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

Chapter 41: The Gains from the Alternative Martial Soul True Body, Forging Progress, and Leaving...

"so it is."

After listening to Tang Shan's explanation, Su Yuntao finally had a relatively clear understanding of the special situation she had been in.

"I call entering this state a treasure because there are several benefits."

Tang Shan was somewhat surprised and explained.

"The increased combat instincts and experience are one of the benefits, and another is the change in the path of your soul power in that state before, brother."

"Can that training route be used directly?"

Su Yuntao clearly had some doubts.

“It’s highly likely to be possible.” Tang Shan paused slightly, then continued, “If you can smoothly expel the backlash when you’re in the alternate spirit form state, it means that there’s nothing wrong with those spirit power pathways. Once you exit that state, you can directly use them without any major problems. After all, spirit possession grants you fighting instincts, not changes your physical structure.”

“Then I’ll give it a try.” Su Yuntao immediately sat down cross-legged and quickly entered a state of cultivation.

After a while, Su Yuntao, who had exited the cultivation state, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Such a fast cultivation speed! But why do I feel like my soul power is being compressed?"

Compressing soul power? Could it be that this cultivation method, derived from the elder brother's martial soul and bloodline, has some effect on condensing the soul core?

Tang Shan hadn't forgotten that in the era of Dou Yi, Soul Masters didn't have Soul Cores; only Soul Beasts could condense them. Since this technique was specifically derived from the combination of Soul Beast bloodline and Martial Soul with his physical characteristics, it was normal for it to have a certain effect of compressing Soul Power during use.

"Isn't it good to compress your soul power? Your soul power will become more condensed and concentrated, and you can release more soul skills."

"But will my cultivation speed slow down?" Su Yuntao asked, somewhat frustrated.

“You have obtained a completely new way of cultivation, and your cultivation speed will definitely increase. Even if compressing your soul power slows down your cultivation speed slightly, it is equivalent to your soul power becoming more abundant. There is no loss in other aspects. Brother, you have actually made a profit.”

"Little brother, how do you suggest I further develop this unconventional martial soul true form?"

With Tangshan's unique perspective, Su Yuntao's mood finally calmed down, and she began to ponder the future development direction of this unconventional martial soul true form.

Su Yuntao waited for a long time but received no response. When she looked up, she saw Tang Shan looking at her with a strange gaze.

Tang Shan also felt quite helpless. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up and said, "Brother, I am currently just an ordinary Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is still a Primal Martial Soul. Why would you want me to give suggestions on developing a True Martial Soul?"

"It seems that's really the case." Su Yuntao was a little embarrassed. From childhood to adulthood, Tang Shan's theoretical expertise had left a very deep impression on him. He subconsciously felt that Tang Shan was certainly knowledgeable in many areas, if not omniscient.

Now, by chance, he has comprehended an alternative version of the Martial Soul True Form, and subconsciously asked an "ordinary Soul Master" for advice. Upon closer reflection, this is indeed somewhat inappropriate.

"My understanding of Martial Soul True Form isn't very deep yet, and I probably won't be researching it in that direction anytime soon. Actually, brother, don't rush into developing it. Just focus on making the most of its original effects. What I can do for you is to let you enter that alternative Martial Soul True Form state a few more times, so that you can release it proactively even without pressure in the future."

Tang Shan could only offer this suggestion, after all, he was still just a Soul Master at the moment, and he really felt at a loss when facing a level of ability like the Martial Soul True Body.

"Okay, let's continue." Su Yuntao doesn't have many other good qualities, but she is very obedient.

He knew very well that even Tang Shan couldn't find a direction for developing alternative martial soul true forms in a short period of time, let alone him, an ordinary Great Soul Master.

Instead of getting bogged down in theoretical details, it would be better to follow Tang Shan's advice and enter the alternative Martial Soul True Body state multiple times, striving to gain active control over this state.

Two soul rings slowly appeared beneath her feet, and wolf-like features reappeared on Su Yuntao's body, while Tang Shan's muscles bulged rapidly, and his whole body quickly swelled and grew taller.

"Big brother, let's go all out in this match. We were so focused on the test just now that we haven't been able to see your true strength after your fighting instincts and experience have surged."

