Chapter 7: The Appearance of the Purple-Gold Scale, A Hidden Dragon in the Abyss
Deep within the Thunder Canyon, time seemed to lose its meaning; only the eternal thunder and leaping arcs of lightning served as the main melody here.
Yu Yuanchen's heart was as still as water, completely immersed in his Cultivation. He was no longer satisfied with merely guiding Soul Power to heal his injuries and stabilize his Realm; instead, he began to attempt to actively utilize that wisp of newborn 'Thunder God Power'.
The essence of this power was extremely high, but its total amount was scarce, and controlling it placed a significant burden on his Spiritual Power. Initially, he could only cautiously guide it to flow through his major Meridians, feeling its purification of his Soul Power and its faint nourishment of his Physical Body.
As he gradually became familiar with the characteristics of the 'Thunder God Power', a bold idea sprouted in his heart.
"Since this 'Thunder God Power' can spontaneously temper the body, if I actively guide it to stimulate the subtle parts of my body in a specific way, would it have a miraculous effect?" He recalled the ambiguous martial arts theories from his previous Life regarding "Changing Tendons and Washing Marrow" and "Tempering the Physique." Although this world lacked a clear cultivation system for Meridians and acupoints, the mysteries of the human body were infinite; perhaps he could use brute force to break through technical barriers?
Once this thought appeared, it became impossible to suppress.
He did not act rashly but chose the most stable approach. After his Soul Power had recovered to its peak state and his control over the 'Thunder God Power' had become a fraction more refined, he began his attempt.
He separated a wisp of purple-gold energy even thinner than a strand of hair. Using it as a guide, he no longer restricted himself to the main Meridians. Instead, like the finest engraving tool, he cautiously probed toward those subtle Meridians, muscle fibers, and even the depths of his bones that Soul Power usually found difficult to reach or flowed through slowly.
"Zzz..."
A faint sound, like an electric current passing through the surface of water, echoed within his body. A sensation of numbness and stinging far exceeding anything before it washed over him, mixed with an indescribable aching swelling. This was not simple pain; it was more like a deep-level stimulation and tempering that touched the very Origin of Life.
Fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, and his body trembled slightly, but his gaze remained incredibly firm. He could clearly "see" that wherever that wisp of purple-gold energy passed, some extremely minute Impurities—which were usually difficult to fully reach through regular Cultivation or Body Tempering in the Thunder Canyon—were melted away like metal in high heat, turning into wisps of gray gas that were then carried away and expelled from his body by the pure Soul Power following behind. Meanwhile, the cells there, under the interlacing forces of destruction and rebirth from the lightning, became more compact and full of vitality.
This process was extremely slow and consumed a massive amount of Spiritual Power. Often, after guiding that wisp of 'Thunder God Power' to circulate for just a moment, he would feel mentally exhausted and have to stop to recover.
Yet, he never tired of it.
With every attempt, he felt as though his body had been washed clean once more. Although his Soul Power Rank did not increase significantly, his physical strength, resilience, and capacity to carry Soul Power were enhancing at a visible rate. The slight hidden injuries left behind from previously forcing the stimulation of his leg Meridians were completely smoothed over under this meticulous tempering; he even turned misfortune into a blessing, as the resilience and clarity of his leg Meridians now surpassed what they once were.
Day after day, Yu Yuanchen was completely immersed in this slow but solid transformation.
He did not realize that while he was tirelessly tempering himself with the 'Thunder God Power', faint wisps of a higher-level aura contained within that power—almost too weak to perceive—were quietly merging into the depths of his Bloodline.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, as a top-tier Beast Spirit, possessed a Bloodline that inherently contained immense power and potential. However, as it was passed down through generations, the Bloodline inevitably became mixed and diluted. This 'Thunder God Power', which originated from a Thunder Martial Soul and carried a hint of divine factors, possessed an extremely high essence. While tempering his Physical Body, it acted like an invisible filter and a strange catalyst, beginning to imperceptibly purify and stimulate the most primal part of his Bloodline's power.
