I Transmigrated to Douluo and Split into Five People

Tian Rui also brought two things: a small Storage Spirit Tool, the poison Zhou Xuefeng wanted, and some Whale Rubber. Ning Yulin had helped prepare them. The Soul Tool came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's internal treasury, and Tian Rui had one as well. The poison naturally came from Dugu Bo, so its quality was guaranteed. It included not only the sedative Zhou Xuefeng wanted, but also lethal poisons that killed at the sight of blood and corrosive toxins that melted flesh from bone. There were all kinds of them—essential medicines for murder, robbery, home life, and travel.

The two met up smoothly. Zhou Xuefeng calmly accepted everything, seeing no need to thank himself.

"What do we do next?"

After familiarizing himself with the Soul Tool's use, Zhou Xuefeng asked,

"Should we find a place to test our Martial Soul Fusion Skill first, or directly look for a team to join?"

"Do we have to join a team?" Tian Rui had some objections. "We have plenty of secrets. The more people there are, the more eyes there'll be. Exposing too much won't be a good thing. Besides, if we happen to get lucky and find a Spirit Bone or something, the two of us might not be able to snatch it."

The five of them had no interest in low-year Spirit Bones, but to others, they were treasures worth risking one's life for. A Spirit Bone could turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. A suitable Spirit Bone could make up for a Spirit Master's shortcomings to a certain extent. Take Yu Xiaogang, for example. If he could fuse with a hundred-year dragon-type Spirit Bone, he might be able to break through his own limits.

"This time, we're only here to collect the locations of some Spirit Beasts. Any other objective is incidental. There are advantages to having more people. If anything happens, we can put them in front of us as shields."

That made sense. Tian Rui nodded.

"Let's rest first. Then we'll find somewhere to test the Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

The moment they met, the two had sensed that they possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Tian Rui had previously met Ning Yulin in Heaven Dou City, but the distance had been too great for the sensation to be clear.

The two casually found an inn in Spirit Hunting Town and rested for two days before entering the forest.

After closing his eyes and sensing the surroundings for a moment, Zhou Xuefeng opened them.

"There's no one nearby. We'll do it here."

Although the Blue Silver Domain had yet to take shape, connecting with the surrounding Blue Silver Grass for broad, rough detection was effortless.

After confirming that no one was around, the two began their experiment.

They released their Soul Power in sync.

Though their bodies were not identical, their souls came from the same source, and their Soul Power merged smoothly. Then came their Martial Souls. It all happened naturally. They tested every possible fusion state of the five Martial Souls.

The fusion skills... varied in strength.

The five Martial Souls were evenly matched, with no distinction between primary and secondary. There was no clear dominant core.

The two mixed and matched freely.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and Blue Silver Grass could actually fuse into a state resembling the Azure Dragon from their memories. Of course, it could not compare to a true Divine Beast like the Azure Dragon.

When the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda fused with the Clear Sky Hammer, a deep black heavy pagoda appeared, possessing an extremely strong sealing effect.

"Should we try fusing all five Martial Souls at once?"

Tian Rui was eager to give it a try. Though the other three were absent, the two of them could still attempt the state of five-Martial-Soul fusion first.

Forest Life

This was feasible, and Zhou Xuefeng was tempted as well.

An accident occurred during the experiment.

Even when the two summoned different Martial Souls at the same time, they could only summon four. There was no room for the fifth. Moreover, although they could summon two Martial Souls simultaneously, that was all they could do.

The moment they tried to use them together, the differing natures of the Martial Souls caused their Soul Power to clash. The two nearly exploded on the spot.

"Let's wait until the other three arrive."

Tian Rui was frustrated and a little shaken. If they lost consciousness here and got carried off by some Spirit Beast to become dinner, they did not know whether they could still revive if their corpses were incomplete.

Their plan to find a team was delayed by another two days.

They needed to recover from their injuries.

They gathered some information in Spirit Hunting Town and learned of several Spirit Hunting Squads.

They went to approach them.

However, those well-known squads already had fixed team compositions and had no need for extra members, much less two blond boys who looked incredibly young and fresh out of the gate.

Helpless, they could only go to the camp outside the forest and look for squads that lacked members or newly formed teams assembled on a temporary basis.

They packed their things and prepared two bundles to conceal the existence of their Storage Spirit Tools. Even in the outside world, Storage Spirit Tools were treasures capable of causing a stir. Ordinary Spirit Masters did not possess such items.

One should not flaunt one's wealth. Better safe than sorry.

The camp outside the forest.

It was bustling and noisy. Before they even approached, they could hear countless people shouting.

"Divine Wind Squad, renowned throughout the Two Great Empires! Guaranteed reputation, professional quality! The Divine Wind Squad is your first choice for Spirit Hunting!"

"Niu Ben Squad needs two Power Attack Spirit Masters!"

"A reward for information on a hundred-year Wind Crystal Butterfly! Anyone with clues, come claim your reward..."

