Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

The next day, in the backyard of the blacksmith's shop.

Tang Hao stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a pile of pig iron, staring expressionlessly at Tang San in the center of the arena.

There was still a wine barrel at his feet, but he had drunk less today, and his eyes looked much clearer than usual. After all, today was the day he was going to teach Tang San the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique.

Tang San, meanwhile, held a huge forging hammer in his hand, his gaze focused on forging a red-hot iron block in the courtyard.

Amidst the flying sparks, the iron block deformed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Tang Hao watched Tang San's movements, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. This kid had actually mastered the power generation techniques he had taught him to such a high level of proficiency!

Every ounce of strength was used to its fullest potential, with no waste whatsoever. His movements were so fluid that they didn't resemble those of a teenager, but rather those of an old blacksmith who had dedicated decades to this craft.

How is that possible? It took him a very long time to reach that level back then.

"Stop," Tang Hao suddenly said, his voice hoarse.

Tang San paused, put away the forging hammer, and looked at Tang Hao. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his eyes were calm but with a hint of scrutiny, as if asking: Is it alright? Can you teach me the real stuff now?

Tang Hao walked to his side, picked up another forging hammer, and weighed it in his hand.

"Watch closely, the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique emphasizes intent over form. Its core lies in using the opponent's force against them, with each strike stronger than the last, like a raging storm, continuous until the eighty-one strikes, when the power reaches its peak."

As soon as he finished speaking, his aura suddenly changed! His previous disheveled, drunken appearance vanished instantly, replaced by an aura as solid as a mountain, yet containing explosive power.

He suddenly took a half step forward with his left foot, his body like a fully drawn bow, and the seemingly ordinary forging hammer in his hand slammed down with a whistling sound!

"The first strike!"

Boom! Sparks shot into the sky! The iron block on the anvil made a loud noise and deformed violently.

Before the hammerhead could fully bounce up, Tang Hao twisted his waist and, using the rebound force, his body spun like a whirlwind. The second hammer slammed down again with even greater speed and power!

Chapter 75 Tang San is increasingly dissatisfied

"The second strike!"

Then came the third hammer blow, the fourth hammer blow...

Tang Hao's movements became faster and faster, each hammer blow heavier than the last. The forging hammer seemed to come alive in his hands, transforming into black whirlwinds that swirled around the anvil and struck wildly.

Tang San stood aside, deeply shocked by the scene before him.

That chaotic cloak hammer technique! Truly profound!

If used in battle, combined with the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, its power is simply unimaginable!

He immediately focused his mind, his Purple Demon Eyes quietly activating to capture Tang Hao's every move, while sensing the flow of his power and the changes in his rhythm, deeply imprinting them into his mind.

Soon, Tang Hao swung his eighteenth hammer blow, the force of which had reached an extremely terrifying level.

But he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Tang San.

"Did you see it clearly?" Tang Hao put down the forging hammer, his tone still flat.

"This is the power exertion of the first eighteen strikes of the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique. Each subsequent strike is more difficult and puts a greater strain on the body. You..."

He wanted to tell Tang San to practice the first eighteen strikes first, but remembering Tang San's intense reaction yesterday, he swallowed his words.

Tang San's eyes gleamed with understanding and excitement. He nodded and said, "I have memorized the techniques and rhythm of exerting force. Thank you for teaching me, Father."

Tang San did not try it immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and repeatedly reviewed Tang Hao's movements in his mind, combining them with his understanding of martial arts from his previous life to deduce and analyze them.

Tang Hao looked at Tang San's focused and thoughtful expression and stopped talking. He simply picked up the wine barrel, took a swig, and looked at him with a complicated expression.

After a while, Tang San suddenly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed the forging hammer on the ground.

He imitated Tang Hao, stepping forward, twisting his waist, and swinging his hammer.

"The first strike!" It was powerful and precise, even more graceful and agile than Tang Hao's previous strike.

Using the force of the rebound, the second blow followed closely. Although the connection of power was a little immature, the rhythm was already in place.

The third strike! The fourth strike! ... Tang San was completely immersed in this wondrous state of constantly accumulating power and rising momentum.

His movements became increasingly fluid, and the hammer blows grew more frequent and heavy.

Although Tang San is far from being able to match Tang Hao's domineering and wild aura just now, he still has a smooth and coordinated feeling, as if he was born to swing his hammer like that.

Tang Hao watched from the side, his astonishment growing stronger.

This kid is a monster! He only watched it once, and he can imitate it to this extent?

Although Tang San's strength and experience are still far from sufficient, he has clearly mastered seven or eight tenths of the core techniques for generating power and the sense of rhythm.

When Tang San unleashed his ninth hammer strike in one go, he had to stop because he couldn't control his power and lacked the strength to continue. Tang Hao was utterly shocked.

How...how is this possible?

Tang San, slightly out of breath, put down his forging hammer and looked at Tang Hao. Although exhausted, his eyes shone with confidence.

“Father, I have already grasped the basics of this power generation method. All I need to do is practice diligently to improve my strength and control. Could you please tell me the key points of the subsequent hammer techniques? I want to master all eighty-one hammer blows as soon as possible so that I can focus on cultivating my soul power.”

Tang San's tone was calm, even somewhat matter-of-fact, as if mastering this profound hammer technique was an easy thing.

