Free Flying

"Who is singing,

Warming the loneliness,

..."

Early in the morning, a soaring, crisp song echoed through the village entrance square. Its explosive energy made it incredibly stirring to hear.

"This song really has more flavor when sung by a woman."

Watching Ah Yin belt out the high notes, Tian Hao could not help but sigh. This divine Square Dance song really needed a female soprano. When he sang it before, it always seemed to lack something. Now, that feeling had returned.

What surprised him, though, was that Ah Yin usually spoke gently and softly. He had not expected her voice to reach such heights.

The morning exercise session soon ended, and only then did the cloaked Ah Yin stop, still wanting more.

"How was my singing?"

Walking up to Tian Hao and taking the cup Tang Hao handed her, Ah Yin asked with a smile.

Ever since they had cleared things up yesterday, especially after hearing Little Haozi's final suggestion, the knot in her heart had finally unraveled. She felt much lighter as a whole.

She had even taken the initiative this morning to ask to sing these exercise songs. Free Flying in particular had moved her deeply.

Although she was a Blue Silver Grass transformed into human form, she had always longed for the sky. That was precisely why she had specially evolved a flying soul-ring skill.

"You sang perfectly. But later, you need to have Uncle learn these songs too. You can't have me singing backup for you forever."

Tian Hao praised her first, then could not help complaining.

"You only have a few lines, and you're already impatient?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but then looked toward her fiancé.

She also hoped Hao would sing backup for her. It would be even better if he learned that kind of dance too. Once they settled down in the Clear Sky Sect, she would lead the entire sect in morning exercises and dancing like this.

"Fine, I'll learn!"

Faced with his fiancée's hopeful gaze, Tang Hao gave in, gritting his teeth as he declared that he would learn.

But he refused to learn that sort of dance. Even if Tang Hao died, he would never learn such an embarrassing dance.

At worst, once they returned to the Clear Sky Sect, he could have the juniors practice it instead.

Speaking of Square Dance, Tang Hao swept his gaze over the villagers gradually leaving and felt that a few people seemed to be missing.

Ah Yin expressed her satisfaction, then looked at Tian Hao again. After hesitating for a moment, she could not help asking.

"How should I continue cultivating after mastering Dark Force?"

Yesterday, they had discussed many things with Little Haozi. If they wanted to resolve the Clear Sky Sect's problems, they needed sufficient strength, and Little Haozi's secret arts and techniques were very important to her.

Only after promising that she would do her utmost to compensate him in the future had she accepted the Dark Force cultivation method and the Soul Blood Secret Technique.

"You mastered it?"

Tian Hao was a little dumbfounded.

He had only told this old woman the Dark Force cultivation method yesterday. How had she mastered it today?

Dark Force was much more difficult to cultivate than the previous Bright Force.

"Dark Force has already spread throughout my body, inside and out. It feels like my physical condition nearly doubled overnight, and it should be able to improve even further."

Ah Yin did not conceal anything and described the results of last night's cultivation.

She already possessed immense Life Force within her body, making it easy to condense the Vital Energy needed for Dark Force. Cultivating it had been like receiving divine aid.

After one night, her body had been strengthened considerably, even her internal organs.

"You reached the Transforming Force realm?"

Tian Hao was even more stunned. He had assumed this old woman had merely mastered Dark Force, but it now seemed that she had directly achieved Transforming Force, spreading force throughout her body inside and out and guiding Vital Energy to temper her organs, cleanse her tendons, and wash her marrow.

Did she have to be this fierce?

Last time, he had thought Tang Hao was already insanely impressive for learning Bright Force so quickly. Who would have thought this old woman would be even more outrageous?

Thinking of that, Tian Hao could not help squatting down and drawing circles on the ground. The sorrow in his heart flowed backward into a drainage ditch.

This was too discouraging!

"Pfft!"

Tian Hao's appearance made Ah Yin laugh, and even Tang Hao smiled rather unkindly.

The two of them had been thoroughly mocked by this brat before. Now, they had finally managed to make him depressed.

"Dark Force is mainly used for attacking. Once you cultivate Dark Force throughout your body, inside and out, allowing it to strengthen your internal organs and cleanse your tendons and marrow, you reach Transforming Force.

Strictly speaking, Dark Force and Transforming Force are essentially the same. The difference is that Transforming Force demands very high control, requiring powerful Mental Power as support.

Sister Ah Yin, your Mental Power was already powerful, and your Blue Silver Domain can transform Life Force into Mental Power to enhance yourself. That is why you were able to cultivate to the Transforming Force realm so quickly.

Next, you only need to use Transforming Force to guide Vital Energy and continuously cleanse your entire body. Once you reach the limit that Vital Energy can cleanse, I'll tell you how to cultivate further.

Oh, and pass me your insights and process for cultivating Transforming Force. I'll see if there are any mistakes or omissions."

Tian Hao quickly recovered his composure and explained solemnly, finally signaling for Ah Yin to pass over her cultivation insights for him to examine.

Although he had copied Dark Force, his own limitations prevented him from deducing the higher-level Transforming Force.

Ah Yin's forceful cultivation was also a stroke of luck. He could take advantage of it.

