Chapter 20: Awakening of the Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit

The air buzzed with energy, thick and heavy, as Feng stood motionless, holding the pulsating Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit in his hand. His heart hammered in his chest as he watched the intricate patterns on the fruit's surface shift and glow, absorbing the liquefied spiritual energy that continued to pour into the barn.

The intensity of the energy was suffocating. Feng could feel his meridians straining to keep up, his body feverishly working to circulate the overwhelming power flooding into him. Sweat beaded on his forehead as the sensation of being on the edge of something monumental gripped him.

His thoughts raced. What is this fruit? Why now?

Just as Feng was about to try channeling some of the energy himself, a sharp crack echoed through the barn, and the fruit in his hand split open. Feng's breath caught as he watched in awe. From within the fruit, a small, glowing seed floated into the air, surrounded by streams of spiritual energy. It hovered before him, spinning slowly, as if waiting for something. The seed was no bigger than a thumb, but its presence felt ancient and powerful, as though it held the weight of countless millennia.

At that moment, a deep voice boomed inside Feng's mind, startling him.

"The Dragon Vein awakens."

Feng's eyes widened in shock. The voice was vast and resonant, carrying an authority that felt otherworldly. Before he could react, the glowing seed shot toward him, embedding itself into his chest with a force that knocked the breath from his lungs. He stumbled backward, clutching his chest, his entire body wracked with pain as the seed fused with him.

Waves of power surged through his meridians, rushing through every part of his being. His body trembled violently, and Feng gasped for air, trying to hold on to his consciousness. The pain was excruciating, as if every bone in his body was being broken down and rebuilt from the inside out. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, and his veins bulged, glowing faintly with the energy of the Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit.

"This... this is too much!" Feng thought, his mind barely able to keep pace with what was happening to his body. He tried to direct the flow of spiritual energy, but the power of the fruit was too vast, too wild, to be fully controlled. His meridians screamed in protest, on the verge of collapse.

Just as he was about to lose himself to the overwhelming force, a presence stirred deep within him. The Eternal Flame Codex, the ancient golden tome that had long guided him, suddenly reacted. Its pages flipped open in his mind, glowing with an ethereal light. For the first time in days, Feng felt the Codex's power surge through him, and with it came a sense of stability.

"Focus," the voice of the Codex echoed within his mind, calmer than the ancient voice from before. "Control the flow. Use the Dragon Vein's power to refine your body."

Taking a deep breath, Feng forced himself to calm down, following the Codex's guidance. Slowly, painstakingly, he began to channel the immense power flowing through him, using the Eternal Flame Codex to regulate the energy. His body, still trembling, started to stabilize as the chaotic flow of power gradually came under control.

The seed in his chest pulsed with life, merging with his very being. Feng could feel the seed burrowing deeper into his core, intertwining with his spirit, his blood, and his bones. His body felt like it was being reforged, each cell filled with an ancient vitality that transcended anything he had ever experienced before.

Time passed in a blur. Feng wasn't sure how long he had stood there, wrestling with the raw, overwhelming energy of the Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit. Minutes? Hours? It didn't matter. All that mattered was the power coursing through him, power that felt boundless and primal, as though it was awakening something dormant inside him.

When the final surge of energy receded, Feng collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. His chest heaved as he looked down at his body, which was now radiating a faint golden glow. The seed had fully merged with him. He could feel it, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat, a constant source of untapped strength lying just beneath the surface.

His mind raced with a thousand questions. What had just happened? What was the true nature of the Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit? And what did this power mean for him?

As Feng sat there, trying to collect his thoughts, he felt a sudden shift in the air. The thick spiritual energy that had once suffused the barn was now gone, leaving only a faint residue in its place. Outside, the sky had darkened, and the distant sound of footsteps echoed toward him.

Feng quickly got to his feet, still unsteady but much stronger than before. As the footsteps grew closer, Lin Rou appeared at the entrance to the barn, his eyes wide with concern. Behind him was the old man, his expression unreadable, though his sharp eyes gleamed with curiosity as he took in the scene before him.

"What happened?" Lin Rou asked, his gaze darting between Feng and the scattered remains of the Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit.

Feng hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain what had just occurred. "I... I'm not sure," he finally said, his voice hoarse. "But something has changed."

The old man stepped forward, his eyes never leaving Feng. "That fruit... It was not just an ordinary relic, was it? There is something ancient in your aura now, something powerful." The old man took up the shattered shell of the fruit as he examined it closely.

Feng nodded, still feeling the new force coursing through him. "It's called the Dragon Vein Blood Bone Fruit. I didn't know it would awaken like this."

The old man's expression grew serious after hearing the name of the fruit. "You've absorbed its power, but you must be cautious. Power like that doesn't come without a cost. You've touched something very old, very dangerous."

Feng clenched his fists, feeling the strength of the Dragon Vein still thrumming inside him. Whatever lay ahead, one thing was clear: he had crossed a threshold, and there was no going back.

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