LOST CULTIVATION METHODS

The pressure came like a mountain.

No—a continent.

Jin's knees buckled the moment the trial began.

A spiritual projection of an ancient dragon hovered above the mist-shrouded sky, its eyes like twin stars, watching him with impassive judgment.

His bones creaked. His blood boiled.

[System Upgrade Complete]

The familiar voice echoed in his mind just as the force increased tenfold, slamming him down to one knee.

[Trial Objective: Withstand the Might of the Azure Sky Dragon for 300 seconds]

[Current Time Endured: 11 seconds]

"Perfect timing," Jin muttered through clenched teeth, blood dripping from his nose.

A deep rumble of laughter echoed from the heavens.

"Little one… you dare challenge the legacy of dragons?"

Jin's answer was silence. His body was trembling, but his will was not.

[System Summary – Post Dormancy Rewards Calculated]

EXP Gained: +2,450

Spirit Cores Gained: 7 (Now: 12/15)

Blood Demon Bloodline Progress: 5% → 8%

Dragon Bloodline Progress: 35% → 37%

New Elemental Insights: Fire, Earth, Ice

New Passive Trait: Draconic Fortitude

Constitution: Strengthened under extreme pressure

[New Skill Acquired: Dragon's Vein Resonance]

Your bloodline begins to resonate with ancient dragon veins. Minor stat boosts when fighting in pressure zones or ancient domains.

"Not now," Jin growled, veins bulging in his arms. "Can't look at stats right now…"

The pressure grew. His Tyrant Body technique activated on its own, golden light swirling across his limbs.

Elsewhere — The Dragon Ruins

Meanwhile, Lana, Arielle, and Sarah sat around the blazing campfire in the main chamber of the ruins.

Strange murals flickered in the firelight—dragons flying over cities, battling titanic beasts, and eventually falling to what looked like humans wielding divine spears.

"He's been gone a while," Lana said, stirring the fire anxiously.

"I can still feel his qi," Arielle said. "It's chaotic… but alive."

Sarah walked along the wall, hand tracing a carving of a dragon kneeling before a human woman.

"Look," she called,

"this part here… it talks about a dragon who passed his legacy to a mortal cultivator.

But only if they could endure his wrath first."

Arielle tensed.

"That must be Jin's trial."

Just then, the air around them shifted.

The walls trembled faintly.

Sarah turned her head sharply. "Did you feel that? Something... moved."

Capital — Royal Palace, Moon Lotus Kingdom

Inside a shadow-draped chamber, Second Queen Molana slammed a crystal goblet against the wall, wine splattering like blood.

"Gone. Disappeared into the wind!"

She paced in rage, silk robes trailing behind her.

A man stood silently beside her—tall, cold-eyed, with silver hair streaked with age.

Her father.

"The assassin failed," she growled. "Young Lord Han is dead.

And my spies lost him somewhere near the Verdant Cliffs."

Her father nodded. "Then it's time. We remove the king, and clear the path.

You shall be the ruler, my daughter. The crown will be yours."

In the capital, rumors had begun. Prices soared.

The merchant clans whispered behind closed doors.

The king hadn't appeared in public for weeks.

Even the Royal Council had begun holding meetings without his consent.

And in her chamber that night, Molana curled around her consort Rodgers, gripping his chest with bloodstained fingers.

"You're useless in war," she whispered against his ear, "but in bed, at least you're useful."

Back in the Trial Realm

Jin roared.

His arms pushed against the invisible force, muscles tearing, healing, and tearing again.

Every second felt like a year.

[You have endured 243 / 300 seconds]

The dragon above lowered its head. Its spectral eyes bore into his soul.

"Your spirit is strong. But is your will unbreakable?"

Blood poured from Jin's mouth as he activated the Fury skill.

His Blood Demon bloodline surged, eyes turning red, fangs elongating.

His aura exploded.

Spikes of qi erupted from his back like jagged wings, blood and lightning mixed as he pushed back against the pressure.

[Tyrant Body – Bronze Form: 56% Mastery → 72%]

[Blood Demon Resonance – 8% → 10%]

[You have endured 300 seconds.]

With a final groan of defiance, Jin stood tall.

The pressure vanished.

The world around him cracked—light pouring from the cracks—and then shattered like glass.

Voice of the Ancients

He found himself floating before a glowing pedestal in an infinite space. The silhouette of an ancient dragon curled around it, its eyes closed.

"You have withstood the trial. The legacy may now begin."

Jin stepped forward.

"Then give me your power."

"No. You must earn it… One trial remains."

And the light consumed him again.