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

"Thank you both, young men!"

The old man happily accepted the money. Xue Qinghe coughed twice and looked at Tang Shan: "Tang Shan, you are quite thoughtful."

As she spoke, she shoved a piping hot meat pie into Tang Shan's hand, then turned and ran quickly toward the carriage.

Tang Shan watched Xue Qinghe's retreating figure and saw that she had also given the Serpent Spear Douluo a meat pie. He couldn't help but smile and slowly walked towards the carriage.

Once back in the car, Tang Shan glanced at Xue Qinghe with a playful look: "Your Highness, perhaps you should bring more copper and silver soul coins when you go out in the future?"

Xue Qinghe had regained his composure by now and retorted crisply, "I don't think you took out any copper soul coins just now, did you?"

Tang Shan's playful expression faltered for a moment. He quickly pretended not to hear and turned to look out of the car, as if something new and interesting had captured his full attention.

Serpent Spear Douluo drove the carriage, his smile impossible to hide. He took a bite of the fragrant meat pie and was filled with emotion: Ever since the young master met Tang Shan, he has become much more lively and is no longer the cold and aloof person he usually pretends to be.

You should know that no one knows better than Xue Qinghe and the Porcupine Douluo how cold and aloof he is when no one else is around. He spends all his time either studying government affairs or burying himself in cultivation. He rarely goes out to stroll around the city at night. When he was in Tiandou City, apart from the necessary social interactions to maintain his persona, he almost always stayed in the First Prince's residence and never came out.

These two titled Douluo were nominally Xue Qinghe's subordinates, but in reality, they were more like elders. They had watched her grow up little by little and couldn't bear to see her close herself off.

The arrival of Tangshan seemed to break down that barrier, and Xue Qinghe's usually gentle smile finally showed a touch of genuine warmth...

The lights of Ironwall City flickered, the carriage went further and further away, and amidst the interplay of light and shadow, three figures slowly blended into the bustling crowd, completely merging into the city's night and fireworks.

P.S.: I'd like to ask everyone to come up with a name for Tangshan's physical cultivation method. We can't exactly call it "National Martial Arts" in Douluo Continent, can we? Finally, please favorite, follow, and subscribe. Thank you all!

Chapter 81 Leaving Ironwall City, Puxin's Second Prince

"Father, please take good care of yourself here. My elder brother and I will be leaving now."

Tang Shan waved to Su Haichao, who had escorted the two brothers to the hotel entrance.

"Go ahead, I'll be fine here by myself. You all just focus on your cultivation."

Looking at his two tall and heroic sons, Su Haichao was filled with endless emotions.

"Goodbye, Father."

Su Yuntao stepped forward and gave Su Haichao a big hug. Then the two brothers did not hesitate and turned to board the magnificent carriage.

Xue Qinghe leaned out of the carriage, smiled and waved to Su Haichao. Only then did the Serpent Spear Douluo crack his whip and drive the carriage slowly forward.

As Tang Shan sat in the carriage, he let out a long sigh of relief. He could foresee that he would be separated from Su Haichao for a long time to come.

Turning to look at Su Yuntao beside him, Tang Shan gradually calmed down: Once they arrived in Tiandou City, his elder brother would probably be traveling the continent, and he would probably have to rely on himself from now on.

"Tangshan, tell me about your physical cultivation methods."

Xue Qinghe sat down opposite Tang Shan, staring intently at him, clearly very curious.

I almost forgot, once we arrive in Tiandou City, the only person we can rely on isn't ourselves, but this powerful figure right in front of us.

Faced with the request from his future patron, Tang Shan naturally wouldn't refuse. He cleared his throat and spoke with a serious expression.

“Your Highness, this special cultivation method was created by my master. Although he did not say that it was forbidden to pass it on to outsiders, he also did not say that it should be made public to the whole continent. Therefore, I can teach it to you privately, and you can also pass it on to your confidants, but it cannot be spread on a large scale.”

"Okay, I'll let you know in advance if I'm going to pass this on to my confidants."

Seeing Tang Shan's serious attitude, Xue Qinghe also sat up straight and responded solemnly.

At this moment, the carriage gradually slowed down, and the Serpent Spear Douluo's voice came from ahead: "Your Highness, Hong Zhen has come especially to see you off, as you see..."

"Okay, I'll go down and take a look."

Xue Qinghe answered loudly, then looked at Tang Shan and said helplessly, "Tell me when I get back. I'm going to check on the situation outside."

"OK then."

After watching Xue Qinghe get off the car, Tang Shan curiously lifted the shutter and peered out.

Before anyone knew it, squads of soldiers, dressed in fine armor, with impeccable military bearing and orderly ranks, had surrounded Xue Qinghe's carriage in the center. These soldiers were all tall and strong, exuding an aura of fierce courage.

Is this the royal guard that only the Emperor of Tiandou can control?

Tang Shan looked around curiously, then turned his gaze to the front of the convoy. There he saw Hong Zhen, whom he had met in the military camp before, leading a group of generals to greet Xue Qinghe. The group then exchanged pleasantries.