As he spoke, Tang Shan subconsciously clenched his fist, his carrot-thick fingers tightening one by one, revealing the dark blue veins, as if he were a giant hammer capable of forging heaven and earth, full of power.

"Then let's fight with all our might!" Su Yuntao bowed slightly, poised to strike, like a hungry wolf ready to devour its prey, yet his eyes were surprisingly calm.

Is it a great demon transforming into a human, or a demon becoming a Buddha...?

Clang! Clang!

The hammer fell one after another, and the metal volume on the forging table visibly shrank.

call!

Tie Zhong let out a long sigh of relief, put down the forging hammer in his hand, and his face was full of undisguised joy.

"Master Tie, what skill!" Tang Shan, who was watching from the sidelines, exclaimed in sincere admiration. In just a few days, Tie Zhong had made further progress in metal purification. Even if it was the result of years of accumulated experience, it was enough to show his outstanding talent in forging.

It's important to understand that the further you progress in metal purification, the greater the difficulty becomes. It's like going from zero to 80 points is relatively easy, but advancing from 80 to 90 or even aiming for 100 points requires a dramatic increase in technical skill with each step. Otherwise, the path to in-depth metal purification would have already been discovered by others.

"Master Iron is indeed extraordinary. He has made such amazing progress in metal purification in just a few days. In my opinion, he is definitely a master craftsman."

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Although Tie Zhong appeared humble, the smile on his face said it all. Who doesn't like to hear words of praise?

"It's mainly because Tangshan pointed out the right direction that I was able to delve into the research without any worries." As the saying goes, people help each other out, and Tie Zhong was not as simple-minded as he seemed on the surface. He took the opportunity to flatter Tangshan.

Tang Shan smiled and said nothing more. He knew very well that before the actual results were in, the so-called correct direction was just empty talk; only by achieving results could it be called the correct direction. Even if he was working backward from the future results, he couldn't guarantee that the path was 100% correct. Tie Zhong's efforts and contributions were absolutely indelible.

"Tangshan, are you leaving?" Tie Zhong asked with a hint of regret, recalling the discussions and exchanges about forging over the past few months.

“That’s right, I’ve been in Star City for eight or nine days now, and if nothing unexpected happens, I should be leaving tomorrow,” Tang Shan nodded in response.

“Um…” Tie Zhong looked embarrassed, hesitant to speak.

"Master Tie, you might as well speak frankly." Tang Shan saw through Tie Zhong's embarrassment at a glance and took the initiative to ask.

"I just wanted to ask if I could share this training method with my senior brother? He could participate in the research and perhaps make progress faster, especially since my senior brother is a Soul Master. Tangshan, we are willing to pay the corresponding fees."

“Master Iron, you were the one who researched and developed this forging method. I merely offered some suggestions. You can pass it on to whomever you wish, without paying any fees. I only hope that if there are any further breakthroughs in this forging method in the future, Master Iron, you will be generous enough to share your knowledge with me.”

Tangshan agreed without hesitation. In the end, this was nothing more than an advancement in metal purification at the hundred-stage level, nothing to hide. Even if they could truly achieve a thousand-stage purification level, its impact on the overall situation on the mainland would ultimately be limited.

Just like his Millennium Second Ring Theory, even if more top-tier Soul Masters are born because of his theory in the future, that will be a long time from now. And the situation on the entire continent will undergo earth-shattering changes in the next few decades. Who could have imagined that in less than thirty years, three gods and four divine positions would be born on the entire continent?

Moreover, as he said, this forging method was the result of Tie Zhong's painstaking research. He was not shameless enough to claim the greatest contribution to the final result simply by proposing a direction.

He is a master, but ultimately not a "master" because he cannot take possession of the core data of other forces and turn it into his own achievement.

"Of course, no problem!" Tie Zhong readily agreed after receiving Tang Shan's consent. In Tang Shan's view, he had only provided a direction and was not worthy of mastering the method of further refining metals on his own, but in Tie Zhong's eyes, Tang Shan was fully worthy of this recognition.

In the past few days, Tangshan has fully demonstrated its forging talent. In Tie Zhong's opinion, even without him, Tangshan's forging alone will surely make a breakthrough in metal purification within a year at most.

