10 Chapter 10: Awakening

"To be a cultivator, you gotta have something called spiritual veins. And there are different flavors of these veins, nine of them, each matching up with one of the Nine spiritual Qis. Usually, a cultivator has just one type of spiritual vein. Like me and your Aunt Lor, we both have Ice-Spiritual Veins. But then, there are some real lucky folks, like you, who've got two types of these veins."

She took a moment to let her son soak in the info before adding, "And every once in a blue moon, you might run into someone with three or even more types of these veins, but trust me, they're about as rare as a unicorn."

"What's the difference between having just one type of spiritual vein and having two or more?" Sam asked, voicing his question.

"Good question," his Aunt responded.

"You see, each type of spiritual Qi is vastly different from the others. When we cultivate them, they offer us different advantages. Take us, for example. We both have ice spiritual veins, which means we cultivate ice Qi. Ice Qi is all about purity and preservation."

"Because we only have ice Qi, we can only develop techniques based on ice Qi," she continued.

Each of the Nine Tributes' spiritual Qis has distinct characteristics and provides different benefits to those who cultivate them.

Ice Qi symbolizes purity and preservation, while Fire Qi represents passion and aggression.

Wind Qi embodies freedom and adaptability.

Water Qi stands for fluidity and tranquility.

Earth Qi is all about endurance and resilience.

Lightning Qi offers precision and unpredictability.

Wood Qi signifies growth and vitality.

Metal Qi brings enhancement and efficiency.

And finally, Dark or Shadow Qi is about subterfuge and secrecy.

"Now that you've got the basics down, it's time to learn a cultivation method," Aunt Lor explained. "For a cultivation method that matches your Ice-Fire spiritual veins, we'd need one focused on absorbing both Ice and Fire Qi, but, well, we don't have anything like that," she admitted, scratching her head.

"But we do have a cultivation method that anyone can use, no matter what type of spiritual veins they have," Sam's mom chimed in as she moved closer. "It's a Spiritual-Grade Cultivation method. Until we find something more suitable for you, you'll have to work with this."

Saying this, Helena pressed her forehead against her son's, passing the technique's memories into his mind.

Sam closed his eyes, absorbing the memories of the cultivation method. It took him a few minutes, but he eventually grasped the technique successfully.

"It's time to awaken,"

Sam settled into a lotus position, closed his eyes, and focused on sensing the faint quantity of Qi in his surroundings.

His aunt briefly considered giving him a pill to facilitate the process, but they quickly dismissed the idea since Sam couldn't dissolve pills, not being a cultivator yet.

Helena and Lorraine exchanged concerned glances as they observed that the spiritual energies weren't being drawn toward Sam. Frowns crept onto their faces.

"Why isn't the Spiritual Qi going to him?" Helena wondered aloud.

"I don't know... This is highly unusual," Lorraine replied.

They decided to wait a bit longer and see if the situation changed. Sam, completely engrossed in cultivation, couldn't hear their discussion. Although he wasn't absorbing any Qi, he could sense something happening, even though he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

"He's still not absorbing any spiritual Qi," Aunt Lorraine exclaimed, her worry growing.

"Maybe it's the cultivation method, or could his suppressed bloodlines be making it difficult for him?" Helena contemplated aloud.

Concerned, Helena moved closer to her son, intending to wake him and prevent any potential issues. But before she could reach him, Aunt Lorraine halted her by grabbing her hand firmly.

"Wait, Sis," Lorraine said firmly.

"What? Why did you stop me?" Helena glared at her younger sister, fully aware that she wasn't playing games when it came to her son's well-being.

"Look at him," Lorraine urged, pointing her finger at Sam.

Suddenly, Sam's body began to emit a brilliant red light, and the mystical codex flew out of him, hovering before them. It radiated waves of spiritual energy, but strangely, it didn't seem to affect Sam's ongoing cultivation.

The front cover of the enigmatic codex displayed its name, and then, slowly, the first page of the codex flipped open, revealing the names of its master.

Gradually, the seal on the second page started to disappear. The second page unfolded, and as it did, the red light intensified even further.

The aura surrounding the codex grew even wilder and more chaotic, but it didn't harm them, nor did it harm Sam.

Suddenly, a tremendous quantity of spiritual energy rushed into the codex and converged into a singular point. A beam of spiritual energy shot out from it and landed on Sam.

Sam, who was still unaware of what was happening around him, sensed a change within himself. He could feel his body growing hotter and hotter, but curiously, he didn't experience any discomfort or pain. Instead, it felt strangely nourishing.

"Looks like the codex is aiding in his cultivation," Helena exclaimed, a surprised smile on her face. She had worried needlessly, forgetting that Sam possessed a powerful item that wouldn't easily let its master come to harm.

Suddenly, Aunt Lor noticed something unusual. "Big Sis, do you feel that?"

Helena nodded. "Yes, he's awakening our bloodline." A smile of recognition appeared on her face. She could sense from her own blood's reaction that her son was awakening the Frozen Abyssal Dragon Bloodline that he inherited from her.

He was indeed awakening their shared bloodline, but that seemed to be it. There were no signs of him awakening his father's Crimson Inferno Dragon Bloodline.

"Do you think he'll manage to awaken his father's bloodline?" Aunt Lor asked with doubt.

"I don't know," Helena replied. "It's rare for a dragon to have more than one bloodline, but if he does, it could be really helpful in the future."

Then, a stronger ripple emanated from Sam's body, and the surrounding temperature dropped rapidly. Sam's body began emitting a massive white-colored aura, which grew stronger and eventually took the shape of a large Western dragon.

"It looks like he only awakened our bloodline," Helena sighed. She wasn't saddened by this fact; she simply felt that her son had missed an opportunity.

But suddenly, another ripple shot out from Sam's body, and the temperature quickly returned to normal. A crimson-colored aura began to form, wild and energetic, shaping into another Western dragon.

Both dragons formed by Sam's aura briefly regarded them before their auras merged, creating an even larger Western dragon composed of both white and red auras. This dragon fixed its calm gaze upon them, sending chills down their spines.

"What is this? How can it be?" Aunt Lor exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yeah, I can feel it too. It's subtle, but it's definitely there," Helena said, gazing at her son, who was enveloped in a multitude of white and red auras.

What they were feeling was a suppression—a bloodline suppression. It was extremely faint, but it undeniably existed. It seemed that Sam had somehow merged their two bloodlines into one, making it even purer and more potent.