Ancestral Dragon's Decree, Transcendent Meditation
The information unfolded in Yao Xuan's mind, not as dry text, but as intuitive understanding, a birthright of his ascended rank.
Third Soul Skill: Ancestral Dragon's Decree
Manifestation: A conceptual summoning of the Ancestral Dragon's sovereign authority, taking two primary expressions.
Expression 1: Spear of Subjugation. A weapon of concentrated dominion, materializing as a spear of condensed, nine-colored light. Its primary nature is aggressive penetration. The spear's potency scales directly with the soul power invested. Its true danger lies in the law it carries—wounds inflicted are cursed with a lingering, anti-creational energy that resists healing and actively worsens without specialized treatment. The spear is not static; it can evolve by absorbing the soul power of defeated foes. At 10,000-year ring potency, it gains Life Leech, draining a fraction of a slain enemy's vitality to restore the wielder. At 100,000 years, it unlocks Dragon's Judgement, allowing the spear's force to be projected as a devastating linear shockwave.
Expression 2: Aegis of Sovereignty. A weapon of absolute defense, manifesting as a shield or a short spear of interlocking, prismatic scales. It specializes in negation and protection, its resilience scaling with soul power input. It possesses a unique Kinetic Resonance trait, absorbing and storing a portion of the force from attacks it blocks to empower its next defensive action. At 10,000-year ring potency, it gains Retributive Guard, reflecting 20% of a blocked attack's force back at the attacker. At 100,000 years, it unlocks Edict of Nullification, a once-daily activation granting absolute immunity to a single attack, a barrier said to withstand even deific strikes.
A surge of fierce, hot satisfaction washed over Yao Xuan. 'Not just a skill… a pair of nascent divine instruments. An extension of my will, for both conquest and guardianship.' His previous combat style, while powerful, had revolved around the direct, brutal efficiency of the Sky-Splitting Strike and the immovable bastion of the Chaos Aura. This opened a new dimension—a weapon he could wield with finesse, a tool for both precise violence and unbreakable guard. It perfectly complemented his role.
A practical thought followed the excitement. 'A spear… I have the instinct, the bloodline memory of a dragon's grace in battle, but no formal technique. To truly unite with it, I need discipline. I must seek a worthy spear art from Teacher Tianfeng.' He envisioned the training, the process of making the weapon feel not summoned, but born from his intent.
Eager to gauge the totality of his advancement, he cleansed himself of the breakthrough's residual impurities, the water washing away a faint, grey film of expelled dross. Returning to the center of the chamber, he sat and closed his eyes.
With a focused thought, he activated the runes for the Simulated Battle Space. The training room dissolved, replaced by an endless grey plain. Here, he could test his limits without restraint.
Forty minutes later, Yao Xuan's eyes snapped open in the real world, a quiet, profound confidence settling in his gaze. The simulated trials had been illuminating.
Over the past year, his growth had been one of refinement and accumulation, his combat power inching from the baseline of a low-rank Soul Emperor to a more solid footing within that realm. Now, the leap was transformative. The expansion of his spiritual sea granted him micro-level control over his energy, making every expenditure more efficient. The enhanced physicality from the bloodline evolution turned his body into a more potent vessel and weapon. And the mere conceptual presence of the 'Decree' skills added a layer of tactical depth that amplified his threat.
The result? His combat efficacy had skyrocketed, vaulting from a competent low-rank Soul Emperor to the commanding peak of the mid-rank Soul Emperor tier. The gulf between early and mid-rank Soul Emperor was vast, often comparable to the gap between entire previous realms. He had bridged it in one ascent.
'And this is before condensing the third Qi and Blood Cycle…' The potential was dizzying.
With a calm mind, he turned his attention inward, to the two new system abilities waiting integration. He focused on the first prompt.
[Transcendent Meditation] the system interface displayed. [An evolutionary upgrade from Enhanced Meditation. Upon activation, it will replace its predecessor.]
[Effects: Fundamentally refines the host's spiritual affinity and meridians. Significantly increases soul power attraction, absorption efficiency, and spiritual stability. Enhances meridial resilience to withstand higher-tier energy circulation. Baseline meditation efficiency increased by 200%. This ability possesses a growth attribute; its effects will scale progressively with the host's overall cultivation level, preventing obsolescence.]**
A slow smile spread across Yao Xuan's face. A 200% efficiency increase was not merely triple the speed; it was a fundamental reshaping of his cultivation engine. Coupled with the third tier of the Creation Soul Forging Technique, his path to Soul Elder and beyond was no longer a climb, but a swift, assured ascent. The promise of continued scaling meant this tool would remain relevant far into the future.
"Activate," he commanded silently.
The change was immediate and internal. Two distinct streams of energy awoke within his core. One was a cooling, silvery current that flowed upward, suffusing his expanded Spirit Sea. It felt like a clarifying frost, structuring the vast mental ocean, making the 'waters' calmer, more reflective, and vastly more receptive to guiding and attracting ambient soul power.
The other was a burning, golden river that surged through his meridians. This was not pain, but a intense, forging heat. It scoured the energy pathways, not damaging them, but tempering them. He felt channels widen, subtle blockages vaporize, and countless microscopic auxiliary branches he never sensed before flare to life, creating a denser, more robust circulatory network. His body could now handle faster, more violent flows of power without strain.
The process lasted twenty minutes, a symphony of cooling order and forging heat harmonizing within him.
Yao Xuan took a deep, experimental breath. The soul power in the chamber didn't just drift; it seemed to lunge toward him, eager to be absorbed. The energy circulation within his body felt effortless, like a great river flowing through perfectly smooth, broad banks. The improvement was palpable, profound.
"Excellent," he murmured to the empty room, the word laden with the weight of genuine triumph. The foundation for the next great leap was not just laid; it was already fortified and thrumming with ready power. He rose, his movements containing a new, effortless economy of motion. It was time to share this new chapter with the one who had awaited its conclusion. He walked to the chamber door, ready to meet Gu Yue's discerning gaze and step into their shared, elevated future.