The two wandered around the camp, roughly familiarizing themselves with the surrounding situation. That Divine Wind Squad unexpectedly seemed rather capable, but its name always reminded them of a certain squad from the island nation in their previous life—the Kamikaze Corps, whose only goal besides shattered jade was nothing at all.

After wandering about for several days, the two joined a squad that had just emerged from the forest.

The squad was called Wind Fang. It originally had five members, but during their latest Spirit Hunting mission, the employer suddenly changed targets, resulting in the loss of two members. Even the employer himself had died. Fortunately, the payment had been made in advance, so the trip had not been for nothing.

The captain was over forty. His real name was unknown, and his nickname was Feng Ya. His Martial Soul was a wind-element Short Sword, and he was a level thirty-seven Power Attack Spirit Elder. The remaining two members were both support types. One was in his thirties, from the Food System, with Dandelion as his Martial Soul. He had two Spirit Skills: healing and dispelling negative conditions. The other was also in her thirties, a woman and a support-type Spirit Master. Her Martial Soul was a metal disc that she had named the Soul Return Plate. With two Spirit Rings, she could enhance speed and Soul Power recovery.

Facing the two little brats who had come knocking, Feng Ya did want to replenish his numbers after losing two teammates. But they were so young—what could they possibly do?

They might even hold the team back. After saying a few perfunctory words, he intended to leave.

"Captain, how about we spar? If our strength is enough to catch your eye, let us join. If not, we'll pay ten Gold Soul Coins. How about it?"

After wandering around for so long, Wind Fang was the only squad whose members looked somewhat pleasant. Otherwise, the two would not have persisted like this.

"Fine, fine, fine."

Feng Ya was somewhat impatient. He planned to brush them off quickly, then leave as soon as possible to rest in town before continuing his Spirit Hunting after a while.

They left the camp and prepared to fight in a corner of the forest.

The two were a little nervous. This was their first proper fight against strangers. Still, they were confident they would not lose.

Feng Ya's Spirit Rings were white, yellow, and purple—the standard commoner configuration.

As blades of grass swept past them, both sides moved at the same time. They burst into action in an instant, summoning their Martial Souls or undergoing Martial Soul Possession during the charge. Feng Ya secretly nodded. It seemed these two young men were not reckless fools who had run out here merely because they dreamed of a Spirit Master's life. Their fighting style was very seasoned.

Perhaps he could let them join and give it a try.

He decided to get serious.

However, the battle ended extremely quickly—so quickly that even Zhou Xuefeng was surprised.

So I'm actually this strong. I can easily restrain a level thirty-seven Power Attack Spirit Elder, even one with a wind-element weapon that counters my attribute.

Feng Ya had only charged a few meters when he saw Zhou Xuefeng's two Spirit Rings flash in succession.

Several Blue Silver Grass vines suddenly shot up from the ground, wrapping around his hands, feet, body, and neck. He immediately unleashed his Third Spirit Skill, but its cutting effect was far less effective than expected. It only severed a few vines. In the brief moment his movements stalled, layer upon layer of Blue Silver Grass bound him tightly.

He struggled with all his might and erupted with Soul Power, only to discover that his Soul Power was inexplicably vanishing and his strength was gradually draining away.

He could only shout loudly to admit defeat.

The entire process took less than twenty seconds. Tian Rui had only just completed Martial Soul Possession when he stood there blankly and discovered that the fight was over.

Feng Ya's Food System teammate was still in the middle of a yawn. He stared over in a daze. What had happened?

After the fight ended, Zhou Xuefeng withdrew the Blue Silver Grass. He had always compared his abilities to those famous figures from the original story and thus always felt that he was insufficient. This battle with Feng Ya made him begin reassessing his actual combat ability.

Perhaps he should find an opportunity to visit the Spirit Fighting Arena, the place none of the other protagonists had missed.

Though it was not a battle to the death, the Spirit Fighting Arena had all kinds of opponents of different ages, Martial Souls, and Soul Power Levels.

"Captain Feng Ya, can the two of us join the team?"

"Of course! If strength like that can't join, how can my Wind Fang Squad keep getting by? Welcome, welcome!"

The two support types behind him shouted loudly. As support Spirit Masters, they loved powerful teammates. Though only the Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master had acted, the fire-element Beast Spirit Master behind him looked formidable at a glance.

"Although we welcome you two little brothers, this Spirit Hunting trip was filled with danger and has left the three of us exhausted. We need to rest for a few days first. I wonder..."

Feng Ya straightened his clothes, regaining the bearing of a captain, and looked at Zhou Xuefeng with shining eyes. Zhou Xuefeng was still assessing his combat strength, so Tian Rui had no choice but to respond.

"We understand, we understand. We aren't in a hurry either. While resting, we can get to know each other better."

They recuperated in town and introduced themselves.

Zhou Xuefeng chose a false name: Zhu Jin Cao. Zhu as in the Zhu Family, to remind himself not to forget the Zhu Family's affairs. The latter two characters came from the phrase, "A strong blade of grass is known in a fierce wind; pine and frost are known in harsh winter," emphasizing that his Blue Silver Grass was far from ordinary. Tian Rui casually changed his name to Tian You.

