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

Putting everything else aside, a level 79 soul power is no joke.

It was precisely for this reason that he specially brought Dugu Bo and his grandson to the Crown Prince's residence. Without Golden Crocodile Douluo in charge, he was really unsure of himself.

Now that the Golden Crocodile Douluo is here to keep things in check, Tangshan has stood up straight on the spot.

Even if the situation gets worse, at worst we can protect Miss Angel in front of us and let Golden Crocodile Douluo take action to capture Ning Fengzhi and the Title Douluo he brought on the spot!

While we're at it, we can also turn the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School upside down, plunder the Heavenly Dou Treasure Vault, steal the national treasures, and smash the original plot to pieces!

With Miss Angel standing behind him and Peak Douluo and Limit Douluo supporting him, what in the world wouldn't he dare to do?

In this era where the High Priest of the Sea God is trapped on Sea God Island, Tang Chen is parasitized, and Qian Daoliu is the only limit, the reason why Tang Shan has been following the original story's trajectory is simply to buy himself more time to grow and develop.

P.S.: That's all for today. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 153 Xue Qinghe's Little Thoughts, Angel vs. Golden Crocodile

After having lunch at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, Tang Shan boarded Xue Qinghe's carriage and sped off towards Heavenly Dou City.

In the car, Xue Qinghe unconsciously rubbed the jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips, his gaze falling on the shadows of the trees passing by outside the window. He glanced at Tang Shan out of the corner of his eye, and after a long silence, he slowly spoke, his tone slightly probing: "You and Dugu Yan have a pretty good relationship."

"It's alright, after all, we eat together every day." Tang Shan leaned against the car wall and answered casually.

Xue Qinghe frowned almost imperceptibly, a fleeting hint of concern flashing in his eyes before he adopted a caring expression and lowered his voice: "But she is from the Dugu family, and her martial soul is inherently poisonous."

"You don't need to worry about that," Tang Shan said confidently. "I had her absorb a non-toxic spirit ring not simply to detoxify, but to weaken the toxicity at the source of her spirit. Her family has been absorbing toxic spirit rings for generations, and the toxins will only accumulate and become stronger, eventually backfiring on them. But with my method, even if her spirit power increases and the toxins become stronger, it will definitely not reach the point of endangering her life."

He paused, then explained simply, "Dugu Yan is now a Great Soul Master. According to her family's tradition, her poison should at least be able to incapacitate Soul Masters of the same level, and might even threaten Soul Venerables. But right now, the fact that her poison can affect Great Soul Masters is a testament to her exceptional talent. With each additional non-poisonous Soul Ring she acquires, the toxicity in her Martial Soul will be diluted—by the time she reaches Soul Venerable, her poison power will likely be at the peak of Great Soul Master; at Soul Sect, it might only barely affect slightly stronger Soul Venerables. As long as the growth of her poison cannot keep up with the progress of her Soul Power, the family curse will naturally be lifted."

Listening to Tang Shan's earnest analysis of the "detoxification principle," Xue Qinghe's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and she rolled her eyes inwardly: Who cares if your stupid method can detoxify? I'm asking about your relationship!

But he couldn't say it directly, so he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his throat and added dryly, "That's true, but poisons are hard to guard against. If there's a slip-up, it could ruin your future, which wouldn't be worth it. You'd better be more careful."

"Your Highness, rest assured, I am fully confident in my methods," Tang Shan replied crisply and confidently.

Xue Qinghe felt a tightness in his chest and quickly changed the subject: "Let's not talk about this. By the way, my two younger brothers have been getting very close lately, meeting up in private all the time. Do you think we should intervene?"

"No need to rush for now." Tang Shan's eyes were sharp. "The best option is to remain still. However, if we have the opportunity, we need to find out what they're up to behind the scenes and figure out their true intentions. His Highness is now the Crown Prince and has the right to rule—if they make a small fuss, it's fine, but if they really escalate things, it's like slapping His Majesty in the face. At that point, His Majesty will deal with them without us having to lift a finger."

However, we cannot let our guard down. We must guard against them resorting to desperate measures or making fatal moves. Therefore, figuring out their bottom line is the safest approach.

