Chapter 159 – Preparing for Evolution

Chapter 159: Chapter 159 – Preparing for Evolution

The next three days passed quickly.

Instead of immediately leaving for the eastern boundary, Azrael and Seraphina focused on preparing their bodies for the breakthrough into the Transcendent Origin Realm. Orion had warned them that reaching the next realm wasn’t simply a matter of accumulating enough energy. Their bodies and souls had to withstand the transformation, and attempting it before they were ready could damage their foundations.

The academy provided them with several resources to begin the process. Azrael received a vial containing a dark silver liquid called Origin Tempering Essence, while Seraphina was given a crystal filled with concentrated life energy. Both resources were normally reserved for elite students who had reached the peak of Mortal Origin.

Azrael sat inside a private cultivation chamber with the vial floating before him. He opened it and immediately felt the energy inside react to his Aetherion bloodline. The dark silver liquid began circulating around his body without him even touching it.

His System appeared.

Rare Resource Detected

Origin Tempering Essence

Compatibility with Aetherion Bloodline: 97%

Recommended Usage: Begin body refinement.

Azrael consumed it.

The energy exploded through his body.

His muscles tightened as dense Origin energy entered every part of his body. His bones began absorbing the energy while his Aetherion bloodline reacted violently, forcing the transformation deeper into his physical foundation.

Azrael clenched his teeth.

"That’s stronger than I expected."

The pressure continued for several minutes before finally settling.

He checked his status.

Aetherion Bloodline

Evolution Progress: 74% → 76%

Physical Foundation Strengthened

Origin Energy Capacity Increased

Azrael opened his eyes.

The improvement was immediately noticeable.

His body felt lighter, but the energy inside him was considerably denser.

He stood and swung Astraeus.

The sword cut through the air with far more force than before.

Azrael smiled.

"Not bad."

Across the academy, Seraphina was undergoing her own refinement.

She sat inside a circular formation surrounded by seven glowing crystals. Unlike Azrael’s refinement, hers was almost completely silent. Golden energy flowed from the crystals into her body, merging with her Genesis Bloom bloodline.

Her wings appeared behind her.

The six golden wings slowly expanded as the energy entered them.

Seraphina’s expression tightened.

The life energy was so concentrated that her body struggled to contain it.

She guided it carefully through her core, allowing the energy to strengthen her bloodline instead of simply increasing her reserves.

After nearly an hour, the formation finally dimmed.

Her System appeared.

Genesis Bloom Bloodline Strengthened

Genesis Bloom Understanding: 79% → 82%

Evolution Progress Increased

76% → 78%

New Trait Detected

Blooming Core

Effect: Greatly improves the efficiency of Genesis energy within the user’s body.

Seraphina stared at the final notification.

"A new trait?"

She examined the changes inside her body and immediately noticed the difference. Her Genesis energy no longer felt as if it was simply circulating through her core. It was being produced and refined more efficiently, giving her greater control over her abilities.

She stood and summoned a small flower.

The flower appeared instantly.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds, dozens of golden flowers covered the chamber.

Seraphina smiled.

"I like this."

She dismissed them and left the room.

The twins met later that afternoon in the academy’s combat arena.

They wanted to test the improvements before their expedition.

Several instructors had gathered around the arena after hearing about their upcoming breakthrough attempt.

Darius was among them.

He looked at Azrael.

"So you’ve finally decided to stop sitting at the peak."

Azrael smiled. "Apparently."

Darius laughed. "Good. I was getting tired of fighting someone who refused to advance."

Seraphina stepped onto the arena floor.

"Are you challenging him again?"

"Not today."

Darius looked at both twins.

"I want to see how much stronger you have become."

The academy instructor activated the arena.

Three combat constructs appeared.

They were stronger than the ones Azrael had fought earlier, each one possessing enough power to challenge a Peak Mortal Origin cultivator.

Azrael drew Astraeus.

Seraphina raised her staff.

The constructs attacked.

Azrael moved first.

His sword struck the nearest construct, but instead of cutting through its armor, the impact pushed it backward several meters.

