Chapter 11: Bloodline Like a Dragon, the Fifth Ring in Sight
Time flows like water, quietly slipping away. Since Yu Yuanchen came out of seclusion to participate in Family affairs, three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three years, the situation in the southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire has become increasingly subtle. Friction between the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Black Flame Flood Dragon Clan, along with their allies, has been constant. Although no large-scale conflict has broken out, small-scale killings, struggles over resource points, and secret assassinations and counter-assassinations have almost never ceased. Both sides are like taut bowstrings, maintaining a dangerous balance, both accumulating strength and waiting for the moment to completely break the deadlock.
Against this backdrop of undercurrents, within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a secret excitement and expectation surged because of an unexpected discovery brought by Yu Yuanchen.
All of this originated from Yu Yuanchen's deep exploration of his own power.
Benefiting from the massive resources the Family tilted toward him due to his outstanding performance—every day consisting of meticulously prepared high-level Soul Beast meat, supplemented by various century-old spiritual items for strengthening the Foundation and nurturing the Origin, and even occasional soups brewed with thousand-year Spirit Medicine—combined with his own never-slackening bitter cultivation and his persistent tempering of the 'Thunder God Power', his Soul Power growth rate was nothing short of astonishing. In just three years, he climbed all the way from rank forty-three, breaking through the rank fifty Bottleneck with irresistible force!
This speed, looking across the entire continent, was enough to leave the vast majority of so-called Geniuses far behind.
However, the rapid increase in Soul Power was not his greatest harvest.
While continuously using the 'Thunder God Power' to temper his Physical Body, purify his Bloodline, and strengthen the Dragon blood Origin fed back by that purple-gold scale, Yu Yuanchen did not forget to deeply dig into his own potential. He repeatedly studied the notes left by ancestors in the Family collection, especially the parts regarding the development of Physical Body strength.
Among them, a few words left by a clan elder from several hundred years ago, who was famous for his tyrannical physique, caught his attention. That elder vaguely mentioned in his notes that during a crisis of Life and death, he had accidentally triggered another kind of power hidden deep within his Bloodline. It was not Soul Power, yet it was related to blood and Qi. When it erupted, it could instantly cause physical strength and defense to skyrocket, as if a savage dragon possessed the body. He called this power 'Dragon Blood Boiling,' but unfortunately, he failed to summarize a method to stably trigger and control it. In his later years, he speculated that this was closely related to the strength of the Martial Soul Origin and one's own Life essence (blood and Qi).
'Blood and Qi power...' Yu Yuanchen repeatedly chewed on this term. It reminded him of Tangs eldest son from Douluo 3, whose Golden Dragon King Bloodline brought him a versatile and powerful blood and Qi power, almost like a second Martial Soul. Even if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was far inferior to the Golden Dragon King, it was still a dragon with a naturally powerful physique. If Tangs eldest son could have blood and Qi like a dragon at the first ring, it wouldn't be excessive for him to trigger blood and Qi power at the fourth ring; there was great potential here. He recalled some theories from his previous Life: blood and Qi are the essence of Life, directly related to physical strength and vitality. Soul Masters in this world relied too heavily on Soul Power and Martial Soul Abilities, seemingly neglecting the development of their own blood and Qi.
'My Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul already gave me a powerful physique, and with the continuous tempering of the Thunder God Power, my blood and Qi should be far more vigorous than Soul Masters of the same rank. Can I try to actively guide and trigger this power?'
Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.
He began to experiment. At first, he had no clue and could only rely on his powerful Spiritual Power to look inward, sensing the flow of his own blood and the beating of his heart, trying to use his will to guide and condense that ethereal 'blood and Qi'. The process was tedious and difficult, with many attempts ending in failure, and even causing Soul Power turbulence due to excessive Spiritual concentration.
But he did not give away. Once, deep within the Thunder Canyon, while using the 'Thunder God Power' for Body Tempering and feeling that purple-gold energy flow through his entire body, bringing numbness and stinging pain, he had a flash of inspiration. He tried to merge a strand of Spiritual Power into that circulating 'Thunder God Power'—not to control it, but acting like a guide, leading this high-level energy to 'ignite' the boiling blood and Qi throughout his body.
"Boom!"
It was as if a spark had fallen into boiling oil!
