Chapter 30: Blood Nourished

In the water, the old turtle possessed formidable strength. Even if it could not win in a fight, it only needed to withdraw its head, and there were few creatures capable of breaking through its defenses. Yet, in the ancient city where there was no water, it was nothing more than a turtle; no matter how great its abilities, it could not stir up even the smallest ripple.

"Old thing, I've saved the task of cleaning the toilets for you," Lin Qiu sneered, a sinister smile curling his lips as he slipped through the narrow gap in the ancient city gate.

The City Lord’s Mansion, the largest and tallest structure in the city, was its very heart. Horses could gallop within its halls, and as Lin Qiu ran swiftly, he glanced around, his eyes taking in every detail. Everywhere he looked, the air was steeped in refined elegance, and he felt a surge of awe rise within him. This underwater world from a previous civilization, the wisdom of these aquatic beings, was truly astonishing. Compared to it, the modern civilization humanity takes such pride in paled into insignificance.

“What?” Lin Qiu’s expression changed abruptly. He went from movement to stillness in an instant, his momentum carrying him across the ground and leaving a charred mark—a trace left by the friction between his shoes and the floor.

“I’ll hit you!”
“I’ll hit you too!”
“I’ll kill you!”
“I’ll kill you too!”

That was what he heard. What he saw was this: in a vast room, before a ten-meter-tall ancient stone stele, two merfolk stood. One punched, the other kicked. Both wore expressions of pain, but their actions were mechanical, not stopping for a moment. Each blow drawn from the other caused them to cough up blood onto the stele, staining it with a mysterious crimson glow.

“System, what is this?” Lin Qiu inhaled sharply, curiosity piqued.

“The Ancient City Stele—a high-tech artifact infused with genetic code. To gain complete control, it must be watered with blood,” the system replied. “Within blood are genetic numbers. The stele is the lock, genes are the key. To open this lock, blood must serve as the key.” The system continued, “Host, observe the red progress bar at the base of the stele.”

Lin Qiu instinctively looked at the stele. At the top of its gray, ancient surface, a streak of red began to spread, seeping through the whole stone as the progress bar rose, like water swelling with the tide.

“What does this even mean?!” Lin Qiu’s voice trembled, anxiety gnawing at his heart.

“Host, be confident—it’s exactly as you suspect,” the system answered, perfectly attuned to Lin Qiu’s thoughts.

Lin Qiu’s mind raced: Would the progress bar rise until the entire stele was covered?

The system’s words sent a chill through him. This was a ten-meter-tall stele, two meters wide, twenty centimeters thick. The two merfolk, with each punch and kick, only managed to advance the progress bar by a tiny fraction with their blood. Ten meters high, two meters wide, twenty centimeters thick—would the blood in his body be enough to fill it to overflowing?

He faltered.

“System, I don’t want to play this game anymore. Maybe I’ll just go back outside,” he muttered, wiping cold sweat from his brow, shaken.

“The Ancient City Stele task has begun. If the host wishes to fail the task, lose upgrade points, or even regress in level, you may go outside,” the system warned. “Friendly reminder: retreating feels good for a moment. Keep retreating, and you’ll feel good forever—perhaps soon you’ll regress to a single cell, and after that, there will be nothing left.”

“I…” Lin Qiu’s face changed dramatically. The blow was too hard to bear. If he failed, he truly might become a mere cell.

“System, does watering the Ancient City Stele have to be with my own blood?”

“Exactly!” The system replied crisply, “Only one gene can achieve complete control over the stele.”

“I… I’ll risk it!” Lin Qiu’s voice quivered. “The bold survive, the timid starve. If there’s one thing I have plenty of, it’s blood.” He drew a deep breath and roared, “Let me do it!”

He suddenly accelerated, rushing up to the Ancient City Stele, striking the two merfolk hard with his hands and feet. The two, dazed from their mutual combat, were stunned by his interference. Their bloodshot eyes filled with fury.

“Courting death!” The merfolk bellowed, “Let’s hit him!” Their fists and feet crashed heavily onto Lin Qiu’s body.

“Damn it!” Lin Qiu grimaced, the pain almost exhilarating. Two mouthfuls of blood sprayed onto the stele. The blood seeped in, the genes within it began to swirl and embed themselves. At the base of the stele, a thin, hair-width red progress bar appeared.

Seeing this tiny advance, Lin Qiu felt his heart race with fear.

“Is my blood really enough for this?”

“Who was the unlucky fool that designed this cruel device?”

He trembled, coughing up blood again and again. The two merfolk, now of one mind, continued to beat him relentlessly. After a few seconds, the progress bars representing their genes vanished from the stele, leaving only Lin Qiu’s genetic progress bar.

“System, what’s happening?” Lin Qiu’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of dread flooding him.

“As you thought, host: once blood watering ceases, all previous progress is lost,” the system said, making him shudder.

He clenched his teeth, wrapping his arms around the stele, refusing to let go no matter how viciously he was beaten.

“Even if I’m killed, I won’t let go!” he growled through gritted teeth.

“Ah!” Two agonized screams burst from the merfolk’s mouths. At that moment, they realized their genes had been purged by the stele. This was their painstaking effort!

“I’ll kill you!” One merfolk’s eyes were so red they seemed ready to bleed. After so much suffering, so much blood lost, who knew when they could replenish it—but now, all was wasted!

The other came to his senses, his pale face tinged with despair. “It’s over, everything’s over!” he moaned in frustration, then, with bloodshot eyes, joined his companion in launching a murderous assault against Lin Qiu.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Thunderous explosions echoed through the City Lord’s Mansion.

Lin Qiu clenched his jaws, silently vowing, “When I become city lord, the first thing I’ll do is offer you both as sacrifices.”

Still, he anxiously asked the system, “Will I be beaten to death?”

The merfolk were ruthless, treating Lin Qiu as if he were their mortal enemy.

The system replied, “No. Upon entering, you are bound by the ancient city’s system—no matter how you’re beaten, even if you’re on the brink of death, you will not die.”

“That’s good, that’s good!” Lin Qiu exhaled in relief, feeling that the ancient city’s designer was, after all, rather considerate.