Chapter 8: Scales and Claws Revealed, Storm Brewing
Time flies; three months have passed since Yu Yuanchen began his secluded cultivation.
Deep within Thunder Canyon, the charred stone platform was shrouded by increasingly dense and thick arcs of electricity; from afar, it looked like a blue cocoon of thunder light, containing a heart-palpitating, majestic energy.
Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged in the center of the thunder cocoon, his aura as heavy and still as a mountain. Three months of tireless, ascetic cultivation, aided by the nearly infinite lightning-attribute Origin Qi in the gorge and the divine effect of that strand of "Thunder God Power," had yielded gains far exceeding his expectations.
His injuries had long since healed, and his Soul Power had naturally broken through to Rank 43, steadily advancing toward Rank 44. This speed might seem less explosive than before, but only Yu Yuanchen himself knew that his current Soul Power condensation, total volume, and control over Soul Power far surpassed ordinary Spirit Ancestors, even rivaling some Soul Kings with unstable Foundations.
The greatest changes came from his Physical Body and Martial Soul.
Continuously using the "Thunder God Power" for Body Tempering, the effects were gradually manifesting. Beneath his skin, a faint golden luster flowed; his muscle fibers were tight like dragon tendons, and his bones were as translucent as white jade, clinking with a metallic sound when struck. His pure physical strength had surged; even without using Soul Power, he could shatter stone with just his hands and feet. His Meridians had become several degrees wider and tougher, with Soul Power flowing through them like a surging river, smooth and exhilarating.
As for the purple-gold scale on the head of the Martial Soul phantom, its color seemed to have deepened slightly during these three months of tempering, and its reserved golden glow had become slightly more apparent. Though still tiny, its presence grew increasingly clear in Yu Yuanchen's perception.
He gradually realized this wasn't a simple mutation. The appearance of this scale seemed to resonate with some sleeping power deep within his Bloodline. When he pushed his Martial Soul to its full potential, he could vaguely feel his entire blood flow centered around that scale. Within the dragon's might he emitted, besides the inherent overbearing nature of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, there was an added, indescribable sense of ancientness and nobility.
One day, Yu Yuanchen woke from a deep meditative state. With a slight thought, he tried to guide a strand of the "Thunder God Power" to flow slowly toward that purple-gold scale.
Initially, the purple-gold scale had no reaction, remaining quietly embedded. But when that strand of purple-gold energy touched the scale's surface, a sudden change occurred!
"Hum—"
An extremely faint hum, as if coming from the depths of his Soul, rang out. The purple-gold scale suddenly lit up. Though the light remained reserved, it acted like a miniature black hole, instantly absorbing that strand of "Thunder God Power"! Immediately after, a weak but incredibly pure warm current, carrying a supreme aura of majesty, fed back from the scale, flowing upstream and merging into Yu Yuanchen's limbs and bones, especially his dragonized right arm!
"Ugh!"
Yu Yuanchen's body shook slightly, and blue dragon scales instantly surfaced uncontrollably on his right arm. He was surprised to find that the color of the right arm's dragon scales seemed deeper than before. At the edges, a very faint, almost imperceptible purple-gold luster actually flickered! At the same time, a sense of power far purer and stronger than before came from his right arm, as if a strand of the sleeping True Dragon Power within this arm had been quietly awakened!
He subconsciously raised his dragonized right arm. Without using a Soul skills, he just spread his five fingers slightly and made a gentle swipe forward.
"Screech!"
Five faint purple lightning trails flashed through the air. Accompanied by the slight sound of tearing space, a millstone-sized hard rock in front of him silently split apart, the cross-section as smooth as a mirror!
Pure physical strength combined with a strand of Bloodline Power actually possessed such power!
Yu Yuanchen looked at his right hand, his eyes filled with shock and wild joy. He could feel that the dragonized state of his right arm seemed to have undergone a fundamental upgrade—not just an increase in strength and defense, but a... sublimation of Rank! Though extremely faint, the direction was already clear!
"This scale... is indeed not simple! It seems to be purifying and refining my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Bloodline!" Yu Yuanchen understood in his heart, "Absorbing the 'Thunder God Power' and feeding back purer dragon blood power... this is a virtuous cycle!"
He tried to guide the "Thunder God Power" into the purple-gold scale again, but this time, the scale only became slightly warm and did not absorb any more, and the warm current fed back was negligible.
"It seems this process cannot be carried out indefinitely; it requires accumulation, or my body and Martial Soul can only withstand this much improvement for now." Yu Yuanchen was not disappointed, but rather became calmer. This confirmed his suspicion: this was a slow and steady path of evolution that could not be rushed.
He refocused his attention on controlling his power. Soul Power flowed ceaselessly through his body, as obedient as his own limbs. With a thought, four Soul Rings flashed in sequence beneath him.
First Soul skills, Thunder Dragon Claw! It was no longer a simple enlarged attack but could change form at will—sometimes condensed like a spear, sharp and peerless; sometimes spreading like a net, enveloping and Binding; it could even split into several smaller thunder claws at the moment of striking to attack multiple targets.
Second Soul skills, Thunderous Fury! The range of his electric field perception had doubled, with higher precision. He even began to try whether this pervasive electric field could be used not just for perception but also to interfere with an opponent's Soul Power operation to some extent, or... form a faint paralysis effect?
Third Soul skills, Wrath of Thunder! The 100% attack power boost remained, but he found that with the enhancement of the "Thunder God Power," this boost seemed to touch a deeper level of power essence, making the attack carry a "law-breaking" characteristic that was difficult to defend against, especially effective against energy-based defenses.
