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

A gentle breeze brushed against Su Yuntao's cheek, and a hand flashed past his eyes again. Instinctively, he closed his eyes again.

"This is the influence of the subconscious. Brother, try activating your second soul skill again now."

Su Yuntao was convinced by Tang Shan's theory and obediently activated his Bloodthirsty Soul Skill.

With his overall abilities enhanced, Su Yuntao, now possessed by a martial soul, began to exhibit some beast-like traits. This time, when Tang Shan feigned an attack on his face, Su Yuntao kept his eyes firmly open without blinking.

"Is this the effect of 'maintaining absolute calm'? It can eliminate subconscious interference?"

Before Tang Shan could explain, Su Yuntao had already discovered the key himself.

"That's right. Using the Bloodlust skill doesn't eliminate the subconscious, but rather eliminates its influence on the brain—for example, pain can make it difficult to exert muscle force, and this negative state will be automatically eliminated. Once you understand the role of the subconscious, your previous special state will have a relatively reasonable explanation."

Tang Shan paced back and forth in the attic with his hands behind his back, slowly revealing his guess: "Brother, your second soul skill 'Bloodlust' actually only has two effects: one is to increase all attributes by 10%, and the other is to eliminate subconscious interference in battle and maintain an absolutely calm state. The so-called immunity to pain can also be classified as the second effect."

Sparks of inspiration surfaced in Tang Shan's mind, and clues about cultivation, martial spirits, and the subconscious gradually connected in his mind.

"Brother, after you activated the Bloodlust state, your consciousness was essentially separated from your subconscious. At that time, you were recalling the attack state of wolf-type soul beasts. By chance, the Lone Wolf Martial Soul further attached itself to your body—but this time, it wasn't the body's external appearance that was attached, but rather the body's subconscious."

The vast combat experience hidden within your Martial Soul and lurking deep within your bloodline is now under your control. From this point on, your Martial Soul and you are almost perfectly integrated, possessing both human wisdom and composure, as well as the combat experience of countless Soul Beasts within your bloodline. Perhaps, this is the true form of your Martial Soul in a different way.

Tang Shan's words were earth-shattering. A mere second-ring Soul Master had unintentionally entered a state that was called the True Body of Martial Soul. If these words were to reach the ears of others, they would surely be ridiculed, even if the person who said them was a master.

The advancement of a soul ring, from the second ring after a thousand years to the fourth ring after ten thousand years, always follows a process from low to high, and even the most outrageous advancements have traceable patterns. However, no one would believe that a two-ring soul master could enter the True Spirit Body state, even if it is only in its rudimentary form—the True Spirit Body is an exclusive ability of Soul Saint level experts. Apart from using special secret techniques to perform it in combination, there has never been a record of a single person who is not at the Soul Saint level performing it alone throughout history.

Su Yuntao also felt that this was too exaggerated: "Little brother, isn't this too outrageous? I'm only at the second ring, and I'm still quite a distance from the seventh ring. How could I possibly unleash my Martial Soul True Body?"

"Why is it impossible? Brother, tell me, what are the typical characteristics of the true form of a beast spirit?"

Su Yuntao recalled the books he had read, and after a moment's thought, he replied: "By transforming into the Martial Soul body, all aspects of my attributes are greatly enhanced. Except for the seventh ring, all other Soul Skills have no cooldown time, and the consumption of Soul Skills is greatly reduced."

Tang Shan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Then, brother, what do you think is the difference between a Beast Soul Master in this state and a real Soul Beast, except for the lack of combat experience from Soul Beasts and the limited duration of their attack?"

Su Yuntao fell into deep thought, but Tang Shan continued, "Soul beasts, except for a few special skills, have no cooldown when releasing their innate soul skills. Beast Soul Masters who unleash their Martial Soul True Body are no different from true soul beasts, except for the limited duration of their state—they have transformed their soul ring skills into innate soul skills. Your previous state was similar; they gained the ability of soul beasts to release soul skills, while you gained the combat and survival experience of soul beasts. Essentially, both are manifestations of soul beast abilities. As for not transforming into a soul beast, perhaps being half-human and half-beast is the true form of a Martial Soul True Body."

PS: The effects of Martial Soul True Form are based on this book, as the effects vary across different versions. Tao Ge's state is a different type of Martial Soul True Form, which will be explained in the next chapter, which will also introduce the general ultimate goal of Soul Master cultivation.

