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

Knowing there was a pitfall, Hong Zhen still had no choice but to step into it, and he seemed to have aged a few years.

"This is Tangshan, the Soul Master genius I've been training. He's already reached level nineteen and has extraordinary talent. I want him to spar with Soul Masters and Great Soul Masters in the army to hone his skills. As long as he can defeat him, everything is fine. After all, there's no misunderstanding between us."

As the leader of an army, Hong Zhen was no fool. He easily understood Xue Qinghe's implication: "Your attitude towards me wasn't great the other day. Today, I've brought Soul Master Tiancai to cause trouble. He's strong, but he's only at the first ring. Let him fight all your second-ring Soul Masters. If he beats him, everything will be fine. I can ignore your neglect from the other day, and I can pretend the Iron Wall City incident never happened. If you can't beat him, I'll slap your face. Other things are hard to say."

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Chapter 72 presents a challenge with generous rewards for victory.

Hong Zhen frowned slightly. Xue Qinghe's request wasn't too difficult; on the contrary, it was unusually simple.

Letting a one-ring Soul Master challenge all the Soul Masters and Great Soul Masters in the army, not to mention whether his Soul Power can withstand continuous battles, he was already confident of victory just by facing Great Soul Masters.

No matter how gifted someone is, they will only have one soul ring in the end. Among the soul masters and great soul masters under his command, although most of them have one white and one yellow soul ring configuration, it is not difficult to find a few soul masters with two hundred-year soul rings.

Fighting two rings with one ring is not a chance of winning, not to mention the difference of more than ten levels of soul power between the two sides. Simply relying on attrition is enough to wear down the opponent.

"Your Highness is truly not joking?" Hong Zhen straightened up, his gaze sharp, staring directly at Xue Qinghe, who was seated opposite him, while his peripheral vision secretly observed Tang Shan.

He really couldn't figure out what was so special about this so-called genius soul master that made the eldest prince value him so much.

"Of course it's true, but between each battle, we must wait for Tang Shan's soul power to fully recover before we can start the next one."

"That's natural."

Hong Zhen agreed without hesitation, not caring much about the small request. So what if his soul power was fully restored? It didn't mean he was still at his peak. The mental energy consumed during intense battles wasn't so easy to recover.

Even if you are a genius from one of the three upper sects, and your soul skills are strong, you can't withstand the mental strain of wheel battles. Sooner or later, you will reveal your weaknesses and be taken down by your brothers in the army.

"Then it's a deal." Xue Qinghe turned to Tang Shan beside him, her tone questioning, "Tang Shan, are you confident?"

Tang Shan nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation for the upcoming battle. This wasn't his first time fighting against a Soul Master, but his previous opponents were either Su Yuntao and Su Haichao, or evil Soul Masters, and two Title Douluo.

They were either opponents I couldn't beat, or old acquaintances I often clashed with. This was my first time facing enemies at the Soul Master and Great Soul Master levels, encountering all sorts of different Martial Souls, and actually fighting against them.

……

On the spacious training ground, the soldiers formed a large circle, leaving a large open space in the middle. Low murmurs of discussion rose and fell without ceasing.

"Have you heard? The Soul Master accompanying His Highness is challenging all the Soul Masters in our army. He even said he'll challenge all the first and second-ring Soul Masters."

"I've heard about it before, but isn't this Soul Master a bit strange? Why only choose those with one or two rings? Are they afraid of losing face? Those who can follow the First Prince should at least be Soul Masters, right?"

"Not a Soul Master, I heard he's a Soul Master genius with Soul Power level nineteen."

"Level 19? I can understand picking one ring, but picking two rings? He's got some nerve."

"Who knows? Maybe the title of 'genius' is just hype. I think I saw him before. He looked almost fifteen years old. He's only in the 19th grade at this age. It's not that amazing."

"Anyway, he's so arrogant, he definitely can't win. They'll fight here later, and we can just wait and watch the show."

