True Identity of Ran - Bloodline

Ran jolted awake in his bed, confused and disoriented. He looked around, realizing he was back in his room in the village. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was being attacked and wounded in the forest.

He frantically checked his body but found no injuries. His hunting equipment was gone too. What was going on? Was it all just a dream?

Ran felt groggy and tried to clear his foggy mind. He got out of bed, moving slowly as he regained his bearings. His mother urged him to eat something, but he brushed her off, saying he needed to go hunting again.

As Ran headed towards the village gates, his mind raced to make sense of everything. If it was a dream, it had felt incredibly vivid and real. He needed answers.

Just before reaching the gates, Ran spotted the village head Sato waiting by the side.

"It seems you're ready to hunt again," Sato said casually.

Ran was shocked to see Sato smiling at him as if nothing had happened.

Ran opened his mouth in surprise. "Do you know something? Did you see what happened to me?" he asked urgently.

Sato's smile disappeared and he waved his hand dismissively. "Is that how you speak to a senior? Looks like you're getting cocky, boy."

Ran was speechless, taken aback by Sato's abrupt change in tone.

Sato continued "Alright, to clearly explain what happened, let's go inside the forest and revisit the scene."

He started walking towards the forest gates without looking back at Ran.

Ran was confused but also curious now. He hurried after Sato into the forest.

As they walked deeper into the trees, Ran looked around warily, half expecting the masked men to reappear. But the forest was calm and quiet.

They soon reached the clearing where Ran had been ambushed and injured. Ran involuntarily shuddered, remembering the deadly fight.

Sato stopped and turned to face Ran. "Now then, tell me exactly what happened here, leave no detail out," he commanded.

Ran recounted the events - choosing a prey to hunt, getting ambushed by the unknown men, the desperate fight for survival, and finally blacking out from his wounds.

Sato listened intently, nodding. "I see...and what did you think when you woke up back in your bed?" he asked.

"I thought it was a dream but you clearly know more," Ran replied. "Please Sato, tell me the truth."

Sato sighed. "Very well. But brace yourself Ran, for you are about to learn secrets that will change your destiny forever."

Ran watched in utter shock as Sato waved his hand and commanded the air around them. A gust of wind swirled up, making their clothes flutter.

At Ran's current 4th stage of the Qi Realm, he never expected the village head to be a powerful cultivator. To control the elements like this, Sato must have reached at least the 1st stage of the Core Realm - a whole level higher than the Foundation Realm and two stages above Ran!

Ran felt the air gently lifting him up, his feet leaving the ground. "Let's fly, shall we?" Sato said with a smile. With another wave of his hand, he directed the wind to carry them upwards into the sky.

Ran's eyes widened as the trees below rapidly shrank. They were flying! Sato was using his mastery over the wind element to make them both soar through the clouds.

Ran looked down in awe at the shrinking landscape beneath them. He never imagined he would view the world from such a height.

Just as Ran was admiring the view below, Sato spoke up again.

"Now, let me reveal your true identity, Ran," he said solemnly.

Ran, already shocked by everything, was stunned even further. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I'm saying you are not who you think you are - an ordinary farmer's son living in Lorencia village. No, you are much more than that. And by the way, start calling me Uncle from now on, because I'm the one who saved your life back then," Sato declared.

Ran was speechless, unable to process this.

Sato continued "I am Sato, one of the 9 Guardians of the Royal Seafrid Bloodline, sworn to protect your family before their annihilation."

Ran's mind spun. The Royal Seafrids were the honorable rulers of the kingdom generations ago. But they had all been wiped out...hadn't they?

"Yes Ran, you are the last surviving heir of the Seafrid dynasty, son of the late king Raiden Seafrid. I rescued you as a baby when the kingdom was usurped by betrayal and revolt. I have kept watch over you all these years, waiting for your powers to awaken," Sato revealed.

"Powers? You knew about them all along?" Ran asked in shock.

Ran tensed up when Sato mentioned his "powers", thinking he was referring to the mysterious system.

"Of course I know your bloodline has started awakening, giving you a boost of power. It's called the Red Blood Dragon bloodline, unique to your family and the source of your dynasty's rule for millions of years before their annihilation," Sato elaborated.

Ran was shocked. The Red Blood Dragon bloodline? He thought Sato was talking about the strange system he had manifested. But it turns out it is some ancient power passed down through his royal bloodline.

"The Red Blood Dragon bloodline grants tremendous strength, speed, qi manipulation and comprehension abilities to its heirs," Sato continued. "It has laid dormant within you all these years, but fate has decreed that now is the time for its reawakening."

Ran's mind was a jumble of confusion and uncertainty. First, he had transmigrated into this world and into a body that now turned out to be of royal blood. Second, he had manifested a mysterious system that granted him powers and abilities like a golden finger for transmigrators.

And third, Sato was revealing that he also possessed a dormant Red Blood Dragon bloodline, believing it had awakened and was the source of his newfound strength.

But that wasn't quite right. Ran's abilities so far came from the system, not any awakened bloodline which still lay dormant within him.