every word spoken, his heart pounded, and he could clearly feel the strength in his voice. His mind gradually lost consciousness, replaced entirely by anger and defiance. The world fell silent, leaving only his enemy—the Earth Bear—in sight.

Hiss… hiss… A crisp sound came through, the killing intent growing stronger, causing the Earth Bear to stand frozen, forgetting his attack. The changes in the human before him left him stunned. His face was twisted red, his eyes wide and bloodshot, his teeth bared as if in pain. The killing intent intensified, and suddenly, his clothes swelled, as if something was pushing them out, accompanied by a faint hissing sound.

“Pfft… bang!” Without time to think, the human’s clothes expanded to their limit, then burst with a loud sound. Along with the underwear, they turned into fragments flying everywhere, revealing a muscular body covered in wounds—blue and purple bruises, some oozing blood. Each muscle began to wriggle; indeed, they were moving, as if thousands of insects were crawling inside.

“Argh…” Feeling a solemn aura, the Earth Bear grew uneasy, stomping on the ground and letting out a roar. If anyone had seen Rod’s appearance at that moment, they would have been shocked by what happened, leaving them speechless. As each muscle wriggled, his body began to swell, and the original wounds and internal injuries disappeared instantly—vanishing in mere moments, restoring his former health.

“You… can’t… be… spared!” After another wave of writhing, everything stopped abruptly. Rod suddenly raised his head and growled at the uneasy Earth Bear, speaking each word clearly, as if each word struck deep into the Earth Bear’s heart, forcing him to retreat in distress.

The Earth Bear suddenly noticed a drastic change in the aura of the man before it; it no longer dared to attack first. Its keen sixth sense kept warning it that this human was dangerous and should not be approached. It bent down to pick up the long sword, Dark Dragon, from the ground and carefully touched it. At this moment, Rod’s body was twice and a half its original size, with bulging muscles that gave him a terrifying appearance. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his fierce expression was truly frightening. If observed closely, one could see mysterious patterns on his bulging muscles, with a scale-like texture beneath them, as if wrapped in a layer of armor.

“What… what’s going on?” The Soul of the Xuanyuan Sword inside him couldn’t afford to be angry; it too sensed the changes in its master Rod and couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

“The bloodline… what’s with this bloodline energy? It’s so unfamiliar, yet somehow so familiar. Heaven! It’s my master’s bloodline! How could it change? What’s going on? Such immense power—his strength has skyrocketed in an instant. What’s the reason?” In the next moment, the Soul of the Xuanyuan Sword couldn’t help but cry out in shock. The bloodline had changed, and a strange, powerful energy had flowed into Rod’s body. His entire being was now swept up by that energy like a tornado.

“Bloodline awakening? What kind of bloodline could be this powerful? It’s very similar to that person’s bloodline, but even stronger! No… there’s also a seal. What is this seal? Has it been broken? Such a powerful seal… and it’s been broken?”

In the next instant, relying on its thousands of years of experience, Xuanyuan quickly guessed that it might be the mysterious bloodline within Rod that had awakened. But moments later, another discovery made it exclaim in shock again—something utterly unexpected and unbelievable.

“Die!” At this moment, all Rod could think about was killing, filled with a desire for slaughter, with no other thoughts. His target was the tall black bear before him.

“Argh…” As the human rushed at him, the Earth Bear really wanted to turn and run, but it didn’t want to, couldn’t, and wouldn’t. This human had just been treated as a toy by it, with no ability to fight back. Even though he had changed now, it didn’t believe he could kill it. As a high-ranking magical beast, its pride wouldn’t allow it to turn and flee in the face of a weaker human! It also refused to let this human who had hurt it win.

After the roar, his gaze turned cold; with an unyielding attitude, he bared his sharp fangs and charged headlong at his opponent. This time, he dared not be careless or continue fighting with a playful mindset.