From a high-altitude perspective, the Deadwood Forest was a vast expanse of black land, while the eastern part of the Red Soil Territory, which bordered it, was a dark red, like dried blood. The two formed a stark contrast.
Therefore, all Hunters entering Red Soil Town, upon seeing this black land symbolizing death, knew where they had arrived.
At this moment, seventeen people were moving along the edge of the Deadwood Forest, with the red soil representing the Red Soil Territory gradually receding behind them.
This group of seventeen was the team led by Burton, disguised as Hunters.
Walking in front of the two were Yarn and Yaka.
Their group had a very clear objective, so when they encountered monsters while traversing the eastern Red Soil Territory, they would not choose to fight unless the monsters actively attacked them. Even if they had no choice but to fight, afterwards they would only take the most crucial heart materials, discarding other materials. This made both Yarn and Yaka feel a pang of heartache.
However, it was precisely because of this high efficiency that they only took a day and a half to reach the Deadwood Forest—in fact, if they rode horses, it wouldn't even take a day to get from Red Soil Town to the edge of the Deadwood Forest.
It was just that the movement of galloping horses could easily attract a large number of monsters, and the monsters' aura could cause horses to fall into Mania, leading to a series of chaos. Therefore, all experienced Hunters would not ride horses in places where a large number of monsters were active or nested.
...
After entering the Deadwood Forest, Burton's attitude clearly became much more cautious, no longer giving off that sense of urgency.
He even started communicating more with Yarn.
“Was the Armored Demon Rabbit you saw at the ruins very large?”
“Is there a difference?” Yarn was completely ignorant of such knowledge, so he naturally wouldn't miss this rare opportunity to ask questions.
“An Armored Demon Rabbit is a Tier 3 monster, you know that, right?”
Yarn shook his head sincerely.
This action made Burton frown, his face full of confusion: “You are already a Bloodline User, and if I’m not mistaken, you should be a Tier 1 Inferno Hound, right? But why are you completely unaware of these… common knowledge?”
Yarn didn't hide anything regarding this question. He used the excuse he had already perfected with his sons, explaining the origin of his Bloodline ability. He also mentioned that he was staying in Red Soil Town precisely because he couldn't afford the materials for the Inferno Hound Bloodline Elixir, so he had to collect everything himself. In doing so, he discovered the profession of Hunter. It was only because he hadn't known enough about monsters before and suffered many losses that he decided to stay in Red Soil Town.
Burton nodded understandingly at Yarn’s explanation.
“Bloodline Users without a background to rely on indeed have a difficult life. This is also why Bloodline Users choose to pledge allegiance to a lord,” Burton said casually. “You and your son are already quite fortunate. Even though the Inferno Hound Bloodline is not a rare Bloodline, it’s not something everyone can successfully awaken.”
But after listening to Burton's words, although Yarn's face showed a perfectly appropriate expression of good fortune, his heart was sinking, because he heard that Burton had no intention of recruiting him and his son.
Since Bloodline Users are called “Bloodline Nobles,” there is naturally a reason. Even a Tier 1 Bloodline User can make any lord extend an olive branch. For wild Bloodline Users, pledging allegiance to a lord is naturally the best choice, unless the Bloodline User has a very strong ambition and wants to forge a higher status and privilege through his own abilities.
Yarn was not foolish.
Although he could tell from Burton’s tone that he didn't look down on him, it was clear that his and Yaka's strength was not worth his attention.
This often meant that the other party's background and identity were by no means simple, or it meant that the other party had probably already made a deal with Hughes.
Burton did not know that Yarn was a meticulous person, after all, his contact with Yarn had only been two or three days. At this moment, after briefly mentioning a few topics about Bloodline Users, he turned back to the topic of the “Armored Demon Rabbit.”
“Tier 3, whether for us humans or for monsters, is the first watershed,” Burton explained. “When we become Tier 1 Bloodline Users, we automatically gain a corresponding Bloodline ability. Some Bloodlines allow people to have two to three different choices, but some Bloodlines only have one. … Just like the Kingdom Army’s 【Raging Bear】 Bloodline, although it is only Tier 1, it has two ability choices.”
“And your Inferno Hound Bloodline, even though it’s a Tier 2 Bloodline from the start, only has one Bloodline ability.”
