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

The sea of ​​clouds surged on the horizon, weaving into magnificent patterns in the sky.

The sun slowly emerged from the sea of ​​clouds, its golden light piercing through the clouds and pouring down, illuminating the entire Douluo Continent.

A soft halo of light fell upon him, bringing a wave of warmth, and his consciousness gradually returned like a tide. Tang Shan awoke from a deep sleep, and before he even opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was a soft sensation beneath him.

That was the unique feel of the blue silver grass; it seemed to possess life, actively supporting his body, each blade of grass swaying gently in the breeze, offsetting the hardness of the ground.

Even though he lay on the ground all night, it didn't cause him any discomfort.

With a slight effort, he propped himself up, and his mental and physical condition had already returned to its peak.

After gazing at the rising sun for a moment, Tang Shan stood up, casually brushed off the grass roots stuck to his clothes, and turned to go into his room to wash up.

While washing up, he looked at himself in the bronze mirror and kept thinking about a question: Why not stay in a perfectly good room and instead use the sky as a blanket and the ground as a bed?

After washing up, Tangshan did not start his morning exercise. Compared to previous training, it is best to have a continuous flow of Qi and blood generated in the body before practicing the resonance method, so Tangshan decided to temporarily cancel his morning exercise and instead practice after eating.

Bang bang bang!

A soft knock sounded on the door, clearly indicating that Xue Qinghe hadn't forgotten about his daily morning exercise.

As the door opened, Xue Qinghe, dressed in a loose robe, stood calmly at the entrance with a gentle smile on his face.

"Your Highness, please come in."

Tangshan took the initiative to make way and welcomed the other party in.

"In Tangshan, I know an older master who might also like to learn internal martial arts. I wonder if that's possible?"

Xue Qinghe was in no hurry to start cultivating, but decided to resolve the matter of the Golden Crocodile Douluo first.

"No problem. Has that senior arrived? Why don't we just have him come over to cultivate as well?"

Tang Shan didn't think much of it and answered casually. In his view, it was just an internal martial art, and as long as someone was willing to learn, he was willing to teach. There was nothing to hide.

Xue Qinghe's smile grew even brighter, and as she expected, Tang Shan agreed very readily. However, to avoid being abrupt, and because Tang Shan still needed to try to absorb the soul bone, she delayed for a while.

"That senior colleague might not arrive so soon; it will take some time. The main reason is to seek your opinion first."

"Your Highness, as long as it doesn't spread on a large scale, just let me know when you hand it over to your trusted confidants."

Tangshan has gradually come to understand that unless one is naturally gifted in internal martial arts training, the difference between a Soul Master practicing internal martial arts and an ordinary person practicing it is not particularly significant.

After all, no matter how abundant your Qi and blood are, at most you've skipped the accumulation stage of Qi and blood. In the stages of Ming Jin, An Jin, Hua Jin, and even later levels, Qi and blood are just byproducts. The essence of internal martial arts is mastering the human body and mastering power. If you don't know it, you simply don't know it.

To achieve something in a short period of time, you would need to possess an effect similar to Tangshan's number one soul skill, "Self-Control," to make rapid progress.

But what are the odds? And what are the odds of someone with a similar soul skill being able to learn internal martial arts?

"Your Highness, please begin. Since I have reached the Transformation Realm, I will no longer practice in the morning. Instead, I will begin my cultivation after meals when my Qi and blood have accumulated." However, Your Highness can still come as usual in the morning. Your guidance will also help me organize my cultivation.

Xue Qinghe, who had initially learned that he would no longer be exercising in the mornings in Tangshan, turned from worry to joy upon hearing the other party's subsequent words: "If it doesn't affect you, then I'll leave it to you from now on."

"No trouble at all. After all, I've taken so many resources from Your Highness, this little sacrifice is nothing."

Next, Tangshan began to guide Xue Qinghe in his cultivation.

