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

Dugu Yan: "Xie Fei said yesterday that he saw you exploring the source of the school's big lake. I looked around for a bit and found you here."

Tang Shan sat down on the edge of the cliff, letting his legs dangle in the air, gazing listlessly at the distant scenery: "What do you want?"

Dugu Yan sat down just like Tang Shan, lightly touching Tang Shan's thigh with her legs, and said in a light tone, "My grandfather asked you when you're going to go and take a look at that herb garden."

Tang Shan raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but tease, "Are you in such a hurry for me to come to your house to get my things?"

For some unknown reason, a blush flashed across Dugu Yan's pretty face, and her ears even felt slightly hot.

Tang Shan didn't notice this, but was pondering Dugu Yan's words.

Since Dugu Yan successfully resolved her spirit poisoning problem by absorbing a non-exclusive spirit ring, Dugu Bo has invited Tang Shan to the medicine garden several times, most likely the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye where the Ice and Fire Dragon King's remains are buried.

Tang Shan refused several times, not because he didn't desire the herb, but because he hadn't yet obtained any information about it. Even if he went earlier, he still wouldn't know anything about it.

Fortunately, it seems that there are some leads on the information about the immortal herbs that Xue Qinghe asked him to find. Once he gets the information, he will definitely not be polite.

"Let's wait a while. After I get my third soul ring, I'll go to your grandfather's herb garden."

Tangshan said this.

Dugu Yan stared intently at Tang Shan's profile, her tone gentle: "Have you decided on a soul beast? Should I ask your grandfather to help you find one?"

"It's decided. His Highness the Crown Prince found it for me, and it's perfect."

"His Royal Highness?"

Dugu Yan frowned slightly, showing no liking for Xue Qinghe.

A year ago, when Xue Qinghe was twelve years old, Emperor Xueye issued an edict appointing Xue Qinghe as Crown Prince and placing him in the Eastern Palace.

The order caused only a slight ripple within the empire before peace was restored.

On the surface, no one was dissatisfied, and no one caused trouble. After all, Xue Qinghe's actions over the years had won the favor of the vast majority of the people. In addition, she was gentle in her actions, not greedy for credit or rash, humble and polite, and had Ning Fengzhi standing behind her. It can be said that her position as crown prince was a matter of course.

Dugu Yan had an inexplicable aversion to Xue Qinghe. She had met him many times and always felt that she disliked him. She also felt that his smiles were always very fake.

Especially when she saw the Crown Prince's carriages taking Tang Shan away each time, she felt a strange unease. Even though Xue Qinghe was a man, she had a strange sense of crisis.

"Can Xue Qinghe's chosen soul beast be reliable? After all, he is just the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Our Dugu family can't compare in terms of power or money, but in terms of soul master cultivation, my grandfather should be able to provide greater assistance."

"Don't worry, it's absolutely reliable."

Tang Shan was very confident. He didn't trust the strength of the Heavenly Dou Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, but rather the strength of Qian Renxue, the granddaughter of the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall, and the strength of the Golden Crocodile Douluo, a peak Douluo of level ninety-eight.

"OK then."

Dugu Yan didn't say much. She couldn't very well say that she disliked Xue Qinghe and therefore prevent Tang Shan from trusting him; that wouldn't make sense.

"Isn't the practical training course about to start? Aren't you going to attend?"

Tang Shan looked at the sky, somewhat curious.

"The teacher said I don't have to go. I've challenged everyone I could, and I've won almost all of them. The ones I couldn't beat were all due to a difference in raw strength that I can't make up for with combat skills."

Dugu Yan twisted her soft body and leaned her back gently against Tang Shan's broad right shoulder. Her two long legs naturally tucked in as she sat sideways on the edge of the cliff. Her hair was blown by the wind and brushed against Tang Shan's neck, carrying a faint fragrance.

Be careful.

Tang Shan was somewhat helpless, fearing she might fall, so he simply wrapped his right arm around her waist, lifted her up, and moved her a little further inside.

This was just an instinctive reaction to take care of my classmates. We usually have a lot of contact with them, but this time it seemed different.

