<h4>Chapter 129 </h4>


    The White Dragon Commander—Leonard froze upon encountering such a prominent figure but soon regained hisposure and let go of his sword. Once the tension between the two subsided, the oppressive atmosphere dissipated.


    The supervising magey on the floor, foaming at the mouth. Despite being a respectable ss 5 mage, the overwhelming aura and killing intent—though not directed at him—had rendered him unconscious.


    “This is quite shocking,” muttered Fabian, Commander of the Order of the Fledgling Dragon, who stepped out from behind Demian, unable to believe his eyes.


    “I thought you were a genius who might be amander within thirty years, but to reach the Transcendence Tier in less than three years? Even for the Cardenas family, your growth rate is unprecedented. ”


    “Well, I ascended to the Transcendence Tier in my early twenties. Even those before me who did so in their teens were usually eighteen or neen.”


    Achieving the Transcendence Tier before thirty was exceedingly rare, almost impossible, but within the House of Cardenas, it was another story. Themanders of the Seven Great Orders and their subordinates often reached the Transcendence Tier in their twenties.


    Of course, most did so in theirte twenties, just before turning thirty. In any case, this was the bare minimum for those who were considered the main forces within the Seven Great Orders.


    <i>...This truly is an incredible family</i>, Leonard mused, realizing the stark difference between the outside world and the standards of the House of Cardenas. Masters, individuals capable of rulingrge territories, were rathermon in this family. Moreover, to truly grasp the might of the Cardenas bloodline, one had to surpass the Transcendence Tier.


    Demian and Fabian weren’t surprised by Leonard’s achievement of reaching the Transcendence Tier, but by the young age at which he had managed that.


    “Hmm?”


    It was then that Demian, the white-haired man, suddenly leaned in close to Leonard’s face. At this proximity, Leonard could have inflicted a serious injury despite being weaker, but Demian wasposed, showing no signs of hesitation. It was as if he could fully gauge Leonard’s true power, unlike Fabian.


    “No matter how I look at you, it’s amazing. How long has it been since you reached the Transcendence Tier? Not even half a year, right?”


    “Just over three months.”


    “As I thought.”


    Leonard realized, as their eyes met, that they shared something unique.


    <i>Dragon Eyes?!</i>


    Their pupils were sharply slit, revealing the insight to perceive the world order. As Leonard grasped this, Demian’s eyes widened slightly, as though he had been waiting for this reaction from Leonard.


    “Oh, you’re aware of it? Not only did you awaken the Dragon Eyes, but it also seemsplete. The eyes and heart are considered top-tier among the traits of Dragon Blood Awakening. Hah, those from the Direct Bloodline Supremacy Faction will lose their minds over this.”


    “Dragon Blood Awakening?! Are you saying Leonard has alreadypletely awakened his traits?” Fabian, who had been watching cautiously, couldn’t contain his excitement.


    It seemed the House of Cardenas still held many secrets Leonard was unaware of.


    Demian nodded affirmatively and turned to Leonard. “This is probably all new to you, right?”


    “Yes.”


    “I’d like to exin everything here, but this isn’t the ce. Let’s wake the mage up and head back to the family estate. We’ve unwittingly caused trouble.”


    Everything else happened quickly.


    With Demian at the center, being one of themanders of the Seven Great Orders and the representative figure of the Cardenas family, the three lined up in front of the spatial portal. The mage, understanding the gravity of the situation, opened the spatial portal with the fastest and most precise movements of his entire career.


    As the Cardenas swordsmen vanished through the portal, the mage copsed into his chair, visibly shaken. He was a man with a frail heart, and those guests had been way too intense for him. After taking a few moments in front of themunication crystal topose himself, he pondered over the report he would have to submit.


    “...How do I even report this?”


    The sudden visit from the White Dragon Commander and the return of an unknown member of the Cardenas lineage were significant events. Any mistake in his report could have severe consequences. The mage, feeling the strain already, wondered if it was time to find a new job.


