Douro Continent

Chapter 325 Distraction Control: The Three Apertures of the Heart (Part 1)

When Ning Rongrong taught Tang San how to cultivate this technique, she told him that to master distraction control, one must first have an extremely strong ability to observe the big picture. Therefore, Tang San's introductory training was even simpler than Ning Rongrong's: he would designate three objects in three different directions and constantly shift his gaze between them. Each time, he would use his Blue Silver Grass to entangle these three different objects. The entanglement in the three directions would be done with a one-second interval between releasing and releasing the grass.

When distraction control is cultivated to its highest level, one should be able to control every change in the surroundings, not only observing these changes but also keeping them under one's control.

It may sound complicated, but in reality, it's about how to multitask and focus all your scattered mental energy. It requires not only high mental strength but also excellent reaction speed.

Tang San practiced for the entire afternoon but still couldn't grasp the basics. Instead, his eyes became sore from constantly focusing on three things in three different directions.

Since the preliminary rounds for the second day had already been completed at Shrek Academy, everyone decided not to go to the Heaven Dou Arena on the second day and instead stayed at the academy to train.

Tang San got up early in the morning and habitually practiced his Purple Demon Eye. Thanks to the Autumn Water Dew he had taken, he was now much more effective at cultivating this ultimate technique than before.

A faint purple aura was drawn in from the distant horizon. Tang San watched it intently while slowly breathing in and out, regulating his Xuan Tian Gong internal energy. He seemed to be bathed in that purple aura. His eyes shone with a purple-gold light, and his Purple Demon Eyes were subtly enhanced.

As the sun gradually rose in the east, the purple aura disappeared. Tang San took a deep breath and jumped down from the tree.

Should he continue practicing distraction control? Tang San returned to the place where he had practiced yesterday, somewhat helplessly. He had always been very talented in cultivation, but he just couldn't find a way to control his distraction. He had practiced all afternoon yesterday, but instead felt that he was becoming somewhat chaotic when using his soul skills. Now, as he prepared to practice again, he couldn't help but feel a bit resistant.

"What's wrong? Can't find the feeling?" A familiar voice rang out, and Tang San knew without turning around that it was Master.

"Teacher, why are you up so early?"

The master smiled calmly and said, "I saw everything you did during your cultivation yesterday. Controlling distractions is indeed difficult. Without perseverance and willpower, it's hard to achieve anything. The initial stages are the most difficult. Once you get the hang of it, the later stages will become easier. 'Controlling the Heart Through the Three Apertures' means controlling the heart through three apertures. Don't rush to control it; first, perceive it. Perceive everything around you, and use your heart to grasp the changes in your environment. Every living being needs to live in the same environment. Use your heart to experience it; the air, the smells, the colors, the sounds, the sensations—they will all tell you a lot. When you can fully understand what these changes represent, then controlling them will be much easier. Make the use of each soul skill a conditioned reflex. This way, although your heart may not be able to be divided into three parts, the effect will be almost identical. Let you achieve the same effect first, and then slowly experience the feeling of dividing your heart into three apertures; that will be easier."

Carefully observe everything around you; this is what the master could teach Tang San. Although he didn't know what the cultivation technique of distraction control was, based on his understanding of martial souls and his comprehension of cultivation methods, he essentially taught Tang San a different way to more easily get started.

After listening to the master's words, Tang San seemed to have found a clue. He immediately closed his eyes, not wanting to let the feeling disappear, and wanted to truly grasp it.

Tang San stood there motionless, and the Grandmaster beside him also remained silent, simply watching his disciple quietly.

Soon, Tang San entered a state he only had during his cultivation, breathing deeply and gently, and everything around him seemed to become empty and still.

The air, carrying the fresh scent of plants, flowed into his nostrils, his skin felt the warmth of the surroundings, and the sounds of insects chirping and birds singing reached his ears. Tang San stood there quietly, intently trying to feel the fleeting sensation he had grasped earlier.

Gradually, Tang San became somewhat disappointed. That feeling seemed to be getting further and further away from him. He could sense some changes in the outside world, but these changes were passing by too quickly. Not to mention grasping them, even his six senses could not accurately tell him what was happening in the outside world.

