Chapter 97: The Research Institute is Established, Qian and Tang are Defeated
After Bi Ji and Scarlet King departed, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect did not relax in the slightest. With the agreement now set, its implementation began in earnest.
Yu Yuanchen personally took charge, leading the Sect's elite to locate a secluded valley eighty miles west of Dragon City. The terrain was hidden, easily defensible, and rich in Origin Qi. Far from main roads and rarely visited by people, it was the ideal location for a secret research institute.
The full power of the Sect was mobilized, with various building Materials and supplies continuously transported into the valley. Yu Yuanchen personally intervened, using his understanding of the Thunder Law and combining it with the Sect's inherited Restriction techniques to set up a series of concealment, defense, and early-warning Restrictions along the valley's perimeter, integrated with the terrain.
Once fully activated, these Restrictions were sufficient to block Spiritual Power detection at the Titled Douluo level and could withstand the combined assault of several ordinary Soul Douluo for a short time, making the location as secure as a fortress.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhilan began assembling her research team. The selection process was extremely strict. The primary requirement was absolute loyalty and reliability, followed by special talent in either Martial Soul theory, pharmacology, or communication with plants and beasts.
Finally, a core team took shape, consisting of over ten Core Disciples and several Elders from the Ye family who were highly skilled in medicine and herb properties.
Half a month later, the valley was completely transformed. Several stone buildings with a simple yet majestic style rose from the ground. The largest at the center was the institute's main hall, housing a library, laboratories, meditation chambers for forming contracts, and a Soul Beast rearing area—fully equipped. Around the valley, Restrictions flickered subtly, with arcs of lightning flowing, a restrained aura of lethality present.
On this day, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's party arrived as scheduled. It was Bi Ji and Scarlet King, accompanied by over ten 'Disciples' with deep, steady auras and varied forms, all using special methods to conceal their Soul Beast presence. They also brought several specially crafted, enormous beast cages containing the ten live Soul Beasts stipulated in the agreement—plant and beast types under a thousand years old, with relatively gentle temperaments.
After both sides completed the handover, Bi Ji solemnly presented the copied texts to Ye Zhilan. The first two, 'Soul Beast Bloodline Compendium (Herbaceous)' and 'Preliminary Guide to Spiritual Flora Empathy,' had ancient-looking covers made of special Materials that felt cool and smooth to the touch, clearly extraordinary items at first glance.
"Miss Ye, now that the institute is complete, our cooperation can officially begin," Bi Ji said with a gentle smile. "According to the agreement, our Sect will station researchers here to assist. This time, the one being stationed is our Sect's Young Lord, 'Gu Yue.' I believe Miss Ye remembers her."
As soon as she finished speaking, a familiar, graceful figure stepped out from behind Bi Ji. Silver hair, violet eyes, ethereal and aloof—it was the Silver Dragon King. At this moment, her aura was perfectly restrained, making her appear like a young Soul Master of exceptional talent but still shallow Cultivation. She gave Ye Zhilan a slight nod. "Miss Ye, I look forward to your guidance in the days to come."
Seeing the Silver Dragon King, a flicker of surprise passed through Ye Zhilan's eyes, quickly replaced by a smile. "So it's Miss Gu Yue. You are most welcome! With your assistance, our research is sure to progress twice as fast." She held considerable goodwill towards this 'peer' with sharp insight and extraordinary knowledge.
Yu Yuanchen stood to the side, his gaze calmly sweeping over the Silver Dragon King. He understood. With the Silver Dragon King personally stationed here, the importance of this 'Beast Taming Research Institute' in the other party's mind was likely greater than imagined.
He secretly transmitted a message to his grandfather Yu Boxuan and Ye Zhilan, reiterating the confidentiality protocols. He especially warned against mentioning anything about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the Immortal Herbs within the institute.
Yu Yuanchen wasn't worried about the other party coveting the Immortal Herbs—would the Silver Dragon King, who possessed the entire Star Dou Great Forest, lack a few Immortal Herbs? What he truly feared was that the other party might connect the Immortal Herbs to the remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon King. Yu Boxuan and the others naturally understood the gravity and solemnly agreed.
