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

Having achieved her goal, Dugu Yan did not linger any longer. After sitting for a while, she got up to take her leave.

Xue Qinghe watched her figure disappear through the door, her teeth clenched tightly. She repeatedly told herself: Tang Shan is exceptionally talented and outstanding; it's perfectly normal for him to attract other women. You are his superior, the Crown Prince of Tiandou; you should be happy for him.

But the more I thought about it, the more suffocated I felt.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Seeing that Xue Qinghe's face no longer had its usual gentle smile, and there was a hint of melancholy between his brows, Tang Shan couldn't help but speak up with concern. However, he was also a little puzzled—something was not right. A woman's menstrual period was related to her blood and qi. Xue Qinghe had practiced internal martial arts, so even if she wasn't completely unaffected, she should at least be slightly affected.

Xue Qinghe took a deep breath and silently repeated in his heart: I'm not angry, I'm not angry.

She forced down the emotions surging in her heart and forced a gentle smile back onto her face, though the smile didn't reach her eyes: "It's alright, it's just that I've been dealing with a lot of trivial matters lately, and things haven't been going well, so I can't help feeling a bit down."

"Your Highness, your health is paramount; you should rest more," Tang Shan earnestly advised.

After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the room. Tang Shan genuinely didn't know what to say, and Xue Qinghe, looking at him, suddenly felt speechless as well.

As they spent more time together, their relationship grew increasingly familiar, shedding the initial awkwardness and formality. However, the topics they could openly discuss actually became fewer and fewer. Sometimes, simply sitting opposite each other would result in silence, a far cry from the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere of the past.

Xue Qinghe remained silent for a moment, but finally remembered Tang Shan's telepathic message. With a hint of doubt, she asked, "Tang Shan, what are you planning to do by specifically looking for information on immortal herbs? Could it be that you think there really is one or two immortal herbs hidden in Dugu Bo's herb garden?"

Tang Shan thought to himself: There are more than just one or two plants; there might be all of them.

He replied casually, "What if there really is one or two? It's better to be prepared. After all, every immortal herb is a treasure formed by gathering the essence of heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, and the essence of the sun and moon. It would be a huge loss if we entered a mountain of treasures and did not recognize it."

"If you really find something good, don't forget to bring me a copy." Xue Qinghe raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. Your Highness has been incredibly kind to me, so naturally I would think of Your Highness first when I have something good." Tang Shan agreed readily.

Xue Qinghe simply smiled faintly, not taking it seriously. As the true successor of the Spirit Hall in a certain sense, she had seen and used countless rare and precious materials. Ordinary things simply did not catch her eye. Unless they were the real immortal herbs recorded in books, they were unlikely to be of any benefit to her.

While pondering, Xue Qinghe took out a brand-new thread-bound book from his soul tool and handed it to Tang Shan: "This is the information on the immortal herb you wanted. The original owner said that this is the inheritance of a reclusive Yang family and should not be lent out easily, so I made a copy."

Tang Shan reached out and took the book, his gaze falling on the pages, instantly drawn to the handwriting. It was a delicate and elegant small regular script, yet the strokes were crisp and decisive, the pressure applied with measured ease, each stroke revealing care. The characters were spaced out evenly, the ink even in shades, without a trace of carelessness, demonstrating the copyist's focus and meticulousness.

The words reveal the person; gentleness conceals resilience.

The pages were spotless, and besides the beautiful handwriting, there were several lifelike hand-drawn illustrations of the herb, with no other superfluous markings—simple yet exquisite.

This book doesn't look very thick, but a quick glance reveals it's quite long, probably over a hundred thousand words. Neatly copying all that content and creating illustrations must have taken a considerable amount of effort and time.

Tang Shan gently closed the book, looked up at Xue Qinghe, and smiled sincerely: "Your Highness, thank you. I don't know which family's young lady is so dedicated. Copying over 100,000 words is truly a laborious task. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely thank you properly."

Xue Qinghe's heart tightened, and he was about to blurt out, "I copied it," but when he heard the second half of Tang Shan's sentence, he swallowed the words back down.

But Tang Shan's observation skills were so sharp that he had already taken in Xue Qinghe's change of expression in that instant.

He was secretly surprised: Did the angel lady have such leisure time? She even took the time to help me copy a book?

