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

Leaving aside the external threats to the Star Luo Empire, the various forces within the empire have probably already divided up the royal family into pieces.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience."

A maid gently knocked on the door and respectfully reported to Emperor Xueye.

"Let him in."

Emperor Xueye gave the order in a deep voice.

Soon, Xue Qinghe entered the study with his own friendly smile, bowing to greet the two people inside.

"I have met my father and the Ning clan leader."

Looking at Xue Qinghe, who was now radiant and had a more agile and sharp temperament, a glint of light flashed in Emperor Xueye's eyes.

"Qinghe, it seems you've gained quite a lot from your trip to Ironwall City."

Xue Qinghe did not feign modesty, but replied solemnly: "I have indeed come to understand some principles and insights about how to conduct oneself in society."

Looking at his outstanding son, Emperor Xueye smiled and nodded: "Have you finished writing your report on this trip? If not, it's fine to submit it later. You've been traveling all day, so get some rest."

Xue Qinghe's smile faded slightly, and his expression became somewhat serious. He took out the memorial he had written with Tang Shan's help from his soul tool, handed it to Emperor Xue Ye with both hands, and said, "I inform Father that I have finished writing it. However, some parts of the content may be slightly biased. Please forgive me, Father."

The Snow Night Emperor suddenly became interested.

What exactly was written in the memorial that made Xue Qinghe point out its bias? And since he knew it was biased, why did he still record it truthfully?

This was exactly the idea suggested by Tangshan: first, raise expectations appropriately, so that when Emperor Xueye sees some of the "Second Prince's" actions later, he can be mentally prepared in advance and more easily accept the subsequent arrangements.

When Xue Qinghe heard Tang Shan's idea, he was amazed and could only helplessly take credit for it.

He couldn't very well explain to Xue Qinghe that it was like wanting to open a window in a house; first, you had to deliberately say you wanted to lift the roof off, and then take a step back and open the window. That would be more acceptable, right?

"Alright, you can leave now and go back to get some rest."

Emperor Xueye did not rush to check the memorials. Seeing the undisguised fatigue in Xue Qinghe's eyes, he considerately asked him to leave first.

"Your subject takes his leave."

After bowing respectfully, Xue Qinghe turned and left the study, walking out of the palace.

She stood outside the palace gates, looking back at the layered, resplendent palace complex, a flame of ambition burning in her eyes.

He slowly raised his slender hand to his eyes, his five fingers slightly curled, as if he wanted to firmly grasp the entire palace in his palm.

"Sooner or later, everything here will be mine."

……

Tangshan emerged from his meditative state feeling refreshed and invigorated. He reached up to touch his shoulder and found his clothes were damp.

The morning dew had already soaked the fabric.

So Tang Shan simply took off his shirt and started practicing internal martial arts in the courtyard, shirtless. He began with a downward shoulder and elbow strike, powering his limbs with his waist and back. The force of his punches, carrying a booming wind of qi and blood, was like a thunderclap with each strike. The bricks beneath his feet tingled slightly, and fine cracks began to spread. His qi and blood surged through his meridians like a tide, warm energy flowing through his body, stretching his muscles and bones wherever it passed. The morning chill was instantly dispelled, and his skin glowed with a healthy red.

The punches, straight punches, and sweeping kicks flowed smoothly and seamlessly, the moves were fierce and powerful yet still disciplined, with hidden strength beneath the fists. The air seemed to be compressed at the point of contact, creating faint ripples of air.

A thin mist hung in the courtyard. The mist touched Tang Shan's warm skin, instantly turning into a fine layer of water vapor that slid down his smooth muscle lines before quickly dissipating upwards. In the hazy mist, Tang Shan's figure seemed to float in the air, his muscles undulating with each move, outlining strong lines. His punches were powerful and domineering, yet also possessed a graceful and agile quality. Every breath was perfectly synchronized with his movements, drawing upon the faint spiritual energy of heaven and earth, resonating with the blood and qi within his body.

As the sun gradually rose, Tang Shan, who had just finished his morning exercise, went into his room to tidy up a bit when there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard.

"They're here."

