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

The transparent soul power originates from the dantian, passes through the lung meridian and large intestine meridian, and then reaches the stomach meridian.

The soul power between heaven and earth was drawn by the martial soul, quickly refined, settled in the dantian, and transformed into a part of the cultivation.

The so-called level of innate soul power determines cultivation aptitude, but what aspect of cultivation aptitude does it actually determine?

The later stages of cultivation become increasingly difficult. Even if one has full innate soul power in the early stages, the gap should not be too large in the later stages. However, innate soul power determines the upper limit of cultivation to a certain extent.

A few random thoughts flashed through Tang Shan's mind, and he quickly regained his composure, quietly sensing the gradual increase in his soul power.

The next morning, Tangshan emerged from his meditative state feeling refreshed and invigorated. Even after sitting cross-legged all night, he felt no fatigue whatsoever.

Under the influence of the energy flow, Su Yuntao, who was also sitting cross-legged in cultivation, slowly opened her eyes, and the subtle fluctuations of soul power on her body quietly dissipated.

"Big brother, you've broken through to level 23?"

Sensing the unstable aura emanating from the other person, Tang Shan asked in surprise.

Su Yuntao was very happy and nodded: "After absorbing the thousand-year soul ring, I reached the peak of level 22. It is normal for me to break through to level 23 now."

While Tang Shan was happy for Su Yuntao, he also thought about his own current cultivation level.

After all, he absorbed the first ring of the millennium, and combined with the soul power he had accumulated over the past year, he has now reached level eighteen. After a few more months of training, breaking through to level twenty should not be a big problem. However, this soul ring hunt may be a bit troublesome.

A thoughtful look flashed in Tang Shan's eyes, hoping for a good outcome after arriving in Tiandou City.

"Let's go to the rooftop to cultivate."

Su Yuntao got up and suggested it, and Tang Shan nodded in agreement. After a quick wash, the two went to the top floor of the hotel.

The rooftop is about 100 square meters in size, and there is no one else there except Tang Shan and Su Yuntao.

The two tacitly separated, each occupying half of the rooftop, and began their own cultivation.

At this moment, the sun had just peeked out from the horizon, emitting a soft halo of light that was not dazzling.

The lower legs are perpendicular to the ground, the thighs are parallel to the ground, the body rises and falls with a predetermined rhythm, the tailbone lightly touches the ground like a dragonfly skimming the water, and the gaze is fixed on the distance, taking in all kinds of scenery.

As the body rises and falls, the soles of the feet move accordingly. When rising, the toes grip the ground, rooting the feet deeply; when falling, the five toes spread out, naturally and harmoniously.

Su Yuntao did the same, starting by practicing basic stances to stabilize her stance and regulate her energy.

Fifteen minutes later, the two brothers slowly exhaled a long breath, their eyes becoming clearer and brighter.

At this moment, their pores were still closed, their bodies were warm, and their skin was slightly red, clearly indicating that their bodies had gradually shaken off the silence of yesterday's meditation and were beginning to recover.

Tang Shan's body swelled, highlighting his well-defined muscles. Purple soul rings flickered beneath his feet, and he had applied the self-control soul skill to his body.

He simply moved his fists and feet, and through his exquisite control of his body, he further rejuvenated his entire body.

clap clap clap!

With each punch and kick, a crisp sound would often emanate from Tang Shan's body, as his surging blood and qi were mobilized to his skin, flesh, and tendons, nourishing and tempering his entire body;

Su Yuntao's cultivation was different. After his martial soul possessed him, he did not activate his soul skills. Instead, he closed his eyes and carefully recalled the walking, sitting, and lying postures of various wolf-like soul beasts, as well as their pouncing and plundering tendencies, trying to integrate them into his own offensive and defensive system.

Time passed slowly as the two silently continued their practice.

Tangshan and Su Yuntao's morning exercise ended when the sun was high in the sky.

Back in his room, after quickly wiping away the sweat, Su Haichao knocked on the door and came in.

"What are the plans for the next few days?"

Upon hearing Su Haichao's question, Tang Shan pondered for a moment and said, "Brother, let's continue to the Great Soul Arena."

"I have no objection. Yesterday's battle gave me a lot of insights into the offense and defense of wolf-type soul beasts."

Su Yuntao excitedly agreed, her eyes brimming with eagerness and burning with fighting spirit.

"Dad, what are your thoughts?"

Tangshan looked at his father.

Su Haichao shook his head: "I should just wander around Star City. I've been staying in Notting City for so many years and haven't had a chance to properly see the scenery of other cities. It's a rare opportunity to go out, so I must take a good look around. But I'll go and say hello to the Spirit Hall first."

As he spoke, he looked at Su Yuntao and said, "It's always good to take precautions. If Yuntao really runs into trouble in the future, the Spirit Hall in Star City should be able to help you out."

Su Yuntao nodded: "Okay, I'll go to the Spirit Hall if there's any trouble."

"Shanzi, what are your plans?"

Su Haichao looked towards Tangshan.

