After parting ways with Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, Yu Yuanchen did not linger in Stone Spring Town. He purchased necessary supplies and processed the remaining soul beast materials from the Savage Beast Hills that were difficult to store, exchanging them for Gold Soul Coins and some practical medicinal herbs, before once again embarking on his lonely journey.
His goal was clear: a hidden location deep within the towering mountains on the northwest border of the Star Luo Empire, where it bordered the Heaven Dou Empire. According to the ancient maps and notes left by his ancestors, there was a natural treasure land known as "Thunderclap Ravine," discovered by that ancestor when he accidentally fell into a deep valley rift while fleeing from enemies in a panic. The place was extremely well-hidden, obscured by layers of jagged rocks and dense ancient forests, with an entrance only wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. It also seemed to be affected by a natural magnetic field that interfered with perception; had it not been for a stroke of luck, it would have been impossible to find.
Within the mountain ravine, there was an extremely pure and dense concentration of lightning-attribute Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, which could be considered a top-tier Simulated Training Ground for a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul master. However, this treasure land had its limitations. The energy gathered there was not infinite; according to the ancestor's estimates, the total amount was only enough for a Soul Sage-level lightning-attribute soul master to cultivate at full capacity for three years. Once the energy was exhausted, the place would fall into silence, requiring about twenty years to slowly gather Heaven and Earth Origin Qi through its unique terrain to recover.
The journey was long, spanning nearly half of the Star Luo Empire. Yu Yuanchen was in no rush; he maintained a low profile, dressed in grey with a bamboo hat covering his face, like an ordinary wanderer. He traveled by day and rested by night, avoiding bustling towns and major soul master activity areas, choosing instead to traverse rarely trodden paths and mountain forests.
A month later, he had ventured deep into a vast, undulating mountain range. The terrain here was not as steep or treacherous as the Thunder Mountain Range, and with thunder clouds covering the sky year-round, it appeared even more ancient and serene. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the forest was filled with the damp scent of rotting leaves and the faint fragrance of plants. Vines coiled around thick trunks like dragons, and the ground was covered in thick moss and unknown ferns.
Just as the family records stated, this mountain range had few soul beasts, mostly at the ten-year and hundred-year levels. Thousand-year soul beasts were already overlords of their own territories, let alone anything above ten thousand years. Occasionally, soul beasts like Shadow Wolves or Sharp-Clawed Lynxes would dart through the forest, but upon sensing the faint pressure Yu Yuanchen exerted—even while restrained—they would panic and steer clear. It was truly desolate; aside from the occasional trace of long-abandoned hunter trails eroded by wind and rain, there was almost no sign of human life.
Walking alone in the silent mountain forest, accompanied only by the sound of his footsteps, the wind, and the occasional bird call or insect chirp, Yu Yuanchen's heart gradually calmed. He began to systematically organize what he had learned and contemplate his future path.
The battle with Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu had clearly shown him his advantages and weaknesses. His advantages lay in the high status of his "Thunder God Power" and his flexible use of soul skills and domains; his weaknesses lay in the absolute gap in Soul Power Level and the fact that his physical strength still seemed insufficient when facing the extreme power of the Clear Sky Hammer.
The core of my current cultivation, in the final analysis, lies in strengthening the "Essence," "Qi," and "Spirit," Yu Yuanchen thought, moving nimbly through the forest while silently deducing in his mind. * "Qi" is Soul Power, the foundation of this world. I have never been lax, and with the solid foundation laid by level-crossing absorption of soul rings, I only need to accumulate it step by step. "Spirit" is Spiritual Power; although it is inherently strong due to having lived two lives, and has been tempered by the "Thunder God Power" and nourished by spiritual materials—even leading to the development of moves like "Thunder Dragon Shatters Void" which incorporate spiritual attacks—how to actively and efficiently cultivate and strengthen it remains a difficult problem.*
He recalled the common knowledge of the soul master world and the records in his family's library, finding that the understanding of Spiritual Power among soul masters was indeed superficial. The vast majority of soul masters relied entirely on the passive increase brought by rising Soul Power Levels, as well as the slight tempering and improvement gained from enduring soul shocks when absorbing soul rings. A few gifted individuals or those with special spiritual-type martial souls might have unique meditation methods, but such techniques were incredibly rare and mostly kept secret, not widely circulated. He currently had no systematic direction for Spiritual Power cultivation to refer to.
Spiritual Power cultivation must be shelved for now, waiting for an opportunity, or to be explored later when my cultivation level is higher and my knowledge more profound, Yu Yuanchen made a rational judgment. If it could not be forced, it was better to let it go for now.
Then, the only thing that can be actively and rapidly improved at the moment is "Essence," which is Qi and Blood—the foundation of this body! His gaze became sharp.
Powerful Qi and Blood not only brought greater strength, speed, defense, and recovery power, but were also the foundation for unleashing high-load soul skills and enduring the impact of level-crossing soul rings. It was also a crucial link in his fusion of the "Thunder God Power." After the battle with Tang Chen, he deeply realized that if his own Qi and Blood had not been sufficiently vigorous, it would have been impossible to hold on during such a high-level exchange of blows.
The most direct methods to strengthen Qi and Blood are nothing more than "nourishing" and "refining," Yu Yuanchen's thoughts were clear. "Nourishing" means consuming 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. Most of it came from thousand-year or even a few ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and after simple processing, the energy remained well-preserved. This high-quality blood-food was enough to last him half a year even if he ate it for every meal, and longer if he rationed it. Therefore, he had no worries about "nourishing" for the time being.
