Deep in the canyon, the lightning gradually subsided, and silence returned.
Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged, his mind focused and composed, carefully looking inward at the purple-gold crystal embedded in his brow—the shattered Thunder God Position, which was tightly fused with his own soul and covered in cracks.
As his consciousness delved deep within, he felt as if he were standing in a vast yet ruined Thunder Star Domain. Countless broken chains of law floated in the void like fragments of stars, dim and lusterless, their connections faint and their execution obscure and obstructed.
The entire space of the God Position was permeated with a sense of decay and stillness following the damage to its origin. However, beneath this deathly silence, Yu Yuanchen could clearly perceive wisps of faint yet incredibly pure, milky-white energy seeping in from the void. Like a trickle, they silently nourished those broken cracks, barely maintaining the God Position so it would not collapse entirely.
This was the Power of Faith—the faith belonging to the very concept of the "Thunder God" position.
On the Douluo Continent, whenever a Soul Master stood in awe of the power of thunder, whenever a mortal prayed for favorable weather, or whenever a living being felt gratitude toward the brilliant heavenly thunder of the world... these purest thoughts would cross time and space to gather here.
It did not matter if the believers knew the name of the Thunder God; as long as their thoughts were directed toward "thunder" itself, this power would return here. This was determined by the laws of heaven and earth and was one of the foundations for the existence of elemental gods in this realm; there was no need to actively spread doctrine, for faith would gather on its own.
So that's how it is... Yu Yuanchen realized. This shattered God Position had not dissipated after countless years and had instead managed to condense into a form, waiting for a successor, all because of the nourishment from this continuous, flowing stream of faith.
Regarding how to repair this shattered God Position, the instinctual inheritance information from the position itself offered two distinct paths.
The first path was simple and direct, which could be called the "Method of Preservation."
Once his cultivation reached the human limit (Level 99 Titled Douluo) and his understanding of the Thunder Law was profound enough to fully bear the power of the God Position, he could actively draw upon the massive amount of faith accumulated by the position over these countless years. Following a "format and reinstall" type of fail-safe repair plan left behind by the ancient Thunder God, he could forcibly flush and bridge those cracks, reconnecting the broken chains of law to restore the God Position to completeness.
This method was stable, and the success rate was extremely high. Relying on this ancient accumulation of faith, it would be enough to push him to the God Position and achieve the status of a First-level Deity. Although he might be at the bottom of the First-level Deities and have no hope of advancing further in his lifetime, he would ultimately be an eternal, immortal god.
However, Yu Yuanchen rejected this path almost without hesitation. Having memories of his past life, he knew the gap between a God King and a First-level Deity, and he was not content to be trapped as a mere First-level Deity.
Plagiarizing others, walking the old path, and being trapped in the ruts of predecessors for a lifetime... that is not my path! His eyes were sharp, and he possessed his own pride. If he repaired it this way, the God Position would still be that same Thunder God Position, and the laws would still be the laws of the ancient Thunder God. He, Yu Yuanchen, would merely be wearing a patched-up title, inheriting the legacy of his predecessor (which wouldn't even be as good as the Sea God of that little brat!).
This went against his true heart and the path he pursued: "using a human heart to wield the power of thunder." He wanted to walk a path of divinity that belonged to him!
His choice was the second path—a much more difficult "Path of Pioneering" that held infinite potential!
The core of this method lay in "reshaping" rather than "repairing." He needed to collect the unique, personal Power of Faith belonging to "Yu Yuanchen," integrating these thoughts—which contained recognition of his personal achievements, philosophy, and path—into the foundation of the shattered God Position. Using this as a "binder" and "catalyst," he would repair the God Position while simultaneously transforming it, making it more compatible with his own Dao, with the ultimate goal of forging an unprecedented Thunder God Position that belonged solely to him!
But this path was incredibly difficult.
First, obtaining personal, exclusive Power of Faith was infinitely harder than obtaining faith directed at the generic concept of "thunder"! This required him to perform great deeds that would shake the world, benefit all people, and make all living beings remember his name and his merits! It could not rely merely on the natural gathering of the laws of heaven and earth.
Second, the amount of faith required to repair a shattered First-level God Position was massive! Even if it wasn't as exaggerated as creating a God Position from scratch, it would still require at least half of that storage capacity! If he had to accumulate it all personally, even if he worked day and night to do good and save the world, it would likely take hundreds of years, which was simply too slow.
It seems I must use a two-pronged approach. Yu Yuanchen's thoughts raced, and he quickly clarified his strategy. The main body of the massive "building materials" needed to repair the God Position must still rely on this "Thunder Faith" accumulated over eons. My own personal Power of Faith will serve as the most critical "heart fire" and "essence," integrated into it to guide the direction of the reshaping, making the God Position more compatible with me and laying the foundation for future transcendence.
Even so, obtaining enough of his own personal Power of Faith was by no means easy. It required management, planning, and... creation!
