137: progress

Within the Sea of Consciousness, that humanoid phantom meticulously constructed from Divine Thought was undergoing a cycle of repeated collapse and reconstruction.

Gao De attempted to simulate the primary Meridians of the Human Race within it, especially the Ren and Du Vessels and the Twelve Standard Meridians. However, once the vast Demonic Power was channeled into these relatively "slender" channel models built according to human standards, it was like a flood rushing into a small stream. It instantly burst and tore the bands of light apart, causing the entire phantom to vibrate violently and dissipate.

"No, the carrying capacity of the Human Race's Meridians is far from enough to channel my current Demonic Power."

Gao De was not discouraged. Instead, these repeated failures allowed him to recognize the core of the problem more clearly. "Forcing a direct copy is no different from destroying one's own foundations. I must find a method to construct 'Demonic Meridians' suitable for the characteristics of my Demonic Power."

He shifted his thinking, no longer obsessing over the exact replication of human Meridians, but rather taking their 'essence'—that systematic, networked energy guidance structure.

He began to redesign the simulated pathways using the characteristics of his own Demonic Power as a foundation.

Gao De first tried using the Power of Thunder, which he was most familiar with, as the 'skeleton' of the pathways.

The Bloodline of the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon granted him absolute control over thunder. The Power of Thunder itself possessed both destruction and vitality; if its violent attributes could be constrained into a form, it might serve as the best carrier for Demonic Power.

Fine streaks of purple electricity were sketched inside the Divine Thought phantom. They no longer sought routes identical to human Meridians but instead aligned more closely with the natural flow of Demonic Power. Simultaneously, at certain key nodes—positions similar to human Acupoints—he constructed tiny lightning vortexes to gather, transform, and amplify the Demonic Power flowing through them.

This time, the situation improved slightly.

The pathways with thunder as a skeleton showed a significantly increased tolerance for Demonic Power, and the channeling of thunder-attribute Demonic Power was particularly smooth.

But new problems soon arose: the Power of Thunder was too violent and lacked resilience. Under long-term operation, these lightning pathways showed signs of instability and collapse, and their effectiveness in channeling non-thunder attribute Demonic Power was poor.

"A single attribute won't work; it needs to be more inclusive..." Gao De pondered for a moment, considering other methods.

He adjusted his plan once more.

This time, he tried to use thunder as the bone, Water Spirit Qi as the 'blood,' and supplemented them with a faint trace of vitality drawn from the Flower Spirit Miasma as the 'flesh.' Combining the three, he wove composite energy pathways within the Divine Thought phantom that were more solid, more resilient, and compatible with multi-attribute Demonic Power.

This process became increasingly complex, placing a massive drain on his mental strength.

Gao De frequently had to stop to recover his depleted Divine Thought.

But he could feel that the direction was correct.

The stability of these composite pathways far exceeded the previous ones. Although still a long way from perfection, they could already preliminarily carry a wisp of Demonic Power—after he suppressed most of its potency—and achieve a small-scale heavenly cycle circulation.

While constructing simulated pathways in his Sea of Consciousness, Gao De did not neglect the control of his own demonic body.

He realized that perfect transformation was not just a simulation of Internal Energy Systems, but also involved the subtle manipulation of muscles, bones, fascia, and even Bloodline.

He began to try controlling his bodily changes more finely while maintaining his Half-Jiaoren form.

He deliberately restrained the overly dazzling lightning on his scales and adjusted the distribution and orientation of his muscles, making the lines of his arms and torso closer to the fluid grace of the Human Race rather than the ferocity of a Yao Beast.

He even tried to control the Law-Breaking unicorn horn on his forehead, making it temporarily retract into his body or change shape so it wouldn't look so conspicuous.

These adjustments seemed subtle, but they were actually extremely taxing on his mind, requiring ultimate control over his own flesh and blood. Every micro-adjustment felt like fighting against the 'beastly' instinctual forms deeply rooted in his Bloodline; it was like forcibly rewriting the 'memory of flesh and blood.'

Sometimes, due to improper control, a transformed arm would suddenly swell, revealing the original form of a scaled Flood Dragon Claw; sometimes, the restrained lightning would erupt uncontrollably, scorching the walls of the secret room with char marks.

But Gao De never tired of it. He viewed this as a different kind of Body Refining, training his precise grasp of every bit of his power.

Time passed amidst constant failures, adjustments, and retries.

After an unknown amount of time, with a thought from Gao De, his massive flood dragon body was enveloped in dense Purple Lightning and mist.

When the light dissipated, the figure standing in its place was still a Half-Jiaoren, but a careful observer would notice significant differences from before.

The scales on his body had become finer and tighter against his skin, their luster restrained; without careful inspection, they were almost indistinguishable from tight-fitting clothing.

Although the features of a flood dragon's head hadn't completely vanished, the lines were much softer, losing some ferocity and gaining a bit of majesty and mystery.

The form of his limbs was closer to that of the Human Race, though his fingertips remained sharp, containing terrifying power.

Most notably, the uncontrollably leaking lightning arcs around him had almost completely vanished, and his aura had become deeper and more restrained. If not for those soul-stirring Purple Lightning vertical pupils, one might even mistake him for a Human Race expert who had Cultivated a special Cultivation Technique.

"Whew..."

Gao De lightly moved this improved Half-Jiaoren body, feeling the fluid ease with which his internal power followed his will. Especially those few extremely simplified composite energy pathways preliminarily constructed in his body; though far from complete, they had already increased the efficiency of his Demonic Power circulation by ten percent, making his micro-manipulation of power even more effortless.

"Though it's just a prototype and the road ahead is long, this path is viable," Gao De thought with certainty.

This seclusion had not only stabilized his Realm and deepened his understanding of his Physical Body, but it had also significantly improved his optimization of transformation and his control over his fleshly body.

He restrained his thoughts, knowing it was time for this seclusion to come to an end.

With a flash of Purple Lightning, the door to the secret room slowly opened.