With Ah Yin's cultivation experience as a foundation, he would certainly be able to deduce the Transforming Force cultivation method more quickly and reduce the consumption of luck.

Originally, after using his enlightenment state to organize that hodgepodge of martial arts, his combat power had become invincible among Soul Masters without soul rings. After copying Bright Force and condensing the strength of his entire body into one force, his combat power could rival most one-ring soul masters. The emergence of Dark Force and Vital Energy not only increased his combat power, but Vital Energy could also strengthen his body. Together, they were enough to contend with two-ring Soul Grandmasters.

If he could figure out Transforming Force, then with Transforming Force and Vital Energy further improving his physical condition, he could absolutely contend against three-ring Soul Elders.

And if he used his enlightenment state as a cheat, his combat power could rise by an entire major level for a short time.

Thus, the potential of the Strength System was definitely not poor. It was worth copying on a large scale.

Ah Yin naturally did not refuse Tian Hao's request. She pressed her pale hand against the youth's forehead and, using the Soul Power Fusion Skill as a foundation, connected their Mental Powers and transmitted her cultivation insights and process.

After obtaining Ah Yin's cultivation insights and process, Tian Hao went to the training ground and repeatedly activated his enlightenment function to deduce and perfect it. Ah Yin and Tang Hao continued their own cultivation.

Tang Hao, however, was somewhat worried. The previous Bright Force and Dark Force, along with the current Transforming Force, were clearly a complete system. The youth had only cultivated Bright Force and Dark Force himself, so he clearly could not have created it on his own. He must have learned it from someone else.

But who had he learned it from?

Was it his teacher?

Should he ask who Little Haozi's teacher was, then bring generous gifts to pay them a visit?

If possible, could he pay some price to buy the Strength System and make it a secret art of the Clear Sky Sect, making the whole matter legitimate?

"You practice this too?"

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Tang Hao arrived at that pond from before. Standing steadily atop a hollow iron ball, he turned to the young man standing on a log beside him and could not help asking.

Balancing on rolling logs in water was very difficult to practice. After all, it was in water, and there were far too many factors to consider.

Moreover, according to that brat, standing steadily in a pond was only the first step. Next, one needed to stand firm in a river, and the more turbulent and dangerous the river, the better. He planned to find an opportunity to try it.

But he had heard that the brat himself had not reached that stage either. It was merely an idea he had.

For now, Tang Hao had only replaced the original log with this hollow iron ball, and it was indeed very difficult to practice on.

"I mastered it ages ago. I just came here to catch fish. It's our family's turn to cook for you today."

The young man grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth. Against his deep bronze skin, they appeared even brighter.

As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the fish swimming in the pond, his right hand poised to strike at any moment.

Today, his family was responsible for cooking for Tian Hao, so he planned to catch a fish.

"Which Soul Master Academy did Little Haozi attend before? Who was his teacher?"

Tang Hao glanced at Tian Hao in the distance, who was standing in a horse stance while thinking, and asked curiously.

He had wanted to ask this for a long time, but it had been difficult to bring up.

Still, the academy Tian Hao had attended and his teacher must have been extraordinary. Otherwise, he could not have possessed such profound knowledge, especially those wildly imaginative conjectures.

"You mean Second Dog?"

The young man froze for a moment, then quickly understood that the Little Haozi Tang Hao mentioned referred to Tian Hao.

"Second Dog attended the Martial Soul Academy in Spirit City. He studied there for a year before returning. He said he even conducted research with a master called Yu Xiaogang. His student ID was personally processed by the Spirit Hall Saintess, and it even has the Saintess's personal signature on it.

His teacher? I never heard Second Dog mention one. Probably not. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come back with a limp..."

The young man did not particularly hide anything from Tang Hao. After all, none of this was a secret in the village.

Besides, Tang Hao had gotten along very well with Second Dog lately, so he counted as one of their own. There was naturally no need to avoid the subject.

But the young man, whose eyes remained fixed on the pond's surface, did not know that Tang Hao's expression changed when he mentioned Spirit City.

The Upper Three Sects had always been hostile toward Spirit Hall. In particular, because of his grandfather and Qian Daoliu, the conflict between the two sides had become increasingly intense.

Even when he and his elder brother had traveled outside before, they had clashed with Spirit Hall members and fought several battles.

He had not expected that brat to be connected to Spirit Hall's Saintess. Wait, Master Yu Xiaogang?

Suddenly realizing something, Tang Hao's expression darkened.

"I've noticed that fewer people seem to be doing Square Dance these past few days. They weren't at afternoon training either. Did they leave the mountains to buy things?"

Remembering that there had been fewer people in the village entrance square these past few mornings, Tang Hao asked casually while observing the young man's changing expression.

He had not paid much attention to this before, but thinking about it now, it seemed far from simple. Hopefully, he was overthinking it.

"No. The day our village leaves the mountains each month to sell and buy things is fixed, and it hasn't arrived yet. It doesn't look like they went hunting in the mountains either. I've been wondering about it too!"

The young man did not suspect anything and answered honestly and simply, but his answer made Tang Hao's expression grow even darker.

Tian Someone: Are there any MMD experts out there, bros? Make a Square Dance video of Ah Yin, and I'll pay for it! Also, support me with recommendation votes.