A profound sense of satisfaction settled over Yao Xuan as he rose to his feet. It was not just the knowledge of his increased strength, but the tangible, humming vitality that now coursed through his veins. A genuine, quiet smile touched his lips—the expression of a strategist seeing his carefully laid plans begin to bear fruit.
The leap to 6.7% bloodline concentration had been transformative. Previously, the power of the Ancestral Dragon had been a potent but diffuse force within him. Now, it had organized itself, forming a rudimentary but distinct circulation system of qi and blood. This network, faintly visible as a nine-colored lattice beneath his skin if one knew where to look, was a qualitative evolution. It was the difference between a scattered militia and a disciplined army.
This newfound order allowed the dragon's power to seep into his most vulnerable areas—his internal organs. For any soul master, the heart, lungs, and liver were fragile treasures, notoriously difficult to temper and devastating to injure. Now, bathed in the primal energy of the Ancestral Dragon, Yao Xuan's organs had been fortified, their resilience multiplied several times over. This foundational robustness would allow him to channel and withstand soul forces that would cripple his peers, a hidden advantage of incalculable worth.
His physical strength had skyrocketed. Before his official advancement, he already possessed the monstrous strength of 500 kilograms for a boy of seven and a half. The fusion with his soul spirit had added another 100 kilograms. Now, with the bloodline's surge, his power had swelled by nearly 300 kilograms, settling at an awe-inspiring 900 kilograms of pure, unassisted physical might. And that was before soul power enhancement. When he invoked the Ancestral Dragon Possession, he estimated his strength would breach 1,350 kilograms—a force that could shatter stone and crumple steel.
'This foundation... it is everything,' he thought, his mind already turning to the next piece of his arsenal. The fusion and bloodline enhancement had taken little time; it was not yet 10:30, and the thought of Na'er waiting for him at lunchtime provided a gentle, yet firm, deadline. He would use this window to begin unraveling the mysteries of the Creation Soul Forging Technique.
Settling into a meditative posture, he closed his eyes and began the silent incantation. "Heaven and earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and boundless; the sun and moon wax and wane, the stars and constellations are arrayed."
The effect was instantaneous and profound.
Where basic techniques like "Five Hearts Towards Heaven" were passive and feeble, the Creation Soul Forging Technique was a sovereign issuing a command. The ambient soul power of heaven and earth did not simply drift toward him; it surged. In less than half a minute, his bedroom became the eye of a spiritual storm, the density of energy condensing to a level at least ten times that of the outside world. He recalled that the prized cultivation chambers within the Spirit Pagoda only doubled the ambient concentration. This was on another order of magnitude entirely.
'As expected of a technique bearing the word 'Creation',' he mused, his internal praise calm and analytical. This method leveraged the unique allure and authority of his divine-level martial soul to command the very elements of cultivation. It was a privilege afforded only to those at the very pinnacle of potential.
Guiding his spiritual power outward, he began to draw the dense spiritual energy into his body. The energy responded eagerly, flowing into his meridians like a tidal wave entering a river delta. Even with meridians widened and reinforced by the Ancestral Dragon Body, the sheer volume and potency of the energy sent a thrilling, needle-like sensation through his pathways. It was a stark reminder of the technique's demands; a soul master of ordinary constitution would have their meridians shredded instantly by such a deluge.
He focused, circulating the technique with precision. The gaseous soul power flooding his meridians was ruthlessly compressed, its molecules forced closer together. At the very core of these streams, the pressure became so immense that the energy underwent a fundamental change—shifting from a vapor to a faint, shimmering liquid. This liquid soul power, far denser and more potent, was then guided on its rapid journey through his body, nourishing and strengthening every cell it passed, before finally converging in his dantian.
There, the final refinement took place. He enveloped the newly arrived power with his formidable spiritual force, using the techniques described in the manual to purify and assimilate it, making it irrevocably his own.
One hour later, a faint soreness in his dantian signaled a warning. Yao Xuan immediately ceased drawing in external energy, his discipline overriding any temptation for greed. 'Haste makes waste. A damaged foundation is a price I will never pay,' he reaffirmed silently. He spent the next twenty minutes in deep focus, consolidating and fully refining the vast reserves of energy still circulating within him.
As he opened his eyes, the world seemed sharper, colors more vivid. He felt the nascent pool of liquid soul power resting in his dantian, a testament to the day's progress. A glance at the clock confirmed it was time. The thought of seeing Na'er, of sharing a quiet meal and seeing the subtle warmth in her eyes that was for him alone, filled him with a quiet urgency. His pursuit of power was relentless, but she was the purpose that gave it meaning. It was time to go.