Tang Shan walked curiously to the gate, opened the courtyard gate, and saw Xue Qinghe standing outside the gate, followed by a row of maids.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Tang Shan saw that Xue Qinghe was followed by servants, so he quickly put away his casual attitude and bowed respectfully.

"It's alright, no need to be so polite with me." Xue Qinghe waved his hand, then turned to the maids behind him and ordered, "Bring everything in."

Under Tang Shan's watchful gaze, four maids carried a huge stone table into the courtyard. Judging from the faint fluctuations of soul power emanating from them, they clearly possessed a certain amount of innate soul power, but most likely, like Yu Xiaogang, they were only at half a level, at most able to slightly enhance their physical attributes with their soul power.

"Your Highness, what is this?"

Looking at the stone table that had suddenly appeared in front of him, Tang Shan was a little confused and asked in bewilderment.

"I'd like to learn more about the cultivation methods of internal martial arts from you. I'll probably come and practice with you in the mornings from now on, and we can have lunch together afterwards. Is that alright?"

"Of course you're welcome."

Tangshan had no reason to refuse Xue Qinghe's request, and he could also gradually reverse Xue Qinghe's previous laxity in cultivation by sticking to his morning exercise.

clap clap!

Xue Qinghe clapped twice, and then one by one, maids carrying small baskets entered the courtyard, opened their baskets, and placed the exquisite breakfast items inside on the stone table.

Once all the maids had taken the food out of the baskets, the stone table, which was about three or four square meters in size, was filled with a dazzling array of breakfast dishes, their aromas filling the air.

“Let’s eat first, and then I’ll tell you about the information I’ve gathered over the past few days about the soul beasts that are suitable for you in the second ring.”

Upon hearing that Xue Qinghe had found many suitable soul beasts, Tang Shan was overjoyed. He stopped being polite with Xue Qinghe and sat down at the stone table to eat heartily.

Clearly, Xue Qinghe had put thought into this breakfast. After spending time together, she had already figured out Tang Shan's appetite. Today's breakfast was not only exquisite and delicious, but also very generous in portion, which was just right for Tang Shan's appetite after his cultivation.

"This is a porridge made with ground beef and pearl rice, and this is steamed snow egg with century-old lotus seeds. This is a bun made with golden wheat powder and mutton..."

Xue Qinghe pointed to the breakfast menu on the table, picked up his cutlery, and ate with Tang Shan.

Chapter 87 Ultimate Attributes, External Soul Bone, Emperor Xueye's Wrath

This breakfast is extremely nutritious, made from rare and precious ingredients or the body tissues of spirit beasts. Once it enters the mouth and stomach, it is quickly digested and divided into three streams of energy.

The first surge of heat flowed into the blood and qi, merging with it and continuously enhancing Tangshan's physical fitness;

The second warm current enters the meridians, transforming into gentle energy. While nourishing the meridians, it settles within them, quietly awaiting Tangshan's refinement, and transforming into a part of one's cultivation.

A third cool current traveled up along the Du meridian, penetrating deep into the mind and gently nourishing Tang Shan's spirit.

Wow, this breakfast not only tastes amazing, but it also nourishes your energy. Tangshan sighed with gratitude, saying that thighs are great and soft rice is delicious.

After seeing that Tang Shan had finished eating and drinking, Xue Qinghe sent someone in to clear away the dishes. After all the maids had left, she took out several documents from her storage soul tool and handed them to Tang Shan, explaining in detail: "The main gathering places of soul beasts in our Douluo Continent are just a few, namely the Star Dou Great Forest, the Sunset Forest next to Tian Dou City, and the far north. Your requirement is a power-type soul beast with an age of about four or five thousand years. I have mainly sent people to search in the Sunset Forest and the Star Dou Great Forest. As for the far north, firstly, it is too conspicuous, and secondly, most of the soul beasts there are ice-attribute, so it is not very meaningful to search there."

Hearing that Xue Qinghe had actually sent people to search the Sunset Forest and Star Dou Great Forest, two habitats of spirit beasts, was somewhat unexpected for Tang Shan. In his view, sending people to even one place to help him search was already a significant investment. After all, Tang Shan required spirit beasts to be four to five thousand years old. To escape safely from spirit beasts of that level, one would need at least the cultivation level of a Spirit Master. Considering the need to prevent unexpected situations, it would be safer for each spirit master searching for spirit beasts to be a Spirit King.

