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

Although Su Yuntao had doubts, she still described in detail her feelings after activating her second soul skill: "After activating my second soul skill, I felt that I could almost completely ignore the pain. It was as if a cold energy was soaking in my mind, and my thinking speed was obviously faster. My various ways of dealing with enemies also became exceptionally clear."

"How different is this feeling compared to the state you were in just now?"

"There's still a significant difference."

Su Yuntao sat on the bed, slowly organizing her thoughts: "When I'm in a state of absolute calm, it feels like the effect is based on my own body, only without the fatigue of the body and the distractions of the mind; but when I'm in that state just now, it's like being possessed by a soul beast, all sorts of hunting and coping experiences surge wildly, but I can still control myself. Like that slap I just gave Daolong, I'm sure that if I wanted to, I could have ripped his heart out with one slap, but I was able to suppress that instinct."

The absolute calm that eliminates distractions from the body, the feeling of being possessed by a powerful being, plus the eldest brother's Lone Wolf Martial Soul...

Tang Shan had a vague idea in his mind, but he couldn't be completely sure yet.

"Big brother, try to activate your second soul ring alone and enter that state again."

Su Yuntao didn't know what Tang Shan had figured out, but he himself was eager to recreate that state, so he followed the instructions and his spirit possession appeared. The spirit rings under his feet appeared, and the purple second spirit ring flickered slightly.

"Recall the scene of the wolf-like soul beasts attacking you, and try to let them merge into your body."

Tangshan gently guided him from the side.

Su Yuntao closed his eyes, his mind replaying the scenes he had observed before. But no matter how hard he tried to recall them, he could no longer allow the soul beast to merge into his body, nor could he obtain that unparalleled blessing.

"No, I can't seem to find that feeling."

Su Yuntao opened her eyes, a hint of regret in them.

Tang Shan did not give up, but instead asked him to try a different approach: "Brother, try again. This time, don't imagine wolf-type spirit beasts. Try to imagine your own martial spirit, the Lone Wolf, and imagine it flowing into your body."

"But I've already possessed a martial spirit. Is it really appropriate to imagine it fusing into my body?"

Su Yuntao looked puzzled.

"Big brother, do you really think you've completely merged with your own beast spirit?"

Tang Shan's answer was profound: "You must understand that the changes that the awakening of a Beast Spirit brings to the body are far more complex than simply 'human-beast transformation.' Some low-level Beast Spirit Soul Masters can be suppressed by the Spirits of high-level Beast Spirit Soul Masters, which shows that the bloodline of Soul Beasts truly exists, and the human body itself inherently possesses a portion of the Soul Beast bloodline."

You haven't witnessed many wolf-type spirit beast battles. Even if you mastered all the fighting styles you'd seen, it wouldn't lead to such a dramatic change. After all, combat experience doesn't just appear out of thin air. Therefore, I speculate that the combat experience that surged when you were in that special state was perhaps the fighting instinct belonging to spirit beasts in your bloodline, combined with the Lone Wolf Martial Soul further deeply integrated into your body, plus the perfect separation of your mind and subconscious at that time, resulting in this outcome.”

"Young man, I don't think I quite understand."

Su Yuntao was overwhelmed by a large amount of information, and even though she tried her best to understand it, she still felt like she was listening to gibberish.

"Don't rush to understand. Just do as I say and see if it works. Then I'll explain it to you slowly."

Tangshan did not immediately provide an answer, but instead allowed him to verify his conjecture.

Su Yuntao nodded, closed her eyes, and kept her mind calm even with the martial soul possessing her. She further imagined the Lone Wolf martial soul merging into her body.

For a fleeting moment, Su Yuntao's aura underwent a subtle change, only to return to normal in an instant.

"I think I have a feeling that this line of thinking should be correct."

Su Yuntao opened her eyes and immediately said.

"Then my guess should be pretty close to the truth."

Tang Shan's eyes flickered as he pondered the reasons for these changes.

After some research, he speculated that the early stages of a Soul Master's cultivation, besides increasing Soul Power, were a process of gradually harmonizing with their own Martial Soul. While Body Martial Souls and Weapon Martial Souls were relatively unaffected by instinct, Plant Martial Souls and Beast Martial Souls possessed some degree of instinctive consciousness. Would these have a deeper impact on the Soul Master during the process of harmonizing with them?

