Bloodline Refinement is painful...
Usually, it's the most painful during the start and the finish, a person can develop some sort of resistance against it during the mid-refinement stages but at the final stages, the pain will escalate all over again.
This is due to the process of re-writing the physiology of a person to correct it according to the requirements of the bloodline they're integrating into their system. In the awakening stage of Bloodline Refinement, a person would usually rouse the slumbering potential of the bloodline deep in their bodies to activity. This will provoke the initial changes in a person which are undoubtedly caused by the bloodline itself.
As the refinement went on and bloodline purity and density become purer, the more intense its effects are, and at the final stages of the refinement, the pain increases because the body is now making these changes permanent and deeply seated into their genetics.
This is what's currently happening to Ashton...
Seated in the middle of a training room, Ashton looked like a frozen crimson statue, unmoving and unaware of everything that was going on around him.
His consciousness swam in a mystical space where he had no concept of self or anything in particular. He's just existing, to say the least, unaware of everything but alive and there.
Consuming all the Blossoming Blood Origin Fruits he received from the System caused this to happen to him. It had to be known that this item is considered a Nature's Heavenly Treasure - something that is extremely rare even for nature itself to produce.
The Blossoming Blood Origin Fruit starts as a seed, growing into maturity until it develops some form of sentience. At that point, it starts absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, using it to promote its growth.
It takes 10 years for the seed to germinate and grow into a tree, 50 years of absorbing Heaven and Earth Energy to condense a bud for its fruit, and another 100 years for that bud to gain enough nourishment to be ripe.
Due to it being a part of the plant kingdom, it naturally has little means to protect itself from predators, which in turn makes it even more difficult for them to survive. Ashton has never even seen a single one of these trees himself, he only knows this information because of the books he read in the past.
And currently, Ashton consumed not just one, but five of these fruits. One can just imagine how potent the energy he just swallowed in his body.
In hindsight, this might've been a stupid move...you know, consuming all five fruits in one sitting? But in reality, Ashton had thought about this and he still went ahead and did it anyway?
Why? Well, he'd survive anyway...that's mainly his reasoning.
Compared to other Mages, hell, let's even include some Knights at this point, Ashton's physique is just way better.
Not only was he fit due to the amount of training he does, but the blessings and encounters he had also had a part in strengthening him.
Ashton's physique is already better due to him having the Fey Bloodline. He's lean but could explode with enough strength to triumph against other Knights even, in just pure physical capabilities alone.
The potency of consuming all five Blossoming Blood Origin Fruit would hurt him but it is far from enough to kill him.
Right now, Ashton looks like a crimson statue sitting in a meditative pose.
This red tint is solidified blood that got pushed out of his body due to his bloodline refinement. The process was agonizing since the potency of his bloodline was rising too quickly, but Ashton managed to endure it.
Right now, his body is undergoing a complete transformation under the solidified blood that's encasing him. It's like he's experiencing rebirth actually. His physique was being constructed again by a mystical force as his consciousness floats somewhere.
Ashton's getting closer and closer to becoming a complete Human/Fey Hybrid.
Yes, despite aiming to reach 100% purity of his Fey Bloodline, Ashton wouldn't become a full Fey whether he likes it or not. His origins were that of a Human and that's something that he can't escape. Still, this is for the best actually, all he wanted from the bloodline was their natural attunement to nature and mana anyways.
After who knows how long, Ashton started returning to the present. He could feel himself plunging slowly to somewhere until he starts gaining his bearings back.
The more self-aware he becomes, the more he found himself amazed and awed. His transformation was nearly done, just a couple more adjustments and he'll regain full control over his body.
'Oh wow...' Ashton exclaimed inwardly as he paid attention to the changes on his body. 'This is ridiculous! The amount of Mana I possess practically doubled in size!'
'My Mana reserves are already quite absurd due to my cultivation technique, yet now it doubled even more? Doesn't this seem like I have a reservoir or a dam for my mana reserves?'
'And it doesn't stop there either.' He mused to himself, 'Mana is literally weaved in me on a cellular level! Like, every single cell on my body has been refined by mana itself. This is absurd!'
'My Elementary Mana Physique must've evolved after this right? It should be at peak Intermediate Stage or mid-Advanced Stage Mana Physique. There's no way this is the Complete Mana Physique since Mana can't reach my soul yet. I'd be aware of that it that's the case.'
Mana Physique, one of the benefits he got for having the Virtue of Mana as his first Virtue, is divided into; Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, and Complete Stages. Each stage is divided into sub-ranks such as; early, mid, late, and peak grades.
Having the Mana Physique is already a great blessing for a Mage, but refining that physique even further is something that is not easy to do, but if it's achieved, then the strength of the said Mage was destined to rise explosively.
Mana flowed in Ashton's body like an unstoppable tide. Every circulation grants him an astonishing amount of vitality and energy. Additionally, due to Ashton's repeated refinements of his Mana, its quality was unmatched.
His mana took on a pristine azure hue, a sign of its sheer purity, it is also in its liquid form which is a sign of its density.
'My core is absorbing the excess mana on my body, but due to how much there is, it's taking some time. Well, that's fine. It's a good problem to have, at least now, the least of my worries is the running out of mana in the middle of a fight.'
'Hell, on sheer mana density alone, some Sorcerers might not even be my match.' Ashton pursed his lips as he thought of this.
After waiting for a bit more time, Ashton finally got a reaction. He instinctively knew that the process was done.
Ashton released the weakest pulse of mana from his body, one that is strong enough to blast the solidified blood casing on his body away, reducing it to dust particles.
Ashton's new body, in its naked glory, was revealed...
Fresh out of his transformation, his skin was tender pink, it looked soft but make no mistake, ordinary cold weapons would only leave a white mark on it due to their durability.
Ashton got taller again, he's 6'5 feet tall at 16 years old, which is a little absurd. His physique is still lean but packed in strength.
The sad part about this is that Ashton lost all hair on his body. Yes, he's bald, got no eyebrows, and has no pubes either. All of it was gone. It went away with all of the solidified blood that encased himself earlier.
Nevertheless, Ashton didn't mind any of this. If anything, he just feels at ease and extremely serene at this point.
He opened his eyes, revealing his heterochromatic pair of eyes. One gold and the other blue with an ancient character meaning 'purity' written on the iris. He stared at the System's Notification blaring in front of him.
[Fey Bloodline Purity reached 95%]
[Providence: Fey Emperor's Blessings (Grade ???), greatly boosted!]
[Synergy Detected!]
[Providence: Fey Emperor's Blessings synergizes with Title: Child of Mana]
[Synergy Results: Mana Physique upgraded to mid-Advanced Stage!]
[Congratulations Host, you're only a step away from becoming a true Fey-Human Descendant.]
Ashton took a deep breath and clenched his hand, feeling strength coursing through his body. Honestly, this sensation was kind of addicting. No wonder many people chase after the path of strength so much.
On top of that, he felt like he could sense something transcendent. It's like he's now existing on a different peak compared to other people. It was bizarre yet a welcomed change.
'Well, I just hope that Aria will still love me even though I'm as hairless as a newborn baby...' Ashton mockingly thought to himself.
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