Secrets of the Upper Three Sects

"The Dragon Transformation Method lies within Sacred Mountain!"

Great-Uncle led Mu Baobao and Ma Xiaotao slowly toward the central mountain.

Though the old man leaned on a cane, he was exceptionally nimble as he kept shifting about. Among the clan, he was the youngest of the elder generation, only one generation below Mu En.

At two hundred years old, even a fool would have become shrewd. Besides, no useless person could live that long. He was a level ninety-six Super Douluo himself, and the Qiangu Family also had two Title Douluo.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had at least four Soul Masters above level ninety... that was the strength of a hidden clan. The Clear Sky Sect had hidden for decades and still possessed five Title Douluo. Of course, not every clan had such strength; it also depended on their location and the power of their martial souls.

"There are no useless martial souls, only useless Soul Masters!" Mu Baobao strongly agreed with that saying. After all, in a fantasy world, as long as you had enough cheats... even an idiot could become a genius. In any world, opportunities surpassed hard work and talent.

Ten years of studying could not compare to half a stroke of luck. Naturally, that only applied to protagonists. Ordinary people still had to accumulate decades of effort before becoming powerful.

The Coiling Dragon Staff and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon were both incredibly powerful top-tier martial souls. In the era of Legend of the Dragon King, Title Douluo were everywhere, and in Ultimate Douluo, there were even those who became gods.

Great-Uncle revealed the purpose of Mu Baobao's trip: the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation.

The reason the Upper Three Sects were powerful, aside from their martial souls being among the best of their respective elements, was that they possessed self-created cultivation methods only direct clan disciples could practice.

The Clear Sky Sect had the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes and Ring Detonation; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had Heart Separation Control and Ring Fusion; the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possessed... Dragon Transformation.

Each of the three secret arts had its own merits. Ring Fusion and Heart Separation Control allowed multitasking, while Ring Detonation multiplied one's strength several times over in a short period.

However, the consumption was terrifying, and one could not use Soul Skills for a long time afterward. Ring Fusion merged Soul Rings into different body parts to enhance the entire body, but it was not very useful after reaching Title Douluo, because with every level a Title Douluo advanced, their martial soul fused another degree with their body.

Without exaggeration, each level of a Title Douluo was equivalent to a whole major realm before that. When facing outside Soul Masters, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan claimed their martial souls were special and could fuse with their bodies. That was merely a cover... other dragon-type martial souls did not share this trait, or else it would attract envy.

Sacred Mountain was the central mountain and the residence of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's direct line. The other eight mountains housed affiliated sects and clans, though their leaders were still disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

"Ten thousand years ago, anyone with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul could learn Ring Fusion. But after the clan was destroyed and rebuilt, its cultivation method was placed within Sacred Mountain. Outsiders who wished to learn it had to pass a trial. That is why several smaller clans are now affiliated with us, and the Qiangu Family occupies two seats."

Great-Uncle spoke. Compared with Ring Fusion, Mu Baobao wanted Ring Detonation more. Once one reached level ninety, they could gradually fuse with their martial soul anyway. It really was useful only in the early stages...

"But most who pass the trial are still from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, because they possess strong control over lightning. Unless someone from another clan has exceptional talent, few can continuously hold the top position."

Mu En had told him this before. The reason so many Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan disciples passed—

—was because Sacred Mountain was guarded by a Thunder Prison Vine... a plant-type Soul Beast that stood at the very pinnacle of its kind from birth and possessed innate intelligence.

Before the Dragon God disappeared, the Dragon God Realm had eighteen God Kings and more than a hundred first-class gods. The number of gods in the Douluo Continent was truly baffling.

Gods constantly left and joined. The God of Time, God of Order, Thunder God, Evil God... all had once been first-class gods, but during the God Realm war—

—many gods fell. Their blood spread across the Douluo Continent, humans gained martial souls, and creatures mutated into Soul Beasts. Among them were no shortage of unusual Soul Beasts.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was said to have been possessed by the Evil God after his death, while the Thunder Prison Vine came from the Thunder God.

Both were plants with the Thunder God's bloodline, true foremost destroyers of the plant world. The cultivation methods of these two Soul Beasts were exceptionally sinister.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger grew by endlessly devouring, while the Thunder Prison Vine grew through thunderbolts... a hundred lightning strikes equaled one year of ordinary Soul Beast cultivation.

At the beginning, however, its growth was extremely difficult. It could not draw down lightning on its own and could only wait for natural thunder to descend. Thus, while other Soul Beasts cultivated for one year, it needed ten years or even longer to accumulate a hundred thunderbolts.

But after reaching a hundred years of cultivation, it could actively attract thunder. A hundred lightning strikes would then require only a very short time. Even so, advancing its cultivation did not merely require a hundred strikes per year.

Its cultivation speed was still terrifying. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, through constant devouring, was no slower than the Thunder Prison Vine. Both were monsters.

Evil and thunder were among the most violent of all attributes. Among the five God Kings, the God of Destruction's attribute was also lightning, and he commanded numerous evil gods. That showed just how terrifying they were.

They could even transform an entire region into the spectacular sight of a lightning pool. A Thunder Prison Vine with ten thousand years of cultivation was enough to alter the weather, bring thunder down upon the world, and wield lightning to destroy everything outside.

A Dark Demon Evil God Tiger of the same rank was a human hell... nothing but blood and bones. After several tens of thousands of years, it could rival a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. That was why they struggled to survive past a hundred thousand years; neither humans nor Soul Beasts would allow the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger to slip away.

When that time came, it would certainly bring disaster. As for the Thunder Prison Vine, its own lightning was simply too violent. Once compressed, its destructive power was too great, and it could destroy itself at any moment. It was not strange for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to possess a Thunder Prison Vine; they likewise needed lightning to cultivate and grow stronger.

