Years passed differently in the Shrouded Vale.
Time seemed almost irrelevant—days, months, and even years blended into the endless flow of spiritual qi, streams of light, and whispering leaves.
Lin Yu grew, not in the usual ways of mortal children, but in perception, intelligence, and subtle control of the spiritual energies surrounding him.
Mei Ruyue would carry him through the glowing forests and along luminous rivers, teaching him how to sense the currents of qi, to feel the life force in every plant, every stone, every creature.
She would demonstrate the motions of simple techniques, guiding his tiny hands, though he could not yet imitate them.
Still, his mind absorbed every lesson, tracing patterns, recognizing cause and effect, and silently forming strategies that a child of his age should never comprehend.
[ The next day... ]
While Lin Yu observed the currents of the Vale, Mei Ruyue herself trained in quiet seclusion.
Her Phantom Gale Steps allowed her to move with near-invisibility and strike with perfect timing, but it was only a fraction of her power.
Her true mastery lay in formation arts, a discipline she had spent centuries perfecting, one that had earned her recognition as second only to the greatest masters of the Immortal Realm.
She extended her hands, tracing sigils in the air, while the spiritual qi of the Shrouded Vale responded almost instinctively.
Lines of energy shimmered across the ground, converging into geometric patterns that could amplify attacks, trap intruders, or shield an area entirely.
Each formation she practiced required precision, understanding of natural flows, and timing so perfect that a single misstep could render it useless.
Even here, I must not stagnate, she thought.
The child's future depends on me remaining capable, unpredictable, and strong.
With Lin Yu watching silently, she built a temporary formation circle, drawing energy from the Vale itself.
She stepped through it, the Phantom Gale Steps weaving in and out of the pattern, testing timing and synergy.
Every motion was a lesson, every breath a calculation.
Though Lin Yu could not yet speak or act, he observed carefully, storing patterns in his mind, tracing flows of energy and learning the logic behind each formation.
The Vale stretched endlessly, a world of vibrant qi that shifted with every step.
Lin Yu's small feet padded across the glowing moss, his eyes catching the shimmer of herbs hidden among roots, stones, and streams.
Mei Ruyue watched from a distance, allowing him freedom, yet remaining close enough to intervene if danger arose.
At first, he focused on collecting herbs.
Luminous Spirit Fern, Moonshadow Grass, and Sunpetal Bloom were scattered along the hills and valleys.
Lin Yu knelt beside each, observing the pulsing aura, memorizing how the energy flowed through their leaves, stems, and roots.
Though he could not yet speak, his mind recorded every detail, connecting patterns in the qi that even some early-stage cultivators would struggle to sense.
Hunting came next.
Mei Ruyue guided him to Crimsonleaf Deer, its qi-filled antlers glowing faintly.
"Observe first, Lin Yu. Watch its steps, its breathing, the rhythm of its energy," she instructed.
Lin Yu crouched behind a cluster of violet shrubs, tracking the deer's spiritual aura, noting where its qi was strongest and how it moved when sensing danger.
They moved deeper into the Vale.
A Glintfang Boar emerged from the undergrowth, bristling with power.
Its eyes flicked toward him but did not attack.
The Vale allowed observation, not harm.
Lin Yu's heartbeat raced—not with fear, but with focus.
He watched carefully as Mei Ruyue demonstrated the subtle approach, showing him how to read qi disturbances in the environment.
Occasionally, they stumbled upon Silvermane Lynx perched high in the Celestwood branches.
The lynx exhaled, and its aura brushed Lin Yu like a whisper, teaching him awareness and agility.
Each encounter honed his senses, strengthening muscles and qi perception simultaneously.
Beyond hunting, the Vale gifted them treasures.
In hidden hollows, Crimson Lotus pulsed with vitality, Golden Essence Root strengthened his core even in infancy, and Frostbloom Herb balanced his qi in cold zones.
Each herb was extinct in the mortal and immortal realms, making the Vale a treasure trove unmatched anywhere else.
Lin Yu absorbed these lessons silently, his tiny hands mimicking Mei Ruyue's precise gathering techniques, his mind analyzing each herb's energy, its flow, and how it could enhance his body.
And then there were the silent observers—Saint King-level beasts, occasionally appearing in human form, eerily resembling human.
They did not intervene.
They simply watched, radiating supreme qi, teaching through presence alone.
Lin Yu's young mind cataloged their aura shifts, body posture, and energy control.
Even without speaking, he understood that these beings were the pinnacle of power, and the Vale allowed him to study them in secret.
Years passed like this.
Lin Yu explored every grove, every stream, every hidden cave near their Celestwood house.
He learned to hunt, to gather, to sense, and to survive.
His body strengthened with each herb he consumed.
His awareness sharpened with every semi-god beast encounter.
By the age of ten, he had mastered basic observation of qi, learned the rhythm of the Vale's beasts, and absorbed the energy of the land itself, preparing him for the moment his ancient bloodline would awaken.
Mei Ruyue observed quietly, her eyes softening with pride.
"Lin Yu… the time has come," she murmured.
The Vale pulsed with a quiet resonance, as though acknowledging the boy's coming transformation.
[ The next day... ]
The Shrouded Vale lay quiet beneath the soft morning sun, its qi shimmering faintly along the Celestwood groves.
At the center of the clearing outside their Celestwood house, a circular tripod of Celestwood and iron—known as the Spirit Convergence Cauldron—had been prepared.
