Chapter 28: Journeying Alone, Initial Exploration of Body Tempering
After parting ways with Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, Yu Yuanchen did not stay in Shiquan Town for long. He purchased some necessary supplies, processed some of the hard-to-store Soul Beast Materials obtained from the Savage Beast Hills into gold coins and some practical herbs, and then set off again on his lonely journey.
His goal was clear: a secret location hidden within the towering mountains on the northwest border of the Star Luo Empire, bordering the Heaven Dou Empire. According to the ancient maps and notes left by his Family ancestors, there was a natural treasure trove called "Thunder Roar Ravine." It was discovered by that ancestor when he accidentally fell into a deep valley crevice while being pursued by enemies and fleeing in panic. That place was extremely hidden, obscured by layers of craggy rocks and dense ancient forests. The entrance was only wide enough for one person to pass through sideways, and it seemed to have a natural magnetic field that interfered with perception; unless by pure Opportunity, it was extremely difficult to discover.
Within the mountain ravine, it contained extremely pure and dense thunder-attribute Origin Qi, which could be called a top-tier simulated Cultivation ground for a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master. However, this treasure land also had its limitations. The energy it gathered was not inexhaustible. According to the ancestor's estimation, the total amount was only enough for a Martial Soul Saint-Rank thunder-attribute Soul Master to Cultivate at full strength for three years. After the energy was exhausted, this place would fall silent and would need to rely on its special terrain to slowly gather Origin Qi to recover, a process that would take about twenty years.
The journey ahead was long, spanning nearly half of the Star Luo Empire. Yu Yuanchen was not in a rush. He maintained a low profile, wearing grey clothes and a bamboo hat to cover his face, like an ordinary wandering Soul. He traveled by day and rested by night, avoiding bustling towns and major areas of Soul Master activity, choosing to travel through secluded paths and mountain forests.
A month later, he had penetrated deep into a range of rolling, vast mountains. The mountain terrain here was not as steep and precipitous as the Thunder Mountain Range, nor was it covered in thunderclouds all year round; instead, it appeared more ancient and quiet. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the forest was filled with the scent of damp rotting leaves and a faint fragrance of plants. Vines twisted around thick trunks like coiled dragons, and the ground was covered with thick moss and unknown ferns.
Just as the Family records stated, Soul Beasts were scarce in this mountain range, and they were mostly of the ten-year or hundred-year Rank; thousand-year Soul Beasts were local overlords, let alone existences above the ten-thousand-year level. Occasionally, Soul Beasts like Phantom Wolves or Sharp-Clawed Wildcats would dart through the forest, but upon sensing the faint pressure that remained on Yu Yuanchen even when he restrained it, they would fearfully avoid him from afar. This place was indeed desolate; apart from occasionally seeing traces of ancient hunter paths eroded by wind and rain, almost no human presence could be seen.
Walking alone in the silent mountain forest, only the sound of footsteps, the wind, and the occasional chirping of birds and insects accompanied him. Yu Yuanchen's heart gradually calmed down, and he began to systematically sort out what he had learned and think about his future path.
The battle with Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu allowed him to clearly see his strengths and weaknesses. His strength lay in the high status of the "Thunder God Power" and his flexible use of Martial Soul Abilities and Domain; his weakness lay in the absolute gap in Soul Power Rank, as well as the fact that his Physical Body still seemed somewhat insufficient when facing the extreme power impact of the Clear Sky Hammer.
"The core of my current cultivation, in the final analysis, lies in strengthening the 'Essence,' 'Qi,' and 'Martial Soul.'" As Yu Yuanchen agilely moved through the forest, he silently deduced in his heart, "'Qi' is Soul Power, which is the Foundation of this world. I have never been slack, and I have a solid Foundation laid by absorbing Soul Rings beyond my Rank, so I only need to accumulate it step by step. 'Martial Soul' is Spiritual Power. Although it is Innate strong because I have lived two lives, and has been tempered by the 'Thunder God Power' and nourished by spiritual objects, and I have even developed Moves like 'Thunder Dragon Shattering Void' that incorporate Spiritual attacks, how to actively and efficiently Cultivate and strengthen it is a difficult problem."
