Life Force

After almost half an hour, Ranav's eyes trembled. Jessica let out an invisible breath she had been holding unconsciously. That half-hour had felt like the longest of her life. Ranav's transformation during the acupoint opening process had caught her off guard. She had expected him to expel impurities with each upgrade of his Body Training, as he had done before, but this time was different. He had become a completely new person… or perhaps, a new being. The scales that had appeared at the end of the process looked like dragon scales, and even if she dismissed that as an anomaly, she couldn't ignore the roar he had let out before collapsing. That was not just a mere upgrade… it was a complete beast transformation.

While Ranav lay peacefully on the grass, she checked his body multiple times. Everything seemed normal except for the three glowing circles rotating around his heart, which she could only describe as his life force. Previously, she had only seen a single blue circle, representing his human life force. There had also been a pale green circle, almost invisible, which she had only noticed upon closer inspection. But now, alongside the radiant blue and the now-vibrant emerald green, a crimson-gold circle had formed, pulsing with power and protecting his heart.

His 361 acupoints had opened perfectly, forming a complete mana pathway. Even in his unconscious state, his mana was flowing normally. His skin had changed drastically… it now looked as soft and pure as a newborn's. His silver hair, once slightly rough, was now shinier and straighter. While his other features remained the same, Jessica knew that everything about him had fundamentally changed. With the addition of new life forces, Ranav was no longer just human. He was now a perfect hybrid of three species. Blue for his human side, silver for his elven ancestry, and gold… dragon.

What gave her a slight sense of relief was that the three life forces were in perfect harmony. They weren't fighting against each other, which meant there was no immediate risk to his body. At least, not in the near future. But that wasn't her biggest concern right now. She needed to decide how to reveal this to him. He was somewhat aware of his elven heritage… after all, Kuldeep Krushna had hinted at it… but the beast part? That was entirely new.

As she pondered her next move, Ranav finally stirred and opened his eyes.

"How long was I unconscious?" he asked, his voice groggy but steady.

"Almost half an hour," Jessica replied.

"That's good. It felt like I slept for days," he said, stretching slightly. "Was it a success?"

"Yes. All of your acupoints are open now. You did a splendid job," she assured him.

"Thanks. Let's return now. The sun is about to set," he said, dusting off his clothes as he stood.

"Okay," she agreed, watching him carefully.

He seemed unaware of what had happened to his body, and Jessica decided not to bring it up… at least not yet. She would explain everything once they were alone at night.

On their way back, she casually mentioned the slight changes in his appearance so he wouldn't be caught off guard if his family commented on it. As expected, the moment he stepped into the house, Vivita was the first to notice.

"Lil' bro! What happened to you? Why do you look so young? And… wait, did your hair color change?" she asked, staring at him in shock.

"I just evolved my magical abilities," he said smoothly. "Along with it, my appearance changed a little. Don't worry, it's not bad. I just expelled a lot of impurities… kind of like how you do during your beauty treatments."

Before Vivita could ask more, their mother emerged from the kitchen, her sharp eyes scanning him from head to toe. She cupped his face, feeling his skin as if to check for any abnormalities. After a long moment of silence, she sighed and nodded.

"As long as you're okay," she murmured, but the worry in her eyes didn't completely fade.

Ranav gave her a reassuring smile before excusing himself. Grabbing a set of comfortable clothes, he headed straight for the pond to take a long bath. He had already removed his clothes before starting the upgrade, just in case, and had used dark magic to clean off the impurities afterwards. But even so, he still felt grimy. Only a proper bath could make him feel truly refreshed.

That night, when he finally retreated to his room, Jessica made sure they wouldn't be disturbed before bringing up the real issue.

"Ranav, do you remember everything about your evolution process?" she asked, her tone unusually serious.

The shift in her voice made him straighten up, his brows knitting together. "I remember forcefully opening my acupoints and a lot of pain. Why? Did something happen?"

"As I thought. You didn't notice changes happening in your body. You went through a major transformation. You should know about it, but no explanation will be enough… you need to see it for yourself. I'll show you my memories," she said.

Without waiting for a response, she shared her memories of the event. Ranav watched in horror as he saw himself undergo the transformation, his body shifting, scales forming, and that terrifying roar escaping his throat. Jessica stopped sharing after the moment he collapsed.

Silence filled the room. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Jessica finally broke the tension. "I examined your body. Other than the fact that you now have three life forces, there's no issue."

Ranav's eyes widened in shock. "Wait… what? Three life forces?"

If their conversation hadn't been happening in their minds, the whole house would have heard his shout.

Jessica couldn't help but be amused. "Why are you reacting like that to three life forces? I thought you'd be more shocked about the scales. That was a full beast transformation."

Ranav frowned. "Well… I was already somewhat aware of some elf blood in me. I thought the scales might be some sort of elven ability… a natural armor they use in life-threatening situations. But three life forces? That's beyond anything I expected." He took a deep breath. "What kind of life forces are they? I haven't read much about them."

"You have human, elf, and dragon life force coexisting inside you," Jessica explained. "I've read that gold is typically associated with dragon life force, but yours is crimson-gold. I'm not entirely sure if it's a unique dragon variant or something else, but considering your scales, I'm assuming it's dragon."

Ranav sat in stunned silence before slowly speaking. "Human and elf reproduction makes sense. Their biological features aren't too different. But a dragon? How does that even work?"

Jessica chuckled. "I've read that Emperor Beasts and Divine Beasts can shapeshift into humans once they reach a certain level of power. If that's true, well…"

She trailed off, and Ranav immediately understood. "Okay, that makes sense. But now I have another question. If the dragon was female, would she give birth like a human… or lay an egg?"

Jessica turned red at the thought, and before she could explode, Ranav hurriedly changed the topic. "So, what should I do now? Should I talk to my parents about this?"

Jessica's response was immediate. "Absolutely not. Your parents haven't even told you about your elven bloodline. Either they're hiding the information, or they don't know. I think I should check their life force before we make any decisions."

Ranav nodded. "Alright. Tomorrow morning, I'll check their life forces. But for now, I need sleep. Even though I feel full of energy, I'm exhausted. Probably because of the transformation. See you tomorrow."

Jessica watched as he lay down, her mind still racing with questions. But for now, all she could do was wait.