Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

Tang Shan also walked to the table and sat down. Xue Qinghe was about to sit down when Dugu Yan beat him to it and took the seat to Tang Shan's right.

Now, Tangshan is on the left with Guyue and on the right with Dugu Yan, so Xue Qinghe can only choose to sit opposite Tangshan.

She gritted her teeth, reminding herself not to get angry, and barely managed to suppress the restless angelic sword.

Suck!

A clear sound of swallowing came from behind. He subconsciously turned his head and saw Gu Yue demurely wiping the corner of her mouth. Facing Tang Shan's gaze, she blinked as if to say, "Is there something wrong?"

"Let's have breakfast."

Xue Qinghe waved his hand weakly, indicating that they could start.

Whoosh!

A blur flashed by, and Gu Yue had a soup dumpling filled with a century-old silver-blooded shrimp in her hand. She opened her mouth slightly and took a big bite, the juice splashing freely in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed slightly, clearly very satisfied with the taste.

The other three were already used to Gu Yue's speed. They knew very well about Gu Yue's gluttony and terrifying appetite, and had long been accustomed to it after spending time with her.

"Tangshan, you're currently at the Dan Jin level, so what's the next level of cultivation?"

Xue Qinghe, recalling his cultivation during this period, asked Tang Shan with some curiosity.

Picking up a piece of succulent cliffside meat and putting it in his mouth, Tang Shan calmly replied, feeling the subtle increase in his internal energy and blood, "After Dan Jin comes Gang Jin. To break through, you need to integrate your strength."

Dugu Yan was somewhat puzzled: "Wasn't the integration of internal energy already completed when you reached the stage of Ming Jin?"

"Theoretically, that's how it is." Tang Shan paused, and only continued after he had captured the three people's attention, "but the effect and essence of integration are different."

What's the difference?

Xue Qinghe was somewhat curious.

"The requirement of Ming Jin (明劲) is to gather and unleash power."

Tang Shan casually waved his hand, his muscles and bones clashing, the air exploding, and a burst of powerful force was unleashed.

"As for Gang Jin, it requires the power to be concentrated at one point. Even a casual flick of the finger is a convergence of the power of the whole body."

“Ming Jin is a power exertion technique, which can be regarded as an attacking soul skill. Gang Jin is a power concentration method, which can be regarded as an amplification state soul skill.”

Gu Yue, who kept talking, gave a brilliant explanation, which made Xue Qinghe and Dugu Yan suddenly realize the truth.

"Moreover, the integrated strength of Ming Jin only gathers the body's normal power, not the power of the body in an explosive state."

Tang Shan pointed to his dantian: "Danjin is a kind of explosive force, which concentrates the body's qi and blood into one point and then explodes."

The power gained in this explosive state is beyond what Ming Jin can integrate. In other words, once in this state, the skill contained in a casual strike far surpasses that of Ming Jin.

The power unleashed by the Dan Jin (丹劲) is then channeled and released, resulting in Gang Jin (罡劲), or Gang Qi (罡气).

Tang Shan summarized: "The practice of Gang Jin is a further integration, turning the technique of gathering Ming Jin power into a state of power condensation, from integrating the strength of muscles and bones to integrating the explosive power of Dan Jin, and using the Ming Jin gathered in the muscles and bones as An Jin to strike out. Those who reach this level can be called Martial Saints."

Seeing that Xue Qinghe and Dugu Yan seemed to understand but not quite, Tang Shan patted his forehead and said, "You two should hurry up and break through to the Dark Force realm. Some principles will become clear when you reach a certain level of skill."

As for whether Gu Yue, who was making muttering noises on the side, understood, Tang Shan wasn't sure, but he guessed that the other party probably grasped some of the meaning.

After all, all paths lead to the same destination. Although combat strength and experience may be inferior to others at the same stage, one's cultivation level is still there. From the perspective of a god, internal martial arts are not so mysterious.

As for how far Tangshan is from achieving Gang Jin, Tangshan himself doesn't know. After all, Gang Jin is the integration of Dan Jin's explosive power. As his physical potential is developed, the power of Dan Jin continues to increase, which makes it difficult for him to integrate his strength.

But this is good too. When I truly reach the Gang Jin level, the power will only be stronger. What about striking from an inch in mid-air? I'll just create a three-foot wall of qi!

……

As the days passed, the atmosphere in Tiandou City grew increasingly heated as the competition approached. People could be seen discussing the Soul Master Competition everywhere on the streets and alleys. Spectators and participating teams from all over the country made the capital city more and more bustling, and even the wind was filled with a restless anticipation.

The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is held every five years. For the Douluo Continent, where entertainment is scarce, it is undoubtedly a grand event that attracts worldwide attention. As the venue for the preliminary and qualifying rounds, Tiandou City naturally became the focus of the entire empire. People from all directions flocked to the city, making it both lively and somewhat restless.