After watching for about five or six minutes, Tang Shan lost interest. Sure enough, cultivation was more comforting. These kinds of negotiations and political matters were ultimately a bit of a torment for him.

As Tang Shan pondered, he suddenly realized that the powerful figure he was currently relying on wasn't particularly dedicated to cultivation. This wouldn't do; how could he slack off on his cultivation? What if he couldn't become a god in the future and still needed her to help him achieve immortality?

Tang Shan made up his mind to urge this angelic young lady to cultivate more in the future. At this moment, Xue Qinghe, who was communicating with Hong Zhen, suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if he was being watched by something, and couldn't help but shiver.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Hong Zhen's senses were extremely sharp, and he immediately noticed Xue Qinghe's unusual behavior, asking her with concern.

"It's nothing, I probably just didn't get enough rest last night."

Thinking back to last night when almost all the shops in Iron Wall City were closed, that carefree feeling brought a warm current to Xue Qinghe's heart, slowly spreading to every part of his body.

"Your Highness should take better care of your health; there's no need to be so eager for quick success."

Hong Zhen assumed that Xue Qinghe was staying up late to study or write a report to Emperor Xue Ye, so he casually offered a few words of advice, and then lowered his voice to say, "I'll leave that matter to Your Highness."

Xue Qinghe nodded gently, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, she boarded the carriage again.

"May I ask, Your Highness, what level is your innate soul power?"

Upon hearing Tang Shan's question after boarding the carriage, Xue Qinghe's heart skipped a beat. He was puzzled as to why Tang Shan had suddenly asked this question. Remembering that he had previously told Tang Shan that his talent for cultivation was average, he quickly gave an answer.

"My martial soul is a swan, with innate soul power at level two. I can only say that my talent is mediocre, and I have virtually no hope of reaching the Soul Master realm in this lifetime."

I also had to study the art of governance and the etiquette of royalty, leaving me with very little free time, so I gave up cultivation a long time ago.

Goodness, calling level 20 level 2, what a clever way to hide it.

Tang Shan inwardly complained, but outwardly began to persuade: "Your Highness, it's best to continue cultivating if you can. Soul power can maintain your physical condition and reduce the possibility of getting sick. Although you only have level two soul power, with more effort, you should have no problem cultivating to the level of a Great Soul Master. Moreover, Your Highness also has the Swan Martial Soul, which allows you to fly. In case of an emergency, you can escape by flying. After all, the probability of someone who poses a danger to Your Highness is not high."

"That seems to make sense." Xue Qinghe appeared thoughtful on the surface, but in reality, she didn't care. She didn't have a swan martial soul at all; she clearly had a divine martial soul, the six-winged angel, with innate level 20 full soul power. Cultivation was an easy thing for her. Compared to cultivation, it was more important to gradually gain control of the Heavenly Battle.

Seeing Xue Qinghe's indifferent reaction to his words, Tang Shan felt helpless. It seemed there was still a long way to go to change this angelic young lady's attitude towards cultivation. He didn't want Xue Qinghe to completely abandon her plans and return to the Spirit Hall to focus on cultivation, otherwise his powerful backer would be gone. He just hoped that she could spend less time on governance and more time on cultivation, so that if she really faced Tang San in the future, there would be no need to fight to a draw.

It seems that she will only realize this when I surpass her in strength.

Thinking about his future cultivation plans, Tang Shan secretly made up his mind that he would at least correct Miss Angel's cultivation mindset when he reached the third ring.

……

At the city gate of Bafang City, a group of well-dressed soldiers surrounded a low-key and simple carriage. The composed and mature Second Prince of the Snow Mountain exchanged a few words with the official who escorted him to the gate, and then turned and boarded the carriage.

Watching the carriage, escorted by the army, gradually disappear into the distance, the thin, middle-aged man at the head spat into the nearby bushes and cursed, "Pah! Finally, we've gotten rid of this troublesome person."

The young man following behind him couldn't help but ask, "Father, won't we get into trouble if we treat the Second Prince like this?"

The thin, middle-aged man, with his hands behind his back, replied nonchalantly, "What could possibly happen? Many royal supplies pass through here. Our Bafang City is a vital thoroughfare for the Tiandou Empire. This Second Prince wants to audit the accounts? He's dreaming."

Besides, we've never shortchanged ourselves on taxes; in fact, they've increased every year. What right does he have to investigate us?

A richly dressed merchant standing next to the man echoed this sentiment.

“That’s right. The taxes we pay are increasing year by year. Even if there are some problems with smuggling some things from the Star Luo Empire, it’s definitely not something that a mere second prince can handle.”

"Actually, this is a test."

The thin, middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, his face full of shrewdness. "As far as I know, His Majesty not only sent the Second Prince to Bafang City, but also sent the First Prince to Iron Wall City and the Third Prince to Hanhai City. Clearly, this is a special test."

The businessmen accompanying the middle-aged man were all cunning and shrewd; they immediately grasped the key point and hurriedly asked, "You mean?"

