Douluo Continent: Ink Bamboo as a Cauldron to Break Through Ten Thousand Heavens

"It feels so good. It's like after a long, frantic day of starvation, I rushed to a buffet and then walked a few steps to the bed. I just need to lie down, and the curtains are already drawn; I don't have to lift a finger. I close my eyes and have a dreamless sleep. Then a gentle breeze stirs the curtains, and the golden afternoon sunlight filters through the gaps, scattering onto the bedside with a lazy yet luxurious feel. The slanted light is like a constantly rippling river, and without even consciously looking at it, you can see the dust particles in the air; they no longer seem chaotic, but rather like individual golden particles floating up and down." Chen Cheng thought lazily, completely immersed in the comfortable experience.

"Am I going to 'go to the Western Paradise'? I've found the fastest way to 'go to heaven,' hahaha. Cough cough, just kidding. I remember before I fainted, I grasped the characteristics of bamboo, which led to enlightenment. And the old man's smile at me at the end probably means he meant no harm." Chen Cheng made a couple of sarcastic remarks, then began to ponder, "I shouldn't have been mentally controlled or possessed, after all, I still have my previous life's way of thinking and my habit of making sarcastic remarks. Of course, going through all that trouble would be less effective than just getting rid of me. The fact that I'm alright means the academy isn't as dark as I thought."

"Unfortunately, all I can do now is use my brain and daydream; I can't do anything else! It's truly pathetic. Is this what the world of a person in a vegetative state is like? The brain can think, but it can't communicate or move. Perhaps I should first summarize my enlightenment? It shouldn't be like Huo Yuhao's enlightenment in the original story, right? He had a friendly match at someone else's academy, and after that enlightenment, he went into deep meditation for half a year, almost killing himself in the process."

"So what's my current situation? Thinking back carefully, I think I was trying to see the small bamboo under the pressure clearly, so I focused all my mental energy on my eyes. Then I seemed to hear a cracking sound, and then I could see clearly. Uh, am I blind? That shouldn't be the case. I cultivate the Purple Demon Eye technique, which is theoretically one of the few Tang Sect techniques that Tang San didn't censor, and its enhancement of the eyes is definitely top-notch. Otherwise, Tang San would have been like those guys in Naruto who 'overused their eyes' long ago. Moreover, I've been cultivating my mental energy to keep up with the latest version, and being distracted by controlling the bamboo has not only increased my understanding of my martial soul but also allowed me to accumulate a considerable amount of mental energy. This time, it should be a blessing in disguise, and I've made a breakthrough."

"Thinking back on the original work, it seems there wasn't a very clear division of spiritual power during Douluo Continent II. Then there was in Douluo Continent III, but I'm not very familiar with Douluo Continent III. If I remember correctly, this realm should be close to the Spirit Abyss Realm? They say that ordinary people can't reach this realm in their entire lives, but I, as a four-ring Soul Master, actually managed to touch the threshold of it by chance! Oh, and the Purple Demon Eye. In the original work, Huo Yuhao and Tang San both seemed to have entered the Mustard Seed Realm after eating a Dew of Longing for Autumn Water? And the shattering sound I heard before I fainted and the clearer vision should mean that I also touched the threshold of the Mustard Seed Realm at the same time, right? But that's normal. The Purple Demon Eye and the spiritual power realm are bound together. The two complement each other, and there's nothing special about them evolving at the same time."

Looking around at the environment where consciousness resided, there were no waves. The deep blue sea of ​​spirit was as tranquil as an old piece of glass, unfathomable, and it seemed to have the boundless nature of a "sea." Directly above, the endless void was forcefully torn apart by golden light, cascading down like a waterfall, casting a faint golden glow over the deep sea of ​​spirit.

"My spiritual power is already quite substantial, but it lacks the transformation from quantity to quality. Perhaps when the golden light above completely breaks through the void and turns the entire ocean golden, I will enter the so-called 'boundless ocean' realm? However, this is still a process of continuous accumulation and comprehension, and cannot be rushed."

After Chen Cheng figured it out, he stopped paying attention to it and began to reflect on the changes in his martial spirit.

"I once thought that as long as I kept increasing the strength, even if my Ink Bamboo Martial Soul was not in the top tier, I could make it hard, like steel, and thus have the ability to protect myself."

"Now it seems I've gone astray. The true essence of developing a martial spirit lies in truly understanding the inherent characteristics of bamboo—correcting its strengths and mitigating its weaknesses, rather than blindly and presumptuously trying to mold it into an imagined form. I could see this clearly in Xiao Xiao and guide others, so why couldn't I grasp it myself? It's true what they say: those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see clearly!"

Having figured this out, Chen Cheng condensed the pair of hammers he used to forge soul tools in his sea of ​​consciousness, and then condensed his martial soul, the Ink Bamboo.

"Crack!" With a single blow, the bamboo snapped in two.

  

Chen Cheng frowned slightly, but instead of strengthening the bamboo by increasing its hardness as before, he summoned an ordinary bamboo again.

"Snap!" The bamboo broke again, but this time, broken bamboo strands were still connecting the broken parts.

"Snap!" After adjusting the flexibility of the bamboo, the bamboo strips seemed to be thicker than before.

……

"Snap!" Trying to adjust the tilt of the bamboo, the hammer's point of force was also a little later than before.

……

"Snap!" Trying to make the bamboo start tilting in the direction of the hammer the instant before it was hit resulted in it taking much more effort to break the bamboo.

……

"Snap!" By preventing the bamboo from making direct contact with the hammer, the hammer was deflected to one side, veering off its original trajectory. Surprisingly, the hammer didn't break the bamboo!