He first thought of proselytizing, but immediately dismissed it. On the current continent, the Martial Soul Hall worshipped the Angel God, whose great achievements in protecting the human race, pioneering civilization, and judging evil had been sung for ten thousand years and were deeply rooted in people's hearts, providing an incredibly strong foundation of faith. As an unknown junior with no foundation, why would he compete for faith against an ancient god with proven results? Through military coercion? Through slandering the other party? Yu Yuanchen disdained such behavior, despised those who did it (that little brat, I'm talking about you), and knew it was not the right way to obtain pure faith.
Only by... finding another way, creating unprecedented achievements, and winning the natural gratitude of people's hearts through real results! A gleam flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes as his thoughts gradually cleared. For the Douluo Continent, I will open a new path!
He thought of the several paths he had been exploring and perfecting.
The first was the "Blood Essence Martial Path system." He had already initially created this system to temper the body and tap into human potential. Although the entry threshold was extremely high, the prospects were vast. If he could further perfect it, lower the cultivation threshold, and promote it, it would surely benefit countless ordinary people with low or no Innate Soul Power, and even provide huge benefits to Soul Masters! If successful, this would be a great feat of benefiting all people, enough to harvest massive amounts of faith.
The key to perfecting this system lay in deep integration with medical skill, refining the cultivation methods to make them safer and more accessible. In this regard, Ye Zhilan and the Ye Family behind her were undoubtedly his best help.
The second was the "Forging system." The Soul Tool technology of the Douluo Continent had long been lost, and the forging of weapons and equipment was crude, relying more on the Soul Master's own Soul Skills. If he could create a systematic forging system capable of crafting equipment with special powers, it would surely change the landscape of the continent significantly.
This was not a task for a single day; it required deep accumulation and practice. When he had achieved success in his cultivation and had more time in the future, he could study it in depth. Perhaps he could discuss it with Tang Chen, who was skilled in power; his Power Usage was at its peak, and he was also a Divine Craftsman (a real Divine Craftsman, not comparable to those in Dou San), which might provide inspiration.
The third, and the one he was currently most confident in and might see results from the fastest, was the "Method of Soul Cores"!
As this thought arose, Yu Yuanchen's mind immediately immersed itself in the inherited knowledge left by the ancient Thunder God. There were some records regarding how gods condensed their power core—the "Spirit Core." To his surprise, gods generally only condensed one Spirit Core, which was enough to carry their vast divine power, operate laws, and remain eternal.
One core is enough... Yu Yuanchen thought thoughtfully. Right, the Spirit Core is a product of highly condensed laws and divine power, with an extremely high essence. A perfect Spirit Core has effects far beyond imagination. The fact that later Soul Masters need to cultivate two or even three cores is likely a helpless move because they cannot temper a single Spirit Core to the limit, or because of changes in the world's rules.
This also made him realize that the methods derived in the later generations he remembered also had room for improvement, and he didn't necessarily have to cling to the so-called "original work." With the capital Yu Yuanchen now possessed, it was enough for him to walk his own path.
This also gave him significant inspiration! If he could research a method to safely condense a highly concentrated, high-potential "Soul Core" before reaching the Titled Douluo realm, it would surely completely change the cultivation mode of Soul Masters, break through countless bottlenecks, and be considered the opening of a new era for Soul Master cultivation! Such an achievement would be enough to make the name of Yu Yuanchen resound across the continent and be remembered by countless Soul Masters and even future generations. The exclusive Power of Faith generated by this would surely be magnificent!
The Method of Soul Cores... perhaps this can be the primary breakthrough. Yu Yuanchen decided. The process of researching this method was itself an exploration of the ultimate condensation of his own power, which would be of great benefit to him in repairing the God Position and solidifying his foundation.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh at his own good fortune. If he hadn't befriended peerless geniuses like Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen in advance, even if he achieved some results in the future, it would be difficult to find suitable like-minded people and testers to promote and verify them. With their help, the success rate of this matter would greatly increase. Moreover, if this method succeeded, it would be a tremendous opportunity for them as well; they had no reason to refuse cooperation.
The Blood Essence Martial Path needs to be refined and deduced with the help of the Ye Family in the future; the Method of Soul Cores can be researched together with Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen; the Forging system is a long-term plan... Yu Yuanchen's thoughts became clearer and clearer. When these systems begin to show results, my name will be known and respected by the world, and my exclusive faith will gather. Then I can begin to use my heart fire to temper the God Position and embark on the true path of reshaping!
Although the road ahead was difficult, the goal was clear, and every step could be taken.
He stood up, took one last look at the silent Thunder God Statue, and bowed deeply. The gains from this trip far exceeded his expectations.
Turning around, he transformed into a streak of purple lightning and headed out of the canyon without hesitation.
Outside the canyon, the world was vast, and a new journey was already under his feet. Collecting faith, opening a new path, and reshaping the God Position—the legend belonging to Yu Yuanchen had only just begun!
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan