Douluo Continent: Blue Overlord

Dugu Yan pulled Yu Tiancheng out of the crowd, turned several corners, and came to a secluded corner before letting go of his hand.

"You really know how to cause trouble!" Dugu Yan said, hands on her hips, looking down at the child in front of her, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"They beat the prince up like that right after enrolling!"

"Senior, I really didn't know he was a prince at first," Yu Tiancheng explained, his expression calm.

"Besides, he was the one who started the trouble. As the saying goes, 'I won't offend others unless they offend me!'"

"But it's alright!" Dugu Yan waved her hand, her tone softening slightly. "My grandfather specifically instructed me to take care of you at the academy yesterday, which must be a request from the royal family."

Upon hearing Dugu Yan's words, Yu Tiancheng immediately understood that Dugu Bo had not yet told her the inside story, probably because he was worried that she was too young and might accidentally let it slip.

"However," Dugu Yan changed the subject, her tone laced with sarcasm, "I never expected that the first one to jump out and cause trouble would be a prince!"

It seems the royal family probably forgot to inform that idiot, Avalanche.

She paused, then adopted a gloating tone: "Hey, that question you just made about his hair color was really damaging!"

That'll probably keep him upset for a while, it's more satisfying than beating him ten times!" After saying that, she couldn't help but giggle.

Yu Tiancheng's lips curled into a faint smile: "Just saying."

Seeing his expression, Dugu Yan teased, "I don't think so, you little fox!"

She immediately suppressed her smile and introduced herself seriously: "Alright, let's get to know each other formally. My name is Dugu Yan, and my grandfather is the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo."

This is Ye Lingling, my good friend, and also the most promising support-type Soul Master in our academy, the successor of the Nine-Hearted Begonia.

She stepped aside to let the blue-haired girl who had been quietly watching from behind her pass.

Ye Lingling has a cool and aloof temperament, like a quietly blooming orchid.

She nodded slightly to Yu Tiancheng, her voice calm and pleasant: "Hello, my name is Ye Lingling."

"My name is Yu Tiancheng, it's a pleasure to meet you," Yu Tiancheng replied politely.

"I think you don't need anyone to take care of you at all," Dugu Yan said to Yu Tiancheng. "You've ruined the avalanche like that. As long as the royal family doesn't say anything, I'm afraid no one will dare to make trouble for themselves anytime soon."

"That would be best," Yu Tiancheng nodded. "Tiancheng doesn't want to cause any trouble for his senior."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the two, Yu Tiancheng took his leave and headed straight for the lightning simulation training ground.

As expected of the top academy in the Heaven Dou Empire, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's simulated training area covers a vast area and has been meticulously crafted.

The lightning-based training ground is located in an open area on the mountaintop.

A massive metal tower stands in the center, its tip crackling with electric snakes, coiling around thick, visible arcs of electricity.

Centered on the metal tower, the ground around it is meticulously laid out with a complex array of various lightning-attribute gems and energy-conducting metals.

These arrays together form a powerful energy-gathering system, continuously collecting and confining lightning elements from the environment within this area.

As soon as Yu Tiancheng stepped onto the edge of the training ground, a slight tingling sensation immediately spread across his skin, as if invisible, tiny electric sparks were trying to penetrate his pores.

He took a deep breath, and the rich lightning element in the air surged into his lungs, bringing a strange, tingling tremor.

He continued toward the core area, and after walking about several dozen steps, the concentration of lightning element had risen to a level that made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

He then stopped and found a private cultivation room nearby to begin his cultivation.

He closed his eyes and activated the Soul Power Meditation Technique, causing the Soul Power within his body to flow orderly through specific meridian pathways.

The initial attempts were quite difficult.

The lightning element in the outside world is violent and unruly, like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins, and is extremely difficult to guide and control precisely.

Once forcibly incorporated into the meridians, it immediately feels like steel needles wildly stabbing and slashing within the meridians, bringing excruciating, tearing pain.

However, he only tried it briefly, just to verify the difficulty of absorbing lightning-attribute energy.

He then began the new cultivation method he had already conceived.

The body's martial soul, Thunder Dragon Heart, began to beat, and the blood began to flow faster. The energy absorbed from the outside world did not enter the meridians, but circulated in the blood vessels first.

After one cycle, the residual energy that was not absorbed by flesh or blood is guided into the meridians to begin another cycle of soul power.

After confirming that the dual circulation mechanism was indeed stable and effective, Yu Tiancheng began to gradually increase the absorption of external thunder power.

Tiny blue arcs of electricity began to jump and flicker on his body surface;

Beneath his skin, a network of blood vessels illuminated by lightning was clearly visible, flowing with an increasingly bright blue light, as if liquid lightning was surging within him.

The light grew brighter and brighter until Yu Tiancheng's brows suddenly furrowed.

It is clear that the energy absorbed was too fast, exceeding the threshold that the body's dual circulation could absorb and refine.

He immediately changed his mind and decisively reduced the rate at which he absorbed lightning element.

Through this adjustment of increasing and decreasing, Yu Tiancheng quickly grasped the situation.

The optimal energy absorption rate, which combines physical tolerance and refining efficiency, was determined.

Time passed quietly during his cultivation. Yu Tiancheng noticed a significant decrease in his body's efficiency in absorbing energy.

Having determined that his body had reached a temporary saturation point, he stopped absorbing external lightning elements.

He let out a long sigh and slowly opened his eyes.

He stood up and stretched his limbs. The stretching and compression of his limbs produced a low, powerful sound, like the taut bowstring when fully drawn.

And every gesture he made seemed to carry the lingering power of thunder.

"This Thunder Tempering Method... is indeed remarkably effective!" Yu Tiancheng's eyes gleamed with excitement, and he was invigorated.

However, before he could calm down, a thunderous roar suddenly came from his stomach!

Glug-glug-glug!

A strong feeling of hunger struck him instantly, and Yu Tiancheng immediately judged that this cultivation session had probably lasted for quite a long time.

He stepped forward and pushed open the tightly closed door of the training room, and sure enough, he found that it was already deep night outside.

To his surprise, there were two people standing outside the door.

An elderly man with a stern face and a middle-aged man with a respectful expression.

"Grandpa Dugu, what brings you here!" Yu Tiancheng greeted the familiar old man warmly.

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes at him, annoyed, and snorted, "Hmph! You're such a worry!"

Yu Tiancheng was taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong? Has the avalanche incident blown up?"

The middle-aged man standing nearby quickly stepped forward, bowed, and explained, "Young Master Tiancheng, it was I who informed His Majesty Dugu!"

You've been cultivating in this room for too long and haven't come out. I was worried something might have happened to you, so I..."

Yu Tiancheng then suddenly realized what was going on.

This middle-aged man is named Yu Kun, and his martial soul is the Thunderwing Flying Dragon.

He was a bodyguard assigned to him by his family, a Soul Saint-level expert.

In critical moments, he can be used to escape or as a messenger to request help.

While the simulated training ground can aid in cultivation, prolonged immersion in it can easily cause damage to a Soul Master.

Just like when Yu Tiancheng initially tried to absorb lightning elements using ordinary meditation, the violent energy would damage his meridians.

Lei Kun was unaware that Yu Tiancheng was experimenting with an unprecedented dual-cycle body tempering cultivation method.

As time passed, he was filled with anxiety but dared not rush in.

In desperation, they sought out Dugu Bo.

This was also one of the secret things Yu Yuanzhen told him before he left.