Chapter 118

【Source Tracing trait activated!】

The panel's prompt suddenly flashed in Luo En's consciousness.

Immediately following, the entire spiritual world began to shake violently, as if some more powerful force were breaking through the shackles of reality.

Subsequently, a translucent selection interface unfolded before Luo En's eyes:

【Bloodline Source Tracing - Please select the tracing direction】

【Note: This choice will determine your bloodline activation route; please choose carefully】

【Snake】 - Hydra Great Poisonous Snake:

The legendary multi-headed great poisonous snake, each head sharing the same consciousness and toxins, providing 【Venom】 and 【High-Speed Regeneration】.

【Swamp】 - Swamp Consciousness Collective:

Ruler of the ancient swamp, capable of controlling wetland elements and swamp creatures, providing 【Corrosion】 and 【Life Drain】.

【Dragon Species】 - Crimson Flame Dragon:

Divine-era dragon species, a distant relative of the Sun Flame Dragon, providing 【Dragon Scale Armor】 and 【Crimson Flame Breath】.

【Sun】 - Winged God Bird:

A denizen of the sky, possessing scorching heat capable of burning everything, providing 【Eclipse Eye】 and 【Scorching Body】.

【Hybrid】 - Chimera:

Divine-era magical beast, possessing a bizarre form with three heads and one tail, providing the unique bloodline ability 【Bloodline Replication】.

Can replicate a target's bloodline trait through each of the three heads and one tail, inheriting part of their abilities; potential is extremely high, considered a Star Ring bloodline, possessing upward advancement potential.

【Starry Sky】 - "Devourer"???

Luo En looked at the options before him, his heart shaking.

Each choice represented a different power route and growth direction, and his future would be determined by this.

"The Hydra's bloodline can provide multiple attacks and regeneration abilities, which is extremely practical in combat..."

"The swamp's life drain can provide continuous recovery in combat, making one almost invincible..."

"The dragon species' power is self-evident..."

"The sun complements the 'Corona Breathing Method,' allowing me to go further in terms of yang energy..."

Luo En weighed the pros and cons of each option one by one.

Among these options, most provided two powerful bloodline abilities, almost an immediate boost in power.

But his gaze eventually fell on the second-to-last option—Chimera; as for the final so-called Devourer, he didn't even glance at it.

Chimera seemed to provide only one innate ability, not as rich as other options, but Luo En keenly realized the infinite possibilities contained within it.

"Bloodline replication... this means I can replicate the bloodline traits of different creatures according to need, rather than being limited to a single route."

He thought of his infinite profession slots and the powerful linkage effects brought by multiple professions, a flash of determination in his eyes.

"Although other options provide powerful abilities that can be used immediately, in the long run, Chimera's bloodline replication ability allows me to replicate the most suitable bloodline traits according to different situations. This flexibility and growth potential far exceed temporary power."

More importantly, Chimera was marked as a Star Ring bloodline, possessing the potential for upward advancement.

This meant that as his strength increased, this bloodline could potentially transform further, reaching a higher level.

"I choose this one." Luo En made the decision in his heart and reached out to tap the fifth option—Chimera.

The moment the choice was confirmed, the entire spiritual world shook again, far more violently than before.

The Hydra phantom that had emerged was completely shattered, scattering in the spiritual ocean like broken glass.

The swamp scene also began to twist and collapse, replaced by a gray-white void space, with no reference points around, only endless blankness.

In this void, a huge figure gradually solidified.

It was a giant beast the size of a small mountain, possessing three distinct heads—a lion head, a goat head, and a dragon head, with a huge poisonous snake head trailing behind it.

Its body was a strange combination of various biological traits, possessing both the strong muscles of a lion and the scales of a dragon, and even some bizarre features that were impossible to identify.

Every detail radiated an incredible ancient aura, as if coming from the deepest part of mythology.

"Chimera..." Luo En muttered to himself, his heart both shocked and vigilant.

This divine-era magical beast seemed to sense Luo En's presence, all three heads turning toward him simultaneously, six eyes shimmering with terrifying wisdom and wildness, while the snake head sneakily shrank behind its body.

