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

A clear sound of blood flowing suddenly rang out from Tang Shan's body, as if a rushing river was roaring within him, and waves of scalding heat surging and spreading outwards from him.

How terrifying is the blood and qi!

Ning Guang's expression changed slightly. He knew that Tang Shan had strong blood and qi, but he did not expect that the other party's blood and qi were so exaggerated.

However, this was not the end; a faint drumbeat began, then gradually grew brighter.

Thump! Thump!

This wasn't the sound of drums at all; it was clearly the powerful heartbeat of Tangshan. At first, it was as light as the beating of a drum, but in an instant, it was like a thunderclap. With each beat, the surrounding air trembled slightly, and even Ning Guang's eardrums were buzzing.

The addition of the heart seemed to give Ning Guang's already near-limited Qi and blood a core, causing a surge of terrifying heat. Ning Guang felt as if he were in a scorching furnace, his pores opening wide and his clothes becoming warm.

Just as his blood and qi were pushed to their limit, tiny specks of silvery-white light appeared on Tang Shan's body, emanating a terrifying aura, as if something extremely terrifying was about to awaken from within.

"What is this silvery-white light?"

Ning Guang couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice.

"This is the special mystery I was talking about. The specific effects are still unclear, but we can guess that it can either increase one's talent for cultivation or greatly increase one's strength. I'm temporarily calling this special state 'Second Awakening'."

"Second awakening?"

Ning Guang murmured something and looked at Tang Shan: "When will you be able to awaken a second time?"

"If I wanted to, I could do it now, but I sense that awakening now might not be complete enough, so I've decided to let nature take its course. I should definitely be able to awaken within three years at most."

"Can every Soul Master with a True Spirit do what you do?"

Ning Guang's fingers tapped the table unconsciously, clearly indicating that he was quite agitated.

"That's how it is in theory."

Tang Shan's lips curled up, a slight smile appearing on his face; the fish was clearly about to take the bait.

"What's the meaning?"

Ning Guang looked at Tang Shan with some doubt.

"All physical martial souls possess this potential, the difference being more or less, and of course, even the smallest amount is always present."

However, this potential doesn't appear naturally as strength increases; it must be developed through special methods, which is the true foundation of a powerful martial soul.

Ning Guang: "So you're saying that you're the only one who currently knows this development method?"

Tang Shan: "That's right, you can collect spirit masters with innate martial spirits and give them to me, and I will help you train them."

Ning Guang hesitated for a moment, then looked at Tang Shan: "I need to go back and discuss this with my father. Besides, it's impossible for us to find a Soul Master for you for free. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School won't get any benefits."

"That's no problem at all. And you may have misunderstood something. My main purpose is to help you cultivate, not to bring you under my command. I have no intention of establishing a force right now. I suggest you start collecting now. After all, your sects are large and powerful, so simply collecting some shouldn't be a waste of many resources. After my martial soul awakens for the second time in a few years, you can then consider whether to increase your investment."

P.S.: I wonder if any readers felt the author's or protagonist's style was too inconsistent. Let me briefly explain: the protagonist, Tang Shan's, style is very clear: he's all about being cautious and discreet. For example, when he publishes theories as a master, or does other things that would attract attention in mainland China, he'll use an alias to stay out of the spotlight. But when it comes to displaying his talent or showing off an extraordinary level of strength, I'm just looking for some thrills. Okay, that's all the free words I can give you.

Chapter 147 Tangshan's Idle Chess, the Mysterious Faceless Serpent

Tang Shan watched Ning Guang leave and fell into deep thought.

Having the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School help collect Body Soul Masters was just a side hustle. Whether they were there or not didn't matter. As he said, he didn't care whether the Body Soul Masters he cultivated were his subordinates or not. Perhaps sending Body Soul Masters into various forces would be more in his interest.

