Meditation Cultivation

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The knocking sounded especially clear in the silent corridor.

Huo Yang opened the door and was slightly surprised to see her son. "Yang'er, you're still awake this late?"

"I have something important to discuss with you."

Xia Yang's tone was resolute.

Inside the room, his father, Xia Shi, was bent over a detailed sea chart. Hearing the commotion, he looked up.

Following that, Xia Yang carefully explained how Whale Rubber could improve physical quality.

He particularly emphasized the role physical quality played in absorbing Spirit Rings beyond one's level.

At the same time, Xia Yang laid out the theoretical basis for his speculation one by one.

He did his best to make this astonishing discovery sound more convincing.

After listening to their son, Xia Shi and his wife exchanged looks.

As experienced Soul Masters, they naturally knew of Whale Rubber, yet they had never heard of such miraculous effects.

His father, Xia Shi, could not help asking, "Yang'er, where did you learn this information?"

"What matters most right now isn't the source of the information, but verifying the effects of Whale Rubber."

Xia Yang deftly avoided the question of where the information had come from.

"We can find some high-quality Whale Rubber and test its effects."

Huo Yang thoughtfully patted her son's shoulder. "Go back and rest first. We'll start looking into it."

"If it truly works as you say, then we'll definitely find the best Whale Rubber for you."

After Xia Yang left, only Xia Shi and Huo Yang remained in the room.

The candlelight swayed gently on the table, casting their shadows onto the wall.

"Why didn't you let me keep questioning our son just now?"

Xia Shi put down the sea chart, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Huo Yang walked over to his side and said softly, "What else is there to ask?"

"Yang'er must have come into contact with Whale Rubber and experienced its effects firsthand."

"Think about it. His Martial Soul is his skeleton, so he's especially sensitive to changes in his body."

"Since he could say that Whale Rubber improves physical quality, he must have personally tested it."

"But when did he ever eat Whale Rubber?"

Xia Shi scratched his head in confusion.

Huo Yang gave a soft snort and looked at him with a half-smile. "That's something you should ask yourself."

"You hid so much Whale Rubber at home. Isn't it perfectly reasonable and logical that our son happened to find some and gave it a taste?"

"Y-You knew I'd hidden Whale Rubber at home?"

Xia Shi immediately looked a little embarrassed. He unconsciously touched his nose, his gaze darting about.

"With those little thoughts of yours, how could I not know?"

The corner of Huo Yang's mouth curled slightly. "When we were young, you could cling to me several times a day. Now, it's once every few days."

"If it weren't for Whale Rubber, I'm afraid it might not even happen once a month, right?"

"Nonsense."

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Xia Shi instantly retorted, "When have I ever only done it once a month?"

It concerned a man's dignity. He absolutely could not admit it.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, why don't we find out?"

Huo Yang reclined against the bed, a hint of provocation in her eyes.

"Fine, let's find out."

Xia Shi shoved the sea chart aside, casually tossed his Outer Robe over the back of a chair, and strode toward the bed.

The candlelight swayed softly, casting their figures onto the wall as they gradually merged into one.

Outside the window, moonlight quietly spilled into the courtyard. Only the occasional chirping of insects broke the stillness of the night.

At the end of the corridor, Xia Yang gazed up at the star-filled sky beyond the window. At last, he had formed a clear plan for the road ahead.

Moonlight fell across his youthful face, reflecting a pair of unyielding eyes.

Early the next morning, at the Martial Soul Branch Hall in Xiling Harbor, bright sunlight streamed through the windows, laying a layer of golden light over the Training Room.

Xia Yang pushed open the Training Room's heavy wooden door, and the sight before his eyes made him pause slightly.

Countless black stones were embedded across the surrounding walls in a seemingly scattered yet orderly pattern. Like stars in the Night Sky, they formed a mysterious rhythm.

These stones were exactly like the ones he had seen at the awakening ceremony before—each the size of a fist, their surfaces gleaming with a dark luster.

The instant he stepped into the room, a strange pulling force surged toward him from all directions.

The faint wisp of Soul Power within Xia Yang seemed to awaken, beginning to ripple gently in a particular rhythm, as though drawn by invisible threads.

He unconsciously closed his eyes and carefully savored the wonderful sensation.

The power was gentle yet constant, like waves striking the shore over and over, carrying a soothing rhythm.

"Looks like you've already felt the power of the Awakening Stones."

His mother, Huo Yang's voice came from behind him.

She pushed open the door and entered, holding a leather-bound tome in her hands.

The gilded words Martial Soul Hall Martial Soul Meditation Method flowed with a gentle sheen in the morning light.

She walked over to Xia Yang, gently closed the book, and said, "Your father left early this morning to deal with the Whale Rubber."

"I'll be guiding your cultivation today."

"You should already know the contents of this book very well, shouldn't you?"

Xia Yang nodded. "I know it by heart."

Long before his Martial Soul Awakening, he had pestered his mother into teaching him this meditation method.

But back then, though he had the method, he possessed no Soul Power. Cultivating felt like scratching an itch through a boot.

"Since that's the case, start here in this specially made Training Room."

Huo Yang pointed at the black stones around them and explained, "These Awakening Stones will help you better sense Heaven and Earth Energy and guide the circulation of your Soul Power."

Xia Yang fetched a meditation cushion from the corner, then sat cross-legged in the center of the room.

He had thought his first meditation would be filled with difficulties. Yet the moment he closed his eyes, after only a short while, he felt the Soul Power within his body begin to stir.

In his perception, countless flickering specks of light emerged in the surrounding air, like fireflies on a summer night, brightening and dimming without pause.

"Gather your thoughts and empty yourself."

His mother's gentle voice sounded beside his ear.

"Once you sense Heaven and Earth Energy, guide it through your Martial Soul, absorb it, and refine it into Soul Power."

"Remember, trust your Martial Soul. Your Martial Soul will guide you."

Xia Yang did as instructed, and the Bone Martial Soul in his mind suddenly lit up.

He could clearly feel the surrounding energy slowly flowing into his body.

More precisely, it flowed into his Martial Soul.

These energy elements around him passed through his Martial Soul, where they were tempered and transformed into pure Soul Power that settled within him.

Although his Cultivation Speed was as slow as a snail's crawl, Xia Yang remained patient.

He recalled the sayings he had read in his previous life.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"Dripping water wears through stone."

"The early bird catches the worm."

"Workhorse!"

"Grind!"

These words of wisdom were like beacons, illuminating his dull Cultivation Path.

Gradually, Xia Yang became completely immersed in meditation.

Huo Yang stood to one side, watching her son with satisfaction.

In his meditative state, Xia Yang's Bone Martial Soul manifested a strange halo.

His left side glowed red, his right side shone blue, while his spine flickered with purple radiance.

The three colors intertwined into a complete skeletal pattern that appeared and vanished across his body.

Time passed amid cultivation.