Yu Tianming and Yu Yuanzhen, grandson and grandfather, ventured deep into Thunder Canyon. The lightning elements around them were so dense they almost took solid form, and tiny electric arcs even burst through the air from time to time.
Such an environment was naturally suited to the cultivation of lightning-attribute Soul Masters and Soul Beasts.
Compared to a Mimicry Cultivation Environment, it was no less effective!
However.
Thunder Canyon lay deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, and no faction could claim it for itself.
Within the canyon, dragon Soul Beasts sensed the pressure of a Titled Douluo and prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to move rashly.
"Grandpa, that Crimson Thunder Horned Dragon looks good."
Yu Tianming pointed toward a crimson dragon with a lightning-shaped horn atop its head.
This Soul Beast was over eight meters long and radiated a violent presence of lightning and fire as it watched them warily.
Yu Yuanzhen nodded slightly.
"With four thousand years of cultivation, it would indeed suit your First Soul Ring."
"The Crimson Thunder Horned Dragon possesses both fire and lightning attributes, and its dragon blood is quite pure. It should also be a good match for your Valstrax Martial Soul..."
Before he finished speaking,
Yu Yuanzhen suddenly raised an eyebrow.
His powerful spiritual perception picked up a trace of unusual fluctuations from deep within the canyon.
He abruptly turned his head, his gaze piercing the layers of lightning mist like a bolt of electricity. "Wait, what is that?"
Within Yu Yuanzhen's perception, a purple-gold figure flickered in and out of view in a lightning pool in the canyon's deepest reaches.
It was an elegantly built thunder dragon, its entire body covered in translucent purple-gold scales. A spiral horn rose from its head, and a pair of wings grew from its back, mysterious lightning patterns flowing across their membranes.
"A mutant?"
A trace of surprise flashed through Yu Yuanzhen's eyes before he smiled.
"A mutated Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon, and just over four thousand years old at that. It's far stronger than the Crimson Thunder Horned Dragon."
As he spoke, Yu Yuanzhen led Yu Tianming straight toward it.
They arrived at the deepest part of the canyon.
Yu Tianming focused his gaze and saw the purple-gold thunder dragon swimming through the lightning pool. Every sweep of its tail stirred up brilliant flashes of lightning.
Even more unusual was the noble purple-gold hue of the lightning surrounding its body.
"Grandpa, what's special about this thunder dragon?" Yu Tianming asked curiously.
Yu Yuanzhen stroked his beard and explained, "An ordinary Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon is only an upper-middle-grade dragon Soul Beast, but this mutant..."
He pointed toward the faint patterns on the thunder dragon's scales and continued:
"See those patterns? Those are 'Heavenly Thunder Marks.' Thunder dragons with this trait often possess purer lightning power and dragon blood."
Just then,
the purple-gold thunder dragon seemed to sense something and suddenly turned to look in their direction.
Surprisingly, its eyes shone like stars, and its gaze even held a measure of humanlike intelligence.
"Roar-"
The purple-gold thunder dragon gave a clear, resonant cry with a peculiar rhythm.
With its roar, the lightning elements throughout the pool began to fluctuate in a regular pattern.
"It's quite intelligent."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded in satisfaction, then waved a hand. "This is the one!"
Yu Yuanzhen's right hand underwent Dragon Transformation, and his blue-purple dragon claw grasped through the air.
In an instant, the lightning elements within a hundred-meter radius froze. Before the purple-gold thunder dragon could react, an invisible force restrained it and dragged it directly before the two of them.
"Roar!"
The purple-gold thunder dragon struggled in terror, but the suppression of a Titled Douluo's Soul Power left it unable to move.
Yu Yuanzhen examined the Soul Beast closely and nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Pure bloodline, refined lightning power, and just the right age."
He then turned to Yu Tianming. "Tianming, get ready to absorb the Soul Ring."
"All right!"
Yu Tianming took a deep breath and instantly released his Valstrax Martial Soul.
Valstrax raised its head and let out a long roar. Crimson Dragon Qi flowed over its silver-white scales, and a pair of metallic lance wings spread from its back.
