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

The wolf's sharp claws slashed down, instantly ripping open the prey's belly and crushing its burning heart; with its other hand, it slapped the hyena away and tore through its throat, delivering a swift and deadly blow.

Slaughter, slaughter, and more slaughter—the fruits of long-term training are finally being displayed today.

Su Yuan raised an eyebrow and said, "Palace Master Su, your two children are truly remarkable, especially the one with the original spirit. Master is indeed worthy of his reputation, managing to cultivate such outstanding combat power from a quasi-Soul Master with an original spirit. And that seemingly simple and clumsy fighting style must be a self-created Soul Skill passed down from Master."

Faced with praise, Su Haichao didn't need to say much; he simply smiled brightly and nodded in response.

“However…” Su Yuan paused, his tone becoming more hesitant.

"Old Su, just say what you have to say." Su Haichao frowned slightly, wondering what the other party was worried about.

Su Yuan sighed and said directly, "Very well, Palace Master Su, we've known each other for many years, so I won't beat around the bush. Weren't these two kids a bit too brutal? If they could have used a little less force and left these soul beasts a way out, that would have been better. Otherwise, what will happen when soul masters have no soul rings to absorb in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Su Haichao's brows relaxed, and he looked curious: "How could you have such an idea? This is not like your usual decisive and efficient personality, Su Yuan."

Su Yuan pushed up his glasses and gave a wry smile: "This is the idea of ​​Yu Xiaogang, who is staying at my academy. Although his so-called ten core competencies of martial souls are nonsense and self-contradictory, I quite agree with his point about protecting soul beasts."

A strange smile appeared on Su Haichao's face as he said, "Let Master's... disciple explain this to you."

He was so frustrated that he almost let it slip, but fortunately he stopped in time and didn't arouse Su Yuan's suspicion.

Amidst a series of explosive bursts in the air, the lives of countless soul beasts vanished one after another. When Tang Shan stopped again, there wasn't a single hyena standing beside him.

White specks of light floated out from the beast corpse, coalesced, and eventually formed ten-year soul rings.

At this moment, if Tang Shan wished, he could easily attract a soul ring to absorb with a slight thought and break through his realm, but he would never do that.

Every breakthrough in his cultivation level was a qualitative change in his martial soul, and he would never waste such a golden opportunity.

He took out water from the storage soul tool his father had given him, washed away the bloodstains on his body, and then slowly exhaled.

Looking at the blood everywhere, Tang Shan was surprisingly calm, without the disgust he had expected. He didn't know if it was because of his strong adaptability or his resilient spirit.

"Little brother, you're still the best. I'm completely convinced of my defeat this time." Su Yuntao deactivated his martial spirit possession, tidied himself up briefly, patted Tang Shan on the shoulder, and the two brothers walked back arm in arm.

"Shanzi, your Uncle Su has some doubts. You should talk to him about it." Su Haichao smiled, raised his chin, and gestured for Su Yuan to ask quickly.

Su Yuan glanced helplessly at Su Haichao and asked the same question again, this time in a much more tactful tone.

Ultimately, Tangshan is still just a child. If there are any problems, they can be corrected gradually. There's no need to be overly critical.

After hearing the question, Su Yuntao's expression was quite peculiar, and he did not interrupt.

After listening to the inquiry and learning about the "master's" ideas, Tang Shan's lips twitched slightly and his eyes darted around.

After clearing his mind, he first raised a finger, his expression serious. "Dean Su, I also asked my master this question before, and he only asked me two questions in return. Now, I'll ask Dean Su the same question."

Upon hearing that it was a question from a master, Su Yuan immediately became serious: "Tang Shan, please speak."

In his view, this was not Tangshan asking a question, but rather a wise old man indirectly conversing with him through Tangshan.

"First, these soul beasts actively sought to kill us, so what's wrong with us killing them all?"

These words left Su Yuan speechless for a moment. Subjectively speaking, it was perfectly reasonable for him to retaliate and kill the other party who wanted to kill him.

“Killing too many will affect the subsequent acquisition of soul rings by soul masters, which is not good in the long run.” Dean Su’s rebuttal lacked confidence, and he clearly felt that it was not a valid argument to let the soul beasts go based on this alone.

"Secondly, Dean Su, is it that carnivorous spirit beasts consume more food each day, or that we spirit masters hunt more spirit beasts?"

