Rise in Douluo Continent with the help of bean buns

Half a month after his martial soul awakened, the focus of conversation in Qing Shi Village remained Lin Chen and his Blue Silver Grass.

Walking along the dirt roads in the village, you can always run into groups of villagers gathered in twos and threes. When they see him coming, they lower their voices and look away. After he passes by, they point and whisper behind his back, and the gossip drifts on the wind. There are all kinds of comments, some unpleasant, some regretful, and some gloating.

"It's him, the one who awakened the Blue Silver Grass."

"What a pity, such a clever child, how did he end up with such a useless martial soul?"

"What's the use of being clever? In the world of Soul Masters, what matters is the Martial Soul. That's all there is to life. At best, you can become a Soul Master, and even then, you'll have to work yourself to the bone."

These words drifted into his ears, but Lin Chen didn't falter at all, his expression as calm as if he were listening to someone else's story.

He went up the mountain to collect herbs every day as usual, and went to town to deliver goods as usual. His daily routine was no different from before he awakened.

He neither gave up on himself nor rushed to prove anything; he remained as aloof and composed as ever.

The cultivation of the Azure Lotus Technique has also gotten on track.

Four hours a day, no more, no less, precisely controlled.

His soul power steadily increased at a visible rate, from level three to level three and a half, and then to nearly level four, all in just half a month.

At this rate, a promotion every month is a certainty, and the foundation is exceptionally solid, without the slightest hint of superficiality.

But Lin Chen was not satisfied.

It's still too slow.

His goal was never to keep up with the pace of ordinary soul masters, but to catch up with those top geniuses, and even surpass them.

Relying solely on the Qinghe Technique is not fast enough. It must be combined with body tempering, widening the meridians, and increasing the soul power capacity to further accelerate the cultivation speed.

That morning, Lin Chen carried a medicine basket down from the back mountain. Just as he reached the village entrance, he was stopped by several teenagers.

The leader was Wang Xiaohu, the youngest son of the Muramasa family, who had awakened the Stone Hammer Martial Soul and the second-level innate soul power a few days ago.

These past few days have been incredibly successful; wherever he goes, people fawn over him, making him the leader among the village's children his own age.

"Lin Chen, stop right there!" Wang Xiaohu stood with his hands on his hips, blocking the road, his chin held high. "I heard you awakened Blue Silver Grass? And with level three soul power? Hahaha, what's the use of level three soul power? It's still a useless martial soul!"

The boys behind him joined in the laughter.

Lin Chen stopped and calmly swept his gaze over the group.

  

They're all seven or eight-year-old kids, their minds still developing, and they're just showing off because of their superior martial spirits. It's beneath you to argue with them.

He didn't say anything, but turned to try and go around it.

Seeing this, Wang Xiaohu was even more convinced that he was scared, so he stepped forward and reached out to push his shoulder: "Hey! I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"

Lin Chen slightly shifted his foot to the side, dodging the attack perfectly. Wang Xiaohu, having exerted too much force, stumbled forward and nearly fell flat on his face.

"You dare to dodge?!" Wang Xiaohu's face flushed red as he glared at him. "Lin Chen, don't push your luck! You think a weak martial spirit like you can talk back to me? Believe me or not, I'll beat you up!"

As he spoke, he raised his fist, his Stone Hammer Martial Spirit faintly about to be released.

Lin Chen stopped and looked up at him. His gaze remained calm, yet it carried an indescribable sense of oppression.

"You can give it a try."

His voice was not loud, and his tone was very calm, but it made Wang Xiaohu's heart skip a beat for no reason.

Even though the other person was just a child about the same age as him, and even though he had a useless martial soul, his eyes were so calm, as calm as a deep pool, that it made people's hearts tremble.

Wang Xiaohu held his fist, frozen in mid-air, too afraid to bring it down.

The boys behind him also chickened out; they looked at each other, none of them daring to step forward.

Lin Chen didn't look at them again, and walked straight past them with his medicine basket on his back.

It wasn't until he was quite a distance away that Wang Xiaohu came to his senses, his face flushed red, and he shouted at his retreating back, "You just wait!"

Lin Chen didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head.

childish.

He made a mental assessment.

Arguing with a teenager like this is a complete waste of time.

When it really comes down to it, although he only has level three and a half soul power, his body tempering and combat simulations during this period have not been in vain. He is more than capable of dealing with a few seven or eight-year-old children.

But there's no need for that. Winning would only give you a reputation for bullying others and could easily expose your true strength.

The key task at this stage is to develop quietly and make money in silence.

Back in the courtyard, Lin Chen put down the medicine basket and sat down cross-legged without resting.

