Farmer Three Forms

Douluo Calendar 2597, summer.

At the southeastern corner of Shan Hai Village, a lotus pond swayed gently in the breeze, its delicate fragrance drifting through the air.

On the bank, Ling Yi lay atop a Large Bluestone, his eyes half-closed as though asleep but not quite.

A little over ten feet away, Zhang Lei held his martial soul, the "Hoe." His feet were spread slightly wider than shoulder-width, and the toes exposed by his straw sandals suddenly gripped the ground as he raised the martial soul high.

At that moment, Zhang Lei's waist, stance, hands, and gaze were perfectly aligned. Power rose from the soles of his feet, flowing from feet to calves, calves to thighs, then surging upward into his waist. With a smooth twist of his hips, he transferred that force into both arms. His arms swung in a circle, and his body followed in a half-arc.

"Hiss—!"

The hoe blade cut deep into the soil. Borrowing the rebound from its impact with the ground, Zhang Lei lifted the handle and flipped over an entire clod of earth. Then, with a turn of his feet, he reversed the hoe blade and gave it a sharp strike, smashing the freshly overturned clod apart.

Ling Yi, who had opened his eyes at some point, silently watched the scene with a thoughtful look.

Over two and a half years, from the five members of the Ling and Zhang families, to more than twenty people in Shan Hai Village, and then over three hundred people from the surrounding villages, I observed their movements while working the fields...

Breathing, stance, twisting at the waist, swinging the arms, muscular exertion...

I've finally consolidated the Hoeing Form of the Farmer Three Forms.

The Scything Form for harvesting wheat and the Axing Form for chopping firewood are still just a little short—

"We can only wait a little longer~" Ling Yi murmured softly. "Once my martial soul awakens, I'll find a way to obtain a method for cultivating soul power, then continue my research."

For Ling Yi, the most important matter at present was the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony in two days.

More than two months ago, Ling Yi had already passed his sixth birthday, and this year's unified Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony for the surrounding region would begin in two days.

"Whew—"

Zhang Lei planted his martial soul, the "Hoe," against the ground and let out a long breath. His face was slightly flushed, sweat beaded his forehead, and he panted softly.

"A Yi~"

A faint gray glow flickered from his right palm as he recalled his martial soul into his body. Zhang Lei walked over to the Large Bluestone and sat down heavily beside it. With delight in his eyes, he lowered his voice and said, "I feel like my soul power has increased again~"

Ling Yi withdrew his gaze from the small patch of reclaimed land and looked Zhang Lei up and down.

Since his martial soul awakening in the winter month of Douluo Calendar 2594, Zhang Lei, who would soon turn nine, had grown much sturdier. He was already as tall as the average twelve- or thirteen-year-old child in the village. Muscles showed faintly on his bare arms and chest beneath his short shirt, making him look like a little leopard.

He spent all year working in the fields with the adults, and in his spare time, he went fishing in the Pond with Ling Yi or headed to the Old Forest north of the village to hunt birds and chase Wild Rabbits. With so much sun, his skin had taken on a healthy wheat-colored tan.

Ling Yi, on the other hand, had gone out in the sun just as often as Zhang Lei, yet his complexion remained fair and smooth.

Hearing Zhang Lei quietly mention his increased soul power, Ling Yi did not look surprised.

If anyone else in the village had heard it, however, it would have been as shocking as a thunderclap out of a clear sky.

Three years ago, during Zhang Lei's Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony, he had been clearly tested and found to possess no Innate Soul Power—no aptitude to become a Soul Master.

Yet now, Zhang Lei was saying that his soul power had increased again!

"Lei Ge~" Ling Yi placed a hand around Zhang Lei's wrist. As he mobilized his Mental Strength to sense him, he said, "I've said many times over the years that our bodies are the foundation of our existence in this world."

"The stronger the body, the more solid the foundation, and the more nourishment it can draw from the outside world."

"Although we do not know a Soul Master's Meditation Method, with proper physical training and sufficient nutrition, the soul power in your body will naturally grow stronger step by step."

"Lei Ge~"

Ling Yi withdrew his hand and looked directly into Zhang Lei's eyes. "After all, based on your aptitude, your Innate Soul Power is only Level 0.1—or perhaps even Level 0.01. Even if you followed the usual path and studied and cultivated alongside the students at a Junior Soul Master Academy, your progress would likely still fall short of others—"

"I understand that~" Zhang Lei answered somewhat sheepishly. Bracing both hands against the Large Bluestone, he leaned his upper body back and turned to look at Ling Yi with a grin. "Last year, when I went to Market in North River Mouth Town with my dad, that student from some Junior Soul Master Academy was already a Level 7 Soul Master. But he wasn't even as strong as me—he struggled just to carry two barrels of wheat ale..."

"Don't compare yourself to others~" Ling Yi shook his head. His expression turned serious as he cautioned him, "Remember, we're only farmers living in the countryside. We have some brute strength, but never let yourself develop the urge to compete with others!"

"Besides, I asked my eldest uncle about that person. He's the young master of the Ison Family in town. He has Level 1 Innate Soul Power, and his martial soul is the 'Kingfisher Bird.' Although it's a Beast Martial Soul, it offers no obvious advantage in terms of physical strength."

"And you~" Ling Yi continued unhurriedly, "are not only a year older than him, but you've also spent the past two years working in the fields with Grandfather and Eldest Uncle. The Hoeing Form has helped temper your body and strength. There's nothing to be proud of just because you're stronger than him."

"Remember, don't compare yourself to others. The person you need to defeat is yourself." Ling Yi repeated himself once more.

"Oh, I got it~" Zhang Lei replied, sounding somewhat deflated.

Seeing Zhang Lei like this, Ling Yi did not want to dampen his spirits too much. He changed the subject and said, "It's the slack season right now, and there's nothing much to do this afternoon. Come take a walk through the Old Forest with me later—"

Zhang Lei immediately raised his head, delight appearing on his face. "Really?!"

"Recently, I feel like as my soul power has increased, my eyes, ears, and nose have all gotten a bit stronger. With my current strength, I can pull the slingshot made from Iron Birch Tree branches all the way back. Whether it's pheasants or Wild Rabbits, I can bring one down with every shot!"

"Even if we run into a wild wolf or something, it's not like we couldn't hunt one down!"

As he spoke, Zhang Lei's face was full of anticipation.

"You..." Ling Yi shook his head helplessly. "If we really run into wild wolves, safety comes first. Those things travel in packs. With just the two of us and two slingshots, we won't be able to handle them..."

"But we've got A'Huang and Meow Meow~" Zhang Lei said dismissively.

At those words, Ling Yi raised a brow but said nothing more.

Five-year-old A'Huang and Meow Meow were nothing like human children of the same age. Given the growth rate of an Earth Dog and a Li Hua Cat, they had long since reached adulthood. And in the fantastical world of Douluo Continent, they were now in their prime.

Moreover, Ling Yi had used his Mental Strength to influence them since they were young, developing their intelligence. With abundant food, powerful digestive abilities, and the natural physical strengthening instincts of beasts, A'Huang could now compete for the position of alpha among a small wolf pack. Meow Meow might not rival a tiger, but she was certainly no weaker than a cheetah!

These two little ones had become Shan Hai Village's two great guardian beasts. In previous years, whenever Wild Boars, leopards, venomous snakes, and the like occasionally wandered out of the Old Forest, as long as they were discovered, A'Huang and Meow Meow would take them down with ease every single time.

And as the two little ones grew to such a level, the two families who had originally sold them off for a River Fish each had come to treasure the remaining cats and dogs in their homes all the more, hoping that one of them might grow to A'Huang and Meow Meow's level.