Chimera did not attack immediately, but looked at Luo En with an attitude bordering on curiosity, as if evaluating this human who dared to covet its bloodline power.

After a moment of standoff, the lion head let out a deafening roar, and the entire void trembled.

This was the signal for a challenge and the beginning of the battle.

Luo En took a deep breath and quickly entered a combat state.

He knew that to obtain Chimera's bloodline power, he had to prove his value on the battlefield of will.

"Since that is the case, then let's fight!"

Chimera launched the attack first, the dragon head spitting out a scorching flame that rushed straight at Luo En.

At the same time, the goat head let out a peculiar cry, the sound waves forming visible shockwaves in the air.

Luo En dodged quickly while constructing a sonic oscillation spell model in the spiritual world.

This was a spell he had meticulously improved in the real world, and now it was equally usable in the spiritual world.

"Sonic Oscillation!"

An invisible ripple shot out from Luo En's palm, striking Chimera's goat head directly.

The ripple pierced the air, silent yet astonishingly powerful; the moment it hit the target, the goat head let out a painful howl, temporarily losing the ability to launch sonic attacks.

But Chimera's counterattack was swift and fierce.

The lion head suddenly lunged forward, its huge claws tearing through space, so fast that the movement was almost invisible.

Luo En drew the ironwood sword constructed from spirit, relying on his proficient-level basic swordsmanship to block this fatal blow at the last second.

—Dawn Cross!

Sword light shimmered like a meteor streaking across the night sky, precisely slashing toward the lion head's right eye.

However, Chimera's reaction speed exceeded imagination; it tilted its head slightly, avoiding the fatal blow, leaving only a shallow scratch on its cheek.

"As expected of a divine-era magical beast..." Luo En marveled inwardly while constantly adjusting his tactics.

Combat in the battlefield of will was far more dangerous than in the real world; everything acted directly on the spiritual essence, with no buffer or protection.

The slightest carelessness could lead to spiritual collapse or even soul annihilation.

The battle lasted for several hours, both sides trading blows, each consuming the other's power and will.

Chimera's attack methods were varied and fierce, each of the three heads possessing different abilities, plus that poisonous snake tail, leaving almost no blind spots.

The lion head was good at physical biting and lunging, the goat head could launch various peculiar sonic attacks, the dragon head mastered multiple elemental breaths, and the snake head on the tail would launch surprise attacks at unexpected moments, carrying potent venom.

Luo En fully utilized the various skills he had mastered.

Basic swordsmanship had reached proficiency, each sword strike flowing like clouds and water, possessing both power and precision;

Sonic oscillation had been improved, not only having greater destructive power but also being harder to defend against;

Mucus Splash was cleverly used by him to interfere with Chimera's vision;

Spiritual interference was used to attack Chimera's consciousness, attempting to disrupt its thinking.

However, Chimera's power was simply too strong; after fighting continuously for several hours, Luo En was soon exhausted and killed.

【First Death】

【Spiritual body resetting...】

The Time Guardian pocket watch activated, Luo En's spiritual body re-condensed, scarred but still determined.

"First attempt, at least I know its combat pattern." He muttered to himself, then threw himself into battle again.

In the second round of battle, Luo En focused more on defense and dodging, trying to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.

He carefully observed Chimera's attack patterns, looking for patterns and weaknesses.

"The lion head has a brief stiffness after lunging; the dragon head has an obvious charging action before spitting elements; the goat head's sonic attack is hard to dodge but has a fixed cooldown..."

Luo En constantly adjusted his strategy during the battle, but Chimera's power was simply too terrifying; even though he tried his best, he was still killed in the second round of battle.

【Second Death】

【Spiritual body resetting...】

In the subsequent rounds of battle, Luo En gradually adapted to Chimera's combat rhythm and began trying more aggressive tactics.

He discovered that although Chimera's three heads and one tail each had their specialties, their coordination was not perfect.

Sometimes, there were subtle coordination errors between different heads, creating opportunities for him to attack.

"This is the essence of Chimera... although powerful, it is ultimately a combination of multiple creatures, and there are internal coordination problems."