……

Emerging from the camp, Hong Zhen's face returned to its usual calm, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation. Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan followed behind him, curiously observing the layout of the entire military camp.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Hong Zhen saw that a considerable number of people had already gathered. His brows furrowed involuntarily, and his deep, angry roar, imbued with soul power, echoed throughout the open space: "What are you all doing? First and second-ring Soul Masters, stay here. All the rest of you, go and train!"

The soldiers instinctively turned around and saw that it was their superior's superior. They were so frightened that they quickly turned and ran, afraid of being scolded if they were even a step too slow.

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness. I will definitely train these brats properly later." Hong Zhen turned to Xue Qinghe beside him, his tone somewhat embarrassed. Before the competition even started, the opponent had already seen the lax discipline of the army, which put them at a disadvantage from the start.

“General Hong, it’s alright. Why don’t we stop the soldiers from training for now and let them stay and watch the competition?” Xue Qinghe said, a strange light flashing in his eyes as he watched the soldiers quickly disperse.

"After all, most soldiers are ordinary people, and it's not good to train them too harshly. A balance of intensity and relaxation is the best way to achieve the desired effect. Besides, it's a good opportunity for them to experience the battle between Soul Masters, so that they won't be at a loss if they encounter it in the future."

Xue Qinghe had no intention of letting go of this good opportunity to promote himself. He gathered the soldiers together to watch Tang Shan, who was recruiting talented people, and this was a direct blow to the Second Prince's prestige in the army.

So what if we eat, live, and train together? Whether it's Tangshan's past life or the present Douluo Continent, the military has always believed that whoever has the strongest fist is right, and the strong are respected.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate? What if..." Hong Zhen stopped mid-sentence, but the troubled look in his eyes as he looked at Tang Shan clearly revealed his concerns. What if Tang Shan became a hostage? If he broke his promise and went back on his word, that would be a real problem.

"Rest assured, since I have promised, as the Crown Prince of the Empire, I will never go back on my word. Even if we are defeated, it will be because Tangshan is not strong enough, and the promise will naturally be fulfilled then." Xue Qinghe's expression was calm, and the confidence and arrogance in his words were obvious to everyone.

Hong Zhen had no choice but to order the soldiers to be recalled to the training ground. Fortunately, the training ground was spacious enough, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to accommodate so many people. Of course, he didn't bring the entire army over.

As the bulwark of Tiandou City, some soldiers must remain on the city walls to guard the empire's last line of defense; this is their duty.

After all, they were the military, and their mobilization was incredibly fast. Before long, a dense crowd filled most of the training ground, and all eyes were focused on the special stands. The pressure of their gazes was almost tangible.

Hong Zhen was already used to this kind of attention, and Xue Qinghe, as the eldest prince, had seen many grand occasions. Only Tang Shan was facing so many people watching for the first time.

But whether it was because he had been human twice or had experienced real death, he didn't feel any pressure when facing the carnage, and his expression remained calm.

Xue Qinghe glanced at Tang Shan beside him with some surprise. A seven-year-old child, yet he was so calm in the face of so many people's attention. He really wanted to know how the master had cultivated such an outstanding disciple.

Hong Zhen gazed at the soldiers he had personally trained below the platform, a fleeting complexity crossing his eyes before his expression returned to calm. He clicked his tongue and pointed to the training ground: "Today, the First Prince has personally come to my Fortress Army to offer his condolences, and he also intends to..."

After the speech, thunderous applause erupted in the training ground.

Next, it was Xue Qinghe's turn to speak. She wore a gentle smile and exuded an air of nobility as she walked. Her gaze swept over the soldiers below the stage, and she slowly began to speak: "I am Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Today, on behalf of the Empire, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the soldiers stationed at Ironwall City."

As soon as she finished speaking, she bowed deeply to the soldiers below the stage.

Hong Zhen, standing to the side, twitched his brow and almost couldn't help but release his soul power to stop her. Sure enough, the other party had no good intentions; she started trying to win people over as soon as she stepped onto the stage, which weakened his side's momentum even more.

