What Is Training?

When Huang Tianzong poked his head out from behind the rocks, the dust from the battle had already settled.

At the same time, he could not help secretly rejoicing. Those transparent bamboo leaves had made his scalp tingle.

Having spent over thirty years scraping by on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, he had seen all manner of Spirit Beasts. Yet bamboo that could actively attack and use its leaves like throwing knives was something that truly opened his eyes—unprecedented.

It was also because plant-type Spirit Beasts found cultivation difficult. Beast-type Spirit Beasts naturally held an advantage over plant-type ones.

Even King of Ten Thousand Demons would probably never have become a Ferocious Beast without consuming Immortal Herbs.

What truly alarmed him, however, was the young man before him, who was even more seasoned than he was.

He looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, yet when he fought, he gave off the impression of a battle-hardened veteran.

Still, rather than a veteran, he seemed more like a carefully groomed core disciple, carrying a distinctive aura about him.

Those core disciples might stand above the masses, but none of them could compare to Zhou Qiubai's sword strike—clean, decisive, incomparably precise, without a single unnecessary movement. Every stance and move seemed like the product of careful deliberation.

Zhou Qiubai stood before the Millennium Bamboo King, now split into two halves, staring down at the purple Soul Ring slowly revolving on the ground. Hearing the sound, he slowly turned his head, his face seemingly devoid of any particular expression.

Except for those lion-like eyes.

Huang Tianzong's gaze was immediately drawn to that Soul Ring. His pupils contracted sharply, and shock surged through him.

Purple! A thousand-year Soul Ring!

He was over thirty years old, yet his Soul Power was only rank twenty-six, and his Soul Rings were both white. Let alone thousand-year Spirit Beasts, he had not even seen many hundred-year Spirit Beasts.

It could not be helped. An official Soul Beast Forest permit required guarantees from at least three nobles. Otherwise, as a mud-legged commoner, he would not be risking his life in Star Dou doing this sort of work.

But there was something else he needed to think about now.

He was not planning to absorb that Soul Ring, was he?

"M-My lord..." His voice even trembled. "Y-You... you want to absorb this?"

Zhou Qiubai nodded slightly, his expression natural, as though it were only right. "Otherwise, why would I have gone to all this trouble?"

Huang Tianzong opened his mouth, his mind a mess as he stammered, "B-But this is a thousand-year Soul Ring! A second Soul Ring is usually only a hundred years old. Who uses a thousand-year ring as their second Soul Ring? Th-That breaks the rules..."

"Rules?" Zhou Qiubai smiled with a hint of mockery. "Who made the rules?"

Huang Tianzong froze.

"Spirit Hall? Those great sects? Or some so-called theoretical master?" Zhou Qiubai turned around and looked at him calmly. "You are no youngster, and you have spent so many years in these forests. You must have seen plenty of Soul Masters. Tell me, what became of those who strictly absorbed Soul Rings according to the 'optimal Soul Ring ratio'?"

Huang Tianzong recalled it instinctively.

He had seen far too many Soul Masters.

Those commoners who treated the Spirit Ring Absorption Limit Table as sacred decree, those who revered Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's theories as unquestionable truth...

Indeed, compared to those who absorbed Soul Rings at random, they advanced more steadily. But that was all.

Among the true powerhouses who left their names behind on Douluo Continent, how many had followed that table completely?

More importantly, how many commoner Soul Masters could defeat a hundred-year Spirit Beast without a Soul Ring?

"Seems... seems they were not especially impressive," Huang Tianzong muttered.

"Because it was nonsense to begin with," Zhou Qiubai said mercilessly. "What first Soul Ring limit of four hundred and twenty-three years, what second Soul Ring limit of seven hundred and sixty-four years... Human bodies differ vastly, and every Martial Soul has its own strengths. How could a few numbers box everyone in?"

He paused, a trace of ridicule entering his tone. "The people who set those rules were either stupid or malicious. Stupid because they thought the world was simply black and white; malicious because... they wanted to turn everyone into what they wanted them to be."

Huang Tianzong was thoroughly confused, but he caught one crucial piece of information. "My lord, are you saying... Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's theories are wrong?"

"Right or wrong is not important." Zhou Qiubai shook his head. "What matters is that it is someone else's path. My path must be walked by me."

In truth, when it came to Yu Xiaogang, not only the locals of Douluo Continent but even people in his former world, before he came to Douluo Continent, had mixed opinions of him.

His merit was that he let commoners know how Martial Souls could be cultivated and broadened their horizons somewhat, though it was not particularly useful.

Most commoner Soul Masters were not geniuses. Following Yu Xiaogang's path might not make them superior to others, but at least on Douluo Continent, it gave them the tiniest bit of ability to protect themselves.

Only the tiniest bit.

His flaw was that he was far too conceited. He believed he understood everything, lacked the ability to teach geniuses, yet wanted geniuses all the same.

He turned and walked to the purple Soul Ring, then sat down cross-legged, seeming to pay no attention at all to Huang Tianzong's stunned gaze behind him.

In just a few short days, Zhou Qiubai had risen from rank nineteen to rank twenty.

How had he cultivated?

Training?

It seemed this great figure had never once been seen seriously meditating.

On Douluo Continent, apart from obtaining Soul Rings at each stage, the way to increase Soul Power was meditation. Even Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill relied almost entirely on meditation.

Yet Zhou Qiubai seemed to spend most of his time either making money or traveling to kill Spirit Beasts.

So how had his Soul Power risen so quickly?

Most importantly, Zhou Qiubai had possessed no Soul Power in the beginning.

Yet he seemed to be improving every moment. It might not have been a thousand miles in a single step, but it was close enough.

Heh heh~

If Zhou Qiubai knew what Huang Tianzong was thinking, he would surely laugh at the ignorance of the locals of Douluo Continent.

He was training every single moment!

Did everyone on Douluo Continent think that only calming one's mind, holding one's breath, sitting cross-legged, and remaining motionless while cultivating Soul Power counted as training?

Cultivation could be carried out every moment—while eating, walking, fighting, talking, standing, sitting, walking, or running. All of it could be training.

Even while sleeping, as long as one hypnotized oneself before falling asleep, one could still train in dreams.

There were twelve double-hours in a day, and he had not relaxed for a single moment!

While walking, he mostly trained lightness skills, vigilance, and sensitive touch. At the same time, he could train his eyes, ears, and bodily senses. All of it could be trained.

The same was true in battle, except it also required training one's state of mind. Solitude tempered one's will even more, while bustle was the best way to cultivate inner calm.

As for his internal power, it operated every moment.

All of this was meant to be integrated into instinct, to be done completely naturally. There was no need to think about it, nor any need to force it.

Such an unimaginable method of training would probably have caused anyone else to suffer cultivation deviation long ago. It would not even have been impossible for them to drive themselves insane. Yet for Zhou Qiubai, it was as ordinary as eating and drinking!

Actually, Zhou Qiubai had not been used to it at first either. But he kept reminding himself. Over time, it became a habit. He started training whenever he did anything, and eventually, training simply became what he did. He could no longer feel any difference.

That was why he was indifferent to everything.

Even his own life.

If he did not take even the slightest risk, what was the point of cultivating?

Was he supposed to wait until the success rate reached ninety-eight percent before cultivating?

He had to admit, "habit" truly was an incredibly powerful force.