Body Martial Souls and the Problem with Cultivation Methods

Daylight broke, casting soft rays across the continent and waking its people from sleep.

The people of Douluo Continent had already begun their day's work.

Inside the Martial Soul Awakening chamber of Spirit Hall in Notting City, three figures—two adults and a child—had been standing for some time.

"Dad, why do people have to wait until they're six to awaken their Martial Souls?"

Tang Shan watched his father set up the Martial Soul Awakening array as he asked.

"No one knows. Even looking back through history doesn't give us a clear answer. People have tried awakening Martial Souls before the age of six, but every attempt failed. Some even caused irreversible harm to their bodies."

Su Haichao answered while drawing the hexagram array.

"Anyway, Spirit Hall seems to have been the first to call for awakening Martial Souls at six. There are basically no recorded failures among children awakened at that age or later, so the rule has lasted to this day."

As he finished speaking, he completed the final stroke.

Tang Shan studied the hexagram array, wondering whether it had anything to do with the Soul Tools of the neighboring continent.

"Little brother, come here. I'll awaken your Martial Soul."

Su Yuntao rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation. Su Haichao had already taught him the awakening method in hopes that he would take over Spirit Hall's duties in Notting City. But this was his first time putting it into practice, and his subject was his own little brother. How could he not be nervous and excited?

"Yuntao, relax. Even if you fail, it won't do any harm. If you succeed this time, you'll be the Soul Master who goes to the villages under Nuoding City's jurisdiction to awaken Martial Souls this year."

Su Yuntao let out a long breath and did his best to steady himself. Tang Shan was already standing inside the hexagram array.

Taking six pitch-black stones from his father, Su Yuntao placed one at each point of the hexagram. Then he shouted, "Lone Wolf Possession!"

Sharp claws gleaming coldly sprang from his fingers. His pupils turned a deep green, his muscles swelled, and a fierce aura burst from him and spread in every direction. A bright yellow Soul Ring appeared at his feet, rose slowly, then began bobbing up and down in a steady rhythm.

Tang Shan remained calm before his transformed brother. He had seen Su Yuntao use Martial Soul Possession many times, so the Lone Wolf's ferocious aura had no effect on him.

"Little brother, feel what's happening inside your body. Draw out the power that's being awakened."

As he spoke, Su Yuntao poured streams of Soul Power into the awakening array beneath their feet. Specks of golden light flowed into Tang Shan's body.

Warmth. The first thing Tang Shan felt was a warm current.

It spread from the soles of his feet, swiftly flowing through his entire body.

His eyes closed almost of their own accord as he focused on the strange sensation.

Outside, both Su Yuntao, who was conducting the awakening, and Su Haichao, who stood watching with folded arms, gaped in astonishment.

Dense clusters of golden motes poured from the awakening array and surged into Tang Shan's body.

According to Spirit Hall's records, the grander the awakening, the better the Martial Soul's quality was certain to be, even if it did not necessarily mean higher Innate Soul Power.

With an awakening like Tang Shan's, could his Martial Soul be top-tier?

Once the warmth had spread through his whole body, it seemed to flip a switch deep inside him. Following some strange instinct, Tang Shan stirred his thoughts.

Thin strands of heat were drawn out from every part of his body. Each was tiny, but together they gathered like droplets into a stream, forming a distinct energy that began circulating through him on its own.

The warmth of awakening faded, and the power of his Martial Soul stirred. With a sharp series of cracks from his bones, Tang Shan shot up in height once more.

A vigorous sense of strength flooded him. His mind was clear, his thoughts moving like lightning.

A phantom appeared behind Tang Shan, then plunged into his body.

He clenched his fist. The abundant strength made him feel better than ever, but the knowledge his Martial Soul had instinctively given him drew a wry smile to his face.

At last, he knew why he had already grown to four and a half feet at just six years old. He also knew why his physical abilities had been growing increasingly absurd even before his Martial Soul awakened.

He had awakened a Body Martial Soul encompassing his entire body, brain included. Among the Martial Souls he knew from the original Douluo story, it was unquestionably one of the very best.

But this was Douluo I, not Douluo II. The Body Sect did not exist yet, and neither did the Tang Sect. Where was he supposed to find a way to cultivate a Body Martial Soul?

The good news was that he had awakened a Martial Soul destined to dominate a later era. The Second Awakening, the Third Golden Awakening, and Divine-Level Flesh, Immaculate Golden Body all pointed to a bright future for him.

The bad news was that none of those things had anything to do with Tang Shan here in Douluo I.

His Martial Soul was the answer, but to the wrong era. In Douluo I, the answers were Twin Martial Souls, Soul Bone Armor, God Trials...

There might be other paths to success in Douluo I, but a Body Martial Soul was not one of them.

"Little brother, what's your Martial Soul?"

Tang Shan had produced no weapon or other object, nor had he developed any beastlike features. He had merely grown a little taller. Su Yuntao had a bad feeling about it.

Then he remembered the phantom that had plunged into his little brother's body—a phantom that looked not merely similar to Tang Shan, but exactly like him. His unease deepened.

Su Haichao frowned as well. He had witnessed Tang Shan's entire awakening and had a troubling suspicion of his own.