Using dragon power to temper the body, using heavenly lightning to temper the body... the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had invented such methods long ago.

Tang Wulin and Lan Xuanyu had merely discovered them by chance. It was not difficult to understand. Among the countless living beings of the universe, someone would always discover the same thing; it was only a matter of who came first. Whoever did had absolute authority.

Zekrom, Ultimate Evil and Thunder God, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and the Thunder Prison Vine—these were all Mu Baobao's targets, but the latter two Soul Beasts were far too difficult to find.

In the era of Legend of the Dragon King, a Thunder Prison Vine had once appeared. It originally belonged to a Title Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda, but Tang Wulin seized it using the Blue Silver Emperor and Child of Nature. It later became a ferocious beast.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had been killed by Tang Buddha Ancestor in the Douluo Continent and turned into the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, but its inner core fled to Haomiao Continent, allowing Zhou Weiqing to become the God of Destruction. It had helped create two God Kings, which was quite impressive.

The Emerald Demon Bird and Green Jade Phoenix fed on dragons. At one hundred thousand years, they turned to jade... another unusual breed.

Only one Yin-Yang Chaos Bird would be born from a planet's origin. It was Tang Yuge's Soul Spirit in Ultimate Douluo, allowing the Five Elements Qilin to evolve into the Heavenly Stem Qilin.

Yin and yang were the two opposing sides of all things, and Evil and Goodness were also the Dragon God's two sides. If he encountered them, he absolutely would not let them go. But would such opportunities really fall into his lap? Transmigrators and Children of the Plane were both protagonists.

One used knowledge to seize the initiative, but could do nothing about what they did not know... while a Child of the Plane did not need to search; opportunities came running to them.

"You should be staying for two or three months, right? Just live here!" Great-Uncle brought them to a small, unoccupied building.

"Thank you, Great-Uncle!" The two thanked him with bows.

"Sacred Mountain opens once a year. Members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and affiliated clans may enter once they reach the required strength. If your little girlfriend is interested, she can come along. She is Uncle Mu En's disciple's descendant, so she is not really an outsider."

Great-Uncle teased them. Though Ma Xiaotao blushed, she still expressed her thanks. She had unexpectedly been given the chance to obtain such a self-created Soul Skill, yet she did not deny her relationship with Mu Baobao. He asked suspiciously,

"You didn't deny it. Have you fallen for me? Let me warn you, though, I'm not very diligent at plowing fields!"

"Go eat shit!"

Ma Xiaotao angrily punched him a few times. In the past, this girl would have directly summoned her martial soul.

He had given her the Battle Armor only because he feared she might casually find someone outside and force herself on them. He was deeply disgusted by public buses, yet their relationship had instead grown increasingly close.

The small building was dusty and had not been cleaned in a long time.

It was probably meant to receive guests, but few visited hidden clans. Those of unknown origin, like Mu Baobao and Ma Xiaotao when they first arrived, were stopped outside.

Soul Masters often endured life in the wild, so the two began cleaning and prepared two rooms to rest in.

"Is little Mu here?"

A hearty voice called out. It belonged to a middle-aged man who had brought them fruits, vegetables, and grain. Hidden clans produced most of their own daily necessities and ate what they cultivated... only necessary items were purchased by sending disciples out.

"Uncle, I'm here!"

Mu Baobao was still wearing an apron and holding a broom. Upon hearing the call, he ran out. Ma Xiaotao stood timidly to the side, afraid of being teased again.

"Oh, you're quite hardworking, kid. You know to help a young lady clean up. Uncle sent me to bring these fruits, vegetables, and some daily necessities!" The man was extremely enthusiastic. Shrek Academy students also bore responsibility for overseeing the continent, and even these hidden clans feared their level of danger.

"Don't be shy, little girl. If little Mu bullies you, Uncle will help teach him a lesson!"

The man looked at Ma Xiaotao, who seemed somewhat timid.

Mu Baobao was speechless. "At the academy, I'm the one she bullies."

"Uncle, look! He's bullying me right now!" Ma Xiaotao snapped, drawing laughter. "Looks like little Mu wasn't lying. Girl, you're every bit as fierce as the girls from our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

Dragon ladies, tigresses... Mu Baobao immediately pictured them as nothing but fierce creatures.

Liu Erlong had a fiery temper. She had even beaten the thousand-year Soul Beast, the Earth King, so badly that it was traumatized. It had felt relieved even to become Ma Hongjun's Soul Ring.

"Great-Uncle Mu En has returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan before, but it seems he always brought your younger brother. No wonder the clan disciples and us don't recognize you. Still, Uncle did mention you."

"Mm. My younger brother's martial soul mutated, and he has a chance to inherit Ancestor Xuan's title of Dragon God Douluo, so naturally he is highly valued. I'm just an ordinary Ice Dragon."

Mu Baobao curled his lip. The middle-aged man forcefully slapped his shoulder, nearly making him stumble and fall.

"Cut it out. Outside the village, you faced more than ten people's Soul Power pressure alone and suppressed them instead. An Ultimate Ice Dragon is rare enough."

"Great-Uncle Mu En has helped our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan greatly. He is now the master of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion. You'll still have to wait some time before entering Sacred Mountain, so just treat this place like home."

After some small talk, the man left the daily necessities behind and departed. Ma Xiaotao, however, said worriedly,

"Ultimate Ice is powerful, but are you confident about facing the Thunder Prison Vine? If that thing reaches one hundred thousand years, it will definitely possess Ultimate Lightning as well."

"Are you worried about me?" Mu Baobao teased.

"Yes. I'm afraid you'll die!" Ma Xiaotao snapped.