Time passed, and a year vanished in the blink of an eye.
In Dragon City, deep within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, inside the private cultivation chamber exclusive to Yu Yuanchen.
The air was permeated with a faint scent of thunder, at times scorching and masculine, like the great sun hanging in the sky; at other times cold and treacherous, like a chilling wind from the Nine Netherworlds. Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut. There were no violent fluctuations of soul power around him, yet a heaven-shaking transformation seemed to be taking place within his body.
He held his hands in a hollow embrace before his Dantian. Above his left palm, a sphere of thunder—extreme in its Yang and hardness, glowing with a pale gold hue amidst the incandescent white—slowly rotated. It radiated a magnificent, righteous aura that purified all things and burned away evil; this was the "Yang Five Thunders," which he had initially perfected by referencing the concepts of ancient Taoist scriptures and combining them with the Thunder Law of this world.
Above his right palm was a sphere of dark, liquid-like thunder, extreme in its Yin and softness, flowing silently. It emitted a chilling, sinister aura that eroded soul power and froze the soul; this was the "Yin Five Thunders."
"Yin and Yang differentiate, the five energies return to the source... The ancient Taoist scriptures were indeed correct." Yu Yuanchen muttered to himself. This past year, he had not rushed to increase his Soul Power Level (which remained stabilized at the peak of the ninety-fourth rank), but instead focused on the deep fusion of his self-created "Five Thunders Orthodox Law" and his ninth soul skill, "Two Forms Divine Thunder."
Referencing the concept that the "Five Thunders" were transformed from the energy of the five internal organs, he combined it with the Thunder Law of this world to further analyze and sublimate the attributes of his Ultimate Thunder.
Yang Thunder governs growth, destruction, and scorching ferocity, corresponding to the heart-fire and lung-metal; Yin Thunder governs storage, erosion, and cold resilience, corresponding to the kidney-water and liver-wood. The two are not in absolute opposition; rather, they use the spleen-earth as a pivot, responsible for harmonizing heart-yang and kidney-yin, generating and restraining each other, serving as each other's foundation in an endless cycle. When Yang Thunder is pushed to the extreme, it can manifest a trace of pure Yin; when Yin Thunder is at its deepest, it can also give birth to Yang.
This realization allowed his control over thunder to enter a brand-new realm. The Thunder Power in his hands became increasingly fluid and versatile, capable of myriad changes. He no longer relied solely on the inherent dominance and speed of his Thunder Sacred Dragon Martial Soul, but gained a level of subtlety and unpredictability at the level of Law.
"Yin and Yang alternate, the thunder method follows nature. With this method complete, my means of dealing with enemies in the future will be even more unfathomable, and my reliance on the dragon clan's innate talents can be reduced even further." Yu Yuanchen slowly opened his eyes. A flash of golden lightning flickered in his left eye, while dark thunder light swirled in his right, before both returned to calm. With a thought, the Yin and Yang thunders quietly submerged into his body, his aura completely internalized, making him appear like an ordinary person.
Beyond the refinement of his thunder techniques, another gain was his Spear Intent.
To the side of the chamber, the purple-gold Thunder Dragon Spear floated silently. Yu Yuanchen did not use any soul skills; he simply communicated with it using his purest focus, practicing the most basic movements of thrusting, parrying, sweeping, and collapsing.
The movements appeared slow and simple, yet they contained a sharp will that was indomitable and capable of tearing through everything! This was the "Spear Intent" he had realized after a year of unceasing hard work, using his profound cultivation to reinforce his foundations, standing on high ground to let nature take its course!
The realm of intent is the initial fusion of a weapon's characteristics with one's own will. Every move and style carries a unique "momentum," capable of slightly increasing attack power and penetration. More importantly, it possesses the ability to disturb and intimidate an opponent's mind.
Although it was only the most basic "intent" stage of artistic conception, when unleashed with his foundation as a Titled Douluo, its power was not to be underestimated. More importantly, this represented his beginning to move away from a combat method that relied solely on his martial soul and soul skills, taking a step toward the "Dao" that emphasizes technique and will.