Looking at Tang San's calm yet urging gaze, and recalling his monstrous speed of comprehension just now, Tang Hao felt a surge of inexplicable irritation and an indescribable sense of defeat.

The sect's unique skills, which he cherished and practiced diligently for many years, seemed to Tang San to be nothing more than an obstacle he needed to overcome as soon as possible on his path to improving his strength.

Is his eagerness to achieve quick results driven by a desire to become stronger, or by a desire to escape him?

Or perhaps it's for something else?

A feeling of being disregarded, or even looked down upon, instantly turned Tang Hao's mood sour.

He gulped down a large mouthful of wine and gave Tang San a cold snort.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew! First, master these first eighteen strikes until you can do them smoothly and effortlessly! As for the rest, I'll teach you when you can swing thirty-six strikes continuously without stopping!"

After saying that, Tang Hao ignored Tang San, picked up the wine barrel, his face gloomy, and turned to walk into the inner room, leaving Tang San standing there alone, his brows furrowed again.

Watching Tang Hao's departing figure, Tang San pursed his lips, a hint of disappointment and displeasure flashing in his eyes.

It's the same old routine: procrastination and perfunctory work.

He clenched his fist, the excitement he felt from learning the new technique cooling down, replaced by growing dissatisfaction with Tang Hao.

Over the years, under Cinderella's tutelage, Tang San had been dissatisfied with Tang Hao's attitude. In his view, Tang Hao was not worthy of being a father. If he were not his own blood relative, Tang San would have told Tang Hao long ago: You have already chosen your own death!

Therefore, Tang San could only pick up the forging hammer again and begin the tedious hammer-swinging practice once more.

……

On the other side, the situation was different from the tense standoff between Tang Hao and Tang San.

Yu Xiaogang's office.

Cinderella was engrossed in reading a thick book of soul beast illustrations.

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang was talking incessantly to Cinderella about the profound theoretical significance of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul gaining healing abilities, as well as the extraordinary practical value of Cinderella's teleportation soul skill.

“…So, Cindy, I think your martial soul has great potential, and it is very likely to lean towards the mysterious mental agility attack type, or even have spatial attributes! So your next training should focus on strengthening your mental strength and speed…” Yu Xiaogang said until his throat was dry.

Cinderella raised her azure eyes and smiled.

"Master, you know so much! Are there any special methods for cultivating spiritual power, or techniques to increase speed faster? I feel like my soul power is increasing a bit slowly."

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang felt a little uncomfortable. After all, he had an innate soul power of 0.5 and it had taken him several years to improve to the current level of 29.

Cinderella, who was born with full soul power, already had a fast cultivation speed in his eyes, and he even wanted to be faster!

But he still racked his brains to recall the obscure books he had read, trying to find a secret for Cinderella.

"This... of course I do! I remember there's a visualization and concentration method, and a set of body movements that coordinate with breathing. Let me find my notes..."

Yu Xiaogang turned around and began rummaging through the messy pile of books, completely unaware of the sly glint in Cinderella's eyes.

A tool is someone who makes the best use of resources.

Moreover, he is the son of the leader of one of the three major sects, so Cinderella believed that Yu Xiaogang would have many secret manuals and methods.

Chapter 76 Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan

Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, training ground.

After the intense clash of soul skills, the daily training of the first team of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy came to an end.

Yu Tianqing wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Lin Wan beside him whose breathing was still relatively stable, and a hint of helplessness and admiration flashed in his eyes.

This guy is a monster. He trains at an extremely high intensity, yet he always recovers the fastest, as if he has inexhaustible energy.

"That's all for today," Yu Tianqing said, clapping his hands.

"Dismissed. Meet at the usual time tomorrow for team tactical drills."

The team members responded and left the training ground in twos and threes, most heading straight to the canteen or dormitory to replenish their energy or rest.

Ning Zetian walked up to Lin Wan and invited her with a smile, "Lin Wan, want to go eat together? I heard that the cafeteria is serving ice sturgeon from the Northern Territory today, it tastes amazing."

Lin Wan shook her head. "Brother Zetian, you go ahead. I have some things to take care of and need to go to the library."

"The library?" Ning Zetian was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

After all, in the entire Douluo Continent world, everyone values ​​practical combat ability, especially those with talent. Only those with low talent who cannot improve their cultivation will go to the library to look up information, such as Yu Xiaogang of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan.

And being from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he naturally shared the same thoughts.

Yan Xin, who was listening nearby, grinned and said, "Brother Lin Wan, you're working too hard! What's so interesting about those theoretical books? They make your head spin. It's much better to practice your soul skills."

Huo Lie, Ye Qing, and the others also cast curious glances, clearly not understanding Lin Wan's choice.

Lin Wan smiled but didn't explain further, simply saying, "It's just a personal habit. I always feel there's no harm in learning more. I'll be going now."

After saying that, he nodded to everyone and then turned and walked towards the college library, which was in the opposite direction from the cafeteria.

Watching Lin Wan's departing figure, Ning Zetian stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he is so different from others?"

Most of the others shrugged dismissively and walked together toward the fragrant cafeteria.

……

The library of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy is a magnificent classical building with a high dome supported by countless huge stone pillars. The interior space is extremely large, with rows of tall bookshelves standing like a forest, filled with the unique scent of ink and the smell of old paper.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the training ground, this place is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only a very few students or teachers who are truly engrossed in theoretical research will stay here for an extended period of time.