Age of Adepts

At this stage in the World of Adept’s development, research on bloodline talent had already reached a peak. However, most research was kept, monopolized, and sealed away from the outside world by large adept organizations.

However, such monopolization was only concerning low and mid-grade adepts. Third Grade adepts like Greem already had far too many means by which to come in contact with such taboo content.

Not counting the three major adept organizations, there were still plenty of adept forces in Zhentarim that were known for their synthesized bloodlines. For example, the Holopole Clan of the Thousand Needlepine Region, the Gulet Clan of Whitevalley Riverlands, and the Kaedwen Clan of Flotsam.

These clans had raised many famous adepts through their massive knowledge reserves on bloodline synthesis and were powerful forces in their respective regions. That said, synthesizing bloodlines were not a proper path of advancement. The more bloodlines of powerful creatures one assimilated, the more power the adept would gain, but the lower their development potential would be.

Almost all synthesized bloodline adepts faced a complicated issue– the loss of the ability to improve themselves and continue advancing!

Did you wish to advance even further? Sure, the only way to do that was to assimilate more powerful and more excellent bloodlines. If one couldn’t find or gather such bloodlines, then their power would not improve at all.

If one were to step on the path of synthesized bloodlines, they would have to continue walking on this narrow path without having the chance to turn back. They would turn themselves into monsters without humanity, and all the weird bloodlines they had assimilated caused them to lose the capacity to create descendants.

It was said that the descendants of synthesized bloodline adepts were all monsters, without exception!

The fact that there were so many strange creatures, corruptors, and mutants in the Worlds of Adepts was in no small part due to the work of these bloodline assimilators.

To reduce the side-effects caused by assimilating bloodlines, these adepts had to regularly consume bloodline synthesis potions to ease the conflict between all of their complicated bloodlines.

That was why the Chip’s first suggestion was to purchase bloodline reconciling agents to reduce the conflict between the fire dragon bloodline and Meryl’s elementium talent. However, if she were to do so, there was a possibility Meryl would mutate into a strange dragon-human hybrid.

The dragonborn were likely created in this manner!

Greem was obviously not too taken by this proposal.

What was so compelling about the fire dragon’s bloodline? Its sturdy body, excellent magical resistance, and natural affinity for fire elementium.

What was powerful about a human adept’s talent? Their wisdom, vast knowledge reserves, and their superior intelligence.

If this assimilation would damage Meryl’s intelligence, then the value of the operation would fall exponentially and become worthless. Rather than turn Meryl into a half-human, half-dragon monster, Greem would have been better off turning the female fire dragon into his pet.

After some consideration, Greem quickly gave up on this idea.

“Second proposal: bloodline devouring.”

“Have the fire dragon bloodline completely replace Meryl’s original bloodline by having it devour the other, forming a new and stable bloodline legacy.”

“Pros: Meryl can perfectly inherit the entire legacy of the Third Grade fire dragon. Cons: Meryl will deviate from a human adept existence and become a dragon.”

This proposal also fell short of Greem’s ideal requirements.

He didn’t want to create another female fire dragon known as Meryl after just killing one known as Philippa.

The path of an adept was one that should not be abandoned!

“Third proposal: bloodline enhancement.

“Modify Meryl’s body gradually using the fire dragon bloodline, allowing subject to gradually get used to and accept the bloodline, thereby forming a balance between the human body and the fire dragon bloodline. In the end, the foreign bloodline will assimilate with the host in the form of magic enchancement.

“Related information on such bloodline enhancement can be obtained by referring to draconic sorcerers.”

Greem narrowed his eyes and couldn’t help but seriously consider the idea of bloodline enhancement.

It was the method he was most familiar with.

His current lifeform state belonged to the realm of bloodline enhancement.

He had talents and specializations related to the human body, but for the most part, both his flesh body and Spirit had been elementiumized. Greem could quickly turn into a fire elementium creature if he were willing to abandon the last shred of the burden that was his human body.

However, if he did that, he would be rejected by the World of Adepts and would end up wandering in foreign realms like the Fire Elementium Plane.

As such, Greem still possessed a human body and an adept’s bloodline. The fire elementium modification was only a magical ability of his. Though this would reduce some of the power of his fire spells, it allowed him to retain the most valuable parts of being an adept.

Judging by this, there was nothing wrong with Meryl stepping on the same path as him; a similar path of bloodline enhancement!