    * * *


    After passing through two or three more spatial portals, just like whening from Antis, they arrived somewhere within the Cardenas estate. The portal vibrated fiercely as they emerged, and Leonard blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar surroundings.


    It was a different location from the one he had used when traveling to the Gpagos Ind.


    “There are more than ten spatial portals within the Cardenas estate. It’s only natural you don’t know them all,” exined Demian, walking ahead.


    “Let’s move slowly from here. There’s a lot to discuss, and it’ll feel nice to take in the sights of our home after being away for such a long time.”


    “Alright,” Leonard replied.


    “Fabian, are youing along?”


    “I’ve already canceled today''s schedule, so I’ll apany you.”


    The trio, consisting of one Demigod Tier knight and two Transcendence Tier knights, set off. It was a strange group indeed for something like a stroll.


    “Where did we leave off? Ah, yes. The Dragon Blood Awakening,” Demian remarked, drawing Leonard’s full attention.


    There was bound to be some extraordinary revtion within the secrets of the Cardenas family or their bloodline. Even though Leonard had yet to unlock even half of the abilities, the Dragon Eyes alone were beyond what a martial artist could conceive.


    Noticing Leonard’s keen interest, Demian smirked and began to exin, “Given your talents, you must have noticed by now. Our Cardenas bloodline is mixed with something other than human. Our exceptional physical abilities, mana affinity, and even the phenomenon of Ancestral Regression that can be experienced after reaching the Transcendence Tier confirms this.”


    “Ancestral Regression?”


    “It’s when traits from distant ancestors reemerge inter generations. It’s also known as Ancestral Return, but the term itself isn’t that important.”


    Normally, this would manifest as differences in hair color, skin tone, height, or build from one’s parents. However, at the pinnacle of the Cardenas bloodline were beings that transcended humanity—Dragons, the World Guardians created by the gods.


    “Surviving even after being caught up in the rampage effect of Mass Teleport and breaking through to the Transcendence Tier at your age... It would be strange if your identity wasn’t questioned.”


    “...So that’s why you’vee, right, Commander?”


    “That’s right. There have been quite a few who tried to infiltrate the Cardenas family by possessing the body of a blood rtive. Despite only being at the Transcendence Tier, there were a few Outer God Worshippers we couldn’t suppress.”


    Seeing Leonard’s tension at the thought, Demian chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.


    “If I had suspected your identity, would I have brought you to the main house? I would have cut you down right there. The reason my suspicions vanished is directly rted to what I just mentioned.”


    “Dragon Blood Awakening...”


    “Exactly. Even if they managed to kill you and take over your body, they wouldn’t be able to replicate a dragon’s traits.”


    Before long, the three of them left the deserted area behind and reached a ce filled with the shing sounds of metal and people.


    “You could mimic a dragon’s blood, scales, and bones, but the eyes and the heart? Those can’t be replicated. If they could, the Cardenas family would have fallen long ago.”


    Leonard, catching on to Demian''s words, asked, “Are there many different traits manifested through Dragon Blood Awakening?”


    “Not exactly. There are less than twenty, as far as I remember. Fabian, how many do you know?”


    “In the records, there are fifteen confirmed traits. Currently, there are only ten known to exist,” Fabian exined in detail. “I’ll exin further.”


    “The traits Commander Demian mentioned—blood, scales, bones, muscles, and tendons—are the mostmon. They start to show signs at the External Force Tier and fully manifest after breaking through to the Transcendence Tier. Though regarded as low-grade traits, they grant the bearer an incredible advantage over those who aren’t of Cardenas blood.”


    “If there are low-grade traits, there must be intermediate and high-grade ones as well,” Leonard spected.


    “That’s right,” Fabian replied with a nod. “The intermediate traits include the lungs, which allow one to absorbrge amounts of mana in a single breath, horns, which can concentrate or disperse mana, and wings, which the bearer can extend and retract at will. For reference, my traits are blood and lungs.”


    Not fully understanding the implications, Leonard simply nodded and listened attentively.