"The legs are rooted to the ground, or rather, sunk into the ground, so that the power can be transmitted down, not just stay in the soles of the feet."

“Drawing the sword is not simply a matter of using your arms; you need to use your waist and even your whole body. Your Highness, you were in the correct basic posture before. Now, if you want to train faster, you need to get all the muscles in your body working together and adjusting to the stance that is most suitable for you.”

"The whole body should be empty, while the sword in hand should be solid. The so-called emptiness is not relaxation, but rather allowing the power to flow and gather in the sword as much as possible; the so-called solidity is to allow all the power to be gathered in the sword, with the body as an illusion and the sword as the reality."

Time passed quickly, and half an hour went by in the blink of an eye.

"Alright, that's enough training for today."

As Tang Shan's voice faded, Xue Qinghe, who was still in the sword-drawing stance, did not relax immediately. Instead, he slowly placed his hands by his sides, took a long, deep breath, and then slowly began to move his body.

For some time, Xue Qinghe learned a lot from Tang Shan. After standing in the stance, one should slowly adjust one's state and try to calm the active blood and qi, rather than suddenly relaxing and becoming active or sitting down on the spot.

This will not only cause minor damage to the body, but also greatly deplete the hard-earned results of one's spiritual practice.

Bang bang bang!

The knocking sounded again: "Breakfast is here."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward and opened the main door. A row of graceful maids outside bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Alright, you can leave now after you've put the breakfast on the table."

"As ordered, Your Highness."

The well-trained maids answered in unison once again.

Tang Shan leaned against the table, his eyes casually scanning the plates of fragrant and expensive breakfast dishes that had been opened. Each one was both nutritious and delicious, and he couldn't help but feel grateful once again that he had latched onto the right person back then; otherwise, he wouldn't have the energy and blood replenishment he needed to cultivate the Resonance Method.

As Tang Shan watched the maids leave, his gaze inadvertently caught a glimpse of the last maid's subtle movements.

Just as she turned to close the door, her fingers subtly and lightly scratched Xue Qinghe's palm, her eyes carrying a hint of ambiguity and teasing that only a woman could understand.

Xue Qinghe froze abruptly, standing rooted to the spot, his face displaying a complex array of expressions, clearly bewildered by this sudden action.

Seeing this, Tang Shan's lips twitched slightly. He suppressed his laughter, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Your Highness's reputation for being 'approachable' seems to have deeply penetrated the hearts of your maids. Even your closest maids dare to joke with you like this. Your charm is truly enviable."

Xue Qinghe wore a kind smile, but his eyes swept over her coldly: "Tang Shan, you seem quite happy to see me make a fool of myself?"

“Of course,” Tang Shan put down his teacup and teased earnestly, “After all, it’s not every day that we get to see His Highness the Crown Prince being ‘taken advantage of.’ I’m just happy for His Highness, it shows that you’re down-to-earth and very popular.”

Seeing Xue Qinghe's face darken visibly, Tang Shan decisively picked up his chopsticks and chuckled, "Just kidding, Your Highness, don't take it seriously. Breakfast won't taste good if it gets cold, I'll start eating first."

After saying that, he decisively ignored Xue Qinghe's eyes, which seemed to want to devour him, and began to eat heartily.

He chewed and digested the food, which was very nourishing to the blood and qi, very quickly.

The flesh of ancient, thousand-year-old spirit beasts, and all kinds of ginseng, lingzhi, and he shou wu—these highly nutritious substances that are deadly poisons to ordinary people—have become the best fuel for Tangshan.

As the food entered his stomach, a powerful and pure heat surged forth. That heat flowed wildly through his meridians like a dragon, rushing towards his limbs and bones. Wherever it passed, the previously calm blood and qi were instantly ignited, emitting a thunderous roar.

His skin had a faint reddish glow, and his pores were open.

……

The plates were cleared away, and Xue Qinghe took a small cloth bag from his bosom and placed it on the table.

