Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

The Azure Dragon Patriarch remained around Pearl for a while, checking on something.

“Very little changes, I must say,” the Patriarch said. “Had I not been told as much, I would be surprised you were even the son of Tianchui. The only physical features of yours that I can relate to that of an Azure Dragon is the pattern on your skin, like that of our scales. But even then, it’s not truly a scale. And perhaps worse, it’s hidden behind all of this fur.”

“You’ve read my message, Patriarch Sunwen. The child had his bloodline and Spirit Root mostly destroyed in an attempt to save him. As a result, he is missing one half of his bloodline.”

“I can see that,” the Azure Dragon Patriarch said. “Let me test how strong the bloodline really is. If you will all wait here for a moment.”

Pearl disappeared from the hall, along with the Patriarch.

Alex could feel the direction the two had gone to, but there was some sort of force acting on their connection that made him unable to tell the exact direction and distance.

Bai Jingshen spoke up in the silence. “Are you satisfied with our answer, Senior Zhangru?” he asked. “As you can see, we never lied.”

Zhangru put on an annoyed look. “It would appear so,” he said.

“It’s fine. We forgive you,” Bai Jingshen said. “It’s not something that could be easily trusted, after all.”

The patronizing tone in Bai Jingshen’s voice made the situation even more annoying for Zhangru, who couldn’t say anything else in the presence of the White Tiger Patriarch. He just had to stay there, nodding as if what Bai Jingshen said was correct.

Alex tried to focus on the two beasts’ chat, but he found himself lost in thought, wondering what was going on with Pearl.

In a dark room heavy with the smell of blood, Pearl stood before a similar bloody slab as the one he had seen back in the White Tiger Palace.

“Do you know what this is?” the Azure Dragon Patriarch asked.

“A Bloodline Purity Test,” Pearl said. “I have been through one back in the White Tiger Palace.”

“Yes. This will be proof that you have the same bloodline as ours,” the Patriarch said. “Do you know who I am to you? Who I was to your father?”

“I was told you’re my Great-Grandfather,” Pearl said. “My father was the son of your youngest daughter.”

“Tianchui was one of the youngest Third-Generation Azure Dragons. He was young when I sent him away on his mother’s request. He was more talented than most of the younger beasts and we feared that his lack of experience would be a burden for him. Alas, I never expected him to die down there. Can you tell me who it was that killed him?”

“It was a Human Emperor who had been poisoned into believing that I was to be the reason for his downfall,” Pearl said.

“Poisoned? How?” the Patriarch asked.

“A prophecy. He thought I would kill him once I grew up,” Pearl said.

The Patriarch nodded. “So Tianchui died while saving you?” he asked.

“Both my father and mother died protecting me,” Pearl said.

“And the Emperor? What happened to him?” the Patriarch asked.

“He died. We killed him,” Pearl said. “He brought his own prophecy to fruition.”

The Patriarch raised one of his brows. “That is good to hear,” he said. He turned toward the slab. “Since you know what it is, you know what to do.”

Pearl nodded and stepped forward. He clawed open his paw and let his blood drip onto the slab. The blood slid down the slab in a single line and the slab made a low groan.

But then, it immediately disappeared.

The Azure Dragon Patriarch sighed. “I expected as much.”

Pearl expected as much too. His bloodline was far too weak to show any result with the slab. He turned toward the Patriarch and asked, “Does this mean I’ve failed?”

“Yes. It means you do not have the bloodline required for us to consider you an Azure Dragon,” the Azure Dragon Patriarch said. “Do you understand what this means?”

Pearl nodded for a moment before shaking his head. “I understand that this means I’m not an Azure Dragon. But I cannot tell what else it can mean, Patriarch.”

“That is the main thing,” the Patriarch said. “It also means you will not be given a place to stay in this palace. You will also not get a chance to enjoy any of the luxuries that come with being of this bloodline. I’m sorry, but that is how it is.”

Pearl lowered his head in disappointment.

The world around him shifted and the two arrived back in the gathering hall.

Pearl walked over to where Alex and Bai Jingshen were with a long face.

The Patriarch returned to his seat and the White Tiger Patriarch turned toward him. “I assume it was a failure.”

“A rather unfortunate circumstance,” the Azure Dragon Patriarch said. “He has less of a bloodline than a worm you would find in the Eastern Mountains that are separated by ten generations. All but a bit has been destroyed.”

The White Tiger Patriarch nodded in understanding. “Could it be improved in any way?” he asked. “Is there perhaps something you can do to aid his bloodline?”

“Nothing,” the Azure Dragon Patriarch said. “The only thing that could help him at this stage will be if a living Azure Dragon were to give him some of their blood. But not a single one would be stupid enough to do such a thing willingly, to destroy their own bloodline for the sake of another.”

Pearl sagged on his seat, feeling disheartened more and more by the second. The source of this content ɪs N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Alex looked toward him, sensing his pain through their bond. If only there had been some of the bloodline remaining in his father’s corpse back then. But alas, his father had burned through his own bloodline to help Pearl escape.

At this point, there was little that could be done to help Pearl.