Chapter 413: Lan Zao – I have a Fish Bladder Inside Me

Flower Skirt Island.

In the underground chamber of Shuang Tu's clinic.

Lan Zao lay suspended in midair, encased within a three-dimensional magic formation.

Beams of light emanating from the formation continuously scanned his entire body.

After a moment, the formation slowly ceased its scanning.

Lan Zao's suspended height steadily lowered until he touched the floor.

Shuang Tu's voice, controlling the magic formation, came through the chamber door: “All done, Hen Fa. You may come out now.”

Lan Zao stood up, pushed open the chamber door, and stepped out.

He entered an underground hall.

Bright lights illuminated the space, filled with numerous alchemy components. Lan Zao recognized none of them, but he could discern the magic aura emanating from these alchemy components. The vast majority were silver level, with two or three being gold level.

The magic formation in the chamber had been controlled by a gold level alchemy component.

Shuang Tu stood before that very component, manipulating the conjured magic interface.

“100%100%”

Spotting Lan Zao approach, he greeted him with evident delight. "Good news, your bloodline has fully stabilized. Your awakening was remarkably successful. You now possess 100% Fish Bladder bloodline within you. This is the best possible outcome for bloodline awakening; not all awakenings achieve 100% purity."

Lan Zao nodded, then his gaze was drawn to the gold level alchemy component before him.

Its metallic surface was smooth and flawless, like a giant mirror.

Lan Zao saw his current appearance reflected in it.

The most striking feature was his entirely blue skin.

To be precise, it was pale blue.

His complexion was no longer that of a human.

“At least I didn't grow fish scales,” Lan Zao consoled himself.

His physique had also changed.

First, he had shrunk in height. From his previous stature, he now stood at just 1.7 meters, yet he had become significantly more muscular.

His upper body formed an inverted triangle. His shoulders broadened considerably, while his waist and abdomen showcased eight sharply defined abdominal muscles. His arms were thick and resilient.

Lan Zao's upper body was significantly longer than before his awakening. Due to the compression of his height, his lower body had become shorter.

Yet both his thighs and calves were bulging with muscle. One glance revealed the immense power stored within his legs.

His palms and soles had broadened significantly, with webbing-like membranes growing between his fingers and toes.

These membranes didn't fully connect to the fingertips, reaching only to the middle of each finger at most.

His head shape had also changed. What was once a normal human skull had become narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, forming a shape close to an inverted triangle. His jaw was at least twice as broad as before, and the top of his head had a slight peak.

His hair had become extremely sparse, yet far denser than before.

Normal human hair consists of fine, soft strands. But Lan Zao's hair was now a deep blue, long and thick like noodles or seaweed, curling and coiling in its natural state.

Lan Zao's eyes had also grown larger. Nearly twice their previous size, their pupils were a deep, abyssal black.

Three “black lines” now ran along each cheek.

These “lines” could unfold, for they were actually gills.

Lan Zao had already experimented with this new organ - he could now breathe through his gills.

Staring at his reflection on the metal surface, Lan Zao's gaze grew complex.

While lying in the hospital bed, he had already noticed these changes occurring in his body.

At first, he found it difficult to accept.

But with Shuang Tu's encouragement, he quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, the awakening of bloodline was a blessing others could only dream of.

“100%”

Noticing Lan Zao staring intently at his reflection, Shuang Tu chuckled softly. "Your Fish Bladder bloodline has reached 100% concentration. Therefore, after awakening, all characteristics tied to the Fish Bladder bloodline have been permanently unlocked."

"Hen Fa, you're incredibly fortunate. After awakening, your life is utterly different from before. You've won a new life!"

In their daily conversations, Shuang Tu always addressed him as “Hen Fa,” aiming to help him quickly grow accustomed to the name and heighten his sensitivity to it.

“Come on, stand over there. Next, we'll teleport away from Flower Skirt Island.”

Shuang Tu led Lan Zao to another alchemy component.

This alchemy component was also gold level.

Upon activation, a beam of light instantly shot down from the hall's ceiling.

Following Shuang Tu's instructions, Lan Zao positioned himself beneath the beam.

The teleportation initiated swiftly. He vanished from his original spot, reappearing in a narrow, dimly lit chamber.

This chamber was considerably smaller than the one where he'd undergone inspection earlier, barely spacious enough for two or three people.

Five or six seconds later, another beam of light shot down from above Lan Zao's head.

Lan Zao hurriedly retreated to a corner of the room.

The next second, Shuang Tu's figure appeared within the beam.

The beam vanished swiftly.

“Where is this?” Lan Zao asked Shuang Tu, who had teleported in.

Shuang Tu replied simply, "It's an uninhabited deserted island near Flower Skirt Island. We carved out a secret chamber beneath the surface of this island and installed part of the alchemy components for teleportation."

“This is one of our escape routes. If anything goes wrong, we can immediately evacuate from Flower Skirt Island.”

"Alright, now we'll begin training. Since this is your first formal training session, the content will be relatively simple, just getting you as familiar as possible with your own body."

