Douluo: Martial Soul Iron-Eating Beast, Never a Slave — Part 7

In a forest densely covered in vegetation, nearly untouched in its wildness, a man and a beast raced after one another.

"Heibai, pick up the pace! Do you still want to eat or not?!"

Awoo~

Only after reaching the edge of the forest did the man and beast finally stop to rest.

They were none other than Zhao Mu and the Iron-Eating Beast, Heibai.

Ever since they had agreed to train and exercise together, they had often gone running through the forest.

Running was the most common form of exercise, but it was quite effective.

Besides running, there were other physical exercises as well, such as pull-ups, standing long jumps...

This was not for some college entrance exam. It was genuinely for the sake of physical health.

Physical training was easy enough to handle. Zhao Mu knew a thing or two about it. The key was cultivating Soul Power.

In the original story, Tang San had the Mysterious Heaven Skill. The inner strength cultivated by the Mysterious Heaven Skill could be converted into Soul Power. Each level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill corresponded to a Soul Power Level, and after absorbing a soul ring, the Mysterious Heaven Skill could advance to its next level.

Aside from Tang San, it seemed that other transmigrators had also brought cultivation methods with them—Daoist ones, Buddhist ones, immortal cultivation ones, fantasy ones...

Now that Zhao Mu thought about it, that really would have been nice. Why hadn't he brought along a cultivation manual when he transmigrated? The problem was, he hadn't known he was going to transmigrate!

If he had to name any cultivation methods, Zhao Mu did know a little. He remembered a few bits and pieces, though they were only one or two lines of dialogue from wuxia dramas.

"The Way of Heaven is to diminish excess and replenish deficiency. Thus, emptiness overcomes fullness, and deficiency overcomes excess. Its meaning is vast, its principles profound, its implications deep. The manifestations of Heaven and Earth divide, the signs of yin and yang are arrayed, the causes of change are revealed, and the omens of life and death are made clear..."

That was all he remembered. He could not recall the rest.

The Nine Yin Manual was no low-grade technique, but unfortunately, he did not remember all of it.

After finishing his run, Zhao Mu sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, muttering it to himself several times with convincing seriousness.

Some cultivation methods only needed a few recitations to regulate one's body. What if it actually worked?

As for these cultivation methods, Zhao Mu only tried them now and then in his spare time. Better than nothing.

His true means of increasing Soul Power was to let Heibai eat Thunder-Striking Bamboo after training, obtaining energy from it to increase his Soul Power.

When the body was fatigued, it could absorb energy to the greatest extent.

That was why Zhao Mu always fed Heibai after exercising. After a workout, the little fellow's appetite was much greater than usual.

Thanks to Zhao Mu's random tinkering, his Soul Power Level had risen from level fifteen after absorbing his first soul ring to level nineteen.

An average of one level per month!

Suppress his level?

Only a dog would suppress his level!

After silently reciting the Nine Yin Manual's incantation and taking a few calming breaths, Zhao Mu stood again. He felt refreshed all over, and most of the soreness from running had faded. He did not know whether the Nine Yin Manual had truly worked or whether it was simply psychological, but as long as he felt good, that was enough.

Compared to the Nine Yin Manual, the Yi Jin Jing would have been even better. Unfortunately, Zhao Mu did not know it. He had not transmigrated from a wuxia world, so how could he remember those things?

"Heibai, did you get fat again? Why were you so slow this time?" Zhao Mu asked as he gave the exhausted Heibai two kicks on the backside.

Heibai reluctantly climbed up from the ground, stood on two feet, and rubbed his belly with his front paws.

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

Fat?

What kind of joke was that?

This Soul Master who didn't even deserve to be called human had something wrong with his eyes!

He had slimmed down by a whole circle, yet Zhao Mu still said he was fat! After losing so much weight, how much bamboo would he need to eat to make it back?

At the thought of food, Heibai howled at Zhao Mu twice more.

It was time to eat!

If one was not enthusiastic about eating, what could one possibly be enthusiastic about?

Don't even think about cutting his food by claiming he had gotten fat. Everything he ate was rightfully his!

Iron-Eating Beasts never compromised! Especially when it came to food, they would not yield an inch!

According to their agreement, as long as Heibai obediently trained alongside him, Zhao Mu naturally would not skimp on its food.

He immediately brushed the ring on his left index finger and took out five prepared Thunder-Striking Bamboo stalks, each around a meter long, tossing them to Heibai.

The Zhao Family could afford a ring-type Soul Tool with several cubic meters of space. It was now mainly used to store rations for Heibai. Zhao Mu could not keep carrying them on his back for it.

At the sight of the Thunder-Striking Bamboo, Heibai dashed over at once. Then it flopped down beside the bamboo again, hugged one stalk with its thick paws, and began happily gnawing on it.

