Thunderclap Ravine's Bitter Cultivation, Initial Marrow and Flesh Quenching

Following the increasingly distinct fluctuations of the Lightning Element in the air, along with the faint resonance buried deep within his bloodline, Yu Yuanchen struggled through the dense Mountains and Forests for three days. At last, he stopped before a steep mountain wall covered in slick moss and Vines.

According to the map's markings, as well as the almost imperceptible yet genuine sense of interference from a natural magnetic field, the destination was here. After examining the area carefully, he discovered an exceedingly narrow crevice at the base of the mountain wall, concealed behind several enormous, jagged boulders that appeared to have rolled down at random and an unusually dense patch of Adiantum. It was only wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. Had he not deliberately searched for it and possessed keen senses, he would have dismissed it as an utterly ordinary part of the mountain.

Yu Yuanchen pushed aside the tough ferns and squeezed sideways into the gap. It was extremely narrow at first, barely allowing a person through, but after walking several dozen steps, the view suddenly opened up before him!

Lightning Attribute Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, several times denser and purer than that outside, rushed toward him with a pleasantly numbing sensation. It was as though he had passed through an invisible barrier and stepped into a secluded world cut off from the outside.

Before him lay a deep ravine, flanked by sheer cliffs hundreds of meters high. The cliff faces were Deep Purple, faintly gleaming with a Metallic Sheen, and covered in Charred marks and strange crystals left behind by year-round lightning strikes. The valley floor was not broad, reaching only twenty or thirty meters at its widest point. A clear stream wound through it with a gentle murmur, and tiny arcs of electricity occasionally flashed and vanished within the water.

At the end of the ravine stood an even more peculiar stone wall, covered in countless honeycomb-like holes. Strands of pale purple lightning visible to the Naked Eye seeped from those holes and gathered in the ravine's air, raising the concentration of Lightning Element to an astonishing level. Fine static electricity floated throughout the air here, and with every breath, he could feel that unique energy entering his body and nourishing his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. This was the core of Thunderclap Ravine, the source where Lightning Element gathered.

"What a treasure land!" A flash of delight crossed Yu Yuanchen's eyes. Not only was the Lightning Element here dense, it was exceptionally pure and mild. Unlike Thunder Gorge, it was not violently berserk, making it more suitable for prolonged deep cultivation and insight. By his rough estimate, the energy here was more than enough to support his cultivation until Soul Emperor, with plenty left over for Body Tempering experiments.

He did not immediately begin cultivating Soul Power. Instead, he first carefully surveyed all of Thunderclap Ravine. Aside from some strange lightning-loving plants and insects, there were no powerful Soul Beasts dwelling within the ravine, so it was perfectly safe. Near the core stone wall, where the Lightning Element was densest, he found a dry stone platform to serve as his future meditation site.

Then, a sight along one side of the ravine drew his attention. A waterfall descended from the high cliff there. Though it lacked the majestic grandeur of waterfalls found among famous mountains and great rivers, its flow was still abundant. It crashed into the pool below with a thunderous roar, throwing mist into the air. The rocks beside the waterfall had been scoured smooth and hard over countless years.

"What a perfect natural training ground!" Yu Yuanchen's thoughts stirred. The body-tempering method he had devised needed precisely such external force as assistance.

After settling in, he did not immediately begin intense Body Tempering. Instead, he spent several days thoroughly acclimating his body and mind to Thunderclap Ravine's environment, bringing himself into peak condition. Apart from his regular Soul Power meditation each day, he ate Soul Beast Meat and accumulated Qi and Blood.

Once his condition reached perfection, he began his self-created grueling practice of "Body Tempering."

At first light every day, Yu Yuanchen would arrive beneath the waterfall.

At the beginning, he did not use Soul Power or Qi and Blood to resist it. Relying solely on his physical body, he stepped into the icy, bone-piercing pool with its immense impact and slowly made his way toward the space directly beneath the waterfall.

"Boom!!!"

The massive torrent crashed onto his head, shoulders, and back like a Giant Hammer. The combined assault of cold and weight nearly suffocated him instantly. He gritted his teeth, bent his knees slightly, and rooted himself firmly upon the slick rock, using his powerful physique to withstand this pure force of nature. This was not for direct tempering, but to hone his will and allow his body to become familiar with and adapt to the immense external pressure.

After half an hour, once he felt his physical body gradually adapt to the impact, he began circulating his Qi and Blood.

A scorching aura rose from within him, and the Qi and Blood beneath his skin began surging like an awakened river. He guided that power to resist the waterfall's impact while attempting to make his muscles tremble slightly, imitating the Skin Quenching method he had previously deduced. He accelerated and permeated the circulation of Qi and Blood through his skin and muscle layers.

The waterfall's impact seemed to become an invisible Giant Hammer, endlessly pounding every inch of his skin and every piece of muscle. Meanwhile, his surging Qi and Blood were like iron billets thrown into a furnace. Through repeated hammering, impurities were shaken loose and expelled, while their structure became denser and tougher.

The process was painful and lengthy. His skin quickly reddened, then turned blue and purple, while his muscles ached as if they were about to tear apart. Yet he steadfastly guarded his mind, using his powerful Spiritual Power to precisely control the rhythm and intensity of his Qi and Blood, preventing damage to his foundation.

In the afternoon, after pausing the waterfall tempering, he turned to another exercise—slamming into Mountain Rocks.