    Fabian continued, “The only high-grade trait is the eyes. You probably understand this one better than I do. Even in the present, there are only four Dragon Eye bearers in the Cardenas family, including you. They can see the flow of mana and even discern the formative principles of high-rank magic.”


    “I see...”


    “The final and highest-grade trait is the heart... But it’s difficult to exin due to its special nature. Historically, only the family heads have manifested this trait, and you might be the first coteral line descendant to do so.”


    Understanding the implication, Leonard’s face hardened.


    <i>This is troublesome.</i>


    Awakening such a trait made Leonard a candidate for the family head. However, given he had no interest in power or status, this was merely a burden. An Archduke title? One of the top three titles of power in the Arcadian Empire? None of that mattered to him. Fortunately, neither Fabian nor Demian brought up this topic.


    Atst, they arrived at one of the numerous Cardenas training grounds.


    “...Hey. Look over there.”


    “Huh? What?”


    “No way, could that person be...?”


    The training ground, resonating with the shes of swords and the cutting wind, instantly went silent, as the knights recognized Demian and Fabian. Whispers about Leonard, who apanied the twomanders, mixed into the hush.


    “Excuse us, but we''ll be using the training ground for a bit. Please clear out.”


    At Demian’s nonchntmand, the knights quickly retreated to the edges of the field, their gazes fixed on the training ground. Just like in murim, everyone in this world was eager to gain enlightenment from every move a master made.


    Feeling nostalgic for the murim of his past life, Leonard stepped into the center of the training ground.


    Watching him, Demian whistled cheerfully. “That’s fast. You’re eager for a match, aren''t you?”


    Drawing his sword, Leonard replied, “I’ve gained a lot of experience traveling the outside world, but I haven’t had the chance to face a Demigod Tier opponent.”


    “The world is vast, but there’s nothing higher than Cardenas.”


    It was a proud deration of being part of the greatest sword family on the continent, one no one could argue with.


    “Commander Demian.”


    Before Demian could move to face Leonard, Fabian, whose eyes were burning with fighting spirit, stepped forward.


    Just as Demian was interested in Leonard, Fabian was also intrigued by the boy who had offered him a glimpse of enlightenment. In fact, he was losing his mind over this genius who had reached the Transcendence Tier and learned tomand the sword of the heart at such a young age.


    “Hooo, you wish to go first?”


    “Please allow me.”


    At that, Demian shrugged and stepped back. “Go ahead. It won’t take long anyway.”


    Understanding the dynamics, Fabian put aside any distractions. Leonard, who had broken through to the Transcendence Tier at sixteen, was undoubtedly an extraordinary prodigy. Considering the monsters he had witnessed in the Cardenas family, Leonard was a formidable opponent for him even though they were at the same level.


    With a swift motion, Fabian drew his sword, releasing an Aura de that unraveled into threads.


    Combining the swift sword that had severed the limbs of the Fifth Shadow with this aura made even ordinary attacks deadly. Memories of that encounter yed in Leonard’s mind, and he envisioned dozens of counter-sword techniques before letting them dissipate.


    “Shall we begin?”


    “Yes.”


    Without further preamble, the two took a step forward, their swords shing with the intensity of a real battle. shing at each other’s necks and thrusting at their hearts, their lethal strikes intersected with rapid session.


    <i>ng—!</i>


    The surrounding knights grew pale as they witnessed the sheer ferocity of the duel. Fragments of their shing auras scattered everywhere, but Demian waved a hand to dissipate them before they could reach the bystanders.


    After precisely thirty-two seconds of intensebat, the oue was clear.


    “...”


    “...”


    Looking down at the de quivering near his throat, Fabian reflected on the match that had been decided in under a minute.


    Had he given his all? Yes.


    Had he used his full strength? While he hadn’t unleashed his deadliest techniques, the same was true for his opponent.


    Could he win if they fought again?


    As he pondered that final question, Fabian lowered his sword.


    “I lost.”


    Now understanding Demian’s earlier words, Fabian smiled bitterly.