A cold glint flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes, and his fingertips unconsciously tightened their grip on the jade pendant. A strong killing intent surged in his eyes, but after carefully considering Tang Shan's words and weighing the pros and cons, he slowly loosened his grip and suppressed the urge to act immediately.

If Tang Shan knew what she was thinking at that moment, he would definitely be speechless—wait, you're so proactive in dealing with your "brothers," but why weren't you this ruthless when dealing with Emperor Xue Ye? Otherwise, what would be the point of Tang San, Xue Beng, and Prince Xue Xin in the future?

……

A dazzling holy light tore through the sky, condensing into a giant sword over a hundred feet long. The blade flowed with a glass-like luster, carrying the power to split mountains and cleave seas. It shattered the clouds and, with a piercing sound, slashed down fiercely at the giant beast below.

It was a giant golden crocodile that could be described as a "moving mountain". It was nearly a thousand feet long, and its huge body was like a majestic golden fortress, lying steadily on the main peak. The mountains below it looked like a pile of rubble.

Its entire body is covered with layers upon layers of thick scales, each scale the size of a round table, with serrated edges that gleam coldly, and its surface is covered with ancient golden patterns that reflect dazzling golden light in the sunlight.

The giant crocodile's head was comparable to a small mountain peak, and its narrow, vertical pupils were pure gold, with the ferocity and vicissitudes of an ancient beast surging deep within them.

Every slight sway of its body triggers a violent earthquake, causing swathes of ancient trees to collapse, mountains to crumble, rivers to change course, and the earth to crack with spiderweb-like patterns under its pressure.

As the holy sword, imbued with divine light, descended, the giant crocodile uttered an ancient yet powerful human voice, "Well done!"

Before the words were even finished, its enormous crocodile paw, comparable to a small hill, suddenly rose up. Terrifying soul power condensed in its palm like a tsunami. Beneath its metallic scales, a surge of powerful blood and qi erupted, transforming into a faint golden flame that enveloped the crocodile paw. Without fear, it crashed head-on into the descending giant sword.

Boom—!

A deafening roar shook the universe, as if the heavens and earth were about to collapse. At the moment of impact, a terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring, instantly clearing the clouds for hundreds of miles, turning them into a deathly vacuum. The primordial energy of heaven and earth within a thousand miles churned and collided violently like boiling water, forming countless visible turbulent energy currents.

Even more chilling was that the space at the center of the collision cracked inch by inch like shattered glass, and an invisible, pitch-black void quietly emerged, several meters in diameter. Its edges were covered with fine, spiderweb-like black cracks. Wherever the cracks passed, even light was swallowed up. The surrounding rubble and broken wood were instantly sucked into it and silently annihilated, emitting a terrifying suction force that devoured everything.

Three pairs of dazzling holy wings unfurled behind Qian Daoliu, hovering above the heavens. The surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) were drawn together by an invisible force, converging towards him like rivers flowing into the sea, forming a massive vortex of energy. The holy light surged once more, and the hundred-foot-long giant sword expanded again, its blade flowing with a holy yet sharp light.

His peak level 99 soul power erupted from his body without reservation, sweeping across the surrounding area like a boundless tsunami.

A terrifying pressure originating from the limits of human capability pressed down, and the entire world seemed to tremble under its might.

Looking at the giant crocodile below, its fighting spirit surging, Qian Daoliu's lips curled into an undisguised smile of joy. He thought to himself: What an unexpected delight! I never expected that the Second Elder's strength would increase so dramatically in the few years he's been in Heaven Dou City. That attack just now had already touched the threshold of his ultimate combat power. He even said that he might truly break through within a few years. When that happens, the Spirit Hall will have another Ultimate Douluo. Who will be able to stop him?

His thoughts snapped back to reality, Qian Daoliu's eyes narrowed, and he warned in a deep voice, "Second Elder, be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the holy sword that had expanded to its limit suddenly exploded, transforming into billions of miniature golden holy swords, each carrying terrifying cutting power. Like a torrent of golden light, they crashed down on Golden Crocodile Douluo, as if trying to completely engulf him in holy light.