And the eldest brother's current situation is undoubtedly the best answer to this question.

After a brief moment of thought, Tang Shan pulled Su Yuntao back up to the tower: "Brother, let me first explain to you the reason why you fell into that state before. Then we'll spar and see if we can get you back into that state."

Su Yuntao nodded, sat cross-legged on the ground, and listened attentively to Tang Shan's account.

“Let’s talk about the subconscious first, brother. Do you really think you fully understand your own conscious thoughts? Do you truly believe that every action you take comes from the heart?”

Su Yuntao frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook her head uncertainly: "Thoughts like hunger and wanting to drink water should be influenced by the so-called subconscious, but probably not the rest?"

Tang Shan smiled without saying a word, raising his hand and waving it past Su Yuntao's eyes.

Instinctively, Su Yuntao closed her eyes.

“Brother, look, you subconsciously closed your eyes. That’s the influence of your subconscious.”

"That was because you launched a surprise attack. Let's do it again. This time I'm prepared and I definitely won't blink."

call!

A gentle breeze brushed past Su Yuntao's cheek, and a hand flashed past his eyes again. Instinctively, he closed his eyes again.

"This is the effect of the subconscious. Big brother, try activating your second soul skill again now."

Su Yuntao had been convinced by Tang Shan's theory and obediently activated the Bloodthirsty Soul Skill.

With his overall qualities improved, Su Yuntao, now possessing a martial soul, began to exhibit some beast-like characteristics. This time, Tang Shan pretended to attack his face, but Su Yuntao kept his eyes open without blinking.

"Is this the effect of 'remaining absolutely calm'? It can eliminate subconscious interference?"

Before Tang Shan could explain, Su Yuntao discovered the key herself.

"That's right. Using the Bloodlust skill doesn't eliminate the subconscious, but rather eliminates its influence on the brain—for example, pain can make it difficult to exert muscle force, and this negative state will be automatically eliminated. Once you understand the role of the subconscious, your previous unusual state will have a relatively reasonable explanation."

Tang Shan paced back and forth on the rooftop with his hands behind his back, slowly revealing his conjecture: "Brother, your second soul skill, 'Bloodlust,' actually only has two effects: one is to increase all attributes by 10%, and the other is to eliminate subconscious interference in combat, maintaining an absolutely calm state. The so-called immunity to pain can also be categorized under the second effect."

Sparks of inspiration surfaced in Tang Shan's mind, and clues about cultivation, martial spirits, and the subconscious gradually connected in his mind.

"Brother, after you activated your Bloodlust state, your conscious mind was essentially separated from your subconscious mind. At that time, you were recalling the attack state of the wolf-type soul beast. By chance, the Lone Wolf Martial Soul further possessed your body—but this time, it was not the body's appearance that possessed it, but the body's subconscious mind itself."

The vast combat experience hidden within your Martial Soul and lurking deep within your bloodline is now under your control. From this point on, your Martial Soul is almost perfectly integrated with you, possessing both human wisdom and composure, as well as the combat experience of countless Soul Beasts within your bloodline. Perhaps, this is the true form of a different kind of Martial Soul.

Tang Shan's words were earth-shattering. A mere second-ring Soul Master had entered a state unintentionally that was called the True Body of the Martial Soul. If these words were heard by others, they would surely be ridiculed, even if the person who said them was a master.

The progression of a soul ring, from the second ring after a thousand years to the fourth ring after ten thousand years, always follows a gradual process from low to high, and even the most outrageous advancements have traceable patterns. However, no one would believe that a second-ring soul master could enter the True Spirit Body state, even if it's just in its rudimentary form—the True Spirit Body is an exclusive ability of Soul Saint level experts. Apart from using special secret techniques to perform it in combination, there has never been a record of a single person, not at the Soul Saint level, being able to perform it independently throughout history.

Su Yuntao also thought this was too exaggerated: "Little brother, isn't this too outrageous? I'm only at the second ring, and I'm still quite a distance from the seventh ring. How could I possibly unleash my Martial Soul True Form?"

"Why is it impossible? Brother, tell me, what are the typical characteristics of the true form of a beast spirit?"

