Tang Liu Doesn't Grow Taller

Tang Hao never really guided Tang Liu in his cultivation; for the most part, he left Tang Liu to his own devices.

However, perhaps due to that incident with the Demon Eye Demon Tree, Tang Hao never let Tang Liu leave his sight for more than an hour when it was safe. When they went out, he made sure Tang Liu remained within his line of sight at all times.

Tang Liu was happy with this arrangement, otherwise, it would have been difficult to explain to Tang Hao why he spent over an hour every day muttering to himself in a language Tang Hao couldn't understand.

Tang Liu never worried about his own cultivation, because for a Soul Master, there were basically no bottlenecks to speak of.

If one were to truly speak of bottlenecks, they would only exist at level 89 to 90, or the Soul Core cultivation required to advance from level 98 to 99.

However, since the concept of a Soul Core had yet to appear, such bottlenecks did not exist.

If he truly encountered any obstacles, it wouldn't be too late to ask Tang Hao, after all, Tang Hao had cultivated step by step to become a Title Douluo.

If even Tang Hao couldn't solve it, Tang Liu decided he would ask Grandmaster.

And if even Grandmaster couldn't solve it...

Then he would have to rely on his Assistant System.

In truth, if not for that one time the system had made him very wary, he would have been quite willing to ask the system directly.

After learning that Tang Hao and Tang Liu had left, Tang San returned to Notting Academy with Xiao Wu the next day and began his diligent cultivation.

Tang Hao settled down in Nuoding City with Tang Liu, watching Tang San from afar, occasionally taking Tang Liu out for a month or two before returning.

During their time away, they would sometimes go to the Star Dou Great Forest, and other times to different cities.

When visiting other cities, Tang Hao would mostly leave Tang Liu at a hotel while he went off to do something mysterious alone, acting like an underground agent meeting a contact.

Tang Liu had his own guesses about this, believing that Tang Hao was likely preparing to deal with Martial Soul Hall, or at the very least, paving the way for Tang San and himself.

This situation continued until Tang Liu turned eleven.

Over the four years from age seven to eleven, Tang Liu finally succeeded in compressing and refining his soul power for the first time. Although using the Haolan Spell still consumed a lot of energy, he could sustain it for longer than before.

Tang Liu's total soul power was now equivalent to that of a Soul King above level 50. Yet even so, he still couldn't use the Haolan Spell for long, which showed just how heavy the energy consumption of the Haolan Spell truly was.

Ever since the soul power compression was complete, Tang Liu's cultivation speed finally slowed down, but he had still reached level 40 just as he turned eight.

However, he was in no rush to condense a fourth soul ring for his Haolan Spell, choosing instead to continue his soul power compression training while simultaneously increasing his mental strength.

According to Grandmaster, a Soul Master's cultivation does not stop just because they haven't obtained a soul ring.

Coupled with what Huo Yuhao had said—that suppressing soul power advancement could enhance mental strength—Tang Liu was naturally very happy to forgo condensing a soul ring.

Having completed the first round of soul power compression, Tang Liu immediately began the second round of purification and compression without a moment's rest.

His cultivation had been stuck at level 40 for a full three years.

He was now eleven years old, yet he still had no intention of condensing a soul ring to raise his soul power level.

He estimated that his second round of refinement should be completed within this year. By then, he would be twelve, and it would be time to condense the fourth soul ring for his Haolan Spell.

Once he broke through level 40, he should be able to attach a ten-thousand-year-level third soul ring to his Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor martial soul.

It is worth mentioning that Tang San had also obtained his second soul ring at age eight, successfully entering the level of a Soul Grand Master.

Now, both Tang San and Tang Liu were eleven. Tang San's cultivation was level 27, while Tang Liu's was level 40. The gap between innate level 10 soul power and innate level 20 soul power was clearly reflected here.

However, Tang San's talent was no weaker than Tang Liu's; it was just that Tang San, whose Blue Silver Emperor bloodline had yet to awaken, was currently cultivating at a slower pace.

Tang Liu's current advantage came from the ten extra levels of soul power provided by his third martial soul, the Haolan Spell, and his already-awakened Blue Silver Emperor martial soul, which prevented his cultivation speed from being dragged down by the Blue Silver Grass like Tang San's.

However, this advantage was becoming less obvious as their soul power levels drew closer and Tang Liu's cultivation speed slowed down following his soul power compression.

One thing Tang Hao found quite amusing was that at eleven years old, Tang San was already a youth standing around 1.7 meters tall, while the other was still a child barely over 1.3 meters.

Similarly, Tang San's face looked more mature, having largely shed the innocence of childhood. Tang Liu, however, remained as he was when he was younger, his face still tender and soft enough to pinch water out of.

"When you go to find your brother, I'm afraid he'll say I haven't taken good care of you these past few years." Tang Hao looked at Tang Liu, who barely reached his thigh, and couldn't help but laugh as he pinched his cheek.

"How was I supposed to know I wouldn't grow much!" Tang Liu was incredibly depressed.

He had been transmigrated for so long, and for a while, his height had been similar to Tang San's.

But in the first three years, Tang San's height had shot up as if he were on growth hormones.

When Tang Liu finally had to look up at Tang San, he realized one thing.

Although he had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, he didn't seem to have inherited the growth pattern of the locals—where people are 1.7 meters at ten, 1.8 meters at thirteen, and two meters at fifteen. He was still growing like an ordinary Chinese person from his previous life.

Being 1.3 meters at eleven was quite common for Chinese people; Tang Liu remembered being about that height at that age in his past life.

In short, he was just particularly short.

However, in all fairness, Tang Hao had raised Tang Liu well these past few years; his daily meals started with century-old soul beast ingredients.

Although he hadn't grown much taller, he had gained a few pounds, and his face had become a bit chubby.

"Why don't you learn from your brother and exercise more?" Tang Hao asked.

"It's so tiring, so tiring. I refuse, I refuse." Why would he exercise when he could just sit or lie down? Isn't that wonderful? I'm a homebody, and I don't see anything wrong with that...

"And yet, you can't even lift a fifty-kilogram forging hammer. Tell me, how are you supposed to practice the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer?" Tang Hao said, his expression tinged with a hint of disdain.

"I'm an auxiliary-type Soul Master!" Tang Liu said righteously.