If Xue Qinghe knew what he was thinking right now, he would probably draw his Angelic Holy Sword and chop him down immediately—he just said he wanted to thank me properly, but now that he knows I copied it, he thinks I'm just being nosy? How can this person be so hypocritical? He's utterly shameless!

Although Tang Shan was surprised that the angel lady had such free time, he remained outwardly calm.

Xue Qinghe composed himself and, having no other choice, resorted to the excuse of a "miracle friend": "She's a friend of mine. She didn't mind the trouble and put in a lot of effort to copy it all down. If you happen to meet her in the future, you'll have to thank her properly."

As soon as she finished speaking, she was filled with remorse: How foolish of her! How could she have been so careless as to use her own handwriting? With her ability to impersonate the Crown Prince of Tiandou, imitating a man's handwriting would have been a piece of cake. She had missed such a good opportunity to build a relationship and make Tang Shan owe her a favor. How infuriating!

Everything is going wrong, everything is going wrong! Xue Qinghe felt a pain in her chest from anger.

"Of course, I will definitely thank you properly." Tang Shan's voice was crisp and clear, yet it carried a hint of indescribable depth.

……

Back in his courtyard, Tang Shan gently placed the book of information about the immortal herb on the table and eagerly opened it to read.

Although the book is titled "Information on Immortal Herbs," its content is actually quite complex. The first half mainly records the characteristics and uses of common herbs and rare natural treasures, while the real records about immortal herbs are placed in the last few chapters of the book.

Tang Shan quickly flipped through the previous pages. He had seen most of the herbs recorded in the Spirit Hall's library, so there wasn't much new information, and he skimmed over them. Soon, he turned to the chapter on immortal herbs, where lines of text and exquisite hand-drawn illustrations instantly captured his attention.

Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng: Entirely blood-red, lustrous like agate, its body winding and coiling like a giant dragon. Consuming it can strengthen the body, replenish vital energy, and significantly improve energy absorption efficiency. It is most effective for those with dragon-type martial spirits or dragon bloodlines.

Tang Shan's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that the first thing he saw would be a celestial treasure that appeared in the original work. No wonder Yang Wudi was so obsessed with the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng in Bai He's hands. It turned out that such a treasure had already been recorded in their family's inherited classics and was even placed on the first page of the chapter on celestial herbs.

He continued flipping through the pages, and records of various rare and precious herbs came into view one after another. Each one was accompanied by a detailed morphological diagram, and some even indicated the suitable growing environment. Tang Shan was overwhelmed by the sheer number of entries.

At this moment, he finally understood why Xue Qinghe had no hope of finding the immortal herbs in Dugu Bo's herb garden. Herb gardens are usually used for growing common herbs, while the immortal herbs recorded in the book mostly grow in remote and harsh places with extremely difficult living conditions, which are simply not something that can be cultivated in ordinary herb gardens.

"Longing for Autumn Dew": The plant is entirely emerald green, with leaves as white as jade. Crystalline dewdrops constantly gather at the tips of the leaves, remaining even in the wind. Consuming it can improve eyesight and mental clarity, significantly enhancing mental strength and improving the eyes' ability to see through illusions, allowing one to discern the falsehoods of the world.

Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum: The flowers are large, about the size of a bowl, and are entirely purple with pale gold stamens. It has no fragrance or taste. Consuming it can improve blood circulation, regulate qi in the limbs, open the eight meridians, temper the body, and forge an indestructible physique.

After scouring the records in the Immortal Herbs section, Tang San finally selected two immortal herbs that seemed suitable for him. In the original novel, these two immortal herbs were obtained by Tang San and Dai Mubai respectively.

Compared to his eager anticipation, Tang Shan wasn't entirely satisfied with the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum. In his view, the so-called "qi circulating through the limbs and blood flowing through the eight meridians" was merely the herb's power forcibly opening the meridians. As for the "indestructible body," although it sounded powerful, Tang Shan knew in his heart that it was most likely just a simple enhancement of physical strength, completely different from the indestructible body achieved through internal martial arts breakthroughs to the Divine Indestructibility Realm, which reversed the innate and was achieved from the inside out.

Unfortunately, after searching the entire book, he couldn't find any more suitable medicinal herbs. Tang Shan gently closed the book, secretly hoping that this rare and precious chrysanthemum could help him enhance his martial soul's potential. If he could use it to achieve a second awakening of his martial soul at the gold level, that would be even better.

