BTTH: Auto Cultivation System

Xiao Hua glanced at Gu Xun Er and saw that she was struggling to hold back tears. In a world where strength commands respect and weakness is despised, it was remarkable to see Ling Ying, a Dou Emperor, set aside his pride and bow to a mere Dou Practitioner. This gesture demonstrated his deep gratitude, loyalty, and affection for Xun Er.

'I guess she might not fully appreciate it due to her indifferent personality and reluctance to connect with others. I wonder why women in cultivation novels are often portrayed this way... Is it because their higher strength and status lead them to detach from worldly attachments?'

“You don’t need to worry about it, old man. This whole mess was caused by me in the first place, so it’s my responsibility to cure and save Xun Er. There’s no need for you to be concerned.”

Xiao Hua acknowledged that he had only caused problems for Gu Xun Er. If it hadn’t been for his system keeping silent about the strong reaction between the Gold Emperor Incinerating Flame and the Frozen Netherworld Fruit, he would have sought a different solution.

‘I definitely would have looked for another path. The pain from those lightning strikes is no joke. While I do know that it's my fault, at times like this I really wish the System would take the brunt of it instead of the pure and fragile me…’

Ling Ying raised his head and narrowed his eyes. Xiao Hua turned stiff, understanding that he was about to be questioned and remained quiet, waiting.

“Now then, let's continue with what both of us want an answer to. Let me start first, boy. What exactly is your bloodline?”

Without beating around the bush, Ling Ying instantly asked the question that had been bothering him ever since he saw the capability of that mysterious and powerful bloodline.

Fortunately, Xiao Hua had already prepared an answer, so he naturally responded without batting an eye.

“I don’t know. However, while I was sleeping, I saw a blurry scene. Within that scene, I saw my deceased parent walking through the forest, entering the mountain range. Although I could barely hear what they said, I could understand some parts of it. They mentioned re-awakening the bloodline of the Xiao Clan using a superior bloodline and the name of this bloodline.”

Hearing Xiao Hua's words surprised both of them. If what he said was true, it meant his parents knew about the Xiao Clan’s glorious past and were planning to awaken their bloodline through their methods.

This raised more questions. What actions led to the establishment of a bloodline surpassing even their Di Bloodline? From where did they discover this bloodline? Was there an ancient ruin nearby that spoke of this bloodline? Regrettably, these questions remained unanswerable, as those with knowledge of these matters had long since passed.

'Hehehe. From their reactions, it seems they really bought it. As expected, if the question is too difficult, just bullshit your way through. I’ve learned this trick from all the main characters in novels, and it’s surprisingly useful in real life as well—provided you know what to say and when to use it.'

Xiao Hua stayed silent to let them process this fabricated information, but inside he was amazed at his skill to bullshit his way through. Despite that, even he couldn’t help but feel bad for using his deceased parent for this.

“Is that so… What did they name this bloodline?” Ling Ying sighed in disappointment and asked another question.

“Heavenly Lightning Bloodline,” Xiao Hua answered without missing a beat.

That’s right, the bloodline he received from the A-C System is the bloodline of the main character from Martial God Asura, Chu Feng.

However, according to the A-C System notification, when Xiao Hua received the Heavenly Lightning Bloodline from the A-C System and it entered his body, it awakened the dormant and weakened Xiao Clan’s Dou Di Bloodline within him.

Once the Heavenly Lightning Bloodline was received, it fully awakened and immediately provoked the heavens. Realizing what the Heavenly Lightning Bloodline intended, Xiao Hua used the energy from the Lightning Tribulation and Lightning Punishment—strikes sent by the heavens—to fuse both bloodlines and the two Heavenly Lightning into a new type of bloodline.

Though he was annoyed by the A-C System’s casual naming of it as the Heavenly Lightning Bloodline (Xiao), feeling it was a challenge to true fans of Martial God Asura.

“Heavenly Lightning Bloodline, huh? That explains those lightning strikes. What surprises me most is that your bloodline seems to possess its own consciousness and intended to merge with your Dou Di Bloodline, enhancing it to an extraordinary level,” Ling Ying said.

Ling Ying stroked his chin, reflecting on Xiao Hua's revelation and the implications of his bloodline. After thoroughly investigating the Xiao Clan’s records, he could confirm the authenticity of Xiao Hua’s claims.

It seemed that Xiao Hua’s parents had undertaken secretive tasks, possibly to obscure their movements, and ventured into the mountain range. The tasks took a mysterious turn, with only Xiao Hua’s mother returning that day, carrying both Xiao Hua and severe burns.

“Now, may I ask you a question? Though you likely know what I'm going to ask: Who are you and what is this 'Di Bloodline'?” Xiao Hua inquired, though he already had an idea of the answers. He needed to maintain the pretense of ignorance regarding the Dou Di Bloodline.

Ling Ying looked at Gu Xun Er, who nodded, signaling that she would explain. Gu Xun Er then turned to Xiao Hua and began.

“Before I explain our purpose here, I should clarify the relationship between my clan, the Gu Clan, and your clan, Brother Xiao Hua.”

Gu Xun Er proceeded to recount what Xiao Hua already knew—the Eight Ancient Clans and how the Xiao Clan was one of them, their rise and sudden fall, the agreement between the Patriarchs of the Gu and Xiao Clans, and her own objective: to search for and steal a fragment of the Jade of The Ancient God Tuo She.