The institute's daily operations thus commenced. Ye Zhilan, as the lead, spent most of her time immersed in the institute.
She devoured the texts brought by Bi Ji. The secrets within regarding Soul Beast potential, evolutionary paths, and ancient Bloodlines opened a brand new door for her. Many previously inexplicable mysteries about Star Devourer found vague corroboration or inspiration in these texts.
Attempts at forming contracts with the live Soul Beasts proceeded simultaneously. Under the guidance of the Silver Dragon King and Bi Ji, the research team selected several Disciples with pure Heart-Nature and outstanding Spiritual Power to attempt establishing initial contact with the docile Soul Beasts.
The process was not smooth sailing, with failures far outnumbering successes. But every minor Breakthrough filled Ye Zhilan with excitement.
Yu Yuanchen did not involve himself excessively in the specific research. A person's energy is limited. His Dao lay in personal transcendence, in the pinnacle of the Thunder Law. Although the 'Way of Beast Taming' held vast prospects, it was not his path.
He only occasionally visited the institute to check on Ye Zhilan, listen to progress reports, and, based on concepts from 'beast taming' novels in his past Life memories, propose some directional, wildly imaginative ideas. Concepts like 'Bloodline Resonance Contract,' 'Soul Power Synchronization Secret Technique,' and'Symbiotic Growth Model' often plunged Ye Zhilan and the Silver Dragon King into deep thought. At times they found them absurd, at others enlightening, providing no small amount of inspiration.
What truly enabled the institute's rapid progress was the collaboration between Ye Zhilan and the Silver Dragon King.
Ye Zhilan was exceptionally gifted, possessing an affinity and understanding for Life energy and plant-type Soul Beasts that surpassed ordinary people. She combined the rigor of Ye family medicine with the broad perspective brought by Yu Yuanchen. The Silver Dragon King, as the Silver Dragon King, possessed the vast knowledge of the Dragon God's Legacy. Her insight into the nature of Soul Beasts, energy circulation, and even fragmented memories of ancient contracts was unparalleled.
Often, when Ye Zhilan proposed a hypothesis or encountered a problem, the Silver Dragon King needed only a few words to pinpoint the core, identify the key fallacy, or offer an unimaginable solution. And Ye Zhilan could always grasp it quickly, extrapolate further, and pose deeper questions.
"Zhilan, don't you think the Spiritual fluctuation frequency of this 'Binding Vine' has a fixed phase difference with its Life force tide? Perhaps a stable contract doesn't lie in forced synchronization, but in grasping this difference and guiding a resonant harmony?" The Silver Dragon King pointed at the observation data, her violet eyes sparkling with intelligence.
Ye Zhilan focused intently, and after a moment, her beautiful eyes lit up. "Exactly! This phase difference is like the Soul Beast's own 'breathing rhythm.' Forced synchronization would trigger rejection! We should try using Soul Power to simulate this rhythm, aiming for 'resonance' rather than'suppression'! Gu Yue, you're amazing!"
Bi Ji and the other researchers nearby could often only stare in astonishment as the two exchanged ideas, their thoughts colliding to produce brilliant sparks. The content of their discussions had long surpassed their understanding, leaving them to bury their heads in recording.
Bi Ji's eyes were filled with gratification and amazement. As expected of her master. And this Ye Zhilan was indeed a heaven-sent Prodigy. Their cooperation was remarkably harmonious.
Amidst this startlingly efficient exchange, Beast Taming research advanced at an astonishing pace. A preliminary framework for the 'Soul Power Resonance Contract' was established. Although still far from the deep symbiosis between Ye Zhilan and Star Devourer, it already allowed Soul Masters to establish initial, stable Spiritual links and Soul Power channels with specific Soul Beasts, enabling simple command transmission and weak energy complementarity.
This was already a Breakthrough of epoch-making significance!
