Chapter 50: Savage Charge

The bloodline imprint gradually became clear, and Shen Lie watched this critical moment with inner vision. The bloodline he possessed was the foundation of his strength, and the level of the bloodline represented the degree of development he could expect in the future. According to speculation, a person's abilities could not exceed the source of their own bloodline.

If the bloodline source was that of a phoenix, and you kept evolving without dying during the process, you might one day reach the heights described in myths and legends. But if your bloodline source belonged to some lowly legendary creature, such as the mutated wild boar from games, then your entire life would peak at the level of the boar king, no matter how hard you tried to surpass it.

Of course, this was only speculation, and the true details would require long and arduous practice to verify. After all, everyone was still in the early stages of awakening, and no one could predict what the future held.

Theoretically, however, the statement was absolute. The increase in the awakened's level was essentially the process of continuously refining the bloodline. When the bloodline reached a certain point of purity where nothing more could be refined, the growth in strength also reached its limit.

Therefore, the type of bloodline carried great significance, and Shen Lie could not help but feel uneasy in his heart. But when the imprint finally condensed completely and grew clear, Shen Lie suddenly felt his head buzz as if it were about to split, and he almost cursed aloud.

"Bullhead!"

Even in his inner vision, Shen Lie's eyeballs nearly bulged out of their sockets. His bloodline imprint was actually a bull's head, and those two horns gleaming with golden light resembled two raised middle fingers, insulting the wretched level of his bloodline rank.

"Shit!"

"Shit shit shit!"

No way. How could it be a bull? How could it be a bull's bloodline? Was there any mythical beast in legends that took the form of a bull? Was there? Was there? Damn it, was there?

Although this bull head was golden, a bull was still a bull, not a dragon, not a qilin, and certainly not any kind of divine beast, just an ordinary beast of burden for plowing fields and carrying loads!

Shen Lie truly wanted to let out an unwilling cry, but it was already too late. Even if he shouted until his throat was raw, it would do no good and would only invite mockery.

No, this matter absolutely could not be known by others. This was a secret, and if anyone discovered it, he would have to silence them!

Shen Lie wanted to cry but had no tears. The bloodline he had awakened was probably the lowest level among all bloodlines. In myths and legends, the highest achievement for such a bloodline was merely a bull demon king, one who was abused mercilessly by Sun Wukong of the monkey bloodline, indicating that this bloodline was inferior even to ape-like ones, utterly weak!

Even if he had awakened the bloodline of a water snake or a fire bird, that would have been better. There were still power-type bloodlines like the mountain giant ape, after all. Why was it just a bull? Oh, wait, not a bull, but a bull's head, a bull's head!

Although a talent imprint had condensed, granting him an additional skill, Shen Lie could not find any joy in it. After a long time, he still stood there in a daze.

Forget it. Since the matter was already decided, there was no point in overthinking. Becoming an awakened one was already a blessing from heaven, and there were still so many ordinary people who could not awaken. Even if he remained weak, he was still stronger than them. So he should think about how to improve his current strength!

In the end, Shen Lie could only console himself. Then, thinking about his super ability to copy others' talents, he realized that it was not just a power talent. He had also copied the lightning elemental talent!

Thinking this way, Shen Lie felt somewhat more at ease. Although he had not yet found a method to upgrade the copied talent, this ability could not be enhanced along with his own growth like the main talent. Still, there was always a glimmer of hope, unlike the other awakened who had drawn trash bloodlines and were thoroughly unlucky.

"Let's try to see what my innate talent skill is!"

Shen Lie murmured to himself and began to study the newly born imprint in his body. Since this imprint was a symbol of his own bloodline, the skill it carried was his innate ability, undoubtedly of the power type. He simply did not know what effect it would produce when used.

With a thought, Shen Lie began to circulate the power of the two vortices and transmit it to the imprint. Then he saw the imprint flash with brilliant light, and a layer of golden radiance immediately enveloped his entire body. He felt as if a bundle of high-pressure air was lodged in his throat, and his whole being was filled with explosive power!

"Moo!"

The gas pressure in his throat could not be contained any longer. Shen Lie stood up, threw his head back, and let out a deep, muffled roar. A deafening sonic wave immediately erupted from his mouth, shattering the air before him into a wave of qi!

Then Shen Lie felt an overwhelming force from below that demanded release. He exerted force with both feet, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, surging like a wild ancient beast rampaging across the fields. It smashed two sea-bowl-sized poplar trees in a straight line into pieces and left a long trench in the ground where it had stepped!

"Savage Charge!"

The relevant information about this skill appeared in Shen Lie's mind. This information was hidden within his bloodline genes and was now being activated. At the same time, other details emerged, giving him a deeper understanding of his own bloodline.

According to the gene information, the bloodline he had inherited belonged to a creature known as the Wild Bull. The Wild Bull was a beast from ancient times, with not particularly high a level, yet it possessed talents including strength, sonic waves, and certain defensive abilities. Its most proficient skill was the Savage Charge, which, at its peak, could destroy mountains and crack rocks!

"Destroy mountains and crack rocks?" It sounded impressive, but that was only in comparison to ordinary people. When measured against other talents, it was laughably inadequate. Du Lili's dragon bloodline could casually produce a talent that would make him kneel and lick her boots.

No, he must quickly figure out how to upgrade the copied talents. The kinds of talents that could be copied were unknown, but the lightning elemental talent he had already acquired was definitely a high-level one. Elemental talents were always prestigious, their power ever more formidable!

Unfortunately, the copied talents were merely pure talent abilities and could not duplicate the other party's original bloodline source. Otherwise, they could upgrade along with his own bloodline nodes.

If that were the case, his own bloodline would become mixed, and the two bloodline sources would definitely be unable to fuse. It was possible that they would explode directly. Nothing in the world was perfect. Shen Lie could only let out a helpless sigh.

After familiarizing himself once more with his Savage Charge talent, Shen Lie finally accepted the reality. No matter what, he had gained a new ability, and this skill would increase passively with his strength without the need for deliberate comprehension or cultivation.

Now he had ignited two nodes, and the Savage Charge he unleashed was not inferior to the Doom Hammer, and in close-range combat it was even slightly more powerful. He had both remote attacks with the Doom Hammer and close-range strikes with the Savage Charge, complementing each other and placing him among the elite awakened.

Of course, as his strength continued to grow, those inheritors of higher bloodlines would definitely advance by leaps and bounds. But that was a matter for the future. Now they faced life-and-death trials every day. No matter how high the bloodline level, one had to survive first.

The type of bloodline source was each awakened's greatest secret, a truth Shen Lie understood. It was precisely because Du Lili and he shared a good relationship and had no scheming nature that she had told him. What Professor Liu had said might not even be true. In the current situation, trust between people had sunk to its lowest point. Who knew what strange abilities others possessed? What if there was a talent user who could directly curse bloodline sources? This was no longer the old materialist society.

"Let's go. Oh, right, Tao Tao, is there a mark in your body? Like that, a mark similar to some pattern?"

After calming his emotions, Shen Lie prepared to return to the team. Seeing little Tao Tao, he suddenly asked with interest.

Xiao Tao Tao's ability was currently only average, and she was still a child. Because she had lost one arm, she had become very introverted, so he generally did not speak much with her. He had not told everyone about her being an awakened either, though everyone probably suspected anyway, since the little girl's eye color change was far too obvious.

"Um, there is a somewhat blurry mark, but sometimes it is there and sometimes not. Uncle, how do you know?" Xiao Tao Tao showed a puzzled expression. She had long been afraid of the abnormality in her body, but to avoid troubling Shen Lie, she had not spoken of it.