He didn't want people who were originally Soul Masters; instead, he wanted the entire continent to know that every person with an original Martial Soul was a potential Soul Douluo or even a Title Douluo. In this way, he, as the creator of original Martial Souls in a certain sense, would surely become famous on the continent.

In this way, it is unknown whether faith can be consolidated, and it can also pave the way for future godhood.

Of course, the reason it's called "idle chess" is that Tangshan already has better alternatives.

In this timeline, unless he is inexplicably "given justice by heaven," with his help and manipulation, that angel lady bathed in holy light will surely be able to sit firmly on the final throne.

When the time comes, we can just let her issue laws in the Heaven Dou Empire. That would be much more profitable than painstakingly cultivating a Soul Master to gain fame on my own.

After all, with his "merit in helping the dragon," getting the angel lady to give him face would be a piece of cake.

Besides, Miss Angel's martial soul is related to the gods, so wouldn't she be the perfect research subject?

As for whether the angel lady would be willing at that time, Tang Shan stroked his chin and thought, "Never mind, we'll see when the time comes."

Tang Shan may have underestimated the impact of his defeat of Xu Siyue. At this moment, he has become famous in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. For a long time, the members have been discussing in private the freshman who defeated the Soul Master Xu Siyue with the strength of a Great Soul Master.

Less than a month after enrolling, the name Tangshan had already spread throughout the entire Tiandou Royal Academy.

……

Inside Ning Fengzhi's study at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

"Father, that's how it is."

Ning Guang stood beside the desk and recounted to Ning Fengzhi the entire process of Tang Shan's challenge against Xu Siyue.

Ning Fengzhi held a baby girl in his arms and gently rocked her.

Only after a servant came in and took the baby girl from his arms did he raise his head, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"To challenge and defeat a Soul Master as a Great Soul Master, that's truly terrifying strength. It's a pity I missed it when I went to Star City last time."

Thinking of this, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but shake his head again.

"Father, Tang Shan asked us to help find a Soul Master in advance. Should we do that?"

Ning Guang asked tentatively.

"Let's help him look for it. I'm also curious about what's so special about his original martial soul that it could give birth to such an outrageous genius like him."

As for the secret techniques, he will pass them on to us as Soul Masters, and we will be able to obtain them ourselves. What I'm more curious about is his purpose in willingly training us as Soul Masters for free.

Ning Fengzhi closed his eyes slightly, lost in thought. After a long while, he spoke up to remind him: "Remember to get closer to Tang Shan, so as to build a good relationship with him. It's just a pity that Rongrong is still too young. By the time Rongrong grows up, the age gap between them will be too big. Otherwise, wouldn't a marriage alliance with such a prodigy be an opportunity for our sect to rise?"

Ning Guang's lips twitched slightly. His younger sister had just been born and was almost arranged to leave by his father. However, he could understand: since she was born into a large family, she had to bear some responsibilities.

"Alright, you should go back to school now. Oh, and remember to visit your mother. It's been a long time since you've seen her, and she misses you a lot."

"Good father."

Ning Guang bowed and withdrew.

Ning Fengzhi stood up and walked to the window. His study was located at the highest point in the core of the sect, from which he could overlook the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Looking up at the surging sea of ​​clouds in the distance, Ning Fengzhi's eyes became even more profound: "I have a feeling that the situation on the mainland has been a bit off in recent years. I hope I'm not just overthinking it."

……

In the dense forest, a long, winding gray snake darted through the trees. No more than ten meters long, its scales were a deathly leaden gray, devoid of any luster, as if sculpted from decaying rock. Most eerie of all, its head had no eyes, nose, or forehead; only a gaping maw that stretched down to its jaw, its sharp teeth menacing and chilling.

It left no trace in its path; were it not for the drops of dark red blood and the snake trail it left behind, the hunters behind it would never have been able to continue the chase.

"This faceless snake is incredibly fast. If it weren't for its elders protecting it, it would have been slapped to death long ago."