After leaving seclusion, Yu Yuanchen would often spend time by Ye Zhilan's side. They would stroll through the sect's gardens, listening to her whisper about interesting sect affairs and what she had seen while practicing medicine; or they would discuss their insights into martial soul evolution and the cultivation of that "Star Eater" vine guard.
Ye Zhilan's cultivation, thanks to the residual medicinal power of the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and her own efforts, had reached the seventy-seventh rank. Her Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia Martial Soul had become increasingly miraculous, granting her stronger control over plants and a more potent ability to nourish life. Their affection grew increasingly rich amidst their simple and warm interactions.
However, neither Yu Yuanchen nor Ye Zhilan noticed that a gaze from the distant Star Dou Great Forest, filled with curiosity and investigation, had already quietly turned toward this peaceful place.
⁂
Tracing time back to one year ago, in the Star Dou Great Forest, at the bottom of the Lake of Life.
The Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena spent immense effort and one-tenth of her origin, supplemented by the essence of the Lake of Life, to finally shape a flawless human girl's body.
She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old, with a peerless face, silver hair, purple eyes, and skin fairer than snow, carrying an innate coldness and nobility that seemed untainted by the world. Her martial soul was a weakened version of her own body, the Silver Dragon, but it carried the divine weapon, the Silver Dragon Spear.
To ensure nothing went wrong and to deceive the gaze of any potential Heavenly Gods, Gu Yuena moved her main consciousness entirely into this avatar, leaving only a strand of instinctual will to control her massive dragon body as it continued to slumber. With the avatar newly formed, her strength was suppressed to the Soul Sage realm, but for her, possessing God King Level combat consciousness and the Silver Dragon Spear, it was enough to protect herself in the human world.
However, upon taking her first step into the human world, this Master of Soul Beasts caused quite a few blunders.
Although she possessed the inherited knowledge of the dragon clan in her bloodline, she was completely ignorant of human secular rules and social etiquette.
Not knowing what currency was, she would pick up fruit from a vendor and walk away, drawing shouts and curses;
Unaware of the boundaries between men and women, she once stared at a man for a few moments out of curiosity, causing a misunderstanding;
Not understanding complex human rituals and social interactions, her words and actions always carried an innate sense of detachment and nobility that made her seem out of place with her surroundings;
She also failed to understand complex human emotions and hypocritical pleasantries, often being blunt and straightforward, leaving people stunned.
All of this stemmed from her unique experience. Since her birth from the division of the Dragon God, she had spent most of her time fleeing or sleeping, and her temperament was as simple as a blank sheet of paper. Her usual majesty was more of a cloak she had to wear as the Silver Dragon King, shouldering the heavy responsibility of reviving the dragon clan. Now, she was like an "elderly infant" who possessed great power but was full of strangeness and curiosity toward the world.
(Book setting supplement: Since Gu Yuena was born from the division of the Dragon God, she had spent the vast majority of her time in a state of severe injury and slumber; her mind was actually extremely simple, like a blank sheet of paper. She knew she was the Master of Soul Beasts, bearing the responsibility of reviving the dragon clan and leading soul beasts to find a way out; this heavy mission forced her to remain majestic and calm. However, she was not fully aware of the details of the Dragon God's fall or the deep-seated reasons why soul beasts could not become gods (which were actually rules set by the Dragon God himself). She spent most of her long years healing, and her mental experience was less that of a calculating ruler and more that of a lonely girl forced to mature early, shouldering heavy responsibilities.)
After spending some time, relying on her powerful learning ability and spiritual perception, Gu Yuena finally adapted to the basic rules of the human world. She also remembered the goal of her trip and began to inquire for information. Soon, a name appeared frequently in her ears—Yu Yuanchen!
The young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the youngest Titled Douluo in history, the Dragon Emperor Douluo! His growth experience was legendary; his martial soul was the Thunder Sacred Dragon, and his battle record was illustrious, hailed as the future number one person on the continent. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan where he resided was at the height of its power, widely expected to claim the throne of the "Number One Sect Under Heaven" in the Seven Sects Election five years later.
