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

Kong Qi: "That's right. It's a pity that there hasn't been any progress for a long time. If you want to learn about soul tools, you should start with carving."

Kong Qi said something, rummaged around in the cabinet, and found a series of square iron blocks covered with densely drawn horizontal lines of varying thicknesses.

"This is a training method I came up with. Carve directly along the trajectory above. It is better for the line thickness to be smaller than the horizontal line than for the carved line to exceed the horizontal line. This is the foundation for carving the soul guide array."

If one cannot even complete this simplest carving, then they are basically ineligible for the path of a Soul Master. It's important to understand that most Soul Guidance Arrays cannot tolerate errors; even a slightly thicker line can render the entire array ineffective.

Tang Shan understood Kong Qi's meaning. It wasn't that even the slightest mistake was unacceptable, but rather that the entire soul guidance array was a whole, and the thickness of the carved lines had to be consistent. If they were inconsistent, it would cause energy conflicts, which could result in the soul guidance core being scrapped or even exploding.

"I'll give it a try first," Tang Shan said, taking the square iron block from Kong Qi's hand. He was confident in his control of strength; carving and copying were just basic operations for him.

Chapter 557 Qi, Blood, and Soul Core

Kong Qi flipped his hand and took out a deep blue carving knife, which he handed to Tang Shan: "This is the carving knife I used when I was young to make level one to five soul tools. It doesn't have any special effects, but it is very stable after soul power is injected into it."

"Thank you." Tang Shan raised his hand to take it, picked up the square iron block with his left hand, held the carving knife in his right hand, and enveloped the iron block with his spiritual power, preparing to start carving.

Kong Qi did not leave immediately. He knew that this simple carving was no challenge for Tang Shan. After all, his cultivation level was there, and once his spiritual power was activated, he would understand every detail.

Taking a deep breath, his mind gradually calmed down. He slightly tightened his grip on the carving knife, channeling his soul power into it. A sharp edge flickered at the tip of the carving knife's blade.

He began carving, the knife plunging into the iron block as easily as a hot knife cutting through butter, encountering no resistance. Tang Shan focused intently, watching the blade penetrate deeper and deeper until its thickness matched that of the red line.

The first cut was successful, and Tangshan remained calm, then began to move.

The blade did not penetrate any further, nor was it lifted even slightly; it simply moved across the square iron block, gradually creating a cut of equal depth and width.

Kong Qi's pupils contracted slightly as he watched Tang Shan's hands gradually speed up. Even when the lines turned, there was no pause or hesitation, as if he had repeated it thousands of times. A perfect knife mark was carved out by him.

With each stroke of the knife, the speed of his hands increased until, in the end, Tang Shan's hands seemed to become a blur, dancing across the square iron block.

Kong Qi did not interrupt, his eyes widened, and Tang Shan gradually slowed down his movements, noticing the perfect engravings that had been hidden by his hand.

The soul power enhanced Kong Qi's dynamic vision, making Tang Shan's actions increasingly clear in his eyes. Looking at the flawless engravings, his mouth gradually opened wide.

Simple carving is indeed not difficult for Soul Masters, but that is only possible with the help of mental power to achieve consistent marks. Once the speed is increased even slightly, and the force exerted by the hand is slightly unstable, the core magic array being carved will collapse.

This is the basic requirement for getting started with soul tools, just like the innate soul power when a soul master awakens their martial soul. You can have a high or low level of innate soul power, but you can't have none.

Tang Shan's martial spirit is special and his strength is formidable. Kong Qi thought that Tang Shan could learn to carve quickly and steadily in seven days at most. However, he never expected that Tang Shan would not even need seven days, let alone one day. On his first try, he went from a novice to a level that was unfathomable.

Such a terrifying carving speed is something that even Kong Qi himself couldn't achieve, let alone other Soul Masters. This wasn't due to a difference in experience, but rather the inherent laziness of the human body.

The essence of soul-guided carving is the control of the carving knife. Humans only have a few muscles that they are used to exert force on. Even if soul power can amplify it, they will get tired after a long time of use. It is almost impossible to carve continuously and stably like Tang Shan, not to mention that the fatigue would accumulate even faster with such rapid carving.

Tangshan's muscles would naturally get tired, but he had already taken over the work of his subconscious mind. In addition, all the muscles in his arms took turns controlling the carving knife, which led to his current outrageous operation.

