Azure Dragon Bloodline!

"Ha-ha-ha."

Su Xiaobai's laugh echoed through the darkening forest as the realization of his achievement set in. "I've made it… I've broken through to the Qi Condensation Realm," he declared, his voice filled with triumph.

For many, reaching the Qi Condensation Realm might be a routine milestone in their cultivation journey, but for Su Xiaobai, it was a monumental achievement—one that had been decades in the making.

"Two decades…" he thought, his mind flashing back to the years of frustration and disappointment.

For twenty years, Su Xiaobai had been stuck in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, his progress hindered by what was once considered abysmal talent.

Many cultivators who started around the same time had long surpassed him, reaching higher realms and greater power while he languished in stagnation.

The typical path from Qi Refinement to Qi Condensation took most cultivators about ten years, but Su Xiaobai had spent the majority of his life trying to overcome this hurdle.

Now, at twenty-seven, an age by which most talented cultivators would have already reached far beyond the Qi Condensation Realm, Su Xiaobai had finally broken through.

The difference was that he had done so in an astounding thirty days, surging from the mid-stage of Qi Refinement to Qi Condensation—a feat unheard of, fueled by the confluence of his unique bloodlines and the powerful energies he had absorbed.

But just as Su Xiaobai was reveling in his victory, a sudden, violent surge of energy erupted from his dantian, interrupting his moment of triumph.

"Shit…" he cursed under his breath as he felt the terrific power coursing through his veins, threatening to tear him apart from the inside.

The energy was not simply True Qi—it was something far more potent, far more ancient.

It roared through his meridians, bypassing his dantian and flooding into his bloodstream.

His veins bulged under the pressure, his skin tightening as the energy threatened to burst from within.

"Azure Dragon energy?" Su Xiaobai's eyes flickered with realization and concern.

He had heard of this before—one of the lesser-known abilities of his Celestial Veins, a gift of his Skyfather lineage, was the ability to absorb fragments of the bloodlines of others through union.

Although this ability was rarely triggered, it wasn't impossible. "Azure dragon Bloodline of Azure dragon clan...Could it be that the Azure Dragon Bloodline is awakening within me?"

The Azure Dragon was one of the ancient divine beasts, known for its immense power and control over water and the heavens.

If he truly had a fragment of this bloodline, it had likely remained dormant within him, waiting for the right moment to awaken.

And now, with his breakthrough to Qi Condensation, his body had grown strong enough to trigger its emergence.

But this was no simple awakening. Su Xiaobai could feel the intense conflict brewing within his body. His [Profound Yin Veins] and [Celestial Thunder Veins]—the dual bloodlines that had already divided his one hundred and eight meridians into two distinct paths—were now being challenged by the intrusion of a third force.

'The demonic and celestial bloodlines are already in a delicate balance…' he thought, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as the internal struggle escalated.

"Can my body even handle a third bloodline?"

The energies of his [Eternal Blood Monarch] bloodline, his [Skyfather lineage], and now the [Azure Dragon Bloodline] clashed violently within him, each vying for dominance.

His veins throbbed with the conflicting power, and his body trembled under the strain.

He could feel the energies fighting for control, threatening to tear his very essence apart.

The pain was excruciating, far beyond anything he had experienced during his breakthrough.

Su Xiaobai's vision blurred, and he gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain consciousness.

His dantian was in chaos, the energies swirling and clashing, but it was his lower dantian, the Jing (essence) center, where the true battle raged.

The Azure Dragon Bloodline was attempting to integrate with his essence, but the demonic and celestial bloodlines resisted fiercely, unwilling to allow a new contender to disturb the fragile balance they had established.

"I can't let this tear me apart…" Su Xiaobai murmered, his mind racing for a solution.

The energies were growing more violent by the second, and his body was reaching its limit.

But then, a thought struck him.

[Skyslayer God Arts]—the ancient body refinement technique!

This technique allowed him to absorb stellar energy to strengthen his body and heal wounds.

Usually, it was a method to improve his physical resilience and power, but right now, it was his only lifeline.

Fortunately, it was night, and the stars were beginning to emerge in the darkening sky.

The Skyslayer God Arts allowed Su Xiaobai to draw in the energy of the stars, infusing his body with celestial power that could stabilize his body, and prevent it from bursting.

"I have to absorb the stellar energy, or this will tear me apart…" he realized, his mind locking onto the one chance he had to survive this ordeal.

He began to circulate the steller energy, reaching out with his consciousness to the stars above.

As the first stars began to twinkle in the twilight, Su Xiaobai felt a faint connection forming.

The energy from the stars was subtle, gentle, but it carried with it the immense power of the cosmos.

He focused on this connection, pulling the stellar energy down into his body, letting it strengthen his body.

The celestial energy was cool and soothing, a stark contrast to the raging storm within him.

But it was not an easy process.

The cooling influence of the stars allowed Su Xiaobai to think clearly.

He sat trembling in the clearing, his body barely holding together as the energies of his three powerful bloodlines—Eternal Blood Monarch, Skyfather Lineage, and the newly awakened Azure Dragon Bloodline—raged within him.

The Skyslayer God Arts had drawn in enough stellar energy to keep his body from tearing apart, but the battle within his Sea of Consciousness was reaching a critical point.

The three bloodlines, each with its own unique essence, were in open conflict, vying for dominance.

The pain was unbearable, like molten metal coursing through his veins, threatening to tear him apart from the inside.

"I have to merge them…" Su Xiaobai thought, steeling himself for the challenge ahead. "If I don't, these bloodlines will destroy me!"