Golden Crocodile Douluo roared to the sky with a deafening roar, the sound waves forming a visible sonic shockwave. Within the mountain range, countless cracks appeared on the peaks as the roar echoed, before they collapsed with a deafening crash.

Its enormous crocodile body suddenly twisted, its massive form resembling a golden mountain range stretching across the heavens and earth. With a flick of its giant tail, the surrounding space distorted, carrying a devastating force that seemed to tear everything apart, sweeping straight towards the overwhelming golden torrent.

Boom!

Another earth-shattering collision occurred. The golden torrent was swept by the giant tail, and countless miniature holy swords exploded, turning into a rain of golden light, dazzling yet carrying deadly energy. On the Golden Crocodile Douluo's giant tail, several thick scales cracked with fine lines during the collision, then shattered with a bang, revealing the tough, steel-like flesh beneath, but it didn't care.

Qian Daoliu's sacred domain instantly expanded, dyeing the sky within a hundred miles a dazzling gold. A rich aura of light surged forth, like a holy ocean, purifying all impurities in its path and even gilding the earth with a golden glow. Simultaneously, Golden Crocodile Douluo's ferocious beast domain also expanded. The ferocious power of the ancient beast raged within the domain like a tangible storm, drawing upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into a rushing golden river that continuously poured into Golden Crocodile Douluo's body, comprehensively enhancing his strength, speed, and defense.

One was the King of the Sky, who ruled over light; the other was a prehistoric behemoth that roamed the ages. Two terrifying forces, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, clashed violently in this remote mountain range. Brilliant holy light swept across the land, instantly evaporating rivers and revealing cracked riverbeds, scorching the ground black. The Golden Crocodile Douluo's crocodile claws slammed down, causing the majestic peaks to crumble like tofu blocks, transforming into deep valleys.

Energy fluctuations spread outwards layer by layer, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth was frantically absorbed by both sides, forming a large-scale primordial energy vacuum. The surrounding primordial energy surged in like a tide to fill it, forming streaks of white primordial energy, dazzling and brilliant, but they could only become the background of this peak duel.

No one knows how long the battle lasted, until the sun gradually set and the sky was dyed a brilliant golden hue by the sunset, and the sparring finally came to an end.

Golden Crocodile Douluo's body slowly shrank, transforming from a colossal crocodile form that awed the heavens and earth back into an ordinary human form—his skin was as rough as old tree bark, crisscrossed with deep furrows, and his appearance was ordinary, except for his eyes, which still gleamed with a fierce light.

The holy wings of light behind Qian Daoliu fluttered gently, carrying his body as he slowly descended to the ravaged land.

"Second Elder, when you unleashed your power to its peak just now, you had already reached the level of ultimate combat strength!" Qian Daoliu's face could not hide his excitement, and his tone was full of genuine joy.

"It was just a temporary burst of energy, not the real limit, so it's nothing." Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head, his tone calm. "I originally wanted to use the pressure of this duel to further improve my internal martial arts, but unfortunately, I didn't get my wish."

Having spent so many years together, Qian Daoliu naturally understood that Golden Crocodile Douluo's breakthrough was closely related to his control over his own blood and qi, as well as his level of internal martial arts cultivation. He asked with concern, "How far is the Second Elder from perfection?"

"Currently, I am at the peak of Dark Force, and I have 99% control over my Qi and blood. I only need one more point to achieve complete perfection. At that time, the probability of me breaking through the limit will be at least 90%," Golden Crocodile Douluo replied in a deep voice.

It's not that he can't try to break through now, but rather that there's a more secure option. With his current blood and qi activity level, forcibly breaking through his limits would give him about a 40-50% chance—in the past, such an opportunity would have been rare and precious, and he would have tried long ago. But this time is different. This time, the opportunity for breakthrough comes from using internal martial arts to completely control the vast blood and qi within his body, comparable to that of a 100,000-year-old soul beast. The more he controls his blood and qi, the more secure the breakthrough becomes, and the higher the success rate.

According to his speculation, if he could break through to the Transformation Realm and completely control the Qi and blood in his body, the probability of breaking through the limit would reach 80% or 90%.

