Chapter 10
What people called the depths of a bloodline was a state of deep immersion one entered after closing one’s eyes. Guided by some unseen force, one would slowly be drawn into an illusion, where one could see the basic environment associated with one’s bloodline attributes—perhaps forests and mountains, frozen polar regions, or even the magma beneath a volcano.
Su Jiu could just make out a polar landscape in the depths of her bloodline. But the moment she placed her hand on the Awakening Stone, she felt a frigid force pierce straight through her body...
The force traveled from her palm throughout her body. Then, as if carrying some kind of presence with it, it swept through her in an instant. The icebergs shattered! The scenery around her rippled like the surface of a lake, breaking into countless fragments.
The frozen polar landscape abruptly changed into a vast, boundless starfield. Why? According to the book, when she awakened, she should have seen an Ice Chi swimming beneath the ice!
Just as Su Jiu was puzzling over this,
“Kree!”
A strange bird cry rang out beneath her. She looked down and saw the most shocking sight of her life—a nine-headed crimson giant bird, like a passenger jet scaled up tenfold, flying toward her. It resembled a phoenix, but black flames wreathed its body, radiating an intensely frigid aura. Its expression shifted between sacred and cruel, and every pair of eyes was fixed on her.
“In ancient times, there was the Ghost Chariot, a nine-headed creature that fed on dragons and phoenixes. Wherever it went, it brought both fortune and disaster... It was called the Nine-Phoenix.”
Su Jiu couldn’t help recalling the book An Ancient Compendium of Mythology. Her mind went blank, and she murmured the words under her breath.
It was many times more majestic and enormous than the Western dragons she’d seen in videos. Its presence, oppressive might, and innate pride were overwhelming.
But how could the Ghost Chariot, a mythical beast that existed only in legends, appear during her awakening? This wasn’t right. Humans simply couldn’t steal the bloodline of a creature like that...
The scene was so different from the awakenings she’d seen in videos. Could a bloodline realm really be a starry sky? Even Bai Ming and Bai Qianyu had only awakened in the sky, about 3,000 meters above the ground.
Their initial bloodline was the top-tier SS-rank Ancient Black Dragon. What on earth was happening to her...?
Su Jiu noticed that the Ghost Chariot beneath her seemed to bear her no ill will. She stared into its eyes for over half a minute before they gently closed. A black-and-red magic circle appeared between them.
“Is this... an awakening contract?”
Su Jiu’s eyes nearly popped out. Was the Ghost Chariot trying to form an awakening contract with her? That only happened with extremely high bloodlines—the kind possessed by someone at the male lead’s level...
Wait... The old man had said before, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to inherit A-Jiu’s bloodline.” Could he have meant that Mom’s bloodline was like the male lead and his siblings’, with some kind of threshold...?
A threshold they had to meet before they could awaken it? Holy crap!
Su Jiu was stunned by her own thought. So she wasn’t just a cannon-fodder, green-tea female side character after all?
As she thought this, Su Jiu did as the novel described and gently pressed one hand onto it. Black flames sprang from her body, and the frigid aura surrounding her seemed to be swallowing her whole...
The next instant, a pair of wings suddenly sprouted from her back in the illusion and enfolded her. Their crimson feathers were covered in strange black runes, each pattern frightening and filled with an imposing force.
“Boom!”
The wings burst open, revealing Su Jiu inside. Her eyes were closed, the tips of her hair had turned white, and a Mystic Fire sigil was branded between her brows, lending her once-adorable face an eerie, bewitching air.
...
“Principal Huang, what’s going on...? Su Jiu has been holding the Awakening Stone for so long. Is she going to fail? Her Blood Condensation seems really low.”
Lu Nan looked rather short standing beside Huang Fusheng. He anxiously watched Su Jiu, still holding the Awakening Stone.
“She hasn’t failed... I don’t think she has.”
Huang Fusheng frowned, staring fixedly at the Ice Chi phantom behind Su Jiu. Why was it flickering in and out of sight? Even if her bloodline value was insufficient, it shouldn’t look like this...
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Just as the two men stood there, baffled and uncertain, a torrent of frost surged from the center of the Awakening Stone. The Ice Chi phantom behind Su Jiu instantly solidified and grew to more than ten meters tall, surging into the sky like a true dragon!
“What happened?!”