Chapter 40 The First Stage of Martial Soul Cultivation, the Incomplete Beast Soul True Body

Su Yuntao clearly still had some doubts about Tang Shan's theory. Tang Shan did not rush to answer, but simply released his own martial spirit.

His body rapidly expanded, with muscles bulging with explosive power, their lines brimming with explosive energy.

"Brother, let me help you try to enter that state first, and then I'll explain my theory to you in detail later."

Su Yuntao's expression was solemn. He immediately activated the Lone Wolf Martial Soul, and the two soul rings under his feet suddenly flashed. He used all his strength right from the start.

Since Tang Shan obtained his first spirit ring, he has been unable to see through the opponent's true strength. If he can enter the special state he was in before again, he might be able to get a glimpse of it.

With a sudden stride, amplified by his soul power, Tang Shan instantly closed the distance between himself and Su Yuntao, striking directly at his opponent with a palm. At the same time, the only purple soul ring beneath his feet lit up, his palm rapidly expanded, turning bluish-black in color, with tendons and bones coiling around it like a dragon, its power solid and concentrated.

boom!

Su Yuntao forcefully took Tang Shan's attack, his body staggering backward as he pushed off the ground with his legs to barely dissipate the immense force transmitted from Tang Shan's arms. But as soon as one attack subsided, another came. Before he could even regain his footing, a fist containing immense power slammed down on his head like a giant hammer.

An unparalleled sense of oppression swept over his entire body, and the relentless attacks made him feel as if he were trapped in an endless quagmire, unable to break free. Su Yuntao hurriedly ducked and rolled over, and Tang Shan's fist grazed his body and slammed into the air, causing the air to explode as if it could not bear the weight.

Su Yuntao, who had just gotten up, managed to launch a counterattack, his ten sharp claws piercing straight into Tang Shan's back.

Tear!

A crisp tearing sound rang out as Tang Shan's shirt ripped open, revealing his muscular physique, which resembled a solid suit of armor protecting his back. Su Yuntao's claws, though striking their target precisely, seemed to have touched highly elastic rubber, leaving only a few shallow scratches.

Instinctively, Su Yuntao retreated rapidly. He had only gone a short distance when a huge hand swept past his nose. The fan-like hand brought up a gust of wind, and Su Yuntao instinctively closed his eyes.

Feeling the subtle tingling sensation on his back, Tang Shan nodded in satisfaction. Thanks to his god-level body control, not only had his physical attributes improved rapidly recently, but the effects when truly activated were even more astonishing. His skin stretched to its limit, becoming incredibly tough; his muscles and bones were stretched, reaching peak defensive power. With the addition of soul power, the strength of his body tissues was further amplified. Even with Su Yuntao activating two amplifying soul skills simultaneously, he still couldn't break through his defenses.

Turning to look at Su Yuntao, who was poised to strike in the distance, Tang Shan's arms suddenly swelled up, his fingers as thick as carrots, and his arms as thick as an average person's thighs.

"Big brother, be careful."

Tang Shan gave a warning, and seeing his god-level control fully unleashed, he suddenly lunged forward, striking Su Yuntao with both hands simultaneously. Although his palms were enormous, under his exquisite control of power, they did not create a whirlwind as before, but instead remained calm and undisturbed—this was even more terrifying, meaning that every bit of power was under perfect control, without the slightest leakage.

A terrifying sense of crisis suddenly rose in Su Yuntao's heart. He knew that Tang Shan could definitely control the force, but a dark cloud inexplicably gathered in his mind, as if a death omen was flashing overhead. Stimulated by the deadly crisis, he finally grasped that special feeling again.

The martial spirit further merged with the body, and the various fighting instincts imprinted in the bloodline over the years perfectly blended with the subconscious, maintaining a dynamic balance: a part of the consciousness was responsible for leading the battle, a part maintained the body's basic activities, while Su Yuntao's main consciousness focused on decision-making and made the most accurate judgments.

"Jump and use the momentum to dodge."

Instinctively making a decision, Su Yuntao caught Tang Shan's outstretched hand with one hand. Before Tang Shan could react, Su Yuntao used the momentum to flip and leap into the air, narrowly dodging the attack. At this moment, Su Yuntao's demeanor had undergone a complete transformation, possessing both the ferocity and bloodthirstiness of a lone wolf and an extreme coldness and calmness, like the ancient heavens. Perhaps stimulated by his hunting instincts, his thinking became even more calm and focused.

