Qin Yuanzhi pressed a stack of silver notes into Qin Yuechi's hands. "Take this. You'll need it."

  Qin Yuechi hesitated, then nodded. A mother's pride bent to necessity.

  "Thank you, Second Brother."

  Qin Ying teased Qin Chen: "You've changed. Less timid, more… cheeky."

  "Can't a man admire beauty?" Qin Chen grinned, dodging her playful swat.

  West DistrictThe cramped house Qin Yuechi purchased stood in a humble neighborhood. Bare walls, a dusty courtyard—but theirs.

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  As night fell, Qin Chen sat cross-legged in his sparse room, resolve hardening. The Qins will regret this.

  Five Days LaterEmpty vials littered the floor—remnants of the Awakening Serum he'd brewed. A formula unknown in this backwater kingdom, it amplified latent bloodline traces.

  Now, he stood before the Bloodline Sanctuary—a towering edifice rivaling the Artificer Hall. Crowds thronged its gates: anxious parents, wide-eyed youths, and armored warriors.

  Unlike the privileged students of Astral Academy, who received annual bloodline awakenings, commoners paid exorbitant fees here for the same hope.

  Qin Chen gazed at the Sanctuary's sigil—a coiled dragon devouring its tail. His past life's memories surged.

  Time to awaken what's mine.

  He stepped through the archway, destiny humming in his veins.