In other words, Xue Qinghe dispatched a large number of Soul Kings to help him find suitable Soul Beasts, and judging from her words, if the environment in the far north were not so harsh and the risks too high, she would have sent people to that place to investigate.

"Your Highness, that's enough, absolutely enough. There's no need to go to the far north." Tang Shan quickly thanked him, while also trying to dissuade Xue Qinghe from sending people to the far north.

There are indeed strength-type soul beasts in the far north, but most of them are mixed with a strong ice attribute, and the strength of the ice attribute is not low. Compared to the Titan Snow Demon, which combines ice and strength attributes, Tang Shan felt that he would be better off choosing the Titan Giant Ape, which combines strength and earth attributes.

Tang Shan carefully reviewed the information from the other party while listening to Xue Qinghe's explanation: "A 5,500-year-old Celestial Horned Beetle was discovered in the outer area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest. It's a pure power-type soul beast. Although its age is 500 years older than you requested, its quality and bloodline are exceptional."

Tang Shan quickly found information about this soul beast in the data. The Heavenly Horned Beetle was similar to his first soul ring, the Thousand-Arm Ant, both belonging to the insect-type soul beasts. They also had similar characteristics, being able to lift objects many times their own body weight. Compared to the Thousand-Arm Ant, the Heavenly Horned Beetle had an advantage in that its shell had decent defensive capabilities, but apart from that, it had no other special features.

“We can keep this one for now. If we don’t find anything more suitable, then we can choose this one.” Tang Shan turned to the next page, and Xue Qinghe continued to introduce it: “This is the Thunder Earthquake Ox, which is considered a top-tier soul beast. It is only slightly inferior to the Titan Giant Ape and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear. However, it has three attributes, with strength as the primary attribute and lightning and earth as secondary attributes. Its lifespan is 4,100 years.” “That’s too many attributes.” Tang Shan shook his head and directly rejected this soul beast.

Xue Qinghe asked curiously, "Wouldn't it be better to have more attributes? It would also add more combat options."

"A person's energy is limited. Rather than half-heartedly developing various abilities, it's better to specialize in one thing." Tang Shan closed the documents in his hand, looked at Xue Qinghe, and said seriously, "For example, my original martial soul has a power attribute, and because it is connected to the brain, it also has a certain mental attribute. For me, the existence of these two attributes is enough for me to develop and research. My teacher also said that it's better to specialize in one thing than to be a jack-of-all-trades, and to develop and elevate the effect of one's own attribute to the ultimate level."

"The ultimate level?" Xue Qinghe was intrigued by Tang Shan's words and couldn't help but ask, "What is the ultimate level?"

Tangshan explained: "The so-called ultimate level, according to my teacher's understanding, means that a certain attribute has reached the true human limit to a certain extent. Once that level is reached, the ultimate attribute will have some special characteristics."

"Special characteristics?"

“That’s right.” Tang Shan nodded, combining information from the original work with his experience in Douluo Continent, and gave his own explanation: “For example, the ultimate ice can lower the temperature to extremely low levels and can also freeze soul power, mental power, and even space. Its core characteristic is absolute freezing.”

For example, extreme fire is characterized by absolute high temperature and powerful combustion. Its characteristic is that anything not of an extreme nature can be used as fuel; in other words, nothing is unburnable, even water, as long as it is not of an extreme nature, will become its fuel.

This was the first time Xue Qinghe had heard of such a classification and understanding of attributes, and he couldn't help but ask with some curiosity, "So what happens if you reach the ultimate power?"

Tang Shan shook his head: "There has never been a Soul Master in history who possessed a Martial Soul with ultimate power, so I don't know. In fact, it's hard to say whether there are any Soul Masters with ultimate Martial Souls on the mainland to this day. After all, my teacher discovered these characteristics in high-level Soul Beasts."