The moment the 'Thunder God Power' came into contact with his vigorous blood and Qi, a scorching power instantly erupted from deep within his body! This power was different from the cool flow of Soul Power and the violent explosion of lightning; it was more restrained, thick, and filled with a primitive sense of vitality and strength! His blood seemed to accelerate its flow at this moment, his skin turned slightly red, his body temperature rose, his muscle fibers trembled slightly, and an unprecedented sense of power filled his limbs and bones!
He subconsciously raised his dragonized right arm. Without using Soul Power, relying purely on this erupting blood and Qi power, he swung a punch at a nearby black iron pillar used for testing strength.
"Dong!!"
A dull sound like the beating of a giant drum exploded! On that black iron pillar, which required Soul Emperor level strength to leave a mark, a clearly visible fist print appeared! Although it wasn't deep, this was caused purely by Physical Body strength!
"I succeeded!" A light of pleasant surprise erupted in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. He carefully felt this newborn power; it was like a second energy System hidden within his body, running parallel to Soul Power, and even... complementing it!
He tried to integrate this blood and Qi power when performing Martial Soul Abilities.
"First Soul skills, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
His dragonized right claw reached out, blue electric light flashing violently. But different from before, this time the Thunder Claw was far more solid than in the past. The electric arcs swirling around the tips of the claws were more condensed and piercing. As it swung, it carried a strange texture that was heavy as a mountain yet swift as thunder! Its power had actually increased by nearly thirty percent! Moreover, he keenly noticed that the consumption of Soul Power had actually decreased slightly!
It seemed that because of the addition of blood and Qi power, the release of the Soul skills was smoother, reducing unnecessary Soul Power dissipation, while the blood and Qi itself also bore a portion of the energy load.
What surprised him even more was that when he triggered the blood and Qi power, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul phantom behind him also underwent subtle changes. The originally somewhat energy-based phantom now became more solid and lifelike, with distinct scales. A hint of spiritual light seemed to appear in the dragon's eyes; it was no longer just a collection of Soul Power, but more like it possessed a real 'Foundation' and 'Body'! The purple-gold scale located at the top of the Martial Soul phantom's head also seemed to become a bit more active with its restrained golden glow under the nourishment of the blood and Qi power.
"Blood and Qi strengthen the Bloodline! And the strengthening of the Bloodline feeds back to the Martial Soul, making its Foundation more stable and its evolution faster!" Yu Yuanchen instantly understood the key. This was like a virtuous cycle: a powerful physique and special energy (Thunder God Power) trigger vigorous blood and Qi -> blood and Qi nourish and strengthen the Bloodline Origin -> Bloodline strengthening makes the Martial Soul more solid, gives it higher potential, and accelerates evolution -> the stronger Martial Soul feeds back to oneself, improving the physique and Soul Power Aptitude.
He even faintly felt that his efficiency in absorbing Soul Power and his perception of the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi seemed to have a slight enhancement along with the strengthening of his blood and Qi and the elevation of his Bloodline. This meant that his Innate Aptitude was being improved and raised bit by bit through Acquired means!
This discovery was no small matter!
Yu Yuanchen did not hide it and immediately reported the details regarding the triggering of 'blood and Qi power' and the various benefits it brought to his grandfather, Yu Boxuan.
When Yu Boxuan first heard it, he was still somewhat skeptical. But when Yu Yuanchen left a fist print on the black iron pillar purely with blood and Qi power in front of him and demonstrated the changes in the power of Martial Soul Abilities under the enhancement of blood and Qi, this widely experienced Tyrant Dragon Douluo was completely shocked!
He immediately summoned all the core clan elders and began a secret meeting of the highest level.
When Yu Yuanchen demonstrated again in front of the elders, the entire secret room was silent, followed by an uncontrollable eruption of excitement and clamor!
"Blood and Qi power! It's actually blood and Qi power!"
"Strengthening the Bloodline! Raising the Martial Soul Foundation! This... this is simply a Heaven-Defying technique to change one's fate!"
"If the children of our clan can all trigger this power, why should we worry about the Family not prospering?!"
The elders' eyes all shone with light, as if they had seen the heavenly path to the Family's rise.
However, after urgent demonstration and limited practice (finding several clan members of different age groups to try), they found that things were not that simple.
