Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu was stunned. However, that only lasted a moment before he was truly enraged.

It felt like this woman was toying with him simply because she could. His body was too weak, his reaction speed far too slow to even think about dodging her. She was already in the Dao Pedestal Realm and even Nuri had to be on top of her game to stop her from doing as she pleased, let alone him.

But that truly made him furious. On the one hand, he was relying on his adoptive sister to protect him, and on the other there was this woman who seemed to be able to steal and take from him as she pleased.

That was his first kiss. It wasn't something he gave a damn about before, he wasn't some love struck fool who felt the need to protect something like that. But there was something particularly rage-inducing about the fact it had just been taken from him without a word.

As Elena giggled and vanished into the distance, dodging out of the way of Nuri's assault, the cold aura that pervaded the surroundings only grew deeper and deeper.

Suddenly, Ryu hacked up a mouthful of blood, his vision going black.

"Ryu? Ryu!"

Nuri realized that something was wrong immediately and rushed to catch him. The last thing he saw before everything went dark was her worried expression.

Ryu shook his head. That memory wasn't a good one at all.

Back then, he had truly been infuriated. He was so angry, in fact, that his Fire Dragon Bloodline had activated.

Unfortunately, ever since he failed this Awakening, his body had become continuously frailer and he couldn't withstand something like that.

It had to be remembered that Ryu had spent much of the time before his seventh birthday training with his father. He had broken records of the Armament Guild and truly flourished. In his age group, he had been undefeatable, and he had even battered and beaten several Awakening Realm children even before his Awakening.

In fact, if Ryu recalled correctly, he had even defeated a Pulse Opening Realm child when he was just six years old, and that was without even a drop of cultivation to speak of outside of normal physical training. He was no different from a mortal.

However, after his Awakening failed, things went in reverse for him. His Bloodlines continued to grow stronger, but he didn't have the body to support them. In addition, because he didn't have cultivation to perfect his body, there was a normal accumulation of wear and tear that cultivators didn't have to deal with.

Ultimately, that was a breaking point and he ended up losing consciousness for a long time.

Luckily, his parents and grandparents were who they were, so finding Spiritual Herbs that were both strong enough to tide him over, while also gentle enough that he would combust upon consuming them, while difficult, hadn't been impossible.

He didn't remember much about that time because he weaved in and out of consciousness. However, when he finally did regain his faculties in their entirety, he was surprised to find an unexpected scene.

Ryu opened his eyes slowly. For the first time in a long while, he didn't have a splitting headache and could actually see straight. But rather than seeing someone he wanted to see, there was actually the woman he hated the most.

He was about to unleash an enraged tirade when Elena's eyes lit up like blooming stars. For some reason, he forgot what he was going to say for a moment and he blamed it on the fact his head was still far too foggy.

"You're awake! Thank goodness..."

Elena grabbed his hand and he was still feeling a bit too tender to pull it away. He could only look at the woman and give her a glare with a clear meaning.

Even so, just like usual, the woman giggled, her pink eyes glistening with unshed tears she quickly wiped away.

"What are you doing here?" Ryu asked with a frown. "No. How are you even here, this is the Tatsuya Clan. Where is Nuri?"

Elena smiled. "Granny Kunan let me in."

"Bullshit." Ryu almost barked out.

As if that would happen, he knew how much his grandmother abhorred the Holy Wing Clan. It was Elena's grandmother who drugged and raped his Grandpa Kunan. The only reason there wasn't all out war between the Ice Phoenix Clan and the Holy Wing Clan was because that bitch had his grandfather's child. Nothing more, nothing else.

Although Elena's mother wasn't that child and thus mostly unrelated to this, his Grandma Kunan would happily burn in hell if it meant the Holy Wing Clan was wiped off the face of Existence.

"Hehe, it's the truth. We have a very good relationship."

Ryu frowned, not understanding. Last time he was awake, although his grandmother didn't exactly target Elena, she wasn't fond of her either. Not that it mattered to him since he was annoyed by this woman as well.

"Don't worry your handsome little head over it, Grumps. Does my future husband need to worry about the affairs of women? You just lie there and look pretty."

Ryu felt a spark of rage light up inside him again. He had been trying to remain calm because he was smart, he already knew what must have triggered all of this in the first place, and he didn't want to stumble into another problem.

Elena's words were the most insulting he had ever heard in his life. He was Ryu Tatsuya, a man destined to stand at the top of the world. Even if he couldn't cultivate, he would be better at everything else until the world acknowledged his right to wield real strength.

"Insult me again, and I swear I will wipe your Holy Wing Clan off of the map."

Ryu's silver irises practically flashed with blue beneath their coldness.

And yet, Elena just smiled.

"I believe you could do it."