"The rings worked in mysterious ways. Only when the heir touched them did they work. If someone else touched the rings, the rings killed them and devoured them whole."
"Throughout the thousands of years, the rings were found by many, and they devoured many, but the real heir wasn't found," Long Tian said.
"Until I came along? Is that right? Wait, how did Tian Shen get trapped in a mirror then? From what I understood after hearing Xun's thoughts, she needs to use me to get him out of the mirror. How did he get trapped there? Or was it that she was faking it because she knew I was able to read her thoughts?" Long Chen asked, surprised.
"She herself doesn't know it. She was created by him. She still thinks that Tian Shen is the real origin of the bloodline. In her mind, she believes that the fake bloodline temple is the real one. She thought that he made some mistake and got caught in his own creation, which was why he needed an heir who could get stronger and help him get out."
"In reality, Tian Shen is not trapped there. I don't know where he is since he didn't enter the Bloodline Temple from the moment he went to sleep after creating Xun. I'm not even sure if he has awakened or not," Long Tian muttered.
It was all too much for Long Chen to take, but he was still keeping up to it, trying to form a timeline of events in his head.
"Why did Xun need me to get stronger and go to the mirror then? Why isn't that guy coming to kill me already?" he asked.
"It's because he doesn't need to, I believe. That mirror isn't what you think it is. It's a treasure created by him to suck bloodline. As soon as you get strong and touch the mirror, all your blood will be sucked, and you will be left to die. That's the real purpose of the mirror. Tian Shen would be informed of it. He can simply walk in the Fake Bloodline Temple and take the mirror which has all the blood he needs," Long Tian explained.
"As for why he simply doesn't kill you and take your blood now, it is probably because he's unsure. He wants you to get stronger so you can Awaken your actual bloodline completely. That's what he is after. This time, he doesn't want an unawakened bloodline, but a fully awakened one. So the Fake Bloodline Temple is to give you a starting edge," he continued.
"Since Xun doesn't know about the real Bloodline Temple, I guess the one I was going in trials was the fake one? All the rewards I received were from a fake one?" Long Chen asked, sighing.
"The rewards were real. They were the ones that Tian Shen found on the first floor of the Real Bloodline Temple. He just shifted them to the fake one for you," Long Tian said.
"Awakening the bloodline is the toughest job, which is proven by the fact that no one has been able to do it since the time immemorial. One can only enter the real Bloodline Temple after their bloodline is fully Awakened. As Tian Shen was a Variant that stole the bloodline, he got access somehow, but even he couldn't get to the second floor. The real Bloodline inheritors can't enter without awakening a full hundred percent of the bloodline."
"After going through all the books on the first floor, he found out about the ways to awaken bloodline slowly, which was useless for him since he couldn't do it because of his fake bloodline that he stole. He used those methods and created the trials to make it easier for the heir to awaken. That's why your bloodline was walking up after finishing the trials of the Fake Bloodline Temple. Even I'm surprised how he was able to do so much," Long Tian muttered. There was clear amazement in his voice.
"So I was nothing but a rat in the big scheme of things whose whole purpose was to be a staircase that led Tian Shen to the second floor," Long Chen let out, sighing.
"That's one way to look at it." Long Tian said.
Long Chen could see that the place was slowly filling up with light, or maybe his eyes were adjusting to eternal darkness as he was able to see someone before him.
He could see Long Tian, who looked as old as him.
"You look like me. I thought you would be ten years old," Long Chen muttered softly.
"Oh, you're able to see now. It's good." Long Tian nodded his head.
"I still can't feel anything," Long Chen described.
"It's fine. Don't worry about that."
" The solution is simple. I just don't have to touch the mirror after my Bloodline Awaken completely. It's like running away after eating without paying," Long Chen pointed out as he smiled.
"I can tell Xun the truth about Tian Shen since it's obvious she has fake memories too, but it's obvious that she would believe me," he continued lamenting.
"Wait a minute. Didn't you say that we are in the real Bloodline Temple? You also said that I couldn't enter the real Bloodline Temple unless I awakened my Bloodline completely. How am I here now, then?" He suddenly asked, frowning.
"You're not actually inside the Bloodline Temple officially. It's just the space that houses the consciousness. I'm linked to the Bloodline Temple after I came here, but you can't. You're just here temporarily since... Ah, you'll go back soon,"Long Tian answered.
Long Chen found it evident that Long Tian was hiding something from him.
"I'm here; why? What are you hiding from me?" Long Chen asked, sternly.
Long Tian hesitated for a second, wondering if it was alright to tell Long Chen. After some time, he answered, "Well, I guess I can tell you a little. Your body is being possessed by the one this bloodline originated from. He is taking care of the body. That's why you're here. You'll go back outside after he is done."
"The Origin of the bloodline? The Creator of the real Bloodline Temple that even Tian Shen can't enter? Who is he?" Long Chen asked in amazement.
"He is someone really great. Even I couldn't believe him when I found out," Long Tian muttered.
"Is he a god?" Long Chen asked, baffled.
"You can call him a god, or you can call him the God who created the gods. You can even call him the origin of this world. I'm unsure how to describe him myself," Long Tian answered.