She also explained the concept of the Dou Di Bloodline. When a person reaches the Dou Di realm, their bloodline undergoes a significant transformation, greatly benefiting their descendants. These descendants gain exceptional talents, and some lucky individuals may inherit abilities from the Dou Di. This facilitates their training, although the progress halts just before the Dou Saint realm.

However, this advantage is not permanent. The bloodline eventually weakens and can disappear. To preserve the bloodline, another Dou Di must appear to provide it with energy and vitality—a challenging feat given that no Dou Di has been reported in the last thousand years.

Furthermore, no one truly understands what is lacking to reach the Dou Di realm. Some individuals sense a void in their soul that hinders their advancement but cannot identify what is needed to break through.

As Gu Xun Er finished her explanation, a heavy silence settled over the room. She cast her gaze downward, feeling more anxious than ever. She was concerned about the potential fallout with Brother Xiao Hua, fearing that he might harbor resentment or disdain for her.

“Hmm… so what are you going to do now?” Xiao Hua asked casually.

Hearing Brother Xiao Hua's unconcerned tone, Gu Xun Er looked up, surprised to see that he harbored no negative emotions.

“Brother Xiao Hua… don’t you hate me for lying to you and the entire Xiao Clan?” Gu Xun Er asked, her fingers gripping her skirt so tightly that it left a mark. She worried that their relationship might deteriorate because of her actions.

“I’ll be honest. Granted, you came here with less-than-good intentions, but you haven’t harmed the Xiao Clan. Personally, I don’t really mind. Besides, the current Xiao Family isn’t exactly in a position to hold the Jade of The Ancient God Tuo She. I don’t harbor any strong feelings about it,” Xiao Hua replied.

Gu Xun Er sighed in relief and began to smile. Xiao Hua was glad to see her smile again. After a few seconds, Ling Ying spoke up.

“Boy, I know it’s impolite to ask this, but do you know where the Jade of The Ancient God Tuo She is?”

“You realize I’m just an orphaned child within this family, right? And with so much time having passed, the current Xiao Clan seems to have forgotten their past glory. Given our current strength and finances, I doubt we possess the Ancient Jade,” Xiao Hua said with a wry smile.

He knew where it was but chose not to reveal the truth. It was held by the Clan Head, and despite only being with the clan for a short time, he had grown attached. Betraying them crossed his moral boundaries.

‘There’s also the matter of Gu Yuan, the Head of the Gu Clan. Some readers have criticized his 'help' towards the Xiao Clan. However, to me, he seems conflicted between his roles as Head of the Gu Clan and as a friend to Xiao Xuan, the former Head of the Xiao Clan. This internal conflict led to his failure to act, and by the time he was clear-headed, it was too late.’

‘Although this doesn’t excuse his inability to prevent the Gu Clan elders from greedily pursuing the fragment of the Jade of The Ancient God Tuo She belonging to the Xiao Clan.’

Xiao Hua thought inwardly, sneering at the greed of the Gu Clan. This also fueled his determination to become stronger so that no one would dare to trample on him or those he cared about.

Ling Ying nodded in agreement. He had already investigated Xiao Hua’s background and had only asked out of curiosity. It was clear that Xiao Hua was hiding something, but Ling Ying decided to let it go to avoid souring the relationship between him and Young Miss.

“Since that’s the case, I can stay with the Xiao Clan for a while, and Old Ling can report that back to the clan,” Gu Xun Er said with a bright smile. For her, staying by Brother Xiao Hua’s side was more important than the mission given to her by her clan.

Hearing Gu Xun Er’s words and cheerful tone, Xiao Hua and Ling Ying exchanged wry smiles. They understood that her intention was to stay with Xiao Hua for an extended period.

“Unfortunately for you, Cousin Gu Xun Er, as much as I’d like to stay with the Xiao Clan, I’m actually planning to leave,” Xiao Hua said.

“You can just call me Xun’er. But why don’t you want to stay here, Brother Xiao Hua?” Gu Xun Er asked.

“You see, even before the Heavenly Lightning Bloodline awakened, I was already a 3-Star Disciple. Now that it has awakened, I feel the Dou Qi in my body has elevated me to a 1-Star Dou Practitioner. Staying in the Xiao Clan would only delay my cultivation,” Xiao Hua explained.

Gu Xun Er and Ling Ying were shocked to learn that he had reached 3-Star Disciple with only basic cultivation methods and without treasures and medicinal ingredients. They couldn’t help but agree with Xiao Hua; with his superior bloodline and talent, he could easily surpass the children of the Eight Ancient Clans, let alone the fallen Xiao Clan.

“If that’s the case, Young Master, why not join Jia Nan Academy or Yun Lan Sect? I recommend Jia Nan Academy,” Ling Ying suggested casually.

He was curious about how far this young man could go. It was possible that Xiao Hua might achieve the Dou Di realm, a level none had reached in a thousand years, with the Ancient God Tuo She being the last known Dou Di in this world.

Hearing Ling Ying’s suggestion, Xiao Hua contemplated. He knew about these two organizations from Xiao Yan's experiences: Jia Nan Academy, which helped him become stronger, and the Misty Cloud Sect, his enemy.

Ling Ying, assuming Xiao Hua was unfamiliar with these two institutions, began to explain about Jia Nan Academy and Yun Lan Sect.