"There are actually two," Lucia said with a faint smile as her gaze drifted toward a particular section of the do where several disciples stood apart from the rest. Her eyes lingered on one young woman in the distance, and there was a subtle change in her expression that did not escape Max's notice. "The first one is the Saintess in training."
Max followed her line of sight, and the mont his eyes landed on that figure, his pupils contracted slightly. It was her. The sa woman whose presence had stirred the violent hunger within his bloodline earlier.
She stood with quiet composure, neither overly proud nor timid, her posture straight and her aura restrained yet unmistakably pure. There was an almost ethereal quality to her presence that made the surrounding air feel clearer around her.
"Saintess in training?" Max asked, his tone calm but his curiosity unmistakable. "What does that an?"
Lucia's smile remained, though a faint flicker passed through her eyes, sothing between admiration and resentnt.
"Saintess in training ans she is the next in line to beco the Saintess of the Black Dragon Clan," Lucia replied. "The Saintess of our clan is not rely a title. It represents a sacred existence within the Black Dragon lineage. They are born only under extraordinary circumstances, and in many generations they do not appear at all."
Her voice lowered slightly, as though speaking of sothing that commanded reverence.
"In the history of the Black Dragon Clan, a true Saintess appears perhaps once every other generation, and sotis there are stretches of ti where none erge for centuries. For the past hundreds of years, no one qualified for that position. The bloodline remained strong, but none possessed the purity or the resonance required to awaken the signs of a Saintess."
Max listened silently, his gaze never leaving the distant figure.
Lucia continued, "A Saintess is born when the Black Dragon bloodline manifests in its most refined and harmonious state. It is said that their blood carries the original essence of the primordial Black Dragon itself. Their affinity with draconic power is nearly flawless. From birth, their cultivation speed surpasses others. Their comprehension of fla and dragon aura is effortless. Even their re presence strengthens the morale and cohesion of the clan."
There was a slight tightening in her voice as she spoke the next words.
"She is Isabella Lumin, the current Saintess in training. The elders have already acknowledged her potential. If everything proceeds without deviation, she will undergo the final rites within a few years and formally ascend as the Saintess of the Black Dragon Clan."
Max's eyes narrowed slightly at the na.
Isabella Lumin.
The na settled in his mind, heavy with aning. The reaction of his bloodline now made far more sense. If her blood carried a purity close to the primordial source, then perhaps what his own bloodline lacked was that sa completeness. The hunger he had felt might not have been random. It might have been an instinctive desire to bridge a gap.
Lucia paused briefly before continuing, her expression more complicated now.
"Whenever a Saintess appears within our clan, it is considered an on of prosperity. Legends say that during the eras when a Saintess led the spiritual core of the Black Dragon Clan, our influence expanded, our enemies retreated, and our internal conflicts diminished. It is believed that a Saintess acts as a living anchor to the ancestral dragon's will, stabilizing the bloodlines of the entire clan."
Her eyes flickered faintly with jealousy, though she tried to mask it behind a composed smile.
"That is why Isabella has beco the focus of attention. Every hall seeks her favor. Every elder watches her growth. The younger generation either admires her or envies her. In the eyes of many, her existence alone guarantees that the Black Dragon Clan will flourish for the next thousand years."
Max remained silent.
In the distance, Isabella stood beneath the glow of the do's light, unaware of the quiet storm within him. To others, she was a symbol of hope and prosperity. To his bloodline, she was sothing else entirely.
A key.
Or perhaps a missing piece.
Max slowly withdrew his gaze, forcing his expression to remain neutral. The revelation had deepened his understanding, yet it had also intensified the complexity of his situation. Devouring the bloodline of an ordinary disciple would have been one thing. But the bloodline of a Saintess in training was sothing entirely different.
If what Lucia said was true, Isabella was not rely a talented cultivator.
She was the future spiritual pillar of the Black Dragon Clan.
"What makes her so special?" Max asked, his voice steady though his thoughts were anything but calm. His gaze lingered on Isabella for a mont longer before shifting back to Lucia. If the title of Saintess alone was enough to stir such reverence, then the foundation behind that title had to be far deeper than simple talent.
Lucia's smile widened slightly, as though she had been waiting for that question.
"Not just any descendant or disciple can be considered a Saintess in training," she began. "The first and foremost requirent is that the person must be chosen by the Imperial Bloodline of the Black Dragon Chaotic Bloodline."
The words carried weight, and even the nearby disciples seed to lower their voices instinctively, as if the term itself demanded respect.
"The Black Dragon Chaotic Bloodline has many divisions," Lucia continued, her tone turning more solemn. "Over countless generations, the bloodline has diversified. So branches are stronger in physical might, so possess higher affinity with black flas, and so are gifted in spiritual perception. However, above all these divisions exists a lineage that stands at the apex. That lineage is known as the Imperial Bloodline."
Max's eyes sharpened.
"Imperial Bloodline is the rarest type of bloodline division within our clan," Lucia explained. "It is not sothing that can be cultivated through effort alone, nor can it be artificially awakened. It is an inheritance that traces directly back to the most ancient progenitor of the Black Dragon Clan. According to the oldest records, the founder of our bloodline was a descendant of a primordial Black Dragon that once ruled over chaos itself. The Imperial Bloodline is said to be the purest echo of that origin."
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