Shuang Tu looked at Lan Zao and inquired, "The awakening of your bloodline has transformed your body, granting you new organs. You should be able to sense it, right?"

Lan Zao nodded, “That's right. I can now breathe through my gills.”

“But it doesn't feel very good.”

"I've tried it a couple times. After just one breath through my gills, my entire jaw aches like I'm caught in a desert storm, sand pouring into my mouth."

Shuang Tu nodded slightly. "The Fish Bladder bloodline is related to the fishman. Hen Fa, it's highly likely one of your ancestors was a fishman."

“And such gills, that life-sustaining organ, are typically designed for underwater respiration. They aren't suited for breathing on land, or directly in air.”

"However, the Fish Bladder bloodline didn't just grant you gills. It also gave you a fish bladder! The latter is the most defining feature of this bloodline."

“A fish bladder?” Lan Zao asked in surprise.

He knew what a fish bladder was, of course.

Lan Zao shook his head. "Where is this fish bladder? Why can't I sense it?"

“I've checked. It's correct. Your newly formed fish bladder organ is located beneath your lungs,” Shuang Tu stated.

"It's perfectly normal that you haven't sensed it yet. Your current state is like an infant born with disabilities—missing arms or legs. It's only after reaching adulthood and receiving treatment that the limbs grow back, yet you won't know how to use them."

“Next, I'll open the valve and push this door. We'll immediately enter the sea.”

“When you continuously breathe through your gills in seawater, you'll be able to sense the fish bladder within your body.”

After speaking, Shuang Tu cast a spell upon himself.

Spell - Air Bubble.

A relatively dense sphere of air formed, enveloping Shuang Tu's entire body.

He then approached the chamber's door. Near the chamber entrance, he pried open several bricks, revealing a bronze handle beneath.

As Shuang Tu turned the bronze handle, Lan Zao immediately heard the clanking and grinding of chains and mechanisms shifting.

After a series of clattering and creaking noises, seawater suddenly surged in through the four corners of the chamber's floor tiles.

The water level rose steadily. Within about thirty seconds, it reached Lan Zao's chin. Another thirty-odd seconds passed before the chamber was completely submerged.

As Shuang Tu completed the final turn of the bronze handle, the chamber door swung open of its own accord.

The two swam out into the open sea.

Lan Zao scanned his surroundings.

His newly awakened black pupils captured the undersea light more effectively than before his bloodline awakening, allowing him to see clearly.

He discovered, just as Shuang Tu had said, that this chamber was a modified underwater foundation of a deserted island.

It was a crude chamber carved out beneath the island's surface.

“Now, breathe continuously through your gills.” Shuang Tu approached from behind Lan Zao.

Thanks to the Air Bubble Spell, he wasn't submerged in water. Instead, a sphere of air enveloped him like a protective dome.

This air bubble not only shielded him from the seawater pressure but also supplied breathable air.

Of course, with Shuang Tu's continuous breathing, the air bubble gradually shrank.

Lan Zao had only briefly tried breathing through his gills in the infirmary ward before stopping due to the pain. But this time was different. He abandoned his mouth and nose, persistently using his gills instead.

Breathing underwater felt entirely different from breathing in the hospital room.

Cold seawater poured in through the gills and was expelled, while filtered air flowed through the trachea to fill the newly formed fish bladder within Lan Zao.

The fish bladder steadily expanded.

Air continuously filled it, causing Lan Zao's chest to gradually swell.

Lan Zao felt a buoyant force, growing stronger, urging him toward the surface.

“You should now sense the air bladder within you,” Shuang Tu spoke.

Lan Zao nodded immediately. Perhaps earlier, with insufficient air, the air bladder remained minimally inflated, making it hard to perceive.

But now, as it expanded, the sensation became distinctly clear.

Shuang Tu continued, “Now, try compressing your fish bladder to squeeze the air out.”

Lan Zao attempted it. The next moment, an intense urge to vomit surged through him.

His Adam's apple rolled involuntarily. His mouth snapped open wide, expelling a massive bubble. As he reflexively closed his lips, a string of smaller bubbles followed.

Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle...

As the tiny bubbles escaped, a torrent of seawater rushed back into his mouth.

Lan Zao quickly clamped his mouth shut, but in his flustered state, he forgot to breathe through his gills. Instead, he instinctively used his mouth and nose, immediately choking on water and becoming even more flustered.

Seeing this, Shuang Tu swiftly cast the Air Bubble Spell.

Enveloped in a sphere of air, Lan Zao coughed violently for a long while before finally catching his breath.

“My bloodline has awakened. My body has changed drastically.”

"I must undergo extensive training to master these changes. Otherwise, this new body will become a massive vulnerability."

Lan Zao fully grasped his situation.

However, just as he was about to resume training, Shuang Tu's expression shifted.

“Bing Xiao is approaching. He must have learned you've awakened.”

"Hen Fa, your first trial has arrived. Do you remember what you should do?"

Lan Zao nodded and replied, “If Bing Xiao attempts to recruit me, I will refuse him outright.”