Time flies, and five months have quietly passed since the Martial Soul Hall announced the proposal to select the "Upper Three Sects and Lower Four Sects."
Dragon City, deep within the secret realm of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Violent and pure lightning energy gathered like substance, forming a massive purple-gold cocoon of light. Inside the cocoon, Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly closed, surrounded by swirling lightning, his aura vast and imposing.
He was currently assaulting the bottleneck of Level 85.
Within his Dantian, the vast, sea-like Thunder True Essence surged frantically. At the center of the high-speed vortex, the liquefied purple-gold energy was compressed to the extreme, emitting palpitations of power. The Thunder God Seal on his forehead glowed brilliantly, resonating deeply with his broken god position, continuously guiding and refining the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi and the residual energy from his soul rings and soul bones.
His soul power, at the peak of Level 84, acted like a flood waiting to be unleashed, continuously battering against that invisible barrier.
"Boom--!"
It was as if a galaxy were being carved out, or the universe were sounding its first note! A silent, thunderous roar echoed within his body, and the sturdy barrier shattered upon impact! His vast soul power instantly surged into a more vast world, galloping and circulating in an endless cycle, becoming more condensed and immense!
Level 85!
Yu Yuanchen slowly opened his eyes, a flash of purple-gold lightning vanishing from his pupils. The surging aura around him gradually retracted, returning to stillness. He felt the vast power within him grow stronger once more, along with an increasingly clear perception of the Thunder Law, and his heart remained perfectly calm.
"Level 85... one step closer to the Title Douluo realm at Level 90." He whispered to himself. Calculating the time, it had been less than a year since he returned from the Star Dou Great Forest, yet his cultivation had broken through two levels. Such speed could be called shocking. However, most of the credit went to the assistance of the god position seal, the cultivation boost from the condensation of the True Essence vortex, and his own deep foundation. The further one progressed, the harder it was to improve; the speed would inevitably slow down from here on out.
He did not leave seclusion immediately, but continued to sit, consolidating his cultivation, familiarizing himself with the subtle changes brought by the increase in power, and once again attempting to compress and strengthen the liquefied True Essence in his Dantian, struggling toward the prototype of a soul core. This process was slow and meticulous; it could not be rushed.
Three days later, with his realm completely stabilized, Yu Yuanchen finally stood up and walked out of the secret realm.
The sunlight outside was perfect, casting a warm glow upon him. He took a deep breath of fresh air and strolled toward the family courtyard.
Just as he stepped into the courtyard, he heard a faint sound of breaking air and a dull thud coming from the training ground not far away.
Yu Yuanchen's heart stirred, and he followed the sound.
In the training ground, a slender, water-blue figure stood before a thick, dark-green Test Stone. It was Ye Zhilan.
She had not activated her martial soul, and there was no powerful soul power fluctuation around her. She simply held her breath and focused, her five fingers slightly curled. On her fair palm, a faint pink halo intertwined with thick bloodline power, circulating rapidly along a mysterious path.
The next moment, a gleam of light flashed in her eyes, and that seemingly delicate, boneless palm struck out, landing lightly on the half-man-high, incredibly hard dark-green boulder!
"Bang!!!"
A dull yet highly penetrating boom exploded suddenly!
Centered on the point of impact, spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered the entire boulder! Immediately after, the entire stone seemed as if explosives had been planted inside, shattering with a roar! Countless fragments flew in all directions, and dust filled the air! The ground beneath the boulder also developed fine fissures.
Watching this soft, beautiful girl shatter a stone with a single palm, the corner of Yu Yuanchen's mouth twitched. The memories of his past life suddenly attacked him—what was with this cursed sense of déjà vu of Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree?
Yet, Ye Zhilan's palm remained completely unscathed, not even leaving a white mark. Her bloodline power surged slightly, but her breathing remained exceptionally steady; clearly, she hadn't used her full strength.
Coming back to his senses and realizing this was a self-created soul skill Ye Zhilan had developed, Yu Yuanchen quickly corrected the strange expression on his face. He put on his usual gentle look, took a step forward, and arrived in the arena, gazing intensely at the shattered stones and then at Ye Zhilan, who was panting slightly with cheeks flushed from the exertion.
"Zhilan, this is...?" His voice carried a hint of surprise and inquisitive interest. He clearly felt that Ye Zhilan's strike hadn't used much soul power; its core was a technique that combined soul power and bloodline power in a special way, releasing them in an instant!
The pure physical power it erupted with was not inferior to the full-force strike of a Power Attack System battle soul master of the same level! This simply overturned the common knowledge that support system soul masters were weak!
Seeing Yu Yuanchen suddenly appear, Ye Zhilan was startled, then revealed a joyful expression: "Brother Yuanchen, you've finished your seclusion?"
Hearing his question, she smiled shyly and explained: "This... this is a little technique I've been working on recently. The bloodline body-refining method you taught me made my bloodline much more vigorous, and my soul power control has become more meticulous. I was thinking, we healing-type soul masters have weak attack power, but our soul power control is generally precise, and our perception of our own meridians and acupoints is stronger..."
She paused to organize her thoughts and continued: "So I tried combining part of my soul power with my bloodline power. Instead of using them purely for healing or defense like before, I imitated the 'force application technique' you mentioned. I let them circulate at high frequency through specific meridians, and the moment they touch the target, I release them like... like a spring compressed to the limit..."
She extended her slender jade hands, faint pink light glowing at her fingertips as she traced complex paths in the air: "Look, it mainly passes through the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian... finally gathering at the Laogong Acupoint to erupt. During the process, soul power mainly acts as a guide, constraint, and buffer, protecting the meridians and palm from being injured by the explosive force; while the bloodline power is the source of the strength. Combining the two allows for an instantaneous eruption of pure power far exceeding my usual limits."
