Chapter 195: The Power of the Bloodline

“I’ve told you before that the reason you experienced those situations was due to your bloodline. Those phenomena were manifestations after your bloodline awakened. It can greatly enhance your strength in a short time, lifting you to another level. As for the side effects, you must have felt them too—if you fully unleash that strength, your body will be extremely sore for days after use, leaving you weak, and your combat energy will be completely depleted! These are all effects of the bloodline awakening. Remember, they are effects of the awakening itself, not effects that occur after it!” Xuan Yuan earnestly explained in Rod’s mind.
“Awakening itself, not after awakening?” Hearing this, Rod couldn’t help but ask further.
“After awakening, it’s completely different. It all comes down to your bloodline! Though I don’t know why you possess this bloodline or what exactly it is, I can give you an analogy—like a Super Saiyan. The characteristic of your bloodline is its innate strength. Once fully awakened, you’ll be able to control the release of this power at will, having already mastered its intricacies and nuances, allowing you to fully utilize it without any side effects. That’s the greatest advantage. But it likely takes some time—proper training and adaptation are needed. There’s no way to do it now. This is your bloodline, something you’ve inherited!” Xuan Yuan said solemnly in Rod’s mind, with a hint of emotion.
Hearing these words, Rod’s mouth fell open in disbelief, filled with shock and excitement. He was so powerful—how had he only discovered this now? How had he never noticed before? With his mouth slightly agape, he silently wondered inwardly. It was as if he’d been given a stimulant, his heart surging with excitement.
Not only Rod, but Xuan Yuan felt the same way. He had been greatly shocked when he saw Rod exhibit these abilities during the battle against the Earth Bear.

It was the first time I saw it, and I thought there must be some other problem. But after observing carefully, I noticed changes in his blood and physical structure, which led me to think of the term “bloodline awakening.” It reminded me of something I had heard before—a powerful race whose bloodlines were different from ordinary people. It might not be noticeable at birth, but as they grow and their strength increases, that trait develops. Once they reach adulthood, the hidden bloodline within them begins to awaken, greatly boosting their power. Even someone who was once weak can instantly become strong—this is the advantage of a powerful bloodline. When the academy found out about this, they were extremely excited. He had stumbled upon a chance one in ten thousand, or even one in hundred million.

At the same time, I immediately understood why this guy had an astonishing recovery ability—unbelievably fast. I understood why his body was so resilient. It was all due to his bloodline.

“Is it too late to make it awaken now? What do I need to do to trigger it? What should I do right now?” Rod asked eagerly.

“Bloodline awakening requires time and opportunity. Your time seems to have come. What’s lacking now is the opportunity. You need a catalyst combined with your efforts to fully awaken it. So, it’s unlikely to happen in a short time. What you need to do now is grasp that urge that can awaken it! Just like during the last battle against the Earth Bear, at the most critical moment, your strong will and desire to survive awakened it!

Or like in the match against Viski—your strong desire to win made it loosen up. During Captain Thell’s battle, at the moment of life and death, your survival instinct reached its peak, and your desire to win was unparalleled, so it erupted. It’s the same in all cases!

All you can do now is recall those moments of eruption and your emotional states from before. Maybe that will help you erupt during tonight’s battle.

In the days to come, you can focus on developing this aspect. If you can fully awaken your bloodline, it wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.”

Xuanyuan answered Rod’s questions. He had originally planned to tell him about this after he reached the Imperial rank, but he ended up revealing it now. He felt quite helpless about that.

After all, it didn’t want Rod to rely too much on this ability; true strength was what mattered most. Only by combining strong innate abilities with this power could one achieve true strength. It feared that if Rod understood this, he might slack off in his training. That was why it had such plans. But now, in this life-or-death moment, it couldn’t afford to worry too much and had to tell Rod in advance.

“Is that so? Fine, I’ll go all out—success or failure depends on this attempt!” After learning everything, Rod’s eyes shone brightly. He spoke in a deep voice, with a hint of excitement, for he now saw hope. Hope was more important than anything; as long as there was hope, miracles could happen.

Watching Rod’s serious expression, Xuan Yuan sighed inwardly. Today was bound to be another uneasy day. The crisis was approaching once again. What would the outcome be? Would they manage to get through it unscathed like before? It dared not imagine or predict—it could only be known at the last moment!