"Doubao, devise a body tempering plan. Objectives: widen meridians, increase soul power capacity, and enhance physical fitness. Requirements: gentle, no side effects, and suitable for the current stage."

[Command received. Body tempering scheme deduction initiated. Based on the host's current meridian status, martial spirit attribute, and physical attributes, the optimal body tempering formula is selected...]

A few minutes later, the simulation results were released.

Optimal tempering solution: Whale glue composite tempering method

Main ingredient: Top-grade three-year aged whale glue (refined from the fat of deep-sea whale soul beasts, rich in life energy, mild and non-irritating, most suitable for low-level soul masters to temper their bodies).

Auxiliary ingredients: Seven herbs (Warm Muscle Grass, Meridian-Clearing Flower, Dew-Condensing Grass, Blood Vine Root, Jade Leaf Flower, Green Spirit Vine, Meridian-Continuing Grass)

Effects: Gently widens meridians, enhances resilience, and improves the efficiency of soul power transmission, while also improving physical constitution and strengthening the body.

Estimated absorption rate: 92% (The absorption rate of ordinary Soul Masters during body tempering is only 30%-40%, but Doubao can increase the absorption rate to over 90% by precisely guiding the medicinal power throughout the process).

Cycle: Once every three days, for a total of ten times as one phase.

Estimated cost: One pound of top-grade three-year-aged whale glue costs approximately thirty gold soul coins; seven auxiliary ingredients cost approximately five gold soul coins; totaling approximately eighty gold soul coins for ten treatments.

Precautions: The body tempering process is accompanied by a tingling, stinging sensation. It is essential to maintain mental stability throughout, and have the beanbag precisely guide the flow of the medicinal power to avoid damaging the meridians.

Lin Chen silently did the math.

Eighty gold soul coins represented almost half of his entire savings.

It's expensive, really expensive.

But it's worth it, it really is worth it.

For ordinary Soul Masters, the absorption rate of the medicinal power during body tempering is only 30% to 40%, with most of it being wasted. However, with Doubao's guidance, his absorption rate can reach over 90%, equivalent to the effect of three body temperings for others, which he achieved in one session. In the end, it's more cost-effective.

"This is the plan," Lin Chen immediately approved.

Money is earned, not saved. Money that needs to be spent should never be spared.

That afternoon, he went to Blackstone Town.

He first went to the largest pharmacy to inquire, and sure enough, top-grade three-year-aged whale glue was not cheap, costing thirty-two gold soul coins per pound, and the stock was limited. Lin Chen bought two pounds directly, and also obtained the seven auxiliary ingredients, spending nearly seventy gold soul coins in total.

As Lin Chen walked out of the pharmacy carrying the heavy bag of medicine, he felt a slight pang of regret, but mostly anticipation.

These seventy gold coins, exchanged for expanded meridians, enhanced physique, and a faster cultivation speed, are absolutely worthwhile investments.

By the time we returned to Qingshi Village, it was already dark.

Lin Chen did not immediately begin the body tempering process. The first body tempering with whale gelatin must be performed when one is in peak condition.

He got a good night's rest and was fully refreshed before starting preparations the next morning.

In the courtyard, a large wooden tub sat over a fire, the water simmering gently. Following the proportions given by Doubao, Lin Chen added the whale gelatin and seven other ingredients in sequence, slowly simmering them.

A faint medicinal fragrance wafted through the air, carrying a hint of the salty smell of the ocean, mixed with the fresh scent of herbs and trees, making it surprisingly pleasant to smell.

After simmering for about half an hour, the medicinal properties were fully absorbed into the water, turning the entire bucket of water into a warm, milky white.

[The temperature of the medicinal solution is suitable, and the concentration of the medicine meets the requirements; body quenching can begin.]

Lin Chen took off his clothes, stepped into the wooden tub, and sat down.

The warm medicinal liquid enveloped my whole body. At first, I didn't feel anything, just a warm and comfortable feeling.

But soon after, a dense stinging sensation seeped into the skin's surface, penetrating the veins through the pores.

It wasn't the kind of intense pain, but rather like countless fine needles densely piercing the walls of the meridians, causing an itchy, numb sensation with a slight burning feeling.

Lin Chen frowned slightly and gritted his teeth.

[The medicinal effects are beginning to penetrate. Please remain calm and do not resist. I will guide the medicinal effects to expand the meridians along the optimal path.]

As Doubao's voice rang out, a cool sensation spread from between his eyebrows, coursing through his meridians to his entire body.

The dense medicinal power seemed to be guided by an invisible hand, no longer wandering aimlessly, but slowly washing over the meridian walls along a specific path.

