Tang San, the Imaginary Enemy—Pressure Was Also Motivation

Having finished testing the basic abilities of the Ice and Fire Twin Fish, Yu Yan released his Martial Soul Possession. The Ice and Fire Twin Fish left his arms and circled around him once more.

Could I use only one of the Ice and Fire Twin Fish?

Looking at the Ice and Fire Twin Fish circling around him, Yu Yan had a new idea.

This idea arose because, when using the Ice and Fire Twin Fish Martial Soul, he had felt the Soul Power within him draining a little too quickly. That was why he wanted to use only one of them and conserve Soul Power.

He acted as soon as he thought of it. Yu Yan began trying to withdraw the Ice Fish into his body while keeping only the Fire Fish outside.

Releasing a Martial Soul and withdrawing a Martial Soul was not complicated. It only took a thought.

But releasing one half of a Martial Soul while withdrawing the other half into his body was not something that could be accomplished with a single thought.

The difficulty was no different from making his two hemispheres wrestle each other—and demanding a winner.

Before he could manage to release only one of the Ice and Fire Twin Fish, the Soul Power in his body had been completely exhausted.

Lying on his bed, Yu Yan understood that releasing only one half of his Martial Soul would not be easy.

Exhausted from having drained all his Soul Power, Yu Yan quickly fell asleep.

In his dream, Yu Yan successfully became a powerhouse and fulfilled his dream of three wives, four concubines, and sleeping under one enormous blanket.

Just as he was about to enter the bridal chamber, Yu Yan suddenly felt that something was off. Everything around him seemed strangely unreal.

Then, a rooster crowing outside the window awakened his muddled consciousness.

Opening his eyes, the haze in his mind gradually faded, and his clear awareness retook the high ground.

"So it was just a dream!"

"This dream was way too timid. Three wives and four concubines only made seven. Be bolder—once I become a powerhouse, I'll marry ten!!!"

Yu Yan did not truly intend to marry ten women. He was just talking big.

He still remembered saying before his transmigration that he would date ten girls in college. In the end, he had remained single for all four years.

As for why he had suddenly sensed that the dream was unreal, his brain said it had done its best. But its owner had never truly listened, acted, or experienced it himself, so what else could it do?

Awakened by the rooster's crowing, Yu Yan no longer felt sleepy. He got up and headed for the mountains east of the village.

Gong Fenghua's personal summary on Soul Power cultivation stated that places with few people often contained more Soul Power than crowded areas, and it was easier to sense there as well.

Only practice revealed the truth. He had to personally test the eastern mountains to find out whether cultivating there would be faster.

After successfully reaching the summit of the eastern mountain, Yu Yan stood at the peak and looked down at everything around him. He suddenly understood why there was such a vast difference between Soul Masters and ordinary people on the Douluo Continent.

Before awakening his Martial Soul and gaining Soul Power, climbing this eastern mountain took more than an hour, and he would have to rest for quite some time at the summit, panting for breath.

But after awakening his Martial Soul and gaining Soul Power, climbing this mountain took less than half an hour. Even after reaching the top, he was only breathing slightly harder and was not particularly tired.

One had to remember that Yu Yan was still only a Soul Scholar without a Soul Ring.

A huge gap in strength would inevitably create a huge gap in social status. That was an eternal rule.

Not feeling particularly tired, Yu Yan sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and entered a cultivation state.

After entering cultivation, Yu Yan could feel that the Soul Power in the air at the mountaintop was slightly more abundant than in the village and also more active.

Time slowly passed. The Morning Sun gradually rose, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the land.

At the moment the Morning Sun rose, Yu Yan, with his powerful spiritual power, clearly sensed purple energy in the surrounding air that differed from the colorless white Soul Power.

The quality of this purple energy was far higher than Soul Power. It had suddenly appeared between heaven and earth, within Yu Yan's perception.

Curious about this trace of energy, Yu Yan began observing the suddenly appearing purple from every possible angle.

Perhaps he observed it for too long. Before he could make any move, the Purple Qi vanished without warning.

Yu Yan stared at the place where the Purple Qi had disappeared for quite a while, yet he still could not discover how it had suddenly appeared and then suddenly vanished.

Astonished, Yu Yan ended his cultivation. He opened his eyes and looked around, hoping to find the reason for the Purple Qi's appearance and disappearance in his actual surroundings.

After looking around, he found that nothing around the mountaintop differed from when he had first arrived.

Wait, no. There was still one difference.

Yu Yan turned his gaze toward the Morning Sun rising in the east. He remembered that the Purple Qi seemed to have appeared just as the sun rose.

Morning Sun, Purple Qi.

If he remembered correctly, Tang San's Purple Demon Eye was cultivated by drawing upon the Purple Qi produced at the Morning Sun's first appearance.

This was the real good stuff.

I need to find a way to absorb this purple energy.

After figuring out what it was, Yu Yan decided to make this the most important task he had to accomplish in the near future.

Whenever he thought of Tang San, Yu Yan became unbearably envious.

That guy had transmigrated with an entire set of Tang Sect techniques.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill was the finest cultivation method on the entire Douluo Continent. Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track could be used from Soul Scholar all the way to Title Douluo. Mysterious Jade Hand was indestructible and immune to all poisons. Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon used four ounces to move a thousand pounds. Purple Demon Eye possessed the greatest observational ability and could even inflict spiritual damage upon enemies. Hundred Interpretations of Hidden Weapons was even more overwhelmingly powerful on the Douluo Continent.

It did not matter whether these abilities were unimpressive compared to other worlds. In the world of the Douluo Continent, they were extremely powerful.

Tang San and I are the same age. I'm a genius, while Tang San is a genius with even more cheats than me. Can I really surpass Tang San in the future?

Yu Yan was dissatisfied with Tang San for various reasons and wanted to teach him a lesson, but he thought of Tang San's many abilities.

Treating Tang San as an imaginary enemy, Yu Yan stood atop the mountain, feeling considerable pressure as he asked himself whether he could surpass Tang San.

There was no answer to that question for now, nor would empty speculation produce one.

Only action could provide an answer.

I know information Tang San doesn't. My future won't be worse than his, and my Martial Soul is quite formidable too.

Yu Yan might worry, but he would never retreat. After calculating his own advantages in his heart, he entered another round of cultivation with even greater focus.

After finishing his cultivation, Yu Yan rose to his feet and practiced Taiji Fist atop the mountain to stretch his muscles and bones.

Before his transmigration, Yu Yan had attended college in the birthplace of Taiji Fist. Not only was Taiji Fist a required examination subject in local university physical education classes, but students were also organized into Taiji Fist performances every year.

To earn credits, Yu Yan had even participated in a public Taiji Fist performance. He was no stranger to it.

The Taiji Fist Yu Yan had learned had not displayed any extraordinary traits in the fantasy world of the Douluo Continent so far.

Yu Yan often practiced Taiji Fist only to strengthen his body, loosen his muscles and joints, balance his mind and body, and improve his coordination and flexibility. These were Taiji Fist's fundamental functions, and they would not disappear just because the world had changed.

After practicing two sets of Taiji Fist atop the mountain, Yu Yan sprang forward and ran down the mountain.