What I touched was a warm, smooth body; her slender waist was so delicate it seemed I could break it with the slightest effort. It carried a cool, jade-like quality that seeped through her thin school uniform. When I lifted her up, I could feel a slight shiver run through her smooth skin, like a startled snake. She was supple yet fragile, but also possessed the agility unique to a Soul Master.

After he finished doing all the actions, Tangshan realized that something was amiss. After all, the other person was a girl, and he wondered if his behavior had crossed the line.

Thank you.

Dugu Yan, leaning against Tang Shan's shoulder, spoke, her voice as soft as a feather brushing against the heart.

Tang Shan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that everything was normal on the other end.

Since the other person didn't think much of it, he didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he smiled and replied, "I'm just worried that you might fall in. Although with our physical condition, falling into the water shouldn't be a big problem, it would be quite troublesome to deal with a drowned rat."

"Hmm..." Dugu Yan responded but didn't reply, her cheek quietly pressed against his shoulder.

As the sun gradually reached the center of the sky, Tang Shan stood up and stretched.

"Junior, let's go, it's time for lunch."

Dugu Yan patted her school uniform, preparing to go down with Tang Shan. Hearing Tang Shan's address, she was a little troubled: "Can you change the way you address me? It always sounds a bit unfamiliar."

Tangshan: "How about I still call you Dugu Yan, or Yan Xuemei?"

"How about calling me Yan Yan? I'll get used to it that way."

"That's fine."

Since people have brought up the issue of customs, Tangshan has no choice but to agree.

"You go that way, I'll just jump down."

Tangshan gestured with his lip towards the direction of the downhill slope.

"Why don't you take me down?"

Dugu Yan spoke tentatively, a barely perceptible expectation hidden in her eyes.

Tang Shan looked down at the height of the water, estimated the weight of the two of them, and nodded, saying, "Then I'll jump down first, and you can come down later."

Before the other party could react, Tangshan had already jumped down.

Whoosh!

The waterfall cascades down the cliff, splashing into the lake and sending up a spray of water several meters high. A misty fog, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, washes over you.

Two sprays of water burst open, intertwining with the roar of the waterfall, and everything around was immersed in this humid and dreamlike mist.

Tang Shan did not sink to the bottom after falling into the water. With his exquisite control over his strength, the water level only reached his knees before his body stopped falling.

Then, with each step he took, he grew taller and taller.

Soon, the water level was only up to their calves.

"You come down too."

Tang Shan looked up at Dugu Yan on the small cliff and met a pair of dazed purple eyes.

The image of Tangshan walking on the water seemed to merge with the figure of him performing martial arts on the lake in my memory, becoming one with him.

"Yanyan, jump down. Don't worry, I'll catch you. You'll be fine."

Seeing that Dugu Yan was still lost in thought, Tang Shan assumed she was afraid and loudly reminded her.

"Okay, I'm coming."

Dugu Yan forcibly cleared her somewhat chaotic thoughts, and also leaped down, drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

Whoosh!

Tang Shan reached out and caught Dugu Yan, the touch of which was surprisingly soft.

After helping her steady herself, I instinctively lowered her onto the water, but stopped abruptly halfway down.

"Can you walk on water using your soul power?"

Feeling the warm aura emanating from the powerful blood and energy of the person in front of her, Dugu Yan, whose mind went blank for a moment, took a long time to react after hearing Tang Shan's question.

Yes, I jumped down, and then what?

Tang Shan was speechless. He had only thought about taking the easy way out, but now he realized that Dugu Yan didn't know how to neutralize force at all, and hadn't even practiced internal martial arts. She couldn't possibly walk on water.

Originally, I had hoped that the other party had a better ability to control their soul power and could do something similar through their soul power, but the helplessness in their eyes said it all.

"Isn't your martial soul a snake? Snakes should be good swimmers, right? Can you swim back?"

Even though he knew that the Jade Scale Serpent was a forest creature and not an ocean spirit beast, Tang Shan still asked it out of wishful thinking.

"The Azure Scale Serpent is a land-based spirit beast."