Triggering blood and Qi power is best started from a young age, coordinated with specific Body Refining methods and resource nourishment to gradually warm and strengthen it. For these elders who were already old, whose bodies were set, and whose blood and Qi were starting to decline, the effect was negligible, and forced triggering might even damage their Origin.
And the reason Yu Yuanchen could succeed was, on one hand, because he was still young and his body was in its Peak growth period with strong plasticity; on the other hand, and most crucially, it was the miraculous nature of that 'Thunder God Power'! This extremely high-quality energy acted like the most precise key and the most powerful catalyst, forcibly knocking open the door to the blood and Qi treasury within his body and providing the initial and most critical guidance and support.
"A pity... the 'Thunder God Power' is Chener's unique Opportunity and cannot be replicated." An elder sighed but then became excited again, "But at least we have found a direction! From now on, the Family must adjust its training strategy. For all young children, we will increase the investment in Body Refining resources and explore systematic blood and Qi nurturing methods! In the long run, the overall talent of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's younger generation will surely rise to another level!"
This discovery injected infinite hope and motivation into the Family's future. Yu Boxuan immediately ordered that this be listed as the Family's highest secret, strictly forbidden from leaking, while simultaneously starting to formulate a new training plan for the children.
And as the source of all this, Yu Yuanchen's status in the Family became even more transcendent. He was not only a successor with extraordinary talent but also a hero who had opened a new path for the Family.
Now, standing before Yu Yuanchen was another important hurdle on the path of a Soul Master—obtaining the fifth Soul Ring.
Rank fifty is a watershed for a Soul Master. The theoretical upper limit for the fifth Soul Ring can reach around twelve thousand years. But for Yu Yuanchen, this was clearly far from enough.
"Your Foundation is so solid, your blood and Qi so vigorous, and your Soul Power so condensed that you far surpass your peers. You even have the 'Thunder God Power' and the initially triggered Dragon blood Origin protecting you." Yu Boxuan looked at his grandson, who had a thick aura and clear eyes, and said in a deep voice, "In your grandfather's opinion, for your fifth Soul Ring, anything under thirty thousand years is acceptable!"
Thirty thousand years! This was already a limit that the vast majority of Soul Masters only dared to hope for at their seventh Soul Ring!
Yu Yuanchen shook his head, his gaze firm: "Grandfather, thirty thousand years is not my limit. My goal is around thirty-five thousand years, and it must be a Dragon-type Soul Beast!"
"Thirty-five thousand years? Dragon-type?" Yu Boxuan's pupils constricted. This choice, even for him, felt a bit heart-stopping. A thirty-five-thousand-year Dragon-type Soul Beast had strength comparable to some ordinary Soul Douluo! Moreover, Dragon-type Soul Beasts were unruly and had powerful Soul strength; the risk of absorbing their Soul Rings far exceeded other Soul Beasts of the same age.
"Yes." Yu Yuanchen explained, "That 'Thunder Martial Soul' was good, but it was not of the Dragon genus after all. Now that my blood and Qi have just formed and my Bloodline urgently needs to be strengthened, I need a pure Dragon Origin to ignite this fire! The risk is great, but the reward is higher. And..." He paused, a purple-gold electric flash appearing in his eyes, "I am confident."
His confidence came from the daily growing 'Thunder God Power', from the thick blood and Qi he had initially triggered, from that purple-gold scale that was slowly transforming and had a special resonance with Dragon-type power, and even more from the combat experience and resilient will he had accumulated by secretly killing several Soul Emperors over the past two years.
Yu Boxuan stared at his grandson for a long time, seeing an unquestionable self-confidence and determination in his eyes. He knew that this grandson's mind was far more mature than his peers and he would never act without reason.
"Fine!" Yu Boxuan finally nodded heavily, a flash of decisiveness in his eyes, "Since you have such ambition, your grandfather will accompany you in this gamble! The Family will use all its power to find a suitable target for you!"
A magnificent scroll seemed to slowly unfold with the determination of Yu Yuanchen's fifth Soul Ring goal. The hidden dragon had already sharpened its claws and teeth to the Peak. The next step was to go deep into the wild, slay a true dragon, take its Soul Ring, and forge his own supreme Foundation!
On the road to becoming a powerhouse, there is never a lack of adventure and challenge. And Yu Yuanchen was already prepared.