"Your Highness, what is this...?"

Having snapped out of her embarrassment, Xue Qinghe didn't give Tang Shan a pleasant look, only rolling her eyes: "The external soul bone you wanted."

Tang Shan was genuinely astonished that he ignored how incongruous it was for a "man" to roll his eyes.

No, you really got it? I was just saying it offhand.

Even though he had a vague premonition when Xue Qinghe said he was going to give him a surprise yesterday, Tang Shan still couldn't believe it when the external soul bone was actually placed in front of him.

This is an external soul bone, not some ordinary thing. It's an external soul bone second only to a 100,000-year soul bone! With such a generous gift and such an investment, Tang Shan couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of his earlier teasing of the angel lady.

"I found this soul bone in a corner of the national treasury, but it has never been absorbed by anyone. I brought it here just for you to try and see if you can absorb it."

"After all, it's an external soul bone, and you know its special nature; preserving it is truly difficult. If you can't absorb it, I can also get you two ten-thousand-year soul bones."

After listening to Xue Qinghe's explanation, Tang Shan suddenly realized why this external soul bone could be preserved; it turned out that no one had successfully obtained it to this day.

"I wonder what's so special about this soul bone. Could it be that the energy it contains is too powerful and domineering?"

Tangshan couldn't help but speculate.

"No, quite the opposite. The soul power contained within is not abundant, mainly because the absorption conditions are harsh. To this day, we still haven't figured out what these absorption conditions are."

Xue Qinghe pushed the cloth bag in front of Tang Shan, his face serious.

"Take this soul bone and try it, but if you can't absorb it, you must not force it. I can't predict what will happen if you force it."

"Your Highness, please rest assured. If it is truly impossible, we will not force it. After all, I owe Your Highness so many favors that I have not yet repaid."

Tang Shan smiled as he put the cloth bag away, and Xue Qinghe's serious expression softened a bit.

"I'm going to the secret chamber to absorb the essence. Your Highness may have to trouble the two senior monks to protect me."

"Go ahead, I have my own plans."

Watching Tang Shan walk into the secret chamber specially used for seclusion, the door slowly closed. Xue Qinghe's hands unconsciously clenched tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white. His eyes were fixed on the closed stone door, and a few ripples surged in his heart.

The courtyard gate opened quietly, and Golden Crocodile Douluo walked to Xue Qinghe's side with his hands behind his back.

"Don't worry, as long as he doesn't do anything reckless, nothing will happen. Even if he tries to absorb it by force, it will only damage some of the meridians in his palms, but I have plenty of ways to restore them."

Hearing the soothing voice of the Golden Crocodile Douluo, Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, but did not respond as usual.

Tang Shan's image kept flashing through her mind. Xue Qinghe knew Tang Shan well and knew that he was a person who would never be eager for quick success.

But this time, she wanted him to succeed more than anyone else.

If he can absorb even the external soul bone that a Title Douluo failed to absorb, then it means that he truly possesses the miraculous ability to defy fate.

On this thorny path to godhood, he might truly become the only one who can walk alongside him, together breaking through that final barrier, standing atop the heavens, overlooking the celestial realm.

P.S.: Things haven't progressed that quickly yet. Miss Angel is looking for a fellow traveler; you could say she hopes Tangshan can become a fellow traveler, but they haven't developed into a romantic relationship yet.

Chapter 119 Absorbing Soul Bones, An Earth-Shattering Battle

Sitting cross-legged in the secret room, Tang Shan looked around with some curiosity.

This was his first time here. He usually cultivated in his bedroom or by the pond in the yard, so he rarely used this place.

The secret room isn't large, only about twenty square meters. It's entirely made of marble, and even the main door is carved from a single piece of stone, giving it a strong ability to isolate itself.

Pushing aside a stone slab overhead, a ray of sunlight shone in, restoring some light to the dark stone chamber.

"Let me see what this external soul bone looks like."

