Deep within the Thunder Gorge, time seemed to lose all meaning; only the eternal thunder and leaping arcs of electricity remained the main melody of this place.
Yu Yuanchen's heart was as still as stagnant water, and he was completely immersed in his cultivation. He was no longer satisfied with merely guiding his soul power to heal his injuries and stabilize his realm; instead, he began to actively attempt to utilize that wisp of newly born "Thunder God Power."
The essence of this power was extremely high, yet its total volume was scarce, and controlling it placed a significant burden on his spiritual power. At first, he could only cautiously guide it to circulate through his main meridians, feeling its purification of his soul power and its faint nourishment of his physical body.
As he gradually became familiar with the characteristics of the "Thunder God Power," a bold idea sprouted in his heart.
Since this "Thunder God Power" can spontaneously temper the physical body, if I actively guide it and stimulate the subtle parts of my body in a specific way, could it have miraculous effects? He recalled the theories of "muscle-tendon cleansing marrow-washing" and "body tempering" from the vague martial way theories of his past life. Although this world lacked a clear system for cultivating meridians and acupoints, the mysteries of the human body were infinite; perhaps he could break through finesse with pure power?
Once this thought appeared, it became difficult to suppress.
He did not act rashly, choosing instead the most secure method. After his soul power had recovered to its peak state and his control over the "Thunder God Power" had become a fraction more meticulous, he began his attempt.
He separated a wisp of purple-gold energy, thinner than a strand of hair, and used it as a trigger. No longer limited to the main meridians, he acted like a precision carving knife, cautiously probing into those subtle meridians, muscle fibers, and even the depths of his bones that were usually difficult for soul power to reach or where it flowed slowly.
"Sizzle..."
A faint sound, as if electric current were passing through water, echoed within his body. A sensation of numbness and stinging pain, far exceeding anything he had felt before, washed over him, mixed with an indescribable soreness and swelling. This was not simple pain; it was more like a deep-seated stimulation and tempering that touched the very origin of life.
Fine beads of sweat instantly seeped from his forehead, and his body trembled slightly, but his gaze remained incomparably firm. He could clearly "see" that wherever that wisp of purple-gold energy flowed, some extremely minute impurities—which were usually difficult to reach through normal cultivation or the tempering of the Thunder Valley—were melted away as if by high heat, turning into wisps of gray gas that were carried away by the pure soul power following behind and expelled from his body. Meanwhile, the cells there, under the intertwining forces of the thunder's destruction and new life, became more solidified and vibrant.
This process was extremely slow and consumed a massive amount of spiritual power. Often, after guiding that wisp of "Thunder God Power" for only a moment, he would feel mentally exhausted and be forced to stop to recover.
Yet, he never tired of it.
With every attempt, he felt as if his body were being washed clean. Although his soul power level did not increase significantly, his physical strength, resilience, and capacity to bear soul power were increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The slight hidden injuries left behind by forcibly stimulating his leg meridians were also completely smoothed out under this meticulous tempering, and he even gained a blessing in disguise: the resilience and clarity of his leg meridians were now better than ever before.
Day after day, Yu Yuanchen was completely immersed in this slow yet solid transformation.
He did not realize that as he tirelessly tempered his body with the "Thunder God Power," wisps of a faint, almost imperceptible aura of a higher level, contained within the "Thunder God Power," were quietly merging into the depths of his bloodline.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, as a top-tier beast martial soul, possessed powerful strength and potential within its bloodline. However, passed down through generations, the bloodline had inevitably become mixed and thinned. This "Thunder God Power," which originated from the Thunder Spirit and carried a trace of divinity, was of such high essence that while tempering his body, it acted like an invisible filter and a strange catalyst, beginning to subtly purify and stimulate the most original part of his bloodline.
This process was silent and soundless, even bypassing Yu Yuanchen's own keen perception. His attention was entirely focused on the improvement of his physical strength and the refinement of his power control.
Until a certain moment, after he finished a meticulous tempering of his right arm, he habitually looked inward to check his martial soul origin.
The phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul remained majestic and overbearing, its entire body covered in deep blue scales with lightning coiling around it. However, right above the head of the martial soul phantom, at a position slightly above the center of its brow, Yu Yuanchen noticed a tiny anomaly.
There, among the blue scales that should have been no different from the others, there seemed to be... an extra, tiny light spot of a slightly darker color?
He focused his mind and "looked" carefully.
That was not a light spot, but a scale! A scale only one-tenth the size of a fingernail, with a color completely different from the other blue scales! It was not blue, but a restrained dark purple that seemed to have precipitated the essence of countless thunders. Yet, at its core, it faintly revealed a trace of an imperceptible, noble golden glow. Purple and gold intertwined; if one did not look inward carefully, one would almost overlook it.
This purple-gold scale was quietly embedded among the blue dragon scales. It was inconspicuous, yet it seemed to be the core of the entire martial soul phantom, emitting an indescribable aura of ancient majesty that surpassed that of an ordinary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"This is..." Yu Yuanchen's heart jolted, and he felt a trace of surprise. He had never encountered such a subtle change in a martial soul, nor had he ever seen such a record in his family's ancient books.
He tried to activate his martial soul; blue electric light exploded, and dragon might permeated the air. Everything was as usual; his soul skills operated smoothly, and their power seemed to have even increased, but that purple-gold scale did not bring any additional, obvious abilities or phenomena.
Is this a change brought about by the "Thunder God Power" tempering my body? Yu Yuanchen thought thoughtfully. He could feel that the appearance of this scale seemed to have increased his martial soul's affinity with thunder power by a fraction, and his mobilization of soul power felt more rounded and natural. However, this improvement was very subtle, in a state of "moistening things silently."
Perhaps it is some kind of benign mutation? Or... is it an external manifestation of an increase in bloodline purity? He speculated. On the Douluo Continent, martial souls were not immutable; under certain special opportunities, evolution or mutation could indeed occur. But a change as subtle and peculiar as merely having one extra scale of a different color was truly rare.
After studying it for a while, unable to reach a definitive conclusion and finding no adverse effects—in fact, feeling that his state was better than ever—Yu Yuanchen temporarily suppressed this doubt. He attributed it to a benign stimulation caused by the "Thunder God Power" tempering his body and soul power, perhaps a manifestation of a more solid foundation.
"Since it is harmless and seems beneficial, then let it take its course." His mindset was peaceful; he was neither overjoyed by this insignificant change nor anxious because he could not understand it. He knew well that the path of cultivation was long, and as long as the direction was correct, he could continue to explore any minor anomalies.
He no longer deliberately focused on the purple-gold scale and threw all his attention back into his cultivation. He continued to temper his body with the "Thunder God Power," consolidate his cultivation level, and began to delve deeper into the various application techniques of his fourth soul skill, "Thunder God Power," attempting to combine it with his first three soul skills in more diverse and exquisite ways.
He faintly felt that this quietly appearing purple-gold scale might be a trigger, an opportunity. But true transformation required deeper accumulation of power and the realization that comes when conditions are ripe.
The hidden dragon remained deep in the abyss of thunder, but a unique scale had already quietly signaled its extraordinary potential. It waited in silence, waiting for the wind and clouds to gather, waiting for that moment to soar into the sky and let the purple-gold divine thunder shine upon the world.
The seclusion continued, and the thunder in the depths of the gorge roared day after day, as if playing a low and magnificent prelude for the opening of a new era.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan