Joining a major power: the advantages and necessity of serving the "First Prince"

The faint light of dawn spread a gentle glow over everything, waking everyone from their slumber.

After emerging from his tent and quickly washing up, Tang Shan found an open patch of ground with practiced ease. He drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. His mind gradually cleared, and his heart naturally settled into calm.

His martial soul activated silently. His body rapidly expanded, and soul power circulated through him on its own, rousing his still-sluggish limbs. Amid a series of sharp cracks from his bones, Tang Shan's frame grew more powerful and athletic, brimming with vitality in the morning sunlight.

Qi and blood surged vigorously through him, nourishing every limb and bone and gradually loosening his entire body.

Tang Shan quietly took in every detail of his body, then activated the soul ring beneath his feet.

It was a wondrous sensation, as though his understanding and control of his body had reached an entirely new level. He could command every tissue and part of himself at will. Hidden force was soft and subtle, capable of tempering bones and refining internal organs. With its effects echoing in his mind, Tang Shan slowly pushed out a palm. His movements were heavy and measured, as though he were turning an enormous millstone. Streams of yielding force flowed through his body, penetrating deep into his bones and drawing out impurities, which his metabolism then expelled.

Tempering bones did not simply mean increasing their hardness and strength. It meant balancing strength with suppleness: they had to be as tough as steel, yet as pliant as tender shoots.

Invisible force surged through his body, seeping into the depths of his bones bit by bit and carefully refining them. It brought a slight tingling numbness, along with a faint sting. That was what Tang Shan felt