Chapter 4: The Bloodline Awakens
Heat filled the air as Li Jian stepped onto the second floor of the Dragon King Tower.
The environment had completely changed.
Blue flames floated silently in midair, illuminating the ancient stone chamber with an eerie glow. Unlike ordinary fire, these flames gave off no smoke, no crackling sound — only a terrifying, ancient pressure that seemed to weigh directly upon the soul.
At the center of the chamber stood a solitary stone altar.
And above it—
A single drop of crimson blood hovered in midair.
It pulsed faintly, radiating a suffocating aura.
Ancient characters ignited across the walls.
Second Floor – Trial of Blood
The deep, ancient voice echoed once more throughout the chamber:
"To inherit the Dragon King's path…
One must awaken the blood within."
Before Li Jian could even steady his breathing, the drop of blood shot forward like lightning.
It pierced straight into his chest.
Pain exploded.
His body convulsed violently as scorching energy flooded every meridian. His veins turned gold beneath his skin, glowing like molten metal. His heartbeat thundered like war drums, echoing inside his skull.
He screamed.
Dragon scales flickered briefly across his arms before fading.
Memories — ancient and overwhelming — flooded into his mind.
A colossal dragon soaring across endless skies.
Celestial beings trembling beneath its claws.
A massive black tower descending from the heavens wrapped in divine lightning.
A battle that shattered mountains.
And finally—
The tower crashing into the earth in flames.
Creating Dragonfall Gorge.
Li Jian's breathing became ragged.
The abyss was not natural.
It had been formed by the fall of this very tower.
The Dragon King Tower had not been buried by accident.
It had descended during a war beyond mortal understanding.
And it had been waiting.
Waiting for someone with the blood to awaken it.
Waiting for him.
The agony continued to tear through his body, but beneath the pain, something deeper stirred.
Power.
Ancient.
Primal.
Terrifying.
His bones strengthened. His meridians widened. His blood seemed to burn with golden fire.
Then—
Silence.
The flames in the chamber calmed.
The transformation stabilized.
Li Jian collapsed to one knee, drenched in sweat, his body trembling from exhaustion.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
When he opened his eyes—
A faint golden glow shimmered within them.
On the wall before him, blazing words appeared:
Dragon Bloodline – Initial Awakening
Beneath it, another sentence formed, burning brighter than the rest:
"Only those who seek the Throne may ascend."
Above him, a new staircase slowly revealed itself, leading toward the next floor.
Li Jian clenched his fists.
For years, he had endured humiliation.
For years, he had been trapped beneath an invisible ceiling.
Now—
In the depths of the abyss—
He had awakened something greater than talent.
He had awakened inheritance.
"If the heavens cast me down…"
"Then I will rise above them."
Without hesitation—
Li Jian stepped toward the next floor.
And deep within Dragonfall Gorge, the Dragon King Tower pulsed once more.
As if acknowledging its chosen heir.