Chapter 1: The Blue Lightning Hidden Dragon
Douluo Calendar Year 2469.
Heaven Dou Empire, Southeast of the Empire, Dragon City.
The name Dragon City originates from the powerful Sect entrenched here, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which possesses the top-tier Beast Spirit 'Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon'.
The Family was built against the mountains, with continuous halls and palaces. In its deepest part lies a valley perpetually surrounded by subtle electric arcs, named 'Thunder Canyon'. This place is a cultivation Holy Land for the core disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The dense thunder-attribute worldly Origin Qi is active and violent; those without extraordinary talent or deep Soul Power find it difficult to endure for long.
At this moment, deep within the Thunder Canyon, a figure sat quietly on a smooth stone platform charred black by lightning strikes.
It was a youth, appearing to be about twelve or thirteen years old. Although his face still carried a hint of youthful innocence, his features had begun to take on a sharp edge. When his azure eyes opened and closed, a faint glint of electricity flickered within, making them appear exceptionally deep. He wore a simple suit of blue martial attire, his posture upright. Even while sitting still, he gave off a sense of lean power, like a crouching dragon beast.
His name was Yu Yuanchen, the direct grandson of the current Clan Chief of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Boxuan. He was also the only direct descendant in nearly a hundred years, aside from his grandfather who had long since achieved fame, to possess Innate Full Soul Power. His mother passed away when he was five due to the damage to her Origin Qi while giving birth to him. It was in his overwhelming grief that he awakened the memories of his past Life.
Nearly seven years had passed since his Martial Soul Awakening at the age of six.
Inside his body, his mellow Soul Power flowed like a river along specific pathways. With every cycle completed, he could feel a minute growth in Soul Power and the joy of his cells being nourished by the thunder Origin Qi in the valley. Three Soul Rings flickered beneath him: one yellow, two purple! Colors that surpassed the optimal Soul Ring configuration proclaimed a Foundation different from ordinary people.
However, Yu Yuanchen's mind was not entirely immersed in the cultivation of Soul Power.
Deep in his consciousness, thoughts that were out of place in this World were surging.
"Internal Energy... True Qi... Meridians and acupoints... Is it all just a mirage in the end?" he sighed inwardly.
He was not purely a person of this World. An accident had allowed him to be born here with memories of his past Life. Although he wasn't some martial arts Grandmaster in his past Life, he had been exposed to it and knew many plausible martial arts theories. When he first arrived in this World and learned it was the Douluo Continent, possessing the unique system of Martial Souls and Soul Power, he was once ecstatic. He thought he could combine the wisdom of two lives to walk an unprecedented path.
Creating his own Cultivation Techniques, merging Soul Power with Internal Energy, developing the divine treasures within the body... the ideas were beautiful, but reality was cruel.
After nearly seven years of attempts, he had to admit that those theories from his past Life were almost useless in this World, yielding no results. Not to mention that the Laws of this World seemed slightly different; Soul Power is rooted in the Martial Soul, and its operation relies on Soul Rings. While the so-called Meridians and acupoints exist in the human bodies of this World, for a half-baked amateur like him who only knew a few lines of theory and couldn't even identify all the Meridians, the result of forced attempts was either sluggish Soul Power or nearly damaging himself. If not for his powerful Martial Soul and solid Foundation, he might have already suffered internal injuries.
"Foresight is ultimately my greatest reliance." Yu Yuanchen composed his mind, suppressing those unrealistic fantasies.
He knew clearly the future direction of this World and where those Opportunities lay. Unfortunately, some Opportunities were not something the current him could reach. For instance, the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well; based on his vague memories from his past Life, he had suggested several times that the Family explore certain areas, but all ended in failure. Now he could only accept reality. In fact, that fairyland was not fixed in this World but was a Secret Realm attached to the Douluo Plane. If the time has not come, it cannot be forced. In the original story, Dugu Bo was also a person of deep Luck to be able to enter it, but unfortunately, his fortune was thin, and he ended up doing the hard work for others to reap the rewards.
Since miraculous encounters were hard to find, he could only push what he already possessed to the limit!
His advantages lay in two points: first, his transcendent knowledge regarding the age of Soul Rings. What the Family Elders saw as a risky or even insane choice was, for him, a "verified" limit that could be endured.