Iron filings flew and the blades flashed. In just half an hour, the entire cube was covered with thousands of dense engravings.

call!

With a gentle breath, iron filings drifted in the wind. Tang Shan glanced at Kong Qi, who was standing silently to the side, and asked with a light laugh, "How is it?"

Kong Qi took off his glasses, took out a thin cloth and gently wiped the lens. After putting them back on, he uttered only one sentence: "Start learning to carve soul guidance arrays tomorrow." After saying that, he left the laboratory without looking back.

……

The night was as dark as ink, with specks of silver light falling. Zhu Zhuyun nestled in Tang Shan's arms like a cat.

"Zhu Yun, is Zhu Qing asleep?" Tang Shan asked softly, gently stroking the back of the beauty in his arms.

"That's for sure, otherwise how would I have had the chance to come and find my master?" Zhu Zhuyun took a deep breath, greedily inhaling the scent emanating from Tang Shan. A fire was burning within her, but when she thought of the content of her test of lust, the flame in her heart was instantly extinguished.

Tang Shan, of course, was unaware of his rebellious disciple's thoughts. He lifted the girl by the waist with both hands, gently inhaling the fragrance from Zhu Zhuyun's hair, and his mind was calmed.

"Master, my evil fire is rising again, and my evil energy is about to erupt again." After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Zhuyun raised her head, her eyes shimmering with tears, filled with affection.

Tang Shan said helplessly, "Then what do you suggest we do?" He had to swallow the blame for his own actions. After all, if Zhu Zhuyun's bloodline hadn't reverted to its ancestral form and her martial soul hadn't evolved into the alluring type, this side effect wouldn't have occurred.

Zhu Zhuyun remained silent, only staring at Tang Shan's face. Tang Shan was stunned for a moment before reacting. He then tapped the girl's forehead in annoyance: "You unfilial disciple, you are delusional. Don't be so arrogant."

Tiny, wine-red flames burned in Zhu Zhuyun's eyes. She instinctively covered her forehead, her voice hoarse yet filled with pity: "Teacher, please..."

Tangshan had no choice but to bend down. The night was quite restless until dawn when the room finally returned to silence.

……

Days passed by like this. Tang Shan studied the manufacture of soul tools on the Sun and Moon Continent, while Gu Yue explored a large number of soul tool core arrays every day, trying to summarize the method of transforming rules into soul tool arrays. Some of the others were also curious about soul tools and simply studied with Tang Shan, while others were curious about the customs and culture of the Sun and Moon Continent and traveled around.

With the two empires at peace, the entire continent returned to tranquility, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. Border friction between the Sun Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom was reduced to a minimum.

Tang San and the other Shrek Seven Devils also officially began their divine trials. The levels of the divine trials did not change much, except that Yu Tianheng replaced Zhu Zhuqing's Black-level trial in the original timeline.

As for Xiao Wu, whose body and soul were separated, she was also pulled out by the great sea god Poseidon, who stuffed her soul into the body of a rabbit, gave her a divine test, and then separated her again, each returning to its place.

To be honest, the other Shrek Four Monsters had rather strange expressions when they saw this scene. They looked at Tang San, then at Yu Tianheng, and finally at the little rabbit in Yu Tianheng's arms. They really didn't know what to say.

Having been through so many romantic encounters, Dai Mubai had an uncontrollable thought flash through his mind: "Even if my body has betrayed you and gone astray, my heart is still with you, and my soul belongs only to you."

Time passed quietly, until a month later, on this day, Tangshan prepared to condense his second soul core.

After creating the Soul Guidance Device, the Sun and Moon Continent naturally needed to experiment with it, and Tang Shan chose an outdoor laboratory in the Moon Kingdom as the place to condense his second Soul Core.

This is a grassland nearly 10,000 meters long and wide, with countless pits clearly visible. Fortunately, the soul guide device cannot affect the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for long, and it does not have much impact on Tang Shan's condensation of the soul core.

Today, all the titled Douluo who have come to the Sun and Moon Continent have gathered here to see how Tang Shan will condense his second soul core.

During this period of cultivation, Tang Shan's soul power level successfully increased to level 97. After the soul core is condensed, it will be no problem to directly reach level 98. With just a little stabilization, he can condense the third soul core, become the Ultimate Douluo, and at the same time, his combat power will soar to the level of a quasi-god.