Tang Shan thought of the special metals of Star City and the fighting armor, and scratched his head: "I should go to the blacksmith's shop and take a look. I'm somewhat interested in forging."

"Young man, why do you want to learn blacksmithing?"

Su Yuntao was somewhat puzzled.

"Before that, the original martial soul was considered a useless martial soul."

Tangshan had no choice but to refute the claim.

"How can they be the same? The extraordinary nature of the Martial Soul is only achieved because of the cultivation method you painstakingly devised, little brother."

"Shanzi, are you saying that forging also has the same potential as the original martial soul?"

Su Haichao was good at grasping the key points and keenly noticed that Tang Shan was comparing his physical martial soul with his training method.

"It's hard to say, but there's a possibility that it might exist."

Tangshan made no guarantee, after all, forging is ultimately a future skill, and it would be quite difficult to bring it to Douluo Continent 20,000 years ahead of schedule;

Moreover, it is unknown whether the true forging technique was influenced by Tang Hao or the Soul System. The plane master in the Douluo Continent III era was "Tang Dachui," and the entire forging system only rose after the birth of the Soul System. The forging level involved a series of operations such as endowing intelligence, endowing soul, and endowing life. It is hard for Tang Shan to believe that there was no intervention from the Soul System.

"Alright, Shanzi, you can make the arrangements yourself. We'll have to pass through several cities to reach Tiandou City. We can stay in this city for about ten days."

Su Haichao stopped asking questions. His youngest son had his own arrangements and had basically never caused him any trouble.

"Yun Tao, remember to stay calm and don't get carried away. If you can't win, admit defeat in time."

Su Haichao couldn't help but give Su Yuntao another pep talk.

"Father, don't worry, I value my life very much. We're not mortal enemies, so I won't fight to the death."

After Su Yuntao patted her chest to assure them, the three of them went downstairs together to have breakfast.

……

Clang! Clang!

The loud clanging of metal came from a large shop. The huge iron hammer on the plaque above, along with the clanging of metal, clearly identified the shop as a blacksmith shop.

Black gold is a metal unique to the area around Star City. Its characteristics are very simple: it is incomparably hard. Before being softened by flames, almost no force can destroy it.

Of course, this does not include powerful Soul Masters, and the specific effects of black gold in the hands of powerful Soul Masters are currently unknown.

In addition to its inherent hardness, the addition of a small amount of black gold to weapons and armor can dramatically increase their hardness. As a result, there are many blacksmith shops in the city of Star, and many nobles and forces such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School order their weapons and armor from them.

After leaving the hotel, Tangshan made inquiries and learned that the blacksmith shop in front of him might not be the biggest, but it treated apprentices relatively well.

He would be leaving Star City in less than ten days, and it was not easy to learn forging in a short time. A blacksmith shop that was not harsh on apprentices was undoubtedly a good choice.

"Iron Bell and Blacksmith Shop"

Looking at the shop name above his head, Tang Shan no longer hesitated and stepped inside.

The shop is divided into two parts. The first half displays pre-made weapons, armor and a small number of farm tools, while the second half is the actual forging area.

"Hello young man, are you looking to purchase or order equipment?"

A young man in his early twenties approached and asked him questions.

Tangshan noticed that the young man's tiger's mouth was covered with old cocoons and his skin was bronze in color, so he was probably a blacksmith as well.

At this time, Tang Shan was 1.7 meters tall, and with subtle makeup on his face, he looked no different from an ordinary young man.

After a quick glance around the store, Tangshan cut to the chase: "Are you hiring here?"

Upon hearing this, the young man took a closer look at the "young man" in front of him. He noticed that the young man's limbs were well-coordinated and his figure was well-proportioned. In particular, the clear muscle outlines that were faintly visible under his clothes indicated that he possessed considerable strength.

After a quick assessment, the young man smiled and said, "My name is Tieqian, and I'm the shop manager. Young man, would you like to work here?"

Tang Shan shook his head: "To be precise, I came here to learn a craft. I'm more interested in forging. I'm a Soul Master who is about to break through."

As he spoke, Tang Shan activated his martial spirit, and his body rapidly expanded, revealing a muscular body brimming with explosive power in front of the young man. At the same time, a wisp of soul power of about level ten emanated from his body, and the thousand-year soul ring was not released.

While Tang Shan cannot currently change the color of his Soul Rings, controlling whether to release them is very easy. Not to mention him, any Soul Master can achieve this level after a period of training.

Powerful, robust, and brimming with strength...

Upon seeing Tang Shan's body, Tie Qian's eyes lit up; this was simply a born blacksmith's divine body.

"You stay here and don't move, I'll be right back."

However, upon hearing Tangshan's request, the young man hesitated. He gave Tangshan a serious piece of advice and then turned to enter the area behind which was specifically responsible for forging.

Tang Shan's lips twitched slightly. Recalling the young man's last words of advice, he ultimately said nothing.

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Chapter 34: Learning Forging, Refining Metals, and Folding Forging

The young man turned to look for someone in the backyard, but Tang Shan remained calm and composed, carefully examining the various weapons.