Wearing a gray robe, with his messy, dark green hair hanging loosely, Dugu Bo stood on a tree branch, his face somewhat dark.

"Grandpa, why don't you put me down and go after them yourself? That might be faster."

Dugu Yan was placed on a tree branch by Dugu Bo, looking somewhat helpless.

Apart from her trip to the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy last time, Dugu Yan has devoted herself entirely to cultivation during this period.

Finally, she successfully broke through to level 20 yesterday. Her grandfather plans to take her to explore the Sunset Forest first to see if there are any suitable snake-type or dragon-blooded soul beasts. If not, then they will go to the Star Dou Great Forest.

What's surprising is that not long after they entered, they found a suitable soul beast, a faceless snake that was nine hundred years old.

The Faceless Serpent is a special serpent-type soul beast with very strange abilities. Fortunately, it does not have a poison attribute, making it very suitable for Dugu Yan to absorb.

The two finally caught up with the snake, only to realize they had chased the wrong target. A faceless snake, which was three thousand years old, lured them away, allowing the smaller faceless snake, which was probably its offspring, to escape.

The main reason why a thousand-year-old soul beast could deceive Dugu Bo is related to the abilities of the Faceless Serpent.

The Faceless Serpent has an average physical constitution and does not carry any venom. All its hunting abilities rely on its innate talent: facelessness and invisibility.

The so-called faceless invisibility is not invisibility in the traditional sense, but rather makes you subconsciously ignore its existence. Even if you see it, you will just treat it as an ordinary sight.

This ability seems incredible, as if it has a psychological effect of invisibility or weakening one's presence. In reality, it is very easy to break. This invisibility ability can only hide oneself and cannot spread out to interfere with the environment. It is only unobservable and does not directly distort a person's consciousness to make them disappear from your memory.

So once you discover it, just follow its trail and unleash a group attack where the trail disappears, and you can easily force it out.

This is also the origin of the faceless snake, not only because it has no face except for its mouth, but also because ordinary people really cannot see its true form.

With his ability to "invisibly disappear without a face," Dugu Bo finally managed to catch his opponent, only to discover after the attack that, oh! something seems to be wrong.

As a result, the faceless serpent had become a puddle of pus, completely merging with the entire Sunset Forest.

After that, Dugu Bo had no choice but to turn back and follow the clues of the other faceless snake's escape.

"No, Sunset Forest is a large settlement of soul beasts. I'm not comfortable leaving you here alone."

Dugu Bo refused without hesitation.

"What should we do with Grandpa? Why don't we just get him a different soul beast?"

Dugu Yan proposed another idea.

"We may not have another chance to encounter a soul beast of this quality. You know, the Faceless Serpent is classified as a top-tier soul beast simply because of its ability to become invisible. If it were to excel in other aspects, it might be considered a super soul beast. If we miss this opportunity, where will we find such a suitable target?"

Dugu Bo refused again.

"Fine, it's a little troublesome, Yan Yan, come up here."

As soon as he finished speaking, nine soul rings radiating a terrifying aura suddenly rose from beneath Dugu Bo's feet. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—the nine rings alternated, emanating a suffocating pressure. In an instant, a dazzling emerald light shot into the sky, and the terrifying aura spread like a tide. Wherever it passed, soul beasts within a radius of several miles let out mournful howls, fleeing for their lives. Those who couldn't escape collapsed to the ground, as if afraid of being discovered by this emperor of poison.

The emerald light gradually faded, revealing a colossal serpent hundreds of feet long. Its body was thick and strong, its scales a deep emerald green, reflecting an eerie luster. A pair of golden, vertical pupils emitted a chilling, eerie light. The horny protrusion on its head resembled a ferocious crown, and its forked tongue flickered with a deadly venom that sent shivers down the spines of all who heard of it.

"Yanyan, come up here."

The giant serpent spoke in a human voice, its sound like rolling thunder, and it was none other than Dugu Bo's voice.