As Heibai ate, streams of energy entered Zhao Mu's body as well.

Although the energy was not as potent as that thousand-year Thunder-Striking Bamboo from before, he could still clearly feel his Soul Power increasing.

Heibai might not have been fast at running, but it was quite quick at eating. Before long, it had started on the third stalk of Thunder-Striking Bamboo.

Just as Heibai was normally chewing on the Thunder-Striking Bamboo, Zhao Mu suddenly froze. Then he abruptly looked up, his eyes lighting up.

After absorbing this portion of Thunder-Striking Bamboo energy, his Soul Power had finally reached saturation. Immediately afterward, he smoothly broke through to level twenty Soul Power!

Previously, Zhao Mu's cultivation speed had averaged one level per month. By this calculation, he was now gaining a level of Soul Power in less than a month on average.

Moreover, now that his Soul Power Level had reached twenty, he could begin working on his second soul ring!

His method of obtaining soul rings did not require him to painstakingly select soul beast soul rings. He only needed Heibai to consume heavenly treasures...

Wait!

Heibai could obtain soul rings by eating... and it seemed the little fellow had not finished eating yet!

Realizing this, Zhao Mu immediately looked toward Heibai. The little fellow was eagerly preparing to pick up the fourth stalk of Thunder-Striking Bamboo.

Then that bamboo slowly drifted farther and farther away from it, no matter how hard it tried to grab it.

Zhao Mu quickly came to Heibai's side, grabbed the loose skin at the back of its neck, and lifted it up.

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

Looking at the bamboo on the ground, Heibai's four short little legs flailed wildly, but it could not reach Zhao Mu's arm.

What happened to keeping your word? You said you would let me eat my fill!

Zhao Mu did not know why he was getting stronger and stronger. Perhaps it was related to exercise, or perhaps it was due to his increased Soul Power Level.

Holding Heibai up, Zhao Mu put away the remaining two stalks of Thunder-Striking Bamboo and headed home with it.

"My Soul Power Level just broke through to twenty, so you can't keep eating randomly. Wait until we find the right target before you eat!"

Zhao Mu's Soul Power Level was now twenty, meaning he could absorb a soul ring. If Heibai continued eating that Thunder-Striking Bamboo, it would ruin his second soul ring.

Besides, this Thunder-Striking Bamboo was not even as good as the stalk Heibai had found before. If he absorbed it and his second soul ring became a hundred-year Thunder-Striking Bamboo, it would be ridiculous.

It was not that he looked down on a hundred-year second soul ring. After all, ordinary Soul Masters all had hundred-year second soul rings.

The main issue was that Zhao Mu's first soul ring had already been a thousand-year one. If his second soul ring became a hundred-year Thunder-Striking Bamboo, he would truly be wasting his potential.

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

Heibai was naturally intelligent. Upon hearing that Zhao Mu was about to break through, its beady eyes rolled around, and it understood that Zhao Mu was taking it out for a feast. Thunder-Striking Bamboo was delicious, but eating it all the time could get tiresome. Changing flavors once in a while was nice too.

Many people believed that pandas and Iron-Eating Beasts ate only bamboo, but pandas and Iron-Eating Beasts were actually omnivores.

Thus, Heibai stopped resisting in Zhao Mu's hand and became docile and obedient. However, a little drool still escaped from the corner of its mouth...

Once they returned home, Zhao Mu told his father that his Soul Power Level had reached twenty.

After all, the heavenly treasures required for his second soul ring could currently only be obtained through the Zhao Family's channels.

Upon hearing that Zhao Mu had broken through to level twenty Soul Power, Zhao Father and Zhao Mother were naturally overjoyed.

They had known that someone with Innate Full Soul Power would cultivate more quickly, but they had not expected it to be this fast.

After all, there were only a few dozen Soul Masters with Innate Full Soul Power across the entire continent, and they had never met one before.

"Mu'er, you haven't obtained your second soul ring yet, have you?" Zhao Father asked after calming down.

Zhao Mu shook his head.

Zhao Father continued, "That's good. Although it's only your second soul ring, we still need to be cautious. Your Second Grandfather said before that he would find a way to handle your second soul ring."

"Second Grandfather?"

Second Grandfather was currently the eldest member of the Zhao Family, so he naturally had broader knowledge. Zhao Mu had no objections.

Thus, the two men and one beast once again went to Second Grandfather's courtyard.

After Zhao Father explained why they had come, a look of deep astonishment appeared on Second Grandfather's wrinkled face.

He was clearly amazed by Zhao Mu's cultivation speed as well.

Although the thousand-year soul ring had directly raised his Soul Power Level to fifteen, reaching level twenty in less than half a year was still astonishing.

Back then, Zhao Wuji, who had been praised as a once-in-a-century genius of the Zhao Family, had also needed nearly three years after absorbing his first soul ring to reach level twenty.