Yu Yuanchen's eyes flashed as he listened, his heart filled with admiration. The effect was remarkably similar to the "Strength of a Hundred" technique from a famous anime in his past life! Both involved highly compressing energy, precise control, and instantaneous eruption to produce terrifying physical destruction!
The difference was that Ye Zhilan had used the soul power and bloodline power of this world as a foundation, combined with her own advantage as a healing-type soul master in meticulous energy control, to figure it out herself! This level of insight and creativity was truly stunning!
"You have brought the advantages of a healing soul master to the extreme!" Yu Yuanchen praised sincerely. "Only with precise soul power control can one complete such complex energy circulation and compression; only with keen perception can one accurately grasp the timing and force of the eruption; and only with vigorous bloodline power can one have a sufficient source of strength! Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
Receiving his affirmation, Ye Zhilan's face bloomed like a flower, her heart filled with joy. She added: "I also discovered that different meridian combinations produce slightly different power characteristics. Some focus more on instantaneous penetration, while others focus more on wide-range vibrational destruction. I have only mastered two ways of circulation so far and am still refining them. I named this technique 'Mountain Splitting Force'."
As she spoke, she focused again, the pink light and bloodline power on her jade hand circulating in a different way, and she tapped another intact Test Stone nearby.
"Hum... Bang!"
This time, the sound was slightly different. The boulder didn't shatter completely; instead, a large crater collapsed inward from the palm print, surrounded by dense cracks. Clearly, the impact was more concentrated and had greater penetration!
"A fine 'Mountain Splitting Force'!" Yu Yuanchen laughed and clapped. "The name is fitting! With this force, splitting mountains and rocks is a breeze! Zhilan, you have opened up a brand-new path for healing-type soul masters! Although it cannot change the essence of your martial soul, you now possess powerful self-defense and even close-quarters combat capabilities!"
Images even flashed through his mind: in a future battle, an enemy thinks they have cornered a weak, defenseless healing soul master, only to be sent flying while vomiting blood from a seemingly delicate palm... the scene was too beautiful to imagine!
Ye Zhilan blushed at the praise and said softly: "This is all based on the bloodline method you taught me, which allowed me to experiment. Besides, this 'Mountain Splitting Force' has extremely high requirements for soul power control and spiritual power, and the consumption is not small. For now, it can only be used as a trump card for surprise, and I cannot use it continuously for long."
"No matter, a trump card is sometimes more effective than conventional means," Yu Yuanchen laughed. "This method has huge potential and is worth deep research. It is enough to be passed down as a profound self-created soul skill, allowing support system soul masters who have cultivated the bloodline system to also possess impressive combat power."
He looked at Ye Zhilan, his admiration deepening. His fiancée was far more intelligent and resilient than he had imagined. She did not complain about the limitations of her martial soul; instead, she relied on her own efforts and wisdom to carve out a unique path of her own.
"You have made rapid progress in these five months. Not only has your soul power reached Level 54, but you have also created such a unique skill. It truly surprises me," Yu Yuanchen said gently.
Ye Zhilan smiled playfully and said: "Brother Yuanchen, you have been in seclusion working hard. With a fiancé as monstrously talented and hardworking as you, I naturally cannot slack off. Besides, I find researching these things quite interesting." Her eyes were bright, filled with passion for exploring new fields.
The two looked at each other and smiled, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Yu Yuanchen asked for more details about the "Mountain Splitting Force," and with his higher perspective and deeper understanding of energy, he offered several optimization suggestions—such as how to further reduce energy loss during circulation, how to better protect the meridians, and how to incorporate some of the explosive characteristics of his Thunder True Essence (though she couldn't use it directly, the concept was applicable) to enhance the power.
Ye Zhilan nodded repeatedly, her beautiful eyes shining with brilliance. She felt as if everything had suddenly become clear, and many of the problems that had troubled her were easily solved.
After discussing for a long time, the two finally left the training ground.
Walking in the courtyard, Yu Yuanchen suddenly asked: "Zhilan, does Grandpa Ye know about this 'Mountain Splitting Force'?"
Ye Zhilan nodded: "Grandpa knows, and he even helped me verify the safety of several meridian pathways. He said... although this technique is unconventional, it might allow me to add some unique leverage for the Ye Family in the upcoming Sect Selection." As she spoke, a glimmer of longing and determination flashed in her eyes. Although she did not enjoy conflict, she still hoped for her family to prosper.
Yu Yuanchen understood. Old Master Ye Kuan truly had a sharp eye, immediately recognizing the potential value of the Mountain Splitting Force. This was not just a self-defense technique, but a testament to one's ability, symbolizing innovation and potential; during a comprehensive evaluation, it might produce unexpected results.
"Grandpa Ye is absolutely right," Yu Yuanchen agreed. "However, in the Path of Cultivation, one must not be greedy for progress at the expense of the basics. Prioritize strengthening your foundation. This Mountain Splitting Force should only serve as a supplementary practice; do not put the cart before the horse."
"Mm, I understand," Ye Zhilan replied obediently.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground. Yu Yuanchen looked at the gentle yet resilient girl beside him, feeling a sense of peace and contentment in his heart. The Path of Cultivation is long, and to have such a Dao Companion by one's side, encouraging one another, is truly a blessing.
His gaze turned toward the distance, his eyes becoming sharp once again.
"Level 85... it is not enough. I must become stronger... Level 90 is a critical threshold. Only by reaching the Titled Douluo realm and Condensing a Soul Core can one truly possess the power to sway the situation!"
Beneath the calm of his Secluded Cultivation, a sense of urgency welled up. The tides of the era were surging in; he had to possess sufficient power to ride the waves, protect his sect, and realize his own Dao!
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan