Training Plan

After obtaining the Meditation Technique, Xiaofei began trying to meditate that very night. His first attempt did not go very smoothly; he felt a faint resistance. Was this the difference between ordinary soul power and Innate Full Soul Power? In truth, the method of meditation was simple. Through meditation, soul power circulated and flowed within the body. As it circulated, the soul power within gradually increased. Once it reached a saturated state, one would be on the verge of advancing. An increase in soul power also signified a certain improvement in physical fitness and all other aspects.

No wonder higher-level Soul Masters exerted such strong suppression over lower-level ones. The higher one's Soul Power Level, the stronger one's physical constitution. Looking carefully at the direction in which soul power circulated, it should have been what martial arts worlds called Meridians. However, Douluo Continent had no such concept. Those so-called Titled Douluo had merely opened all the Meridians throughout their bodies, bringing their physical constitutions to a qualitative leap. No wonder Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill had been so helpful to his cultivation.

Different Meditation Techniques were probably related to the routes and areas through which soul power circulated within the body. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation likely focused its early-stage soul power circulation on the body, while airborne Dragon Transformation would use a different Meditation Technique.

After a night of meditation, Xiaofei felt that his soul power had improved by a tiny amount. This must have been the benefit of meditation. Xiaofei could not help recalling the training in the original story where Shrek Academy students carried stones while running. When people constantly pushed beyond their limits, whether in extreme exhaustion or a breakthrough state, their Meditation Speed would become faster. As expected, the body was the foundation of everything.

A few days later, Xiaofei began formulating his own training plan. After getting up in the morning, he would carry out his normal daily exercises, mainly weighted running, weighted frog jumps, punching sandbags, and so on. After these high-intensity movements, he would try to make breakfast as hearty as possible. His mornings were mainly for classes and meditation, primarily to learn knowledge, including but not limited to classroom lessons, consulting materials in the library, researching information about Soul Beasts, and so forth. In the afternoons, he needed to find work outside. Since his Martial Soul was related to the Fire Element, blacksmithing would be best. Therefore, the forging house was always the place with the highest concentration of Fire Element in the entire city. Finally, he would meditate in the Dormitory at night.

Just like that, several days passed, and the weekend arrived. Xiaofei found a Blacksmith Shop.

As soon as he arrived at the Blacksmith Shop, the owner came out to receive him. "Hello, customer. Do you need something made? It would be best to have an adult from your family come over."

Xiaofei immediately said, "Uncle, I'm a student at Nuoding Academy. Can I apply to be a blacksmith's apprentice here? I'm very strong." All the blacksmiths around them grew curious. An old blacksmith nearby said, "Kid, from the look of you, you should be a student from a Soul Master Academy. Soul Masters are the profession most revered by everyone on the continent, while blacksmiths have a much lower social standing. Who would choose to flow downhill?"

Xiaofei replied, "Hello, Master. I've been interested in blacksmithing since I was little, and my Martial Soul is related to the Fire Element. Smithing will help with the cultivation of my Martial Soul. It's just my grandfather and me depending on each other at home. I'm not afraid of hardship, and I can be useful."

At that moment, the Blacksmith Shop's owner spoke. "Hello, kid. My name is Iron Bull, and I'm the owner of this Blacksmith Shop. Proper work takes a fair amount of strength, but you can stay and give it a try. The work here is mainly smithing. Take that Forging Hammer and strike a few times. If you can manage it, you can work here." As he spoke, he pointed to an unused Forging Table nearby, where a rather large hammer lay.

Xiaofei walked over to the Forging Table, picked up the Forging Hammer, and, relying on his previous memories, began hammering the pig iron in front of him. He hammered continuously for some time. About half an hour later, though he had no idea how many times he had actually struck it, the pig iron gradually shrank and took shape, slowly gaining a dark luster.

Xiaofei stopped and looked at Iron Bull. Iron Bull used tongs to grip the forged iron block and examined it carefully. "Kid, you probably haven't learned blacksmithing before. You seem strong, and you have a good rhythm too. After studying for a while, you'll be able to forge on your own. You can come work here every afternoon. The pay here isn't high—one Silver Soul Coin a month—but we provide dinner and guarantee you'll eat your fill." (On Douluo Continent, one Gold Soul Coin equaled ten Silver Soul Coins, which equaled one hundred Copper Soul Coins. The protagonist's physical condition and build were both better than Tang San's, so his wages were the same.)

Xiaofei beamed with joy and hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you, Uncle. From now on, I'll come here every afternoon to study and work."

Amid everyone's laughter, they also assigned Xiaofei a teacher, mainly to teach him how to forge. Forging was not so simple. Basic blacksmithing also included processes such as shaping the iron block and quenching it in water. Thus, under the guidance of an experienced master, Xiaofei began his first day of work. As the old master put it, he had to learn to hammer iron first before learning anything else. Once he could master everything proficiently, he would become a genuine blacksmith.

That afternoon, Xiaofei kept hammering iron and barely stopped at all. It was not until the sun was nearly setting that, at a word from the owner, everyone began packing up and ended the day's work. Xiaofei was so exhausted that he had no strength left anywhere in his body. After all, he was just a child doing such heavy labor while smithing. At dinner, a group of burly blacksmiths gathered around the table and ate with great delight. The food was ordinary, but Xiaofei felt a warmth somewhat like home. This was probably the ordinary life of commoners on Douluo Continent.

That night, Xiaofei dragged his weary body back to the Dormitory. Sitting on his bed, he began his meditation for the day. He felt that today's meditation efficiency was higher than yesterday's. Perhaps it was because he had been exposed to the Fire Element all day, or perhaps because he had worked all day and somewhat pushed past his physical limits.

Early the next morning, Xiaofei got up and began a new day of study. After working like this continuously for a week, Xiaofei suddenly had an idea. What would happen if I meditated in the Blacksmith Shop after it closed for the day?

So Xiaofei immediately put the idea into action. That day, after getting off work at the Blacksmith Shop and eating dinner, Xiaofei did not return to the Dormitory right away. Instead, he meditated in the place where he had spent the day smithing. After meditating for some time, Xiaofei reached a conclusion. "Just as I thought. Meditating in the Blacksmith Shop is more efficient than meditating in the Dormitory. This is what they call a Simulated Environment."

The next day, Xiaofei found Iron Bull and said, "Boss, I saw an empty storage room upstairs. Can I stay in the Blacksmith Shop at night from now on? I feel that meditating here is much more efficient than in the Dormitory." Iron Bull thought for a moment before replying, "That room is empty and doesn't have anything in it right now. If you want, you can stay here. After dinner tonight, I'll have a few people clean it up and put a bed in there." Xiaofei was overjoyed after receiving the owner's approval.

Another day later, Xiaofei went to the school's Academic Affairs Office and told the Director of Studies about moving out. The Director of Studies originally wanted to refuse on the grounds of student safety, but Xiaofei was a Work-Study Student, and the school's housing was already rather tight. He was also quite familiar with Iron Bull, the owner of the Blacksmith Shop. After some discussion, he finally agreed to let Xiaofei live at the Blacksmith Shop. Of course, Iron Bull specifically made a trip to the school as well.

Xiaofei's days became rather monotonous. He exercised after getting up in the morning, went to school in the morning, forged iron at the Blacksmith Shop in the afternoon, and meditated where he forged iron at the Blacksmith Shop at night. He remained busy along this three-point routine for nearly half a year. Then one day, Xiaofei felt a sudden sense of openness within his body. "Finally, Level Ten." Xiaofei had officially broken through to Level Ten, and he could also feel the Bottleneck in cultivation beyond Level Ten. Next, he needed a Soul Ring.