One side has 40-50%, the other side has 80-90%, and the Spirit Hall doesn't have any urgent need for two ultimate combatants right now. So, how should they choose? Need I say more?

"No rush, we at the Spirit Hall have plenty of time. You can hone your skills at your own pace," Qian Daoliu said with a smile. "After the sparring session, would you like to return to the Spirit Hall?"

"No, thank you." Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head, his tone tinged with anticipation. "Tang Shan is going to break through to the Core Formation stage tomorrow, so I have to hurry back to Tian Dou City to prevent Ning Fengzhi from doing anything irrational."

Moreover, since the Transformation Realm is already so profound, I also want to see with my own eyes what secrets the even more advanced Core Realm holds.

Qian Daoliu didn't say anything more, but simply nodded to indicate that he understood.

Watching Golden Crocodile Douluo's figure disappear into the distance, Qian Daoliu's eyes revealed a hint of curiosity, and he murmured, "Tang Shan... perhaps we can meet him after he absorbs his third spirit ring."

P.S.: Extra chapter today.

Chapter 154 The Twelve Meridians Connected: Cultivation of Title Douluos from Different Eras

The carriage slowed down and came to a stop. They had arrived at what was formerly the Prince's residence, now the Crown Prince's residence.

Emperor Xue Ye originally wanted to rebuild a mansion for Xue Qinghe, since the previous mansion was not grand enough and did not match his current status as crown prince, but Xue Qinghe refused.

The ostensible reasons are naturally the usual platitudes about wasting manpower and resources, which may sound fake, but many people buy into it.

This move not only solidified Xue Qinghe's position as crown prince, but also boosted her reputation once again after she became crown prince.

As for the root cause, it's simply laziness.

Xue Qinghe was not a true prince after all, and she didn't care about power or wealth.

It would take a lot of effort to build a new Crown Prince's residence, and she would have to familiarize herself with the environment again and consume a lot of resources. In her opinion, it was really not worth it. After all, it was just a bit bigger than her current residence, and the interior decoration had already reached the limit of the Heaven Dou Empire. There would not be any major changes. So why bother to make a big fuss?

Returning to the courtyard, which had remained largely unchanged, except for the addition of a few more fish in the water, which were a bit plumper, the entire courtyard was just as it had been for the past three years.

Feeling the ever-renewing, cyclical soul power within his body, Tang Shan was very satisfied.

Unexpectedly, such mysterious changes occurred after all twelve meridians were connected.

At this moment, the soul power within her body was no longer scattered and wandering, but rather it started from the lung meridian and flowed in a closed loop along the twelve regular meridians: lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, pericardium, triple burner, gallbladder, and liver. The path was long and complex.

Within this closed-loop channel, her soul power was repeatedly squeezed and refined, gradually transforming from its initial transparency and clarity into a warm, luminous glow. Even without actively cultivating, the soul power of heaven and earth around her would be drawn by this spontaneously flowing force, merging into her body like a stream flowing into the ocean, silently transforming into her own cultivation.

The transparent soul power had already begun to shimmer with a hazy, misty luster. At this rate of tempering, it would probably be able to complete the liquefaction of soul power before level 40—a truly unbelievable feat among soul masters of the same level.

Tang Shan was overjoyed, as this at least showed that the quality of his soul power far exceeded that of ordinary people, and he might be able to try to condense a soul core when he reached level 70.

Thinking of this, Tang Shan's smile slowly faded, and he fell into deep thought.

To be honest, she had been hesitating about one thing: whether or not to condense a soul core in the early stages of cultivation.

The benefits of condensing a soul core are self-evident: it improves the quality of soul power, accelerates cultivation speed, strengthens physical fitness, and enhances spatial perception ability, resulting in an almost all-round increase in strength.

However, she currently faces two key problems: First, she lacks a clear understanding of the method for condensing a soul core—it's not simply a matter of compressing soul power; it requires deeply connecting the martial soul's origin, spiritual power, and the soul core to form a unified energy core. In the Douluo Continent era, she could only study Dugu Bo's elixir pearl, but after three years, she gained nothing substantial. Now, she doesn't know any of the ferocious beasts that possess the method of condensing soul cores, so she can't very well proactively seek them out for guidance, can she?