Draconic might spread outward from Yu Tianming.
The bloodline of an Elder Dragon stood completely above these dragon Soul Beasts!
Even as a mutant, the purple-gold thunder dragon had no right to compare itself to Valstrax.
"Roar..."
Feeling the suppression of its bloodline, the purple-gold thunder dragon lowered its head, its entire body trembling without cease.
"Do it. Give it a quick death."
Yu Yuanzhen spoke calmly.
"Mm!"
Yu Tianming nodded. He understood that he could not let sympathy run rampant at a time like this.
Hunting for Soul Rings,
this was a path every Soul Master had to walk.
Yu Tianming gave a low shout and raised his hand to gather Dragon Qi. His Valstrax Martial Soul moved with him, piercing the purple-gold thunder dragon's throat with a single claw strike.
Then a purple Soul Ring slowly rose from the purple-gold thunder dragon's body.
Yu Tianming sat cross-legged, his eyes half closed, and slowly drew the purple-gold Soul Ring above his head.
The instant the Soul Ring descended, his entire body shuddered violently, and he felt an exceedingly pure surge of Soul Power pour into him.
"Hmm?"
Yu Yuanzhen frowned slightly.
With his grandson's physical strength, absorbing a four-thousand-year Soul Ring should have come as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
Yet fine beads of sweat had already appeared on Yu Tianming's forehead. His right arm trembled unnaturally, and a faint purple-gold glow flowed beneath his skin.
"This is..."
Yu Yuanzhen released his spiritual perception to examine him carefully. His pupils suddenly contracted. "An External Soul Bone!"
Purple-gold energy was gathering furiously around Yu Tianming's right arm.
The five fingers of his right hand began to twist and change shape. His nails extended into sharp claw tips, and fine purple-gold dragon scales emerged across his skin.
"Roar-"
The Valstrax Martial Soul roared, crimson light swirling around its silver-white draconic body.
The next instant, a powerful surge of draconic power poured into Yu Tianming's right hand, suppressing the restless External Soul Bone and stabilizing it.
Yu Tianming's right hand had already turned completely purple-gold, dangerous lightning flickering over it.
Yu Yuanzhen watched the scene without blinking, his heart filled with delighted surprise.
Soul Bones were already rare, and External Soul Bones were rarer still-one in ten thousand.
Some unlucky Titled Douluo did not possess a single Soul Bone, while even Yu Yuanzhen, the sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, only had three.
"Tianming has truly struck it lucky!"
The corners of Yu Yuanzhen's mouth lifted as he nodded repeatedly. He hurriedly established a stronger Soul Power barrier around them to prevent any energy from leaking out.
At that moment, Yu Tianming was enduring excruciating pain, as though his body were being remade from flesh to bone.
He felt the bones in his right hand restructuring, every finger bone being tempered by lightning.
More wondrous still, the special energy within the purple-gold thunder dragon's Soul Ring was resonating with the dragon-attribute energy inside him.
Six hours later,
the strange phenomena finally subsided.
Yu Tianming slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his right hand.
His entire right hand had undergone complete Dragon Transformation, covered in translucent purple-gold dragon scales, its five fingers transformed into sharp dragon claws.
"Give it a try."
Yu Yuanzhen spoke expectantly.
With a thought from Yu Tianming, the Purple-Gold Dragon Claw blazed with lightning.
"Thunderlight Dragon Claw!"
He casually swept his hand, sending five purple-gold lightning claw marks tearing through the air. They instantly sliced a boulder ten meters away into six pieces, their cut surfaces as smooth as mirrors.
"An External Soul Bone, the Purple-Gold Dragon Claw!"
Yu Tianming exclaimed in delighted surprise, "Not only is it incredibly sharp, it also comes with a lightning attribute!"
Yu Yuanzhen nodded in satisfaction.
"An External Soul Bone is different from a normal Soul Bone. It can continue evolving as your strength grows. One day, this Purple-Gold Dragon Claw may well transform into a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"