Their prolonged time together also quietly changed the relationship between Ye Zhilan and the Silver Dragon King. Although the Silver Dragon King's Heart-Nature was simple, her nature was proud. Initially, she merely viewed Ye Zhilan as an important 'research partner' and 'observation subject.'
But Ye Zhilan's personality was gentle, kind, and sincere. She never mocked the Silver Dragon King for her occasional 'naivety about the world' or'shocking statements,' instead patiently explaining and often looking after her in daily Life.
Over time, the icy shell of the Silver Dragon King gradually melted when facing Ye Zhilan. Occasionally, she would reveal a trace of genuine, somewhat clumsy girlish nature, even unconsciously displaying a hint of her tsundere nature during heated discussions.
"Hmph, this data is clearly wrong. They must have recorded it incorrectly! I... I definitely didn't misread it!" On one occasion, the Silver Dragon King pointed at a record, pouting slightly.
Seeing this, Ye Zhilan didn't argue. She simply smiled gently, personally went to double-check the data, and indeed found a Disciple's transcription error. She brought the corrected record to the Silver Dragon King and said with a laugh, "As expected, Gu Yue, you're as meticulous as ever."
The Silver Dragon King raised her chin slightly, a barely perceptible flicker of pride in her violet eyes before quickly resuming her aloof demeanor, though the tips of her ears turned faintly red.
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
Ye Zhilan saw all of this in her eyes and felt that although this "Miss Gu Yue" had a mysterious identity and occasionally had a bit of a temper, she was pure in nature, knowledgeable, and a friend worth getting to know deeply.
Over time, the two of them even developed a faint, close bond like that of best friends.
Just as the various tasks of the Beast Taming Research Institute were getting on the right track and the relationship between Ye Zhilan and the Silver Dragon King was becoming increasingly harmonious, Dragon City welcomed two uninvited guests.
Time returns to several days ago.
Spirit Hall, deep within the Elder Palace.
Qian Daoliu sat cross-legged, his entire body shrouded in sacred golden light.
Behind him, his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was fully manifested, emitting a rich, holy aura, and the angel mark on his forehead was shining brilliantly.
After years of bitter cultivation, combined with the insights gained after his battle with Yu Yuanchen, he finally succeeded in condensing a unique "Angel Martial Soul Core" and officially stepped into the realm of a level 92 Titled Douluo, with the title "Angel"!
After achieving the Titled Douluo rank, he ventured deep into the Star Dou Great Forest and, relying on his formidable strength, successfully hunted a 100,000-year-old "Sacred Sword-Winged Tiger," obtaining its Soul Ring.
His Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was completely liberated, and its divinity became increasingly apparent.
If Yu Yuanchen were to see this, he would undoubtedly have no doubts; with such a foundation, if Qian Daoliu were to accept the God Trials, it would certainly be the Angel Nine Trials.
Not only that, perhaps inspired by Tang Chen's study of hammer techniques, Qian Daoliu also began to specialize in swordsmanship.
He was naturally gifted, with a solid foundation in swordsmanship, and he actually succeeded in comprehending "Sword Intent"!
Under the guidance of his father, Qian Chongxiao (the former Angel Douluo), he combined his pure Angel Soul Power with his Sword Intent, using the "Holy Sword" as a carrier to create a set of peerlessly powerful "Heavenly Firmament Sacred Sword" techniques, with Sword Qi so brilliant it was like divine punishment.
At the same time, he cultivated the many secret arts inherited by the Angel lineage, such as "Sacred Fusion Art," "Accumulating Momentum," and "Holy Barrier," to a more proficient level, causing his combat power to skyrocket.
Now, he was confident that he could rival an ordinary level 95 Super Douluo.
Clear Sky Sect, Forbidden Land behind the mountain.
Tang Chen was shirtless, his bronze muscles bulging, and the pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer in his hand seemed to have merged with him.
He also successfully condensed a Martial Soul core, advancing to level 92, with the title "Clear Sky"!
