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

"It seems that's really the case." Su Yuntao was a little embarrassed. From childhood to adulthood, Tang Shan's theoretical attainments had left a very deep impression on him. He subconsciously felt that Tang Shan was at least very knowledgeable in theory, if not omniscient.

Now, by chance, he has comprehended an alternative version of the Martial Soul True Form, and subconsciously asked an "ordinary Soul Master" about it. Upon closer reflection, this is indeed somewhat inappropriate.

“My understanding of Martial Soul True Form is not yet in-depth, and I probably won’t be researching it in that direction anytime soon. Actually, you shouldn’t rush into developing it, just focus on making the most of its original effects. What I can do for you is to let you enter that alternative Martial Soul True Form state a few more times, so that you can release it actively even without pressure in the future.”

Tang Shan could only offer this advice, after all, he was still just a Soul Master at the moment, and he really felt at a loss when faced with an ability at the level of Martial Soul True Body.

"Okay, let's continue." Su Yuntao didn't have many other good qualities, but he was very obedient.

He knew very well that even Tang Shan couldn't find a direction for developing alternative martial soul true forms in a short period of time, let alone him, an ordinary great soul master.

Instead of getting bogged down in theoretical details, it would be better to follow Tang Shan's advice and enter the alternate martial soul true form state multiple times, striving to gain control over this state.

Two spirit rings slowly appeared beneath his feet, and wolf-like features reappeared on Su Yuntao's body, while Tang Shan's muscles bulged rapidly, and his entire body quickly expanded and grew taller.

"Big brother, let's go all out. We were so focused on testing you earlier that we haven't yet determined your true strength after your combat instincts and experience have increased dramatically."

As he spoke, Tang Shan subconsciously clenched his fist, his carrot-thick fingers tightening one by one, revealing the dark blue veins, as if he were a giant hammer capable of forging heaven and earth, full of power.

"Then let's fight with all our might!" Su Yuntao bowed slightly, poised to strike, like a hungry wolf ready to devour its prey, yet his eyes were surprisingly calm.

Is it a great demon transforming into a human, or a wicked tyrant attaining Buddhahood...?

Clang! Clang!

The hammer fell one blow after another, and the volume of the metal on the forging table was shrinking at a visible rate.

call!

Tie Zhong let out a long sigh of relief, put down the forging hammer in his hand, and his face was full of undisguised joy.

"Master Tie, what skill!" Tang Shan, who was watching from the sidelines, exclaimed in genuine admiration. In just a few days, Tie Zhong had made further progress in metal refining. Even if it was the result of years of accumulated experience, it was enough to show his exceptional forging talent.

It's important to understand that the further you go in metal purification, the more difficult it becomes. It's like going from zero to 80 points is relatively easy, but advancing from 80 to 90 or even aiming for 100 points requires a dramatic increase in technical skill with each step. Otherwise, the path to mastering metal purification would have been figured out long ago.

"Master Tie is indeed extraordinary. He has made such amazing progress in metal refining in just a few days. In my opinion, he is definitely a master craftsman."

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Although Tie Zhong appeared modest, the smile on his face said it all. Who doesn't like to hear compliments?

"It's mainly because Tangshan pointed out the right direction that I was able to delve into the research without any worries." As the saying goes, people help each other out, and Tie Zhong was not as simple-minded as he seemed on the surface. He took the opportunity to flatter Tangshan.

Tang Shan smiled and said nothing more. He knew very well that before the actual results were in, the so-called correct direction was just empty talk; only by achieving results could it be called the correct direction. Even if he was working backward from the future results, he couldn't guarantee that this path was 100% correct, and Tie Zhong's efforts and contributions were absolutely indelible.

"Tangshan, are you leaving?" Tie Zhong asked with a hint of regret, recalling the discussions and exchanges about forging over the past few days.

“That’s right. I’ve been in Star City for eight or nine days now, and if nothing unexpected happens, I should be leaving tomorrow,” Tang Shan nodded in response.

"Um..." Tie Zhong's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he hesitated to speak.

"Master Tie, please speak frankly." Tang Shan saw through Tie Zhong's embarrassment at a glance and took the initiative to ask.

"I just wanted to ask if I could share this forging technique with my senior brother? He could participate in the research and perhaps make progress faster, especially since my senior brother is a Soul Master. Tangshan, we are willing to pay the corresponding fees."

“Master Tie, you developed this forging method yourself. I only offered some suggestions. You can pass it on to whomever you want without paying any fees. I just hope that if there are any further breakthroughs in this forging method in the future, Master Tie will be willing to share your knowledge.”