……

Inside a tavern on a street corner, two Soul Masters, one wielding a broadsword and the other an iron sword, were locked in a fierce battle, creating a great commotion that attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing was deafening. Both of them had only a white soul ring floating up and down beneath their feet. Their soul power fluctuations were weak, but they shouted themselves hoarse.

"Boy, take my Overlord Earth-Splitting Blade!"

The Soul Master wielding the sword blushed, his first Soul Ring suddenly lit up, and he forcefully unleashed a thin wisp of sword energy.

"A mere trick! Watch my Heaven-Slaying Sword Technique shatter your skills!"

The Iron Sword Soul Master was not to be outdone. With a flicker of his soul rings, he unleashed a thin sword light, and his battle cries drowned out the actual impact of soul power.

The two attacks collided with a soft crack and canceled each other out. The sharp aftershocks caused the few flimsy tables and chairs in the tavern to tilt and fall, the wine pots on the tables to be blown over, and the leaves that happened to drift by were wiped out.

"You two over there, stop!"

A cold shout came from the crowd of onlookers, but the two soul masters were engrossed in their fight and paid no attention to it.

call!

A whooshing sound suddenly rang out as two small pebbles shot out, striking the blade and the spine of the sword precisely.

Ta-da!

With two sharp cracks, the two Soul Masters felt a tremendous force emanating from their Martial Souls, their hands gripping their weapons went numb, and they staggered back several steps. At the same time, a figure flashed out from the crowd and arrived in front of the two in an instant. Before they could react, two lightning-fast hand chops had already struck their necks.

Boom!

The two collapsed to the ground, and the figure immediately retreated, disappearing into the crowd like a fish swimming into the sea, leaving only the two unconscious people on the ground and a crowd of astonished onlookers.

While everyone was still eagerly waiting to see what would happen next, the unexpected turn of events caught them off guard. After a moment of stunned silence, a commotion broke out, with whispers rising and falling. It wasn't until several soldiers of the Heavenly Dou City Defense Force, clad in bright silver armor, rushed over from afar that they hurriedly scattered.

At a distant street corner, Tang Shan glanced at the two Soul Masters surrounded by the city's defense forces, shook his head, and turned to leave. During his time wandering around Tiandou City, he had seen many such bluffing private duels between Soul Masters, and whenever he encountered one, he would resolve it as quickly as possible if it were within his power.

Although he is not a saint, it is still inappropriate for soul masters to injure passersby or damage public property in private fights. Moreover, he is now considered Xue Qinghe's man, and this Crown Prince of Tiandou is very likely to ascend the throne in the future. It is only reasonable for him to help manage the chaos in the capital.

After turning right across two streets, Tang Shan casually knocked out three burly men who were fighting over a woman. Finally, he arrived at his destination – the Heavenly Battle Arena.

Located in the west of Heaven Dou City, this building is the most magnificent Soul Arena in the entire Heaven Dou Empire. Constructed entirely of thick, dark blue-green stones, its walls rise like fortresses, their surfaces etched with ancient patterns. The austere decor exudes a sense of iron-blooded weight, an invisible pressure emanating from it. Its vast area is constantly bustling with people—participating Soul Masters and spectators alike—the clamor audible even from several streets away.

With the competition approaching, the area is bustling with activity, becoming the most prosperous place in Tiandou City.

Several stone sculptures stand on either side of the gate, while in the very center stands a colossal stone tablet, so large that it takes one person to encircle it. The tablet is entirely black, weathered and worn by time, its edges severely worn. Its surface is densely covered with deeply engraved names, each stroke powerfully penetrating the stone. The names, varying in depth, each represent a Soul Master who perished in this arena, a life extinguished.

The stone tablet stood there quietly, like a silent witness, etching the iron-blooded and cruel nature of the Soul Arena into the history of Heavenly Dou City.

Compared to the places Tang Shan had visited before, the Heavenly Battle Arena was undoubtedly the most magnificent battle arena he had ever seen.

However, Tang Shan's trip was not for participating in the Soul Battle - even though the Heavenly Dou Great Soul Battle Arena is vast and there are very few like him in the entire Douluo Continent, it is quite difficult to find an opponent of equal strength to him.

After all, with his current peak combat power, it's a sure thing for him to defeat a Soul Saint who hasn't activated his Martial Soul True Body. Not to mention Soul Saint battles, even Soul Emperor battles rarely happen in the Heavenly Battle Arena.

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Chapter 208 The Reckless and Cowardly Dual Nature of Official Team Members, Challenge Without Soul Rings

Tang Shan came to the Great Soul Arena because it was the training ground for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's participating teams. He was invited by Qin Ming to give these official team members a lesson.

Putting aside the numerous flowery words in Dugu Yan's account, Tang Shan only gleaned one meaning from Dugu Yan's retelling—the participating team was a bit arrogant and needed a good beating.

This is a sub-area of ​​the Heaven Dou City Grand Arena, which the Heaven Dou Royal Academy specially applied for from Emperor Xue Ye.

