The Abyssal Rift was silent again.
Jace stood over the demon beast's fading corpse, the lingering heat of its stolen life essence burning in his veins. His breathing slowed, and for the first time since his so-called "awakening," he felt… whole.
The Defective Dragon Vein everyone mocked him for? It was no longer the same. The dull, grey lifelessness now pulsed faintly with red-gold embers, as though the beast's essence had rekindled something dormant.
A faint chime echoed in his mind.
[Devouring Dragon System — Status]
Cultivation: Body Building Stage 6
Bloodline: Red Dragon (Dormant) → Devouring Dragon (Stage 1)
Skills:
• Devour Essence (Lv.1) — Consume Qi and life essence from living or dead targets.
• Ancestral Flame Embryo — A flame seeded in the bloodline, evolving with devoured power.
Jace's eyes narrowed. Devouring Dragon? That's not… any bloodline I've ever heard of.
The System's voice was calm, emotionless.
> Correction: The Devouring Dragon Bloodline has never existed in this realm. You are the first. Incomplete state — requires more essence to awaken fully.
Jace smirked. "Incomplete, huh? Then I'll complete it."
---
The Rift stretched endlessly in all directions. Jagged cliffs jutted out like broken fangs, and pools of thick, molten sludge bubbled ominously. The air shimmered with heat, yet the shadows between the rocks felt unnaturally cold.
And somewhere in that darkness… more eyes watched.
A snarl echoed. Then another. The sound multiplied, until it became a chorus of low, rumbling growls. Shapes emerged from the gloom — three demon beasts, each the size of a carriage.
They were Shadow Fang Wolves, their black fur swirling with faint mist, their claws sharper than forged steel. Their eyes glowed with hunger… and recognition. These beasts weren't mindless.
One bared its fangs and growled in a voice that was almost human.
> "Human… no… dragon spawn. You reek of something forbidden."
Jace's heart thudded once — but fear didn't follow. Instead, a strange anticipation bubbled in his chest.
The lead wolf lunged.
---
Time slowed.
In the instant before impact, the System's voice cut through the air.
> Recommendation: Target leader. Essence quality: high. Will advance cultivation by at least two sub-stages.
Jace twisted, the beast's claws grazing his shoulder instead of ripping through it. The second wolf pounced, but he rolled beneath its strike, grabbing a jagged shard of rock.
The third came from behind — fast. Too fast.
Instinct took over. His hand ignited with faint, ember-like flame, and he slammed it into the beast's jaw. The fire sank into its flesh like a living thing, and the wolf howled — not from burning, but from something deeper.
> Devour.
The flame flared, drawing the creature's essence through its wound. The wolf collapsed mid-scream, its body crumbling into ash.
[Essence Absorbed: Body Building 6 → Body Building 7]
[Ancestral Flame Embryo: Growth +2%]
The remaining two hesitated — but only for a heartbeat. Then fury replaced their caution.
They came together this time, claws and fangs a blur. Jace ducked, sidestepped, and kicked off a boulder, landing on the leader's back. His arm wrapped around its neck, his hand pressing against its skull.
The wolf bucked violently, smashing him into the rock face — pain shot down his ribs, but he didn't let go. His flame spread across its head, then down into its body.
Its howls shook the Rift… then stopped.
[Essence Absorbed: Body Building 7 → Body Building 8]
[Skill Acquired: Shadow Step (Lv.1)]
The last wolf froze mid-attack. It looked at Jace — truly looked — and its growl became something closer to fear.
"Leave," Jace said simply.
It ran without a sound.
---
The flames on his hand faded, leaving faint scorch marks on the stone. Jace straightened, his breath steady despite the battle.
Three fights. Three kills. And his cultivation had jumped five whole sub-stages in less than an hour.
If the clan saw me now… He almost laughed. But revealing this now would be suicide. Power like this — a bloodline no one had seen, a System that devoured the very essence of life — would make him a target for every greedy elder and ambitious rival in the realm.
For now, he'd remain the "defective" son.
The Rift seemed to stretch endlessly, but in the far distance, a faint red glow pulsed in the darkness. The System spoke again.
> Heaven's Core Fragment detected. High-value essence. Risk level: extreme.
Jace's lips curved upward. "Extreme? Sounds perfect."
---
It took hours to navigate the jagged terrain, every step accompanied by the faint rumble of unseen beasts. The air grew hotter, the red glow brighter, until he finally reached it — a cavern split open by a river of molten lava.
At its center, on a narrow rock island, floated a shard of crystalline fire, pulsing like a living heart.
The Heaven's Core Fragment.
The heat it radiated made even Jace's dragon-born body sweat, and the System's tone lost its usual calm.
> Warning: Fragment is guarded.
The lava erupted.
From its depths rose a serpent-like creature, scales glowing with molten light, its eyes burning like miniature suns. This was no ordinary beast — its presence crushed the air, making Jace's knees strain just to stay upright.
> "A… Flame Serpent…" he muttered.
The System confirmed.
> Species: Molten Flame Serpent. Cultivation: Foundation Stage (Early).
A Foundation Stage opponent while he was still in Body Building Stage 8. Against anyone else, it was suicide.
Against Jace… it was an opportunity.
---
The serpent struck first, its massive body whipping through the lava like liquid steel. The shockwave of its tail strike shattered nearby stone. Jace barely leapt aside in time, the heat singeing his arm.
His flames alone wouldn't be enough. Not yet.
> Recommendation: Target the eyes. Devour directly from the brain.
Jace sprinted across the rocky edge, dodging each molten strike. He leapt — but the serpent twisted mid-air, its jaws snapping shut around him.
For a heartbeat, pain seared his side — then he let it.
Inside its mouth, Jace slammed his hand upward, into its skull, unleashing his Ancestral Flame with every ounce of Qi he had.
The serpent shrieked, convulsing violently as its life essence poured into him like molten gold.
[Essence Absorbed: Body Building 8 → Foundation Stage (Early)]
[Bloodline Awakening: Stage 2 — Devouring Dragon Vein Active]
The transformation was immediate. His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin, his heartbeat deepened, and the flames that danced on his palm burned darker — with streaks of black threaded through the red-gold.
---
When the serpent's corpse finally sank into the lava, the Heaven's Core Fragment floated toward him.
[Item Acquired: Heaven's Core Fragment]
[Effect: Permanently increases Qi quality and accelerates cultivation speed by 200%]
The System's tone shifted — not quite warmer, but… approving.
> Host potential rising. Survival probability: increased.
Jace stared into the molten river, his reflection warped by the heat.
Once, he'd been nothing but a shadow in his family.
Now… he was something else entirely.
And when he climbed out of this abyss, the Imperial Heaven Sect would be his hunting ground.
---
Far above, in a candlelit chamber within the Night Shadows Sect, a hooded figure listened to a trembling scout.
> "We lost him… but the Rift was restless tonight. Something happened down there."
The hooded figure's eyes gleamed like cold knives.
> "If he survived… we will know. And when we do… the Eternal Night Clan will be very interested."