Chapter 1695: Allegiance [9]
A dragon's Universe Baptism was different from what a human went through.
The concept was the same. The universe would ask them to prove their worthiness through a series of tests. If they succeeded, then they'd be allowed to proceed to the next level.
Dragons didn't have a class system. They trained like beasts, which was why their system relied more on bloodlines and the like. They passed the 4th class barrier to be granted a purified bloodline. Later, they would challenge the world to become Godbeasts.
Only Holy Dragons could be considered True Godbeasts, but they weren't the only dragons to reach this level.
Theoretically speaking, any dragon could become a Godbeast.
The 4th class barrier was exactly their opportunity. If they managed to cross it, all of them could gain bloodlines akin to nobles and the potential to improve them even further.
Sure, it was a long and arduous road to get to that point, but if the commoners knew that it existed, would they care?
If they also had the chance to become powerful, then wouldn't most of them immediately leap at it?
August had a bloodline whose power couldn't be unlocked so easily. The 4th class barrier was actually the start for him. Only at that level would he have the mana necessary to properly showcase the strength of an Azure Dragon.
August had gotten closer to the seas to prepare for this moment. With the ability to somewhat harness their power already, the version of him that would come to be after the Baptism would be able to immediately access immense power.
And, since his starting point was higher, his Baptism would be on another level compared to those dragons without much lineage.
He knew all of these things before it even started.
Still, he didn't expect it to be as hard as it was.
Just like most other things in the universe, the Baptism was separated into a mind trial and a body trial.
The body trial was relatively easy. It had to do with a lot of pain, and August's endurance wasn't the best, but Damien had trained him enough for this level to be manageable.
He was forged. His dragon body became more complete, more regal.
Through the bodily trial, his bloodline was purified as well.
The Azure Dragon bloodline was one of the purest lineages in the entirety of draconic history. Qinglong created his own Godbeast species when he rose, and technically speaking, August was his only direct descendant.
As such, all of the purity Qinglong had achieved throughout his lifetime was transferred to August.
The universe didn't have much to do.
But, the heavens took such truths as a challenge.
When faced with something approaching perfection, it strived to show that perfection was only a concept to it.
The universe was above everything.
Even if it was the purest of draconic lineages, it could be enhanced or destroyed as the universe desired.
Only, it took a bit more work.
August found himself submerged in magma. His water-based bloodline heavily rejected its interference and rebelled, but that was exactly what the heavens wanted.
The power of Azure rose up and consumed everything that August's body had. It used every ounce of mana, every ounce of vitality, and every ounce of spirit to fight back against the heavenly flames.
The fight between the most supreme form of each element was destructive. August's body was torn apart and forced to reconstruct itself in a better form.
The Azure Dragon lineage made sure that he reached a point where fire could never claim superiority over him.
As for his bloodline itself...
It was provoked to improve on its own through the circumstances the heavens placed it in, but the universe also added a twinge of its power, as if a sign of respect to the bloodline that made it feel challenged.
While all of that was taking place, August was elsewhere.
His mind was put to the ultimate test.
In this regard, nobody was spared.
Anyone who reached 4th class and beyond needed to have purpose.
It didn't matter if that purpose was good or evil, large or small. It just had to be strong enough to carry them through the nigh-
impossible levels of training that would come in the future.
That ideal would become engrained in a practitioner's soul, and when the time came to form a Divinity, it would act as a foundation.
For Damien, that desire was power.
He wanted to see the peak of everything. It was something he desired so much that he was willing to die multiple times for it.
For August, it was something even simpler.
He just wanted to be a hero, same as ever.
That desire was once childish. He had to admit that there was a point in time when he didn't know what supporting the people entailed, but it was different now.
In just a few months, he'd seen how harsh and cruel the world could be.
Being a hero didn't just mean saving people. It meant sacrificing himself for their sake, taking their pain on his own body so they could be shielded.
Was he prepared for that?
Did he really want to live a life that belonged to everyone but him?
It was definitely a question he had to ask himself, but oddly enough, the answer wasn't that hard to find.
He wanted to do it.
Despite all of the downsides, he felt that it was his life's purpose to play that role.
Just as Melania made the decision to end her lineage for the sake of power, August was willing to become a puppet of justice if it meant bringing peace to the world.
Not many people could make that decision. Even those who did came to regret it when they got older.
Still, regrets were for a different August to deal with. The current version of him felt nothing but steely determination to accomplish everything he set out to achieve.
The universe made August experience the pain and suffering that he'd likely experience in the future. It showed him the scenarios where he'd lose people, it showed him the times he would lose faith in people, and it showed him the times when he'd question everything and wonder if all of his sacrifices were worth anything.
He truly had to understand the weight of his decision, because he couldn't take it back once he'd made it.
This would define his future path. If he deviated from it, then he would suffer in a completely different way.
A whirlpool formed in the ocean as the barrier of world energy around him disrupted its flow.
Many a member of the water dragon clans was alerted to the commotion and came to watch.
What they witnessed was a heavenly phenomenon that couldn't be suppressed.
The seas danced around the world energy barrier like children who'd received their Christmas presents. A myriad of oceanic creatures swarmed the vicinity and followed the currents, as if practicing a sacred ceremony lost in time.
It was a beautiful sight that almost nobody was aware of, taking place in the middle of a sea that spanned too far away from Arulion for the kingdom's authority to hold weight.
Here, at just ten years old and barely even approaching eleven, August Void reached 4th class.
He was the first dragon in the history of their species to accomplish such a feat.