The stinging sensation is still there, but it has become more regular.

Each time the medicinal power washes over a place, the meridian wall will be slightly widened and strengthened at the same time.

It's like slowly sanding a narrow pipe with fine sandpaper, widening it while reinforcing the pipe walls.

The process was slow and tedious.

The persistent, stinging pain seemed endless. Lin Chen clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, yet he remained silent.

He could clearly feel his meridians widening little by little, their resilience increasing bit by bit. Every step forward was accompanied by corresponding pain.

This is body tempering.

There are no shortcuts, no tricks; it's all about using the medicine to gradually toughen up your body. If you want to become stronger, you have to be able to endure this hardship.

Time passed by, second by second.

A quarter of an hour... half an hour... an hour...

Lin Chen's consciousness was becoming somewhat blurred, and he was only holding on by sheer willpower.

Just when he was about to give up, Doubao's voice finally rang out.

[The first round of whale gelatin body tempering is complete. The medicinal effects have been fully absorbed. Please slowly rise, dry your body, and rest quietly for half an hour.]

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He looked down at his body.

His skin had a faint pinkish hue, as if it had been scalded by hot water, but upon closer inspection, one could find that his meridians were much clearer, and the speed at which his soul power circulated seemed to have increased slightly.

Although she was exhausted, she exuded a sense of ease, as if she had unloaded a heavy burden.

"Evaluate the results." Lin Chen's voice was a little hoarse.

First evaluation of the effect of whale glue quenching:

Drug absorption rate: 93% (exceeding expectations)

Meridian width increased by 7%.

Improved meridian resilience: 5%

Soul power conduction efficiency increased by 9%.

Overall improvement in physical fitness: 4%

Overall rating: Excellent. At this pace, after ten body tempering sessions, the width of the meridians can increase by more than 50%, the toughness by more than 45%, and the soul power condensation level can reach twice that of an ordinary soul warrior.

Lin Chen nodded slightly.

The results were even better than expected.

Ten body tempering sessions widened his meridians by half and doubled the refinement of his soul power. This meant that, at the same soul power level, his total soul power and quality were more than twice that of others. Both his endurance and explosive power would far surpass those of others at the same level.

This is the value of body tempering.

That is also the value of the bean bun.

Ordinary Soul Masters can only achieve 30-40% of the effect with the same amount of money. But he can achieve more than 90%.

Lin Chen got out of the wooden tub, dried himself off, put on his clothes, and sat down at the table.

On the table was a book he had just bought from town, titled "Essentials of Body Tempering for Low-Level Soul Masters," which he had picked up yesterday.

He opened the book and began to read slowly.

The book covers the most basic knowledge of body tempering, such as which tempering method is suitable for which stage, what common tempering herbs are available, and what precautions to take. The content is very basic and may be useful for ordinary soul masters, but for Lin Chen, it can only be considered an introductory popular science.

But he still watched it very carefully.

Doubao would add to and correct each paragraph as it was read.

[This statement is incorrect. Frequent use of whale gelatin for body tempering is not necessarily better; once every three days is the optimal frequency. Too frequent use can prevent the meridians from repairing themselves, potentially causing hidden injuries.] [This omission is a complementary ingredient. Combining dew-collecting grass with warming tendon grass can increase the gentleness of the medicinal effect by 15%, reducing the pain during body tempering.] [The failure in this case was not due to the quality of the medicinal materials, but rather to incorrect guidance of the medicinal effect. With proper guidance, the success rate would increase at least threefold.]

As Lin Chen read, he silently memorized the additional information Doubao had provided.

He spent an entire afternoon reading a thin booklet. It wasn't that he read slowly, but rather that each page contained numerous additions and corrections, with an information content far exceeding that of the book itself.

When Lin Chen closed the book, his understanding of body tempering far surpassed that of ordinary low-level soul masters.

The knowledge base has been expanded once again.

In the days that followed, Lin Chen's life became more regular.

In the morning, I practice the Azure Seed Technique; in the afternoon, I temper my body or read books, interspersed with martial spirit micro-management training; and in the evening, I meditate to forge my spirit.

The business is on track, so he doesn't need to keep an eye on it every day. He just needs to go to town once a week to settle accounts and restock.

Martial Soul Micro-Management Training is a new addition to his program.

Blue Silver Grass is a control-type martial soul, and the precision of its control directly determines the power of its soul skills.

Both use blue and silver binding, but the cruder version can only bind a stationary target, while the finer version can bind a fast-moving opponent, and even precisely bind the opponent's wrists, ankles and other key parts.