"A martial spirit can enhance all your attributes, including perception," the master's magnetic voice rang out again.

Tang San's body trembled, and the trace he had lost seemed to return. He raised his right hand, and blue-purple light surged in his palm. Centered on his body, strands of black Blue Silver Grass became extensions of his body, slowly spreading outwards, making rustling sounds wherever they passed.

Just as the master said, the moment Tang San released his martial soul and the Mysterious Heaven Skill flowed along with it, his senses were amplified many times over. Previously unclear sensations immediately became clear, as if a veil had been lifted. Everything around him also became clear at the same time.

Each extending strand of Blue Silver Grass brought back a piece of information, which was then aggregated into Tang San's brain. Although he didn't use his eyes to see, everything in the outside world had already taken on a vague outline.

What can you discover by feeling with your heart? The Blue Silver Grass told Tang San. Although they couldn't become Tang San's eyes, they could help him better perceive everything around him. Among the extending Blue Silver Grass, three roots began to move. One gently wrapped around a small tree, shaking off the dew left from the night; another swayed gently on the ground, parting the surrounding bushes; and the last one coiled around a blooming flower.

The three blue silver grasses were doing three different things. Although they were not skills, in that instant, Tang San finally completed the simplest three-fold use of his mind.

Just then, Tang San suddenly realized that his Blue Silver Grass seemed to have changed. The originally blurry outline became clear in an instant. From all directions, countless special energies quietly flowed into his body through the Blue Silver Grass and then slowly flowed out. It was such a simple process that Tang San was able to see every detail within a radius of several hundred square meters around his body.

How could this be? Tang San was startled. Along with his changing emotions, that clarity vanished instantly. He quickly calmed himself down and continued controlling his mind to focus on three things at once. Those strange energies returned once more.

The strange energy was highly dispersed, each strand extremely small, a completely different existence from the Xuan Tian Gong. Its energy originated from an emotion: intimacy.

While maintaining his current state, Tang San carefully sensed the changes in these energies, searching for their source.

As his perception in the spiritual world became clearer, he gradually discovered the source of this energy. To his utter astonishment, the energy actually came from the vast expanses of Blue Silver Grass growing on the ground.

Blue Silver Grass is the most common plant on the Douluo Continent, found almost everywhere. Aside from its tenacious vitality, it has no other use. It is precisely because of this that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul is considered a standard useless martial soul.

At this moment, Tang San felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity emanating from all the Blue Silver Grass around him. These Blue Silver Grasses, which didn't belong to him, seemed to be telling him something, like a homeless child finding family. It was this familiarity that made them Tang San's eyes, ears, and nose, transmitting everything they saw into his mind. In this instant, Tang San seemed to become the center of the entire forest. His perception even gradually extended to a thousand meters away. He could clearly feel that in this forest of Shrek Academy, all the Blue Silver Grasses were swaying slightly in the same rhythm because their auras resonated with his.

The mysterious feeling was indescribably moving. Tang San discovered that every strand of Blue Silver Grass he released seemed to come alive under the influence of these wild Blue Silver Grasses. The wild Blue Silver Grasses continuously transmitted various information to his brain, and the Blue Silver Grasses he released also moved gently according to this information.

At this moment, what the master saw was a strange sight. The Blue Silver Grass that spread out from Tang San's feet all raised their tips and swayed gently in the air in the same rhythm, releasing a joyful and pleasant feeling. The white soul power light that Tang San originally released gradually turned into a light blue.

Mutation? That was the first possibility that came to the master's mind. He almost immediately wanted to interrupt Tang San. Mutation could certainly make one stronger, but it could also turn one into a cripple like him. He absolutely did not want his disciple to follow in his footsteps.

However, the master managed to restrain his impulse. He realized that Tang San, like the surrounding Blue Silver Grass, had merged into the forest; even his original human aura had vanished. Now he resembled a large Blue Silver Grass, his body swaying gently like the surrounding grass.

(End of this chapter)