"My Martial Soul is my entire body. In other words, it's a Body Martial Soul."

Tang Shan's answer was crisp. He had already shaken off his initial disappointment.

So what if it's a Body Martial Soul? The people of Douluo Continent figured out how to cultivate one. Why can't I, with all the ideas I've brought with me?

"Little brother, don't be too disappointed. Even if your Body Martial Soul is a Trash Martial Soul only a little better than Blue Silver Grass, it won't stop you from cultivating. And if all else fails, your big brother will look after you."

Su Yuntao's reassurance only strengthened Tang Shan's resolve to research it himself.

You can doubt my ability to do research, but never doubt the judgment of the "blind-eyed God King." As far as I know, anyone he called a Trash Martial Soul who had Innate Full Soul Power became a God King at the very least. Some even surpassed that.

Tang Shan felt the Soul Power within him, which he could no longer increase by circulating it. Innate Full Soul Power and a Trash Martial Soul? Isn't that me?

"Shanzi, come test your Soul Power."

Tang Shan took the crystal ball Su Haichao handed him. A pull erupted from it, and he felt the Soul Power inside him rush into the ball like water through an opened floodgate.

Dazzling light turned the blue crystal brilliant gold, illuminating the faces of Su Yuntao and Su Haichao as their mouths fell open once again.

"In-Innate Full Soul Power."

Su Yuntao could barely get the words out.

"My son Tang Shan has the makings of a Titled Douluo!"

Delighted, Su Haichao slapped Su Yuntao on the shoulder. Trash Martial Soul or not, Tang Shan's Innate Soul Power was undeniable. His cultivation speed could not be slow. Even if his combat ability fell short later, his Soul Power alone should be more than enough to reach Soul Douluo.

Even the weakest Titled Douluo was still a Titled Douluo. That title was nothing to scoff at.

Ignoring his big brother's yelps after their father's slap, Tang Shan heard Su Haichao's declaration and felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

Dad, please don't say that.

Back home, the three of them sat down together.

Su Haichao turned to Tang Shan.

"Shanzi, what are your plans? What should I put in Spirit Hall's records?"

Tang Shan thought for a moment. "Dad, just report the truth to Spirit Hall. Even with Innate Full Soul Power, the potential of a Body Martial Soul is what it is, so the report shouldn't cause much of a stir. As for my cultivation plans, I need to study my Martial Soul further first."

Su Yuntao sidled up to Tang Shan with a mischievous grin. "Little brother, now that your Martial Soul has awakened, shouldn't you start training too? Want your big brother to help?"

Tang Shan pushed his brother's face away. "Don't worry. When I start training, I'll be sure to invite you."

They discussed a few more cultivation precautions. Only after Su Haichao repeatedly warned him not to rush did Tang Shan return to his room to begin cultivating for the first time.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Tang Shan quickly entered a meditative state.

Although he had been unable to cultivate before his Martial Soul awakened, he had long since memorized the first part of the process. Calming his mind came easily.

Next came sensing his Martial Soul and drawing in the Soul Power between heaven and earth.

Following a faint, instinctive pull, Tang Shan's perspective—or perhaps his state of being—shifted. Never before had he been so keenly aware of his own body.

The contraction of his muscles, the beating of his heart, the movement of his stomach and intestines...

This was his Martial Soul: his body itself.

At the same time, he sensed the Soul Power around him with ease. It really was...

Tang Shan did not know what to say. The Soul Power he had been utterly unable to sense before was now plain to him. With the slightest movement of his mental energy, he could draw it into his body. Before and after Martial Soul Awakening felt like two different worlds.

He absorbed the Soul Power around him, circulated it through his meridians, and refined it into his own Soul Power.

Streams of Soul Power entered his body and traveled along the two meridians prescribed by the basic Meditation Method Su Haichao had given him.

His Soul Power did not grow, but its quality improved.

Time passed. After roughly two hours, Tang Shan stopped cultivating of his own accord.

It was not that he lacked the mental energy to draw in more Soul Power. His meridians had reached their limit, and forcing himself to continue might damage them.

Tang Shan now had some idea how a certain third brother had dominated Douluo Continent with nothing but the Mysterious Heaven Skill. The most basic cultivation method here was simply too crude. As Tang Shan understood it, it circulated Soul Power through the Ren and Du Meridians in a small loop. With such a short route, the speed at which it could refine outside Soul Power was easy to imagine.

Even if Spirit Hall possessed more advanced Meditation Methods, Tang Shan did not hold out much hope for them.

They neglected the Twelve Regular Meridians, which were most closely connected to the body, and started straight in on the Ren and Du Meridians. Tang Shan could only think, I don't understand it, but I'm stunned.

In Tang Shan's view, there was nothing wrong with cultivating the Eight Extraordinary Meridians—but one should at least wait until one had built a foundation, rather than aiming for them from the start.

As Tang Shan understood it, the Twelve Regular Meridians formed the foundation, while the Eight Extraordinary Meridians were more like an amplifier. Without a solid foundation, building a bigger amplifier might have some effect, but it would only mean twice the effort for half the result.