He walked up to a long sword, reached out and touched it, feeling its coolness through his fingertips. He took the sword from the shelf and examined it intently in the sunlight.

The blade was dark gray and did not reflect light, exuding a hard and chilling aura. Holding a finger an inch away from the blade, the hairs on the fingertips suddenly stood on end, and a faint, bone-chilling coldness seemed to emanate from it.

This knife is indeed sharp.

Tang Shan put the longsword back in its place and then strolled over to a suit of armor. He was somewhat surprised that armor was sold in the Douluo Continent, but after a moment's thought, his doubts vanished.

Ultimately, it comes down to the Soul Masters themselves. Their destructive power is far too great to be contained by a single suit of armor. Even an entire army armed with armor would face certain death against a truly top-tier Soul Master.

In ancient times, possessing knives was not a big deal, but possessing armor was a capital offense. In modern times, even in the United States, which is known as the most "free" country, and despite "gunfights every day," it is still forbidden for individuals to possess bulletproof vests.

But what use is a mere suit of armor in the Douluo Continent? Unless one has the ability to collect hundreds of sets of Eight Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor crafted by divine craftsmen, and then use these top-tier armors to form an army, it is possible to pose even a slight threat to high-level Soul Masters.

Tang Shan's ears twitched slightly as two footsteps approached amidst the clanging of metal. A moment later, two figures emerged from the shop's backyard. One was the young man, Tie Qian, who had just greeted him, and the other was a middle-aged man.

This middle-aged man bore a striking resemblance to Tieqian, clearly a close relative; his height was similar to Tieqian's, but his physique was considerably larger.

The middle-aged man walked calmly to Tang Shan, his burly figure radiating an intense sense of pressure. "I am Tie Zhong, the owner of this shop. I heard you are a Soul Master and wish to learn blacksmithing?" His voice was deep and steady, truly like his name, resonating like a great bell.

"Yes, hello shop owner, my name is Tang Shan, and I really want to learn blacksmithing." Tang Shan nodded in response.

Tie Zhong scratched the back of his head and voiced his doubts: "Young brother, since you are a Soul Master, why are you so determined to learn blacksmithing?"

A sly smile appeared on Tang Shan's face. "I've heard that Soul Masters can't forge iron, haven't I?"

“That’s true…” Tie Zhong shook his head. “Fine, I won’t worry about it too much. You’re a Soul Master, so being an apprentice is no problem for you. But let me make this clear: there’s no salary, only room and board. Can you accept that?”

Tang Shan nodded: "That's acceptable. I just wonder how long it will take to learn it?"

Tie Zhong pondered for a moment, then held up one finger: "You are a Soul Master, so your physical attributes are definitely top-notch. The processes of bellows operation, quenching, forging, and shaping will take about a year in total."

Tang Shan frowned slightly: "I wonder if we could speed things up a bit? I can pay the tuition."

Tie Zhong's face darkened: "It's not that I'm holding back, but if you haven't learned the basic procedures well and haven't mastered them thoroughly, you can't even talk about the later techniques, let alone grasp the essence."

"Tie shopkeeper, that's not what I meant." Tang Shan was a little embarrassed, but his time was indeed very tight.

"I only have about ten days to learn. Could you teach me the basics? As long as I grasp the fundamentals, I can practice to that level on my own later."

After Tang Shan's persuasive words and the lure of a considerable amount of gold soul coins, the iron bell shopkeeper finally reluctantly agreed to his request. "Come with me. How much you learn in ten days depends entirely on your own comprehension and effort." The iron bell tossed a bag containing ten gold soul coins to the iron coin, then led Tang Shan towards a separate forging room.

Ten gold soul coins are worth it, even if it takes a little more time. As for how much Tang Shan can learn, Tie Zhong can't guarantee it—he will teach him everything he knows, but how much he can ultimately absorb depends on Tang Shan's own abilities.

……

Clang! Clang!

The hammer was raised high and then slammed down with force.

Bang!

Amidst the deafening roar of colliding metal, sparks flew in all directions.

At this moment, Tang Shan was already possessed by a martial spirit. He was shirtless, his left hand tightly gripping an iron clamp to firmly hold the iron billet in place, while his right hand raised an iron hammer and brought it down hard. His legs were firmly planted on the ground, steadily bearing the recoil force of the falling hammer, his eyes sharp as an eagle, fixed on the iron block.

The intense firelight illuminated his body, making it glow red. Despite the sweltering heat in front of him, Tang Shan remained completely sweat-free.

Tie Zhong crossed his two thick arms in front of his chest, highlighting the well-developed lines of his pectoral muscles. He stared in disbelief at the iron billet that was shrinking and gradually taking shape under the hammer, his heart filled with shock.

What an astonishing talent for forging! In just three days, Tangshan has already mastered the techniques of bellows and quenching, and has now begun forging iron. At this rate, he will probably be able to start learning shaping in another two days.

Could the gap between Soul Masters and ordinary people really be so vast? Tie Zhong couldn't help but fall into deep self-doubt.