Faced with the giant snake that Dugu Bo had transformed into, Dugu Yan was not afraid at all, but also curious. To be honest, this was the first time she had seen her grandfather use his Martial Soul True Form, and also the first time she had seen the appearance of the Jade Scale Serpent King.

They do keep jade-scaled snakes at home, but the Jade-scaled Snake King is so rare that it's practically unseen on ordinary days.

Leaping down from the tree branch, Dugu Bo raised his snake head and easily caught his granddaughter. Then, his snake body twisted, creating a foul gust of wind, and he chased after the traces left by the faceless snake at an astonishing speed.

Wherever the snake passed, vegetation withered and the land dried up.

After activating his Martial Soul True Form, relying on his instinctive body control, his speed in the forest increased significantly. In less than a quarter of an hour, he arrived at an open area where the last traces had disappeared.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo did not hesitate. He opened his snake's mouth wide, and a stream of dark green poisonous mist spewed out like a waterfall. *Sizzle!*

Wherever the poisonous fog passed, the air emitted a piercing, corrosive sound, and billowing black smoke rose from the ground.

However, something strange happened.

The poisonous fog had already reached Su, and no one could see anything struggling, yet the sound of flesh and blood rotting was very clear.

Dugu Bo's snake eyes widened, his golden vertical pupils suddenly contracting as his snake body twisted and writhed, scanning his surroundings. He could clearly sense that his prey was in this area, but no matter how he looked, all he could see was a patch of land corroded and pitted by the poisonous fog; he couldn't find a single snake in sight.

The feeling was extremely strange, as if his vision was being twisted and stripped away by an invisible hand, and even though the target was right in front of him, it was forcibly erased from his perception.

"Damn, this is so troublesome. If I wasn't afraid of poisoning it to death, I wouldn't have bothered with all this effort."

"Yan Yan, get your dagger ready. I reckon it'll appear when its soul power is exhausted, and it'll likely be close to death anyway. Don't let it get poisoned."

"Okay, Grandpa."

Dugu Yan obediently took out a long, serpentine dagger from her soul tool and waited intently.

Just then, Dugu Bo's pupils suddenly contracted—he saw it!

The appearance of the faceless serpent was like a hole being torn open in space, or like a huge error being forcibly corrected in a person's vision—absurd, distorted, and chilling to the bone.

"I found it! How come it's on that tree? I didn't even notice it just now."

It was a very strange feeling that Dugu Bo couldn't describe at all. It was like the shock and disorientation of suddenly finding that you had been searching for something and then suddenly discovering that you had been holding that thing in your hand all along, giving people a twisted and uncomfortable feeling.

P.S.: Thank you so much for the generous donation, Lingmenglai! I'm incredibly grateful. That's about it. Normal update today, just a break. Extra chapter tomorrow.

Chapter 148 Three Years Later, Tang San's Ambition

The enormous Azure Scale Serpent King's true form shot out, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The serpent's body, hundreds of feet long, carried a chilling wind pressure. Like a bolt of dark green lightning, it almost instantly coiled around the tree where the faceless serpent was hiding. Its scales rubbed against the tree trunk, producing a piercing creaking sound. Each tightening coil carried an inescapable and imposing force.

"Hey, let's see where you run now."

The faceless serpent let out a silent hiss, its ferocious maw opening wide, its sharp teeth gleaming with a cold light.

However, no matter how ferocious and terrifying it was, and how strange its appearance, its total length was only ten meters. Compared with the true form of the Serpent King, which was hundreds of feet long, it seemed so small and insignificant.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time, lest things get complicated."

A muffled sound came from the mouth of the giant snake that Dugu Bo had transformed into. With a coil of his huge tail, he firmly imprisoned the soul beast in front of him. His body twisted again, and the entire snake was completely locked up, with no possibility of resistance or escape.

"Yan Yan, come and make your move. The Faceless Serpent as a soul ring is extremely rare in the entire Douluo Continent."