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More time passed by, and by now, the disappearance of the genius youth had become but an afterthought to the public.

While there were still people pestering the authorities to capture the trial grounds somehow and open them to the public, a lot of time has passed and many diversions were used so that the majority of people were starting to lose their passion about it.

That, along with the rejection of their proposals, made them realize that both the GMU and the Imperial Court had made a decision, and there was no changing their minds.

So, much to people’s dismay, they could only move on with their lives and lament the lost opportunity.

Ren continued to stay in touch with Mikel and the clan.

Nowadays, it’s mostly just Alex who’s answering instead of Mikel. Ren had lost count on how many times Alex expressed his jealousy of this opportunity. Had he known that this was going to happen, he would’ve suppressed his realm and waited until the day came.

Ren sincerely doubted that, though. He knew of his cousin’s personality and was almost sure that, at some point, Alex would say "fuck it" and break through anyway.

So, he mostly just ignored Alex’s complaints.

Right now, Ren had already reached the peak of the marrow cleansing stage.

His blood was viscous and contained potent vitality. Its potency surpasses those at the same level as him. His chakra network had penetrated deeply into his marrow, cleansing it and purifying his human bloodline.

The amount of chakra marrow-cleansing martial artists could use and preserve was way larger compared to bone forging, and it’s because of a simple thing: blood flow.

Chakra is generated through the combination of intent (mental energy), life force (physical energy), and motion (kinetic energy). The moment one reaches the Marrow Cleansing Stage, their blood flow becomes an instrument of motion—kinetic energy.

And since one’s blood flow is constant so long as one is alive, this means that the person was always in motion too, and that is enough to generate chakra.

This was apart from what the martial artist could inherently store through their skin, muscles, and bones after coming this far.

That’s why for marrow-cleansing martial artists, it’s easy to go from 0 to 100, because they most likely already have their chakras ready to use. And they would only produce more as they warm up to the fight.

Another thing about the Marrow Cleansing Stage is that this is also the best time to fuse with a bloodline.

Bloodlines are another aspect, or an advantage, that martial artists could use to strengthen themselves. There are plenty of them out there; they come in many forms and names and bring about tons of advantages, disadvantages, or both.

Take Kaycee, for example; she came from the Stargazing Clan. Her bloodline ability amplifies her vision, allowing her to see everything around her with perfect clarity, reaching incredible distances.

This wasn’t a martial technique. It’s an ability bestowed by her bloodline directly—something that she inherently knows how to do.

Although the GMU stated that humans can only practice martial arts, bloodlines were among the exceptions to that since humans had them around the same time martial arts were founded.

There were even records in history of martial arts and bloodlines clashing, but that’s old, and the situation nowadays no longer reflects that. But as a nod to history, the GMU didn’t ban bloodlines either.

She’s also a good example of what bloodline purity means. Kaycee wasn’t from the main line, so her bloodline ability had some drawbacks. After using it, she would essentially become blind. The duration depends on how far she exerted herself while using her bloodline ability. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Had she come from the main line, this drawback wouldn’t have been this intense. At most, she’d probably feel a headache for a brief moment after using it. Additionally, the ability itself would be better.

There are tons of martial clans and families out there that are in the same position. But the most notable ones are definitely the nobles.

The Imperial Court, although not having as much prestige and power as the GMU nowadays, at least in the public eye, has lasted this far and is still thriving because of this one major advantage—their bloodline.

Yes. The Imperial Court of the modern day was the bloodline user of old history. They were not erased nor forgotten, either. Instead, they were honored and have carved more than enough space for them to pass on to this day.

Amongst those who have built their reputation through their bloodline, there’s nobody in human civilization that could surpass the Imperial Court, since this was literally their entire foundation to begin with.

To others, bloodlines are nothing more than an additional advantage. To those that belonged to the Imperial Court, however, it’s a sign of inborn excellence manifesting in reality.

The potency of their bloodline meant birthright and might. They follow the signs passed down to them by their ancestors that rarely proved them wrong.

Their belief wasn’t empty. It had some real substance behind it. Bloodlines don’t just bestow them an extra ability that they just know they could use; they also bestow them with talent, destiny, and fate—values that allowed them to continue existing to this day.

They were of noble birth, not just because they happened to have deep pockets and have deep connections with politics. It’s also because they truly possess the qualifications to stand above the rest the moment they were born.

But of course, this was something that ordinary folks wouldn’t understand. The Imperial Court tends to keep to themselves, after all.

However, bloodlines aren’t strictly controlled by the Imperial Court. Sure, they do observe and control some of its aspects, but their authority over it was not absolute.

Bloodlines are available through the World System. They’re damn expensive, of course, but they’re there. That’s something that the Imperial Court couldn’t control even if they wanted to.

Not even the GMU could completely subdue the World System; how can the Imperial Court?

Matter of fact, just to add insult to injury, there are bloodlines in the world system store that are of better quality compared to the ones that the Imperial Court has.

It also has the exact bloodline of those in the Imperial Court available too, and they could be purchased by anybody who has enough merit points to pay for the transaction.

The best time to fuse with a bloodline is during the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

As the martial artists refine their marrow using their chakra, it becomes more receptive and adaptable to changes; that’s why it becomes the most optimal time to introduce a new bloodline.

Of course, it could also happen later. But this was the earliest opportunity for those without one. If they don’t plan on fusing with a bloodline, then it refines what they already have, which is most likely the human bloodline.

As for those who already have a bloodline, a few things are to be considered: the first is to determine if their bloodline was active or dormant.

If it’s active—meaning that whatever blessings one could get from their bloodline were already available even before their initiation ceremony—then upon reaching marrow cleansing, they’d experience an increase in their bloodline’s potency and purity. As for how much, that depends on their luck and fortune.

If it’s dormant—meaning that it’s been determined that they do have a bloodline but they haven’t benefitted from it just yet—then it’s very likely that it will be awakened when they reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

There are exceptions, though. Especially for bloodlines that needed external triggers or catalysts to become active. But for a lot of bloodlines out there, this was usually the time.

Ren had no plans on infusing himself with another bloodline.

Not because he didn’t want to. But because he already has one—the Banished Arsenal. Yes, this is considered as much of a bloodline as it is an aberrant martial physique.

It’s a damn shame, because Ren had so many merit points that he could have chosen something real good. He’s been eyeing a particular one since then, but it’s a pity that he could only stare at it.

The Banished Arsenal Physique will reject any additional bloodlines he tries to inject himself. This wasn’t just exclusive to him; it’s the same for everybody in the clan.

The curse was a real pain in the ass. It’s as if everything that anyone could ever think about to circumvent its rules had been considered and prevented.

It’s as if the world were truly telling anybody who’s concerned that there’s absolutely no curing or removing it.

Ren could only sigh about this.

It’s really a damn shame because he wanted to fuse with an ancient titan’s bloodline or a black dragon king’s bloodline to give himself some additional advantages.

He could afford them, too. Alas, even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to fuse with it, so in the end, he could only stare at it dreamily.