The two also learned more about Feng Ya and the others. There was nothing noteworthy about them. They were all commoners without any deep-seated grudges or fallen noble backgrounds.

They were completely ordinary.

After resting for three or four days, Feng Ya went out to accept another Spirit Hunting commission, and the group headed into the forest. Zhou Xuefeng left messages for the other three in their shared space. Comparing their abilities to those characters from the original story had set their standards too high. They should return their focus to reality, seek out more opponents, and evaluate their own abilities from every angle.

He also left information about the experiment and results of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill he had tested with Tian Rui.

Forest Life 2

The three saw the messages.

An Lan did not care much. Through his battle with Qian Renxue and Qian Xunji's instruction, he had long recognized his own ability.

Without a doubt, he was a genius.

Of course, he was somewhat proud, but not arrogant. The so-called gods were always a sword hanging over their heads, keeping the five of them clear-minded.

Ning Yulin and Tang Yin took it very seriously.

"Indeed, shutting oneself away and building a cart behind closed doors won't do. Battle is more likely to spark inspiration."

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had already shed its support-oriented nature and needed opponents to develop its abilities. Ning Yulin gradually sought out sect disciples of similar levels for actual combat drills, but the results were unsatisfactory.

He discovered that he could instantly defeat most Spirit Masters of the same level.

His First Spirit Skill, Water Element Attachment, directly summoned a sphere of water. As long as the opponent failed to dodge in time or lacked a Spirit Skill that released a burst of energy, they would be trapped by the water sphere, unable to exert their strength, until they suffocated and lost consciousness.

The Douluo version of Water Release: Water Prison Technique.

Combined with his Second Spirit Skill, Life Force Attachment, the water sphere's toughness at the two-ring level was even more terrifying. It was practically impossible to break. Based on the sect's sparring results, unless one had over fifteen levels more Soul Power and a one-Spirit-Ring advantage, it was impossible to break through the Water Prison with Soul Power alone.

But Ning Yulin currently only had two Spirit Rings, and the attachment ratio was only thirty percent. Once his level increased and he gained more Spirit Rings, it would become even harder for enemies to break out of the water sphere.

Tang Yin was also filled with ambition. Given his standing in the Clear Sky Sect, he could not access secret techniques like the Haotian Nine Absolutes in the short term. Then he would create his own. Through countless battles, he would simulate and derive them.

They were all Clear Sky Sect disciples, and no one would truly strike to kill. It was perfect.

Thus, a lunatic appeared in the Clear Sky Sect.

With only level twenty-two or twenty-three Soul Power, he made some disciples miserable. The moment dawn broke, he appeared before people and dragged them into sparring matches. This continued until nightfall. If someone was unlucky enough to rest late or get up during the night and run into him, then sorry—come on, take two hammer strikes.

The commotion he caused was not small, and word gradually reached the upper ranks of the sect.

Even Tang Hao's father heard about it and specifically summoned the person in charge of the Training Ground to ask whether such a thing had happened.

"Disciples like this must be properly guided. Even if his Innate Soul Power is not high, with the Clear Sky Hammer, he can still achieve something in the Spirit Master world in the future and spread the prestige of our Clear Sky Sect."

In the end, Innate Level Two Spirit Power held him back. Otherwise, Tang Yin might have directly entered the elders' sights and received true teachings.

The moment they heard that it was only Innate Level Two Spirit Power, no one bothered to investigate Tang Yin further. His obviously abnormal cultivation speed was right before their eyes, yet no one paid it any attention. As expected, they were just a bunch of hammer-swingers with muscles for brains.

Tang Yin could not be bothered to explain proactively. These people, whose minds and eyes contained nothing but giant hammers, could only be convinced by strength, just like Tang San.

Only after he ruthlessly made them recognize their "mistake" would they open their eyes to the world and see reality clearly.

In fact, most people in this world were like that. It was simply that the current Clear Sky Sect was still immersed in the glory of being the number one sect and possessing the number one tool Martial Soul, making this tendency especially severe.

Even after Spirit Hall forced them into sealing their mountain and prohibited direct-line disciples from leaving the sect, they still remained proud of the title of number one tool Martial Soul.

But in the eyes of the five, the number one tool Martial Soul did not refer to the Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Hammer, but Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer. Those who learned from me would live; those who merely imitated me would die. Later generations all studied the Great Sumeru Hammer, Ring Detonation, and Haotian Nine Absolutes that he had created, yet no one seemed to think of innovating or surpassing Tang Chen.

Just like how the Blue Lightning Sect had always wandered within the boundaries Yu Yuanzhen had opened.

Of course, it was also related to the fact that they had not reached the end of their paths.

When there was a ready-made, stable, safe, and mature path to follow, who would risk uncertainty to open up a new map? Yu Tianrui tried it once, and then became Tian Rui.