Chapter 30: Bone Tempering, Thunder Roar, Breakthrough to Level 60
The initial Body Tempering of his flesh and blood was complete, bringing Yu Yuanchen not only a significant enhancement in his Physical Body, but also a deeper sense of control over his own strength.
As his Qi and blood circulated, it was smooth and unobstructed, without the slightest stagnation. With a single thought, the massive amount of Qi and blood could instantly converge at a single point or be evenly distributed throughout his entire body, moving as easily as an arm directing a finger, with minimal loss.
In this state, whether he was unleashing a Soul skills or relying solely on his Physical Body strength, his efficiency had improved significantly.
However, he did not indulge in these initial results. The path of Body Tempering was long; the tempering of flesh and blood had only laid the external Foundation. The beams and pillars that truly supported the "palace" of the human body—the bones and tendons—were the key that needed to be conquered next.
"The bones and tendons are the framework of strength and the bridge for the passage of Qi and blood." Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged before the core rock wall of Thunder Roar Ravine, his body surrounded by dense, light purple thunder element, as he continued to deduce the Body Tempering technique in his mind. "If the bones and tendons are strong, one can lift a tripod with ease and the Meridians can contain a river. Tempering the bones and tendons is far more delicate and dangerous than tempering flesh and blood."
The method he conceived stemmed from a deeper level of utilizing the power of Qi and blood—compression.
Unlike tempering flesh and blood, where one guides Qi and blood to vibrate and flow between the skin and flesh, tempering bones and tendons required the massive power of Qi and blood to be compressed to the extreme as it flowed through the bones and main Meridians.
The Qi and blood, compressed to the limit, would generate an inward-collapsing "pressure" and a high-speed flowing "scouring force."
This force would act like an invisible forging hammer, repeatedly striking every inch of the bones, penetrating into the minute structures of the bone tissue, forcing them to absorb the essence of Qi and blood, becoming denser and harder, like tempered steel. At the same time, this force would also expand and toughen the walls of the Meridians, enabling them to withstand the impact of even more violent and massive amounts of Soul Power and Qi and blood.
This method seemed direct, but in reality, it placed extremely harsh demands on one's control.
Bones were spread throughout the entire body with complex structures, and the Meridians were even more delicate and fragile. If the intensity of the Qi and blood compression was even slightly uneven, at best it would lead to hidden injuries in the bones and damage to the Meridians; at worst, it could directly shatter the bones and tear the Meridians, causing irreparable consequences.
This was definitely not something that could be achieved overnight; it could only rely on patient, persistent effort, guiding, compressing, and scouring bit by bit, progressing step by step.
"Start with the main bones of the limbs, gradually spread to the torso, and finally involve the spine and skull..." Yu Yuanchen formulated a cautious plan. He chose to start with the arm and leg bones, which were relatively thick and in non-lethal areas.
At the beginning of his Cultivate, he held his breath and focused his mind, driving his Spiritual Power to the limit to look within himself. He guided a thick stream of Qi and blood to slowly flow toward the humerus of his right arm. When the Qi and blood wrapped around the entire section of bone, he moved his mind and began to slowly apply pressure.
"Hum—"
A strange vibration came from deep within the bones. At first, it was subtle, but as the degree of Qi and blood compression increased, it gradually became clear. Yu Yuanchen felt as if the bones of his right arm were being pierced from the inside by countless fine steel needles, or as if they were being crushed under a huge millstone. A mixture of soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain that penetrated deep into the bone marrow intertwined, indescribable. Cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead, and his face turned slightly pale.
He did not dare to have the slightest Divided Soul, precisely controlling the intensity and range of the compression to ensure that the force was applied evenly across the entire bone section, avoiding the formation of excessively strong regional pressure points. At the same time, he had to distract himself to guide the compressed Qi and blood, simulating a scouring posture, washing and refining the bones and the Meridians attached to them over and over again.
