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

What merit does this kid possess to deserve such devotion from a deity? Recalling Gu Yue's attitude towards Zhu Zhuyun, Dugu Yan, and Qian Renxue, Golden Crocodile Douluo could only sigh, "Such is fate."

Golden Crocodile Douluo believed that without Gu Yue's existence, it would be impossible to maintain the superficial balance between Zhu Zhuyun, Dugu Yan, and Qian Renxue.

They are all "ordinary people," with similar appearances, and their cultivation speed and strength are no match for Tang Shan's. So why are you able to become so powerful?

Perhaps, a battle of wits was supposed to unfold, but unfortunately, they encountered an opponent who was slightly better than them in appearance and temperament, and whose strength far surpassed theirs, making them an exaggerated opponent on par with Tang Shan.

If they were really this aggressive towards their own kind, Tangshan might have been lured away by Gu Yue all by herself.

As his thoughts wandered, a chill suddenly ran through Golden Crocodile Douluo's heart: Could Gu Yue's dazzling appearance also be intentional, just to maintain a superficial balance of power and not put Tang Shan in a difficult position? If that were the case, then her scheming was truly too deep.

Gu Yue, who was busy gathering soul bones for Tangshan, was completely unaware that her reputation had been damaged.

She wasn't scheming at all. She just didn't understand at first and didn't care. Later, when she realized she was too deeply involved, she couldn't bear to regret it and hurt anyone.

Tang Shan looked at Gu Yue, his eyes softening: Whoever you are, thank you for bringing me to Douluo Continent, thank you for letting me meet her.

The ball of light in Gu Yue's hand writhed slightly, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth surged even more violently, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, pouring towards the dazzling ball of light.

"I had some doubts before. Logically speaking, soul bones are formed from the soul cores of soul beasts. Why can't artificially formed soul core prototypes be absorbed by the human body? I only recently realized that the soul beast itself is the most likely source of the influence."

"For a Soul Master, a Soul Beast's Soul Core is a Soul Bone, but for a Soul Beast, its own Soul Core is just a Soul Core; it can never transform into a Soul Bone." Gu Yue's clear voice rang in Tang Shan's ears. Tang Shan listened intently, not wanting to miss a single word.

"Similarly, if the soul core is formed by the soul master's own soul power, no matter how much it is condensed, it will never become an artificial soul bone. What if it is formed by pure heaven and earth energy? Could we use this to create an artificial soul bone?"

The light emitted by the orb gradually diminished, and its shape began to distort, slowly transforming into the form of an arm.

"Gu Yue, you succeeded!" Tang Shan sent a message through his mental energy, his emotions quite complex.

Gu Yue didn't notice Tang Shan's unusual emotions. She looked at the left arm bone that was about to condense with satisfaction and replied naturally through telepathy, "That's natural. Don't look at who I am. I am the Lord of Soul Beasts, the half-body of the Dragon God, the inheritor of..." She subconsciously continued, but when she mentioned a certain abstract identity, the girl swallowed the rest of her words.

All I can say is that Gu Yue couldn't inherit any of the Dragon God's "astounding wisdom." There's nothing I can do; it's just too abstract and inconceivable.

"This self-formed soul bone can directly increase your lifespan by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Do you want to absorb it? If not, I'll dissipate this spiritual energy." Gu Yue forcibly changed the subject, blinking her big, bright silver eyes as she looked at Tang Shan.

"Okay." Tang Shan agreed readily, without the slightest hesitation. He trusted Gu Yue.

"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, I'm going to absorb this soul bone formed from the primordial energy of heaven and earth later." Since he had made up his mind, there was no point in hiding it, so Tang Shan said to the Golden Crocodile Douluo beside him.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was somewhat surprised: "Have you thought this through? With your strength, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King we encountered could easily be transformed into your soul bone. Why bother trying this artificial soul bone?"

Tang Shan knew that Golden Crocodile Douluo meant well. After all, soul bones are related to the future of soul masters in a certain sense. Even without considering the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, with the Spirit Hall's resources, equipping him with a complete set of 100,000-year soul bones would definitely not be a problem.

