Soul Power Control

After lunch and an hour-long nap, Tian Hao returned to the training ground. Quite a few villagers were already training there, most of them teenagers.

The villagers' time was all arranged. Mornings and noon were their own time, for farm work, blacksmithing, and so on. Even the children helped out nearby with lighter tasks, such as working the bellows.

In the afternoon, they trained at the training ground. Children under ten, meanwhile, played in the square by the village entrance.

He had deliberately built that place into a park, with plenty of play equipment as well as exercise equipment for the elderly.

The training ground behind the village, on the other hand, was equipped with high-intensity training apparatus that carried considerable risks. Children under ten were not allowed there to prevent accidents.

"Brother Second Dog!"

"Second Dog!"

Seeing Tian Hao arrive, everyone greeted him. Those his age called him Second Dog, younger ones called him Brother, while the older elders simply called him Gou Dan.

"Why do they call you Second Dog?"

Ah Yin, who had followed him over, could not help asking. She found it quite puzzling.

Tian Hao's name did not suit the nickname Second Dog at all.

"I was premature. An accident caused my mother to give birth to me when I was seven months along. I heard I wasn't even as big as a palm back then, and everyone thought I wouldn't survive. My mother gave me the lowly name Gou Dan in hopes that I would live. Once I grew up, it became Second Dog."

Tian Hao did not avoid the subject. Under those circumstances and in that environment, it really had been luck that he survived.

Perhaps it was because this world had energy, making ordinary people much hardier.

"Then why Second Dog instead of Big Dog?"

Ah Yin pressed on, quite curious about the youth.

"Big Dog is that guy. He's three years older than me, so even I have to call him Brother."

Tian Hao pointed at the burly young man practicing thrusts with a steel spear. Noticing Tian Hao looking over, the young man turned and grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth, before continuing his spear practice in earnest.

"You can use the equipment here as you please. If there's anything you don't understand, ask the villagers nearby first. If they can't solve it, then come ask me.

"Oh, right. I personally forged and carved all this equipment. One Silver Soul Coin per day."

After leaving those words behind, Tian Hao carried his spear to an open area nearby to practice his spear techniques.

That morning, he had activated the enlightenment function and sparred with the two of them. With the aid of battle and the enlightenment function, he had sorted through his previous hodgepodge spear technique. Now, he needed to train harder and turn it into bodily instinct as soon as possible.

He had long seen the flaws in his martial arts, but his abilities had been limited. Altering them to that extent had already been his limit.

However, the emergence of the enlightenment function allowed him to easily break through that limit and refine it into a complete spear technique.

Still, that perfection existed only on the level of consciousness. His body needed time to adapt, and there were no shortcuts in that regard.

"Money-grubber!"

After muttering that, Ah Yin went to the stone ball she had personally chiseled that morning and resumed her training.

Tang Hao likewise leaped onto the stone ball he had used before. He had been thoroughly tricked that morning, so he had to win back some face.

This method was admittedly a little underhanded, but its effects were excellent. It greatly improved balance and stability, even more effective than his previous training beneath a waterfall.

Of course, the upstream waterfall training method was mainly meant for practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer. Bodily stability was only secondary.

Once a person focused seriously on something, time always seemed to pass quickly.

The sky gradually darkened, but the villagers did not leave. Instead, they trained even more vigorously.

Battles did not happen only during the day. They could also occur at night, perhaps even more often. Adapting to night combat beforehand might save their lives when danger came in the future.

This region was far from peaceful. Fierce wild beasts were not uncommon, and low-level soul beasts occasionally wandered through. There were also many bandits around the outskirts of the mountains, and they all liked being active at night.

"It's time. Finish your tea and go home to sleep. Remember to get up early for morning training tomorrow."

Seeing that it was about time, Tian Hao tossed the Blue Silver Vine leaves he had brought into the large pot at the edge of the grounds. It contained boiling water for making tea.

That Blue Silver Vine was an herb he had specially found. It could better restore stamina and even slightly heal physical injuries, allowing the villagers to train at higher intensity while preventing lingering internal damage.

Tian Hao first used Soul Power to guide and wrap a mass of tea in his palm, spinning it into a vortex to cool it down. Then he headed toward his family's courtyard.

"Can't you make yourself a teacup?"

Ah Yin followed him back. Watching the tea swirl into a vortex in Tian Hao's palm to accelerate its cooling, she could not help complaining.

"You should read more books!"

Tian Hao glanced at the old woman's magnificent chest and disdained to explain, unless she paid him.

"Are you saying I'm poorly educated?"

Ah Yin's expression stiffened. This brat really needed a beating.

The look Tang Hao gave Tian Hao also turned more hostile, with a hint of eagerness. As long as his fiancée said the word, he would hang the kid up and beat him.

"One Silver Soul Coin!"

Holding up one finger, Tian Hao believed himself to be a man of principles. Without payment, he would not say another word.

"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

Puffing up her cheeks, Ah Yin handed over a Silver Soul Coin. She felt like this thing was her nemesis. Today, she had suffered more aggravation than in the rest of her life combined.

"This is a method for training Soul Power control. Greater Soul Power control might not increase the power of soul skills, but it can improve the efficiency of Soul Power usage and reduce unnecessary waste."

After answering, Tian Hao pocketed the Silver Soul Coin and continued onward.

That was right. Whether he controlled ink to write chapters or spun tea to cool it faster, both were meant to train Soul Power control.

The greater his control over Soul Power, the more efficiently he could use it and the less he would waste.

"Am I very stupid?"

After standing silently for a while, Ah Yin suddenly asked.

She had no way to refute that answer. Could it be that I really haven't read enough books?

"..."

Tang Hao kept silent. He had no desire to stick his head out and invite disaster at a time like this, though he agreed with Tian Hao's words.

Soul Power control was indeed important. He had trained in that area before, though never too deeply.

After all, his Clear Sky Hammer pursued overwhelming, fierce bursts of power, and most of the time he poured in excessive amounts of Soul Power—especially when using Explode Ring with the Great Sumeru Hammer.

That kind of violent Soul Power could not be controlled at all. It could only be poured entirely into his Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, so waste did not matter.

"I want to keep training tonight. I'll forge a spear later."

Only after Ah Yin recovered her mood and continued onward did Tang Hao speak, deciding to train through the night.

At their level of cultivation, they needed far less sleep. With Ah Yin's Blue Silver Domain accelerating their recovery, one or two hours of sleep each day was enough to leave them full of energy.

Most importantly, he wanted to win back some face tomorrow.

"You're really getting worked up over a child?"

Ah Yin rolled her eyes at him with amusement. Though she had been angered several times as well, she was not truly angry.

"That's our agreement. You wouldn't understand men's business."

Tang Hao puffed out his chest. His fight with that brat was not over yet.

It had merely been paused.

"Yes, yes, my big man!"

Ah Yin could only play along. He was her fiancé, after all. If she did not support him, who would?

(Tian Someone: Actually, I wanted to say, "Big chest, no brains." Fellow wolves who think the Blue Silver Emperor is broad-minded, hurry up and cast your recommendation votes in support.)