Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

Ethan's jaw dropped as he stared at the ethereal form, completely dumbfounded.

Ryan and the others wore identical expressions of disbelief.

A Dragon… it was truly a Dragon.

A creature of myth, something he'd only seen on television, in novels, and… in the world of Ethereal.

To see one manifest before him now, he still found it hard to credit.

Even though, since his rebirth, he'd been exposed to the Supernatural World and witnessed all sorts of strange phenomena, this was different.

This was a sacred symbol deeply ingrained in the hearts of people; its appearance was profoundly shocking.

However, the Dragon behind Markham was in an insubstantial state – this must be what they called a Dragon Soul.

What was even stranger was that this particular Dragon had its two front claws dangling uselessly.

".…"

"This…" The younger woman was speechless.

Markham said with a look of helplessness, "You see? It's not just my little sister's Dragon Soul that dispersed; my Dragon Soul's claws are broken too!

I originally intended to withstand it with my physical body, but I underestimated Ethan… My Dragon Soul activated automatically to protect me, and then… this happened!"

After he finished speaking, the expressions of the old matriarch and the younger woman turned grim.

"What are we going to do? Our family only has you two to send into battle. One is injured, the other maimed… For the next decade, our Whitmore Family…"

The younger woman trailed off, her gaze unintentionally flicking towards Ethan.

She sighed and said no more.

Ethan, meanwhile, felt even more awkward.

He didn't understand why Noble Eight families placed so much importance on this Decennial gathering.

But… it seemed that this time, the Whitmore Family might not even have a single person capable of competing.

Ethan wanted to help them, but after racking his brains, he couldn't think of any solution.

Knock, knock, knock…

The gate of the compound was struck.

"Head of Whitmore family, Eight Lord of the Silverwoods requests your presence!" someone called from outside.

"Let's go. We'll deal with these rascals' affairs first," the old matriarch stood up, gesturing for Ethan to follow.

He knew this was coming sooner or later; he just didn't understand why the Whitmore Family was protecting him.

Before he could even ask, the Silverwood family had already come knocking.

"Child, don't worry. A friend of the young Colt is a child of our Whitmore Family. If he hadn't instigated the matter, you wouldn't have struck anyone, would you?

Rest assured, with me here, no one will dare to touch you!"

Grand-aunt Whitmore, truly embodying the saying 'the older, Tye wiser'. She had seen through Ethan's unspoken questions at a glance.

Ethan nodded. "Thank you, Grand-aunt."

"No need for thanks. Just make sure you take first place, marry that Miss Silverwood, and give the House of Zane and Silverwood family a good slap in the face!

However, no matter which family wins first place and earns the right to marry Miss Silverwood, they will target you first. After all, you are a stain on her reputation, and even more so, a stain on the family that marries her."

The old matriarch continued, then looked at Ethan with a kind and amiable expression.

Her last sentence was deeply meaningful.

"Uh…" Ethan was speechless. It seemed this was the real reason they were protecting him, wasn't it?

Slapping The House of Zane and Silverwood family in the face… It appeared the Noble Eight families were not a monolithic bloc.

There were still conflicts among them!

To the Noble Eight families, Ethan's identity could not be concealed.

They probably already knew that he and Lyla had met in the ordinary world and had even lived together in the same villa.

"Then the Whitmore Family?" Ethan asked tentatively.

"The Whitmore Family would never marry someone from the Silverwood family!" Markham snorted from the side.

Ethan understood. Seeing Markham's expression, it seemed there was some hidden history, perhaps even animosity, between the Whitmore Family and the Silverwood family.

Led by members of the Silverwood family, the group arrived at a location mid-mountain.

Here stood a Grand Hall.

Even from the foot of the mountain, the hall was visible. Up close, the visual impact was even stronger.

Upon entering the Grand Hall, Ethan saw it was quite crowded. A careful look revealed that members of all Noble Eight families were present.

He thought to himself: 'No way, does this matter really require a full Hearing by the Eight Families?'

"Matriarch Whitmore!"

Among the seven other families present, apart from the Eight Lord of the Silverwoods, the rest were her juniors.

All of them rose to greet her.

This old woman either had excellent connections, or her presence was incredibly imposing.

She didn't put on any airs, graciously returning their greetings one by one before directly taking a seat to the right of the main ceremonial seat.

Ethan glanced at the seating arrangement; the Whitmore Family was indeed formidable. The seating here clearly followed an ancient protocol.

Below the head seat, the position to the left was considered second in rank, and the one to the right, third.

This position Matriarch Whitmore had taken… didn't that mean the Whitmore Family ranked third among Noble Eight families?

Moreover, Matriarch Whitmore hadn't usurped the seat. Before they arrived, everyone else was already seated.

This spot had been reserved for the Whitmore Family.

Lachlan Silverwood sat opposite Matriarch Whitmore, on the left side of the head seat…

He neither stood up nor greeted Matriarch Whitmore. Matriarch Whitmore, likewise, didn't even glance at him and sat down directly.

The moment she settled onto her seat, she closed her eyes and began to rest.

Eight Lord of the Silverwoods had been staring intently at Ethan ever since they entered. Ethan, however, met his gaze unflinchingly.

He saw the fury in Lachlan Silverwood's eyes. Conversely, Ethan wore a cheerful expression, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"

He had always been the type with nothing to lose, fearing no one. A lone wolf, ready to risk his life if it came down to it.

Now, with Matriarch Whitmore's promise of protection, he was even less inclined to hide his true nature.

He was inherently a troublemaker.

The other families, meanwhile, scanned Ethan up and down with great interest. A group of sly old foxes, smiling, their minds undoubtedly scheming.

Ultimately, it was Lachlan Silverwood who averted his gaze, glancing at William Langford, who was seated to Matriarch Whitmore's right.

The latter understood his meaning and said, "Head of Whitmore family, we are here today to discuss the allocation of resources following the recent rankings."

"And also to confirm the participants for tomorrow's Combat Trials. For you to bring an outsider here… I'm afraid that's not appropriate, is it?"

Ethan had initially thought that the Head of Whitmore family was the old matriarch, but it turned out to be Markham's aunt. Facing William Langford's query, she smiled gently and said, "Outsider? Where is there an outsider?"

Her words not only stunned William Langford but also made Ethan inwardly marvel.

This woman's ability to tell a barefaced lie was truly something else. 'Here I am, a living, breathing person standing right here; do you think others can't see me?'

William Langford hesitated for a moment, then pointed at Ethan and asked, "Then… who might this be?"

"Oh, you mean him? He's Ethan, the winner of this year's Academic Trials. And by the way, he's also Miss Silverwood's classmate."

Upon hearing the last sentence, everyone frowned slightly.

Ethan.

Miss Silverwood's classmate.

These two pieces of information, put together… Seemed to align with a rumor they had heard previously.

Could it be? Was he the man named Ethan who had lived with Lyla in the ordinary world?

Just as Melinda's voice faded…

Crack… a faint sound was heard.