The Way to Court Death!

"So, these are two complementary cultivation methods."

Early in the morning, after practicing the Vajra Power Exercise several times beneath the rising sun and combining it with his personal experiences over this period, Zhu Wu came to a conclusion.

If he practiced the Vajra Power Exercise facing the morning sun for too long, his body would grow increasingly hot, as though there were a fire burning in his belly. His heartbeat would accelerate, followed by dry mouth, sores on his face, hard stools, yellow urine, and restless insomnia at night. Even though he had studied veterinary medicine in his previous life, he knew these were symptoms of excessive internal heat. The symptoms appeared especially quickly when he practiced under the high sun.

The most peculiar—and coincidental—thing was this.

Conversely, practicing the Longevity Exercise could effectively ease those symptoms, especially when cultivated at night. However, the Longevity Exercise could not be practiced for too long either, or coldness would arise within his body, leaving his hands and feet icy and making him feel cold for no reason. It was like catching a chill, and he would be unable to sleep at night as well.

But when practiced in moderation, the Vajra Power Exercise left him feeling full of strength, while the Longevity Exercise made his mind clear and refreshed.

Honestly, it reminded him of the Dragon God.

According to the sequel, before coming into contact with Chaos Qi, the Dragon God could grow by absorbing Sunlight Radiance and Moonlight Radiance—the essence of the sun and moon. The former gave the Dragon God an overwhelmingly powerful body and gave rise to ultimate strength. The latter granted the Dragon God powerful God Sense and gradually gave rise to the ability to control various elements of heaven and earth. The Golden Dragon King inherited the former, while the Silver Dragon King inherited the latter.

In other words, in this world, absorbing Sunlight Radiance—the light of the sun—could strengthen the body. It felt much like Superman from the movies in his previous life, who could continuously grow stronger by absorbing the light and radiation of a yellow sun, gaining a body of steel. Absorbing Moonlight Radiance—the moon's glow—seemed capable of strengthening God Sense, which was spiritual power.

"So, after coming to the Douluo Continent, not only can my Vajra Power Exercise and Longevity Exercise both be used to cultivate Soul Power, but one can help absorb sunlight to temper the body, while the other can absorb moonlight to temper the spirit?"

At that thought, he could not help considering the possibility.

"So, the Vajra Power Exercise is suited for cultivation at dawn, when the rising sun first appears. It is meant for beginners."

"The sunlight in the morning is weak, so beginners can absorb it then and avoid taking in too much so-called Sunlight Radiance at once, which would cause discomfort such as excessive internal heat."

"Could excessive internal fire even cause someone to burn themselves to death?"

"At night, when practicing the Longevity Exercise, one absorbs the so-called Moonlight Radiance while also taking in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, which is converted into Soul Power by the martial soul. That should be harmless. But because it is nighttime and the weather is cool, absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy inevitably brings in the cold yin energy in the air. That is why I previously felt faint traces of chill moving through my body."

Drawing on the medical knowledge he had learned in his previous life and extrapolating from beasts to humans, Zhu Wu boldly formed a hypothesis.

"The Vajra Power Exercise is yang, hard, external, and manifest. It is the body, the acquired, the foundation. The Longevity Exercise is yin, soft, internal, and hidden. It is the spirit, the innate. Cultivating both together combines inner and outer, balances hardness and softness, and keeps yin and yang in equilibrium."

"Now that I think about it, although I do not know the exact details and do not really understand it, the written description really does match the descriptions of the Vajra Longevity Exercise online."

"If that is really the case, then this is incredible!"

As a living person, the body and mind were certainly inseparable. If these two methods could truly complement each other, making up for each other's shortcomings and allowing him to actively absorb the essence of the sun and moon, then both aspects could advance side by side.

He felt that becoming the Dragon God in the future would no longer be just a dream.

After all, the Dragon God had also grown by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

"Uh, that is assuming I live long enough." Lifespan really was a major problem.

Who knew how long the Dragon God had absorbed the essence of the sun and moon before reaching that level?

"No matter what, I should keep practicing first."

The future was not a dream, but it was still the future. Making the most of the present was what truly mattered.

A moment later, Zhu Wu walked out of the house and into the backyard. He picked up the basket he had prepared yesterday and strode toward the front gate.

The new year had passed, and Little White had nearly finished gnawing through the Black Haired Root. It was time for him to head out and gather herbs.

As for staying home and focusing on cultivation, he had no choice. Practicing one method too long gave him excessive internal heat, while practicing the other too long chilled his body. His small frame could not endure it, and there was nothing he could do. Still, he did not dwell on it. Nothing in this world was absolutely perfect, and one had to know how to be content.

"Swish, swish." Entering the mountain behind the village, he swung his machete and advanced toward unexplored territory.

"Chirp, chirp." Little White transformed into a magpie and flew above his head, scouting the way and warning Zhu Wu of danger.

Time flew by, and two months passed. Deep in the mountains—

"Damn, it's huge. Little White, well done!" Zhu Wu's eyes shone as he looked at the ginseng leaves spread across the ground before him like a canopy.

"Chirp." Little White landed on his shoulder, lifted its head, and wore a proud expression.

"It is only slightly smaller than the last one. Not bad." After digging for a while and revealing the ginseng's full form, Zhu Wu smiled.

Being in a remote location had its advantages. Holy Soul Village stood near the border and was close to the Star Dou Great Forest that separated the two nations. There were many deep forests nearby that few people had ever entered, so medicinal resources were not scarce. This was a fantasy world, after all. With Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy present, spiritual plants often emerged. During an earlier expedition, he had luckily found a century-old wild ginseng with Little White's help.

He did not know exactly how many centuries old it had been. Neither in this life nor his previous one had he learned how to identify such things. But it had indeed been quite large, with extremely developed roots.

It was also because of that ginseng that he gained a new understanding of Little White's ability to evolve by consuming Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

He discovered that Little White was especially fond of medicinal herbs that nourished qi and blood, whether it was helping him sense and locate them or consuming them itself. Moreover, when Little White consumed such herbs, it did not increase his Soul Power, but it could feed back and nourish his qi and blood, strengthening his body and improving his health.

He did not know exactly how the feedback worked. He only knew that during the time Little White ate that century-old wild ginseng, his complexion had visibly improved. His face became rosy and lustrous, and his resistance to cold greatly increased. It had still been winter then, and the weather had been frigid, so he had felt the effects deeply.

Before that, he had not noticed it at all.

Perhaps such herbs could help Little White replenish its origin? That was his guess.

Qi and blood, qi and blood—their effect lay in blood. Or perhaps the "beneficial substances or energy" Little White fed back specifically targeted the host's bloodline, nourishing and improving it? After all, a martial soul and its host were one. Only when the host's bloodline grew stronger and the body's strength and potential improved could the martial soul evolve to a corresponding level. From a certain perspective, the host's physical strength determined the upper limit of the martial soul's evolution. Yu Xiaogang was an example. It was very possible that his body was inadequate, or that the amount or purity of the corresponding bloodline was insufficient, resulting in the malignant degeneration of his martial soul. That was likely why Little White preferred qi-and-blood-type Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

Because consuming such herbs not only accumulated the energy needed for evolution, but could also feed back into the host, nourish the bloodline, and strengthen the body.

Of course, these were only his guesses. Whether they were right remained uncertain.

But based on what he had personally experienced during this time, he felt that they were most likely correct.

"Time will prove all of this." Thinking so, he held the ginseng before Little White's forehead.

"Chirp." Little White skillfully stretched out its neck and pressed its forehead close. Then a flash of seven-colored light appeared, and the ginseng before them vanished.

Only then did Zhu Wu stand up and smile. "Let's go. We have been out for three days. It is time to head back."

Over the past two months, as he explored farther and farther, the length of his trips had also steadily increased.