Dugu Yan's answer undoubtedly indicated to Tangshan that she really couldn't travel by water.

I looked up at the small cliff above me. Although it wasn't very high, climbing it would still be quite troublesome.

"Fine, you can climb on my back, I'll carry you back."

Tangshan made this final decision.

Dugu Yan blinked her large purple eyes and readily lay down on Tang Shan's back, her chest pressed against his spine, clearly feeling his steady and powerful heartbeat.

A fresh, natural fragrance emanated from Dugu Yan, and Tang Shan clearly noticed her graceful figure, as if she had no extra weight.

"It's settled!"

Tangshan gave a reminder, lifted his leg and walked towards the distant lake shore, using the surging water to feel the changes in the current, supporting his entire body as he walked on the water.

Whoosh!

To be honest, it's quite easy to carry one person across the water, at least for Tangshan.

After all, his own blood and qi were already abundant, and with the addition of his own martial soul and external soul bones, the long-term manipulation of internal energy that might be extremely difficult for others to maintain was simply commonplace for him.

"By the way, Yan Yan, why do you smell so good?"

P.S.: Thanks to readers 20240524193532593 and momtv31 for their donations. One more chapter to come.

Chapter 152 Dugu Bo's Lethality, the Confidence of the Golden Crocodile Douluo (Bonus Chapter for 1300 Monthly Tickets)

Feeling the fragrance that lingered around his nose, Tang Shan couldn't resist his curiosity and asked.

For reasons unknown, Dugu Yan suddenly turned her face close to Tang Shan's ear, her voice carrying a hint of coldness, yet also a touch of allure: "This is poisonous incense."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Shan's ears twitched and opened like fans, gently patting the tip of Dugu Yan's nose.

The sudden commotion startled her, and she swayed violently. If Tang Shan hadn't reacted quickly and caught her legs from behind, she probably would have fallen into the water and become a "soaked snake."

Why are you reacting so strongly?

Tangshan spoke up, somewhat speechless.

How are your ears so sensitive?

Having finally regained her balance, Dugu Yan patted her chest, her voice full of surprise.

"This is the essence of internal martial arts when you reach the peak of transforming internal energy. I told you I would teach you, but you refused to learn it."

Tangshan gave a casual reply.

"I'm not going to learn it now. Standing in the stance is so boring. I'd rather use that time to cultivate my soul power."

Dugu Yan pursed her lips.

"By the way, why aren't you scared at all?"

Dugu Yan remembered that she originally wanted to scare Tang Shan, but she ended up being surprised by him instead, and couldn't help but ask him out of curiosity.

"The little bit of poison on you won't have any effect on me at all."

Tangshan answered with composure and confidence.

With his current physical condition, unless it's a highly potent venom like the Jade Scale Serpent King, he wouldn't even bother to look at ordinary poisons.

"Sure enough, the poison has been diluted so much that it has lost all its deterrent effect."

Dugu Yan sighed dejectedly.

"Don't always think about winning with poison. Your second soul skill is so powerful, and your invisibility ability is unparalleled. Now all you need is a powerful offensive soul skill, and your combat system will be in its initial stages."

Tangshan couldn't help but offer a suggestion.

"I never expected that I would end up directly obtaining its innate soul skill, even though I was originally attracted by the quality of the Faceless Serpent's soul rings."

A smile appeared on Dugu Yan's face.

Although this second soul ring is not a thousand-year-old one, the effect of this soul skill is comparable to top-tier special soul skills such as teleportation and nothingness—it is the Faceless Serpent's signature skill, Faceless Invisibility.

Keep in mind, this is an ability that can even bypass the visual and mental detection of a Title Douluo! In the forest, it might leave traces and lead to being tracked, but what if it were placed on the battlefield of a Soul Master duel?

With her petite frame and a little care, she's practically a born assassin!

"Enough about me, when are you going to break through?"

Dugu Yan put aside her disappointment at the loss of the poison's deterrent effect and looked at Tang Shan with curiosity.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I will attempt to reach the Core Formation Realm."

Tangshan casually replied.