Su Yuntao's Deep Meditation, Tang Shan's Self-Doubt, and Progress in National Arts

Feng Lang was astonished, but Su Yuntao found his opponent every bit as troublesome.

His opponent's Soul Skills were devious. If he opened even a little distance, Wind Blades flew at him. If he closed in, they circled his opponent, forcing him back.

Then there was Wind Trap, which bound opponents and slowed them down. Su Yuntao felt trapped in the gale his opponent had raised, struggling with all his might just to move.

Without the absolute calm granted by his Second Soul Skill, he was certain he would have lost his temper, lashed out recklessly, and exposed an opening.

A green Wind Blade formed again, traced a graceful arc, and shot straight for Su Yuntao's chest.

Feeling how little Soul Power he had left, Su Yuntao stayed patient. Only when the Wind Blade was almost upon him did he stamp down and twist aside.

He bent low with the motion, like a wolf stalking its prey, then suddenly sprang forward.

Soul Power surged through his body as he lunged, a hunter baring deadly fangs.

At Su Yuntao's sudden burst, Feng Lang's lips curved slightly. Running low on Soul Power?

Feng Lang had plenty of combat experience. When a steady, patient opponent suddenly launched an all-out attack, it usually meant one thing: he had almost no Soul Power left. Better to gamble everything than let it run dry.

Feng Lang's First Soul Ring flashed beneath him. As he retreated, green currents gathered rapidly in his palm. In a single breath, Su Yuntao had lunged within reach, just as the Wind Blade in Feng Lang's hand finished forming.

"Take this!"

As though he already knew the outcome, Feng Lang did not pursue his Wind Blade after releasing it. Instead, he drove off with his legs and dodged sideways.

He could not attack without pause. He had to leave himself time to react and evade.

Holding to that strategy, Feng Lang looked up at Su Yuntao, and his pupils tightened.

"He dodged that too?"

The Wind Blade was heading straight for Su Yuntao. He was airborne, seemingly with no way to evade, yet what he did next was astonishing.

Su Yuntao forced his upper body down faster. The blade missed him by a hair. Muscles across his waist and back surged with strength, and his formidable core hauled his legs up in midair. At that moment, he looked less like a Soul Master than a huge whale slapping the water.

The sharp Wind Blade swept over his legs, leaving only a chill behind.

Su Yuntao's mind went blank. Even he had not expected to pull off such an extreme move.

He landed and rolled, bleeding off the force of his lunge.

Seeing Feng Lang swiftly widen the gap, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. The next instant, his legs drove him after his opponent again.

Got him.

A faint smile appeared on Feng Lang's face as Su Yuntao chased him on instinct.

That desperate maneuver must have cost Su Yuntao plenty. After the long fight before it, he could have little Soul Power left. This round was as good as won.

Before the thought had even settled, Feng Lang felt a chill across his chest. Numbness came first, followed by a violent rush of pain.

A tremendous impact blasted him straight off the platform.

What just happened? Feng Lang lay below the platform, bewildered. He clearly remembered that Su Yuntao had still been a fair distance away.

When Su Yuntao saw that he could not catch his opponent, he remained calm. His desperate maneuver, every exchange from the recent battles, and the Claw Shadow Soul Skill Su Haichao had once used suddenly came together in a flash of inspiration.

His honed combat instincts gave him the foundation. He built on the Claw Shadow Soul Skill and powered it with an all-out burst.

Every last trace of Soul Power in his body gathered in his left hand. His entire arm changed rapidly: fur thickened, claws gleamed, and it seemed to become a wolf's foreleg.

The next instant, his arm seemed to vanish. A huge claw shadow flashed past like lightning.

Su Yuntao's strength gave out, and he collapsed back onto the ground. His Soul Power was completely spent.

Slash!

A huge wound suddenly appeared across Feng Lang's chest. Before he could react, Su Yuntao's strike sent him flying off the platform.

The tide had turned so quickly that the match was over before the spectators could make sense of it.

After a brief silence, thunderous cheers swept through the arena!

"Shanzi, what was that move your big brother just used?"

Amid the cheers, Su Haichao had to use Soul Power to amplify his voice as he asked Tang Shan. Shock, doubt, and disbelief filled his tone.

"It looked like a Self-Created Soul Skill."

Tang Shan also raised his voice with Soul Power. He was just as stunned.

Fortunately, the crowd was already in an uproar, and no one noticed their conversation.

The carriage rolled slowly along the main road. Travelers occasionally passed in a blur.

Looking out at the scenery, Tang Shan began to doubt himself.

He figured out a Self-Created Soul Skill from a single fight? How does that make sense?

Developing an unusual Martial Soul Avatar had been one thing. Now Su Yuntao had produced a Self-Created Soul Skill too. His progress was absurdly fast.

