With his family settled and his status in the Dragon's Fang program cemented, Lin Ming turned his attention back to another critical front: Su Quyen's research.
Her theories about the Madakaros's cultivation impurities were a potential strategic game-changer, and his connection to the Great Turtle had opened a door to a side of the war no one else was even aware of.
He found her in the advanced research section of the school library, surrounded by stacks of digital archives and ancient texts. Her face was alight with the thrill of discovery.
"Lin Ming! You have to see this!" she whispered excitedly, pulling him over to her holographic display. "After what happened at the lake, I dug deeper.
Not into geology, but into folklore. Genealogies. Myths."
She pulled up two files side-by-side. One was a modern genetic map of the Vietnamese population. The other was a page from an ancient, digitized text, the "Lĩnh Nam chích quái" (Wondrous Tales of Linh Nam). It depicted the legendary origin of the Vietnamese people: Lac Long Quan, the Dragon Lord of the Sea, and Au Co, the Mountain Fairy.
"Stay with me," she said, seeing his confused look. "The legends say we are 'con rồng cháu tiên'—children of the Dragon, grandchildren of the Fairy.
It's always been seen as a beautiful creation myth. But what if it's not a myth? What if it's a poetic retelling of genetic history?"
She highlighted a specific gene marker on the modern map. "This marker is unique to our population group. Scientists call it a benign anomaly.
But look." She then pointed to the legend. "The Dragon Lord and the Fairy Mother. One from the water, one from the mountains.
What if these 'gods' were real beings?
Beings with extraordinary power whose DNA became the foundation of our people?"
Lin Ming's blood ran cold. He had seen the Great Turtle. He knew ancient, powerful beings were real.
Su Quyen continued, her voice trembling with excitement. "Think about it, Lin Ming! The Madakaros see us as nothing more than livestock on a resource-rich planet.
They have no idea about our history, our heritage. What if the reason only a tiny fraction of humans become 'Awakened' isn't random? What if it's the dormant 'Dragon' or 'Fairy' bloodline expressing itself under the stress of the war? What if your abilities... what if you are a descendant of these beings?"
It was a staggering, mind-bending theory, but it fit perfectly with everything he now knew. Thuan Thien hadn't been given to him randomly.
The Great Turtle hadn't just acknowledged a random kid; it had acknowledged a child of the Dragon Lord.
[Historical Clue Uncovered: The Blood of Dragons and Fairies!]
[The Host's understanding of his own world has deepened.]
[System Insight: It appears 'Talent' is just another word for ancient, powerful ancestry. This explains a lot about those arrogant young masters in cultivation novels.]
[New World-Quest Triggered: Awaken the Ancestors!]
[Objective: Investigate the ancient seats of power tied to Lac Long Quan and Au Co to uncover the secrets of humanity's hidden potential.]
Su Quyen pointed to a location on a map of Vietnam. "According to the legends, after their hundred children were born, Lac Long Quan took fifty to the sea, and Au Co took the other fifty to the mountains.
Her final settlement, the place where she taught her children to cultivate the land and build a civilization, was at Nghia Linh Mountain, in Phu Tho province. That place is now the site of the Hung Kings' Temple."
The Hung Kings. The legendary first dynasty of Vietnam.
"Energy readings around that mountain range are... strange," Su Quyen added. "Sporadic, but incredibly powerful bursts. Most people assume it's atmospheric interference from the war. I think it's something else. I have to go there."
"Then I'm going with you," Lin Ming said, his decision instantaneous. The System had just given him a world-quest pointing to the same place. It was fate.
Getting permission for a "field trip" to a remote province during wartime was difficult, but not impossible. Su Quyen's father was an influential ASEAN official, and Lin Ming's new status as a rising star in the Dragon's Fang program carried significant weight. With Agent Hien's reluctant approval—on the condition that they take Quynh Nhu as "security"—the trip was sanctioned.
A week later, the three of them found themselves in an armored jeep, bouncing along a road leading to Phu Tho province. Quynh Nhu was in the back, headphones on, trying to ignore the world while surrounded by an arsenal of snacks—chips, candies, and a large thermos of what she claimed was "tactical milk tea."
"I still can't believe they approved this," she grumbled, taking a loud sip from her thermos. "A history trip? In the middle of a war? You two are weird."
"The past holds the key to the future," Su Quyen said passionately.
"The past is boring," Quynh Nhu retorted. "The future is about bigger guns and better snacks. It's simple."
Lin Ming just smiled and drove. Their destination, the Hung Kings' Temple Complex, was nestled in a range of ancient, forest-covered mountains. As they got closer, his [Qi Sense] began to tingle. He could feel it. The air here was different. It was thicker, richer with worldly energy. It was a natural place of power, a nexus of Qi.
They arrived at the temple complex. It was eerily quiet. In pre-war times, this place would have been bustling with pilgrims. Now, it was deserted, maintained only by a handful of aging monks.
As Su Quyen began setting up her scanners, an elderly monk with a serene face and kind eyes approached them.
"Welcome, children," he said, his gaze lingering on Lin Ming with a flicker of surprise. "It has been a long time since we have had visitors. Especially... visitors like you." His eyes drifted to the cloth-wrapped sword on Lin Ming's back.
"We mean no disrespect, venerable master," Su Quyen said, bowing politely. "We are here to conduct historical research."
The monk smiled gently. "History lives and breathes in this place, child. It is not found in machines." He turned to Lin Ming. "The mountain has been restless lately. It sings a song that few can hear. Can you hear it, son of the Dragon?"
Lin Ming froze. The old monk could see it. He could see his lineage.
Before Lin Ming could respond, a low, guttural roar echoed from deeper within the forest, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. It was a sound filled with rage and pain.
Quynh Nhu instantly ripped off her headphones, her snack forgotten. She grabbed her sniper rifle, her body tensing like a coiled spring. "What was that? That's not a bear."
Su Quyen's scanner went wild, the screen flashing red. "Massive biological energy signature! Off the charts! But it's... fluctuating wildly! It's unstable!"
The old monk's serene expression turned grave. "The Guardian is in pain," he whispered. "Something has poisoned it. Something... unnatural."
He looked directly at Lin Ming, his ancient eyes filled with a desperate plea. "It has been sleeping for centuries. Its awakening should have been a blessing, but this... this is a catastrophe. Please, young hero. You carry Heaven's Will. You must go to it."
Lin Ming looked towards the forest where the roar had come from, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of Thuan Thien. A mountain guardian, poisoned and in pain. This was no field trip. This was a trial.
[World-Quest Updated: The Poisoned Guardian!]
[Objective: Find the Mountain Guardian and discover the source of its ailment.]
[Warning: A Guardian in a rage, even a weakened one, is a force of immense destruction. This is far beyond a simple combat mission.]
Lin Ming met Quynh Nhu's gaze. Her usual sarcasm was gone, replaced by the deadly focus of a true soldier. She gave him a sharp, single nod. They were in this together.
"Let's go," Lin Ming said. "Su Quyen, stay here with the master. Quynh Nhu, you're with me."