However, for Tangshan at this time, the significance of artificial soul bones was not so simple.

It represents not only the possibility of unlimited growth, but also whether the relationship between humans and soul beasts can be changed.

Tangshan is unsure whether the future can withstand the temporal turbulence. If it cannot, the God Realm will be swept away sooner or later. Before that happens, the relationship between soul beasts and humans must be changed, otherwise how can it be worthy of Gu Yue's selfless dedication?

The benefits one can obtain from a soul beast are nothing more than soul rings and soul bones. As for the soul beast's physical body, there are plenty of ways to compensate for that, so it's not important at all.

A Soul Master needs a Soul Ring to break through his cultivation level, and Soul Bones are rare treasures. Even if he were to forcibly intervene in his future ascension to godhood, it would be difficult to quell the greed in everyone's hearts.

Unless spirit rings and spirit bones originate from sources other than spirit beasts, it is impossible to change the inevitable antagonism between spirit beasts and humans; only if spirit rings and spirit bones from other sources can have effects far exceeding those from spirit beasts, can the relationship between the two races be truly changed.

"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, don't forget, Gu Yue is a god. Since a god can bestow a divine soul ring, why can't he bestow a divine soul bone?" Tang Shan's words became the final blow. Golden Crocodile Douluo hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.

In fact, Tang Shan wouldn't act rashly. Don't forget, his third soul skill, Purple Crystal Origin, has a powerful regenerative effect. If something goes wrong with the artificial soul bone, he can simply cut off that arm and have it grow back.

Of course, this was mainly to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. Tangshan still had great faith in Gu Yue's skills, after all, his past cultivation level was undeniable.

The ball of light shifted slightly, and before the last rays of light faded, something thicker than a normal person's arm, surrounded by rich spiritual energy, and resembling the bone of a human left arm, appeared in Gu Yue's hand.

With her mental strength barely maintaining the stability of her soul bone, Gu Yue teleported to Tang Shan's side. Tang Shan was prepared; he sat down cross-legged on the spot and brought himself to his peak condition.

"The fusion of this artificial soul bone should be painless, but the energy is exceptionally abundant. In terms of age, it should be comparable to a typical soul bone that is three or four hundred thousand years old. However, it does not contain any soul skills, which you will need to inscribe yourself." Gu Yue instructed Tang Shan on the key points of absorbing the soul bone, and Tang Shan listened attentively.

"Start absorbing. Don't worry, I'm here. I'll make sure you're alright." Gu Yue blinked and handed the artificial soul bone in her hand to Tang Shan.

Tang Shan raised his hand, his left palm touching it, but he didn't feel the solidity of touching a physical object. With a slight pull of his quasi-god level soul power, the artificial left arm bone, which appeared as light, turned into a stream of light and flowed into his left arm.

As the soul bone absorption began, Tang Shan's quasi-divine soul power accelerated its operation, rapidly refining the vast天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) surging into his left arm bone. As he refined it, Tang Shan quickly noticed the difference.

Theoretically speaking, once the primordial energy of heaven and earth is refined into soul power, it will naturally become part of Tang Shan's soul power and enter his soul power cycle.

However, after refining the primordial energy of heaven and earth in the soul bone into soul power, things changed. After the soul power was compressed and purified, it did reach the same quasi-god level as Tang Shan's original soul power. However, this newly generated soul power did not merge into Tang Shan's soul power, but returned to the area where the soul bone was located and transformed the corresponding part of the body.

Tangshan Soul Power seems to be a processing plant, which trains the external spiritual energy of heaven and earth into its own soul power and then transfers it into the original soul bone.

It seems that soul bones and soul rings are similar, both possessing certain rules, or rather, the formation of soul bones is also influenced by the rules of heaven and earth.

As thoughts arose in his mind, Tang Shan felt the soul power gradually transforming his body while trying to comprehend the mysteries of artificial soul bones.

However, the effects of soul power on physical transformation have not yet been remarkable. After all, Tang Shan already possesses extraordinary potential. What he lacks now is not potential, but time to tap into it.

