Ten Months Honing the Sword, Farewell to Zhao Village

Li Changqing sat on the wooden bed, rubbing his chin as he calmly planned his next steps.

There's no rush to get my first soul ring, he mused.

I have the Kunpeng Method, an Immortal King-level cultivation method far beyond any so-called martial soul meditation method on the Douluo Continent. A delay of six months or a year would hardly matter.

Moreover, although Yu Xiaogang's theories had many flaws, he was right about soul power accumulation. After reaching a bottleneck, soul power would continue to accumulate, and once a Soul Master broke through that bottleneck, all the accumulated soul power would manifest at once.

He had three main tasks for now:

First, he needed to learn the Douluo Continent's language as quickly as possible while staying in the village. Otherwise, he would be unable to communicate with anyone, and he could not bear to keep everything bottled up and never speak to others.

Second, he needed to hone his sword martial soul. Though it was trash, this was the martial soul he would show others in the future. He did not need to develop any exquisite swordsmanship; he only needed to master moves such as cleaving, slashing, thrusting, and blocking until he could wield it as naturally as his own arm. He was also confident he could strengthen the sword to some degree without relying on the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. After all, his sword really was far too worthless.

Third, he needed to familiarize himself with the power of his Kunpeng martial soul, including its speed and its yin and yang powers. This was his trump card, as well as the foundation of his future.

As for whether he would get involved in the Douluo Continent's plot, Li Changqing's stance was simple: It has nothing to do with me. As long as the people from the original story don't provoke me, I'll let things take their natural course.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Li Changqing lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. After experiencing so much all at once, he was mentally exhausted and needed a good rest.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, dawn had barely broken, and the eastern sky had turned the pale white of a fish's belly.

Li Changqing woke up, opened the door, and stepped outside.

He briefly stretched his limbs, then headed toward the forest beside Zhao Family Village. Few people went there, making it just the place to practice his swordsmanship and familiarize himself with Kunpeng's power.

The days passed one by one.

Li Changqing's life gradually settled into a steady routine. In the mornings, he practiced swordsmanship and familiarized himself with Kunpeng's power. In the afternoons, he sought out villagers to learn the Douluo Continent's language. At night, he cultivated.

He often caught wild rabbits, pheasants, and the like in the forest to improve his meals. With Kunpeng Speed, catching such game could hardly have been easier.

Of course, he also shared some with Zhao Dashan and his wife, as payment for staying in their home.

Word that a Soul Master had arrived gradually spread to the other villagers. When they learned that Li Changqing had split the stone tablet at the village entrance in two, they were curious, but no one dared provoke him.

Spring gave way to autumn, and cold and heat came and went.

Li Changqing had now spent ten months in Zhao Family Village.

After ten months of diligent study—he had not worked this hard even when studying for the College English Tests in his previous life—his efforts had paid off. He could now communicate normally with others.

His speech and manner were now no different from those of someone born and raised on the Douluo Continent.

Zhao Dashan and his wife also benefited from the game Li Changqing frequently brought back. Over those ten months, their household had almost never run out of meat. Being able to eat meat with every meal was happiness to them. Their wishes were that simple.

Their child, once sallow and scrawny, had now grown sturdier than the other children of the same age in the village. Because of this, they treated Li Changqing very well.

Li Changqing had long since thrown away his tattered clothes. What he wore now had been provided by Zhao Dashan and his wife.

Li Changqing had also made great progress in mastering his own power.

He could now wield his sword martial soul as naturally as his own arm, the sword moving at his will.

He had also gained an initial grasp of his Kunpeng martial soul's speed, lunar power, and solar power.

He could flit through the dense forest like a phantom, moving so fast that he was almost impossible to track and covering a hundred meters in an instant.

In addition, Li Changqing had discovered something unusual about his twin martial souls.

He had wondered about it before, when he infused his sword martial soul with his Kunpeng martial soul's sun true fire, but at the time, he had assumed it was because he was using only a trace of power.

Only later did he discover what made his case special: he could use the power of both martial souls simultaneously. Not just a trace, either—he could wield their full power perfectly, without the slightest sense that anything was amiss.

In the original Douluo Continent story, neither Bibi Dong nor Tang San could use both of their twin martial souls at once. To use the other, they had to switch martial souls.

Li Changqing ultimately attributed this to the strength of his Kunpeng martial soul.

There was another point, however, that left Li Changqing scratching his head.

By all rights, a martial soul as powerful as Kunpeng should have had a domain. Yet no matter how he tried, he could find no trace of one.

In the end, Li Changqing gave up trying. Perhaps I'll discover something after obtaining a soul ring.

By now, this body of Li Changqing's was seven years old.

His bright black eyes were deep and calm, occasionally flashing with a sharp light. They held a steadiness and cool severity that did not suit his age.

Standing there, he could not quite be called handsome, but he possessed an extraordinary bearing.

He intended to leave, for two reasons.

First, while talking to the villagers a few days earlier, he had happened to hear that a Spirit Hall deacon would arrive in a few days to awaken the martial souls of Zhao Family Village's six-year-old children.

With so many villagers aware of Li Changqing's presence, someone was bound to mention him to the people from Spirit Hall.

Li Changqing had no intention of joining any faction. He possessed Kunpeng true blood, so although he did not fear threats from those factions, he did not want to be pestered either. It was better to leave sooner.

Second, after ten months of honing himself, his foundations were already exceptionally solid.

With the help of the Kunpeng Method, the soul power in his body had also been accumulating rapidly. Although his soul power was still at level ten, Li Changqing had a feeling that once he obtained a soul ring and broke through, he might reach level twenty outright.

Besides, he needed to find the first soul ring for his sword martial soul.

At dusk that day, after finishing his cultivation in the forest, Li Changqing walked back toward Zhao Family Village, dragging a wild boar he had hunted.

After all, he had lived in their home for ten months. He ought to say goodbye.

When he returned to Zhao Dashan's home, Wang Cuimei was cooking in the kitchen. Wisps of smoke curled upward, and the aroma of food filled the courtyard. Zhao Dashan was chopping firewood in the yard, while their child sat nearby on a little stool.

What a warm, homely scene.

Li Changqing stood at the entrance, the wild boar lying on the ground. He watched quietly for a while, then said, "Zhao Dashan, I'm leaving."

With a clang, the axe fell from Zhao Dashan's hand to the ground.

He jerked his head up, shock and reluctance to part written across his face. "M-my lord, you're leaving?"

Li Changqing nodded. Without dwelling on the couple's reaction, he pointed at the wild boar on the ground and continued, "Consider this wild boar a farewell gift. Thank you for taking me in all this time."

Wang Cuimei hurried to pack a few things and handed him a cloth bundle. "My lord, there are some provisions in here."

Li Changqing took the bundle. It felt heavy in his hand. Looking at the simple, kindhearted couple before him, he felt something stir faintly in his heart. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he only nodded.

"Take care!"

Leaving them with those words, he lingered no longer. He turned and walked out of the courtyard.