Fourth Soul skills, Thunder God Power! This was his focus. Besides the initial discovery of enhancing Martial Soul Abilities and overall state improvement, he tried to control this power more finely. For example, compressing it extremely at his fingertips to form an indestructible "Thunder God Finger"; or distributing it evenly over his body surface to form an invisible "Thunder God Protective Aura" with astonishing defensive power; he even tried to integrate it into his Spiritual Power. Although it was still far from the perfect Fusion of "Monarch Over the World," it made his gaze more deterrent, capable of causing momentary daze in opponents with weaker Spiritual Power.
Various creative ideas were constantly practiced, adjusted, and perfected in his hands. His fighting style had already surpassed the inherent perception of Martial Soul abilities by Soul Masters in this world, becoming more agile, deceptive, and unpredictable.
"It is time to end the seclusion." Yu Yuanchen felt the surging power and renewed state within him, his heart certain. Three months of seclusion had yielded brilliant results. Although his Soul Power Rank hadn't increased much, his actual combat strength had undergone a world-shaking change. He was confident that if he encountered that Black Flame Flood Dragon Soul Emperor, Long Li, again, he could defeat him head-on even without relying on schemes or overdrawing his strength!
He rose to his feet, the thunder arcs wrapped around him withdrawing into his body like obedient pets. With one step, he reached the edge of the stone platform; with another, his figure blurred as if merging into the thunder, instantly appearing at the entrance of the gorge.
Yu Boxuan, who was guarding outside the gorge, opened his eyes almost at the same time. When his gaze fell on Yu Yuanchen, he was first slightly stunned, then his eyes erupted with unhideable joy and a hint of... shock!
At this time, Yu Yuanchen's figure seemed more upright and well-proportioned, his skin lustrous with a faint treasure-like glow. In the depths of his originally deep blue eyes, purple-gold electric sparks seemed to be settling; between opening and closing, they naturally exuded a heart-stirring majesty and depth. His aura was reserved yet thick, and standing there, he seemed to blend perfectly with the surrounding thunderous environment.
More importantly, Yu Boxuan felt an ancient, purer Bloodline pressure from his grandson, different from ordinary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Souls! Although extremely faint, it definitely existed!
"Chener, you..." Yu Boxuan stood up, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"Grandfather, I have successfully ended my seclusion." Yu Yuanchen bowed, his tone calm but naturally carrying a sense of confidence.
"Good! Good! Good!" Yu Boxuan said three times, stepping forward and patting Yu Yuanchen's shoulder heavily. Feeling the incredibly solid touch and the faint rebounding force, he was greatly comforted. "Peak of Rank 43! Your Foundation is incredibly solid, and your blood and Qi are as vigorous as a dragon's! More importantly, your Martial Soul... seems..."
He stared at Yu Yuanchen with burning eyes, filled with inquiry.
Yu Yuanchen knew he couldn't hide it from a powerhouse like his grandfather, so he said briefly: "During the seclusion, I gained some insight into the power of the fourth Soul skills and tried to use it to temper myself. It seems... to have slightly improved my Bloodline purity." He did not explain the matter of the purple-gold scale in detail; it involved his greatest secret and was not convenient to reveal for now.
"Bloodline improvement?!" Hearing this, Yu Boxuan's eyes flashed with brilliant light, his excitement beyond words. The Bloodline purity of a top-tier Beast Spirit directly related to the upper limit of one's potential! His grandson could actually improve his Bloodline purity on his own—this was simply an unheard-of miracle! "Heaven bless my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! Chener, this matter is of great importance; you must never mention it to outsiders!"
"I understand." Yu Yuanchen nodded.
"Come, let's go back first." Yu Boxuan suppressed his excitement, his expression turning solemn. "Outside has not been peaceful during these three months of your seclusion."
Returning to the main hall, Yu Boxuan dismissed the attendants and informed Yu Yuanchen of the external situation.
The Long Family indeed refused to accept defeat. Although overt conflicts had decreased, their secret actions had become more frequent and insidious. Some of the clan's external industries had been suppressed and sabotaged by unknown forces one after another. Several core disciples on external missions were assassinated; although most were thwarted, it still caused losses and panic. Various signs indicated that the Long Family was brewing a larger plot and might even be... seeking external aid.
"According to reports from our undercover lines, Long Xiao recently made secret trips to the Spirit Hall's Cathedral in the Heaven Dou Empire, as well as... the Elephant Armored Academy." Yu Boxuan's voice was low. "Although I don't know the specifics of their discussions, it is definitely not with good intentions."
Yu Yuanchen's A cold look: "Do they want to unite external forces to completely wipe out our clan?"
"It's not impossible." Yu Boxuan sighed. "Our clan is strong, but if we face the Long Family, the Elephant Armored Academy, and even secret support from the Spirit Hall all at once, the situation will be extremely unfavorable."
The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat heavy for a moment.
After a moment, Yu Yuanchen looked up, purple-gold electric sparks flashing through his eyes, his tone firm: "Grandfather, we will deal with whatever comes our way. Fear solves nothing. The priority now is to continue improving our strength. I feel that while secluded cultivation is good, true growth often needs to be tempered in battle. I request permission to participate in clan affairs and deal with the Long Family's provocations!"
He looked at Yu Boxuan, his gaze clear and sharp. "It's time to start collecting some debts."
Yu Boxuan looked at his grandson's confident and steady eyes, feeling the hidden, heart-palpitating power within him. After a long silence, he finally nodded slowly.
"Good! A young eagle must eventually spread its wings. However, everything must prioritize your own safety; do not be reckless."
"Yes!"
Yu Yuanchen cupped his hands and took the order, turning to walk out of the main hall. The sunlight fell on him, his upright figure like a sharp sword about to be unsheathed, its edge restrained yet difficult to hide.
The hidden dragon had quietly transformed, its scales and claws first revealed. The storm was brewing outside, and it was time to test his edge!