Tang Shan agreed without hesitation. In the end, this was merely an advancement in metal refining at the hundred-stage level, nothing to hide. Even if they could truly achieve a thousand-stage refining level, its impact on the overall situation on the continent would ultimately be limited.

Just like his theory of the second ring of the millennium, even if more top-tier soul masters are born because of his theory in the future, that will be a long time from now. The situation of the entire continent will undergo earth-shattering changes in the next few decades. Who could have imagined that in less than thirty years, three gods and four divine positions would be born on the entire continent?

Moreover, as he said, this forging method was the result of Tie Zhong's dedicated research. He was not so shameless as to claim the greatest contribution to the final result simply by proposing a direction.

He was a master, but ultimately not a "master"; he couldn't seize the core information of other forces and turn it into his own achievement.

"Of course, no problem!" Tie Zhong readily agreed upon receiving Tang Shan's consent. In Tang Shan's view, he had merely provided a direction and was not worthy of independently controlling the method for further refining the metal, but in Tie Zhong's eyes, Tang Shan fully deserved this recognition.

In the past few days, Tang Shan has fully demonstrated his forging talent. In Tie Zhong's opinion, even without him, Tang Shan's forging skills alone would surely allow him to make a breakthrough in metal purification within a year at most.

"By the way, Master Tie, who is your senior brother?" Tang Shan was a little curious. In his opinion, Tie Zhong's forging skills were already quite superb. What kind of achievements would his senior brother have in the field of forging?

Tie Zhong subconsciously glanced around, as if wary of someone eavesdropping, before lowering his voice and saying, "Tang Shan, I'm telling you who my senior brother is, but you mustn't go around spreading it."

Tang Shan's expression turned serious, and a sense of gravity settled in his heart. Could it be that Tie Zhong's senior brother had a very special identity?

"My senior brother is Tie Long."

Tang Shan blinked. The name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

After a moment's thought, Tang Shan's expression turned somewhat strange. He asked with a hint of surprise, "Could it be the owner of Tielong Blacksmith Shop?"

Tie Zhong nodded honestly: "He's not only my senior brother, but also my distant cousin."

Tang Shan suddenly fell silent, finally remembering where he had heard the name before. Firstly, the black and gold armor crafted by Ning Fengzhi seemed to have been made at the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop; secondly, he had heard of the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop's reputation when he wanted to learn forging.

Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop should be the best blacksmith shop in Star City, but it is rumored that Iron Dragon is very greedy and often maliciously raises prices. If he were not a Soul King, he would probably have been dealt with long ago.

Later, the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop came into being. Judging from its name alone, it seemed to be specifically designed to compete with the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop. Whenever the latter maliciously raised prices, the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop would sell weapons and armor at even lower prices. Although the quality was slightly inferior, it was more affordable and thus very popular with others.

Previously, some people worried that Tie Zhong was not a Soul Master and that his blacksmith shop might be suppressed by Tie Long, but in the end, the two sides had almost no direct conflict except for business competition.

Many people speculate that Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop may be backed by a powerful force, or even that some major power has specially put it out to compete with Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop in order to force the latter to lower its prices.

After all, Tielong's forging technology was indeed superb, but the price was too high. People were unwilling to spend more money unnecessarily, which is why Tiezhong Blacksmith Shop was able to gain a foothold.

Chapter 42: Favors and Obligations in Douluo Continent, Su Yuntao's Counterattack Against the Soul Master

"The forces behind the so-called Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop."

Tang Shan felt a bit curious.

“There are indeed forces behind it.”

Tie Zhong's expression was somewhat strange.

"My senior brother and I originally planned to make more money from those wealthy nobles. As for furniture and farm tools, we wouldn't arbitrarily raise prices. We would compete with each other; he would maliciously inflate prices, while I would suppress them and then gradually raise the real prices. But we never expected..."

Tie Zhong didn't say what came next, but Tang Shan already understood.

The two brothers originally intended to put on a show together, but they did not expect that the powerful forces would be driven to desperation and actually support the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop to compete with the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop.

With this backing, the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop had a powerful backer, the Iron Dragon brothers achieved their goal of slowly raising prices, and the other forces successfully curbed the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop's malicious price gouging. It was a win-win-win situation, a complete disaster.

"Those major powers didn't resort to other means?"

Tang Shan found it hard to believe that the kind-hearted person who came to the blacksmith's shop to buy weapons and armor could be so innocent.

Iron Bell gently shook his head.

"There are definitely other methods to target my senior brother, the key is whether they are worthwhile. Don't be fooled by how much we earn, for those forces that purchase armor and weapons, this amount of money, even if it's not a drop in the ocean, is definitely not much either."

My senior brother is, after all, a Soul King. As long as we can bring the price down, there's no need to resort to underhanded tactics. After all, compared to those gold soul coins, the forces behind us value face more.