This process occurred silently, even bypassing Yu Yuanchen's own keen perception. His attention was entirely focused on the improvement of his physical strength and the refinement of his control over his power.
Until a certain moment, after finishing a meticulous tempering session on his right arm, he habitually performed an internal inspection of himself to check his Martial Soul Origin.
The phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul remained majestic and overbearing, its entire body covered in deep blue scales with lightning coiling around it. However, right at the top of that Martial Soul phantom's head, slightly above the center of the brow, Yu Yuanchen noticed an extremely tiny abnormality.
There, among the blue scales that should have been no different from any other part, there seemed to be... a tiny, slightly darker speck of light?
He concentrated his mind and "looked" closely.
That wasn't a speck of light, but a scale! A scale only a tenth the size of a fingernail, with a color completely different from the other blue scales! It wasn't blue, but a restrained dark purple that seemed to have precipitated countless essences of thunder. Yet, at its core, it faintly revealed an imperceptible, noble golden glow. Purple and gold interlaced; if one did not inspect internally with care, it would almost be overlooked.
This Purple-Gold Scale was quietly embedded among the blue Dragon scales. It was inconspicuous, yet it seemed to be the core of the entire Martial Soul phantom, emitting an indescribable aura of antiquity and majesty that transcended an ordinary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"This is..." Yu Yuanchen's heart jolted, feeling a hint of surprise. This kind of subtle change in a Martial Soul was something he had never encountered, nor had he seen any record of it in the family's ancient texts.
He tried to activate his Martial Soul; blue lightning flashed violently, and Dragon prestige filled the air. Everything was normal; his Martial Soul Abilities operated smoothly, and their power even seemed somewhat enhanced, but that Purple-Gold Scale did not bring any additional, obvious abilities or phenomena.
"Is this a change brought about by tempering my body with the 'Thunder God Power'?" Yu Yuanchen thought to himself. He could feel that the appearance of this scale seemed to make his Martial Soul's affinity with the power of lightning a fraction higher, and his mobilization of Soul Power was also more harmonious and natural. However, this improvement was very subtle, existing in a state of "moistening things silently."
"Perhaps it's some kind of beneficial mutation? Or... a slight external manifestation of an increase in Bloodline purity?" he speculated. On the Douluo Continent, Martial Souls were not set in stone; under certain special Opportunities, they could indeed undergo evolution or mutation. But a change like this, merely adding a single scale of a different color, was truly too subtle and peculiar.
After studying it for a while without reaching a definitive conclusion or finding any negative effects—feeling instead that his own state was better than ever before—Yu Yuanchen temporarily suppressed his doubts. He attributed it to a beneficial stimulation of his Martial Soul after the 'Thunder God Power' had tempered his body and Soul Power, perhaps a manifestation of a more solid Foundation.
"Since it's harmless and seems beneficial, I'll let nature take its course." He maintained a peaceful mindset, neither ecstatic over this negligible change nor anxious because he couldn't understand it. He knew the path of cultivation was long; as long as the direction was correct, he could continue to explore any slight anomalies.
He no longer deliberately focused on that Purple-Gold Scale and threw his entire mind back into Cultivation. He continued to temper himself with the 'Thunder God Power' to consolidate his cultivation, while also beginning to delve deeper into various application techniques for his fourth Soul skills, 'Thunder God Power', trying to combine it with his first three Martial Soul Abilities in more diverse and ingenious ways.
He faintly felt that this quietly appearing Purple-Gold Scale might be a lead, a turning point. But a true transformation required a deeper accumulation of power and a realization that would come naturally when the time was right.
The hidden Dragon still dove deep within the abyss of thunder, but a single unique scale had already quietly heralded its extraordinary potential. It waited silently, waiting for the gathering of wind and clouds, waiting for that moment to soar into the sky and let the Purple-Gold Divine Lightning shine upon the world.
The secluded meditation continued. The thunder in the depths of the gorge roared day after day, as if playing a low and magnificent prelude for the opening of a new era.