This process was extremely exhausting to his mind and Qi and blood. After tempering just one section of his arm bone for an hour, he felt mentally exhausted, and the Qi and blood in the arm area where that bone section was located were faintly depleted. He immediately stopped, turned to consume Soul Beast meat, circulated his Soul Power to recuperate, and once his state was restored, he switched to another bone section to continue.
Day after day, he immersed himself in this boring and painful Cultivate. During the day, most of the time was spent tempering the bones and tendons, and a small part was used to consolidate his Soul Power; at night, he would focus entirely on meditation, absorbing the thunder element of Thunder Roar Ravine, while using his Soul Power to nourish the bones and Meridians that had been tempered during the day, promoting their absorption and recovery.
However, a new problem soon appeared—the consumption of resources was too fast!
The consumption of Qi and blood for tempering bones and tendons far exceeded that of tempering flesh and blood. The high-quality Soul Beast meat, which was originally expected to last for half a year, had already bottomed out in his storage soul tool after just over three months under this high-intensity consumption. Without sufficient replenishment of Qi and blood, the progress of tempering would be greatly delayed, and it might even lead to self-injury during tempering due to insufficient Qi and blood.
"I must replenish resources." Yu Yuanchen looked at the empty storage soul tool and sighed helplessly. Secluded hard Cultivate did not mean being cut off from the world; necessary resource security was indispensable.
He had to temporarily interrupt his Cultivate. After carefully disguising himself and confirming that everything was correct, he quietly left Thunder Roar Ravine and headed toward the nearest large city outside the mountain range.
Half a month later, Yu Yuanchen returned, covered in dust, with a trace of fatigue on his face, but his eyes were relaxed. He had successfully arrived at the large border city named "Rock Iron City." In order not to attract attention, he did not make large-scale purchases, but instead changed his appearance and identity several times, buying large quantities of Soul Beast meat sufficient to support consumption for a year or a half in different chambers of commerce and markets in multiple batches. The purchases were mainly thousand-year Soul Beast meat, mixed with a lot of hundred-year Soul Beast meat that was easy to store and full of Qi and blood, and he even bought some low-grade medicinal herbs specifically for strengthening tendons and bones. He sorted these supplies into different storage soul tools, and only then did he return to Thunder Roar Ravine with satisfaction.
With the resource problem solved, Yu Yuanchen once again threw himself into frantic hard Cultivate.
Time flew by, spring went and autumn came, flowers bloomed and fell in Thunder Roar Ravine, the creek rose and fell, only the roar of the waterfall and the thunder element permeating the core rock wall remained eternally unchanged.
One and a half years of time passed quietly in this day-after-day bone tempering, meditation, consumption, and recuperation.
At this time, compared to a year and a half ago, Yu Yuanchen's aura had undergone earth-shaking changes.
His figure seemed more upright and well-proportioned, not muscular and bulky, but containing an introverted sense of strength that was as unshakeable as a mountain. His skin presented a healthy bronze color, faintly glowing with a luster like jade. Most eye-catching were his hands; his fingers were slender and powerful, with distinct knuckles, and when he gently clenched his fist, he could seemingly hear the faint sound of metal and stone clashing.
Inside his body, the main bones of his limbs and skeleton had already completed their initial tempering. The bone density had greatly increased, and the hardness far exceeded that of ordinary metal, emitting a faint bronze luster, with Qi and blood flowing through them unobstructed, even able to induce slight resonance. The main Meridians of his whole body had also been widened by nearly 30% under this continuous scouring of Qi and blood, and the walls were tough and elastic, like a widened and reinforced river channel, sufficient to accommodate the surging of even more torrential "floodwaters."
Initial tempering of bones and tendons, complete!
And his Soul Power cultivation, during these two long years (including the previous half-year of flesh and blood tempering) of hard Cultivate, although his progress was slightly slower in the early stages due to the distraction of Body Tempering, thanks to the amazing effects of the treasure land of Thunder Roar Ravine, as well as his own solid Foundation and the subtle purification of Soul Power by the "Thunder God Power," had long reached the Peak of Level 59, only one step away from the important checkpoint on the path of a Soul Master—the Level 60 Soul Emperor!