Su Yuntao recalled the books she had read, and after a moment's thought, she replied: "By transforming into the Martial Soul body, all aspects of my qualities have been greatly enhanced. Except for the seventh ring, all other Soul Skills have no cooldown time, and the consumption of Soul Skills has been greatly reduced."

Tang Shan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Then, brother, what do you think is the difference between a Beast Spirit Soul Master in this state and a real Soul Beast, besides lacking the combat experience of a Soul Beast and having a limited duration?"

Su Yuntao fell into deep thought, but Tang Shan continued, "Soul beasts, except for a few special skills, have no cooldown when releasing their innate soul skills. Beast Soul Masters who unleash their Martial Soul True Body are no different from true soul beasts, except for the limited duration of their state—they transform their soul ring skills into innate soul skills. Your previous state was similar; they gained the ability to release soul skills like soul beasts, while you gained the combat and survival experience of soul beasts. Essentially, both are manifestations of soul beast abilities. As for not transforming into a soul beast, perhaps being half-human and half-beast is the true form of a Martial Soul True Body."

PS: The effects of Martial Soul True Body are based on this book, as the effects vary across different versions. Tao Ge's state is a different type of Martial Soul True Body. The next chapter will provide an explanation and introduce the general ultimate goal of Soul Master cultivation.

Chapter 40 The First Stage of Martial Soul Cultivation: The Incomplete Beast Soul True Body

Su Yuntao clearly still had some doubts about Tang Shan's theory. Tang Shan did not rush to answer her questions, but simply released his own martial spirit.

His body swelled rapidly, and muscles bulged out, each one brimming with explosive power.

"Brother, let me first help you enter that state, and then I'll explain my theory to you in detail later."

Su Yuntao's expression turned solemn. He immediately activated his Lone Wolf Martial Soul, and the two soul rings beneath his feet suddenly flashed. He used all his strength right from the start.

Ever since Tang Shan obtained his first soul ring, he has been unable to see through the opponent's true strength. If he can enter the special state he was in before again, he might be able to glean some insight.

With a sudden leap, amplified by his soul power, Tang Shan instantly closed the distance to Su Yuntao, striking directly at her with a palm. At the same time, the only purple soul ring beneath his feet lit up, his palm rapidly swelled, its color turning bluish-black, with tendons and bones coiling around it like dragons, its power solid and concentrated.

boom!

Su Yuntao forcefully took Tang Shan's attack, his body staggering backward as he repeatedly pushed off the ground with his legs to barely dissipate the immense force transmitted from Tang Shan's arms. But as soon as one attack subsided, another came. Before he could even regain his footing, a fist containing the force of a thousand kilograms slammed down on his head like a giant hammer.

An unparalleled sense of oppression swept over his entire body, and the relentless attacks made him feel as if he were trapped in an endless quagmire, unable to break free. Su Yuntao hurriedly ducked and rolled over, and Tang Shan's fist grazed his body and slammed into the air, causing the air to explode as if it could not bear the weight.

Su Yuntao, having managed to get back up, launched a counterattack with difficulty, her ten sharp claw blades piercing straight into Tang Shan's back.

Tear!

A crisp tearing sound rang out as Tang Shan's shirt ripped open, revealing bulging, muscular muscles that resembled a solid suit of armor protecting his back. Su Yuntao's claws, though accurately striking their target, seemed to have touched highly elastic rubber, leaving only a few shallow scratches.

Instinctively, Su Yuntao retreated rapidly. He had only gone a short distance when a huge hand swept past his nose. The fan-like hand brought up a gust of wind, and Su Yuntao instinctively closed his eyes.

Feeling the subtle tingling sensation on his back, Tang Shan nodded in satisfaction. His god-level body control had not only rapidly improved his physical attributes recently, but the effects when he actually used it were even more astonishing. His skin stretched to its limit, becoming incredibly tough; his defense reached its peak after his tendons and bones were stretched; further enhanced by his soul power, the strength of his body tissues was amplified. Even with Su Yuntao using two amplifying soul skills simultaneously, she still couldn't break through his defenses.

Turning to look at Su Yuntao, who was poised to strike in the distance, Tang Shan's arms suddenly swelled up, his fingers as thick as carrots, and his arms as thick as an average person's thighs.