"Yu Yuanchen... It really is him." A flash of realization crossed Gu Yuena's purple eyes. With such talent and such strength, it was no wonder he could attract the favor of gods and find and absorb the dragon power of the Ice Fire Dragon King.
But what followed was a trace of hidden worry. Through observing the development of human soul masters, she keenly sensed the overall speed of their progress. Compared to soul beasts that required thousands or tens of thousands of years of accumulation, the cultivation speed, reproductive capacity, and the near-predatory development efficiency of resources by human soul masters made her secretly alarmed. If this continued, without a supreme existence like her to act as a check and balance, the living space of soul beasts would inevitably be continuously compressed.
Following this trend, if there were no variables, perhaps in less than tens of thousands of years, soul beasts would fall into a complete disadvantage in their competition with humans, and might even face the danger of extinction... This deduction made Gu Yuena frown slightly. Although she was the Master of Soul Beasts, she knew that it was difficult to reverse the disadvantages formed by the entire race over long-term evolution by her own strength alone. Reviving the dragon clan and finding a way out for soul beasts was a long and arduous road.
"Forget it, the top priority is to find the clues to the Ice Fire Dragon King." She cast aside her distracting thoughts and refocused her attention on Yu Yuanchen.
She quietly arrived at Dragon City, and relying on her powerful Spiritual Power and concealment abilities, she investigated the city inside and out several times. However, to her disappointment, she did not perceive any strong fluctuations or traces of special space belonging to the remains of the Ice Fire Dragon King. Although Yu Yuanchen had those two faint traces of dragon power, their source did not seem to be in this place.
"He must know the location of that secret place, but he hasn't been there recently." Gu Yuena concluded. To get clues, she had to get close to Yu Yuanchen.
However, the subsequent observation left her somewhat at a loss. Yu Yuanchen's life was extremely regular; he was either in seclusion cultivating or accompanying the woman named Ye Zhilan, living a reclusive life and having almost no contact with outsiders. Trying to get close to a highly vigilant Titled Douluo without leaving a trace and eavesdropping on information was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Her gaze finally fell on Ye Zhilan.
This woman was Yu Yuanchen's fiancée, her martial soul seemed to be a top-tier healing Begonia flower, and her cultivation was not weak. More importantly, she had a gentle temperament and often practiced medicine and distributed herbs outside, coming into contact with many people; she seemed... easier to approach?
Gu Yuena's simple mind thought of a "simple" method: since approaching Yu Yuanchen directly was impossible, she would first approach Ye Zhilan, become her friend, or... someone who needed her help? In this way, she might be able to enter their circle logically, thus having the opportunity to investigate Yu Yuanchen's secrets.
As for how to approach her? Gu Yuena looked at her own flawless human avatar, which appeared somewhat "abnormal" due to her lack of worldly experience, and then looked at Ye Zhilan's actions of practicing medicine and saving people, and a preliminary plan formed in her mind.
"Sick? Injured? Or... pretend to be homeless?" She tilted her head, a trace of confusion and eagerness flashing in her purple eyes. Imitating human emotions seemed, to her, even harder than comprehending the Laws.
But for the sake of the dragon clan's grand plan, she had to try.
Outside Dragon City, the mountain breeze blew, stirring her long silver hair. Gu Yuena looked in the direction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, her eyes becoming firm and indifferent once more.
"Let's start with you, Ye Zhilan."
A plan slowly took shape in her mind. She needed to find a suitable opportunity, with a reasonable identity, to appear naturally before Ye Zhilan, win her trust, and then wait for an opportunity to inquire about the secrets of Yu Yuanchen, especially the source of the Ice Fire Dragon King's dragon power.
Dragon City remained prosperous and bustling, but undercurrents were already quietly surging. Yu Yuanchen, who was focused on cultivation, did not yet know that a "visitor" with a special identity and unknown purpose had already locked her gaze onto the person he cherished most. And the simple-minded Silver Dragon King would also officially step into this turbulent human chess game, attempting to move the threads of fate.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan