Martial Arts Selection

Among the six categories of techniques.

Inner Strength Cultivation Methods primarily encompassed methods for cultivating Inner Force.

External Strength Cultivation Methods primarily included External Training Techniques that enhanced defense.

Light Body Techniques encompassed all Footwork, evasive techniques involving swift turns and shifts, as well as methods for borrowing force to move lightly.

Force Techniques primarily covered methods for controlling and applying one's own strength: internal force, borrowing force, redirecting force, dissipating force, exerting force, and so on.

Basic Techniques included the most fundamental knowledge, such as breath-holding, Acupoints, healing, and the like.

Enemy Killing Techniques were the most complex of the six categories. They encompassed all manner of martial arts used to kill or fend off enemies, including fists, palms, legs, swords, whips, and more.

If divided further, Enemy Killing Techniques alone could be split into seven or eight categories.

Of the six categories, Shi Quan's first choice was an Inner Strength Cultivation Method. It was also the quickest decision he made.

Though there were many inner cultivation methods, Shi Quan had actually made his choice while organizing them.

Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art.

This Inner Strength Cultivation Method was the strongest technique within the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manual. It absorbed the Essence of Heaven and Earth, with yin and yang generating one another, dividing Inner Force into Yin Yang Power. It could circulate automatically, continually nourishing itself without end. The longer one fought, the stronger one became. It was also the Inner Strength Cultivation Method most compatible with the many martial arts contained in the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manual.

On top of that, he possessed a thread of Yin Yang Power gifted to him when the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manual had been extracted. Cultivating the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art would bring him Twice the Result with Half the Effort. Not only could he get started quickly, but it was also the Inner Strength Cultivation Method most suited to him.

Inner Strength Cultivation Methods were the most important of all techniques. As for the rest, Shi Quan could choose according to his own preferences.

Which of the martial arts recorded in the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manual was not profound and mysterious? Even inferior martial arts would greatly benefit their practitioners if cultivated to a high level.

Shi Quan quickly made his second choice. From the External Strength Cultivation Methods, he selected a relatively basic body-tempering method: Muscle and Marrow Cleansing.

The Muscle and Marrow Cleansing Method used Yin Yang Power to generate and nourish itself in succession, strengthening the body and improving one's health. Cultivated to a profound level, it could grant immunity to all poisons and prevent all illnesses. Though classified as an External Strength Cultivation Method, it was actually a form of Internal Refinement Method.

Shi Quan had chosen this martial art because Muscle and Marrow Cleansing had an especially unique effect: it could help a cultivator awaken and enhance their own potential. It could be said to be an essential technique for laying one's foundation.

Everything was difficult at the beginning. Once he had made the first few choices, the rest became much easier.

Next, Shi Quan selected an External Training Technique from the External Strength Cultivation Methods: the Indestructible Divine Skill.

The Indestructible Divine Skill was one of the top external training methods recorded in the manual. It tempered the entire body until it was like steel, unbreakable and possessing the strength of vajra. The body became impervious all over. Though it appeared fierce and domineering, it also balanced yin and yang. Using it was no different from one's normal state, unlike the Golden Bell Iron Body, which left one rigid and difficult to move.

In Shi Quan's view, if he was going to learn a life-saving technique, he certainly did not want to become one of those suicidal iron blocks from One Piece.

With that, his External Strength Cultivation Methods were settled.

Light Body Techniques were relatively simple as well. He directly chose Nine Shadows Shift, which was actually an upgraded version of the Spiral Nine Shadows from the Nine Yin Manual.

Nine Shadows Shift was also one of the finest Light Body Techniques in the manual. It combined Body Movement, Footwork, and Protective Qi into one. One could leap several zhang from level ground or fly ten thousand li through the air. A natural layer of Protective Qi surrounded the body, combining defense and enemy repulsion. At higher levels, it could even create nine phantom figures, impossible to distinguish from the real one.

One Nine Shadows Shift was enough for Light Body Techniques. Shi Quan's gaze soon shifted to the Force Techniques, and he quickly made his choice: Star Shift.

Star Shift employed the principles of Tai Chi yin and yang. By channeling and redirecting force, it could deflect an enemy's moves and strength. It emphasized dissipating force and using clever force. Powered by the formidable Nine Yin and Nine Yang inner force, it formed opposing qi walls. No matter how powerful an incoming attack was, it would only be skillfully redirected and dispersed by centrifugal force, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

Although he already had the external training technique Indestructible Divine Skill and the Light Body Technique Nine Shadows Shift, Shi Quan still chose the defense-oriented Star Shift as his Force Technique.

The Inner Strength Cultivation Method Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art, the Internal Refinement Method Muscle and Marrow Cleansing, the external training External Strength Cultivation Method Indestructible Divine Skill, the Light Body Technique Nine Shadows Shift, and the Force Technique Star Shift.

In Shi Quan's view, the purpose of External Strength Cultivation Methods, Light Body Techniques, and Force Techniques was to preserve one's life and deal with enemies. If he wanted to kill or defeat enemies, he could choose and learn from the Enemy Killing Techniques later.

Moreover, these five techniques allowed him to withstand attacks, fight, and flee. Together, they were already an exceptionally complete combination.

The martial arts in the manual were all extraordinarily profound. These five alone were enough for him to study, and he still needed to learn basic knowledge from the Basic Techniques, such as Acupoints. Later, he would also have Spirit Abilities to support him. For now, focusing on these five martial arts was more than enough.

"Tang San's techniques seem to be the Inner Strength Cultivation Method Mysterious Heaven Skill, the hand-training method Mysterious Jade Hand, the grappling method Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, the lightness method Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and... the eye-training method Purple Demon Eyes."

Just as Shi Quan was about to finish making his choices, his brows suddenly furrowed. Remembering Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes, he realized he seemed to have overlooked something: martial arts related to the mind. This was not a martial arts world. There were quite a few spiritual-type Spirit Masters on Douluo Continent, and the Indestructible Divine Skill would be of no use against them.

"Looks like I need to keep looking."

With that thought, Shi Quan searched through his mind again. Since he was looking for martial arts related to the mind, he had not held out much hope. After all, he could not remember any martial arts involving the spirit or soul.

Yet he did not know until he searched. Shi Quan had not expected the manual to actually contain martial arts related to the mind—and more than one or two at that.

For example, the Soul Shifting Great Art, Mind Control Art, and so on.

After looking through them, Shi Quan did not choose an offensive martial art like the Soul Shifting Great Art. Instead, he selected a highly unusual technique called the Gather Spirit Soul Control Art.

Gather Spirit, control soul. Nine Yin nourished the spirit, Nine Yang condensed the soul. It gathered momentum and concentrated the mind. When cultivated to a profound level, one's Inner Force and spirit could merge, transforming into an almost tangible pressure that suppressed and intimidated others. It could be used against opponents with powerful martial arts but weak resolve, specifically crushing the enemy's morale while establishing an invincible aura for oneself, achieving the effect of subduing enemies without fighting.

He possessed the Spirit Soul, which specialized in attacking souls. The Spirit Soul's Spirit Rings would provide offensive Spirit Abilities later on. Compared to hypnotic and offensive martial arts like the Soul Shifting Great Art and Mind Control Art, the Gather Spirit Soul Control Art's ability to gather momentum and concentrate the mind was better suited to the Spirit Soul and more practical.

To the original five martial arts, he added another mental martial art: the Gather Spirit Soul Control Art.

Shi Quan opened his eyes again and realized that everyone else in the Dormitory had already sunk into their own dreams.

Outside the Dormitory, the bright moon hung overhead. It was already deep into the night.

Rubbing his aching head, Shi Quan realized that selecting these six martial arts from among so many had consumed a great deal of his mental energy.

After resting briefly, Shi Quan did not waste any more time. He sat cross-legged again in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture, circulated the Soul Power within his body, and began cultivating according to the first level of the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art.

He had not noticed before, but as soon as he began circulating his Soul Power, Shi Quan realized that it seemed to have decreased and become somewhat different. There appeared to be two different kinds of power in his body. One was the power of yin and yang generating one another, while the other was his original Soul Power.

"Where did my Soul Power go?"

Shi Quan's brow knitted tightly as he suddenly thought of a possibility. Inner Force and Soul Power seemed unable to coexist. Tang San seemed to have said that if a Spirit Master wanted to cultivate his Mysterious Heaven Skill, they had to start all over from the beginning.

"Doesn't that mean the Soul Power I painstakingly cultivated for three months has to be discarded?"

At the thought, Shi Quan could not help revealing a helpless, bitter smile. If he had still possessed only one level of Innate Soul Power, then starting over would not have mattered much.

He had finally consumed Spirit Awakening Fluid to raise his talent to level four, then elevated it to level five through three months of hard cultivation. Yet now he was being told that he had to overturn everything and start from scratch. He truly felt like cursing.

But now that things had come to this, for the sake of cultivating the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art, even if he had to give up several more levels, it would still be worth it.

Focus the mind on the Dantian. Guide the qi of the Dantian upward along the Du Meridian, then down the Ren Meridian and back to the Dantian. Continue thus for twelve Small Heavenly Cycles.

Shi Quan's understanding of Meridians and Acupoints was only theoretical. When it came to actual practice, it was naturally nowhere near as simple and clear as theory. Fortunately, Shi Quan had the assistance of the Spirit Soul, allowing him to easily divide his attention. While following the cultivation method described in the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art, he also drew on the knowledge of Meridians and Acupoints in his mind to circulate Soul Power through his body.

Ordinary people cultivating the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art first needed to use a special location or treasure to cultivate a thread of yin-yang Inner Force containing Yin Yang Power before they could practice it normally.

But Shi Quan was different. He had a thread of Yin Yang Power in his body, and when he received the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manual's inheritance, that thread of Yin Yang Power had automatically circulated through his body, converting part of his Soul Power into Inner Force. Therefore, Shi Quan had already taken his first step before he even began cultivating the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art.

Cultivating it now naturally came as easily as water flowing into a channel. However, because he was still unfamiliar with his Meridians and Acupoints, although he knew the theories behind this basic knowledge, he still needed time to digest and master them.

After completing one Small Heavenly Cycle, Shi Quan had spent a full Quarter of an Hour on it. Yet he had to complete twelve such Small Heavenly Cycles, and afterward, his Inner Force still had to undergo twenty-four more complex Great Heavenly Cycles. Only then would it count as one full circulation.

Since it was his first time cultivating, and he still needed to digest the basic theoretical knowledge in his mind, by the time he completed one full circulation, the night sky where the bright moon had hung overhead had already been replaced by the rising sun in the east.

Watching specks of golden light spill across the world outside the window, Shi Quan exhaled a breath of Foul Air, his emotions surging. A whole night of cultivation had not left him tired in the slightest. Instead, he felt indescribably refreshed and invigorated.

Most importantly, after one circulation of the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art, Shi Quan keenly noticed that the Soul Power in his body had not dissipated. It had merely been converted into Inner Force during the technique's circulation. This was excellent news for him. At least the Soul Power he had painstakingly cultivated would not be directly wasted.

It was already dawn, and Shi Quan did not continue cultivating. It was not that he did not want to, but his stomach would not allow it.

He had missed dinner last night because he was receiving the manual's inheritance, and after cultivating throughout the night, he was truly starving.

It was still early, and most of the people in the Dormitory were asleep. After getting out of bed, changing into Notting Academy's uniform, and tidying himself up, Shi Quan hurried out of the Dormitory and headed straight for the Cafeteria.

By coincidence, just as Shi Quan came downstairs, he ran into Grandmaster and Tang San.

Shi Quan did not hold any baseless hostility toward this so-called protagonist. He had always adhered to the principle that if others did not provoke him, he could not be bothered to deal with them. Since they had met, he casually greeted them, "Morning, Tang San, Grandmaster. Are you going to the Cafeteria too? Want to go together?"

"No need. We have other matters to attend to." Grandmaster had not expected to encounter another student from the academy so early in the morning, and it happened to be Shi Quan, who possessed the same Spirit Soul as Tang San.

Shi Quan knew that Grandmaster was preparing to take Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Spirit Beasts and obtain a Spirit Ring, so Grandmaster's answer did not surprise him. He nodded, then quickly headed toward the Cafeteria without looking back.

Watching Shi Quan's retreating figure, Tang San said, "Shi Quan is quite diligent, getting up so early."

"With his talent, if he can maintain this diligence and has a little luck, he may be able to reach the rank of Soul Elder." Grandmaster nodded and gave his calm assessment.

Tang San suddenly asked, "Teacher, you said his Blue Silver Grass should be a mutated Spirit Soul. What direction do you think his mutation took?"

At that, an expression of understanding appeared on Grandmaster's face. He said confidently, "I investigated it. Shi Quan's Spirit Soul was inherited from his mother's Blue Silver Grass, while his father's Spirit Soul was a special mutated Spirit Mud."

Tang San said, "Teacher, do you mean Shi Quan's Mutated Blue Silver Grass Spirit Soul came from his father?"

Grandmaster nodded approvingly at Tang San and explained, "Blue Silver Grass is inherently weak, making it difficult for it to produce mutation effects with other Spirit Souls. Even if it did mutate, it could not possibly occupy the dominant position and would only be devoured. Thus, an ordinary Spirit Soul like Blue Silver Grass almost never has the possibility of mutation.

Shi Quan's situation is an extremely special case. Even I am encountering it for the first time. Shi Quan's father possesses mutated Spirit Mud. Put another way, mud is the earth beneath our feet. Plants grow upon the earth, and the earth nourishes plants, providing the foundation for their growth.

I speculate that Shi Quan's Blue Silver Grass is such a case. The mutated Spirit Mud nourished his Blue Silver Grass, resulting in his unique Mutated Blue Silver Grass Spirit Soul. The direction of his Blue Silver Grass's mutation is most likely toward vitality or toughness. However, judging from his Innate Soul Power and Spirit Soul Certificate, there is no visible abnormality. With only one level of Soul Power, his degree of mutation is not high. It may only be somewhat stronger than ordinary Blue Silver Grass."

After hearing Grandmaster's explanation, Tang San's eyes sparkled continuously. He admired Grandmaster even more and felt increasingly fortunate that he had taken such a renowned teacher as his master.