He chose the hardest boulders beside the waterfall, those whose edges were relatively smooth. As before, he first circulated his Qi and Blood, tightening the skin and membrane across his body and making his muscles knot and bulge. Then he repeatedly and steadily drove his shoulders, back, elbows, knees, and other body parts into the rocks.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Dull impacts echoed rhythmically through the ravine. This was not self-harm. Through controlled, intense external impacts, combined with the eruption of his own Qi and Blood, he shook and tempered his flesh, tendons, and fascia from within, making them more resilient and improving their explosive strength and resistance to impact. Every collision came with violent surges of Qi and Blood, along with the subtle tearing and restructuring of muscle fibers.

Nighttime was for recovery and accumulation. He returned to the stone platform and consumed large amounts of Soul Beast Meat. The rich essence of Qi and Blood was swiftly absorbed, replenishing the day's expenditure and nourishing his damaged body. Then came deep Soul Power meditation, drawing the pure Lightning Element of Thunderclap Ravine into his body. Not only did it raise his Soul Power, but the mild Thunder Power also subtly stimulated his cells' vitality, complementing the effects of his daytime tempering.

Nor did he forget that strand of Thunder God Power. At the times when his Qi and Blood were at their most active and his body, having undergone tempering, possessed its strongest absorption ability, he would extremely carefully draw out an almost imperceptible trace of Purple-Gold energy and merge it into his surging Qi and Blood.

"Hiss—"

Like a red-hot branding iron plunged into cold water, wherever that trace of Thunder God Power passed, his Qi and Blood instantly boiled. It brought heat and piercing pain far beyond anything before, as though every cell were being torn apart and scorched. Yet what followed was a deeper renewal and New Life. The purity and vitality of his Qi and Blood rose at a speed visible to the Naked Eye, while the toughness of his flesh and skin increased as well. However, the process was exceedingly dangerous. The slightest carelessness could make him burn himself from within. Each time, he could only sustain it for an extremely short period, and afterward required much longer to Regulate Breath and replenish himself with vast amounts of bloody food.

Day after day, month after month.

Yu Yuanchen's life became extraordinarily monotonous and arduous. Waterfall impacts, rock collisions, consuming bloody food, Soul Power meditation, drawing upon Thunder God Power for stimulation... again and again, without end.

The wounds on his body never completely vanished. Before old wounds could heal, new ones appeared. His skin gradually changed from its initial redness, swelling, and bruising to a deep bronze color, dense in texture and faintly lustrous. Ordinary sharp stones could now only leave pale marks when dragged across it. His muscle lines became increasingly defined, not in bloated lumps, but in streamlined contours containing explosive power. Every movement carried a heavy, solid presence.

The Soul Beast Meat in his Storage Soul Tool was rapidly depleted, but he could clearly feel that the total amount of Qi and Blood in his body was steadily increasing. More importantly, the "quality" of his Qi and Blood continuously improved. Like refined iron repeatedly forged, it shed its impurities and became ever purer and more Solidified.

Time Silently Pass in his selfless grueling cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by.

On this day, Yu Yuanchen completed another round of waterfall impacts and rock collisions as usual. Standing beside the pool, he felt the ceaseless, mighty, Solidified Qi and Blood flowing within him. With a thought, he did not circulate Soul Power. Instead, he simply mobilized his Bloodline Power and threw a punch at a hard Green Stone beside him that stood half a man's height tall.

"Pff!"

A muffled sound rang out. Stone chips did not fly everywhere, but a fist imprint more than an inch deep was clearly left on the Green Stone's surface. Its edges were smooth, as though carved by a sharp blade! His fist, meanwhile, was completely uninjured, and his Bloodline Power could circulate through his flesh without the slightest obstruction. Before tempering his flesh, circulating Qi and Blood through it incurred some loss.

Yu Yuanchen looked at the fist mark, and at last, the first carefree smile he had shown in half a year appeared in his eyes.

"Flesh Quenching... succeeded!"

After half a year of grueling effort, supported by ample high-quality bloody food, the solid foundation he had built since childhood through years of medicinal baths and harsh training, his day-after-day near-self-destructive tempering, and the dangerous stimulation of that trace of Thunder God Power, he had finally completed the first step of Body Tempering—Initial Marrow and Flesh Quenching!

At this moment, the skin and membrane across his entire body were far tougher than those of an ordinary beast Martial Soul Soul King. His muscular strength, explosive force, and endurance had all risen to another level, while both the total amount and purity of his Qi and Blood surpassed those of most Soul Emperors who specialized in physical cultivation. He could clearly feel that his body had cast off an invisible shackle, becoming lighter yet stronger. Even the capacity for and circulation of Soul Power seemed to have become a little smoother.

Although he was still unimaginably far from completing Body Tempering and forging the so-called Golden Body, this solid first step had undoubtedly laid an even firmer foundation for his future path. His Soul Power cultivation had benefited as well. After half a year of arduous training, combined with the effects of Thunderclap Ravine's treasure land, his Soul Power had already risen from level fifty-four to the peak of level fifty-five, only a step away from level fifty-six.

Yu Yuanchen looked toward the core stone wall deep within Thunderclap Ravine, where lightning flickered faintly, his gaze blazing. With Initial Marrow and Flesh Quenching complete, it was time to devote more energy to accumulating Soul Power and further exploring Thunder God Power. At the same time, he also needed to begin considering and preparing for the next stage of Body Tempering—Marrow and Bone Quenching.