"By the way, Master Tie, who is your senior brother?" Tang Shan was quite curious. In his opinion, Tie Zhong's forging skills were already quite superb. What kind of achievements would his senior brother have in the field of forging?

Tie Zhong subconsciously looked around, as if wary of someone eavesdropping, before lowering his voice and saying, "Tang Shan, I'll tell you who my senior brother is, but you mustn't go around spreading it."

Tang Shan's expression turned serious, and a sense of gravity settled in his heart. Could it be that Tie Zhong's senior brother had a very special identity?

"My senior brother is Tie Long."

Tang Shan blinked. The name sounded familiar; it was as if he had heard it somewhere before.

After a moment's thought, Tang Shan's expression turned somewhat strange. With a hint of surprise, he asked, "Could it be the owner of Tielong Blacksmith Shop?"

Tie Zhong nodded honestly: "He's not only my senior brother, but also my distant cousin."

Tang Shan suddenly fell silent, finally remembering where he had heard the name before. Firstly, the black and gold armor crafted by Ning Fengzhi seemed to have been made at the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop; secondly, he had heard of the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop when he wanted to learn forging.

Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop should be the best blacksmith shop in Star City, but it is rumored that Iron Dragon is very greedy and often maliciously raises prices. If he were not a Soul King, he would probably have been dealt with long ago.

Later, Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop started competing with Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop. Whenever the other blacksmith shop maliciously raised prices, Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop would sell weapons and armor at lower prices. Although the quality was slightly inferior, it was more affordable and became popular with others.

Previously, some people worried that Tie Zhong was not a Soul Master and that his blacksmith shop might be suppressed by Tie Long. However, the result was that the two sides had almost no direct conflict except for business competition.

Many people speculate that Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop may be backed by a powerful force, or even that a major force has specially launched it to compete with Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop in order to force the latter to lower its prices.

After all, Tie Long's forging skills were indeed superb, but his prices were too high, which allowed Tie Zhong's blacksmith shop to gain a foothold.

Chapter 42: Favors and Obligations in Douluo Continent, Su Yuntao Rebels Against the Soul Venerable

"The power behind the so-called iron bell and blacksmith shop."

Tang Shan felt a bit curious.

"There are indeed forces behind it."

Tie Zhong's expression was somewhat strange.

"My senior brother and I originally planned to make more money from those wealthy nobles. As for furniture and farm tools, we wouldn't arbitrarily raise prices. We would compete with each other; he would maliciously raise prices, while I would suppress them and then gradually raise the real price. But I never expected..."

Tie Zhong didn't say what came next, but Tang Shan already understood.

The two brothers originally intended to put on a show, but they didn't expect that the powerful forces, driven to desperation, would actually support Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop and put it in a competition with Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop.

Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop now had a powerful backer, the Iron Dragon brothers achieved their goal of slowly raising prices, and the other forces successfully curbed the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop's malicious price gouging. It was a win-win-win situation.

"Didn't those major powers resort to other means?"

Tangshan found it hard to believe that the kind-hearted people who came to the blacksmith's shop to buy weapons and armor could be so innocent.

The iron bell shook its head slightly.

"There are definitely other methods targeting my senior brother, the key is whether they are worthwhile. Don't be fooled by how much we've earned; compared to those forces that are buying armor and weapons, this amount is not much, even if it's not a drop in the ocean."

My senior brother is, after all, a Soul King. As long as we can bring the price down, there's no need to resort to underhanded tactics. After all, compared to those gold soul coins, the forces behind us value face more.

My senior brother maliciously inflated the price, essentially treating them like suckers. If the final price drops, it's like giving them face, and then everything is negotiable.

Tangshan couldn't help but sigh at the realities of the world.

As Iron Bell said, Gold Soul Coins are nothing more than a string of numbers to truly powerful forces; what they value more is face, or so-called prestige.

In addition, given Tie Long's own strength, there's really no need to resort to underhanded tactics since there's a more reliable way to solve the problem.