“Does that also have an impact?”
“Of course.” Burton nodded. “Tier 1 is the manifestation of Bloodline abilities, and Tier 2 is the strengthening of the Bloodline.”
“After the 【Raging Bear】 Bloodline awakens and gains different Bloodline abilities, Tier 2 can then be strengthened and covered more specifically. For example, if the 【Raging Bear】 Bloodline activates the 【Mania】 ability, then Tier 2 can choose Bloodlines like 【Bloodthirsty Hound】, 【Charging Boar】, 【Minotaur】, etc. They can all effectively strengthen the 【Mania】 ability for a second time, enhancing Bloodline abilities related to strength or speed. If one is lucky enough, it can even cause 【Mania】 to produce an aberrant ability, thereby giving birth to new Bloodline abilities such as 【Bloodthirsty】 or 【Swift Dash】.”
“This way, at Tier 3, even more Bloodline abilities can be strengthened.”
“But the Inferno Hound cannot, because its Bloodline ability is solidified. The Bloodline ability gained at Tier 1 will only be Blood Flame, and then when it advances to Tier 2, it will only slightly increase its own strength and speed, without any other new changes.”
“There won’t be any other changes?” Yarn’s heart suddenly startled. He couldn’t help but think that although his two sons also used the Inferno Hound Bloodline Elixir, what they awakened was not the Inferno Hound Bloodline ability, but the Flame Demon Hound, and even the Bloodline ability manifested at Tier 1 was completely different!
Burton didn't know this, but seeing the fleeting surprise and shock on Yarn's face, he only assumed he was sad because the Inferno Hound Bloodline ability was too mediocre.
“Actually, you don’t need to be so sad. A Tier 2 Bloodline is ultimately better than a Tier 1 Bloodline. After all, if the 【Raging Bear】 Bloodline wants to advance to Tier 2, it needs to face a death trial. If the advancement fails, it either turns into a monster or dies on the spot. The Inferno Hound, however, allows you to avoid this risk until you advance to Tier 3.”
At this point, Burton simply made a final summary: “To put it plainly, Bloodline advancement is essentially a process of continuously optimizing one’s own Bloodline. If you can keep advancing to Tier 6 because of this, then your body will give birth to your own Bloodline.”
“Bloodline?” Yaka interjected at the appropriate moment.
He showed a perfectly appropriate expression of admiration towards Burton, who was only a few years older than himself, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. This greatly stimulated Burton's desire to show off.
“Bloodline Users above Tier 6 will develop a Bloodline imprint within their bodies. After that, any children they have will naturally possess a corresponding affinity for Bloodline abilities,” Burton explained with a smile. “Bloodlines are very complex, and no one has been able to fully grasp them to this day. Even choosing the same Bloodline advancement path can ultimately lead to two completely different Bloodline abilities. There has always been a saying in the outside world that Bloodlines are likely related to the Bloodline Elixir used by the Bloodline User, their life experiences, and various factors such as different environments and climates.”
“Then does that mean there are many types of Bloodlines?”
“Of course.” Burton nodded. “The four most perfect Bloodlines are The Four Elements of Creation, which are Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. If it’s one of these four Bloodlines, then it’s very easy to activate the corresponding Bloodline. For example, the root of the Inferno Hound Bloodline is the Fire Element Bloodline, so if one’s Bloodline is the Fire Element, they only need to take the Inferno Hound Bloodline Elixir once to directly awaken the Inferno Hound Bloodline.”
Then, Burton laughed heartily again: “However, I don’t think anyone with a Fire Element Bloodline would choose to awaken the Inferno Hound.”
“Are there any other Bloodlines besides these four?”
“Of course there are,” Burton said casually. “Things like lions, dragons, tigers, and so on, basically all exist, and then they can be further differentiated based on The Four Elements… In short, no matter what Bloodline it is, it cannot bypass the core Four Elements. So Bloodline Users call this ‘The Four Elements,’ and from this, they divide ‘Eight Great Golden Bloodlines’ and ‘Sixteen Silver Bloodlines,’ which are the so-called Golden Blood Nobles and Silver Blood Nobles.”
Listening to Burton's words, Yaka's eyes shone brightly, and he felt his own Bloodline boiling.
At this moment, even Hughes and the other non-Bloodline User soldiers were listening with longing.