"Big brother, be careful."

Tang Shan gave a warning, and seeing his god-level control fully unleashed, he suddenly lunged forward, striking Su Yuntao with both hands. Although his palms were enormous, under his exquisite control of power, they did not create a gale as before, but instead remained calm and undisturbed—this was even more terrifying, meaning that every bit of power was under perfect control, with not a trace leaking out.

A terrifying sense of crisis suddenly rose in Su Yuntao's heart. He knew that Tang Shan could definitely control the force, but a dark cloud inexplicably gathered in his mind, as if a death omen was flashing overhead. Stimulated by the deadly crisis, he finally grasped that special feeling again.

The martial spirit further merged with the body, and the various fighting instincts imprinted in the bloodline over the years perfectly blended with the subconscious, maintaining a dynamic balance: a part of the consciousness was responsible for leading the battle, a part maintained the body's basic activities, while Su Yuntao's consciousness focused on decision-making, making the most accurate judgments.

"Jump and use the momentum to dodge."

Instinctively, Su Yuntao caught Tang Shan's outstretched hand, using the momentum to flip and leap up, narrowly avoiding the attack. At this moment, Su Yuntao's demeanor had undergone a complete transformation, possessing both the ferocity and bloodthirstiness of a lone wolf and an extreme coldness and composure, like the ancient heavens. Perhaps stimulated by his hunting instincts, his thoughts became even calmer and more focused.

Tang Shan did not continue the attack, but carefully observed Su Yuntao's current state: his body was slightly leaning forward, his eyes were glowing with a ghostly green light, and sharp claws were protruding from his ten fingers. On the surface, he seemed to be normal, but he exuded an unsettling aura, as if he had been targeted by some kind of top predator.

"Brother, how are you feeling? Do you need to maintain a certain level of pressure to stay in this state?"

Although Su Yuntao's combat experience was growing rapidly, his consciousness was not affected at all. He clearly replied, "There is no need to deliberately concentrate on maintaining this state, but this state consumes a lot of physical strength, soul power and mental power. I estimate that it cannot be sustained for too long."

"What about the soul power? Is there any obstruction?" Tang Shan had not forgotten what Su Yuntao had mentioned before, that the soul power in the body would automatically increase when entering a special state.

Su Yuntao closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before opening them again to give her answer: "It was completely unobstructed, and could even be described as unprecedentedly smooth, as if soul power was meant to flow this way. It was far more exquisite than the meditation method I learned at the Spirit Hall."

Tang Shan stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "I see. I was worried that the experience of applying the soul power of the soul beasts in those bloodlines would cause problems when applied to you. But now it seems that this soul power path is very likely to have been automatically derived by combining your martial soul and physical condition."

Subsequently, Tang Shan had Su Yuntao perform several simple experiments before he was able to break free from that special state. After voluntarily exiting the state, the combat experience that had surged earlier receded like a tide, but still left some faint traces on his body.

Su Yuntao savored the feeling from just now and quickly brought good news to Tangshan: "Little brother, I just tried again. Although I still can't actively enter that state, it was obviously easier than the previous time."

“In that case, my prediction is probably correct.” Tang Shan also put away his martial spirit, and the two brothers sat together on the rooftop, looking down at Star City.

"Big brother, what do you think the cultivation process of a Soul Master is like?"

Su Yuntao replied somewhat blankly, "Is there a specific process for cultivation? Isn't it just about increasing your soul power level and then absorbing soul rings to break through your realm?"

Tang Shan shook his head slightly, recalling what he had seen and heard and the theoretical research he had done since he transmigrated to this world, and slowly explained his understanding: "In my opinion, the first stage of Soul Master cultivation is the stage of mutual harmony between oneself and Martial Soul."

He pointed to himself and gave an example: "Just like me, the goal at this stage is to completely integrate the martial spirit with the body. After that, it will no longer be about having a physical martial spirit, but rather the body itself will be the martial spirit."

Su Yuntao seemed to understand something, and asked, "So, my first stage is also about increasing my compatibility with my martial soul? What are the results of reaching the ultimate compatibility?"

Tang Shan smiled and gave the answer: "Naturally, it's the True Spirit Body. When a Beast Martial Spirit and the Soul Master are perfectly in sync, what other achievement could be more fitting than the True Spirit Body of a Soul Beast?"