This day, it was late at night. Everything in Thunder Roar Ravine was silent, save for the murmuring of the creek and the faint thunder roaring overflowing from the holes in the rock wall.
Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged on the stone platform, his body wrapped in dense, almost tangible light purple thunder element, like a huge thunder cocoon. The Soul Power within his body surged like a great river, tumultuous and powerful, having already reached the limit of Level 59. The Bottleneck barrier leading to the Soul Emperor clearly lay before him, indestructible, yet seemingly ready to break at a single touch.
He was not impatient; his mind was calm, guiding his Soul Power to repeatedly impact that barrier. At the same time, he used a Divided Soul, beginning to actively induce the wisp of "Thunder God Power" within his body that had grown quite a bit.
After two years of uninterrupted Cultivate and the nourishment of Qi and blood and Soul Power, although the total amount of this purple-gold energy grew slowly, it was already more than twice as thick as it was initially, the color was deeper, and the trace of divine majesty contained within it was becoming increasingly obvious.
"It is time!"
A bright light exploded in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. The moment he adjusted his state to the Peak, he no longer held back, fully stimulating that wisp of "Thunder God Power," making it like a waking purple-gold thunder Dragon, violently crashing into the surging torrent of Soul Power!
"Boom—!!!"
It was as if a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens had exploded in his mind! The addition of that higher-level energy caused the nature of Yu Yuanchen's Soul Power to instantly undergo a certain mysterious change, becoming more violent, more penetrating, and more destructive! The torrent of Soul Power fused with the "Thunder God Power," with an unstoppable force, fiercely slammed into that solid Bottleneck barrier!
"Crack..."
A subtle yet clear cracking sound rang out from within his body. That solid barrier that had plagued countless Soul Kings, under this impact fused with divine force, shattered upon contact!
The obstacle disappeared, and his Soul Power, like a breached flood, surged into a brand new world that was broader and tougher! The aura around Yu Yuanchen skyrocketed like it was riding a rocket! The originally dense thunder element light cocoon was instantly devoured by him, and it even drew in the thunder element of the entire Thunder Roar Ravine, forming a small energy vortex that poured crazily into his body.
Level 60!
His Soul Power was unstoppable, directly stabilizing at the Level 60 level before gradually stopping. Breakthrough to Level 60 was not only a massive increase in the total amount of Soul Power, but also a qualitative change. He felt as if his Soul had been sublimated, his perception of the Origin Qi of heaven and earth was clearer, and his control over his own strength had stepped onto a new level.
More importantly, at the moment of the Breakthrough, he clearly felt that his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul emitted a joyful Dragon roar, and the Martial Soul Origin seemed to have grown stronger and more solid. And the wisp of "Thunder God Power" within his body also seemed to have established a deeper connection with his Martial Soul, and as it circulated, its Fusion with his Soul Power and Qi and blood became smoother and more natural.
Yu Yuanchen slowly opened his eyes, and within them, purple-gold electric light flashed and vanished, as if tangible, illuminating the dim ravine for an instant. He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, and this breath actually carried faint electric arcs.
Feeling the vast Soul Power surging endlessly within him, far exceeding what it was before, and the powerful Physical Body that had completed the initial tempering of flesh, blood, bones, and tendons after two years of hard Cultivate, a surge of great pride welled up in Yu Yuanchen's heart.
Level 60 achieved, bones and tendons initially tempered! The next step was to obtain the sixth Soul Ring, truly stepping into the ranks of high-level Soul Masters, and at the same time, he could also begin to conceive the even more dangerous tempering of the internal organs.
He stood up and stretched his bones and tendons; his entire body's bones emitted a series of crisp and dense explosions, like rolling muffled thunder. His gaze was cast toward the direction outside Thunder Roar Ravine, full of anticipation. It was time to leave this treasure land where he had been in secluded Cultivate for two years and go to meet new challenges and Opportunities.