Secondly, there was clearly another path in the Douluo Continent era: even without condensing a soul core, one could still break through to the limit. This path may have been eliminated by later generations due to its extremely high difficulty, but it was by no means weak—in Tang Shan's view, this was the cultivation path most suitable for a martial soul.

Over the course of three years, due to "a series of coincidences," Serpent Spear Douluo and Porcupine Douluo successfully broke through to the Title Douluo realm. That's what Xue Qinghe told her at the time, and Tang Shan said she "believed it."

Getting back to the main point, through questioning Serpent Spear Douluo, Tang Shan gained a systematic understanding of the cultivation path for Title Douluo in the First Douluo Continent. Combining this with a comparison of the strength of future Title Douluo II and III, she outlined two completely different cultivation paths for Title Douluo:

Path One: The Path to Martial Soul Development in the Era of Dou Yi

Core logic: Centered on the Martial Soul, it runs through the entire cultivation process. By continuously expanding the upper limit of the Martial Soul, it drives the overall improvement of oneself.

Is your body unable to contain your soul power? Unlock the upper limit of your martial soul; the upgraded martial soul can, in turn, purify your soul power and broaden the body's capacity threshold.

Is your mental strength difficult to improve? Unlock the upper limit of your martial soul, integrate your insights into your martial soul, and your mental strength will naturally increase as your martial soul grows;

Insufficient physical fitness to support it? After the soul power is purified by the martial soul, the nourishing effect is increased exponentially, and the physical fitness is strengthened in tandem.

Advantages: It can bring out the characteristics of a martial soul to the extreme, revealing the ultimate beauty of "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication";

During the cultivation process, one gains insights step by step, making it easy to touch upon the level of rules, and attacks may contain the power of rules.

The optimal path to godhood through faith is to set aside the inheritance of deities. The core of godhood through faith must be the core characteristics of a martial soul, such as the holiness of angels or the water control of sea gods. A soul master who develops their martial soul to the extreme will have a far greater perception and absorption of the power of faith than others.

Disadvantages: Extremely high burst damage but insufficient endurance. It's like forging a top-tier energy gun but lacking a matching energy supply system—a short burst might suppress a dual-soul-core Limit Douluo, but in a prolonged battle, the endurance of three such Limit Douluos might not even match that of a single dual-soul-core Limit Douluo.

Path Two: The Path to Soul Core Condensation in the Second and Third Eras of Douyu

Core logic: Using the Soul Core as the energy core, pursuing pure numerical superiority, making breakthroughs easier and mass production more feasible.

Advantages: The threshold for breakthrough is much lower than the former, which can be directly reflected by the number of Limit Douluo. In the first era of Douluo, apart from the main characters and the god martial soul holders Poseidon and Qian Daoliu, only Tang Chen achieved the limit by opening his martial soul on his own. In the second era of Douluo, apart from the main characters and Xuanzi, the three Light, Dark Holy Dragon and Death God Douluo all broke through by relying on soul cores. By the third era of Douluo, the method of soul core condensation had been thoroughly figured out, and Limit Douluo were almost as common as "Super Douluo".

Disadvantages: While the potential for growth seems high, it lacks a true "mechanical dominance" – compared to the three eras, Tang Chen from Douyi is in a class of his own. His developed skills, such as the Ring Explosion Divine Skill and the Haotian Nine Techniques, are enough to last for ten thousand years without ever becoming outdated.

Especially the Soul Ring Detonation Technique, it's practically a bug-level divine skill! While others gradually increase their combat power, Tang Chen is different; he directly uses his Soul Rings as "bombs"—each time he detonates a ring, he gains several times his own explosive power. When all nine rings detonate simultaneously, he practically grinds the word "limit" into the ground, making him an unsolvable existence in any era.

Imagine if the technique of exploding rings were given to Yun Ming facing the Soul-Devouring Cannonball: why would he need to exert all his strength to withstand it? He might be able to treat the Soul-Devouring Cannonball like fireworks, easily detonating a few rings to block it without taking any damage; if all nine rings were detonated at once, not only could the Holy Spirit Cult be wiped out, but he might also kill the One Emperor and Two Emperors in the process!