This question completely stumped Su Yuan. Yes, even if a Soul Master has a great need for Soul Beasts, it is still far less than the daily food intake of a carnivorous Soul Beast. Moreover, many carnivorous Soul Beasts will discard leftover food when resources are plentiful, causing even more waste.

Based on this calculation, excluding differences in appetite, an average carnivorous soul beast needs to eat at least three other soul beasts every day, which would amount to thousands a year. Given the large number of carnivorous soul beasts in the entire soul beast region, the consumption must be staggering.

This is Tang Shan's fundamental view on hunting spirit beasts.

Later, due to the depletion of life cores on Douluo Star, the advancement of human soul tools that modified the environment, and the rise of the Spirit Pagoda that led to the extinction of soul beasts, Tang Shan did not personally experience this matter and therefore could not make any rash judgments.

But to say that excessive hunting by humans was one of the factors contributing to the extinction of spirit beasts, Tang Shan found it laughable—why not take that into account? How many of their own kind did they consume each day? You can't say that the ones they ate didn't count as a reduction, but the ones killed by humans were considered excessive hunting.

Tang Shan would not intentionally slaughter soul beasts for the sake of soul bones, but if a soul beast came to him seeking its death, he would show no mercy.

Furthermore, it wouldn't matter if these soul beast corpses rotted here after he left, but most of the time, after the soul master absorbed the soul ring and left, the remaining beast corpses would "mysteriously disappear." Where these corpses went was truly puzzling.

"Old Su, do you understand now? Even the strongest soul beasts don't worry about their population size, so why should we humans, who are only hunting for soul rings, worry about them?" Su Haichao patted Su Yuan on the shoulder, signaling him to come back to his senses.

Su Yuan rubbed his cheeks with a wry smile and said self-deprecatingly, "I really lost my mind. I knew that Yu Xiaogang was not even a real master and had little real talent, yet I was still influenced by his ideas. Yes, soul beasts don't even know how many of their own kind they consume every day, so why should we soul masters worry about them?"

Listening to Su Yuan's indirect praise of the master, Tang Shan was so embarrassed that he dug his toes into the ground, feeling utterly helpless.

"Alright, let's continue. While it's still early, let's venture deeper into the forest." Su Yuan finally broke free from his self-doubt and took the initiative to scout ahead, while Su Haichao brought up the rear to guard against attacks from soul beasts.

"This is a blue-eyed wolf that's over 700 years old, Yun Tao, do you want it?" Su Yuan asked from ahead.

Su Yuntao's eyes lit up, and he replied, "Uncle Su, I don't want to absorb this soul beast's soul ring, but I want to spar with it and get some experience. I'd appreciate it if you could cover for me."

Seeing that Su Haichao did not stop him, Su Yuan responded and stood aside to observe carefully.

Tang Shan watched Su Yuntao fight intently, witnessing his growth in every little detail, and became increasingly convinced of his own ideas.

Everyone has their own path to growth, and the eldest brother is no exception. By emulating the habits of wolf-like spirit beasts and honing his skills through extensive combat, this may be the path he is meant to take. Becoming a Title Douluo may not be his limit.

Awoo!

A miserable howl echoed through the forest as the Blue-Eyed Wolf was sent flying by Su Yuntao's palm strike. Su Yuntao did not pursue it, but instead withdrew his martial spirit and rejoined the team.

The four set off again. The sun gradually rose and then slowly set. During this time, although they encountered many soul beasts that were compatible with Tang Shan and Su Yuntao's martial souls, almost none of them met the age requirement.

The most fitting pairings are a nearly 900-year-old ant and a storm wolf over 870 years old.

Su Yuntao could not possibly absorb it. His first spirit ring was already six hundred years old, and he had undergone long-term training. If he were to absorb a hundred-year spirit ring now and give up his second spirit ring of a thousand years, it would be a waste of all his previous efforts.

Tang Shan wasn't particularly satisfied either. He might have been able to barely accept a 900-year-old diamond mammoth, but the Thousand-Jun Ant had no advantages and wasn't old enough, so he would never consider it.

As the sun set and the day drew to a close, the four, having found nothing, remained calm, as it was only the first day of their search for spirit rings.