At that moment, it felt a hint of melancholy. It had no regrets. Choosing Rod was its own decision. Once chosen, there was no room for regret, nor was there a need for it. Let fate decide everything—as long as it tried its best! There was no remedy for regret. Besides, after spending time with Rod, it really liked its master, truly and deeply. If given another chance, it believed it would make the same choice.

……

For the rest of the day, Rod stayed in his dormitory, recovering his strength and making final adjustments. He focused almost all his energy on controlling the bloodline within his body, hoping to feel that urge to explode sooner.

Time passed swiftly in this state. Before he knew it, night had fallen. The sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a rosy glow over the room, creating a warm atmosphere that induced a sense of laziness. Human inertia was easiest to arouse under such circumstances.

During the day, Kiro and John came by once, but Rod sent them away right away. They came because of Lucia and Linda, but due to Rod’s deliberate concealment, they didn’t know the truth, nor were they aware of what was about to happen that night.

Taking a deep breath, he occupied the space, feeling a hint of sadness as he looked at the familiar furnishings in the room and his own bed. He walked over to the bed, stood by the window, and gazed down at the entire academy. The familiar scene, with students coming and going, filled him with a sense of melancholy.

“It’s almost time to go!” After a moment of silence, his expression turned cold as he muttered to himself. Finally, he gave his room one last careful look, picked up the bag he had prepared the night before and slung it over his back. Perhaps he wouldn’t have another chance to return—whether successful or not, he knew only a dark world awaited him.

He reached out and touched his bed, gritted his teeth, and resolutely turned to head for the door. He took big steps, afraid of feeling any lingering reluctance, and rushed out, slamming the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he looked around—no familiar faces in sight—so he quickened his pace. The agreed time was approaching, and he couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

……

“Do you know where Rod went?” Not long after Rod left, Kiro, John, and Wiski gathered in front of the dormitory, staring at the two of them. Kiro asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know. Some say they saw him heading outside the academy, carrying a small bag. Damn it, I have no idea where he went!” John said anxiously, frowning.

“Captain… could he have left? If that’s the case…” Mike, the petite member standing among them, spoke softly. He was part of the reserve team for the continental competition, though he hadn’t gotten a chance to compete. After thinking it over all day, John and Kiro decided to seek help as a precaution, and Mike was one of them. Having grown up together, John trusted him quite a bit.

“Mike, you bastard! Take back what you said! The captain isn’t that kind of person!” John snapped angrily at Mike’s words. The others also changed expressions, filled with rage.

“Shut your mouth, or there’ll be another corpse!” Wiski’s cold words sent chills down everyone’s spine.

“I… I…” Scolded so fiercely by the two of them, and seeing the looks from the others around, Mike tried to protest weakly but never dared speak out. He knew that if he said anything, Viski and everyone else would surely tear him apart. He even began to regret his words. Having spent so much time with the captain, how could he not know what kind of person he was? How could he have had such thoughts before! This filled him with guilt.

“Could that scoundrel have gone to save Lucia and Linda by himself? Did he receive some information?” Suddenly remembering something, Alice shouted loudly, her expression changing drastically as she grew anxious.

“That’s bad! Hurry up and look for him—search separately. We can’t hide this any longer. Alice and John, you two go get reinforcements. If that bastard Rod really went there, he’s doomed. He won’t be able to save them, and he’ll just doom all three of them. We can’t care about that anymore. If Rod gets angry, I’ll take the blame. The rest of you, search separately and meet at the North Dream in the capital city. Hurry!”

With Alice’s reminder, everyone suddenly understood. After a brief silence, Kiro quickly took charge.

With things having reached this point, there was no time to consider anything else. Even if it meant going against Rod’s orders, taking action was the most important thing. There was a 99% chance Rod had gone to save them.

They originally thought those assassins wouldn’t act so quickly, but… they had been watching Rod all day today. How did they fail to notice that he had contacted anyone? This also surprised them secretly! “Okay, everyone, split up and act!” John also agreed eagerly, his face serious.

The next moment, the six people present split into four groups and rushed off in different directions, drawing the attention of many people in the academy.