Lu Nan was startled. He hurriedly activated his Divine Stone Man bloodline, raising a huge barrier from the earth to protect the students. Before he could even catch his breath, Huang Fusheng’s words made him freeze in place.
“You’ve been fooled. That girl’s Blood Condensation can’t be below ninety-five... I’ve seen exceptionally gifted heirs from great clans awaken like this before, but...” Huang Fusheng paused, staring at the Ice Chi phantom behind Su Jiu with amazement.
“But what...?” Lu Nan asked automatically, his expression going a little numb.
“Even those gifted heirs didn’t have her imposing presence. The only shame is that she has an A-rank bloodline... Still, we can’t rule out those bastards from the Ancient God Cult setting their sights on her.”
As he spoke, Huang Fusheng lightly tapped the center of his brow. A flash of white light appeared, then snow-white wings sprouted from his back as a Battle King-level aura surged from him. Twenty enormous blue-white barriers appeared around the field, making it impossible for anyone outside to see what was happening within.
“What’s going on? I went to buy a drink, and now the school grounds are sealed off?!”
“I heard someone awakened an S-rank Black Dragon bloodline.”
“An S-rank bloodline? But those have appeared before. Why seal the field off this time?”
“No! They sealed it off once before, too... That man was called Bai Ming. I heard his bloodline was not only high-ranked, but exceptionally concentrated.”
With Huang Fusheng’s move, the entire field erupted into an uproar.
“I saw it! An ice dragon soaring into the sky. That has to be an almost S-rank bloodline, right?”
“That wasn’t a dragon, it was an Ice Chi. Didn’t you see its four claws and the fact that it had no horns? And it was over ten meters tall—this person’s bloodline concentration has to be absurdly high.”
“Ice Chi... I think only two people at our school have that bloodline. It’s a girl, so she must be...”
“Su Jiu!”
Outside the earthen barrier, Lu Ke looked up at the spectacle in the sky, clenched her fist, and slammed it against the wall. She couldn’t believe this was something that helplessly cute Su Jiu could accomplish.
Su Jiu’s awakening stunned everyone watching. The spectacle rivaled Bai Ming’s awakening back then, though its presence was far less imposing.
After all, there was still a huge gap between an Ice Chi and an Ancient Black Dragon. But none of that could diminish Su Jiu’s brilliance among her classmates.
...
In an instant, countless gazes swept toward the petite figure in Class A, Senior Year. The girl wore a long dress in cool tones, and the chill swirling around her as she awakened made her look like a princess from a celestial palace.
“Is the awakening complete?” Su Jiu slowly opened her eyes, delight written all over her face. She had actually awakened the Ghost Chariot bloodline!
That was something not even included among human bloodlines. Her body now felt light as a feather, and it had been strengthened more than tenfold.
What’s more, her inner and outer bloodlines now coexisted. With a single thought, she could switch between them, changing from an Ice Princess into a bloodthirsty enchantress.
She glanced around and saw that everyone’s attention had shifted away from her and toward Bai Qianyu nearby. Even Lu Nan was looking at him.
After all, no matter how impressive an A-rank bloodline was, all it really meant was a high bloodline concentration. But an S-rank Black Dragon bloodline was far more impressive to watch—and earned more bonus points on the college entrance exam, too.
Su Jiu didn’t mind. She shook her head and left, intending to call her old man. He’d treated her pretty well, so sharing the good news was only natural.
“Hey, old man. I’m done awakening.” Su Jiu leaned against a tree and made the call. For once, she was wearing a long dress because she wasn’t feeling well, and it gave her a languid, charming air.
“How tall was the phantom behind you? Tell me it wasn’t a caterpillar,” Su Xingguo teased from the other end.
Su Jiu knew he was trying to keep her from feeling pressured, but she still couldn’t help laughing. “Old man, you really underestimate your daughter. It was probably over ten meters tall.”
“Hahaha, over ten meters. Anyway, as long as you awakened, that’s good. Your dad doesn’t expect you to make a name for yourself. I just hope you’ll have a way to make a living in the future.” Su Xingguo laughed a few times, not taking her seriously, then comforted her with a hint of relief.
“Huh? Old man, I’m serious.” Su Jiu’s eyelid twitched. Did nobody believe the truth anymore?
“All right, all right. Your dad has a meeting to attend.” Su Xingguo answered perfunctorily a few times, then hung up and muttered to himself,
“Over ten meters? Then you didn’t awaken an Ice Chi.”