Having made his decision, Greem quickly drew up a bloodline modification plan for Meryl.

For the first week, Meryl was forced to become a glutton, eating every four hours, and eating fifteen kilograms of fire dragon meat for every meal. In this manner, Greem would force Meryl to swallow fire dragon meat several times her body weight in a single day.

The meat had all undergone processing by Greem. It had been soaked in magical potions and liquids. Apart from improving Meryl’s absorption of the fire elementium essence, it would also enhance Meryl’s affinity for fire elementium. Greem mixed the last remaining Fire Essences he had into these potions for Meryl’s consumption.

All Meryl had to do daily was to meditate repeatedly to hasten the digestion of the Fire Essence within the meat. She would often have to start eating before her last meal had been completely digested.

Every time, Meryl would stare at the large chunks of fire dragon meat with a sickly green face before opening her mouth wide and stuffing it all down her throat with the spirit of a desperado. She would straighten her neck and swallow the meat even if she was choking and on the verge of collapse.

The dense essence of fire within the fire dragon steaks constantly radiated out, turning her skin bright-red as the vicious fire elementium particles ravaged her insides and disrupted her earth elementium circulation.

In this manner, she was tortured by Greem’s insane meal plans for seven days before successfully entering the second phase.

One had to admit that Greem’s plan, though somewhat insane and cruel, had produced a pronounced effect on Meryl’s Physique.

Before the whole ordeal, Meryl’s elementium affinity chart showed absolutely no affinity with fire elementium. However, after the experience, her fire elementium affinity had jumped all the way to become her second-best affinity, almost at the same level as her earth elementium affinity.

For the second phase, Greem started bloodline modification on Meryl. He opened up her chest and cut a small opening in her heart, where he transplanted the fire dragon bloodline rune.

An operation like this was child’s play for adepts like them. It couldn’t be simpler.

After the transplantation was complete, Greem took out a diluted bottle of moonwater and slowly poured it into Meryl’s abdominal cavity. As the jade-green liquid washed over her organs, the small cut on her beating heart quickly healed. Her chest also required no stitching. Greem simply pressed her skin together and washed it with moonwater. When the blood was all washed off, only smooth skin could be seen.

No anesthetics had been used throughout the operation. Meryl calmly observed the entire procedure performed by her teacher with the help of a mirror.

Once the operation was completed, Greem placed his hand on Meryl’s chest and silently sensed the bloodline rune sealed within her heart. He asked softly, “Are you ready?”

Meryl gritted her teeth and nodded, “Don’t worry, teacher, I am ready!”

“Very well!” Greem replied. His fingers waved through the air, creating a rune formed of red fire which slowly lowered into Meryl’s body.

The effect of the fire rune caused the seal on the bloodline rune within Meryl’s heart to loosen. A trace of fire dragon bloodline seeped through and was quickly absorbed by Meryl’s beating heart.

“Ah!”

Meryl was calm and composed, but her skin had now turned blood-red, covered with red splotches. Her slender naked body arched upward as she let out a small breath of yellow flames from her mouth.

In that one instant, the fire essence from the fire dragon bloodline boiled her blood and nearly cooked most of her organs.

Greem grabbed with his right hand, and the fire rune floated out of Meryl’s body. The uproar from the bloodline rune also faded away.

Meryl moaned in agony as she turned and drank a bottle of healing potion, before shutting her eyes and waiting for her organs to heal. The tens of thousands of wounds gradually recovered due to the effect of the potion, but the terrifying pain from being burned by that fire had been etched into Meryl’s mind and soul.

After seven minutes, Meryl felt her body and mind calm down once again. She then opened her eyes and nodded firmly at Greem.

Thus, the fire rune entered her body once more, inciting the bloodline rune again.

“Ah!”

Meryl’s suppressed cry of pain lingered and echoed in the lab. Her naked body was now as red as a rose, and her skin was covered in large beads of sweat.

Even with the buffer from earlier and the experience of the first time, the burning pain from all over her body still tortured Meryl endlessly. Her slender body curled into a ball and her muscles spasmed from the pain. Her body trembled intensely as her cries filled the room over and over.

This time, it took Meryl fifteen minutes to regain control.

When she secretly glanced at the fire rune hovering above her, fear and hesitation could be seen in her eyes.

However, the thought of becoming stronger was far stronger than the pain itself.

After collecting herself, Meryl gritted her teeth and once again nodded at her teacher.

The next second, howls of agony and suffering filled the room.