Therefore, relying on the enhancement of his top-tier Beast Spirit and a strong body built from childhood training and constant medicinal baths, his first Soul Ring was nearly eight hundred years old. This greatly shocked the Sect Elders. He took the Opportunity to lie, claiming he had seen in ancient books that consuming high-age Whale Glue could enhance physical fitness. After confirming the effects, Yu Boxuan directly waved his hand and found a ten-thousand-year Whale Glue for Yu Yuanchen to consume. This allowed his second Soul Ring to directly cross the thousand-year threshold, reaching two thousand five hundred years, and his third Soul Ring reached a staggering five thousand years! This made it so that although he was only a Soul Elder, his total Soul Power and physical strength far exceeded his peers, approaching that of some ordinary Spirit Ancestors.
Second was his way of using Martial Soul Abilities. Most Soul Masters in this World viewed Martial Soul Abilities as fixed skills—once released, that was it, with few variations. Yu Yuanchen, drawing on the imagination from his past Life, focused more on the understanding and control of Soul Power itself, as well as the flexible application of Martial Soul Abilities in different situations.
"Boom!"
With a thought, the first and third Soul Rings beneath him suddenly brightened.
Combination Soul skills: Thunder Wrath Dragon Claw! This was the thunder force stimulated by his third Soul skills, Wrath of Thunder, compressed and released using his dragonized right arm as a carrier for his first Soul skills, Thunder Dragon Claw. It perfectly inherited the armor-breaking and penetration effects of the two great Martial Soul Abilities, possessing immense power.
Vast blue lightning gathered at his right hand, instantly condensing into a massive dragon claw over a meter in diameter. Surrounded by electric light, it emitted a violent aura of destruction. However, the dragon claw was not launched directly; instead, under Yu Yuanchen's exquisite control, its form shifted slightly. Its five fingers sometimes closed like a thunder spear and sometimes opened like a thunder net, the electric snakes crawling over it flickering. The condensation and eruption of energy were all within his single thought.
"Disperse."
With a low whisper, that terrifying thunder claw, capable of tearing through metal, actually dissipated into thin air, turning into strands of electricity that merged back into his body, demonstrating his startling control over his own Soul Power.
"Just this is not enough." Yu Yuanchen stood up, standing at the edge of the stone platform, looking at the sky outside the valley. "The change in the form of Martial Soul Abilities is, after all, a minor trick. The true core lies in the essence of power. The strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lies both in the powerful physique of a dragon and in the mastery of the power of thunder. The combination of the two can burst forth with startling power. So, what would happen if other powers like Spiritual Power were integrated? I remember in the original Douluo Dalu 2, Mu En had a move called 'Monarch Over the World' that combined Spiritual Power and Soul Power..."
He had touched upon a threshold and understood his future path but did not know how to continue; he had no way to start integrating Soul Power and Spiritual Power.
"Chener."
A steady voice sounded from behind him.
Yu Yuanchen turned around to see an elderly man wearing a long blue robe, with a majestic face and a burly build, standing not far away at some unknown time. The old man's hair and beard were all white, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. Although there was no deliberate fluctuation of Soul Power around him, he naturally emitted a heart-palpitating sense of pressure. It was his grandfather, the Clan Chief of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a Rank 96 attack system Titled Douluo, with the title 'Tyrant Dragon', Yu Boxuan.
"Grandfather." Yu Yuanchen bowed respectfully.
Yu Boxuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Soul Power fluctuations on Yu Yuanchen that had not yet completely settled. A flash of imperceptible satisfaction crossed his eyes. This grandson possessed extraordinary talent, and more importantly, a steady Heart-Nature and diligent cultivation. He never slacked off because of his talent; in fact, he was sometimes diligent to a fault, often having'strange' ideas and attempts that even Yu Boxuan couldn't understand.
"Has your Soul Power reached the Rank 40 Bottleneck?" Yu Boxuan sensed it; although it was a question, his tone was certain.
"Yes, I just completely stabilized it today," Yu Yuanchen replied. He had reached the Rank 39 Peak as early as half a year ago and had deliberately suppressed it for six months to polish his Foundation until today, when it naturally reached the Rank 40 Bottleneck.
"Very good." A smile appeared on Yu Boxuan's face. "A thirteen-year-old Spirit Ancestor is rare even across the entire continent. Your first three Soul Rings all surpassed common logic, and now it seems your Foundation is incredibly solid without leaving any hidden dangers. Do you have any thoughts for this fourth Soul Ring?"