"I know the military reveres the strong and respects geniuses. This Tang Shan beside me is a genius Soul Master. Today, he will challenge all the first and second-ring Soul Masters in the military. Whoever can defeat him will be generously rewarded. The winner will receive a reward of one thousand gold soul coins. Everyone can sign up once, and there is no limit to the number of winners." Xue Qinghe straightened up and, without beating around the bush, directly stated the purpose of his trip.

To encourage Soul Masters in the army to participate actively, she offered exceptionally generous rewards.

Ouch!

The soldiers below the stage erupted in chaos, clearly stunned by Xue Qinghe's extravagant gesture. They knew that there was no limit to the number of winners; even if there were only a few hundred, she would still have to contribute at least hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins – no small sum.

After discussing it for a while, the soldiers gradually calmed down and subconsciously turned their attention to Hong Zhen, which shows that Hong Zhen's prestige in the army was indeed very high.

Hong Zhen's face twitched, and he said helplessly, "The Crown Prince's words are all true, so everyone should participate enthusiastically."

The moment the words were spoken, the entire training ground erupted in chaos. The soldiers who had been talking about eating, living, and training with the Second Prince just moments before had completely forgotten about him. No matter how good their friendship was, it couldn't compare to real gold soul coins.

As for the few soldiers who remained conscious, they were also calculating in their minds: even if Tang Shan was truly a genius, it was only a matter of time before he couldn't withstand the mental exhaustion of wheeled warfare. This thousand gold soul coins was practically free.

Soon, the competition venue was cleared out again; no special ring was built, just a flat grassy area.

Tang Shan walked to the center of the open space, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his expression calm and composed, exuding an air of unwavering composure. His gaze swept over the soldiers surrounding him, and he asked in a level tone, "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go first."

A voice rang out, and a middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd. He had a resolute face and sharp eyes, and strode up to Tang Shan.

"Isn't that Captain Wang? His martial soul is a spear, and his first soul ring is a hundred years old."

"This kid is just unlucky to have run into such a tough opponent."

"Hehe, once Captain Wang wins some money, we'll have to get him to take us out for drinks."

"Don't underestimate this kid. He must have some extraordinary abilities to be able to work alongside the First Prince as a genius."

"So what if he's exceptional? How can a kid who hasn't seen much blood compare to soldiers like us who've fought our way through countless battles? Maybe he'll panic when Captain Wang unleashes his power."

Tang Shan pricked up his ears, silently gathering information about his opponent, not daring to be careless in the slightest. Confidence is one thing, underestimating the enemy is another. He believed that his strength was enough to dominate at the Great Soul Master stage, but if he encountered an opponent with a special martial soul and strange soul skills, he might accidentally stumble and things would not go well.

By filtering out useless information and extracting the important parts, Tangshan quickly gained a general understanding of his opponent.

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Chapter 73 A Series of Victories, Xue Qinghe's Little Thoughts (Please add to your favorites and subscribe)

"Wang Shuang, Level 15 Battle Soul Master, please give me your guidance."

The opponent opposite him took the initiative to clasp his hands in a salute, his posture exuding a sense of swiftness.

Tang Shan was somewhat surprised. Hong Zhen had just said that he was there to challenge all Soul Masters and Great Soul Masters. To put it bluntly, he was there to cause trouble. He didn't expect his first opponent to be so polite.

"Tangshan, a level 19 Battle Soul Master, let's call it a day."

Since his opponent was so courteous, Tang Shan was naturally extra polite in return. As for the matter of establishing his authority that Xue Qinghe had instructed him to do before he came, he figured that since he had just provoked the person he was supposed to establish his authority for would naturally step forward later.

Wang Shuang stared intently at the boy opposite him, not daring to be careless in the slightest. It was this caution that allowed him to survive time and time again on the battlefield.

He actively summoned his martial soul, which was an ordinary iron spear, about two meters long, with a cold, hard metallic luster. A pale yellow soul ring slowly emerged from under his feet, and faint soul power fluctuations quietly spread out from his body.