Tang Shan did not continue the attack, but carefully observed Su Yuntao's current state: his body was slightly leaning forward, his eyes were glowing with a ghostly green light, and sharp claws were protruding from his ten fingers. On the surface, he seemed to be normal, but he was faintly exuding an unsettling aura, as if he had been locked on by some kind of top predator.

"Brother, how are you feeling? Do you need to maintain a certain level of pressure to keep this up?"

Although Su Yuntao's combat experience was growing rapidly, his consciousness was not affected at all. He clearly replied, "There is no need to deliberately maintain this state, but this state consumes a lot of physical strength, soul power and mental power. I estimate that it cannot be sustained for long."

"What about the circulation of soul power? Are there any obstacles?" Tang Shan had not forgotten what Su Yuntao had mentioned before, that the soul power in the body would automatically circulate when entering a special state.

Su Yuntao closed his eyes, concentrated for a moment, and then opened them again to give his answer: "The circulation is completely unimpeded, and it can even be said to be smoother than ever before. It is as if the soul power is supposed to flow in this way. It is much more exquisite than the meditation method I learned in the Spirit Hall."

Tang Shan stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "I see. I was worried before that the experience of applying the soul power of those soul beasts in the bloodline would cause problems for you. Now it seems that this soul power circulation route is very likely automatically derived from your martial soul and physical condition."

Afterwards, Tang Shan had Su Yuntao perform several simple experiments before he was able to break free from that special state. After voluntarily exiting the state, the surge of combat experience he had gained receded like a tide, but some faint traces remained on his body.

Su Yuntao savored the feeling from just now and quickly brought good news to Tang Shan: "Little brother, I just tried again. Although I still can't actively enter that state, it was obviously easier than the previous attempt."

“In that case, my prediction is probably correct.” Tang Shan also put away his martial spirit, and the two brothers sat together on the rooftop, looking down at Star City.

"Brother, what do you think the cultivation process of a Soul Master is like?"

Su Yuntao replied somewhat blankly, "Is there a specific process to cultivation? Isn't it just about increasing your soul power level and then absorbing soul rings to break through your realm?"

Tang Shan gently shook his head, recalling what he had seen and heard and the theoretical research he had done since he transmigrated to this world, and slowly explained his understanding: "In my opinion, the first stage of a Soul Master's cultivation is the stage in which the self and the Martial Soul are in harmony."

He pointed to himself and gave an example: "Just like me, my goal at this stage is to completely integrate my martial spirit with my body. After that, I will no longer have a physical martial spirit, but my body itself will be the martial spirit."

Su Yuntao seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked, "So, my first stage is also about improving my compatibility with my martial soul? What are the results of achieving the ultimate compatibility?"

Tang Shan smiled and gave his answer: "Naturally, it's the True Form of the Martial Soul. When a Beast Martial Soul and the Soul Master are perfectly in sync, what achievement could be more fitting than the True Form of the Martial Soul, which transforms into a Soul Beast?"

"What about weapon spirit masters?" Su Yuntao's mind was rapidly absorbing these new theories, and a brand new world about martial spirits seemed to be slowly unfolding before his eyes.

"The core of a Soul Master is to enhance the effectiveness of their Martial Soul, ultimately allowing their soul to merge with the Martial Soul, becoming a unique kind of Soul Spirit. This is the origin of the Soul Spirit True Body," Tang Shan patiently explained. "Theoretically speaking, this first stage of cultivation normally requires reaching the Soul Saint realm to complete, but the Body Martial Soul is an exception. Because the Body Martial Soul is extremely closely integrated with the body, the integration process is much faster than with other Soul Masters. Therefore, some Body Martial Soul Masters may be able to completely complete the first stage of cultivation at the fifth ring or even the fourth ring."

What Tang Shan didn't say much about was that if one couldn't complete this stage of cultivation, it would be virtually impossible for the main body's martial soul to achieve a second awakening by squeezing out its potential—after all, if the body couldn't completely merge with the martial soul, it simply wouldn't have enough resilience and recovery ability.

"The physical body transforms into a martial spirit, the soul master transforms into a soul beast, and the soul becomes a weapon spirit. Is this the core goal of the first stage of the three martial spirits?" Su Yuntao was only now realizing that there were so many intricacies hidden in martial spirit cultivation.

“That’s how it is in theory,” Tang Shan added with a slight troubled expression. “However, I can’t be sure of the development direction of plant-type martial souls for the time being. They seem to be able to develop in two directions: beast martial souls and weapon martial souls. I can only say that plant martial souls are indeed exceptionally special.”

"Then how do you explain my special state just now?" Su Yuntao brought the topic back to the main point.