Yu Yuanchen replied without hesitation, "I hope to hunt a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast."
Even though he was somewhat prepared, Yu Boxuan's eyelid still twitched. Absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring directly for the fourth Soul Ring? This would be considered shocking in the history of the Spirit Master's world. There is a fundamental difference between a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring and a thousand-year Soul Ring; not only is the energy several times more vast and violent, but it also carries a Soul shock that cannot be endured by those without resilient Spiritual Power.
He looked at his grandson's calm and determined eyes, which held no hint of youthful arrogance, only a decision made after careful consideration.
"Do you know the risks involved?" Yu Boxuan said solemnly.
"I know," Yu Yuanchen nodded. "My Spiritual Power is far superior to those of the same Rank due to my Innate Full Soul Power and multiple instances of absorbing over-aged Soul Rings—mainly because being a person of two lives, my Spiritual Power was naturally stronger than ordinary people's from the start—plus the fact that over the past two years, I have consumed some spiritual items beneficial to Spiritual Power that I specifically requested the Family to find, such as the Spirit Aura Sea Urchin seen in Douluo Dalu 2. My physical strength has been tempered in the Thunder Canyon for years, and I am confident I can withstand the impact of a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. Moreover, I am not blindly choosing any ten-thousand-year beast; the target must be thunder-attribute, with a relatively pure temperament and energy that is violent but not easily muddled. This way, the success rate should increase by thirty percent."
Yu Boxuan was silent for a moment. He knew his grandson had always been independent, and his judgments were often unexpectedly accurate. The choices for the first three Soul Rings were initially questioned, but the results proved Yu Yuanchen right.
"The Black Flame Flood Dragon Clan has been restless in recent years; your talent is likely already feared by them. This trip to hunt for a Soul must be kept absolutely secret, and we must act quickly," Yu Boxuan finally decided. "In three days, your second grandfather Yu Boyu will personally lead the team, with two other Soul Douluo Elders accompanying you to the depths of the 'Thunder Mountain Range'. There is a 'Thunder Martial Soul' there that has just recently passed ten thousand years of cultivation. It is a spiritual creature gathered from the essence of heaven and earth's lightning, with pure energy that perfectly fits your requirements."
"A Thunder Martial Soul?" A flash of light sparked in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. One had to know that the Thunder Martial Soul race was extremely special. They were similar to the Snow Maiden race of the Far North (not the Ice Sky Snow Empress type, but ordinary Snow Maidens), born of heaven and earth, and extremely rare. Normally, they would be born with an Ultimate Attribute like the Snow Maidens. However, due to the uniqueness of the Thunder attribute, the Ultimate Thunder could represent the might of heaven, capable of suppressing other ordinary Ultimate Attributes like Ice, Fire, and Wind (excluding Light and Dark). This meant that the Thunder Martial Soul race was generally only extremely close to Ultimate Thunder, and would only transform into the Ultimate state upon cultivating to one hundred thousand years.
However, if there truly existed a Thunder Martial Soul born with Ultimate Thunder, it would be worthy of being called a future Thunder Emperor. Its potential would be even higher than the Snow Empress. The most difficult Lightning Tribulation, which ordinary Ferocious beasts feared like tigers, would have almost no effect on it. Unfortunately, such a Thunder Martial Soul had never been born. Yet, even an ordinary Thunder Martial Soul's birth could be said to be a manifestation of a trace of the Douluo Plane's Lightning Law, which was extremely profound.
Although the Thunder Martial Soul was not among the target Soul Beasts he had envisioned, it was definitely far stronger than those few. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this information was part of the Family's heritage. Even though his talent belonged to the top tier in the history of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and he had made contributions by reporting the information about the Whale Glue, this information about the Thunder Martial Soul would still be given to him, but he would never be allowed to absorb it as his fourth Soul Ring to take a gamble. This could be said to be Yu Boxuan's trust in him—trust that he would not do things he wasn't sure about.
One had to know that in the history of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, there was an ancestor who had absorbed a Thunder Soul Ring, which brought him an extremely powerful Soul skills. His achievements in Life were quite high, cultivating to a Rank 98 Super Douluo. Counting it up, he was actually a direct descendant of this person.
"Many thanks, Grandfather!" He was extremely moved internally and bowed deeply.
Three days later, a group of four left Dragon City quietly.
The leader was none other than Yu Yuanchen's Second Grandfather, the Family's second-in-command, Yu Boyu, a Rank 86 attack system Soul Douluo. The other two were loyal Guest Elders of the Family, both possessing Rank 81 or 82 Soul Power.
The four had profound cultivation, concealed their tracks along the way, and specifically chose desolate paths to travel. In just a few days, they had penetrated deep into the Thunder Mountain Range.
This mountain range was covered in thunderclouds all year round, and the air was filled with dense Thunder elements. For a Thunder-attribute Soul Master, it was a treasure land for Cultivation, but for other Soul Masters, it was a dangerous place.
According to the Family's intelligence, the four carefully crept toward the area where the Thunder Martial Soul appeared.
Finally, in a valley filled with jagged rocks and a pool of thunderous light in the center, they discovered their target.
It was a creature with a strange form, its entire body seemingly condensed from deep purple thunder. It had no fixed physical form; at times it was like a Dragon, at times like a python, and at times it would disperse into a thundercloud, swimming above the thunder pool and exhaling the essence of the lightning within the pool. The energy fluctuations it emitted had reached the ten-thousand-year level, pure and violent.
"That's it! Prepare to move!" Yu Boyu let out a low shout, exchanged glances with the other two Elders, and the three of them instantly released their Martial Souls.
Powerful Soul Power fluctuations soared into the sky, startling the Thunder Martial Soul in the valley.
"Roar!" A roar, not emitted through a throat but directly from the vibration of thunder, rang out, filled with the anger of having its territory invaded. The Thunder Martial Soul instantly transformed into a giant lightning python, carrying a destructive aura, and lunged toward the intruders.
"Vile beast, do not be arrogant!" Yu Boyu shouted loudly, his eight Soul Rings shining brightly, especially the last black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, which was even more dazzling. He transformed into a semi-Dragon form, and his giant fist, covered in blue Dragon scales, slammed out, colliding with the giant lightning python.
Boom! Thunder exploded, and air waves rolled.
The other two Soul Douluo Elders also launched attacks from the flanks, their Martial Soul Abilities flashing as they suppressed the Thunder Martial Soul's range of movement.
With three Soul Douluos joining forces to deal with a Soul Beast that had just passed ten thousand years, even though the Thunder Martial Soul had extraordinary strength, it was quickly suppressed. Its attacks were resolved one by one, and its body was scattered several times. Although it could re-condense, its light had clearly dimmed significantly.
Yu Yuanchen observed calmly from the side, looking for the best Opportunity. He knew that absorbing a Soul Ring was not best done when the Soul Beast was beaten until it had no power to resist; in that case, the will contained in the Soul Ring might dissipate by more than half, which would be counterproductive. It was necessary to deliver the final blow when the Soul Beast still possessed a certain ferocity, but its power had been greatly weakened. Only by obtaining a Soul Ring in this way could its original characteristics be preserved to the greatest extent.
Seeing that the Thunder Martial Soul was at the end of its rope under the siege of the three Soul Douluos, and its body condensation speed had greatly decreased, a fierce look flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes.
"Now!" His figure moved like lightning, shooting out. His first and third Soul Rings lit up simultaneously, and his majestic Soul Power was injected into his right arm without reservation.
"Combined Soul skills, Wrath of Thunder Dragon Claw!"
A huge Thunder Dragon Claw reappeared, but this time, Yu Yuanchen did not pursue range. Instead, he compressed all the lightning power to the extreme, concentrating it at the fingertips of the Dragon Claw, making it present a deep, nearly dark purple luster, carrying unparalleled penetrating power, accurately grabbing toward the Thunder Martial Soul's core—that was a mass of deep purple thunder light that kept beating like a heart.
"Puchi!" The lightning claw, compressed to the extreme, easily tore through the Thunder Martial Soul's last defense and grabbed its core.
The Thunder Martial Soul let out a shrill shriek, its entire body contracting violently, and then exploded with a bang, turning into countless scattered electric currents darting in all directions. At the same time, a deep, black energy carrying a heart-palpitating pressure began to gather at the center of the explosion, finally condensing into a Soul Ring as black as ink, with edges faintly shimmering with purple thunder light.
A ten-thousand-year Soul Ring!
Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and sat cross-legged in front of the Soul Ring.
"Yuanchen, beware of Soul shock!" Yu Boyu warned nervously from the side, as the three Soul Douluos formed a triangular formation to protect him in the center, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.
Yu Yuanchen nodded, circulated the Soul Power in his body, adjusted his state to the Peak, and then triggered the floating black Soul Ring.
"Come on!"
The black Soul Ring, as if it had Life, slowly descended and settled onto Yu Yuanchen. The next moment, energy as majestic as a tsunami, mixed with an unruly, violently destructive will, rushed crazily into his body.
His Meridians instantly felt a tearing pain; the violence of that energy was many times greater than what he had felt when absorbing his third Soul Ring! Even more terrifying was an invisible shock that rushed straight into his brain, as if thousands of thunders were exploding in his Spiritual Power World, wanting to tear his consciousness to shreds.
Soul shock!
Yu Yuanchen groaned, his face instantly turning pale, but he held his mind tightly, his powerful Spiritual Power acting like a rock, resisting those repeated impacts. On the surface of his body, blue electric light and the black thunder light pouring in from the Soul Ring intertwined and clashed, and under his skin, it seemed as if countless small snakes were darting about, looking extremely terrifying.
Time passed bit by bit. A wisp of blood overflowed from the corner of Yu Yuanchen's mouth, and his body trembled slightly, but his eyes remained clear and firm.
I don't know how long it had been, but that violent energy seemed to have found a vent, and began to be gradually accepted and tamed by his Martial Soul and Meridians. The thunder explosions in his Spiritual Power World gradually subsided, and the Thunder Martial Soul's remaining will was finally completely wiped out by his tenacious will.
When the last bit of energy was absorbed, that jet-black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring settled firmly onto his other three Soul Rings, pulsing slowly together with the other three.
A Soul Power fluctuation far stronger than before erupted from his body. After absorbing this Soul Ring that transcended his limits, his Soul Power Rank broke through two levels in a row, jumping directly from the Rank 40 Bottleneck to Rank 42!
Yu Yuanchen opened his eyes abruptly, and substantial purple electric light seemed to shoot out from his pupils, extending over a foot, before slowly receding after a long while.
He had successfully absorbed the ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring!
However, the bigger surprise was yet to come.
Just as he completely fused with the Soul Ring and his Soul Power stabilized at Rank 42, a mysterious stream of information, accompanied by a brand-new understanding of lightning power, naturally emerged in his mind.
Fourth Soul skills: Thunder God Power!
It was not a simple attack or defense Soul skills, but a state, a sublimation of power! It could combine the lightning power formed by the transformation of his own Spiritual Power and Soul Power with the Qi and blood power hidden deep in his Bloodline. The three would fuse and sublimate into a higher-level, purer, destructive power carrying a trace of divinity—Thunder God Power!
This power could be used to release any Soul skills, and the power would receive a terrifying boost; it could also be used to enhance himself, causing his speed, strength, and defense to skyrocket in all aspects! Although the consumption was huge, as his cultivation deepened in the future, this consumption would be negligible compared to the inspiration it brought for self-created Martial Soul Abilities and the increase in combat power.
Yu Yuanchen felt the wisp of newborn, purple-gold power in his body, which was weak but extremely high in essence, and a surge of ambition swelled in his heart. Yu Yuanchen did not know that he had hit the jackpot.
As mentioned earlier, the birth of a Thunder Martial Soul could be said to be a manifestation of a trace of the World's Lightning Law. Its Origin was a bolt of lightning power with an extremely high essence, close to divine force, which could be called the Thunder God Power. Normally, after absorbing a Thunder Soul Ring, if one were not a top-tier Thunder-attribute Soul Master, one could not bear it, and it would only dissipate on its own. While this trace of Thunder God Power would merge into the Martial Soul over time and bring considerable benefits, because the amount of divine force was too small and it merged slowly, the improvement was only subtle and not significant, so basically no one would notice this.
Coincidentally, although the quality of the Thunder God Power formed by his Soul skills was far inferior to this wisp of Thunder God Power (after all, the protagonist's Realm was still low; in terms of quality, his Soul Power, Qi and blood, and Spiritual Power were not yet up to a Titled Douluo, let alone divine force), it was enough to serve as its nutrient, gradually making it grow stronger, and it would not be erased over time. This also had immeasurable benefits for his future cultivation, and even for becoming a god.
All the previous accumulation and all the exploration seemed to have finally found the right direction at this moment!
A hidden Dragon leaving the abyss; the path of thunder shocking the World began from here!