Tangshan also released his martial spirit, but did not reveal his spirit rings, saving the impact for later.

The moment his martial spirit was activated, his body rapidly expanded, growing ten centimeters taller in the blink of an eye. His muscles bulged, and his explosive physique stretched his clothes taut, the fabric showing clear lines as if it were about to tear at any moment.

He spread his five fingers, then clenched his fist again. The crisp "crack" sound of his joints colliding carried an invisible sense of oppression, causing the surrounding soldiers to subconsciously hold their breath.

He twisted his neck, and the sound of his joints stretching came one after another. His movements were so graceful that they resembled a strong warrior stretching his muscles before battle, preparing for the power to be unleashed.

Faced with the ever-increasing pressure on Tang Shan, Wang Shuang finally couldn't hold back and took the initiative. He knew very well that if he continued to drag things out like this, he might completely lose the courage to fire his gun.

"First Soul Skill, Dual Pistols!"

With a low shout, a spear identical to his martial soul, seemingly a one-to-one replica, appeared out of thin air in his left hand. He strode forward, his figure instantly accelerating, and thrust both spears toward Tang Shan's chest and throat respectively. A chilling killing intent involuntarily emanated from his body, the spear tips slicing through the air with a series of sharp, fragmented sounds.

"Showy but impractical".

The training ground had already subconsciously returned to calm, and it was precisely because of this quiet that Tang Shan's calm evaluation clearly reached the ears of almost everyone present.

Wang Shuang's face instantly turned ashen. He unleashed all the strength he had been holding back, and the speed of his spears increased once again. The spear shadows almost formed two afterimages as they clashed, making his attack several times more ferocious than before.

clap clap!

Faced with two spears aimed at vital points, Tang Shan reacted simply and decisively. He spread his arms wide, shifted his body slightly to the side, and deftly avoided the sharp spear tips. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he precisely gripped the middle of the spear shaft, exerted force with his fingertips, and instantly imprisoned both spears completely. No matter how hard Wang Shuang tried, he could not push them forward even an inch.

Seeing her attack so easily neutralized, Wang Shuang remained calm despite her surprise. She subconsciously twisted her hands, trying to shake off Tang Shan's hand, and a cold smile appeared on her face: Trying to take a gun away with bare hands? Not so easy.

But the next second, his smile froze on his face. The spear in his hand seemed to be embedded in a hard wall. He couldn't twist it, and he couldn't even make the slightest movement. Tang Shan's hands were like two iron clamps, firmly locking the spear shaft without moving.

"You're too weak, your soul skills aren't very good, you haven't even mastered single-wielding, yet you dare to try dual-wielding? What are you thinking?"

While commenting, Tang Shan gripped his two pistols with both hands, and with a sudden burst of strength, lifted Wang Shuang up. At this moment, Wang Shuang was at least three or four meters above the ground. If he fell, he wouldn't be injured, but he would definitely be badly injured.

"I admit defeat."

Wang Shuang was quite decisive; once she realized she had no power to resist, she immediately admitted defeat.

After Tang Shan put him down, Wang Shuang looked at Tang Shan, his tone somewhat unconvinced: "I did lose this round, but what you said is wrong. Since my first soul skill is to copy the same martial soul, I should naturally fight with dual pistols. Am I supposed to practice with a single pistol? What's the point of this soul skill then?"

Tang Shan couldn't help but laugh when he saw that the other party didn't immediately step down but instead clung to his previous words.

"Who says that awakening a cloned martial soul skill requires using dual pistols? You can use this extra spear as a throwing weapon. Judging from your spear technique just now, your foundation was already quite good, so I doubt your strength has improved significantly after switching to dual pistols, right?"

Tang Shan's words made Wang Shuang's expression suddenly stiffen. Just as Tang Shan said, since he switched to using dual pistols, he still couldn't beat the opponents he couldn't beat before, and he would even be suppressed by Soul Masters of the same level from time to time.