Tang Shan nodded and said, "That's why I said it's an alternative martial soul true body. Being able to obtain the fighting instincts of soul beasts and the combat experience in one's bloodline, isn't that also a part of the body entering the state of a beast soul true body?"

"So, other beast spirit masters who reach the Soul Saint level and unlock their Martial Soul True Form will also enter the state I was just in?" Tang Shan's words surprised Su Yuntao.

"That's not necessarily true. The reason I call it an alternative Martial Soul True Body is because it has its special features. Even if other Soul Saints activate their Martial Soul True Body, their combat experience can never grow as rapidly as yours, Big Brother."

Why is this happening?

"Because they usually focus on improving their soul power and learn human fighting methods, the instincts and combat experience hidden in their bloodline have been completely dormant during the long process of cultivating to the Soul Saint."

Tang Shan revealed his final conclusion about Su Yuntao's special state: "Brother, the special state you were in before is not something everyone can achieve. It can even be said to be a treasure unique to beast spirits, a great gift of combat experience given to spirit masters by their spirits. If someone can discover it, they will surely be able to accelerate their integration with their spirit, just like spirit masters with their original spirits."

"It's just that the password to unlock this treasure is too complicated, and most beast spirit masters have never learned from the spirit beast corresponding to their own spirit, which means that almost no one can discover this treasure. Even if a few lucky ones accidentally enter this state, they are mostly given the title of 'combat genius' and thus ignore the need to delve into its mysteries." Tang Shan shook his head with a hint of regret.

"If I'm not mistaken, the vast majority of Beast Soul Saints on the continent probably haven't opened this treasure, which makes their Martial Soul True Body always seem slightly inferior to their Weapon Soul True Body. What they lack is precisely this combat experience derived from their bloodline."

Imagine a Beast Soul Saint transforming into a Soul Beast, possessing all the combat instincts of the corresponding Soul Beast while retaining human intelligence. What terrifying power would they possess?

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Chapter 41: Gains from the Alternative Martial Soul True Body, Forging Progress, and Approaching...

"I see."

After listening to Tang Shan's explanation, Su Yuntao finally had a clearer understanding of the special situation he had been in.

"I call entering this state a treasure because there are several benefits."

Tang Shan was somewhat surprised and explained.

"The increased combat instincts and experience are one of the benefits, as is the circulation of soul power in your body when you were in that state before, brother."

"Can that operating path be used directly for cultivation?"

Su Yuntao clearly had some doubts.

“It’s highly likely that it is.” Tang Shan paused slightly and continued, “When you are in the alternate martial soul true form state, it can run smoothly in your body without any backlash, which means that there is nothing wrong with the soul power circulation route. After you exit that state, you can directly use it, and there will definitely not be any major problems. After all, the martial soul possession gives you combat instincts, rather than changing your physical structure.”

"Then I'll give it a try." Su Yuntao immediately sat down cross-legged and quickly entered a meditative state.

After a while, Su Yuntao, who had exited his cultivation state, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Such a fast cultivation speed! But why do I feel like my soul power is being compressed?"

Compressing soul power? Could it be that this cultivation method, derived from the elder brother's martial soul and bloodline, has some effect on condensing the soul core?

Tang Shan hadn't forgotten that in the era of Douluo Continent I, Soul Masters didn't have Soul Cores; only Soul Beasts could condense them. Since this technique was specifically derived from the combination of Soul Beast bloodline and Martial Soul with his physical characteristics, it was normal for it to have a certain effect of compressing Soul Power when it was activated.

"Isn't it good to compress your soul power? Your soul power will become more condensed and powerful, and you can release more soul skills."

"But will my cultivation speed slow down?" Su Yuntao asked, somewhat frustrated.

"You have obtained a completely new way of cultivation, and your cultivation speed will definitely increase. Even if the cultivation speed is slightly slowed down by compressing your soul power, the whole process is equivalent to your soul power becoming more abundant. There is no loss in other aspects, so you have actually gained something, brother."

"Little brother, how do you suggest I further develop this unconventional martial soul true form?"

With Tangshan's unique perspective, Su Yuntao's mood finally calmed down, and he began to ponder the future development direction of this unconventional martial spirit true form.

Su Yuntao waited for a long time but received no response. When he looked up, he saw Tang Shan looking at him with a strange gaze.

Tang Shan also felt rather helpless. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up: "Brother, I am currently just an ordinary Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is still my original Martial Soul. Why would you want me to give suggestions on developing a True Martial Soul?"