Time passed quietly, and as the sun disappeared and the moon rose above the branches, Tang Shan finally successfully absorbed the artificial soul bone.

The amount of soul power within his body has increased to a new level, getting closer and closer to the limit of soul power that Tangshan can accommodate.

When Tang Shan's soul power truly reaches the limit that his physical body can bear, that is the true peak of soul power. Although there will be no transformation, it will still mean that he has cultivated his soul power to the end.

The soul power absorbed in the future can only replenish what is consumed, and will not increase the soul power in the slightest.

Opening his eyes, no unusual phenomena appeared. After all, for Tang Shan at this moment, a soul bone with energy reaching the level of a ferocious beast could not bring him much improvement. At present, the only things that could bring him a huge boost were the rule-based soul skills and the battle armor he was preparing to make.

Gu Yue sat down curiously in front of him, while the other Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall remained, eagerly awaiting Tang Shan's completion of his cultivation.

There was no way around it; the artificial soul bone, with its infinite possibilities, was simply too tempting. If they weren't so unfamiliar with Gu Yue, they would have already begged her to make another one.

As for the uncertainty of artificial soul bones, so what? Regardless of the close relationship between Tang Shan and Gu Yue, and how low the failure rate of Gu Yue's artificial soul bones is, the potential future of artificial soul bones alone is worth the gamble.

After all, there are now two paths to cultivation for Title Douluo. If the path of opening up one's Martial Soul is not feasible, one can take the other path of condensing a Soul Core.

To condense a soul core, a strong physique is a necessary prerequisite, and an infinitely growing soul bone can greatly enhance the physique. Not all Title Douluos come from the Hall of Worship; their physiques have not undergone the nurturing of purer soul power, and they simply cannot withstand the enormous burden that a soul core places on their bodies.

The drawback that condensing a soul core requires a certain level of physical strength was only discovered after arriving on the Sun Moon Continent. After all, besides Tang Shan and his entourage, only the Spirit Hall's enshrined figures knew about the soul core condensation method.

Ahem, sorry, I need to take a day off.

P.S.: Okay, I posted the title of my author's note too early. I overestimated my abilities. As the title says, I'll take a day off, work on the ending, and update tomorrow.

Something unexpected happened.

I'll take three more days off, and then finish it all in one go. I'm really sorry, but please allow me to wrap it up slowly. Don't worry, it won't be abandoned. There aren't many chapters, so you can read it all at once after the book is finished.

Regarding the ending

Today, the author was fully recovered and ready to work hard, but after writing two thousand words, he realized something was wrong.

I initially thought there was a lot of plot to write about, including the protagonist's cultivation and the creation of the battle armor, but in the end, I realized that these were not very meaningful for the invincible protagonist, and it felt like padding the word count.

After careful consideration, the author decided to change the ending plot structure, making the protagonist's cultivation secondary and focusing on the future encounters of our Sea God. Of course, the protagonist's ascension to godhood and entry into the divine realm will definitely happen.

One can only sigh that the platinum theories of these great masters are invincible. The plot and characters are the incense for proving the Dao, and the cultivation system is only an auxiliary tool.

Because the protagonist is already too powerful, there are no longer any conflicts or contradictions for him at this point, and further growth in strength is no longer necessary.

Finally, I will write two thousand words every day from now on, and gradually finish the story.

Lastly, thank you to all the readers and supporters of this book.

Finally, despite its many flaws, the author can confidently say: although the protagonist's strength exceeded expectations later on, at least the author never suppressed the protagonist's growth in power from beginning to end; it was all as expected.

Chapter 567 Development

The enshrined members of the Spirit Hall and Tang Shan need no further explanation. One's physique has been nurtured by spirit power for a long time, and the other is the spirit itself, so naturally there is no difficulty in bearing the burden of a physical body.

Upon arriving at the Sun Moon Continent, Tang Shan condensed his soul core. Salas, Hu Yanzhen, and the two Douluo Chrysanthemum and Ghost were all confidants of the Spirit Hall, so they naturally had the opportunity to learn about the existence of the soul core.