His ninth Soul Ring came from a 100,000-year-old "Earth Demon Rhinoceros," and its power was overwhelmingly domineering.
However, Tang Chen's greatest achievement was not the increase in his Soul Power, but his subversive innovation of the Clear Sky Hammer techniques!
He refined the incredibly complex Clear Sky Hammer techniques passed down through generations of the Clear Sky Sect, discarding the dross and selecting the essential, combined with his own lifelong learning and exertion techniques, refined, simplified, and sublimated, finally creating nine styles of hammer techniques that were extremely simple yet extremely powerful, easy to learn but difficult to master — the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes!
They are: Void Art, Seal Art, Penetrate Art, Pierce Art, Bind Art, Shock Character Art, Break Art, Instant Art, and Collapse Art.
These Clear Sky Nine Absolutes were no less powerful than the original, complex Clear Sky Hammer techniques, but the threshold for cultivation was greatly lowered, allowing more Disciples within the Sect who were not top-tier geniuses to also have the hope of mastering powerful combat strength, which was of extraordinary significance to the improvement of the Sect's overall strength!
In addition, Tang Chen had also initially created the prototype of the "Great Sumeru Hammer"!
Although it was far from perfect, and the power dissipation after Ring Explosion was severe, with only fifty or sixty percent of the full power being exerted, and it placed a huge burden on the body, the concept of this style was already stunning!
Relying on this technique and the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, his hammer techniques had reached Major Achievement, officially stepping into the realm of "Hammer Soul"!
Now, if he detonated all eight rings, the ultimate hammer strike he swung would be powerful enough to shake mountains!
With their cultivation greatly advanced and their ultimate skills initially formed, both Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen felt their confidence soar, and they both coincidentally thought of the blue-haired youth who had left such a deep impression on them, and even left them with some "psychological trauma" — Yu Yuanchen.
Almost one after the other, the two newly promoted Titled Douluo arrived at Dragon City, specifically naming him, wanting to spar and verify their skills with Yu Yuanchen!
The result, however, almost caused their Dao Hearts to collapse.
The first match, against Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu spread his six wings, his Angelic Sacred Sword shone with brilliant golden light, his Sword Intent soared into the sky, and a holy aura covered the sky and earth.
"Heavenly Firmament Sacred Sword · Judgment!" He slashed out with one sword, the sword light like a celestial river pouring down, containing the will of purification and judgment, its power already surpassing the full-force strike of an ordinary Super Douluo.
Yu Yuanchen's expression was calm; he didn't even use his Martial Soul True Body.
He simply pressed his fingers together into a claw and blasted out a Thunder Dragon Shattering Void that fused the corrosive characteristics of the Yin Five Thunders, striking after but arriving first, directly clashing head-on with the sword light.
"Sizzle!"
The Holy Sword light did not gain the upper hand; instead, it was torn apart, eroded, and dissolved by that cold and treacherous thunder claw!
Qian Daoliu let out a muffled groan, forced back more than ten steps along with his sword, his arm holding the sword slightly numb, his eyes filled with disbelief.
His holy attribute could not gain any advantage in front of the opponent's thunder!
"Your technique is not bad, and the essence of your power is also very strong, but the explosive power is a bit lacking; it's a bit flashy," Yu Yuanchen commented calmly.
Qian Daoliu gritted his teeth, unleashed the Angel Sacred Fusion Art, his aura surged again, and his swordsmanship became increasingly fierce, yet he was never able to break through Yu Yuanchen's thunder defense, which seemed casual but contained the profound truths of heaven and earth.
In the end, Yu Yuanchen slapped out a Yang Five Thunder technique, "Sacred Dragon Suppressing Prison Tribulation."
The brilliant thunder pillar was like divine might, pressing Qian Daoliu and his sword into the ground.
Although he wasn't injured, he was in a sorry state, and his Soul Power was significantly depleted.
"Monster..." Qian Daoliu climbed out of the pit, looking at Yu Yuanchen, whose aura was as steady as before, and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Convinced and yet feeling unwilling, he turned and retreated.