"Is it appropriate for us to watch your continent's secret cultivation methods?" Kong Qi hesitated for a moment, glanced at Tang Shan sitting cross-legged in the experimental field, and then turned to ask Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"Don't worry, his judgment is sound. You have passed his test." It wasn't Golden Crocodile Douluo who answered Kong Qi's question, but Gu Yue, who was playing with a soul tool in her hand.

"He passed the test, does that mean Xu Tianlong didn't?" Seeing that Golden Crocodile Douluo did not refute Gu Yue's words, Kong Qi fell into deep thought. Soon, he realized the deeper meaning in the words of the beautiful silver-haired girl in front of him.

"Of course it didn't pass, but it's not unexpected. After all, few people can recognize the facts in a short time." Kong Qi's lips twitched. He felt mocked, but had no evidence. However, he had also gleaned some information from Gu Yue. Xu Tianlong might have made some underhanded moves, or he might not, but he still harbored some malice towards the group in front of him.

Putting Xu Tianlong's matter out of his mind, Kong Qi became curious about how Tang Shan tested or judged him. Was it a special soul tool or some kind of martial soul ability or soul skill?

Before he could explore the pores further, the commotion in Tangshan completely drew his attention.

When Tang Shan condensed his second soul core, he chose the same-position resonance method. Perhaps in terms of power, it is not as good as the yin-yang complementary soul core condensation method in the short term, but once his third soul core is condensed, the specific effects of the two soul core condensation methods will be comparable under the same-position resonance effect.

The first soul core is in the mind, which is the spiritual soul core. Following the order from difficult to easy, the second soul core is condensed in the chest, which is the blood and qi soul core.

The human body has three dantians: upper, middle, and lower, which correspond to three soul cores. The location where Tangshan's qi, blood, and soul core condensed this time was the middle dantian.

Tang Shan mobilized the burgeoning soul power contained within his spiritual core, which gathered in the palm of his left hand, quietly forming a golden vortex. The primordial energy of heaven and earth, drawn by the vortex, began to rapidly converge.

One meter, ten meters, one hundred meters...

Within minutes, the vortex's suction force reached over 10,000 meters, its momentum even greater than when the soul core was first condensed. Endless天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) gathered in the palm of the hand, and the soul power vortex solidified rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Feeling the ever-increasing and increasingly terrifying energy in Tang Shan's hand, Kong Qi's mouth involuntarily opened wide. If such energy were not handled carefully, it could very likely trigger an explosion that surpassed that of a level seven fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell.

Are all the people in Douluo Continent this fierce? To stuff such a terrifying energy source into their bodies, this is simply...

Kong Qi was unable to describe his feelings at this moment. Feeling the surging torrent of energy, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind—if this state of soul power were put into fixed-mounted soul-guided shells, would that be the future development path for level eight or even level nine fixed-mounted soul-guided shells?

Tang Shan had no idea what a bold idea Kong Qi, the first level nine soul master on the Sun Moon Continent, had after witnessing him condense his soul core. If a soul core or a similar energy source were to be installed on a fixed-position soul-guided cannon, it wouldn't just be a matter of level eight or nine fixed-position soul-guided cannons, but something very special...

Putting aside other things, a soul core can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth infinitely within the range that a soul master's body can bear, thereby increasing the soul master's cultivation. What if this effect were applied to a fixed-mounted soul-guided cannonball? You should know that in order to avoid accidental detonation of fixed-mounted soul-guided cannonballs due to bumps, their outer shells are extremely hard, far exceeding the physical body of a titled Douluo.

Its power increases over time, and its growth is virtually limitless. Perhaps the God-Devouring Soul-Guided Cannon, which will be available 20,000 years from now, will be released ahead of schedule.

Tang Shan felt the expanding vortex of soul power on his left palm and was quite satisfied. Without further hesitation, he activated his heartbeat, which stimulated his blood and qi throughout his body, and then transported it along his left arm to the soul core in his left palm.

Qi and blood are the source of life. If it were Tang Shan's previous life, if his qi and blood were depleted, he would die instantly. But Douluo Continent is different. Soul power can become the energy source to maintain the human body for a short period of time.

As his vital energy and blood drained away, Tang Shan's face gradually turned pale. Even though his soul power was still abundant, his body still felt cold, and his strength seemed to be waning.

His once rosy and healthy complexion gradually turned ashen, and an indescribable weariness appeared between his brows.

As the blood and qi flowed in, a faint crimson hue appeared within the nascent soul core, and the temperature around the soul power vortex began to rise.