"Want to practice dual-handed shooting? No problem. But you have to practice single-handed shooting until it's as easy as an extension of your limbs. Otherwise, mindless practice will only interfere with each other and you'll end up making no progress."

Tang Shan had been guiding Su Yuntao's cultivation since she was a child. Seeing his opponent's path of cultivation going astray, he couldn't help but give her some pointers.

Wang Shuang walked off the training platform in a daze, clearly needing a long time to digest the meaning behind Tang Shan's words.

Watching his lonely figure, Tang Shan finally suppressed the urge to complain and didn't say the most hurtful thing: he could tell that Wang Shuang was using his martial soul as an ordinary weapon. If it were him, he would have taken back his martial soul and released it again the moment it was caught. He would never let the other party control him, let alone let the other party use his martial soul as a medium to lift him up.

Soon, the next opponent stepped onto the arena to challenge Tang Shan, but was quickly defeated by him. After that, one opponent after another came up to the stage, but all of them were defeated within a few short rounds. The Soul Master who lasted the longest couldn't even last ten rounds. Tang Shan had never felt that defeating his opponents was so easy.

On the stands, Xue Qinghe watched as Tang Shan defeated his opponents while accurately pointing out their weaknesses. Though he remained outwardly calm, he was secretly overjoyed. That's it! He was simultaneously crushing the opponents' confidence and instructing them. Tang Shan was even more outstanding than he had imagined. He truly deserved to be a disciple of a master. With this approach, how could these soldiers not respect him?

Hong Zhen, who was also watching the battle from the side, grew increasingly solemn. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, where did you find this prodigy, Tang Shan? His fighting skills can no longer be described as exquisite. It seems that he can mobilize most of the power in his body with every casual strike. Each strike is comparable to the full-force strike of an ordinary person."

"That's normal. After all, his martial soul is a physical martial soul, which grants him superhuman strength over his body. It's not surprising that he can do this."

Xue Qinghe responded verbally, but her heart stirred. She had almost forgotten that Tang Shan's control over his body and his ability to regulate his qi and blood were also exceptional. After getting to know him better over time, she wondered if she could ask him to teach her. After all, even her two uncles said that Tang Shan's qi and blood were incredibly powerful, and might even surpass that of Grandpa Golden Crocodile.

"A true martial spirit? Could it be the kind of true martial spirit that the master mentioned in his martial spirit theory?"

Hong Zhen looked astonished.

"That's right, it's the Body Martial Soul. Master's vision is truly extraordinary. The Body Martial Soul does indeed have its unique advantages."

Although Xue Qinghe had not yet figured out the mysteries of the original martial soul, she believed that if she didn't know, Tang Shan definitely did. She decided to keep Hong Zhen in suspense for now.

Hong Zhen's eyes flickered for a moment, but he ultimately did not speak again. However, his heart had already been stirred by Xue Qinghe's words: Are they both original martial souls?

"My name is Zhang San, my martial soul is the Mighty Monkey, and I am a level 20 Soul Master. I am considered the strongest one-ring Soul Master in our army. If you defeat me, a two-ring Great Soul Master will challenge you next."

Tang Shan was drawn to the words of the burly man in front of him, first by the man's name, and then by the fact that someone actually gave their child such a casual name;

Next is the martial soul. The Mighty Monkey is a strength-type martial soul, the same type as his own martial soul. The upcoming battle can finally be aroused.

The meaning behind those last words gave him a strange feeling that he was playing a level-based game, with Zhang San in front of him like the final boss, and defeating him would allow him to enter the second level.

"Why should I defeat you before a second-ring Soul Master challenges me?"

Tang Shan was somewhat curious, and really couldn't understand what these soldiers were thinking.

“It’s already unfair for so many of us to take turns challenging you. If we were to send a second-ring Soul Master up directly, it would be seen as bullying the weak. Your victory over me shows that your strength has been recognized. Even if a second-ring Soul Master defeats you, it won’t be considered an insult to you.”

Zhang San's tone was firm and straightforward, revealing the honesty and integrity of a soldier.