In the Dragon Tomb, the light surrounding Wang Nan gradually dispersed. The figures of the Dragon Souls were no longer visible, only the red, blue, and yellow colors slowly swirling on the Dragon God's tear.
As the light faded, Wang Nan opened his eyes. He didn't know how much time had passed in the Dragon Tomb, only that the "bone tempering" process had lasted a very long time.
Slowly, he stood up. A crisp, popping sound, like beans exploding, came from his entire skeleton. His body, centered on his right leg bone, seemed to pulsate slowly, as if breathing.
Absorbing spirit power and mental force for recharging was originally only the ability of his right leg bone, but now, all the bones in his body were cooperating with it, slowly recharging.
Beneath his feet, the profound power of the earth continuously surged into his body. With every movement, the elemental power of the world converged within him.
With a wave of his hand, the Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in his grasp. Wang Nan's body emitted a faint golden light that gradually enveloped the Coiling Dragon Staff. Instantly, the giant Dragon figure circling the Coiling Dragon Staff became even clearer, with golden luster shimmering on every Dragon scale.
If the previous Wang Nan had used the Spirit Bone's ability like an extension of his arm, utilizing the Coiling Dragon Staff to enhance his body, now he was using the power of his body to continuously temper the Coiling Dragon Staff, making it even more solid.
"How do you feel?"
"Thank you." Hearing the Silver Dragon King's voice, Wang Nan withdrew his spirit power, and the Coiling Dragon Staff instantly disappeared from his hand.
"No need to be polite. Now, you should be able to try condensing your second soul core."
"Earlier, I heard you say that the Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core is a form closer to the god core. What does this mean?"
"A god core is the proof of a deity. To become a deity, you must transform the soul core within your body into a god core. If you condense a Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core now, it will be easier to transform it into a god core later."
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance."
"I said before that I would do my best to help you achieve godhood. These things should naturally be told to you. Also..."
The Silver Dragon King paused. "You should condense your soul core first."
Wang Nan nodded and didn't press further. Achieving a god core could wait for later; now, taking the first step was more important.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Nan adjusted his state. He touched his wrist, and a piece of emerald green metal appeared from his storage Soul Guidance Device. A rich life aura emanated from it.
His lips moved, and incantations spilled from Wang Nan's mouth. The power of the life gold diffused, and in a short while, it permeated the area around Wang Nan, forming a verdant green mist.
Sitting cross-legged, his mind gradually settled.
A celestial melody echoed in the Dragon Tomb. The surrounding mist thickened, and it seemed as if another world had appeared around Wang Nan. The special abilities of the Evil Breaking Dragon, the Dragon Souls, and the life gold—through multiple breakthroughs—had caused his mental force to surpass the limits of a Spirit Master.
Within his glabella, the three-state spirit power continuously rotated around the soul core. The Evil Breaking Dragon coiled around, its form encircling the soul core. The next moment, under Wang Nan's control, the three-state spirit power began to gradually detach from the soul core and spread throughout his body.
As the spirit power was gradually withdrawn, Wang Nan's mental force became noticeably more active. The Evil Breaking Dragon circling the soul core became even more solid, and the surrounding elemental power of the world, attracted by the soul core, naturally gravitated towards Wang Nan.
At this instant, all of Wang Nan's bones glowed with a yellow luster, pulsating rhythmically.
A sound like a heartbeat, "Thump-thump," rang out, and golden energy and blood power began to circulate within Wang Nan's body. Condensing the second soul core required another kind of power. Besides mental force, Wang Nan intended to use the power of energy and blood to control the spirit power and condense the second soul core.
The golden light from Wang Nan's chest shone through his clothes and out, then was obscured by the surrounding mist.
An invisible fluctuation spread from his chest throughout his body. The golden energy and blood power began to surge within him, carrying the elemental power of the world that had poured into his body, merging with his original spirit power.
The power of the first soul core in his glabella continued to be drawn out, and more and more spirit power entered Wang Nan's body. Using energy and blood to circulate spirit power was, after all, slightly inferior to mental force. The three-state spirit power began to transform into each other uncontrollably, mercilessly wreaking havoc within Wang Nan's body.
The Evil Breaking Dragon was already glowing with golden light, desperately shielding the power of the first soul core. All of his energy and blood, along with his spirit power, began to slowly rotate in his chest.
His cultivation method since childhood—meditating to improve spirit power while simultaneously training mental force—finally bore fruit. Although Wang Nan couldn't achieve the multitasking of two people, he could still divide his attention to begin condensing the second soul core while controlling the first soul core.
More and more spirit power gathered in his chest, and the energy and blood power controlling them also grew increasingly robust. The power of the surrounding life gold surged into his body, transforming into energy and blood power. The power originally stored in the dragon core within his body also reappeared.
The two forces intertwined, their rotation speed accelerating. A powerful force continuously impacted Wang Nan's body, but it was blocked by the power of the Mountain Dragon King torso bone and the external chest bone.
As the prototype of a soul core gradually appeared in his chest, the first soul core in Wang Nan's glabella vibrated violently, as if sensing an external invasion. Clouds of mist rose around Wang Nan, and a large amount of mental force surged, suppressing the agitation of the first soul core.
At the same time, merely shifting his attention slightly caused the spirit power within his body to riot again. The abundant spirit power, which was originally an advantage for Wang Nan, now became the greatest threat. His meridians began to crack under such power, forming numerous wounds.
Wang Nan understood that while Huo Yuhao also condensed a Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core, his advantage was having a Spirit Soul to help him control the spirit power that had detached from the first soul core, preventing it from causing too much damage. His advantage, then, was having a sufficiently resilient body to resist the destruction caused by the spirit power.
He simply steeled his heart, letting the spirit power run wild. His main energy was focused on the first soul core, while simultaneously absorbing a large amount of power from the external life gold to continuously repair his body's injuries.
The Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core, before the word "complementary," still had the words "Yin and Yang," representing the completely opposite operational directions of the two soul cores.
As time passed, with the gradual increase in the power of the second soul core, Wang Nan's body felt as if it were being torn apart by the two great soul cores at every moment. The continuously appearing injuries rapidly healed under the power of the life gold.
At this point, Wang Nan had also realized that his previous physical strength was indeed still a bit lacking, but now it was sufficient. All his bones glowed with a brilliant golden light that shot out of his body. The Coiling Dragon Staff was already lying across Wang Nan's thighs. The rotation speed of the second soul core grew faster and faster, until it reached a scale no less than that of the first soul core.
This was the moment.
The Evil Breaking Dragon let out a long cry, its form soaring out of his body. The first soul core was no longer suppressed, and the two great soul cores met head-on for the first time.