The Forge of Mind and Might
The prompt appeared, crisp and inviting. Yao Xuan focused, and the description unfolded in his mind.
"This... is precisely what I need now," Yao Xuan murmured, a spark of intense focus lighting his eyes. Unlike the tantalizing but distant promise of Extraordinary Condensation, this ability was a tool for immediate, tangible growth. A portable, personalized Spirit Pagoda ascension platform, limited only by his own mind and will. "Activate."
Within his consciousness, streams of system energy converged, weaving into a complex, three-dimensional rune that pulsed with a soft crimson light, intricate as a neural network and as solid as a vow. It hummed with potential, a silent engine waiting for fuel.
Five minutes later, as the rune stabilized, Yao Xuan didn't hesitate. "Let's begin. I need to understand my new limits."
With a thought, his consciousness was pulled into the rune.
Darkness, then a seamless transition. Yao Xuan found his awareness standing in a sterile, metallic room twenty meters square. The air was odorless, the silence absolute.
"Welcome to the Simulated Battle Space. Initializing user guide."
A flood of intuitive knowledge streamed into him—how to manipulate the environment, conjure opponents, adjust parameters like pain sensitivity and gravity. The possibilities were staggering. With a focused wish, the blank walls melted away. He stood on a sun-drenched grassland, the scent of wildflowers and damp earth surprisingly vivid. A thought later, he was beneath a dense forest canopy, then atop a windy cliff, then in the echoing cavern of a volcano. The fidelity was impeccable, a testament to the system's profound power.
'Now for the opponent,' he thought. A practice dummy appeared, then morphed into a generic Great Soul Master, then into the form of a snarling, thousand-year Blazing Lion soul beast. Its heat and rage rolled off it in waves, perfectly simulated.
Satisfied with the core functions, he dismissed the lion. A deeper purpose burned within him. He needed to test the cornerstone of his new power—the Ancestral Dragon Overlord Body.
He activated the Eye of Appraisal, turning its analytical gaze upon himself.
[Soul Skill: Ancestral Dragon Overlord Body]
[Source: Second Spirit Ring (400-Year) ]
[Effect: Ignites soul power to awaken a deeper stratum of the Ancestral Dragon's legacy. Enters a temporary state of draconic sovereignty.
• Physical Amplification: Base attack and defensive capabilities are tripled. Agility and soul power recovery rate are doubled.
• Ancestral Aura: Grants significant resistance to mental intrusions, elemental corruption, and all forms of debilitating status effects.
• Cost: Sustained soul power expenditure. Duration scales with user's cultivation and control.]**
"Triple offensive power..." Yao Xuan breathed out, the numbers translating into a surge of fierce anticipation. His combat strength at base was already monstrous, capable of rivaling high-tier Soul Venerables. With this skill active, he would briefly touch a realm of power that could contest with low-to-mid level Soul Ancestors. It was a trump card of terrifying proportions.
But raw data was one thing. He needed to feel it, to wield it.
"Environment: Advanced Training Arena. Opponent: Simulation of Wu Zhangkong, parameters set to low-level Soul Venerable tier."
The world shimmered and resolved. He stood in a perfect replica of Donghai Academy's advanced arena. A hundred meters away, a figure coalesced from blue light and drifting frost—Wu Zhangkong, or rather, the system's perfect memory of him at a suppressed power level. The simulacrum held itself with the same icy, predatory poise, the same sharp, evaluating gaze. A phantom Heavenly Frost Sword gleamed in its hand.
"Simulated battle. Begin."
The illusion moved. It didn't run; it seemed to flow across the distance, the sword a streak of condensed winter aimed at Yao Xuan's heart. The pressure, even simulated, felt authentic.
"Ancestral Dragon, Possess!"
Yao Xuan's response was a thought made manifest. The majestic form of the Ancestral Dragon Spirit materialized and merged into him in a blur of nine-colored light—a process that now took half a second, his control refined to instinct. Scales, pale and shimmering with opalescent hues, rippled over his skin. His hands became lethal dragon claws, arcs of sharpness catching the virtual light.