Recalling the common knowledge of the Spirit Master's world and the records in the Family library, he discovered that Soul Masters' understanding of Spiritual Power was indeed superficial. The growth of most Soul Masters' Spiritual Power relied entirely on the passive enhancement brought by the increase in Soul Power Rank, as well as the slight tempering and improvement brought by enduring Soul shocks when absorbing Soul Rings. A few gifted individuals or Soul Masters with special Spiritual-type Martial Souls might have unique meditation methods, but such techniques were all extremely rare and mostly kept secret, not widely circulated. He currently had no systematic direction for Spiritual Power cultivation to refer to.
"Spiritual Power cultivation can only be put aside for now, waiting for an Opportunity, or exploring it later when my cultivation is deep and my knowledge is broad." Yu Yuanchen made a rational judgment. If it could not be forced, it was better to let it go.
"Then, the only thing that can be actively and rapidly improved at the moment is 'Essence,' which is blood and Qi, the Foundation of this Physical Body!" His gaze became sharp.
Strong blood and Qi not only brought stronger strength, speed, defense, and recovery, but was also the Foundation for supporting the use of high-load Martial Soul Abilities and enduring the impact of over-Rank Soul Rings, and it was also an important link in his Fusion with the "Thunder God Power." In the battle with Tang Chen, he deeply realized that if his own blood and Qi were not vigorous enough, it would be impossible to hold on in such a level of collision.
"To strengthen blood and Qi, the most direct method is nothing more than'Supplementing' and 'Refining.'" Yu Yuanchen's thinking was clear. "'Supplementing' means ingesting high-energy food, especially Soul Beast meat."
He touched the storage soul tool on his finger, which contained a large amount of Soul Beast meat collected from the Savage Beast Hills, mostly from thousand-year or even a few ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, which had been simply processed and had its energy well preserved. With this high-quality blood food, even if he ate Soul Beast meat for every meal, it would be enough for him to consume for half a year; if he ate a little less, it would be enough for more than half a year. Therefore, he had no worries about the "Supplementing" aspect for the time being.
"Then, the key lies in 'Refining'! How to more efficiently use this energy to temper the Physical Body and stimulate the potential of blood and Qi?"
Scattered memory fragments from his past Life emerged again, especially the description of the blood and Qi cultivation System in that novel called "XX High Martial Arts." Although the details were blurry, the general cultivation method in the early stage—first tempering the bones, then tempering the internal organs, then tempering all the flesh, blood, and Meridians outside the skull to reshape the Physical Body, and then tempering the skull to forge a Golden Body—gave him great inspiration.
"Combining with the actual situation of this world, I might be able to try to take a path of 'Body Tempering.'" A thoughtful light flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. "No, I cannot copy it directly. Tempering the bones first is too dangerous. I don't have the Legacy of predecessors. The lowest-risk method should be from the outside to the inside, step by step: first temper the skin and flesh to enhance external defense and power bursts; then temper the tendons and bones to support stronger power and connect the whole body; then temper the internal organs to strengthen vitality and endurance, and carry the operation of more violent energy. If I can reach the bone marrow and change the blood to be reborn, I can fundamentally transform, making blood and Qi like a rainbow, inexhaustible; finally, temper the skull to open up the blood and Qi of the whole body, letting vitality circulate throughout the body, and then forge a Golden Body (the Golden Body here is not the Golden Body in 'XX High Martial Arts', but a term for a state of Perfection in Body Refining), and perhaps Spiritual Power will also be improved due to the tempering of the skull."
This was a grand conception, far more active and systematic than simply relying on Soul Power nourishment and Soul Ring strengthening. But because it was a conception, it was full of unknowns and risks. The mysteries of the human body were endless, and a slight mistake could lead to the damage of the Foundation.
Yu Yuanchen did not rashly try. While on the road, he immersed most of his mind in the deduction of this "Body Tempering path."
He recalled the process of the thunder power stimulating and strengthening his Physical Body when he cultivated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul; he recalled the feeling of the violent energy washing through his Meridians and tearing and reorganizing his body when he absorbed high-year Soul Rings; he recalled the subtle and profound baptism of his flesh and blood cells when the "Thunder God Power" circulated in his body.
He verified these personal experiences with that vague theory, constantly adjusting and perfecting his ideas for Body Tempering.
"For the tempering of skin and flesh, perhaps I can use Soul Power to simulate vibration, combined with the operation of blood and Qi, from the surface to the inside, repeatedly hammering? Or I can induce a small amount of thunder to stimulate, but I need to control the intensity; too much is as bad as too little..."
"For the tempering of tendons and bones, it requires deeper power penetration. Perhaps I can combine it with the penetration characteristics of the 'Thunder God Power'? But bones are hard; how to guide the power to penetrate evenly without damaging their Foundation?"
"The internal organs are the most fragile, and tempering requires extreme caution. Perhaps I need to wait until the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones are initially formed and the blood and Qi are vigorous enough, and then focus on gentle nourishment, supplemented by special breathing methods or internal loops of Soul Power, to slowly plan it..."
"Bone marrow and skull... these two steps are even more distant, involving the Origin of Life and the brain, so I need to plan for the long term."
He walked and thought all the way, and when he encountered a suitable open space, he would stop to conduct some simple experiments. For example, he tried to control his Soul Power to form high-frequency micro-vibrations under the skin to simulate the process of "Skin Tempering." At first, he could only feel his skin slightly numb and hot, making it difficult to precisely control the intensity and range, sometimes ineffective, and sometimes excessive, causing the skin to turn red and swollen.
But he was not discouraged. He adjusted time and time again, relying on his strong Spiritual Power and precise control over his Soul Power, and gradually figured out the way. At the same time, he also began to consciously guide the thin wisp of "Thunder God Power" in his body, and when his blood and Qi were circulating, he very carefully integrated a trace to observe its effect on the activity of blood and Qi. He found that this high-level power did indeed have a very strong stimulating effect on blood and Qi, but at the same time, its domineering attributes were also very easy to cause damage, so it must be used with caution.
Traveling, experimenting, and thinking during the day, and meditating to Cultivate Soul Power and consuming Soul Beast meat to replenish blood and Qi consumption at night. His Life became extremely regular and fulfilling.
The Soul Beast meat in the storage soul tool was slowly being consumed, and his conception of the "Body Tempering" method was also gradually becoming a relatively clear and initially feasible framework through practice and deduction along the way. Although it was still rough and full of places that needed verification and correction, at least the direction was clear.
He knew that this was by no means a one-day task, but required a lot of time, resources, and... a safe and stable environment for him to deeply Cultivate and experiment.
And "Thunder Roar Ravine" was exactly such an ideal place.
According to the map's guidance, he was getting closer and closer to the treasure land discovered by his Family ancestor. Feeling the thunder elements in the air gradually becoming active, and even faintly carrying a hint of numbness, Yu Yuanchen knew that he was not far from his destination.
He took a deep breath, and the familiar thunder aura in the air refreshed his Martial Soul. Looking up at the depths of the mountain range, his gaze seemed to penetrate the layered mountains and see the land rich in thunder elements hidden in the mountain ravine.
There, he would not only use that precious thunder element energy to impact the Soul Emperor Bottleneck, but also use these two years of stable time to put his initially conceived "Body Tempering" method into practice, taking the crucial step of solidifying his Foundation and surpassing his limits!
His pace quickened, his figure flickered a few times in the lush mountain forest, and he disappeared at the end of the dense fog and winding mountain road. The Thunder Roar Ravine ahead would be the next stop for his secluded cultivation and transformation.