In the third round of battle, Luo En successfully caused serious damage to the dragon head when Chimera's three heads launched attacks simultaneously, causing chaos, but he was ultimately defeated by the snake tail's venom attack and fell again.

【Third Death】

【Spiritual body resetting...】

In the fourth round of battle, Luo En tried a more cunning tactic:

Using spiritual interference against Chimera's lion head while using sonic oscillation to attack the goat head, causing brief chaos, which gave him the opportunity to severely wound the dragon head.

But in the end, he was torn apart by the lion head's sudden counterattack.

【Fourth Death】

【Spiritual body resetting...】

In the fifth round of battle, Luo En almost succeeded.

Through precise timing control and skill combinations, he had already severely wounded Chimera's three heads.

Just as he was about to win, he was ambushed by the snake tail hidden in the shadows, the venom acting directly on his spiritual essence, causing him to die again.

【Fifth Death】

【Sixth Death】

【Seventh Death】

【Spiritual body resetting...】

In the eighth round of battle, Luo En decided to take the final measure.

He deliberately let himself be injured, luring Chimera close, and then at the critical moment, released a binding spell he had prepared long ago—an improved version of Mucus Splash, temporarily restricting Chimera's movements.

Then, he used all his strength to thrust the ironwood sword straight into Chimera's heart.

Chimera's three heads let out painful howls simultaneously, its entire huge body trembling.

It tried to launch a counterattack, but it no longer had enough power.

Finally, this divine-era magical beast collapsed with a bang, its three heads and snake tail all drooping to the ground, as if having lost all vitality.

Luo En panted, approaching Chimera vigilantly.

He knew that this battle had not truly ended.

Sure enough, when he approached, Chimera's lion head suddenly opened its eyes, but there was no longer hostility in them, but a peculiar recognition and respect.

"You... passed... the trial..."

A hoarse voice sounded in Luo En's mind:

"Proved... your... value..."

Clearly, the other party was a terrifying existence in the outside world whose mere breath could break mountains.

Accompanying him, a fledgling apprentice, in the consciousness space for so long was undoubtedly just a test.

Luo En did not relax his vigilance: "Is this the final stage of bloodline activation?"

"Yes... I will... become... part of you..."

Chimera's voice became intermittent:

"But remember... I am just... sleeping... not... perishing..."

Following these words, its body began to disintegrate, turning into countless light spots, slowly merging into Luo En's spiritual core.

That feeling was both painful and wonderful, as if thousands of silver needles were piercing his soul simultaneously, yet it brought an unparalleled sense of power.

When the last ray of light merged into Luo En's body, he felt an unprecedented sense of completeness, as if he had finally found a part of himself that had been lost for a long time.

In the real world, the light of the magic array reached its peak, almost as bright as day.

The energy crystals hummed simultaneously, their vibration frequencies perfectly synchronized, forming a harmonious resonance.

The light of the magic array had dissipated, and the energy crystals had also lost their luster, turning into ordinary stones.

Luo En felt an unprecedented sense of lightness and power, as if his entire person had been reforged.

He looked at his hands, faint light spots visible on the surface of his skin—the symbol of bloodline awakening.

【Bloodline activation ritual successful √】

【All advancement conditions met; advance to: Bloodline Knight (Two-Star)?】

Luo En couldn't wait to select confirm job change:

【Job change successful!】

【Obtained profession: Bloodline Knight (Two-Star)】

【Basic attribute increase:

Constitution 2.0 → 2.5 (+0.5)

Spirit 3.5 → 3.6 (+0.1)

Magic 1.2 → 1.4 (+0.2)】

【Breathing Body Tempering (Proficient max) → Bloodline Excitation (Entry 1/100)】

【Special bonus:

1. Combat perception increased

2. Bloodline energy generation rate increased

3. Physical regeneration ability increased】

【Obtained special talent: Bloodline Replication

(Possesses four independent consciousness cores, can each replicate part of a target bloodline's abilities)】

【Profession linkage bonus:

Potion Master + Bloodline Knight + Wizard Apprentice -

Potion absorption efficiency moderately increased -

Spiritual control increased

Bloodline energy and magic conversion efficiency increased】

Although Luo En had long expected it, the improvement after advancing to Bloodline Knight still made him feel bursts of surprise.