Xue Qinghe seemed thoughtful, then continued to introduce the soul beasts to Tang Shan: "You can skip the last few pages of information. Many of them are similar to the Thunder Earthquake Bull, which are close to top-tier soul beasts, but their strength attribute is accompanied by other attributes. Look at the last two pages, they are the Diamond Fierce Beast and the Sky-Supporting Giant Ape."

Some of the former have both earth and strength attributes, while others have pure strength attributes. The one we found has pure strength attributes and is 4,900 years old, making it a top-tier soul beast.

The Sky-Supporting Giant Ape, on the other hand, is a pure strength-attribute soul beast, possessing extraordinary stamina and immense power. Although not comparable to the Titan Giant Ape, it can still be considered halfway into the ranks of super soul beasts. However, unfortunately, its lifespan is only 3,300 years.

Looking at the descriptions of the two soul beasts, Tang Shan was immediately tempted. But just as he had a thought, Xue Qinghe continued, "Don't rush to choose. Information about soul beasts is still being gathered. It's not too late to choose when you break through to level 20."

Is this the source of the Spirit Hall and the Heavenly Dou Prince's confidence? "Then Your Highness, I'll wait a moment." Tang Shan didn't thank him again, but he had already deeply remembered Xue Qinghe's kindness.

"It's alright, they're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, so they might as well put some use to them."

Xue Qinghe waved his hand and stood up: "Alright, I will be receiving special training from the royal family for a while, so we probably won't have much time to meet. You should focus on your training. I will inform my father about your existence after a while and ask him to increase his resource investment in you."

Tang Shan escorted Xue Qinghe to the gate of the courtyard and watched her disappear at the end of the path. Just as she was about to finish walking down the path, Xue Qinghe suddenly turned around and said, "I have some progress on the matter of the external soul bone, but whether I can find it successfully is another matter. Just relax and wait."

Tang Shan's lips twitched, wondering if the Angel Lady was really going to plunder the Spirit Hall's treasury. Although he felt something was off, Tang Shan still excitedly thanked her, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Only then did Xue Qinghe truly disappear from Tangshan's sight.

Walking on the cobblestone path, Xue Qinghe recalled Tang Shan's joyful expression before leaving, and couldn't help but snap his fingers, chuckling as he said, "I've got him." He had helped inquire about external soul bones, practiced together in the mornings to get to know each other, and invested a lot of resources to help him find soul beasts. He didn't believe that Tang Shan couldn't be of use to him in the future.

Feeling that I had successfully captured the angel lady from Tangshan, I felt as if three pairs of wings were unfolding behind me, making me feel incredibly light, and my face was full of joy.

However, I wonder if Tang Shan can successfully absorb that external soul bone? So many people have tried to absorb it before but failed. Never mind, let's figure out a way to get the soul bone from Grandpa first.

……

Inside the Imperial Garden, Emperor Xueye was flipping through the memorial presented by Xue Qinghe, his face expressionless and his eyes calm and still, making it impossible to discern his true emotions.

However, actually having no emotions is already the best expression of emotion. After all, if you're in a good mood, how could you not have a blank expression?

"Guards!" Emperor Xueye's voice was like a muffled thunderclap, carrying an air of majesty, ready to erupt into a violent roar at any moment.

"Your Majesty." An old eunuch following Emperor Xueye hurriedly bowed and stepped forward, respectfully awaiting Emperor Xueye's instructions.

"Go and fetch Zhu Zhong of the Imperial Guard. Tell him to go to the Imperial Study immediately. I'll wait for him there. Tell him I want to hear about Qinghe's true performance after he went to Iron Wall City. He must not hide anything."

After giving his orders, Emperor Xueye left the Imperial Garden without looking back and walked deep into the palace.

……

Half an hour later, in the Imperial Study

"Are you saying that everything written in Qinghe's memorial is true?" Emperor Xueye asked coldly, his face ashen.

"Um, Your Majesty, some of the content is still false." Zhu Zhong hesitated, looking nervous, but still stammered as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xueye's expression softened slightly, and he asked, "What's false? Is it because the soldiers of Iron Wall City were merely treating Qinghe with normal courtesy, and he was dissatisfied, that he said the soldiers treated him badly?"