Many Soul Masters, even after reaching the breakthrough bottleneck, often stagnate for months and are unable to advance further because they cannot find a suitable Soul Beast. It is perfectly normal to have no progress for a day.

The group found an open space, and Su Haichao took out two tents, which Tang Shan and Su Yuntao set up. He and Su Yuan then cleaned and checked the surrounding area from two different directions, and sprinkled some beast-repelling powder to prevent soul beasts from harassing them at night.

Although the effect is unknown, it's better than nothing.

After the tents were set up, Tang Shan lit a bonfire. This was not the Star Dou Great Forest, but just an ordinary Soul Hunting Forest. Even if a few soul beasts were attracted, the two Soul Masters could easily deal with them.

P.S.: Breakthrough tomorrow! Please add to your favorites, recommend, vote, and comment! I'm begging for everything! Thank you all so much!

Chapter 25 Millennium Ants, Su Yuan Unleashes Terrifying Strength

The crackling flames made the faces of the four people around the campfire glow red.

At this moment, an iron pot was placed above the campfire, with boiling water inside, and a hairless, soft-boned rabbit was being cooked.

A subtle aroma of meat gradually wafted from the pot.

Su Yuntao subconsciously swallowed, but still hesitated before asking Tang Shan, who was sitting next to him.

"Little brother, do you think your boiled soft-boned rabbit will taste good?"

Tang Shan took out some ingredients from his storage ring and proudly shook it.

"After this rabbit is cooked, sprinkle on these seasonings. If it doesn't taste good, come find me."

"I didn't expect Shanzi to have this trick up his sleeve."

Su Yuan, sitting opposite him, was somewhat amazed.

During this time, Su Yuan gradually became familiar with Tang Shan, and he simply changed his way of addressing him to "Shanzi," the same as Su Haichao.

As they are all his elders, Tangshan has never had any objections to how they address him, as long as they don't suddenly call him "Xiaoshan" like some other person.

"This kid exercises every day in order to absorb higher-age soul rings, which requires a lot of nutritional supplements."

Su Haichao helplessly shrugged.

"My skills—no, I don't even have that skill. Anyway, Shanzi disliked my cooking, so I figured it out myself, and over time I did manage to produce some results."

Swish!

The faint sound of rubbing against each other reached Su Haichao's ears. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly spoke up to remind him.

"Something seems to be coming. Stay alert."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward the direction from which the sound came.

The other three reacted quickly after being alerted. Tang Shan and Su Yuntao hid behind Su Haichao, while Su Yuan flashed to stand side by side with Su Haichao.

Swish!

A dark creature gradually emerged from the grass in the distance, but due to the dim light, only a dark shadow could be seen.

It slowly approached the burning campfire, and smelling the aroma wafting from it, it quickened its pace. Clearly, it had been drawn by the soft-boned rabbit in the pot.

In the flickering firelight, the other party's true appearance was revealed.

However, it is nearly 70 centimeters long, with a jet-black shell that resembles heavy armor covering its entire body, and six short but very stable limbs.

Two long tentacles extended from the top of its head, swaying back and forth as it carefully sensed its surroundings.

"It's a giant ant, and it looks quite old."

More than a thousand years.

Tang Shan examined the situation carefully and quickly deduced the other party's exact age.

"Little brother, how did you figure that out?" Su Yuntao asked curiously.

"Whether it is a hundred years or a thousand years, the size of the 'thousand-pound ant' is basically within one meter. The specific age is not determined by the body length, but by the protrusion on its back."

Tangshan lowered his voice and pointed to the back of the Thousand-Pound Ant.

"Generally, the back of a hundred-year-old ant is smooth, and there are other ways to judge its age; while the ant with bumps on its back indicates that it is a thousand-year-old ant. Each additional bump adds another thousand years to its age. The ant currently has one very obvious bump and another bump is already taking shape, so its age is probably between 1,300 and 1,500 years."

"Then is it suitable for your martial soul, Shanzi?"

Su Yuan focused on asking key questions.

"Perfectly suited."

Tangshan's answer was without hesitation.

Su Yuan and Su Haichao exchanged a glance.

"I'll lead the attack, and you'll be responsible for preventing the appearance of other soul beasts."

Su Yuan said this.

Su Haichao nodded in agreement, and at the same time subconsciously opened his senses, becoming more vigilant about his surroundings.

"Martial spirit possession".