Under the precise control of Tangshan's spiritual power, soul power and blood energy began to merge perfectly, becoming inseparable. Soul power nourished blood energy, making it stronger, while blood energy activated soul power, making it full of spirituality.

Like a tidal wave, the primordial energy of heaven and earth surged wildly into the nascent soul core in Tang Shan's hand. The primordial energy from even further away continuously replenished the deficit, causing the soul core to never cease absorbing energy.

No one knew how much time had passed, and no one cared about the matter. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the blood and spirit core that was about to take shape in Tang Shan's hand, unwilling to miss any small changes.

hum!

The slight tremor seemed to travel directly to the soul, and even those watching from a distance could hear it clearly.

The Qi and Blood Soul Core slowly reduced its absorption of the primordial energy of heaven and earth. It had already condensed and was just waiting to return to Tang Shan's body.

Despite his extremely weak physical body, Tang Shan's pupils were exceptionally bright when he opened his eyes. The spiritual core in his mind kept his thoughts clear as he condensed his second soul core. Even though his body was quite weak, it did not affect his exquisite and precise control over his blood and soul power.

"Collect!" Tang Shan shouted softly, and the spherical soul core with a touch of blood inside was directly absorbed into Tang Shan's middle dantian. The accumulated soul power and blood qi within it erupted almost simultaneously, surging through his limbs and bones, washing over Tang Shan's entire body.

Thump, thump!

The heart, which had been somewhat weak and exhausted due to the massive consumption of qi and blood, suddenly contracted as if it had taken some kind of powerful tonic, and a clear beating sound came from Tangshan's chest.

The soul power of an even higher quality washed over Tang Shan's entire body. Every cell almost greedily absorbed the soul power, and his physical foundation and potential grew further. It was hard to imagine how strong Tang Shan would be if he really explored all the potential of his body.

Chapter 558 Favoritism and the Method of Becoming a God

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of the heartbeat can be clearly heard; it is like the body's energy center, transporting blood throughout the body.

The surge in Qi and blood further improved the quality of blood in Tangshan, allowing it to reach all parts of the body and nourish the skin, muscles, and bones.

Of course, the increase in strength is relatively small. The biggest improvement of this second soul core is the potential inherent in Tang Shan's physical body. This potential needs to be explored and developed to be released.

His blood and qi surged, and the air around him subtly distorted, with waves of heat spreading outwards from Tang Shan's body.

The increasingly refined soul power surged through Tang Shan's meridians. The spiritual soul core and the blood and qi soul core rotated in the same direction, rapidly absorbing the primordial energy between heaven and earth. Then, they were refined by the rapidly rotating vortex of soul power and became part of his cultivation.

Level 98! This was the answer Tang Shan obtained after careful observation. Even without condensing a third soul core, he was confident that he could break through the limit bottleneck by simply accumulating soul power. However, now that he had accumulated enough, there was no need to put the cart before the horse.

My current soul power accumulation is sufficient. I only need to wait until my blood and soul core are completely stable before I can condense the third soul core. I just don't know how high my soul power quality will be elevated at that time.

The so-called ultimate level of soul power purity is an achievement unique to the cultivation methods of Title Douluo in the Douluo era. Reaching this level of soul power means that you do not need to condense a soul core, nor will you encounter any bottlenecks. With the accumulation of soul power over time, you can naturally cultivate to the level of Ultimate Douluo.

However, if a soul core is further condensed on the basis of the ultimate level of soul power, the quality of the soul power will be further improved, since the key point of the soul core is compression and purification.

The cultivation of Title Douluos in the Douluo Continent era can be seen as refining water into pure water, or even a more refined state. The cultivation of condensing soul cores can be seen as transforming them from a liquid state to a solid state, or even a more advanced state.

The two have a priority, but no superiority or inferiority. If one cultivates the cultivation method of the Douyi era to its limit before condensing the soul core, it can actually achieve a result greater than the sum of its parts.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, but Tang Shan calmed himself down and mobilized his soul power to permeate his entire body, leaving no corner untouched.

Sunrise and sunset, moonset and sunrise, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed. Tang Shan gradually emerged from his meditative state, opened his eyes, his spirit clear and composed, his gaze gentle as warm jade.

Without a trace of pressure, Tang Shan's gaze swept over the crowd at the edge of the testing ground, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Everyone, the second soul core has been successfully condensed. Everything went smoothly."