Tang Shan curiously opened the cloth bag, and a wave of soul power, neither weak nor strong, emanated from the loosened opening.

This bag is quite special; it should have the ability to conceal soul power fluctuations.

He loosened the bag completely, tilted it down, and a hand bone that looked as if it were carved from chaotic glass landed in his palm.

The hand bone was exactly the same size as the palm of Tangshan's hand, and its entire body had a strange semi-transparent appearance. However, it was not pure and colorless, but rather it seemed to have compressed all the impurities in the world together, presenting a deep, hazy, and chaotic color.

A faint halo flowed across the bone, and at first glance it was no different from human hand bones. If it weren't for the ancient and weathered soul power emanating from it, it would probably be mistaken for a beautiful bone carving.

What kind of spirit beast produced this spirit bone? Even the Spirit Hall has no record of it.

Tang Shan examined it for a while, but couldn't see anything unusual about it. He was certain that it was a left palm bone. He simply held the soul bone in his left hand, preparing to absorb it.

With a thought, the soul power within his body surged forth, starting from the dantian and flowing wildly along the Taiyin Lung Meridian, pouring into the soul bone in his hand.

The soul power inside the transparent hand bone was activated, emitting a hazy, eerie light. It then transformed from a solid state into countless dazzling streams of light, which frantically drilled into Tang Shan's palm.

At first, it was just a warm current spreading across my left hand, with my wrist as the boundary. As time went on, the temperature of this current began to rise exponentially, and the original warmth quickly turned into a scorching heat.

"That's it?" Tang Shan frowned. There were no difficulties as Xue Qinghe had described, only that his palms were slightly hot.

However, the moment this thought crossed his mind, a sudden change occurred. The skin on his left hand began to swell and redden at a visible speed, displaying a sickly flush. The original heat had now completely transformed into magma that seemed capable of melting steel, raging through the meridians of his palm.

hiss!

Tang Shan couldn't help but gasp, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. It wasn't just hot; it was like his hand had been thrown into a steel furnace!

His right hand gripped his left wrist tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if trying to stop the devastating pain from spreading throughout his body.

Soul power surged wildly through the meridians in his palms, attempting to refine the high-quality energy transformed from the soul bones.

As the soul power was refined, the pain not only did not lessen, but became even more violent.

Moreover, as the soul bone was gradually refined, some more domineering and unique energy flowed through Tang Shan's left hand and into every corner of his body.

A maddening tingling sensation spread from his limbs and bones. That special energy began to forcibly transform his body, every inch of skin, every muscle, every ligament, and even down to the cellular level, were being forcibly modified by this domineering energy.

The person's overall physical condition improved at an alarming rate without any increase in the total amount of Qi and blood.

Grass!

This intense, bone-deep itching was more unbearable than the pain. Tang Shan couldn't help but curse, his teeth grinding together as he desperately tried to suppress the urge to tear himself apart, while simultaneously increasing the output of his soul power.

If soul power can be refined, can blood and qi be refined as well?

The thought flashed through his mind, but Tang Shan didn't have time to think about it. He mobilized the blood and qi that were slowly flowing through his limbs and bones, gathered it in his left hand, and tried to use the power of his blood and qi to forcefully flush and speed up the refining process, ending this agonizing ordeal.

When that surging blood and qi flowed into the area where the soul bone was located, it was like pouring a bucket of highly concentrated gasoline onto a raging fire. The refining speed did indeed accelerate dramatically, but the nature of the pain also underwent a complete transformation.

If placing your palm in boiling lava was painful but bearable, it would eventually become numb over time;

Now, Tangshan felt as if an invisible giant hand was smashing his left hand bones one by one, then forcibly pulling them out, and then shoving a brand new bone full of thorns into them.

This pain was not only extremely intense, but each "replacement" was a completely new and extreme torment.

His consciousness gradually faded, not because Tang Shan's will was not strong enough, but because that special force had penetrated his body and directly affected his soul.