The second match, against Tang Chen.
Tang Chen didn't say a word and directly used the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
"Break Art · Heaven Collapse!" He roared, and the Clear Sky Hammer, carrying peerless force, smashed toward Yu Yuanchen like a falling meteorite.
The hammer intent locked onto him, and the space seemed to freeze.
Yu Yuanchen still did not use his Martial Soul True Body.
With a flash of lightning around him, he met it with a punch, Yin and Yang thunder light intertwining and circulating on his fist.
"Yin and Yang Thunder Collapse!"
"Boom!!!"
Fist and hammer collided, erupting with an earth-shattering roar!
The violent air waves scraped three feet of ground off the training arena!
Tang Chen only felt a terrifying force that combined hardness and softness, with Yin and Yang transforming into each other, transmit through the hammer.
It actually diverted, divided, and even rebounded the force of his extremely hard and fierce hammer strike!
He stumbled back seven steps, his tiger's mouth cracked, and his blood surged.
"What a strange thunder technique!" Tang Chen's Battle Intent grew stronger.
He used the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes one after another, sometimes Binding, sometimes shocking, sometimes penetrating or piercing, his hammer techniques unpredictable and peerlessly powerful.
Yu Yuanchen countered every move, sometimes using the extreme Yang to break evil, sometimes using the extreme Yin to erode essence, bringing the hardness, fierceness, and treachery of thunder to the extreme, always keeping Tang Chen firmly in check.
After fighting for a long time without success, Tang Chen gritted his teeth, a flash of madness in his eyes: "Yu Yuanchen, take my last hammer! Great Sumeru Hammer!"
In an instant, the eight Soul Rings around him lit up simultaneously, and then exploded with a bang!
An unimaginably massive amount of Soul Power surged into the Clear Sky Hammer, the hammer body instantly expanded, emitting a destructive aura!
This hammer strike had reached the power of a level 95 Peak!
"Well done!" A flash of seriousness finally appeared in Yu Yuanchen's eyes, and he shouted in a low voice: "Seventh Soul skills, Thunder Sacred Dragon True Body!"
Purple-gold dragon scales instantly covered his entire body.
He turned his fist into a claw, and upon the dragon claw, the Yin and Yang dual thunders were compressed to the extreme, turning into a purple-gold light ball the size of a fist, inside which a thunder dragon seemed to be roaring — "Yin and Yang Thunder Pearl"!
"Go!"
The thunder pearl and the giant hammer collided again!
"Dong!!!"
This time, the sound was much deeper, but the terrifying shockwave caused the entire defensive barrier of the training arena to fluctuate violently, nearly collapsing!
The body of the Sacred Dragon that Yu Yuanchen had transformed into shook slightly, sliding back three steps.
The thunder pearl on the dragon claw dissipated, and his blood was slightly shaken, but it calmed down instantly.
As for Tang Chen, it was as if he had been hit by a primordial beast.
He flew backward along with his hammer, slamming heavily into the barrier.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly withered, and the backlash of the Ring Explosion began to manifest.
Yu Yuanchen dispelled his Martial Soul True Body, looked at Tang Chen, who was struggling to stand up with a pale face, and said calmly: "The concept is good, but your control of power is too rough, and the backlash is too heavy; it still needs polishing."
Tang Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at Yu Yuanchen, whose aura remained unfathomable, and gave a wry smile: "Damn it... how exactly do you Cultivate, kid?"
This hammer strike of his, which gathered the power of eight rings, was something he was confident could severely injure or even kill a level 95 Super Douluo, yet it only made Yu Yuanchen take three steps back and his blood slightly fluctuate?
This gap was so large that it made him feel somewhat powerless.
The two sparring matches concluded without any suspense.
Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen, these two peerless prodigies destined to become famous throughout the continent, still appeared eclipsed in front of Yu Yuanchen.
Their Breakthroughs and progress were certainly astonishing, but Yu Yuanchen's improvement was even more beyond imagination.
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