According to the usual tropes, one of these two plotlines is probably true.
However, Xiao Yan merely gave it a passing thought. As for the mystery of his own origins—he wasn't too concerned.
His name was Xiao Yan, a modern man with a perfectly fine set of parents. No way was he randomly recognizing some other mom or dad.
Shaking off those random thoughts, Xiao Yan looked up at the thick vine."Okay, even if I don't quite buy it, what exactly did you call me here for?"
The enormous Blue Silver King responded,"Great King, haven't you come here to awaken the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline?"
"Blue Silver Emperor bloodline? Never heard of it," Xiao Yan shook his head. "I came here to gather herbs."
The massive vine could only explain patiently:"The Blue Silver Emperor has always been a singular bloodline in this world. Only when the previous generation dies can the next one be born. Even though you're human, you are the sole being today who carries the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline."
Xiao Yan frowned. If this whole "one-bloodline-only" thing was true, didn't that mean that so-called Empress was already dead?
The Blue Silver King let out a sigh."In the past, your Blue Silver Emperor aura was indistinguishable from ordinary Blue Silver Grass. That was our mistake. Because your imperial bloodline had not truly awakened, you couldn't sense its power."
Xiao Yan suddenly recalled how the vine had said earlier that with 15,000 more years of cultivation, even it could become a Blue Silver Emperor. And now it was claiming that there's only ever one in a generation? This guy was talking in circles.
Was it trying to sound convincing just to off him and ascend itself?Then again, that didn't seem right either.
Most people don't live to see 150 years, let alone 15,000. By then, he'd be dust in the wind.
As for inheritance and bloodline continuation—well, over ten thousand years brings a lot of variables.
Maybe, just maybe, a vine is still a vine. Not exactly the smartest thing in the forest.
Seeing Xiao Yan stay silent, the Blue Silver King thought he was confused—perhaps wondering why his martial soul had already awakened once, and now it had to awaken again?
The vine patiently explained:"Great Majesty, how could an ordinary person's martial soul awakening ever hope to awaken your noble bloodline? On this continent, I am the oldest Blue Silver Grass aside from you. That is why I am the Blue Silver King. We Blue Silver Grass are your eternal vassals. We shall forever protect you. Would you be willing to forever shelter your loyal subjects?"
Xiao Yan finally got it—this vine was genuinely dumb.
Blue Silver Grass grows in every nook and cranny. How the hell was he supposed to protect all of them?If Blue Silver Grass ever did go extinct, that'd probably mean all of humanity was long gone too.
But hey, Blue Silver Grass tasted pretty good in hotpot. Slightly spinach-y. Delicious.
With that tasty memory, Xiao Yan held back a laugh and nodded seriously.
Two glowing blue droplets trickled down from the eyes on the Blue Silver King's human-like face."Six long years... without the aura of His Majesty. Today, at last, we are no longer motherless children. Your Majesty, please accept your people's worship."
Xiao Yan nearly gagged. He was a man's man, okay? If you're going to recognize family, at least call him Father.
Before he could object, the Blue Silver King's words had barely finished when an overwhelming aura suddenly surged—not from the vine in front of him, but from the entire forest.
A bluish glow began to rise from every single blade of Blue Silver Grass.One might have only produced a speck of light, but together—billions of them lit up like a sea of blue.
Xiao Yan instantly felt himself become the center of that ocean, like a massive black hole sucking in the entire blue tide.
A never-before-felt heat surged from deep inside his body. In that moment, Xiao Yan felt no energy shock or pressure, no signs of internal strain.
He was astonished to find that when the heat wave began rising, an incredibly gentle energy brushed softly through every part of his body.
Heart settling, Xiao Yan quickly began circulating the Xuan Tian Technique, guiding that power through his meridians.
At the same time, the Blue Silver Grass around him began to change.
This wasn't from the sea of blue around him, but rather something radiating from within Xiao Yan himself.
The originally translucent Blue Silver Grass became even more crystalline. Gradually, they turned into something dazzling—like sapphire.
In the center of every stalk of glowing grass, a golden vein ran from root to tip.
The Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul—had awakened.
In that instant, under the spreading blue-gold radiance from Xiao Yan's body, the surrounding light became even more intense.
Every stalk of Blue Silver Grass on the ground began to crystallize and grow wildly.
Even the massive Blue Silver King before him, under the influence of that blue-gold aura, began to turn transparent. Its human-like face showing a look of pure satisfaction.
Xiao Yan's body began to undergo changes as well.
His once muscular frame strangely compacted a little—not a huge change in size, but his proportions became more harmonized and refined.
His short black hair began growing rapidly, gradually turning a deep blue. Threads of faint golden light streaked through the blue like veins of color.
Before long, his entire head of hair had transformed into a brilliant crystal-blue, like polished blue crystal—striking and beautiful.
Throughout the entire transformation, Xiao Yan's physical stats kept rising steadily.
The Blue Silver Grass' traits: tenacity, and indomitable vitality.
Now, as the Blue Silver Emperor, Xiao Yan embodied all of that perfectly.
His current vitality alone was enough to easily live over a century.
The massive blue aura condensed into a giant halo surrounding Xiao Yan's body. As the halo compressed, it shrank but grew deeper in color—more profound.
A final surge of heat burst from within him, and Xiao Yan felt his inner strength spike—so much so that it shocked even him.
Though he'd only cultivated for six years, he had already opened all eight extraordinary meridians.Couple that with his constant modifications to the Xuan Tian Technique, his nonstop training, and freak-level talent—his internal power was equal to someone who had trained for over twenty years the hard way.
And now? It had gone up again.
Before long, the blue glow gathered into the halo on his body condensed so densely that it finally turned black.
That black halo began to pulse rhythmically around Xiao Yan.Only then did everything around him finally fall silent.
(End of Chapter)