Lin Yu's small frame was submerged inside it, surrounded by a carefully mixed concoction of perfect-grade herbs- Golden Essence Root, Sunfire Lotus, Phoenix Bloom, and Celestial Dewleaf.
The mixture radiated stabilizing energy, soaking into his skin, lungs, and bloodstream, preparing his body for the immense power it would soon receive.
From the mountaintop, Mei Ruyue's figure flickered like a shadow.
She moved with purpose, her Phantom Gale Steps leaving afterimages as she pursued the target- the Dracowyrm, a mountain dragon whose scales shimmered in gold and violet.
Its cultivation approached the threshold of Saint King, a perfect source for awakening Lin Yu's dormant bloodline.
Drawing a deep breath, Mei Ruyue unleashed the Lightning Fang Strike, a technique peculiar to the Lin Family.
Among all who had attempted it, she was the only one to perfect it.
Though inferior in destructive power compared to the Heavenstrike Thunder used by Lin Yue during their pursuit, its precision rivaled that of even the deadliest lightning strikes.
The golden bolt streaked across the mountainside, hitting the Dracowyrm with surgical accuracy, forcing it to expend energy while avoiding unnecessary damage to the environment.
The battle was fierce.
Claws tore through air and rock, dragon qi surged like storms, yet Mei Ruyue's movements were fluid, precise, flawless.
She drew the Dracowyrm into exhaustion, her superior technique ensuring every strike counted while keeping herself safe.
After a final leap and a calculated strike to its chest, the dragon's roar pierced the Vale, and its core—the concentrated essence of its lifetime cultivation—glimmered in her hands.
Only then did she return home, weary but triumphant.
Lin Yu's tiny form remained in the Spirit Convergence Cauldron, still submerged in the herbal mixture.
Mei Ruyue carefully poured the Dracowyrm's core essence into the mixture, and the air trembled as the ancient qi flowed toward him.
His small body trembled as the dragon's power flowed into his veins, reshaping bones, muscles, and blood to accommodate the half-dragon heritage.
The herbs simmered around Lin Yu in the Spirit Convergence Cauldron, the mixture glowing faintly as Mei Ruyue adjusted the formation.
Golden-violet qi from the Dracowyrm's core surged into his body, flooding every vein, every cell.
At first, it was intoxicating—a warm, powerful energy that promised strength beyond imagination.
But almost immediately, Lin Yu felt it - a presence within his mind.
The Dracowyrm essence had not simply merged with his body.
It had awakened in his consciousness, a sentient, predatory force.
Its voice was thunderous, cruel, and mocking.
"Weakling… you are not worthy of this power. Your mind will be mine. Your soul… I will consume it."
Lin Yu's vision of the world around him blurred, replaced by an endless battlefield of shadow and flame.
He saw himself surrounded by golden-violet storms, clawed hands reaching for him, teeth snapping with ancestral might.
The Dracowyrm's consciousness surged, attempting to dominate, to devour his essence and make him a puppet for its power.
His small fists clenched, but even his sharp mind felt the pull of oblivion.
Every attempt to resist was met with overwhelming force.
Every defensive thought shredded by the ancient will of the dragon.
No… I cannot lose… I will not…
And then—a spark deep inside, faint at first, but growing with blinding intensity.
Lin Yu's dormant bloodline stirred, the primordial dragon within him awakening for the first time.
Its aura was immense, infinite, ancient—a force untouched by time itself.
"Shenlongra," the name resonated in his mind, a voice like rolling storms and flowing rivers.
The blood of the primordial dragon, his ancestor, surged through him, igniting his consciousness.
His body trembled violently as golden-violet scales rippled across his small frame, marking the awakening of the full half-dragon essence.
The Dracowyrm's consciousness roared, sensing its fate.
"No… impossible…" it bellowed.
But Lin Yu's awakened bloodline was absolute.
A wave of ancient, draconic power erupted from his mind, sucking the Dracowyrm essence dry, reducing it to a faint echo of energy before shattering it entirely.
Silence followed.
The battlefield of his mind dissolved into light.
Lin Yu's breathing was steady, his eyes glowing with golden-violet light.
Scales shimmered across his irises, a visible mark of the primordial dragon bloodline—Shenlongra—flowing within him.
He could feel it: a power eternal, a consciousness vast, a heritage that dwarfed the mortal and immortal alike.
Mei Ruyue watched from outside the formation, her eyes wide but unwavering.
She could sense it even from afar: the child before her was no longer merely Lin Yu.
He is the only remaining descendant of Shenlongra, the Primordial Dragon Emperor, and his potential is now fully awakened.
Lin Yu opened his eyes fully, a subtle roar echoing in his mind as he flexed his newfound senses.
Streams of ancient dragon qi flowed outward, mingling with the herbs' energy and the formation, stabilizing his body. The awakening was complete.
Finally, his eyes opened. A shimmer of scales traced the surface of his irises, a visible mark of the half-dragon bloodline fused with his own.
His gaze was sharp, alive, already sensing the immense surge of power within him.
Mei Ruyue knelt nearby, brushing a strand of hair from her face, her eyes filled with a mixture of pride, relief, and anticipation.
"Lin Yu… your bloodline has successfully awakened."
The Vale seemed to acknowledge the transformation.
Trees shimmered, herbs glowed, and the air vibrated faintly, as if the land itself recognized the rise of a new force within its borders.
Lin Yu's fists clenched instinctively, the dragon's essence pulsing with potential.