1570 Bloodline Suspicions
“All of you are the most outstanding of youths, with a boundless future! You have now entered Subduing Demon City, and your studies and training will maximize your potential and help you all become outstanding Demon Subduers!”
City Lord Lu Tailiai stood on a platform, giving them a very warm welcome speech. He gave this sort of speech at least four times a year, and so was extremely familiar with it. Around him was a group of elders. These were the teachers for the probationary Demon Subduers, Turan being one of them. He was smiling and even waved slightly at Xia Fan.
“Which one is Xia Fan? Please come up!” Lu Tailai suddenly called out the name, inviting him to the stage. In front of several hundred youths, he patted Xia Fan on the shoulder and excitedly said, “This class of probationary Demon Subduers can be considered a group of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, particularly Xia Fan! He has a rare six-star potential! It has already been forty-seven years since we last had a youth with six-star potential in Subduing Demon City.”
“Heavens, six stars!?”
“I recall that you have to have demon blood exceeding forty-nine percent to be considered six stars!”
“You remembered correctly. I didn’t think that smiling guy would be an existence infinitesimally close to a demon!”
“What a pity that he’s a non-combat type.”
Lu Tailai’s words immediately made Xia Fan the center of attention. Several hundred people were all discussing Xia Fan, all of them shocked at his percentage of demon blood. In normal circumstances, the higher a person’s percentage of demon blood, the greater one’s achievements. But this percentage could not exceed fifty percent, for anything exceeding fifty percent would result in demonization.
Someone with a demon blood percentage as high as Xia Fan’s normally appeared once every forty or fifty years, so everyone was surprised. They didn’t know that Xia Fan wasn’t alone with his bloodline. In fact, all of the Skywings had that extremely high level of demon blood, it was just that everyone except Xia Fan was hiding in the shadows.
There was another group of people standing outside the plaza. They were all warriors who had entered Subduing Demon City before Xia Fan. When Xia Fan’s potential was announced, there was significant turmoil in that crowd. Several superb warriors who had reached or exceeded five stars quickly memorized Xia Fan’s name!
——
The meeting soon came to an end, and the newcomers were assigned teachers. As expected, Xia Fan’s teacher was Turan, and he was joined by Traveling Buddha, Le Jiajia, Jiang Zhibei, and Du Yu. They followed Turan to unlock the power hidden in their bloodlines. That step was called Awakening. As for how to train and improve after Awakening, Subduing Demon City had other systems in place for that.
Originally, Traveling Buddha’s teacher wasn’t going to be Turan. According to the rules, combat types weren’t supposed to study with non-combat types. But Traveling Buddha refused that arrangement. If not for Xia Fan, he wouldn’t have even come to this weird place. The thought of being separated from Xia Fan had him furious.
“I just have one question, do you agree or not? If you don’t agree, I’ll go back right now!”
Traveling Buddha went to find the city lord, laid his cards on the table, and ultimately got his wish. After all, he was a Vajra, and Subduing Demon City didn’t want to lose a top-class combat ability like that. Moreover, no one had ever asked to lower themselves to mix with the non-combat types, because everyone knew that non-combat types had a lower status.
“Arguing with the city lord, Traveling Buddha really is a warrior with personality!”
“He doesn’t care at all about the distinction between combat types and non-combat types. It’s probably only Traveling Buddha who possesses that kind of confidence.”
Xia Fan felt dizzy from all the conversations going on around him. Subduing Demon City was truly a very self-interested place. Just because Traveling Buddha had a powerful ability, everyone thought that what he had done was right, no matter what the deed was.
As for Xia Fan, everyone thought that he was a non-combat type, so they sadly sighed that all his high potential had appeared on him, like a flower being planted in a pile of cow feces.
Xia Fan shook his head and sullenly followed Turan to the Awakening Center. It was a large building that appeared rather like a church. The outside was mottled, and the stone steps were gray and gloomy, recording a long history of ups and downs. It was a miracle that the Awakening Center had managed to survive the countless wars with the demons.
Once they were inside, they could see thirteen statues within. In the center was the King of Demon Kings, Harikane, with his twelve brothers around him.
“The thirteen Demon Kings, the rulers of darkness, the source of all brutality, illness, and chaos in the world!” Turan explained. “The first step to Awakening demon power is to determine which Demon King one’s blood originated from. Then, according to the characteristics of that demon blood, you will be given a method that will help you Awaken it.”
——
The non-combat types were always at the very end of the line, and this time was no exception. After waiting a long time for all the other teachers to get their students tested, it was finally time for Turan and his students.
The first up was Jiang Zhibei. He and his big belly stood on the bronze platform in the center of the hall. In front of him was a copper ball. Once anyone placed their hands on the ball, one of the thirteen Demon King statues would light up. The Demon King statue that lit up was the source of that person’s Bloodline!
“Oh, so you have the blood of the Silver Demon King Sherway. Very good, very good,” Turan said as he noted it down.
Next was Du Yu. His bloodline originated from the Sky Demon King, Brasia, but the light was weak, indicating that Du Yu’s demon blood percentage wasn’t that high.
Next was Le Jiajia. As expected, she lit up the statue of the Mountain Demon King, Achilles! In a flash, a blinding light like the noon sun lit up the hall!
“As expected of a direct descendant of Achilles,” Turan nodded at the sight.
Traveling Buddha was next. The statue he lit up was that of the Scarlet Flame Demon King, Stanley. Xia Fan knew that Traveling Buddha didn’t actually have any demon blood. Turan had played a trick to help him pass. Traveling Buddha didn’t care, yawning as he waltzed off the platform.
“Xia Fan, it’s your turn.” Turan looked expectantly at Xia Fan. Xia Fan didn’t represent only himself, but also the entire Clan of the Skywings. Turan was anxious to know which Demon King bloodline this clan of such concentrated demon blood that had been adrift in the Middle Realm belonged to.
With a relaxed expression, Xia Fan walked up the bronze platform and placed his hands on the copper sphere. Looking around, he waited for one of the statues to light up.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Time passed, but the thirteen Demon King statues remained dark.
“Is my posture wrong?” Xia Fan muttered. He took his hands off and then grabbed the copper ball again, almost hugging it.
But none of the statues lit up. The entire hall was silent. It seemed that his demon blood did not resonate with any of the Demon Kings.
“What’s going on?”
“Doesn’t Xia Fan have six-star demon blood?”
“Could it be so pure that it’s past the limits of resonance?” At this point, there were several thousand people in the hall, all of them murmuring.
“As expected of six-star demon blood!” At this moment, City Lord Lu Tailai came forward, his face red from excitement. “Xia Fan’s demon blood purity has reached an astonishing 49.99%! This is the highest purity in history! So high even the resonance system has failed!
“Let’s end today’s test here. Starting tomorrow, all of you will begin to try awakening your bloodline power! All of you must work hard!”
Was it really like that? Xia Fan didn’t believe it. He saw Lu Tailai exchanging a look with Turan, and he immediately realized that things probably weren’t that simple.
“Gather all the teachers at the library. We have a big problem on our hands,” Lu Tailai whispered to his assistant once he was out of the hall, his face grim.