Otherwise, if the matter isn't handled cleanly enough, powerful forces like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or the noble families of Heaven Dou City could go to great lengths to target a blacksmith shop owner. Once that reputation spreads, even if the shop owner is at fault, the damage to their own reputation will be immeasurable.

A single sentence, "With such immense power, it's rather petty of you to target a small-time boss like this," would be enough to give them a good scolding.

"Master Tie, I'll be going now."

Ignoring the traps set by the Tie Long and Tie Zhong brothers for those important figures, Tang Shan exchanged forging tips with Tie Zhong before getting up and leaving.

"it is good."

As he watched the young man's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Tie Zhong's eyes held a touch of melancholy. Tangshan, may you continue your journey on the path of forging.

As Tang Shan walked out of the blacksmith's shop, he looked back at the plaque above his head and felt a touch of emotion.

You meet and interact with all sorts of people, and then go your separate ways. It's so real, and so profound.

This is the Douluo Continent, and I am currently on this Douluo Continent.

……

"Is everything packed?"

Su Haichao walked out of the room and looked at Tang Shan standing at the door.

Tang Shan nodded: "The living supplies have been prepared and are all in the storage ring."

"Alright, let's go watch your older brother's last battle against the Soul Master and see if he can actually defeat the Soul Master."

"As long as the opponent is not a Soul Master with a standard Soul Ring configuration, and is not a Soul Master with exceptionally rich combat experience, there is basically no possibility of defeat."

Tang Shan still had considerable confidence in Su Yuntao, after all, in the past few days, through sparring and fighting with himself, Su Yuntao had basically mastered the method of entering the "Martial Soul Fusion" state.

The term "alternative martial soul true form" didn't sound particularly impressive. Su Yuntao felt that this state was a fusion of the martial soul's combat experience with the individual, so she simply called this special state "martial soul fusion".

"But he participated in a one-on-two Soul Fight a few days ago and lost two matches."

Su Haichao clearly did not agree with Tang Shan's viewpoint, but the smile on his face undoubtedly showed that he was extremely satisfied with Su Yuntao's performance in the Great Soul Arena.

"That's purely a '邭邫栴' (a type of '邭邫栴')."

Tang Shan, recalling Su Yuntao's few defeats, couldn't help but sigh at Su Yuntao's valor and courage.

The first defeat was the day before yesterday. At that time, Su Yuntao had just fully mastered the "Martial Soul Fusion" state and was in high spirits when he was unexpectedly hit hard.

His opponents were twins, whose martial souls were a lion and a tiger, respectively.

Tao Ge originally wanted to stage a scene of "the Beast King takes turns, today it's my turn," and the early development of the battle was just as he expected. He suppressed two Great Soul Masters by himself by virtue of his Martial Soul Fusion state.

But who would have thought that just when one of them was about to be eliminated, the two brothers charged at each other.

Before Su Yuntao could react, a complete Martial Soul Fusion Technique was launched directly at him.

Both are Great Soul Masters, but the opponent uses a Soul Fusion Technique to counter one's Soul Fusion, so it's really impossible to win.

Thus, Su Yuntao's first defeat in a battle of spirits was born.

The second defeat was yesterday. If the defeat the day before yesterday was due to the help of others, then he seriously suspected that his second defeat was definitely a setup.

Just how unlucky must one be to encounter two Soul Masters with all-yellow Soul Rings in three consecutive matches at the Great Soul Arena?

Even if soul power can be restored, physical strength, mental strength, and the mental energy consumed when facing opponents are not so easy to restore.

Despite fighting six Great Soul Masters with standard Soul Ring configurations in succession, no matter how powerful Su Yuntao's thousand-year Soul Rings were, or how rich his combat experience was due to the fusion of his Martial Soul, he ultimately couldn't withstand the onslaught and was defeated.

"Surely we won't encounter a Soul Master with a standard Soul Ring configuration again this time, right? If we do, Dad, I suggest letting Big Brother go to Heaven Dou City by himself. He won't know what kind of trouble we might encounter on the way."

Tang Shan couldn't help but complain about Su Yuntao's terrible performance these past two days. He never imagined that he would encounter such a series of troublesome opponents.

Upon arriving at the Great Soul Arena, I greeted Elder Xuan at the entrance; the competition had not yet begun.