Tang Hao

About ten minutes passed.

Inside Holy Soul Village.

Old Jack watched from afar as Ye Chen carried Tang San toward the blacksmith shop, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Seeing these two children not only practicing together but also carrying each other home when exhausted, one could see how harmonious their friendship truly was.

"Uncle Tang Hao, are you there?"

Arriving at the entrance of the blacksmith shop, Ye Chen called out inside.

Seeing no response, he continued, "Uncle, Tang San fainted, so I brought him back. If you aren't here, I'm just going to head inside, alright?"

Upon hearing that Tang San had fainted, a burly middle-aged man suddenly emerged from the depths of the shop.

The man looked to be about fifty years old. Despite his sturdy build, his hair was a tangled mess, and his tattered robes revealed bronze-colored skin; his appearance was truly difficult to compliment.

The moment the middle-aged man stepped out of the doorway, a wave of alcohol fumes washed over the air.

Looking up at the man and catching the pungent scent of liquor, Ye Chen couldn't help but frown.

Based on the original story, this man was Tang San's father, Tang Hao. His true identity was the second-generation Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect, a man of immense power.

Ever since learning that Tang San had awakened the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao had shown a bit more concern for his son, which was why he had been startled from his sleep upon hearing that Tang San had fainted.

"Did you knock Tang San out?" Tang Hao looked at the unconscious Tang San before shifting his gaze to Ye Chen, who was carrying him.

Ye Chen shook his head. "It wasn't me; it was my Torchic martial soul that knocked him out. Come out, Torchic."

Summoned, Torchic emerged from Ye Chen's body and stood before Tang Hao, looking utterly confused.

After scrutinizing Torchic for a moment, Tang Hao muttered to himself, "An External Martial Soul?"

"Uncle, what is an External Martial Soul?" Ye Chen asked, feigning ignorance.

Tang Hao did not answer the question. His eyes sharp, he said, "First, tell me, who taught you how to cultivate your Torchic martial soul?"

"No one taught me. I figured it out myself while practicing with Torchic over the past month. Is something wrong, Uncle?" Ye Chen countered.

Tang Hao didn't reply. He said coldly, "Give Tang San to me. You can go now."

"Alright." With a nod, Ye Chen handed the unconscious Tang San over to Tang Hao, then turned and walked toward Old Jack's house with Torchic in tow.

Watching him walk away, a glimmer of contemplation appeared in Tang Hao's cold pupils.

It was said that there had once been a precedent in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan of someone awakening an External Martial Soul.

However, judging by the fact that the person had been expelled from the clan, that unique External Martial Soul in this world must have been a malignant mutation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.

What puzzled Tang Hao was this: if this Torchic External Martial Soul was also a malignant mutation, how could it possibly grant the host Innate Full Soul Power?

Even more baffling was that the martial soul had no soul rings attached, yet it was still able to knock Tang San unconscious?

His son was no ordinary six-year-old child.

Could it be that Ye Chen's External Martial Soul was actually a benign mutation?

But if it were a benign mutation, combined with the talent of Innate Full Soul Power, the Torchic martial soul should have evolved into a top-tier beast martial soul like a phoenix; how could it be such a weak-looking **?

Setting aside his various conjectures, Tang Hao carried Tang San into the blacksmith shop. As long as the boy wasn't a genius from Martial Soul Hall or involved in something that threatened Tang San's life, he couldn't be bothered to care.

At noon, near the foot of the hills outside Holy Soul Village.

Ye Chen and Torchic sat cross-legged in the center of an open field, eyes closed as they sensed each other's aura.

Although the key to activating a "Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill" might not lie in aura but in the intimacy between them, this was still just a hypothesis. To avoid any errors, Ye Chen decided to spend an hour every day sensing their auras to lay the foundation for future attempts.

Beyond sensing auras, he also practiced techniques like eye contact cues and sign language with Torchic.

This not only improved their tacit understanding but also allowed him to issue corresponding commands to Torchic through subtle shifts in gaze or hand signals without having to speak aloud.

Soon, an hour passed quietly.

Finishing the training related to the Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Ye Chen said passionately, "Alright, Torchic, you go find some animals on the mountain to spar with first. I need to start my physical training as well. We have to work even harder and keep getting stronger!"

Hearing this, Torchic let out a "Chamo-Chamo" cry and dashed toward the mountaintop with equal enthusiasm.

Seeing he was alone, Ye Chen didn't rush into his physical workout. Instead, he remained seated, beginning to review his spar with Tang San from that morning.

During the exchange, he had learned to channel soul power into specific parts of his body, granting those areas certain enhancement effects.

For instance, channeling soul power into his chest strengthened the muscles and bones there, increasing his defensive capabilities.

Similarly, channeling it into his eyes enhanced his vision, and channeling it into his brain provided a boost to his mental power.

The benefit of simply channeling soul power into a body part to achieve such enhancements was comparable to an amplification-type soul skill.

However, Ye Chen knew clearly that he had no soul rings, so it was impossible for him to possess actual soul skills.

The reason he could gain these enhancements was that his entire body was a Body Martial Soul.

Both the original Tang San and the current one had tried channeling soul power into the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, causing it to grow from a small blade of grass into ten-meter-long Blue Silver vines.

This proved that soul power could indeed be used to enhance a martial soul.

It is precisely for this reason that by injecting soul power into his Body Martial Soul, he can cause the corresponding body parts to receive strengthening effects as the Body Martial Soul grows stronger.

If he could call upon soul power at will to reinforce a specific body part, his combat techniques would be like having the internal energy assistance found in martial arts novels, making every move and style far more explosive and destructive.

Thinking of this, Ye Chen was overjoyed and hurriedly added a training regimen for mastering soul power mobilization to his daily list.

After persisting with this training for a month, his physical strength improved across the board, and he became increasingly proficient at calling upon his soul power.

During this month, Torchic continuously integrated the martial arts and various fighting styles of Blue Star, drawing on the strengths of many schools to take its combat techniques to the next level. Especially in terms of kicking, when combined with the Focus Energy skill, it could easily KO an opponent directly.

It could be said that in just one month, all of Ye Chen and Torchic's abilities had been further enhanced, and their soul power had also risen from level fourteen to level fifteen.

Regrettably, Torchic did not spontaneously learn any new skills as a result.

However, after this month of highly targeted special training, Ye Chen had learned skills such as Agility and Mega Punch.

These skills were not learned spontaneously like those of a Pokémon, but were combat techniques executed by using soul power to reinforce specific body parts.