Ryan was still thinking about what else he should ask when, suddenly, he caught sight of a large amount of bloody mud caked across the back of his hand.
He immediately smacked his forehead. "Darn it! I completely forgot about this!"
He looked down at himself and finally realized just how disheveled he was.
"No wonder I felt a little stinky and fishy. After awakening my Bloodline, I completely forgot to clean all this mud off. If Mom and Dad come back and see me like this, they’ll definitely worry."
Having just awakened his Bloodline, Ryan had been so caught up in his excitement that he had completely forgotten about his appearance.
He hurriedly rushed out of the room.
Ignoring the strange looks from his two younger brothers, Ryan dashed into the bathroom and quickly began showering.
As a scavenger who visited the garbage disposal site every day, Ryan had long since stopped caring much about his appearance. His usual showers were extremely brief. After returning from the disposal site, he would simply rinse himself until the worst of the dirt and smell were gone.
This time, however, he spent considerably longer in the shower.
He was worried that his parents would notice the bloodstains and become concerned, so he scrubbed himself thoroughly, making sure not to leave even the slightest trace behind.
He had not expected himself to become this filthy after awakening his Bloodline.
As layer after layer of bloody grime was washed from his body, Ryan couldn’t help but feel as though tons of dirt were being stripped away.
If he hadn’t noticed it in time and cleaned himself immediately, the sheer amount of bloody grime would probably have clogged the drain.
After finally finishing his shower, Ryan changed into a clean set of clothes.
He casually glanced at himself in the mirror.
His figure was still relatively thin, but his skeletal frame had noticeably broadened. Even his formerly flat muscles had swelled slightly, giving him a taller and more robust appearance.
Ryan clenched his fist. He could clearly feel the difference.
The frail constitution that had plagued him for twenty years seemed to have been eighty to ninety percent cured by the marrow-cleansing and bone-purifying effects of the Burning Blood Pill.
A continuous surge of vitality now flowed through his body, like a living spring constantly welling up from within.
All of his old and newly acquired wounds had completely healed, leaving not even a scar behind.
Even the skin on his face had become considerably finer, with a healthy flush replacing his former pallor.
Compared to his previous pale, almost zombie-like appearance, he finally looked like a normal young man.
The greatest change was the vitality in his body.
His previous weakness and lack of energy had always obscured his natural appearance. Now that his constitution had been greatly strengthened, his eyes were bright and spirited, seemingly containing faint sparks of light.
Ryan had originally possessed decent features, but his frail body had hidden much of his appearance.
Now, with his physique transformed, he looked quite handsome and refined.
If he weren’t still wearing his faded, patched clothes, he could almost pass for a wealthy young master.
Ryan stepped out of the bathroom feeling completely refreshed.
His body felt so light that he almost seemed to be walking on air.
Ignoring the two younger brothers whose faces were still filled with confusion, he leisurely returned to his room.
"Oh, right. Mira." Ryan suddenly remembered something. "I keep forgetting to ask you. Why is this Creation Furnace so severely damaged?"
After closing the door, Ryan sat down cross-legged and finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind.
There was a brief silence.
"Master, Mira actually doesn’t know much about it either."
Mira’s voice came from within the Origin Energy Sea.
"When the Creation Furnace was damaged, my strength was greatly weakened. As a result, I lost a significant portion of my most important memories."
Ryan’s expression became slightly serious.
"I only remember that approximately thirty thousand years ago, for some unknown reason, a super-large-scale interdimensional war suddenly broke out."
Mira’s voice gradually became solemn.
"It affected countless worlds and involved an unimaginable number of powerful existences."
"It was known as..."
"The Boundless World War."
Within Ryan’s Origin Energy Sea, Mira gently brushed a strand of her beautiful, flowing hair behind her ear as she tried to recall the distant memories buried within her.
"And the Boundless Creation Furnace was attacked by multiple powerful forces at the time. The combined assault caused its primordial energy to lose control and run wild."
Her expression became slightly solemn.
"Although the furnace’s uncontrolled primordial energy also struck back and severely injured many of the invaders, the Creation Furnace itself was badly damaged in the process."
"In the end, both sides suffered tremendous losses."
Mira paused for a moment. "I completely fell into a deep coma after that. As for what happened afterward, I don’t know either. By the time I regained consciousness, I somehow found myself in the garbage dump of Ashfall City."
Ryan’s brows furrowed slightly. "The Boundless World War?"
He repeated the name, then muttered, "So it happened thirty thousand years ago? I didn’t expect it to be that ancient."
His curiosity quickly grew. "And what exactly is an interdimensional war?"
He had encountered yet another completely unfamiliar term.
Unfortunately, before Mira could answer—
Knock, knock, knock!
A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Brother, Mom and Dad are back!" Ethan’s voice came from outside.
"Okay! I know. I’ll be right there!" Ryan immediately got to his feet.
He hurriedly looked around his room.
The place was still somewhat messy from all his previous experiments with the Creation Furnace, with various items scattered across the room.
Ryan quickly gathered everything and put it back where it belonged.
At the same time, he quietly instructed Mira, "Mira, don’t come out of the Origin Energy Sea unless I call for you."
"Also, when we’re outside, keep your voice down. You can speak to me through the Origin Energy Sea, but don’t make your voice too loud. If someone with malicious intentions discovers your existence, it could cause unnecessary trouble."
"Mhm." Mira softly acknowledged his instructions.
Ryan then looked himself over one more time, making sure there was nothing unusual about him.
Only after confirming that everything was in order did he open the door.
He stepped out of his room and entered the living room, where the voices of his parents could already be heard.
....
His father, Daniel, and mother, Sarah, had just returned home.
Both of them were wearing their old yellow work clothes, which were completely soaked through with sweat. Each carried a small bundle of vegetables in their hands.
By the time Ryan stepped out of his room, they had just reached the kitchen and were unloading their purchases.
However, when Ryan took a closer look, his expression immediately changed.
Neither of his parents had a clean spot on them.
Their clothes were covered in mud and white ash, and even their hair had been practically dyed white.