"The selection of the crown prince should be decided within the next two or three years. Judging from the Second Prince's behavior, he clearly doesn't like us, so we don't have many options left."

"The First Prince went to Ironwall City, where the Second Prince has considerable prestige. Obviously, his experience there is likely to be similar to that of the Second Prince coming here. His Majesty is testing the two princes' ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, which shows that His Majesty also has some hesitation."

The thin, middle-aged man revealed a gambler's fervor as he said, "I've decided to take a gamble and invest in the First Prince. If he really manages to sit on that throne, that's when we'll make a fortune."

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's thoughts, the merchants who had been frowning at Xue Shan's actions immediately sobered up and advised him, "Former city lord, calm down. It's not good to take sides so easily. Why don't we follow the example of the previous city lords and not help either side?"

"Why should we remain neutral? Haven't you seen the situation clearly? The Second Prince has always disliked us businessmen. He even talks about governing the country through military means. Without our Bafang City and us merchants, where would he get the money to expand his army and strengthen his power?"

"Why bother with a simple carriage? Who are you trying to impress? I don't believe he's this frugal in his palace in Tiandou City."

The words of the thin, middle-aged man silenced the merchants of Bafang City. Each of them had uncertain expressions, clearly hesitant and struggling.

However, they all shared a consensus: the Second Prince was definitely not a suitable candidate for emperor. He only had an iron fist and no understanding of human relationships. If he were to actually ascend to the highest position, the merchants would likely be in dire straits for many years to come.

Inside the simple carriage, the sounds of conversation were sealed off by special materials, making them inaudible to the outside world.

"Your Highness, aren't you being a bit too cold-hearted? This might cause dissatisfaction among those people."

"I did this on purpose. I wanted to show them that the Heavenly Dou Empire belongs to our Xue family. I must first use ruthless and cold-blooded methods to show my attitude before I can use a policy of appeasement to win them over. Otherwise, even if I win them over on the surface, they might still have other intentions in private. When I go back this time, I will also carefully describe my discoveries in Bafang City in my report to my father, to give them the strongest deterrent. As for easing tensions, there is still a long way to go, so there is no rush."

The voice of the snow-capped mountain was filled with a mysterious confidence, as if it were a well-thought-out plan.

P.S.: Regarding Soul Masters using Soul Power to fly, the author didn't use the setting from Douluo Continent I. In Douluo Continent I, it seems only Title Douluos can fly, which would really turn it into a fantasy floor tile. Instead, the setting of Soul Saints being able to fly using Soul Power was adopted. Finally, please collect, follow, subscribe, and comment. I'm begging for everything!

Chapter 82 On the Road, Passing on Cultivation Methods (Please add to your collection, follow, and subscribe)

"Approximately how much longer until we reach Heaven Dou City?"

Looking at the neatly arranged royal guards beside the carriage, Tang Shan asked Xue Qinghe with some curiosity.

"Tian Dou City is very close to Iron Wall City. When I came here before, it only took me a few hours. Although I arrived a little later this time, I should be able to reach Tian Dou City by the afternoon without much trouble."

Xue Qinghe glanced at the sky outside and quickly gave her answer. She gently tapped the back of the carriage with her left hand, and soon, a powerful layer of soul energy quietly enveloped the entire carriage.

Feeling the powerful soul force enveloping the entire carriage, Tang Shan was amazed and sat up straighter. Clearly, Xue Qinghe had something to say to him that was not convenient for outsiders to hear.

"Tang Shan, after returning to Tiandou City this time, should I take any action against the Second Prince and the Third Prince? Especially the Second Prince, should we try to strike him down from other angles?"

Upon hearing Xue Qinghe's question, Tang Shan's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but recall her actions in the original novel, where she poisoned the Second Prince and the Third Prince.

"Should we refrain from taking any action for now?"

After a brief moment of thought, Tangshan quickly offered his own explanation.

"His Majesty has just finished testing you. If he is not biased, he will definitely make a judgment based on your performance."

At this time, His Highness's performance in Ironwall City was quite remarkable, and as the eldest son, His Highness was actually very confident in securing the position of Crown Prince.

If His Majesty is biased, even if he goes to great lengths to smear and undermine the prestige of the two princes, it may have the opposite effect and make His Majesty even more biased.

Therefore, I advise Your Highness that there is no need to take such a risky move. Let us remain calm and wait for this matter to unfold.

Xue Qinghe gently played with the jade thumb ring on his hand with his long, slender, fair fingers, his eyes slightly closed as he fell into deep thought.

After a long while, she opened her eyes again, her eyes filled with clarity.

"Alright, let's hold back. As long as Father doesn't show favoritism, I believe I'll definitely be ranked first in this test."

Seeing that he had successfully persuaded Xue Qinghe not to act recklessly, Tang Shan breathed a sigh of relief. In his opinion, with his assistance and the secret help of the Spirit Hall, Xue Qinghe's path to the end was basically smooth. There was no need for him to stage a scene of poisoning the prince, as that would only arouse the suspicion of Emperor Xue Ye.