The sky above the Red Dragon Clan burned crimson. Not from fire — but from the blood-colored clouds that rolled endlessly across the horizon, as if the heavens themselves were watching the ceremony below with hungry eyes.
The Dragon Vein Awakening Ceremony was the most sacred day in the clan's calendar. It was the day the young would step forward and have their fates revealed; the day their bloodlines were tested under the Dragon Flame Pillar.
The plaza was packed with thousands. Elders stood in their ceremonial robes, their dragon crests stitched with glowing Qi threads. Warriors lined the sides, armor gleaming like molten steel. Above them, on a throne carved from an ancient volcano's heart, sat Lord Rydel, ruler of the Red Dragon Clan, his aura burning so fiercely that the air around him shimmered.
Three children stood at the front, the ones everyone had come to see.
San, the firstborn — tall, confident, already radiating the oppressive might of a cultivator at Foundation Stage Peak despite his young age. His every breath seemed to ignite invisible sparks in the air.
Lily, the youngest — a bright-eyed girl whose very presence felt warm and pure, like a gentle flame that could either comfort you or burn you alive. Even without awakening, rumors claimed her fire manipulation already rivaled that of seasoned elders.
And in the middle… Jace.
The second son.
His posture was straight, but there was no pride in it. No arrogance. His crimson eyes were sharp, yet they carried the weary calm of someone used to being underestimated. He wasn't weak by mortal standards — but in this world, mortal standards meant nothing.
The Master of Ceremonies stepped forward. His voice boomed across the plaza.
> "Bring forth the first heir! San, son of Rydel!"
San stepped up to the Dragon Flame Pillar — a towering stone spire wrapped in runes older than the clan itself. At its peak, a flame burned with a color no mortal fire could imitate: pure dragonfire.
San placed his hands upon the pillar. The runes erupted with light, and a deafening dragon's roar shook the sky. The pillar's flame blazed bright crimson, then shifted into a rich, vibrant red-gold.
Gasps filled the air.
> "A pure Crimson Flame Vein!"
"The heir truly is blessed!"
Lord Rydel gave a rare, approving nod.
Next came Lily. She stepped forward, unafraid, her small hands pressing against the ancient stone. The runes shone again — but this time, the flame erupted in a blinding mix of red and gold intertwined with faint streaks of fiery orange. The roar that followed was higher-pitched, yet just as commanding.
The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat… and then exploded.
> "A hybrid flame?!"
"She carries the Phoenix's blessing!"
"Such a bloodline hasn't been seen in centuries!"
Even San's confident smirk faltered.
Finally, it was Jace's turn.
He stepped forward under the weight of a thousand stares — some curious, some pitying, many mocking. The whispers reached his ears.
> "That's the middle child? I heard he can't even condense his Qi properly."
"His training progress is slower than some mortal guards."
"If he's lucky, he might awaken a low-tier vein… if he's lucky."
Jace ignored them. He pressed his hands against the pillar.
For a moment, nothing happened.
The runes flickered faintly, like dying embers. The flame above shifted… but instead of blazing with color, it dulled. Grey. Lifeless.
A faint, distorted dragon's cry echoed — not a roar, but a rasp, like a dying beast.
The plaza went still.
The Master of Ceremonies coughed awkwardly.
> "Defective… dragon vein."
The words fell like a hammer.
The crowd erupted with laughter, sighs, and shaking heads.
> "Defective? That's a disgrace to the clan name!"
"A Red Dragon with a grey vein? Impossible — he's cursed."
"The middle son is nothing but dead weight."
Jace's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. His father's gaze didn't soften — if anything, it became colder. His mother looked away, her expression unreadable.
The ceremony continued, but for Jace, the day was already over.
---
That night, the celebration raged in the grand hall for San and Lily's awakening. The smell of roasted dragonbeast meat and the sound of clashing cups filled the air. Jace wasn't there.
He was outside, walking alone through the clan's outer grounds. The moonlight was cold against his skin.
That's when he felt it — a shift in the shadows.
> Step… step… step…
A figure emerged from the darkness. Cloaked in black, their face hidden, their aura sharp and suffocating.
"Second son of the Red Dragon Clan," the figure said, voice like silk over steel, "You won't live to see tomorrow."
A blade flashed.
Jace moved instinctively, but he was too slow. The dagger bit into his side, burning with a strange coldness. His vision blurred.
He stumbled back — and that's when he saw the emblem stitched into the assassin's sleeve: a black crescent moon wrapped in chains.
His blood ran cold.
> Night Shadows Sect…? Why would they target me?
The assassin lunged again — but the ground beneath Jace cracked. The two tumbled, and Jace felt himself falling. Down. Down.
The world became a blur of jagged rocks and rushing wind before darkness swallowed him whole.
---
Pain. That was the first thing he felt when he opened his eyes.
The air was thick, heavy, reeking of sulfur and something… ancient. He was at the bottom of a massive chasm — the Abyssal Rift. Even the clan's elders avoided this place; it was said to be a scar left by a battle between Ancient Realm beings.
He tried to move — and then he heard it.
A voice.
> Detected… Heaven's Core Fragment.
Binding host… Devouring Dragon System initialized.
His vision filled with lines of glowing text only he could see.
[Devouring Dragon System Online]
(Main Function): [Absorb the essence of defeated beings to increase cultivation.]
(Special Ability): [Dragon Ancestral Devouring Art — a forbidden technique capable of consuming Qi, bloodlines, and divine cores.]
Jace's breath caught. This… this wasn't a normal cultivation technique. This was a weapon the heavens themselves might fear.
A low growl echoed through the Rift. From the shadows emerged a beast — scales black as night, eyes glowing crimson, horns jagged like broken blades.
A demon beast.
Jace had no weapon. His body was weak. But the System's voice rang again.
> Devour.
The moment the beast lunged, Jace moved with a clarity he didn't know he possessed. His hand struck its throat — and a surge of power ripped through him.
The beast roared in agony as its essence was pulled into him, a torrent of fire and rage filling his veins.
[Essence Absorbed: Body Building 3 → Body Building 6]
[Fire Qi Acquired]
Jace stood over the dissolving corpse, his body trembling — not from fear, but exhilaration.
For the first time in his life, he felt strong.
---
Far above, in the Red Dragon Clan's hall, the assassin knelt before a shadowed figure.
> "Target lost, my lord. He fell into the Abyssal Rift."
The figure's lips curled into a cold smile.
> "Then the Rift will finish him. No one escapes its depths."
But deep below, in the heart of the abyss, Jace's eyes blazed with a new fire.
He wasn't just going to escape.
He was going to rise.
And one day… he would burn the heavens themselves.
-----