Chapter 44: The Way of Bloodlines

Without hesitation, Su Ning carefully put the book back and went to knock on Qiao Duoduo’s door.

Qiao Duoduo clearly hadn’t expected Su Ning to come again so soon, especially with such a serious expression, and quickly welcomed her in.

“Where’s Huoyang?”

“Taking a bath.”

Duoduo was puzzled. Hadn’t her friend just said he might get chilled if he took a bath? Su Ning rubbed her temples. Oh right, it was that bath she’d mentioned—she had completely forgotten.

“Call him out. It’s important.”

Seeing Su Ning’s grave demeanor, Duoduo didn’t dare waste time. She went to the bathroom and called Huoyang out. By the time they returned, Su Ning had already placed the purple card on the coffee table.

Huoyang picked it up casually, still muttering, “What’s so important?” But the moment he saw the purple card clearly, his tone changed abruptly. “What the—Su Ge, where did you get a purple card? This is really a purple card.”

Duoduo took the card from him, examining it carefully, ignoring her man for the moment, and asked Su Ning, “From the Ma siblings, right?”

“Should be. I didn’t notice yesterday, just discovered it now,” Su Ning said, a hint of frustration in her voice. Duoduo responded casually, “If you’d found it yesterday, I’d be afraid you’d gone mad, unstoppable in killing ever since.”

Su Ning thought about it. Indeed, discovering such enormous benefits right after one’s first kill—while still grappling with guilt—was terrifying. Killing equaled huge gains. A single lapse in restraint could make it nearly impossible to stop.

Feeling relieved, Su Ning silently counted herself lucky.

Duoduo then removed the book from the card. It was as thick as a Chinese dictionary! Su Ning immediately felt overwhelmed. Duoduo laid it flat on the coffee table and slowly opened it.

Su Ning, curious but unhurried, didn’t mind waiting. It was her book, after all. No need to compete with Duoduo over it.

Flipping through the pages, Duoduo discovered that even just the racial bloodlines numbered in the hundreds or thousands—far too many to examine individually. The book meticulously detailed each race’s bloodline origins, advantages, disadvantages, and methods for enhancing bloodline concentration. Duoduo couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Wow, Su Ge, this really is a treasure. Look at all these races! Take humans as an example:

Humans are the most adaptable, able to traverse any environment without being suppressed. They don’t get attribute bonuses, but they can freely change bloodlines at any time. The most basic, most inclusive bloodline is also arguably the strongest.”

Huoyang frowned in confusion. “No stat boosts? And still the strongest?”

Su Ning explained, “The human bloodline may not give attribute points, but it’s the freest bloodline, most compatible with the human body, and always has an exit strategy. Not suppressed by the environment, no outstanding strengths—but also no fatal flaws. That is true strength.”

After Su Ning’s explanation, both Huoyang and Duoduo nodded slightly. Su Ning, however, still had a question. “What do you mean by ‘environment’?”

“It’s not written here. It just says geographical environment; see the geography detailed guide. Probably at least a purple-grade book,” Duoduo replied.

Su Ning pinched her forehead. “Great… feels like winning the lottery, but no place to check. Anyway, let’s continue—see what other bloodlines there are.”

Duoduo continued flipping through the book. “There are too many bloodlines. Take your Demon race, for example—it branches into Demon, Angel, God. This is a low-level, broad classification. When a bloodline increases by 20%, more specific branches appear. Your next choice might be between Undead and Devil.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Roughly: Undead specializes in physical attacks, Devil in magical attacks.”

“Undead… what would that look like? Like a skeleton?”

Su Ning worried about this. For instance, Ma Yuqiang’s Dwarf bloodline made him very short, and Huoyang’s Bimong Warrior lineage made him taller and stronger. Choosing Undead and ending up just as a skeleton wouldn’t be fun.

Duoduo studied the book carefully and mused, “Probably not. Bloodlines may alter appearance, but once concentration exceeds 50%, dual forms can be unlocked. For example, Ma Shangfei’s Wolf Demon can freely switch between wolf and human forms. Undead works similarly.”

“Then you could pretend to be a ghost,” Su Ning chuckled. Dual forms seemed fun, but she focused back on the practical matters. “How do you enhance a bloodline?”

“Demons live among ghosts; by adapting to the environment, they can slowly enhance their bloodline safely. Another method is absorbing ghostly power—”

Su Ning frowned, interrupting. “Absorbing… how?”

“By delivering the final blow yourself, taking the ghost’s heart or energy source. You can make it into a potion or consume it directly,” Duoduo said, frowning. Direct consumption… wasn’t that disgusting?

“Eating it raw? Should I change careers now? Is it too late?” Su Ning knew it probably was, but the idea of raw consumption was repulsive enough that she had to voice it.

“It’s definitely too late. Only humans get another chance to choose. At the game’s start, the recommended bloodlines aside from humans are the ones best suited for you. Humans are naturally best suited to themselves, so you can’t change,” Duoduo explained.

Su Ning internally cursed, feeling extremely wronged. Raw consumption was impossible! Resigned, she asked, “How do you make it into a potion?”

Duoduo, trying not to laugh at Su Ning’s pitiful expression, continued, “You can use the system’s auxiliary crafting, or a pharmacist, chef, or alchemist. Taking the potion may be painful; you must heed your physiological limits. If your body level is too low, overusing bloodline potions can cause fatal damage. You must be careful in every step.”

Su Ning lost interest. Bloodlines seemed utterly cruel. Was it fate testing the chosen? She pondered for a long while. Duoduo spoke again:

“Your bloodline isn’t bad. Huoyang’s requires consuming large amounts of attribute-containing food for partial attribute points to increase purity. It’s not disgusting or hard to eat, but progress is very slow and the cost enormous.”

Duoduo continued, sharing her own experience. “I’m an Elf. After every 20% increase, it’s not about choosing a branch, but a profession—like elemental elves (wind, fire, etc.). You also need fortune or opportunity. ‘Opportunity’—what even is that?”

Duoduo groaned. Su Ning turned and laughed. “How do you enhance your bloodline?”

Duoduo’s expression darkened. “Find pure, natural spring water. Drink it, bathe in it. Use uncontaminated, naturally energized ingredients. That purifies the bloodline.”

Su Ning felt a sense of balance and relief upon hearing this.