My senior brother maliciously inflated the price, essentially treating them like suckers. If the price eventually drops, it's like giving them face, and then everything will be negotiable.

Tangshan couldn't help but lament the realities of the world.

As Tie Zhong said, Gold Soul Coins are just a string of numbers to truly powerful forces; what they value more is face, or so-called prestige.

Furthermore, given Tielong's own strength, there's really no need to resort to underhanded tactics when there are more reliable ways to solve the problem.

Otherwise, if the cleanup isn't done properly, forces like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or the powerful nobles of Heavenly Dou City could go to great lengths to target a blacksmith shop owner. If that kind of reputation spreads, even if the shop owner is at fault, the damage to their own reputation would still be immeasurable.

The mere statement, "With such immense power, targeting a small business owner is far too petty," was enough to give them a run for their money.

"Master Tie, I'll be going now."

Ignoring the traps set by the Tie Long and Tie Zhong brothers for those important figures, Tang Shan exchanged forging tips with Tie Zhong before getting up and leaving.

"it is good."

Watching the young man's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Tie Zhong's eyes held a hint of melancholy. Tangshan, may you continue your journey on the path of forging.

As Tang Shan walked out of the blacksmith's shop, he looked back at the plaque above his head and felt a touch of emotion.

You meet and interact with all sorts of people, and then go your separate ways—it's all so real, and so profound.

This is the Douluo Continent, and I am currently on this Douluo Continent.

……

"Is everything packed?"

Su Haichao walked out of the room and looked at Tang Shan standing at the door.

Tang Shan nodded: "The living supplies have been prepared and are all in my storage ring."

"Alright, let's go watch your older brother's last battle and see if he can really defeat a Soul Master."

"As long as the opponent is not a standard Soul Master with a Soul Ring configuration, and is not a Soul Master with exceptionally rich combat experience, there is basically no possibility of defeat."

Tang Shan still had considerable confidence in Su Yuntao. After all, in the past few days, through sparring and fighting with him, Su Yuntao had basically mastered the method of entering the "Martial Soul Fusion" state.

The term "alternative martial soul true form" doesn't sound particularly impressive. Su Yuntao felt that this state was a fusion of the martial soul's combat experience with his own, so he simply called this special state "martial soul fusion".

"But he participated in a one-on-two Soul Battle a few days ago and lost two matches."

Su Haichao clearly did not agree with Tang Shan's point of view, but the smile on his face undoubtedly showed that he was extremely satisfied with Su Yuntao's achievements in the Great Soul Arena.

"That's purely a matter of luck."

Tang Shan recalled Su Yuntao's few defeats and couldn't help but sigh at how unlucky Su Yuntao was.

The first defeat was the day before yesterday. At that time, Su Yuntao had just fully mastered the "Martial Soul Fusion" state and was in high spirits, but he was unexpectedly hit hard.

His opponents were twins, whose martial spirits were a lion and a tiger, respectively.

Brother Tao originally wanted to stage a scene of "the beast king takes turns, today it's my turn," and the early development of the battle was just as he expected. With his martial soul fusion state, he suppressed two great soul masters by himself.

But who would have thought that just as one of them was about to be eliminated, the two brothers charged at each other.

Before Su Yuntao could react, a complete Martial Soul Fusion Technique was launched directly at him.

Both are Great Soul Masters, but the opponent uses a Soul Fusion Skill to counter one's Soul Fusion, so it's really impossible to win.

Thus, Su Yuntao's first defeat in a battle of spirits was born.

The second defeat was yesterday. If the defeat the day before yesterday was due to bad luck and encountering a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, then Su Yuntao seriously suspected that his second defeat was definitely a setup.

Just how unlucky do you have to be to encounter two Soul Masters with full yellow Soul Ring configurations in three consecutive matches at the Great Soul Arena?

Even if soul power can be restored, physical strength, mental strength, and the mental energy consumed when dealing with opponents are not so easy to recover.

Despite his powerful thousand-year soul rings and rich combat experience gained from the fusion of his martial soul, Su Yuntao was ultimately defeated after battling six Great Soul Masters with standard soul ring configurations.

"Surely we won't encounter a Soul Master with a standard Soul Ring configuration again this time, right? If we do, Dad, I suggest we let Big Brother go to Heaven Dou City by himself. With this kind of luck, who knows what kind of trouble we might encounter on the way if we go with Big Brother?"

Tang Shan couldn't help but complain about Su Yuntao's terrible luck these past two days. It was hard to imagine that he would encounter such a series of troublesome opponents.

Upon arriving at the Great Soul Arena, I greeted Elder Xuan at the entrance; the match had not yet begun.