My Sign-in Life in Douluo

"What happened to me?" Jiang Siming asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. After all, waking up twice to find a grown man staring at him made him wonder if he was just too handsome for his own good.

"What kind of monster are you, kid? First an epiphany, then something akin to falling into a demonic state. In just a few days, two events that are rare to see in a century have both happened to you!" Sword Douluo couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Siming, are you alright? You've been playing with fire these past few days!" Ning Fengzhi had seen his fair share of grand events, but witnessing such phenomena, which defied all logic, happen to one person twice was unheard of.

Jiang Siming gave an awkward laugh.

"Kid, I have to warn you. Do not use that self-created soul skill you unleashed the other day lightly. Once you kill the wrong person, I fear you will regret it for the rest of your life," Sword Douluo cautioned.

Jiang Siming nodded. Although he didn't remember what had happened at the time, that feeling of losing control over his own body was indeed unsettling. From now on, he would never use it unless absolutely necessary. To become a powerhouse, weighing the pros and cons was a hurdle one had to overcome.

"You're already level 40, kid. Are you even human? You've jumped seven levels in less than two months. A 12-year-old level 40 Soul Ancestor—even the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall probably can't compare to you," Bone Douluo remarked with a sigh.

The moment Jiang Siming woke up, he had already discovered he was level 40, as the system had issued another check-in task.

"I say, you two seniors, and Uncle Ning, please stop teasing me," Jiang Siming said with an awkward smile.

After the three left, Jiang Siming sat cross-legged on his bed alone.

While rapid soul power growth was a good thing for other soul masters, it was the worst possible scenario for Jiang Siming. If his soul power quality were the same as an ordinary soul master's, it wouldn't be enough to support the Zhuxian Sword and the Donghuang Bell for long. Therefore, for Jiang Siming, there was no rush to obtain a soul ring.

This task had no time limit, but the soul ring requirement was set at 50,000 years.

Chapter 42: First Steps into Hidden Sword, The Dandy of Heaven Dou

Day after day of sparring with Sword Douluo, Jiang Siming's understanding of the sword reached unprecedented heights, yet he still hadn't grasped the second realm of the sword path: Hidden Sword.

"Old man, how come I feel like being beaten by you is useless? Aside from the techniques for using sword intent, my sword path realm seems to have come to a standstill," Jiang Siming complained. After spending so much time together, his relationship with Sword Douluo had grown much closer.

"Can you have some shame, kid? How old are you? How long has it been since you broke through the first realm?" Sword Douluo retorted indignantly. He had played with swords his entire life and had only just managed to break through to the third realm.

"It's not my fault I'm a genius!" Jiang Siming puffed out his chest and raised an eyebrow at Sword Douluo.

"Indeed! If you don't count as a genius, then everyone under the heavens is trash. But what are your plans for the future?" Sword Douluo couldn't help but ask.

In truth, Sword Douluo deeply wished for Jiang Siming to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sword Douluo was a proud and solitary man with very few friends; only Jiang Siming didn't fear him and treated him like an ordinary person. If Jiang Siming knew what he was thinking, he would surely have proudly replied, "I've received an advanced communist education, after all."

In another sense, Jiang Siming could be considered half a disciple to Sword Douluo.

"Me? I haven't figured it out yet. My life feels like an accident, taking turns for no reason," Jiang Siming said, stretching and pretending not to care. In reality, he felt more like a massive freighter lost in the middle of the ocean, fully loaded with cargo but with nowhere to dock.

"What do you think of Rongrong?" Sword Douluo asked with a wink.

"Don't start with that! I have a girlfriend!" Jiang Siming quickly refused.

"What? Is my Rongrong not good enough for you? Are you looking for a beating, kid?" Sword Douluo threatened fiercely.

"Pfft, I'm so outstanding, how could that little girl be worthy of me?" Jiang Siming retorted stubbornly.

"You weren't this tough before," Sword Douluo narrowed his eyes, speaking in a mocking tone.

"From now on, I'll be so tough you won't even believe it!" Jiang Siming boasted.

With a "slap," Jiang Siming reappeared, already on a tree dozens of meters away.

"Old man, you're really ruthless! That hurt like hell," Jiang Siming winced. Boasting really did invite lightning strikes!

However, Jiang Siming immediately felt something was off. He leaped back to Sword Douluo's side.

"Old man, how did you pull off that slap just now?" Jiang Siming asked curiously.

"Yo-ho, you've finally opened your eyes! I thought all those beatings were for nothing, and it only took one slap!" Sword Douluo looked at his own palm and teased.

"The so-called second realm of the sword path is the mastery and integration of sword intent. Just like that slap—if I want to send you flying, I send you flying. If you didn't know me, could you tell just by looking at me that I'm a Titled Douluo?" Sword Douluo waved his hand again.

"Mastery and integration, the ability to retract and release at will, doesn't mean you should hide your edge. I've been beating you for so many days, and you still act like you're the best in the world. That counts as the first step of advancement; the next step is to use your fingers as a sword," Sword Douluo said, enunciating every word.

"Do I not use my martial soul?" Jiang Siming felt a bit strange.

"Practicing the sword is also about tempering the person. What use is your sword if it's sharp but you're a coward? Do you mean to say that if you leave your martial soul behind, you can't release your sword intent?" Sword Douluo said seriously. As he spoke, he pressed two fingers together, and sword qi and sword intent, several yards long, surged from his fingertips.

Jiang Siming followed suit, pressing his two fingers together. He closed his eyes and carefully felt the sword intent within his body.

"Come out!" Jiang Siming roared. Two inches of sword intent appeared at his fingertips. Jiang Siming's face immediately darkened. Damn it.

"Hahaha, what is that, kid? Look at mine—isn't it big and long?" Sword Douluo boasted.

Jiang Siming looked at Sword Douluo's smug expression, then back at the sword intent on his own fingertips, feeling a sense of utter defeat.

"Alright! I don't need to beat you anymore. You've technically entered the threshold of the second stage," Sword Douluo patted Jiang Siming on the shoulder.

"Is that it? You might as well have told me earlier that being able to release sword intent from your fingertips counted as entering the second stage," Jiang Siming said with a dark face.

"You're ungrateful, kid? A sword wielder must never be a coward. If I didn't beat you, how would I know if you were a coward or not? If you step into the third stage in the future and can't conquer your own sword, don't come crying to me with regrets," Sword Douluo explained.

"Keep blowing smoke! You were just looking for an excuse to beat me," Jiang Siming admitted in his heart, though he refused to concede verbally.

"You're probably leaving soon, aren't you? I might as well tell you my insights on the third stage."

The sun gradually set, but the old man and the young man remained on the training grounds of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Old man, you're half a master to me, so I'll give you a piece of advice: be careful of that so-called Crown Prince," Jiang Siming said, taking a deep drag of a cigarette.

"Oh? Why don't you tell Fengzhi?" Sword Douluo asked, puzzled, though he also had a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"I've said all I can. Just keep your guard up and see for yourself. After all, I'm an outsider; saying too much would only make it seem fake," Jiang Siming said calmly.