But Yarn couldn't help but frown.
“Lord Burton, you just said that the same Bloodline advancement might lead to different Bloodlines appearing. So what if two unrelated people awaken the same Bloodline…?”
“Hahaha.” Before Yarn could finish, Burton had already started laughing.
But his laughter carried no hint of mockery; it was merely a cheerful laugh, as if he was recalling something very amusing.
“I asked my grandfather the same question back then, and guess how my grandfather answered?”
Yarn and Yaka shook their heads.
“The Four Elements refer to Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, so you might as well think about what I just said,” Burton chuckled. “All Bloodlines cannot bypass the core Four Elements of Creation, and the ‘Golden Blood’ and ‘Silver Blood’ born from this, what do you suppose they are like?”
The others couldn't help but fall into thought.
But very quickly, Yaka suddenly spoke: “They are categories!”
He seemed afraid that others wouldn't understand him and hastily added: “Like categories such as lions, dragons, and tigers!”
Burton’s face showed surprise, but he still nodded in agreement: “Yes. Golden Blood and Silver Blood are differentiated by categories, and categories can have more detailed divisions. For example, the Dragon Bloodline has twelve classifications, but if categorized by the ‘Four Elements,’ each category has three. For instance, Red Dragon, Flame Dragon, Ice Dragon, and Frost Dragon all belong to the Dragon Bloodline within the Golden Blood, but Red Dragon and Flame Dragon belong to Fire Element Dragons, while Ice Dragon and Frost Dragon belong to Water Element Dragons.”
“I see.” Everyone finally had an enlightened expression at this point.
But Yaka, however, fell into deeper thought.
Burton felt a bit of goodwill towards Yaka because he had instantly grasped the method of Bloodline classification. Seeing Yaka's furrowed brow, he couldn't help but ask, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m wondering if Bloodlines are unique,” Yaka’s small face looked very troubled. “There are twenty categories of Golden Blood and Silver Blood in total, but what about ‘The Four Elements’? They are the root, there’s no way to differentiate them further, right?”
This time, Burton's face was no longer surprised, but his eyes held a hint of complexity.
Yaka’s sharpness had completely exceeded his imagination.
A moment later, he exhaled and slowly said, “Yes, Bloodlines are all unique. Only when one Bloodline is completely extinct can others possibly give birth to the corresponding Bloodline. … It is said that the Spirit Hall possesses a ‘Bloodline Grimoire’ which records all the Bloodlines in this world. If the name of a certain Bloodline darkens, it means that this Bloodline has disappeared from this world.”
“Then, are there any of The Four Elements in the world now?”
“Only Water and Wind remain,” Burton shook his head. “The Fire Element Bloodline officially died out a hundred years ago. The Earth Element Bloodline is even older, at least a thousand years ago.”
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but fall silent.
“Let’s go back to the Armored Demon Rabbit,” Burton said again after a moment. “The reason why Tier 3 Bloodlines are called a watershed is that even Tier 2 Bloodline Users, upon reaching this step, must undergo Bloodline coverage advancement to gain new Bloodline ability enhancements. … Most Bloodline Users gain a completely new Bloodline ability when advancing to Tier 3, and only in rare cases is it an aberration of an existing ability.”
“You can think, between a Bloodline User who has mastered two Bloodline abilities and one who has mastered only one Bloodline ability, who is stronger?”
The answer to this question was undoubtedly the former.
Burton clearly understood this, so before anyone could answer, he spoke again: “Therefore, whether it’s a Tier 3 Bloodline User or a Tier 3 monster, they are both referred to as lords. For us humans, distinguishing the strength of a Tier 3 Bloodline User might require a fight, but for monsters, it’s usually very intuitive.”
“The bigger it is, the stronger it is?” Yarn asked.
“While not entirely accurate, that’s generally how you can understand it,” Burton nodded. “That’s why I asked you how big that Armored Demon Rabbit was. … If it’s about the same size as us, then we’ll have to find another one, because that would probably be equivalent to a Tier 4 monster, and not something we can deal with.”
Yarn thought for a moment, then said with some uncertainty, “When I saw it before, it was half a month ago. It should have been about this big.”
He gestured to his waist height.
“That’s good then,” Burton nodded. “I’m well-prepared, it won’t be difficult to deal with.”