Looking at Su Yuntao, who had entered Deep Meditation, Tang Shan felt as if his brain was about to sprout a new lobe.

After defeating his opponent, Su Yuntao had sat down and begun cultivating. Tang Shan had initially thought he was merely recovering Soul Power, but when he remained in that state, Tang Shan realized he had entered Deep Meditation.

With help from the Great Soul Arena, they carefully carried the cultivating Su Yuntao out on a wooden board. To avoid disturbing him, Su Haichao even switched to a carriage with better suspension. Then the four of them, including their original driver, resumed their journey.

Deep Meditation lived up to its name. Su Yuntao was deeply immersed. Despite their care, moving him had caused some slight jolts, yet he still had not awakened.

An orphan found by chance in an alley. A younger brother whose talent had been underestimated. Abandonment, in a sense. A father who was not among the strongest, but was hardly weak. A mother long dead. An unconventional Soul Ring configuration. Breakthroughs in battle and a gift for growing stronger the more he fought. A dream of traveling the continent. All Su Yuntao lacked was a girl he would meet on his travels, and he would have every hallmark of a fantasy protagonist.

The more Tang Shan thought about it, the stranger his big brother seemed. That combination of gifts was so absurd that Tang Shan felt he would need to grow another brain just to keep up.

This is the Douluo Continent. Why is there a standard fantasy protagonist here? At least he's still missing the crucial cheat.

Tang Shan had only just relaxed when he recalled the many novels he had read. More than a few featured transmigrators who became someone else's cheat.

Could I be the cheat, while Big Brother is the real protagonist?

Su Haichao gave Tang Shan a gentle pat, pulling him out of his wandering thoughts.

"Shanzi, Yuntao's been cultivating for so long. Will he be all right?"

Seeing the worry on Su Haichao's face, Tang Shan quickly reassured him. "Dad, he'll be fine. During Deep Meditation, the body uses very little energy, and the Soul Power in the world can partly sustain it. He might just need a few days to recover afterward."

Relieved, Su Haichao could not help smiling again.

"Shanzi, do you think Yuntao could become a Titled Douluo someday?"

"Very possibly." Tang Shan's confident answer delighted Su Haichao.

Tang Shan had not lied. Even setting aside the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Mandarin Duck Pot, Su Yuntao's current talent gave him a chance. Through Martial Soul Fusion, he could improve his compatibility with his Martial Soul. Add the gains from absorbing Soul Rings normally and the cultivation method derived from his Martial Soul and bloodline, and becoming a Titled Douluo, though distant, was not beyond his reach.

Besides, Tang Shan suspected his big brother might be a natural combat genius. He might not be as outrageous as that sword fanatic from the Douluo II era, who entered Deep Meditation whenever he fought an evenly matched opponent, but his insight was clearly exceptional.

If Su Yuntao hit a bottleneck, a fight with someone of comparable strength might be enough to break through. With the Immortal Herbs he would probably obtain in the future, the road to becoming a Titled Douluo had already been paved by Su Yuntao and Tang Shan together.

Why do I feel more like a tool the longer I think about it?

The carriage slowly stopped. The blazing sun stood high overhead; it was noon.

"It's noon, Shanzi. Come out and rest for a while."

Tang Shan nodded. Su Haichao lit a small campfire, took a pot from his Soul Tool, and heated the food they had brought.

Tang Shan found an open patch of ground. His fists and feet cracked through the air.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

His strikes whipped up the wind and carried considerable force. As his muscles and bones sounded together, Bright Force erupted with the motion.

Bright Force was pure physical force, not energy. It could temper the skin, Flesh, and Sinew. Tang Shan had already tempered his skin and Flesh as far as they could go for now, with no potential left to draw out. His major Sinews were nearly done too; another day or two would finish the process.

Tang Shan was pleased with his progress. His Soul Power Level had not advanced, but his overall strength was still rising rapidly. He could feel his body improving every day, and the Soul Power within him grew more active as his body strengthened.

Without using a Soul Skill, Tang Shan took a deep breath and let his hands hang naturally. Then his right hand shot out.

Pfft!

His right palm landed silently against a nearby tree trunk. When he withdrew it, the bark looked untouched, but a closer feel revealed countless tiny holes.

Hidden Force!

Tang Shan smiled. By using his First Soul Skill, he had already learned how to release Hidden Force. He had only held back from practicing it much because he had not wanted to divide his attention.

His Bright Force had reached completion. Once he finished the final tempering of his body, he could use Hidden Force to refine his bones, Organs, and Viscera. Strengthening himself from within would then make his whole body stronger again.

When he reached Transformed Force, he could also use resonance to cleanse his Marrow and remold his bones.

By the time that cleansing was complete, he would surely have reached Level 20. After absorbing his Second Soul Ring, every aspect of his abilities would improve once more.