This wasn't enough. Not for this test.
"Ancestral Dragon Overlord Body!"
His second spirit ring—the deep, vibrant yellow band—blazed to life. An internal dam broke.
Power, raw and titanic, erupted from his core. It was a conflagration of soul power and bloodline energy. His veins burned with golden fire; his muscles coiled with the strength to shatter hills. A brilliant, nine-colored aura ignited around him, warping the very light in the simulated arena. He felt immense, dense, sovereign. His defensive capabilities solidified into an impervious fortress, his mind into a clear, untouchable pool. This was not just an enhancement; it was a transformation.
With a roar that was more a vibration of power than sound, he launched himself forward. "Ancestral Dragon Sky-Splitting Strike!"
His crossed claws tore through the air, leaving contrails of distorted space. The Wu Zhangkong illusion met him with a textbook-perfect Frost Mark, a net of glacial sword threads.
CLANG! BOOM!
The collision was cataclysmic. The ice-shield shattered like glass under a meteor. The sheer force of Yao Xuan's empowered blow sent the illusion skidding backward, its form flickering. There was no time to marvel. The illusion recovered with inhuman precision, its sword becoming a blizzard of thrusts and slashes, each seeking a vital point.
What followed was a breathtaking dance of destruction. Yao Xuan was a tempest of golden light and scaled fury. He parried sword strikes with his forearms, sparks flying where frost met dragon-scale. He weaved through barrages of icy needles, his enhanced agility making him a phantom. He countered with blows that carried the weight of mountains, each clash sending shockwaves through the simulated arena.
For five intense minutes, they traded a hundred blows. The illusion scored hits—a shallow gash on his arm that burned with cold, a glancing blow to his ribs. But Yao Xuan's Overlord Body mitigated the damage; the wounds were superficial, the chilling effect quickly purged by his raging bloodline. In return, his attacks, each carrying triple their normal devastating force, slowly broke down the illusion's defenses. Cracks appeared in its spectral sword, its movements grew a microsecond slower.
Seizing an opening, Yao Xuan feinted high with his left claw. The illusion committed to a parry. Yao Xuan's right leg, powered by overwhelming force, snapped forward in a vicious kick to the simulacrum's midsection. It folded, staggered.
"Now! Ancestral Dragon Sky-Splitting Strike!"
This time, there was no perfect defense. His claws, sheathed in annihilating light, met the raised Heavenly Frost Sword.
CRACK-SHATTER!
The phantom sword exploded into a shower of blue crystals. The claws continued their arc, passing clean through the illusion's torso. The figure of Wu Zhangkong dissolved into motes of fading light, leaving only the echo of the battle in the quiet arena.
"Victory."
The scene dissolved. Yao Xuan found himself back in the neutral, metallic starting room. He was breathing heavily, sweat beading on his brow—a psychosomatic response, but no less real in its fatigue. His mental energy felt significantly drained, a price for the simulation's intensity and duration.
But the triumph was real. The data was clear. The Ancestral Dragon Overlord Body was a force multiplier of staggering magnitude. He had just defeated a simulation of his formidable teacher at a higher cultivation tier.
As his breathing steadied, a new, more ambitious plan formed. This space wasn't just for him. He could simulate team battles. He could create scenarios for the Promotion Tournament. He could train Tang Wulin's reactions against Xie Xie's speed, or practice coordinating area denial with Gu Yue's elements... all without risk of real injury.
A faint, determined smile touched his lips. He glanced at the scale necklace, its presence a comforting weight. He was growing stronger, not just for himself, but for the future, for her. The Simulated Battle Space was the perfect grinding stone to sharpen himself and his team into an unstoppable weapon.
Exiting the system space, he returned to his physical body in the quiet cultivation chamber. The afterglow of virtual battle still thrummed in his nerves. He had mastered the theory of his new power. Now, he needed to integrate it into reality, and share the key to this new forge with those who fought beside him.