Douro Continent

Chapter 444 Mastery of Hammer Techniques, Aura of Slaughter (Part 1)

He plunged into the pool, feeling the cool, refreshing water enveloping him, and relaxed his body as much as possible. He knew that this moment of relaxation was only fleeting. He wondered what kind of cultivation method his father would give him next.

What he held in his hand was no longer a wooden hammer the size of a foundry hammer, but a super-sized wooden hammer with a cross-sectional diameter of two meters. And behind such a huge wooden hammer, the handle was only as thick as a human arm.

It's easy to imagine that if the wooden hammer were simply lifted normally, the handle would likely break under its own weight. Yet, Tang San skillfully controlled his strength to complete the eighty-one strikes under the waterfall.

What an enormous force of water flow! If it weren't for such a huge hammer, how could he have made the entire waterfall instantly flip back ten meters? By this time, his Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique had reached its peak.

Just as Tang San had expected, when he returned to the shore, his father was already there waiting for him. But unlike before, this time when he was about to go ashore, his father's rough, large hand appeared in front of him.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Tang San extended his right hand and clasped it with his father's. Tang Hao exerted a sudden force, and Tang San's body burst out of the water, landing in front of him.

It's been a full year since Tang San arrived here, and he's noticeably grown taller. Now nearly sixteen, he has the physique of an adult, and a tall one at that. He's also starting to resemble his younger self more and more. Although he's not yet sixteen, the fortitude on his face is something that even ordinary men in their twenties or thirties can't possess.

He possesses the outstanding qualities of a direct descendant of the Haotian Sect: fortitude, decisiveness, and perseverance.

Tang Hao was very satisfied with his son's grades, although he wouldn't show it.

Without Tang Hao needing to lift a finger, Tang San had already tossed the oversized wooden hammer aside. "Dad, what should we use next?"

In a year, he had adapted to this special training and could clearly feel his improvement. Tang San's application of strength had now reached its peak. He could even clearly control the flow of every ounce of his power.

Once out of the pool, even the slightest fluctuations in power around him could not escape his senses. Even a blade of grass could become a deadly weapon in his hands, even without soul power.

Tang Hao raised his hand and pointed to the waterfall on the other side of the pool. "You can rest today. Starting tomorrow, whenever you're cultivating, I don't want to see the waterfall fall more than thirty meters below the pool. The Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique can be used either way, just like when you withstood Feng Xiaotian's Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes of the Gale Wolf from Gale Academy."

Tang San looked at Tang Hao with some confusion, "Dad, I don't understand."

Tang Hao said calmly, "All the training is to help you better master the Clear Sky Hammer and use your power more effectively. But if you always practice with external objects, you will never truly feel what the Clear Sky Hammer can bring you. So, starting tomorrow, the hammer you use under the waterfall will be your own Clear Sky Hammer. You can use soul power. Let me see just how far you can go."

As he spoke, Tang Hao raised his hand and tapped Tang San's left shoulder. Tang San felt a powerful force surge through him, and his body involuntarily turned around. Immediately afterward, a large, scorching hand pressed against his back. A dense, burning heat penetrated his body, instantly rushing into his dantian. Before Tang San could react, the internal energy within his dantian erupted like a volcano.

With a strong downward pressure, Tang San unconsciously sat down under Tang Hao's control.

"Calm your mind and cultivate your soul power." These eight simple words were Tang Hao's instructions to Tang San. Tang San, who originally thought he could finally rest for a day, had no time to think about anything else. He immediately focused on his inner energy and guided the surging internal energy within his body to circulate according to the Xuan Tian Gong's path.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill was originally a gentle internal force, but at this moment it suddenly became violent. Under Tang San's slight guidance, it was like a flood breaking through a dam, washing over his incredibly tough meridians.

With the internal energy entering his body, Tang San experienced many things. First, he sensed the control his mental energy exerted over the internal energy. Under the influence of his immense mental energy, although the surging internal energy had a tremendous impact, he was still able to barely control it. Secondly, he felt the changes in his meridians.

Although he hadn't experienced the full flow of internal energy for a year, his meridians seemed to have been widened and become incredibly resilient. No matter how much internal energy impacted him, it had to follow the path of his meridians.

The cascading waters beneath the waterfall tempered Tang San as a whole—his body, meridians, will, and spirit. A year of monotony brought about unprecedented growth.

The cracking sound echoed continuously within Tang San's body. It wasn't that his meridians were being broken, but rather that the barriers were being opened. After just three cycles of circulation, six of Tang San's eight extraordinary meridians, including those that were already open, were now open, with only the Ren and Du meridians remaining steadfast.

With his six meridians connected, an even greater internal force joined in, and the furnace-like feeling reappeared, only this time, it was Tang San himself who brought it upon himself.

In fact, even Tang Hao didn't know that during the impact of being without internal energy under the waterfall that year, the three kinds of immortal herbs that Tang San had originally eaten had also completed the process of completely integrating with his body.

The "Eight-Cornered Ice Grass", "Blazing Apricot Blossom", and "Longing for the Autumn Begonia" finally merged completely with his body.

Under normal cultivation methods, this would require at least ten years of slow absorption to complete. Although the absorption of the three herbs wouldn't bring about a significant breakthrough in Tang San's internal strength, it did make the flexibility of his meridians, bones, and muscles incredibly formidable. Every part of him was brimming with explosive power.

Just as Tang Hao had planned, Tang San's true form was heading towards being transformed into a divine artifact.

All the scorching heat finally condensed at his vest, then rolled back, the final point of convergence being the location of his external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances. As a soul bone capable of evolution, the Eight Spider Lances also continuously evolved along with Tang San's own improvement.

What was originally one day turned into seven days, and Tang Hao stayed by his son's side for a full seven days. In those seven days, Tang San underwent a tremendous transformation.

On the first day, a layer of gray substance surged from Tang San's body. On the second day, the gray substance condensed into flakes and began to gradually peel off, revealing pinkish-white skin underneath. Beneath the skin, Tang Hao saw faint red and blue hues flowing within.

In the following days, Tang San's entire body became increasingly radiant, with a faint, precious light flowing from within him. Everything outside became insignificant; this unprecedented breakthrough for Tang San was the result of a year of pressure.

Tang Hao certainly didn't simply seal his soul power. This method of suppressing soul power is a technique unique to the Clear Sky Sect. It's most suitable for use at the level of forty or fifty. Originally, Tang Hao planned to suppress Tang San for two years.

Unexpectedly, Tang San completed the two-year task in just one year.

Tang Hao knew that if he continued to suppress it, it might have the opposite effect.

That's why I helped him break the seal today.

This kind of outburst after oppression can only be used once in a lifetime.

Tang Hao chose the best time.

It took seven whole days for Tang San's soul power fluctuations to stabilize. When he opened his eyes again, Tang Hao saw a peaceful look in his son's eyes.

"Dad." Tang San looked at his father.

Tang Hao suddenly struck him with a palm. Tang San dared not block it and let his father strike him in the chest, sending him far into the pool.

"Give yourself a good wash." Tang Hao's voice came from the shore. "Your soul power has reached the bottleneck of level fifty." When he said this, even though Tang Hao tried to make himself calm, he couldn't suppress the surprise in his tone.

Level 50, that's right. Tang San's soul power has reached the bottleneck of level 50. As long as he obtains another soul ring, he can enter the true Soul King level.

In just one year, he went from level 42 to level 50. Tang San is not even sixteen years old this year, which is absolutely unprecedented in the history of the entire Soul Master world.

Although Tang San also sensed that he had made a tremendous breakthrough, he wouldn't have believed how terrifying his progress could be if Tang Hao hadn't pointed it out. Eight levels in a year—even a genius like him wouldn't have dared to dream of that. It's important to understand that the higher one progresses in cultivating soul power, the more difficult it becomes.

After quickly washing himself clean, Tang San climbed back onto the shore. His first question to his father was, "Dad, am I really level 50?" He knew that his six meridians had been opened, but the feeling of leaping forward with such a huge increase in soul power still filled him with excitement.

Tang Hao nodded. "My feeling is right. You've already reached level 50. However, you mustn't be complacent. The higher you go, the more difficult the cultivation becomes. Level 50 to 60 is a hurdle; it took me five years to complete it. I hope you can break through the level 60 barrier before you turn 20. That will make the path ahead much easier."

(End of this chapter)