Lin Chen spends an hour every day practicing controlling the subtle movements of the Blue Silver Grass.

Tying a vine into a knot, making a leaf spin, or making a vine precisely pass through a small hole... these are all very basic exercises, but the results are obvious.

After half a month, his control over the Blue Silver Grass has improved significantly.

The vines, which were originally soft and unruly, are now able to obey commands and hit wherever they are directed.

Although he doesn't have any soul skills yet, his basic control skills are already very solid.

That evening, Lin Chen finished his micro-management training for the day, put away his martial spirit, and went to a corner of the courtyard for some fresh air.

The setting sun dyed half the sky red, and the herbs in the corner of the yard were bathed in a warm glow.

He leaned against the wall, gazing at the distant Sunset Mountain Range, and thought to himself, "Doubao, compile a complete analysis of the decline of Blue Silver Grass over the past ten thousand years. I need all the details."

[Command received. A comprehensive analysis report on the root causes of the decline of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is being compiled, drawing upon historical data, Soul Master cases, and cultivation technique evolution records. Estimated time: 8 minutes. Consumes moderate mental energy.]

Eight minutes later, a complete analysis report appeared in Lin Chen's mind.

A complete analysis of the root causes of the decline of the Blue Silver Grass martial soul:

1. Incorrect Cultivation Technique Compatibility: When the Martial Soul system was first established ten thousand years ago, general plant-based cultivation techniques were designed based on top-tier plant martial souls, resulting in extremely low compatibility with Blue Silver Grass. Subsequent generations continued to use and improve upon these techniques, never designing separate cultivation methods specifically for Blue Silver Grass. This led to increasingly severe damage to the practitioner's fundamental essence with each practice, causing the upper limit to decrease year by year.

2. Chaotic Soul Ring Combinations: Early Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters fused numerous Animal and Plant-type Soul Rings to enhance their combat power, resulting in a significant short-term boost. However, the continuous contamination of their origin by these exotic energies caused a complete break in their evolutionary path. The Blue Silver Grass martial soul essence inherited by later generations became increasingly weaker, creating a vicious cycle.

3. Persistent Cognitive Bias: As Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters generally achieve low levels of success, a stereotype has formed across the continent that "Blue Silver Grass = Useless Martial Soul." Talented Soul Masters do not receive preferential treatment in terms of resources, further exacerbating the decline.

4. Buried Core Talents: The Blue Silver Grass's core talents, such as its life attribute and plant control ability, have never been truly developed due to incorrect combinations of cultivation techniques and spirit rings. Everyone only regards it as a low-level control-type martial soul, completely ignoring its potential as a king.

In conclusion, the decline of Blue Silver Grass was due to accumulated human errors, and had nothing to do with the inherent talent ceiling of the martial soul. By correcting cultivation techniques, choosing pure homogeneous soul rings, and gradually unlocking its original talent, it can break free from its shackles and regain its potential as a king.

Lin Chen read it quietly and remained silent for a long time.

It turned out to be the case.

It's not that the martial spirit is inadequate, it's that the person is inadequate.

The shortsightedness and eagerness for quick success of generation after generation have ruined a royal martial spirit into a piece of trash that everyone despises.

It's both tragic and lamentable.

But for him, this is also an opportunity.

Because everyone thought Blue Silver Grass was a useless martial soul, and no one paid attention to it or studied it, he was able to develop quietly and grow stronger without anyone noticing. By the time others realized what was happening, he had already reached a height they could only dream of.

Lin Chen clenched his fist, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He made up his mind.

He was going to walk a path that no one had ever walked before.

The pure plant soul ring gradually repaired its origin and unlocked its talents, allowing this Blue Silver Grass, which had been trampled into the mud, to grow back to the clouds.

He wanted everyone to know that Blue Silver Grass was never a useless martial soul.

He remembered all the mockery and contempt.

Once he's high enough, he can return them one by one.

It's not revenge, it's proof.

They were proven wrong.

This proves that even a useless martial spirit can reach the pinnacle.

Night slowly enveloped the courtyard, and it became completely dark.

Lin Chen stood in the darkness, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

The ridicule and doubts from the outside world have never been obstacles, but rather the driving force for his progress.

Whether it's cold indifference or malicious mockery, he'll accept it all.

Time will prove everything.

He turned and went back into the house, where he lit an oil lamp.

Under the dim light, the boy spread out the paper and wrote down his training plan for the future.

His handwriting is neat and his strokes are steady, just like his personality.

Every step of the plan is clear and well-defined, proceeding steadily and surely.

Let people talk and mock, I'll walk my own path.