As for why he didn't choose to consume the two immortal herbs from the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire together, Tang Shan had his own concerns. The remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon King were buried beneath the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire. Those two immortal herbs had been nourished by the Dragon King's essence for many years and already carried a rich power of ice and fire. If he were to absorb them rashly, it would inevitably break the purity of his attributes, resulting in more harm than good.

Perhaps the other immortal herbs only grew by taking advantage of the structure of the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, but those two must have been directly influenced by the Dragon King's essence.

Having understood this, Tang Shan no longer hesitated. He put down the information about the immortal herb and sat down cross-legged on the spot. He slowly closed his eyes, quickly calmed his mind, and eliminated all distracting thoughts.

The next moment, the blood and qi in his body surged suddenly.

Tang Shan guided all his Qi and blood to converge in his dantian, condensing it bit by bit without dispersing. Gradually, a warm and heavy feeling came from his dantian, and the surging Qi and blood, under his control, slowly condensed into a perfectly round and full Qi and blood pill.

The Qi and Blood Pill rotated slightly in his dantian, emitting a warm red light. Strands of pure Qi and Blood energy emanated from the pill, permeating his limbs and bones, nourishing every muscle and every cell. Tang Shan's mind was immersed in this mysterious state, sensing the potential of his body that had been reactivated by absorbing the Soul Ring. It was like excavating a treasure buried deep underground, being awakened little by little, and refined and sublimated bit by bit.

P.S.: The main characters, Xiancao and Xiancao, are from different sources, one based on the original work and the other

Chapter 175 The Advantages of Combining Two Systems: Feeding the Angels Skills

The cultivation of the Douluo system, combined with the practice of internal martial arts, gradually produced extraordinary effects.

Logically speaking, the human body's potential is limited. The so-called Dan Jin, Gang Jin, and even the transformation from the indestructible to the innate state after seeing the spirit, or even the Vajra indestructible state, are all about further exploring potential, not increasing the body's inherent potential.

This also means that no matter how thoroughly one's potential is developed, the force required to move tens of meters or nearly a ton in a single step is already the limit of the human body.

However, the emergence of soul power changed this perception. Its nourishing and promoting effect on the body elevates human life, essentially raising its upper limit.

This also means that whenever Tang Shan's soul power level breaks through, including breaking through a major stage, he has to go back and redevelop his body, fully exploring the newly enhanced physical potential.

As long as the soul power continues to grow and nourishes the body, this kind of cultivation will not stop.

Fortunately, Tangshan has already reached the Dantian stage, and his cultivation in this area is extremely fast, with his potential being developed very quickly, far surpassing the previous resonance method.

As expected, it's impossible to use the same technique for the entire cultivation stage in one go. As one's strength and cultivation level increase, the cultivation method must inevitably be changed.

Thinking of this, Tang Shan paused. It's true, there really is a technique in the Douluo Universe that can be cultivated to its full potential—the famous "Mysterious Heaven Technique."

Although Tang Shan didn't know much about the later two parts, he had heard some rumors—it was said that the Xuan Tian Gong from the Dou Wu era possessed the ability to devour bloodlines and absorb them for its own use. That's simply outrageous! It's hard to tell whether the original Xuan Tian Gong was inherently so powerful, or whether our great Tang Buddha modified the technique later on and added this ability.

It's highly likely that the original technique was already this powerful, after all, our Sea God is so pure and innocent, how could he possibly develop such an evil ability?

As for the question of why a Taoist practice is so extreme, I can only say that those who understand will understand, and those who don't won't understand even if I explain it to them.

Some things can be fabricated without any basis.

His wandering thoughts subsided, and the vital energy within his body began to circulate, stimulating major acupoints and regulating his essence, energy, and spirit. Tang Shan's overall physical condition began to increase at a barely perceptible but continuous pace.

……

The morning sunlight spills into the pool, shattering quietly into countless spots of light amidst the undulating ripples.

Tang Shan emerged from a night of soul power cultivation feeling refreshed and full of energy.

A soft knock sounded on the door. He got up and went to open it. Xue Qinghe stood straight, hands in his pockets, quietly standing outside the door.

The sunlight slanted across her profile, highlighting her handsome and extraordinary features. Combined with her usual gentle smile, it was simply irresistible.

"Your Highness, if the noble ladies of the empire saw you like this, they would go crazy."