At this moment, there were no outsiders in the entire Soul Arena; everyone present was a Heavenly Battle-level student wearing a purple school uniform.

Standing before them, Qin Ming, also dressed in a purple teacher's uniform, had clearly broken through to the Soul Emperor level and successfully become a Heaven Dou-level teacher.

At this moment, he looked at the seven people directly in front of him, his expression indifferent.

"Do you guys think that winning consecutive victories in the Great Soul Arena is something to be proud of?"

Qin Ming's voice remained calm, devoid of any emotion.

He originally intended to take the students of Tiandou to the Soul Arena to hone their skills and let them experience the harsh realities of society, so as to prevent them from becoming arrogant.

After months of struggle, the results are in, and we can only say that half of our goal has been achieved.

In the individual competition, their opponents, employing a barrage of underhanded tactics, taught these sheltered flowers a lesson, making them truly understand what real combat is like. Even if their spirit rings were older than these seasoned veterans of the arena, it didn't guarantee victory.

However, when it comes to team battles, the situation reverses—it doesn't matter if one person's spirit rings are of a higher age, but what if all seven people have high-age spirit rings? The accumulated advantage cannot be changed by a little strategy or better teamwork.

Moreover, the teamwork and underhanded tactics of the students of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy can be learned, guarded against, and even imitated. However, the difference in the age of the spirit rings is there. As long as the differences in other aspects are leveled out, then those with higher spirit ring ages will definitely be more competitive.

At the beginning of the team battle, they would occasionally lose a game every day or two, but as they gradually accumulated experience and the team members became more and more coordinated, the main team of Tiandou Royal Academy began to win one game after another.

Their consecutive team victories even boosted their individual performance, leading to another winning streak.

If they could maintain this mindset, that would be fine. However, the problem arose after a series of victories when a clear sense of complacency emerged within the team. Some even said that even the core teams of the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire would not be a match for them.

It's one thing to underestimate your opponent, but to start slacking off in your cultivation is unacceptable.

They don't know what kind of opponents they will face in the future, but doesn't Qin Ming himself know?

Let's not even talk about the Spirit Hall's team. Every major tournament, all the players are at least Soul Masters, and every one or two tournaments, one or two Soul Kings will emerge to lead the team. It's just too outrageous. How can they have the courage to underestimate such an opponent?

And then there's the Star Luo Empire team—what's their combat experience in the Great Soul Arena compared to that? The Star Luo Empire's royal family's selection process is already incredibly brutal, so their selection of contestants, if not even more so, is certainly extremely rigorous.

Facing those two teams, it's one thing to underestimate them, but to slack off in training is just asking for trouble. How could you possibly win? How could you possibly lose?

Faced with these students, Qin Ming decided to teach them a lesson and make them realize that there are always people more capable than themselves, and that there is always something beyond their understanding.

Although he always felt that the effect of this "good lesson" might not be good, after all, that guy was a well-known genius.

Seeing that his words had attracted everyone's attention, Qin Ming glanced at the preliminary team members behind him, but didn't linger—the preliminary team members were mainly related to the later competitions, so there was no rush. He should solve the problem of the regular team members first.

“I’ve seen your slackness these past few days. Do you think you’re invincible at this stage?”

The seven starting players exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison: No, that's not something you can say.

Seeing them shake their heads, Qin Ming was not pleased at all. Instead, his sense of foreboding grew stronger. He asked, "Then why don't you cultivate properly?"

A tall, thin young man replied with a grin, "Teacher Qin Ming, monsters like Tang Shan and Gu Yue are beyond our reach. Since we can't catch up, why torture ourselves?"

Qin Ming?! Sure enough, his ominous premonition came true—to say they lacked self-awareness, yet they clearly recognized the insurmountable gap between themselves and Tangshan; to say they had self-awareness, yet they believed, "I am no match for Tangshan, but I am invincible below Tangshan."

This is simply outrageous. Qin Ming really wanted to crack open the skulls of the seven people in front of him to see how their thinking came about and how they could be so gullible.

Just then, soft footsteps came from the entrance of the passage. Tang Shan, who had just come out of the passage, heard what they were saying and was speechless. He hadn't even started to make a move yet, so how could his opponent have already backed down?

Clearly, Tang Shan did not have a clear understanding of his own reputation. Qin Ming also underestimated the weight of Tang Shan's name in the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. He was not just a person, but a legend of the school, a symbol, and a perfect embodiment of the word "prodigy".

There weren't many people in this battle zone to begin with, and with the long-term nourishment of soul power, their five senses were significantly enhanced, so Tang Shan's footsteps were noticed by everyone almost immediately.

Among the pre-selected team members, Dugu Yan's eyes lit up, Xie Fei waved, and Ye Lingling glanced at Tang Shan.

Even Yu Tianheng met Tang Shan's gaze calmly—his grandfather had said he would respect his wishes and wouldn't do anything to Gu Yue. Since it was unlikely he could harm Tang Shan and Gu Yue, he had nothing to be ashamed of.