"What about weapon spirit masters?" Su Yuntao's mind rapidly absorbed these new theories, and a brand new world about weapon spirits seemed to be slowly unfolding before his eyes.

"The core of a Soul Master is to enhance their own spiritual essence and allow their soul to merge with their Martial Soul, becoming a unique Soul Spirit. This is the origin of the Soul Spirit True Form," Tang Shan patiently explained. "Theoretically speaking, this first stage of cultivation normally requires reaching the Soul Saint realm to complete, but the Body Martial Soul is an exception. Because the Body Martial Soul is extremely closely integrated with the body, the integration process is much faster than other Soul Masters. Therefore, some Body Martial Soul Masters may be able to completely complete the first stage of cultivation at the fifth or even fourth ring."

What Tangshan didn't say much about was that if one couldn't complete this stage of training, it would be virtually impossible for the main body's martial soul to achieve a second awakening by squeezing out its potential—after all, if the body couldn't be completely integrated with the martial soul, it simply wouldn't have enough resilience and recovery ability.

"The physical body transforms into a martial spirit, the soul master transforms into a soul beast, and the spirit becomes a weapon spirit. Is this the core goal of the first stage of the three martial spirits?" Su Yuntao was only now realizing that there were so many intricacies hidden in martial spirit cultivation.

“That’s how it is in theory,” Tang Shan added with a hint of distress. “However, I can’t be sure of the development direction of plant-type martial souls for the time being. They seem to be able to develop in two directions: beast martial souls and weapon martial souls. I can only say that plant martial souls are indeed exceptionally special.”

"Then how do you explain my special state just now?" Su Yuntao brought the topic back to the main point.

Tang Shan nodded and said, "That's why I said it's a different kind of Martial Soul True Body. Being able to obtain the fighting instincts of a Soul Beast and the combat experience in one's bloodline, isn't that the body part entering the state of a Beast Soul True Body?"

"So, other Beast Soul Masters who reach the Soul Saint level and unlock their Martial Soul True Body will also enter the state I just described?" Tang Shan's words surprised Su Yuntao.

"That's not necessarily true. The reason I call it an alternative Martial Soul True Body is because it has its special features. Even if other Soul Saints activate their Martial Soul True Body, their combat experience can never increase as rapidly as yours, Big Brother."

Why is this happening?

"Because they usually focus on improving their soul power and learn human fighting methods, the instincts and combat experience hidden in their bloodline have been completely dormant during the long process of cultivating to the Soul Saint level."

Tang Shan revealed his final conclusion about Su Yuntao's special state: "Brother, the special state you were in before is not something everyone can achieve. It can even be said to be a treasure unique to beast spirits, a great gift of combat experience given to spirit masters by their spirits. If someone can discover it, they will surely be able to accelerate the speed of their integration with their spirit, just like a spirit master with a native spirit."

"It's just that the unlocking code for this treasure is too complicated, and most Beast Spirit Soul Masters have never learned from the Soul Beasts corresponding to their own Spirits, which means that almost no one can discover this treasure. Even if a few lucky ones do manage to enter this state, they are mostly labeled as 'combat geniuses,' thus ignoring the need to delve deeper into its mysteries." Tang Shan shook his head with a hint of regret.

"If I'm not mistaken, the vast majority of Beast Soul Saints on the continent may not have unlocked this treasure, which makes their Martial Soul True Body seem slightly inferior to their Weapon Soul True Body. What they lack is precisely this combat experience derived from their bloodline."

Imagine a Beast Soul Saint transforming into a Soul Beast, possessing all the combat instincts of that beast while retaining human intelligence. What terrifying power would they possess?

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Regarding the book, the author has already addressed some plot issues in the public account, so I won't go into detail here. As for typos, the author admits to being a bit blind and sometimes failing to notice them. Readers are welcome to help the author spot the errors.

The author has seen some of the typos in the comments, but they seem to remain even after correction. For example, the word "畏懼" (fear/fear). However, the author has noticed that typos pointed out by readers seem to be easily corrected by the author. Therefore, the author earnestly requests the help of readers to correct these typos. The author would be extremely grateful.

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