Tang Shan stepped aside to let Xue Qinghe in, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Then when they see you, they'll go even crazier."

Xue Qinghe couldn't help but retort.

Tang Shan touched his appearance, which was now close to the limits of what a human could achieve, but he didn't care.

“I am a Soul Master, so there is a sense of distance between us. You are different; you are the Crown Prince, not a Soul Master, so there is no difference in the level of life. They will definitely prefer you.”

Xue Qinghe didn't speak again. After all, she was a woman, and although her disguise as a man was flawless thanks to her angelic soul bone, she still felt quite uncomfortable hearing others discuss how other girls were interested in her.

She drew an exquisite wooden sword from her waist and looked at Tang Shan: "Let's begin our morning exercise."

Tang Shan nodded and waved to Xue Qinghe, signaling for the other side to attack.

After this period of training, Xue Qinghe has established a solid foundation. The next step is to concentrate his strength and develop his internal energy.

This stage requires most people to complete through daily practice. However, there are shortcuts, such as applying pressure through combat to force the body to improve faster.

Of course, it can't be called taking shortcuts. To create enough pressure, you need stronger opponents. If it's a teacher, that's fine, but if it's an enemy, that's truly dangerous.

There is no essential difference between breaking through in actual combat and breaking through through years of hard training; both lead to the same level.

In fact, Tang Shan originally wanted Xue Qinghe to cultivate using the "stealing heavenly secrets" method, as this would allow for faster progress than if he were to fight the opponent. However, after a brief trial, he abandoned the idea, because this method was not suitable for Xue Qinghe.

The so-called "stealing heavenly secrets" refers to cultivating oneself in perilous places amidst mountains and rivers, such as cliff edges, tsunamis, and volcanic craters. One's body and self-awareness know that a single misstep could lead to death. Cultivating in these places maximizes physical sensitivity and neural reaction speed, resulting in rapid progress in cultivation.

In ancient China, many Taoist priests used this practice to cultivate themselves, both to hone their courage and to practice martial arts.

However, this method didn't work on Xue Qinghe. Whether it was the openly displayed Swan Martial Soul or the true Angel Martial Soul, both possessed the ability to fly. This imprinted the Martial Soul on her instincts—cliffs, volcanoes, tsunamis—were not deadly, and nothing to fear.

This reduces the stimulating effect on the body by more than half. Furthermore, Xue Qinghe wouldn't refuse to use his Martial Soul even when facing danger, rendering the "Stealing Heavenly Secrets" technique truly ineffective.

With no other option, Tang Shan had to personally take the lead and provide the opponent with some tips and tricks.

brush!

Upon seeing Tang Shan's challenge, Xue Qinghe's eyes narrowed. He stomped his foot and slid out like a fish, creating a wisp of wind. He thrust his wooden sword straight at Tang Shan's throat.

Tang Shan tilted his head slightly, barely dodging the sword tip, and lightly flicked the wooden sword's spine with his fingertip. Clang! The wooden sword deflected in response, and Xue Qinghe's attack instantly missed.

Before he could even regain his footing, Xue Qinghe moved with a series of quick steps, charging forward once more. His left hand formed a sword finger that pointed directly at Tang Shan's brow, while his right hand, with the wooden sword, retreated and then slashed horizontally. The sword wind howled, blocking Tang Shan's retreat route to the side. The two moves were seamlessly connected.

Tang Shan suddenly lowered his waist to avoid the sword finger, grabbed Xue Qinghe's wrist with his right hand, and pulled and pushed him.

Xue Qinghe lost his balance and took two or three steps back before he could regain his footing.

"Ming Jin is the initial integration of the body's strength. It's not a forced condensation, but a natural release, a flowing feeling. Don't mistake it for soul power; that feeling is incorrect. Also, three moves have been made, Your Highness, please be careful."

Before he finished speaking, Tang Shan's figure blurred, his feet shattering the dust on the ground as he instantly closed in on Xue Qinghe. His left hand transformed into a palm blade, its edge slashing towards her neck with a whistling wind, the force of which was clearly visible.

Even worse, a domineering and tyrannical will pressed down with the palm strike, like Mount Tai crashing down, causing Xue Qinghe to catch his breath.

Although it was just a friendly sparring match, Tangshan didn't hold back—without enough pressure, how could they expect to break through?