Then, the focus is on "refining"! How to more efficiently utilize this energy to temper the body and stimulate the potential of Qi and Blood?
Fragments of memories from his past life resurfaced, especially the descriptions of the Qi and Blood cultivation system in a novel titled XX High Martial Arts. Although the details were blurry, the general early-stage cultivation method—first tempering the bones, then the internal organs, then reshaping the flesh and meridians, and finally forging a golden body—gave him great inspiration.
Combining it with the reality of this world, I might be able to try a path of "body tempering," a thoughtful light flickered in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. No, I cannot copy it blindly. Tempering the bones first is too dangerous. Without a predecessor's inheritance, the lowest-risk method should be to proceed from the outside in, layer by layer. First, temper the skin and flesh to enhance external defense and explosive power; then temper the tendons and bones to support greater strength and connect the whole body; then temper the internal organs to strengthen life force and endurance, allowing them to carry more violent energy circulation. If I can reach the bone marrow and undergo a blood transfusion, I can fundamentally transform, making my Qi and Blood like a rainbow, endless. Finally, temper the skull to open up the body's Qi and Blood, allowing life force to circulate throughout, and then forge a golden body (this golden body is not the one in XX High Martial Arts, but a term for a perfected state of body tempering). Perhaps Spiritual Power will also improve due to the tempering of the skull.
This was a grand conception, far more active and systematic than relying solely on Soul Power nourishment and soul ring reinforcement. But precisely because it was a conception, it was full of unknowns and risks. The mysteries of the human body were infinite; the slightest mistake could lead to the destruction of his foundation.
Yu Yuanchen did not attempt it rashly. While traveling, 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 body when he cultivated his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul; he recalled the feeling of violent energy scouring his meridians and tearing apart and rebuilding his body when absorbing high-year soul rings; he recalled the subtle and profound baptism of his flesh and blood cells when the "Thunder God Power" circulated within him.
He cross-referenced these personal experiences with the vague theories, constantly adjusting and perfecting his ideas for body tempering.
For skin and flesh tempering, perhaps I can use Soul Power to simulate vibration, combined with the circulation of Qi and Blood, to strike repeatedly from the surface to the inside? I could also induce a trace of lightning to stimulate it, but I must control the intensity—too much is as bad as too little...
For tendon and bone tempering, it requires a deeper level of power penetration. Perhaps I can combine it with the penetrating characteristics of the "Thunder God Power"? But bones are hard; how can I guide the power to penetrate evenly without damaging their foundation?
The internal organs are the most fragile; tempering must be done with extreme caution. Perhaps I should wait until the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones are initially formed and the Qi and Blood are sufficiently vigorous, then focus on gentle nourishment, supplemented by special breathing techniques or internal Soul Power circulation, and proceed slowly...
As for bone marrow and the skull... these two steps are even further away, involving the Life Origin and the brain, so they require long-term planning.
He walked and thought, and when he encountered suitable open spaces, he would stop to conduct some simple experiments. For example, he tried to control his Soul Power to form high-frequency micro-vibrations under his skin, simulating 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 resulting in no effect, and other times causing the skin to become red and swollen from overexertion.
But he was not discouraged. He adjusted time and again, relying on his powerful Spiritual Power and precise control over his own Soul Power to gradually find the way. At the same time, he began to consciously guide the faint wisp of "Thunder God Power" in his body, extremely carefully incorporating a trace of it while his Qi and Blood were circulating, observing its effect on the activity of his Qi and Blood. He discovered that this high-level power indeed had a strong stimulating effect on Qi and Blood, but likewise, its domineering attribute could easily cause damage, so it had to be used with caution.
He traveled, experimented, and thought during the day, and at night, he would find a safe place to meditate to cultivate Soul Power and consume soul beast meat to replenish his Qi and Blood consumption. His life became extremely regular and fulfilling.
The soul beast meat in his Storage Soul Tool was slowly being consumed, and his conception of the "body tempering" method was gradually evolving from a vague concept into a relatively clear framework with preliminary feasibility through his practice and deduction along the way. Although it was still rough and full of areas that needed verification and correction, at least the direction was clear.
He knew that this was by no means a task that could be accomplished in a day; it required a large amount of time, resources, and... a safe and stable environment for him to cultivate and experiment in depth.
And "Thunderclap Ravine" was exactly such an ideal place.
Following the map's guidance, he was getting closer and closer to the treasure land discovered by his ancestor. Feeling the lightning elements in the air becoming gradually more active, even faintly carrying a trace of a tingling sensation, Yu Yuanchen knew he was not far from his destination.
He took a deep breath, and the familiar scent of lightning in the air lifted his spirits. Looking up toward the depths of the mountain range, his gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of mountains, seeing that place where lightning elements were concentrated, hidden within the mountain ravine.
There, he would not only use that precious lightning element energy to break through the Soul Emperor bottleneck, but also use these two years of stability to put his initially conceived "body tempering" method into practice, taking the crucial step to solidify his foundation and transcend his limits!
His pace quickened, and his figure flickered a few times in the lush mountain forest before disappearing into the dense mist and the end of the winding mountain road. The Thunderclap Ravine ahead would be the next stop for his secluded cultivation and transformation.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan