Blue Lightning Hidden Dragon

Douluo Calendar, Year 2469.

Heaven Dou Empire, southeast of the empire, Dragon City.

Dragon City derived its name from the powerful sect entrenched here—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which possessed the top-tier beast Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

Built against the mountain, the clan's halls stretched endlessly. At its deepest point lay a valley wreathed year-round in faint electric arcs, known as Thunder Gorge. This was the sacred cultivation ground of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's core descendants. The dense Lightning Attribute Heaven and Earth Origin Qi here was active and violent; those without exceptional talent or profound Soul Power could not endure it for long.

At this moment, deep within Thunder Valley, a figure sat quietly cross-legged atop a smooth stone platform blackened by lightning strikes.

He was a youth of around twelve or thirteen. Though his face still carried a trace of childishness, his features had already begun to sharpen. When his Azure Blue eyes opened and closed, faint lightning seemed to flow within them, lending them an exceptional depth. He wore a simple blue training outfit, his figure straight and upright. Even while seated in meditation, he gave off the fierce air of a dormant dragon beast.

His name was Yu Yuanchen. He was the direct grandson of Yu Boxuan, the current Patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the only direct descendant in the clan's past century, apart from his already renowned Grandfather, to possess Innate Full Soul Power. His mother had damaged her Origin Qi while giving birth to him and passed away when he was five. Overcome with grief, he awakened the memories of his previous life.

Nearly seven years had passed since his Martial Soul Awakening at the age of six.

Within his body, rich Soul Power flowed like a river along predetermined paths. With every circulation cycle, he could feel the minute growth of his Soul Power and the joy of every cell in his body as it was nourished by the thunderous Origin Qi of the valley. Three Soul Rings flickered Vaguely Visible beneath him—one yellow, Two Purple! Colors that surpassed the optimal Soul Ring configuration, proclaiming a foundation unlike that of ordinary people.

Yet Yu Yuanchen's mind was not entirely immersed in cultivating his Soul Power.

In the depths of his consciousness surged thoughts utterly incompatible with this world.

"Internal force... true qi... meridians and acupoints... were they ultimately nothing but illusions?" he sighed inwardly.

He was not truly a person of this world. An accident had caused him to be reborn here with the memories of his previous life. Though he had not been some martial arts grandmaster in that life, he had been exposed to such things and knew many half-understood martial theories. When he first arrived in this world and learned that this was Douluo Continent, a place with the strange systems of Martial Souls and Soul Power, he had once been overjoyed. He thought he could combine the wisdom of two lives and forge an unprecedented path.

Self-created cultivation methods, merging Soul Power with internal force, developing the divine treasures within the body... the ideas had been beautiful, but reality had been cruel.

After nearly seven years of attempts, he had no choice but to admit that those theories from his previous life were nearly useless in this world. Not only did this world's rules seem somewhat different from those of his former life, but Soul Power was rooted in the Martial Soul and circulated in reliance on Soul Rings. Meridians and acupoints did exist in the human body here, but for someone like him, who only knew a few theories and could not even identify all the meridians, forceful attempts resulted either in sluggish Soul Power or nearly injuring himself. Had his Martial Soul not been powerful and his foundation solid, he would likely have already suffered Hidden Injuries.

"Foreknowledge is still my greatest advantage." Yu Yuanchen steadied his mind and suppressed those impractical fantasies.

He knew clearly how this world would develop and where those opportunities lay. Unfortunately, some opportunities were beyond his reach at his current level. Take the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, for instance. Based on vague memories from his former life, he had proposed to the clan several times that they search certain areas, but every attempt had yielded nothing. Now, he could only accept reality. That paradise was not actually fixed in this world; it was a Secret Realm attached to the Douluo Plane. Until the time came, it could not be forced. In the original work, Dugu Bo had also been a man of deep fortune to enter it, but his fortune had been too thin, and he had merely made a wedding dress for another.

Since fortuitous encounters were difficult to find, he could only push what he possessed to the utmost limit!

His advantages lay in two areas. First was his superior understanding of Soul Ring age limits. What the clan elders considered a risky or even insane choice was, to him, a tested limit that could be endured.

Thus, relying on the enhancement of his top-tier beast Martial Soul, along with the powerful body forged through constant training and medicinal baths since childhood, his First Soul Ring had been nearly eight hundred years old. This had greatly shocked the sect elders. He then took the chance to falsely claim that an ancient text stated that consuming high-year Whale Rubber could strengthen the body. After Yu Boxuan verified the effect, he simply ordered someone to procure a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber for Yu Yuanchen to consume. This allowed his Second Soul Ring to directly cross the thousand-year threshold and reach two thousand five hundred years, while his Third Soul Ring had astonishingly reached the five-thousand-year level! Though he was only a Soul Elder, his total Soul Power and physical strength far exceeded those of his peers, nearly matching some ordinary Soul Ancestors.

Second was the way he employed his Soul Skills. Most Soul Masters in this world regarded Soul Skills as fixed techniques to be unleashed as they were, with little variation. Yu Yuanchen, however, drew upon the imagination of his previous life to place greater emphasis on understanding and controlling Soul Power itself, as well as flexibly using Soul Skills under different circumstances.

Boom!

With a thought, his First and Third Soul Rings abruptly lit up.

Combined Soul Skill: Thunder Rage Dragon Claw! This was a technique that used the Thunder Power stimulated by his Third Soul Skill, Wrath of Thunder, compressed it, and used his dragonized right arm as its vessel to unleash the First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw. It perfectly inherited the armor-piercing and penetrating effects of both Soul Skills, making it tremendously powerful.

Vast blue lightning gathered in his right hand and instantly condensed into an enormous dragon claw over a meter in diameter. Electric light coiled around it as it radiated a berserk, destructive aura. Yet the dragon claw did not strike out directly. Under Yu Yuanchen's exquisite control, its shape shifted slightly. Its five fingers sometimes closed together like a Thunder Spear, sometimes spread open like a net of lightning. The Electric Snakes crawling across it flickered bright and dim, and the gathering and eruption of energy depended entirely on a single thought from him.

"Disperse."

With a soft murmur, the terrifying thunder claw capable of tearing through metal vanished into thin air, becoming strands of electricity that flowed back into his body. It revealed his astonishing control over his own Soul Power.

"This alone is not enough." Yu Yuanchen rose to his feet and stood at the edge of the stone platform, gazing toward the sky beyond the valley. "Changes in a Soul Skill's form are ultimately a minor path. The true core lies in the nature of power itself. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's strength comes both from the powerful physique of a dragon and its command over Thunder Power. Together, they can unleash astonishing might. So what would happen if another power, such as Spiritual Power, were added? I remember that Mu En in Douluo Dalu 2 had a move that combined Spiritual Power and Soul Power—Ruling the World..."

He had touched upon a threshold. He understood the path ahead, yet did not know how to continue. He had no idea where to begin with fusing Soul Power and Spiritual Power.

"Chen'er."

A steady voice sounded behind him.

Yu Yuanchen turned and saw an elderly man in a blue robe standing some distance away, though he had no idea when the man had arrived. The old man had white hair and beard, yet his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. He had not deliberately released any Soul Power Fluctuation, but an unnerving pressure naturally emanated from him. He was Yu Yuanchen's Grandfather, the Patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a Level 96 Power Attack System Titled Douluo whose title was Tyrant Dragon—Yu Boxuan.

"Grandfather." Yu Yuanchen bowed respectfully.

Yu Boxuan nodded slightly. His gaze swept over the Soul Power Fluctuation around Yu Yuanchen that had yet to fully settle, and a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. This grandson possessed outstanding talent. Even rarer was his steady temperament and diligence in cultivation. He never grew lax due to his talent; if anything, he worked too hard. He often came up with strange ideas and attempts that Yu Boxuan could not understand.

"Your Soul Power has reached the Level 40 bottleneck?" Yu Boxuan sensed it. Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain.

"Yes. I only fully stabilized it today," Yu Yuanchen answered. He had reached the peak of Level 39 half a year ago, but had deliberately suppressed his advancement for six months to temper his foundation. Only today had everything fallen naturally into place, allowing him to touch the Level 40 bottleneck.

"Very good." A smile appeared on Yu Boxuan's face. "A Soul Ancestor at thirteen would be rare even across the continent. Your first three Soul Rings all surpassed conventional limits. Now, it appears your foundation is incomparably solid, with no hidden dangers left behind. Do you have any thoughts regarding this Fourth Soul Ring?"

Yu Yuanchen answered without hesitation, "This grandson wishes to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Though he had been mentally prepared, Yu Boxuan's eyelids still twitched. Absorb Soul Ring from a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast directly as the Fourth Soul Ring? Even throughout the history of the Soul Master World on the continent, this was shocking beyond measure. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was fundamentally different from a thousand-year Soul Ring. Not only was its energy many times more vast and violent, but it also carried Soul Shock, which no one without resilient Spiritual Power could endure.

He looked into his grandson's calm, resolute eyes. There was not a trace of youthful recklessness within them, only a decision made after careful consideration.

"Do you understand the risks involved?" Yu Boxuan asked gravely.

"This grandson understands." Yu Yuanchen nodded. "Because of Innate Full Soul Power and repeatedly absorbing Soul Rings across levels—mainly because I have lived two lives, so my Spiritual Power was naturally stronger than that of ordinary people—my Spiritual Power far surpasses those at the same level. Moreover, over the past two years, I have consumed several Spiritual Materials that I specifically asked the clan to find, which were beneficial to Spiritual Power—merely ordinary precious Spiritual Materials, such as the Spirit-Rich Sea Urchin that appeared in Douluo Dalu 2. My body has been tempered in Thunder Valley year-round, and I am also confident I can withstand the impact of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. Furthermore, I will not blindly choose just any Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The target must possess the Lightning Attribute, have a relatively pure nature, and wield violent but not overly mixed energy. That should raise the success rate by thirty percent."

Yu Boxuan fell silent for a moment. He knew his grandson had always had his own ideas, and his judgments were often unexpectedly accurate. His first three Soul Ring choices had also been questioned at first, yet the results had proven Yu Yuanchen right every time.

"The Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family has been stirring restlessly in recent years. They likely already fear your talent. This trip to hunt a Soul Beast must remain absolutely confidential and be completed quickly." Yu Boxuan finally made his decision. "In three days, your Second Grandfather, Yu Bo Yu, will personally lead the team, accompanied by two Soul Douluo elders. They will escort you deep into the Thunder Mountain Range. There is a Thunder Spirit there that only recently surpassed ten thousand years of cultivation. It is a Spiritual Material formed from the essence of Heaven and Earth lightning. Its energy is pure, precisely matching your requirements."

"A Thunder Spirit?" A Gleam of Light flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. The Thunder Spirit race was extremely special. Like the Snow Woman Clan of the Extreme North—not Ice Sky Snow Women like the Snow Empress, but ordinary Snow Women—they were born of Heaven and Earth and exceedingly precious. Normally, like the Snow Woman Clan, they would naturally possess an Ultimate Attribute. However, due to the special nature of the Lightning Attribute, Ultimate Thunder could represent Heavenly Might and suppress ordinary Ultimate Attributes such as ice, fire, and wind—though not light or darkness. As such, Thunder Spirits could generally only come extremely close to Ultimate Thunder, only transforming into it upon reaching one hundred thousand years.

However, if a Thunder Spirit born with Ultimate Thunder truly existed, it would be worthy of being called a future Thunder Emperor. Its potential would exceed even that of the Snow Empress by several degrees. The Thunder Tribulation, the most difficult part of the heavenly tribulations that Fierce Beasts feared like tigers, would be nearly ineffective against it. Unfortunately, such a Thunder Spirit had never been born. Even an ordinary Thunder Spirit, however, could be considered a manifestation of a fragment of this plane's Thunder Law, and its mysteries were extraordinary.

Though a Thunder Spirit was not among the several target Soul Beasts he had envisioned, it was undoubtedly stronger than them by an unknown margin. This information could be considered part of the clan's hidden foundation. Even if his talent ranked among the very best in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's history, and even with the merit of reporting the information about Whale Rubber, the clan might still have given him the information, but never would they have allowed him to gamble on absorbing it as his Fourth Soul Ring. This was Yu Boxuan's trust in him—his trust that Yu Yuanchen would not do something without certainty.

One of the clan's ancestors had absorbed a Thunder Spirit Soul Ring. It had given him an exceptionally powerful Soul Skill, and his achievements throughout life had been considerable. He had cultivated to become a Level 98 Super Douluo. By bloodline, Yu Yuanchen was also this ancestor's direct descendant.

"Thank you, Grandfather!" Deeply moved, he bowed deeply.

Three days later, the group of four silently departed Dragon City.

At the forefront was Yu Yuanchen's Second Grandfather, Yu Bo Yu, the clan's second-in-command and a Level 86 Power Attack System Soul Douluo. The other two were loyal Guest Elders of the clan, both possessing Soul Power at Levels 81 and 82.

The four were highly cultivated. They concealed their tracks throughout the journey and traveled only through desolate places rarely visited by people. Within only a few days, they had entered the depths of the Thunder Mountain Range.

Thunder Clouds covered this mountain range year-round, and the air was saturated with dense Lightning Element. It was a treasure ground for Lightning Attribute Soul Masters to cultivate in, but a dangerous realm for all other Soul Masters.

Following the clan's intelligence, the four carefully approached the area where the Thunder Spirit appeared.

At last, in a valley filled with jagged, bizarre rocks and a Thunder Pool at its center that flickered with electric light, they found their target.

It was a creature of strange form, its entire body seemingly condensed from Deep Purple lightning. It had no fixed physical form, sometimes taking the shape of a dragon, sometimes that of a python, and sometimes dispersing into a Thunder Cloud as it drifted above the Thunder Pool, swallowing the lightning essence within. The energy fluctuation it emitted had clearly reached the ten-thousand-year level—pure and violent.

"That's it! Prepare to attack!" Yu Bo Yu shouted in a low voice. Exchanging glances with the other two elders, all three instantly released their Martial Souls.

Powerful Soul Power Fluctuations surged into the sky, alarming the Thunder Spirit in the valley.

Roar!

A roar that came not from a throat but directly from the vibration of thunder rang out, filled with fury at the invasion of its territory. The Thunder Spirit instantly transformed into a massive lightning python and charged toward the intruders with a destructive aura.

"Wretched beast, do not be so arrogant!" Yu Bo Yu shouted. The Eight Soul Rings around him shone brilliantly, especially the final black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, which was dazzling beyond compare. He transformed into a half-dragon form, and his giant fist covered in Blue Dragon Scales smashed forward, colliding with the lightning python.

Rumble!

Thunder exploded, and blast waves rolled outward.

The other two Soul Douluo elders also attacked from the flanks. Soul Skills flashed as they compressed the Thunder Spirit's range of movement.

With three Soul Douluo joining forces against a Soul Beast that had only recently surpassed ten thousand years, even a Thunder Spirit of extraordinary strength was swiftly suppressed. Its attacks were neutralized one after another, and its body was scattered several times. Though it could reform itself, its glow had clearly dimmed significantly.

Yu Yuanchen observed calmly from the side, searching for the best opportunity. He knew that when absorbing a Soul Ring, it was not best to beat the Soul Beast until it could no longer resist. If that happened, much of the will contained within the Soul Ring might dissipate, which would be undesirable. The final strike needed to come when the Soul Beast retained some fierceness, but its power had been greatly weakened. Only then would the resulting Soul Ring retain its original characteristics to the greatest extent.

As the Thunder Spirit neared the end of its strength beneath the three Soul Douluo's assault, its body reforming far more slowly, a sharp light flashed through Yu Yuanchen's eyes.

"Now!"

His figure shot out like lightning. His First and Third Soul Rings lit up simultaneously as vast Soul Power poured into his right arm without reservation.

"Combined Soul Skill, Thunder Rage Dragon Claw!"

The enormous thunder dragon claw appeared again. This time, however, Yu Yuanchen did not pursue range. Instead, he compressed all the Lightning Power to the extreme, concentrating it at the dragon claw's fingertips until they took on a deep glow that was nearly dark purple. Carrying unparalleled piercing force, it precisely seized the Thunder Spirit's core—a pulsing ball of Deep Purple lightning like a heart.

Rip!

The thunder claw, compressed to its limit, easily tore open the Thunder Spirit's final defense and grabbed its core.

The Thunder Spirit released a shrill cry. Its entire body abruptly contracted, then exploded with a deafening blast, turning into countless scattered currents of electricity that shot in every direction. At the same time, a deep black energy carrying an oppressive aura began gathering at the center of the explosion. It finally condensed into a Soul Ring black as ink, its edges faintly glowing with purple lightning.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!

Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart as he sat cross-legged before the Soul Ring.

"Yuan Chen, beware of the Soul Shock!" Yu Bo Yu reminded him tensely. The three Soul Douluo formed a Triangular Formation around him, guarding him in the center and remaining alert to their surroundings.

Yu Yuanchen nodded. He circulated the Soul Power within him and adjusted himself to his peak state, then drew in the floating black Soul Ring.

"Come!"

The black Soul Ring descended slowly as though alive, settling around Yu Yuanchen's body. In the next moment, tidal-wave-like energy, mixed with an unruly, berserk, destructive will, surged madly into his body.

A tearing pain instantly tore through his meridians. The energy was several times more violent than anything he had felt while absorbing his Third Soul Ring! More terrifyingly, an invisible shock charged directly into his mind, as if countless bolts of lightning were detonating in his spiritual world, seeking to shred his consciousness completely.

Soul Shock!

Yu Yuanchen groaned, and his face instantly turned pale. Yet he guarded his Spirit Platform tightly. His powerful Spiritual Power was like a boulder, resisting each successive impact. Blue electric light on the surface of his body intertwined and clashed with the black lightning pouring in from the Soul Ring. Beneath his skin, countless small snakes seemed to be darting about, creating an exceptionally horrifying sight.

Time passed bit by bit.

A thread of blood seeped from the corner of Yu Yuanchen's mouth, and his body trembled faintly, but his gaze remained clear and resolute throughout.

No one knew how long passed before the berserk energy seemed to find an outlet. It gradually began to be accepted and subdued by his Martial Soul and meridians. The thunderous blasts in his spiritual world also slowly calmed, and the Thunder Spirit's lingering will was finally ground away completely by his unyielding resolve.

When the final trace of energy was completely absorbed, the pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring settled firmly above his other three Soul Rings, pulsing slowly alongside them.

A Soul Power Fluctuation far more powerful than before erupted from his body. After absorbing this Soul Ring that exceeded the limits, his Soul Power Level broke through two levels in succession, directly rising from the Level 40 bottleneck to Level 42!

Yu Yuanchen suddenly opened his eyes. Purple lightning that seemed almost tangible shot from them for more than a foot before slowly receding after a long while.

He had successfully absorbed his Ten Thousand Year Fourth Soul Ring!

However, an even greater surprise was yet to come.

At the instant he completely fused with the Soul Ring and his Soul Power stabilized at Level 42, a mysterious flow of information, accompanied by a completely new understanding of lightning's power, naturally surfaced in his mind.

Fourth Soul Skill: Thunder God Power!

It was not a simple offensive or defensive Soul Skill, but a state—a sublimation of power! It could combine his Spiritual Power, the Thunder Power formed by converting Soul Power, and the Bloodline Power hidden deep within his bloodline. The three would merge and rise into a higher, purer, destruction-like power carrying a trace of divinity—Thunder God Power!

This power could be used to unleash any Soul Skill, granting it a terrifying enhancement in might. It could also strengthen his body, causing his speed, strength, and defense to soar across the board! Although the consumption was immense, as his cultivation grew deeper in the future, that cost would not be worth mentioning compared to the inspiration it gave him for Self-Created Soul Skills and the enhancement it brought to his combat ability.

Yu Yuanchen felt the newly born Purple-Gold power within his body. Though weak, its essence was exceptionally high, and boundless ambition surged in his heart. Yu Yuanchen did not know that he had struck incredible luck.

As mentioned earlier, the birth of a Thunder Spirit could be considered a manifestation of a fragment of the world's Thunder Law. Its origin was a strand of lightning power of an extremely high essence, close to divine power, and it could be called Thunder God Power. Normally, after a Soul Master absorbed a Thunder Spirit Soul Ring, anyone who was not a top-tier Lightning Attribute Soul Master would be unable to bear it, and it would simply dissipate on its own. While this strand of Thunder God Power would gradually merge into the Martial Soul over time and bring considerable benefits, the amount of divine power was too small, and its gradual integration would only subtly improve the Martial Soul to a limited degree. Thus, virtually no one noticed this matter.

By coincidence, although the Thunder God Power formed through his Soul Skill was far inferior in quality to this strand of Thunder God Power—after all, the protagonist's realm was still low, and the quality of his Soul Power, Qi and Blood, and Spiritual Power was below that of even a Titled Douluo, let alone divine power—it could still serve as nourishment for it, gradually allowing it to grow rather than fade with time. This would bring immeasurable benefits to his future cultivation and even his path to becoming a god.

All his previous accumulation and exploration seemed, at this moment, to have finally found the right direction!

The Hidden Dragon Emerges from the Abyss. His road to Thunder Shocks the World began here!