He's only ten years old this year, so it's normal for him to have a bit of a temper. "Your Majesty, this part is true; the soldiers' attitude towards His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed not very respectful."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xueye's expression turned from sunny to gloomy again, and his tone became more serious: "How could it be fake?"

"That, that claim that the people welcomed him is false. In fact, during his time in Iron Wall City, the people of the city greatly supported the Second Prince. They privately said that he was the right heir apparent and the best candidate to become the future emperor."

Whoosh! A flash of white light disappeared in an instant.

*Crack!* A white jade teacup flew past Zhu Zhong's face and shattered heavily on the wall behind him, scattering fragments all over the ground.

"Good, good, good, good, Hong Zhen! I know you secretly favor the Second Prince, but you dare to be so blatant. I'm not even dead yet, and you dare to say in private that he is the best candidate to become emperor in the future. Have you gotten too cocky, or have I lost my temper?"

"I wanted to use the Iron Wall City incident to toughen up Qinghe, but this is the reaction you gave me. You want to rebel? How wonderful!" Emperor Xueye's face was flushed, and his eyes seemed to be spitting fire. He was obviously furious to the extreme.

"Zhu Zhong, tell me the whole story from the beginning of the attack on Tiebi City, word for word. Don't leave anything out. If you utter even a single falsehood, you will be executed on the spot!"

Having barely calmed himself, Emperor Xueye stared sharply at Zhu Zhong, his tone filled with a heavy killing intent.

P.S.: The next chapter will feature breaking through level 20, followed by hunting soul beasts to break through to the second ring. Also, everyone, guess which soul beast that special external soul bone belongs to. Hint: it's beyond a super soul beast and also connected to the protagonist's third ring.

Chapter 88 Ning Fengzhi: Let Xue Qinghe deal with the Spirit Hall, break through level 20. (Please read and subscribe)

Everything returned to calm, and time flew by silently.

Tangshan immerses himself in a regular practice every day, and when he wakes up in the morning, he calls Xue Qinghe to do morning exercises together.

Xue Qinghe mainly uses standing meditation to build a foundation, while Tang Shan uses internal energy to repeatedly refine his bones and internal organs. After finishing, the two ate together, and then each devoted themselves to their own affairs.

A minor incident occurred during this time: That day, Tang Shan's internal organ cleansing progressed again, resulting in the expulsion of a considerable amount of accumulated waste blood. Xue Qinghe was startled and immediately wanted to summon a healing-type Soul Master for help.

After hearing Tang Shan's explanation, Xue Qinghe understood that spitting out black blood was a normal phenomenon after expelling impurities from the body and further tempering the internal organs. He was amazed and began to truly value the practice of internal martial arts.

As for whether Xue Qinghe was seriously cultivating his soul power in private, Tang Shan had no idea, since he couldn't see through Xue Qinghe's disguise as an angel.

A week after Tang Shan arrived at the Prince's Palace, the Second Prince of Tiandou, Xue Shan, also traveled a long way back from Bafang City. Soon after, Xue Qinghe and Xue Shan were summoned to the palace together.

Tang Shan had no way of knowing what exactly happened, but it was easy to see from the radiant smile on Xue Qinghe's face when she returned that she had clearly left an excellent impression on Emperor Xue Ye this time.

Later, after inquiring with Xue Qinghe in Tangshan, they finally understood what had happened that day.

Upon returning from the snow mountain, Xue Ye also presented his memorial to Emperor Xue Ye. The content was largely similar to Xue Qinghe's memorial, mainly accusing the officials of Bafang City of being uncooperative and giving him the cold shoulder. The most shocking part was the last sentence of the memorial: "In the Tiandou Empire, my Xue family is the sky. Dragons coil before me, and tigers lie down before me."

Rumor has it that Ning Fengzhi happened to be visiting Emperor Xueye at the time and even accompanied the emperor as they reviewed the Second Prince's "masterpiece." Not long after seeing that arrogant statement, Ning Fengzhi took his leave from Emperor Xueye under the pretext of having important business to attend to, clearly quite shocked by the words, and even wondering if Emperor Xueye had deliberately let him see them.