The next morning, Jiang Xuan had barely crossed the threshold into the dim, soot-stained servant quarters when a familiar, greasy figure stepped into his path.

Liu Changzui.

A senior chore disciple notorious for preying on the weak, his beady eyes gleaming with cruel amusement beneath the flickering lantern light.

"Oi, cripple," he sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. 

"Heard you failed again. Guess what? The steward wants to test a new pill. Congratulations , you're the lucky rat."

A few nearby servants chuckled nervously, unwilling to defy him, yet visibly uneasy.

Jiang Xuan remained silent, his cold gaze unwavering, meeting the taunt with quiet defiance.

Inside him, the System’s voice stirred like a whisper in the dark.

[System prompt: High-Grade Poison detected.]

[Devouring this substance will increase Bloodline Awakening Rate.]

They thought they were killing him.

What they were actually doing… was handing him a breakthrough.

In the dusty courtyard, a crooked steward smirked, his twisted lips curling with cruel amusement.

“Open wide, boy,” he rasped, voice like cracked stone.

A blood-red Riftfire Pill was forced down his throat, its surface burning even before it touched his tongue.

The pain was instantaneous.

It felt as if molten lava had been poured into his veins , his flesh screaming, his body writhing as though his bones were trying to escape his skin.

A group of disciples gathered around, eyes gleaming with morbid curiosity.

Let’s see how long the trash lasts,” one of them jeered, laughter bubbling behind every word.

Jiang Xuan dropped to his knees, trembling. Blood bubbled from the corners of his mouth, crimson dripping down his chin like a grim offering.

But deep within his core, beneath the agony and the chaos, the forbidden art stirred .

The poison was not his end , it was fuel.

The torment, not destruction , but transformation.

And in the darkness of his being, the ancient power awakened.

[Soul Engulfing Heaven Art: Passive Devour Activated.]

[Bloodline Progression: 35%]

His skin took on a dusky, ashen hue, veins bulging unnaturally beneath the surface like writhing serpents. A faint, ghostly sigil flickered above his brow , unstable, shifting, barely visible in the dim light.

No one noticed.

They were too consumed by their cruel laughter, too blinded by their mockery.

But one shadow in the distance remained still , watching.

Senior disciple Liu Tianyi’s older brother , Liu Tianlong .

His sharp eyes narrowed, suspicion darkening his expression.

“This kid… something’s off.”

That night, Jiang Xuan lay motionless in the cold, damp servant barracks, the distant sounds of snoring and wind slipping through broken shutters.

His body burned as if set ablaze from within.

Yet his mind had never been clearer , razor-sharp, hyper-aware.

And as the last remnants of poison were devoured by the ancient art within him, a sudden, icy torrent surged into his dantian , clean, powerful, awakening.

[Breakthrough Achieved: Spirit Gathering Stage.]

And with it came a fleeting glimpse of his bloodline’s true form .

a shadowy, monstrous figure towering within the storm-wracked depths of his consciousness.

Its silhouette was vast and inhuman, wreathed in darkness, its eyes burning with ancient hunger.

It smiled , a slow, terrible curling of lips that promised ruin.

"You are mine, child," it whispered, voice like thunder echoing through endless void.

"Together, we will feast on this world."

Jiang Xuan’s own lips curled into a matching grin , cold, fearless, hungry.

"Feast away."