Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

Soon, Yun Chuan's guess turned into reality.

Under the peculiar fluctuations emitted by the rune at his brow, the soul power, which had been circulating along the specific meditation track within his meridians, began to spread uncontrollably, branching out in all directions. It started to flow into rarely used meridians and regions of the body he had never accessed before.

This was no trivial matter. The cultivation of soul power requires precise guidance along established pathways. Allowing it to move freely without control could lead to severe damage—what martial arts stories often describe as "deviation" or "madness."

Observing the chaotic flow of soul power in his body through internal visualization, Yun Chuan felt a moment of panic. If not for his deep trust in the rune, he would have immediately halted the meditation to prevent potential harm.

Time passed quietly.

Yun Chuan noticed that, under the mysterious influence of the rune, the soul power from his dantian began to expand outward methodically. It ventured into previously untouched meridians, widening and clearing pathways that were once narrow or obstructed. Astonishingly, he also discovered hidden meridians in his body, further expanding the intricate network within.

He realized his body's meridians were far more extensive than he had ever imagined. Centered around the twelve principal meridians, they branched out like an intricate web. Once these meridians were all cleared, the soul power moved on to attack the acupoints scattered throughout his body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One acupoint after another was opened. When all the acupoints were finally activated, Yun Chuan was shocked to find that his efficiency in absorbing soul power had increased tenfold!

"—Whoosh!!"

The air around him began to stir visibly, forming a vortex that spiraled faster and faster, eventually becoming a small whirlwind surrounding him. This whirlwind drew in the energy from the environment, funneling it into Yun Chuan's body. The energy coursed through his now-cleared meridians, being refined into pure soul power that converged in his dantian.

Feeling his rapid progress, Yun Chuan was utterly stunned. The efficiency boost from unlocking his entire network of meridians and acupoints was beyond anything he had imagined.

"Is this world's power system just too basic, or is my cheat just too overpowered?"

Yun Chuan was momentarily dazed by this revelation.

At this point, the rune at his brow had stopped emitting fluctuations. Sensing this, he decided to end his meditation and opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a foul stench.

A thick layer of black-gray impurities had seeped out from every pore in his body, emitting a revolting odor.

"Could this be the legendary 'purification of body and marrow'?"

Frowning, Yun Chuan quickly ran to the window, opened it to ventilate the room, and then rushed to the en-suite bathroom. He tore off his filthy clothes, discarded them, and turned on the showerhead. Hot water poured over his body, washing away the grime.

The Douluo Continent was peculiar. It felt like a patchwork of ancient Chinese and medieval Western cultures. To Yun Chuan, it seemed like someone had taken two entirely different civilizations and mashed them together into a strange hybrid. While there were items resembling electric lamps and water heaters, there were no refrigerators or fans. The inconsistencies were baffling.

However, the world explained these anomalies quite conveniently. The seemingly advanced technologies were often relics of an ancient era, powered by soul energy instead of electricity. The world rationalized these things as remnants of a bygone civilization, now considered arcane.

As Yun Chuan stood under the shower, scrubbing away the greasy impurities, he couldn't help but ponder this world's bizarre mix of elements. However, he quickly dismissed these thoughts. Understanding the past was unnecessary—living in the present mattered more.

After thoroughly cleaning himself, Yun Chuan noticed his skin had become even more delicate and smooth. Frowning, he resolved to toughen his appearance. "This pale, tofu-like skin is too feminine. I'll need to spend more time under the sun and aim for a bronze tan. That'll look more manly."

After drying off and changing into fresh clothes, Yun Chuan sat down to meditate again, curious to see if his cultivation speed without the rune's influence would still be as astonishing.

"—Whoosh!!"

Once more, a vortex of energy formed around him, drawing in ambient power. The efficiency of his cultivation remained as terrifyingly fast as before.

Stopping his meditation, Yun Chuan smiled wryly. With his meridians and acupoints fully unlocked, his cultivation speed had permanently increased by tenfold, even without the rune's assistance.

"At this rate, how will the other soul masters survive?" Yun Chuan thought, shaking his head while reveling in his absurd advantage.

For now, cultivating soul power wasn't even his primary focus. The real bottleneck lay in his physical limitations. His body needed to grow stronger to bear the burden of more soul rings.

"Let's see if I can aim for a ten-year-old Titled Douluo or even a twelve-year-old deity. Douluo is just the beginning—it's not the limit!"

This was the start of Yun Chuan's journey to rewrite destiny.