This was far richer than he had expected, especially the "Bloodline Replication" trait.

Just as Chimera had shown, it could replicate parts of multiple bloodline abilities.

Although the attribute value increase didn't look particularly large, the further one went, the greater each 0.1 difference became compared to before.

Constitution only increased by 0.5, but he felt his physical fitness was several times stronger than before.

In addition, the linkage bonus of the three major professions was even more amazing:

The significant increase in potion absorption efficiency meant that the effects of various potions he used in the future would be better;

The increase in spiritual control was beneficial for spell construction and control;

And the conversion efficiency between bloodline energy and magic was undoubtedly laying the foundation for the future path of a Magic Swordsman.

"How do you feel, Master?" Ailan had approached at some point, asking with concern using her writing board.

Luo En moved his body, feeling the bloodline power flowing within him, and answered with a smile: "Better than ever."

He jumped lightly, his body easily leaping over three meters high, landing lightly and silently, as if his body weight were only a small fraction of what it was before.

"My body... has become so light and powerful."

Luo En couldn't hide his surprise, grabbing the anvil next to him as easily as picking up a piece of wood.

What surprised him even more was that when he focused his attention, he could clearly perceive four independent consciousness cores within his body:

Perhaps this was the legendary "three heads and one tail," the iconic feature of Chimera.

Those four consciousness cores were not completely independent individuals, but extensions and branches of his consciousness, which could be activated and controlled when needed.

"This is simply..." Luo En muttered to himself, his heart already beginning to conceive countless possibilities: "The most suitable bloodline for me."

Bloodline activation was just the beginning.

With this level of basic improvement, his progress on all extraordinary paths would be smoother.

For him, with infinite profession slots, Chimera's bloodline replication ability was like adding wings to a tiger.

"Breathing Body Tempering has become Bloodline Excitation..." Luo En noticed this change and immediately understood its meaning.

Breathing Body Tempering mainly guided energy flow within the body through breathing methods to strengthen the body;

While Bloodline Excitation directly activated the innate bloodline power, allowing the body to temporarily obtain more powerful abilities.

Of course, the improvement of the 【Bloodline Excitation】 skill also required the third stage of breathing methods.

But unlike the breathing method before the breakthrough which could temper the body, the operation of the third-stage breathing method was to make the bloodline within one's body more active.

Luo En tried to run the "Corona Breathing Method" to mobilize the bloodline power within his body and immediately felt a heat flow rushing to his limbs.

His muscles became firmer and more powerful, his sensory acuity was greatly improved, and he could even clearly hear faint sounds hundreds of meters away.

"This feeling..." Luo En muttered in his heart: "Chimera's power is far more powerful than I imagined."

………………

Morning light appeared, the fog of the Black Fog Jungle gradually dissipated, and two figures walked side by side on the stone path.

"So, you are saying you can smash a stone with one slap now?"

Andre asked incredulously: "Even for me, I need to go all out to barely manage that."

Luo En shook his head with a light laugh: "It's just a few times stronger than an ordinary person; compared to true powerhouses, it's still far off."

These past few days, both had been adapting to the abilities after their respective bloodline awakenings.

"By the way, there's something I've always wanted to ask you." Andre suddenly lowered his voice, his tone becoming cautious:

"I found... my dragon species bloodline has an inexplicable sense of suppression in front of you, as if being stared at by a natural enemy. Is this... normal?"

Luo En raised an eyebrow, seemingly not surprised by this discovery: "It might be that I am carrying some item that suppresses dragons."

"No, it's not that feeling."

Andre shook his head, a flash of worry in his golden pupils: "It's more like suppression at the bloodline level; this shouldn't appear on a Hydra bloodline. Unless..."

He stopped abruptly, staring at Luo En: "Your bloodline is far more than what is recorded in the family classics, isn't it?"

Luo En did not answer directly, just smiled slightly: "Everyone has their own secrets, don't they?"

(End of chapter)