Azrael’s eyes narrowed.

"Stronger."

The second construct attacked him from the side.

He blocked, rotated with the impact, and used the momentum to slash across its exposed core.

The construct’s armor split.

At the same time, Seraphina surrounded the third construct with golden vines.

The creature tore through them.

Seraphina immediately changed tactics.

Instead of creating more vines, she created several small Genesis Spears and launched them from different angles.

The construct blocked the first two.

The third struck its shoulder.

The fourth pierced its chest.

The fifth destroyed its core.

The entire arena became quiet.

Darius smiled.

"Your control improved."

Seraphina lowered her staff.

"So did his."

Azrael was still fighting.

The damaged construct suddenly released a powerful shockwave.

Azrael’s feet slid backward.

He planted Astraeus into the ground and stopped himself.

Then his eyes changed.

Oblivion gathered around the sword.

A single black slash crossed the arena.

The construct stopped.

A moment later, its damaged armor separated cleanly from its functioning core.

Azrael had removed only the portion that had become unstable.

The instructors exchanged surprised looks.

Darius nodded slowly.

"You’ve become much more precise."

Azrael looked at Astraeus.

"The power increased too."

His System appeared.

Oblivion Judgment

Skill Mastery Increased

Current Rank: Epic

Progress toward next evolution: 63%

Azrael dismissed the notification.

He could feel the difference in his ability.

The power of Oblivion had not simply become stronger.

Its application had become faster and more precise.

Seraphina looked toward him.

"My turn."

She raised her staff.

Golden light spread across the arena.

The damaged construct suddenly began repairing itself.

Seraphina’s Genesis energy followed the damaged structure and restored its broken sections.

The construct returned to full strength.

Darius stared.

"You repaired it just to fight it again?"

Seraphina smiled.

"Of course."

The instructors laughed.

The construct charged.

Seraphina’s six wings opened.

Her new Blooming Core released a dense wave of Genesis energy.

"Genesis Bloom."

Hundreds of golden flowers appeared throughout the arena.

The flowers immediately transformed into vines, blades, and protective barriers.

The construct became trapped within the growing formation.

Seraphina closed her hand.

The entire structure contracted.

The construct was defeated.

Her System appeared.

Genesis Bloom

Skill Level: 8

Skill Mastery Increased

Seraphina looked at the notification with satisfaction.

Azrael walked over.

"Level eight already."

She smiled.

"And you’re still at level fourteen Combat Insight."

"That’s because I’m focusing on swordsmanship."

"Excuses."

"You’re just proud of yourself."

"I am."

The two laughed.

Their progress was beginning to accelerate.

The next morning, Orion arrived at their residence with the final preparations for the eastern expedition.

Behind him were several academy members, supplies, and two sealed storage boxes containing the resources they would need to support their breakthrough.

Orion placed the boxes on the table.

"We’ll travel directly to the eastern boundary. Once we reach the location of the seventh pathway, we’ll follow it beyond the current network."

Azrael looked at the supplies.

"And the resources for our breakthrough?"

"Some of them are inside these boxes. The rest are believed to exist beyond the eastern boundary."

Seraphina immediately became interested.

"Do you know what we’re looking for?"

Orion nodded.

"For you, a Genesis Crystal capable of supporting bloodline evolution. For Azrael, an Oblivion Core formed inside a high-level corrupted creature."

Azrael’s expression became serious.

"A creature strong enough to naturally form an Oblivion Core?"

"Yes."

Orion looked at both twins.

"Which means your expedition may become considerably more dangerous than the previous ones."

Azrael picked up Astraeus.

"Good."

Seraphina smiled as she summoned her wings.

"Then we’ll finally have something worth fighting."

The expedition team departed the academy later that morning.

This time, the eastern forest was not their destination.

They were heading beyond it.

Their goal was simple: find the resources required for their next evolution, defeat whatever stood in their way, and break through into the Transcendent Origin Realm.

For Azrael and Seraphina, the next stage of their growth had officially begun.