Compared to cultivation methods that require exceptional comprehension and unlock the upper limit of a martial soul through personal enlightenment, these titled Douluo prefer to improve their cultivation by condensing a soul core.

Things progressed relatively smoothly, and the first soul core was easily condensed. However, the second soul core required a strong physique to support it, which became an obstacle to their cultivation progress.

Soul bones can significantly improve physical attributes. A soul bone with unlimited growth potential is equivalent to an opportunity for continuous improvement in physical attributes. How could they not be tempted?

It should be noted that although external soul bones can also grow indefinitely, most of them are not in the core parts of the human body. Unless their lifespan is raised to a very high level, their improvement on the physique is really limited.

His unique soul power rippled within his soul bones, causing his body to transform. Tang Shan carefully sensed it for a moment before standing up again and giving the girl who had been watching him a big hug: "Gu Yue, thank you."

Two blushes instantly rose on Gu Yue's cheeks, after all, there were still quite a few people around.

"Take some time to adjust. I'll help you condense the remaining soul bones later." The girl hurriedly left these words, and the next moment, she used spatial teleportation to disappear without a trace.

In the end, only Tang Shan was left to deal with the impatient inquiries from the group of Spirit Hall Title Douluos.

……

"Your Majesty, the continuous wars have depleted the nation's resources. Should we take a break for a while and wait until we have a good grasp of the territories we currently occupy before launching another attack?"

The palace halls were resplendent in gold and jade, with dragons and phoenixes carved to display their majesty. The young emperor on the throne was even more awe-inspiring, exuding an aura of overwhelming power.

Despite the terrifying aura emanating from Qian Renxue, which combined divine power and imperial might, Ning Fengzhi tentatively spoke.

Ning Fengzhi never expected that his former student would now possess such a terrifying aura. If he hadn't repeatedly confirmed that this was purely the majesty of someone in power, without any trace of soul power mixed in, he would have doubted whether the current Heavenly Dou Emperor was also a top-tier Title Douluo.

"There is no need to stop. The Star Luo territory we currently occupy has not yet reached the limit of what our Heaven Dou Empire can bear. The path of conquest continues forward."

Qian Renxue didn't even glance at Ning Fengzhi, calmly giving instructions to the other ministers. Now that the situation was settled, she no longer needed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's assistance. If they were sensible, they might be able to retain their status as one of the top three sects in the future; if not, destruction would befall them.

"Yes!" The ministers of the Heavenly Dou Empire answered in unison. They had already witnessed the current emperor's ruthless methods during this period, and they would not invite trouble or risk their own lives.

Ning Fengzhi remained calm, and his demeanor did not change even after Qian Renxue refuted him.

However, the spirited and ambitious Ning Fengzhi, who once commanded the country during the reign of Emperor Xueye, is gone forever. Now, Qian Renxue holds the reins of power, and there is no room for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in her power structure.

Perhaps before long, Ning Fengzhi will disappear forever from this deep and vast palace.

……

One wave subsides only for another to rise. The surging waves crashed and washed over the six figures atop the Silver Pillar, leaving them like dead men bound to a gallows, at the mercy of the wind and rain.

The towering waves, like a giant curtain, descended from the sky, striking the body with terrifying force.

"Ah!" Tang San roared to the sky, turning the pain in his body into decibels and desperately venting it out. His companions did the same, either struggling or clenching their teeth. The torment they had suffered had left a huge shadow in their hearts.

"Lord Poseidon, won't this attract the attention of the Sea God?"

In the deep sea, watching the increasingly turbulent waves under Poseidon's control, Little White, the chieftain of the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan, felt somewhat worried.

Poseidon remained calm, his blood-red robe fluttering in the wind: "Don't worry, I'm just giving the successor of the Sea God further training. As long as he can endure this body tempering, his physical qualities will definitely undergo a transformation."

Xiao Bai's lips twitched: "You don't even mention the hidden injuries to your body caused by such intense body training."

With a gentle lift of her jade-like hand, she unleashed her boundless soul power once more, causing a massive surge of seawater to rise and another giant wave to crash against the shore.

Splash!

……