……

"Pfft! ... Crack! Hiss..." The first sound was the hammer hitting the bamboo. The bamboo became flexible upon contact, gradually reducing the damage caused by the hammer by adjusting its direction and position and guiding the hammer's trajectory. Then, it transferred the remaining force through its tough body and a perfect arc, transforming it into a force that rebounded and landed heavily on Chen Cheng's right hand holding the hammer.

"Damn, I got hit by my own martial spirit! No wonder they always say that disobedient kids get 'bamboo whippings,' those bamboo whips really hurt! Luckily, I can train my skills in my sea of ​​consciousness so I won't actually get injured..."

After venting his frustrations, Chen Cheng stopped, closed his eyes, and seriously considered what had just happened.

After a long while, Chen Cheng slowly opened his eyes, a look of surprise and delight in them.

He then charged at the bamboo again, wielding the hammer with ferocious speed—the very same Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique! But the bamboo, through the increasingly powerful blows, miraculously survived each strike thanks to the force-dissipating techniques it had just learned, each blow striking the hammer and giving it a point to recharge its power…

"Snap!" The bamboo still broke, but it wasn't broken by the hammer. Instead, when it was pulled back after the force was released, the accumulated power was too great, causing the entire bamboo to split vertically into dozens of soft bamboo strips that hung down like cloth.

Chen Cheng noted down what he had learned and then began again, gradually trying to change the toughness and hardness of the bamboo. As a result, the number of bamboo plants slowly increased.

Much, much later.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

An entire bamboo forest was shattered, but this was the result of Chen Cheng's efforts to deflect the force of over a dozen Tang Sect-style mechanical hidden weapons by bouncing them back and forth within the bamboo forest. Chen Cheng was already quite satisfied. Simultaneously controlling over a dozen bamboo shards to deflect the force, while also monitoring and guiding the rebound direction of the hidden weapons, had greatly exhausted his energy. Achieving this was something Chen Cheng had accomplished only through long, sleepless nights of tireless effort in the Sea of ​​the Mind, a place devoid of time.

"Hmm, I've absorbed almost all the insights I gained this time. It's been quite fruitful!" Chen Cheng lay down wearily, but a satisfied smile remained on his face. "Isn't it time to wake up? How much time has passed outside? I can't possibly stay like Huo Yuhao, who experienced half a year at a time, can I? That would be too terrifying..."

"Sigh, when will I ever get into a deep meditation like Chen Cheng after a fight? He meditated for over a week straight; he must have gained a lot!"

In the dormitory, Xu Sanshi was leaning back in his chair, chatting with Beibei, who was feeding Chen Cheng nutrient solution. Beibei fed the last spoonful of nutrient solution to Chen Cheng, and gave him a deep look. Chen Cheng was still in the same meditative posture that the teacher had brought back and placed on the bed, without moving at all.

"Sigh, if we hadn't asked Elder Song to come and check and say there was no problem, I really wouldn't believe that Chen Cheng had been in deep meditation for so long, or that something had happened to him." Bei Bei sighed, her tone not as cheerful as usual. "Chen Cheng is truly loyal and righteous. None of us were a match for Ma Xiaotao under the control of the evil fire, yet he still dared to chase after her. The inner court teachers said he was almost in mortal danger. Fortunately, he was rescued in time, and by sheer coincidence, he even gained enlightenment, and has been in deep meditation ever since..."

"If it had been Jiang Nannan who was captured back then, I would definitely have risked my life to chase after her!" Xu Sanshi puffed out his chest, very proud.

Beibei rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to argue. Anyway, he was listening to Chen Cheng and slowly changing himself, which everyone could see. Jiang Nannan didn't seem to react as strongly to him as before, but the two were still like "mountains beyond mountains." Apart from serious matters, Jiang Nannan rarely responded to Xu Sanshi, but she enjoyed Xu Sanshi's rare normalcy and cherished the rare peace and quiet.

"After dinner, Huo Yuhao will probably go to the Soul Guidance Department to study again, right? Xiaoya and I can't concentrate on those materials that Chen Cheng left behind in the experimental area, but Huo Yuhao can study them silently for an hour straight. Then he also has to practice the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique to strengthen his body. Sometimes I even saw him leaning against the wall or being helped back to the dormitory! Chen Cheng really has a discerning eye and discovered a genius for us! The key is that he is also very loyal. Huo Yuhao fills his schedule to the brim every day, and he still squeezes out time from time to bring Wang Dong to visit Chen Cheng..." Bei Bei sighed from the side.

Xu Sanshi agreed, "Yes, he always gives us a lot of help, but he doesn't ask for anything in return. The advice he gives me, although this way of getting along does mean I don't spend as much time entangled with Nan Nan as before, I actually see Nan Nan smiling from time to time! Before, she wouldn't smile no matter who joked with her when she saw me! And Xiao Ya, she's been making rapid progress lately, isn't that all thanks to Chen Cheng's help?"

Beibei nodded, glancing gratefully at Chen Cheng, and said, "I went to talk to an elder in the family for Xiaoya's sake. He said the path Chen Cheng found for Xiaoya is fine, but he hopes Xiaoya will stay at school for the next year, especially around level 40, and that she can stay with that elder to help stabilize her martial soul and avoid going astray. Oh, and that girl with twin martial souls, I think she has feelings for Chen Cheng. I don't know how they got together, but she's been diligently cultivating every day..."

Xu Sanshi pouted: "This kid is quite lucky. Such a genius has taken a liking to him, and he can even meditate deeply while fighting..."

Suddenly, a faint and trembling voice came from Chen Cheng's direction:

"I'm telling you, if you want a beating, just say so. I guarantee I'll make sure you're satisfied!"