Wang Lin’s mortal form shimmered. His hair, as if drawn by an unseen force, floated upward, crackling with arcs of raw lightning that traced the strands and dispersed into the surrounding stone walls. Within him, his nascent soul pulsed with untamed electricity.

The Ancient Thunder Dragon, unyielding in its spirit, made the act of consumption perilous. Within Wang Lin’s soul, the dragon writhed and roared, each thrash releasing a blinding surge of energy.

The potent electricity pushed Wang Lin’s soul to the brink of collapse. Only by an unimaginable force of will did he resist, preventing his very essence from dissolving into nothingness.

Suddenly, Wang Lin’s soul snapped open its long-closed eyes, unleashing bolts of pure energy, mirroring the Thunder Dragon’s own fury. A premonition struck him – should his soul remain within his body, his mortal shell would be consumed, its life force extinguished.

In a burst of decisiveness, his soul surged from the crown of his head. A grim resolve etched upon his spectral face, he plunged his right hand into his chest, grasping the pulsing, vein-like form of the Thunder Dragon. With a savage yank, he tore half of the beast from within.

The dragon shrieked, a sound like the splitting of worlds, unleashing a storm of raw energy that washed over Wang Lin’s soul and spat against the cavern walls in a cacophony of sparks.

Holding the severed portion of the dragon, Wang Lin’s soul blazed with a frigid light. His left hand danced, weaving a tapestry of ancient seals that imprinted themselves upon the beast’s writhing form. This done, he released his grip, then plunged his hand back into the abyss within, seizing another segment, and again, binding it with intricate seals.

Combining external force with the power of his soul, he sealed and devoured in equal measure. Time ceased to exist as Wang Lin succumbed entirely to the merging, lost to all else.

His mortal flesh, once vibrant, faded. It withered and weakened, yet did not succumb to death. Instead, it entered a state of suspended animation, preserving its life force against the ravages of the process.

Days bled into weeks, weeks into years. At last, the struggles of the Ancient Thunder Dragon within Wang Lin’s soul grew less violent, though resistance remained. But across the length of the dragon’s form, countless seals, each a shimmering rune, coalesced into overlapping scales of pure power.

Over the long years, Wang Lin’s soul gradually diminished in size. Finally, it took the form of a being three feet tall, resembling a nascent spirit, a miniature reflection of a powerful cultivator.

Though smaller, it radiated an awesome power. No longer simply a crystalline essence, the soul now pulsed with endless lightning, like a thousand silver serpents twisting within.

Wang Lin opened his eyes, and the cavern echoed with a thunderous roar. Two bolts of pure energy shot forth from his gaze, like twin dragons seeking the light, and vanished into the endless void beyond the fissure.

His soul floated upward, approaching his withered body. Wang Lin gazed upon his mortal form, his eyes flashing with lightning, revealing a detachment and authority akin to the cycle of reincarnation itself.

His body, once strong, was now little more than skin and bone, a skeletal husk clinging to life. Were it not for a single spark of vitality within his brow, it would have been a corpse.

His soul descended, settling above the crown of his head and dissolving into its vessel. Yet, as he sank within, he felt a strange membrane resisting his passage. This barrier shattered, allowing his soul to enter his sea of consciousness.

In that instant, lightning erupted from Wang Lin’s body, coursing through his veins. His muscles rapidly regenerated, filling out his frame to its former size, though he remained somewhat leaner than before.

Wang Lin exhaled a deep breath of tainted air, tinged with grey and crackling with latent energy. His eyes, bright as lightning in the heart of the night, were filled with deep contemplation.

“This journey was fraught with peril, yet its reward exceeds all reckoning. I know not if it is a blessing or a curse… My soul has been utterly transformed, as though assimilated. Now, my very essence feels like a bolt of heavenly lightning!”

His gaze shifted, focusing on the fissure before him.

“A soul forged of lightning… an intriguing notion. To destroy my soul now would be akin to shattering the heavens themselves! Though my cultivation remains at the nascent peak, this boon has granted me… the power of thunder!” Wang Lin raised his right hand. Lightning crackled around it, coalescing into a sphere that pulsed and threatened to burst. The unstable orb soon dissipated. Wang Lin, with a flicker of his eye, swallowed the energy, a flush of color rising in his face before returning to normal.

“But what, truly, is my soul now?” Confusion flickered across his face. He had never imagined that consuming a fragment of the dragon would bring about such a profound and unsettling change.

He had not fully absorbed the Thunder Dragon; only one-fifth of its essence had been refined. The remainder lay dormant, sealed within his soul.

After a period of contemplation, Wang Lin tested his spells and abilities. All functioned as before, even the dreaded Yellow Springs. This brought him a measure of relief.

But almost immediately, he sensed something amiss. While his spells appeared unchanged, a discerning observer would perceive a subtle yet unmistakable undercurrent of raw power.

A potent, elemental power.

Wang Lin frowned. Increased strength was, on its face, a boon. And the increase was substantial; his spells now rivaled those of cultivators at the mid-stages of the nascent realm. Coupled with his artifacts, he could even face opponents at the later stages.

Yet something still felt off. A nagging sense that something had been overlooked.

He pondered for some time, but the feeling persisted. He rose and approached the fissure, where a howling wind, like the lament of tortured spirits, swept through the darkness. The closer he drew to the opening, the more intense the sound became.

Gazing outward, a thought struck him like a lightning bolt. He understood why the sense of unease lingered!

“Why did my body resist my soul’s return? Why that membrane, barring my passage?!” Wang Lin’s face grew pale. The soul of the Scatterer demon was likewise sealed within him, precluding any possibility of possession. Nor did his body show any sign of having been usurped.

“The source lies within my soul!” Wang Lin willed his essence to depart his body, but instantly froze.

“My soul… is bound.” Wang Lin staggered back, taking up a meditative position. After several failed attempts to leave his body, he opened his eyes. His gaze was not one of panic, but one of calm contemplation.

“That membrane… it prevents my soul from departing. Perhaps this is the price for the transformation?” Wang Lin inhaled deeply.

“No matter. I shall put the matter aside for now. I must discern the secrets of the token, the very one that manifested from within the mist!” Wang Lin tapped his pouch of holding, retrieving the violet token.

(Author’s note: Third update, totaling nine thousand words!)