Fortunately, Little White had some ability to foresee danger. Otherwise, he really would not have dared to venture this far alone.

"Grandpa must be very worried at home." As he spoke, he turned around and headed back the way he had come.

"I wonder which mountain Tang Hao hid the Blue Silver Emperor on. The original story mentioned that it was near Holy Soul Village." Along the way, he could not help thinking, I'll look for it after I become stronger. Looking now would be too much of a waste of time.

Shaking his head, he continued onward.

Compared to blindly exploring ahead, the return journey was always faster. It took him just over a day to reach the forests near Holy Soul Village.

It was evening by then. Red clouds still lingered in the sky, and the lights and cooking smoke at the foot of the mountain were clearly visible.

"Little White, go collect all the herbs at the top for me." Zhu Wu gave a slight nod and spoke softly.

"Tang San, since you stole my things, it is time to give them back." He thought to himself.

Judging by the timing, there were probably only a few days left before Notting Academy began its term. It was time for him to act.

"Chirp, chirp." Little White nodded and flapped its wings away.

Before long, it returned the way it had come and landed on his shoulder.

Zhu Wu shook the basket on his back, then took a detour down the mountain and strode home from the west side of the village.

"Xiao Wu, you're back?" The villagers who saw Zhu Wu greeted him with smiles, their eyes full of curiosity as they looked at the basket behind him.

"How was it? You were gone so long—did you dig up any good herbs?"

"My luck was not very good this time. They are all cheap things." Zhu Wu lifted the cover of his basket and tilted himself slightly to show them. "But I also gathered some bird eggs and mushrooms along the way. Aunt Wang, would you like to take some back for dinner?"

He could not return with an empty basket, so he had deliberately kept some inferior things outside.

"Forget it. Your trip was not easy either." The woman called Aunt Wang shook her head.

"Xiao Wu, you should hurry home. Your grandfather has been worrying about you the whole time you were gone."

"Mm-hm." Zhu Wu nodded repeatedly and continued walking. "Goodbye, Aunt Wang."

Aunt Wang smiled and nodded as she watched Zhu Wu leave.

"Black Haired Root, Astragalus, Kidney Essence Grass." In the distance, the purple glow in Tang San's eyes faded as he heard the conversation and arrived outside his door.

Kidney Essence Grass. Its effects surfaced in his mind, and his face darkened. He clenched his fists before turning back into the house.

"What, missing one egg and you still want to nourish yourself?" On the other side, Zhu Wu happily headed home.

He had deliberately passed through the west side of the village and chatted with the villagers so Tang San would see the herbs in his basket and know that the herbs on the mountaintop had not been taken by him.

At the same time, he had used the Kidney Essence Grass he gathered to provoke Tang San. In his previous life, Kidney Essence Grass was also called Howling Grass. It strengthened the waist and replenished the kidneys, making it very popular among men.

It was the same in this world, and he picked it whenever he came across it. The reason was simple: it sold too well, so there was never any concern about finding buyers.

Also, Tang San truly deserved to be called a man with half his body's bloodline coming from the soul beast Blue Silver Emperor. His self-healing ability was absurdly powerful. On top of being young and naturally recovering quickly, he also possessed the Mysterious Heaven Skill, a cultivation method with healing properties. Such severe injuries had healed enough for him to be lively again in less than two months. Of course, no matter how strong his healing ability was, it could not make another egg grow out of thin air.

Therefore, Tang San could never lose the title of Lone-Testicle Champion!

That night, Zhu Wu and his grandfather Zhu Gang happily ate dinner together. Afterward, he began practicing the Longevity Exercise.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, atop the mountain west of the village—

"Who was it? Who on earth was it!?"

"They actually stole my medicinal herbs. They truly know the way to court death!" Tang San's face was ice-cold as he looked at the vanished herbs around him. Zhu Wu's face immediately surfaced in his mind. Zhu Wu had only returned last night, and his herbs were gone this morning. That made him highly suspicious.

The next moment, his brows relaxed slightly as he dismissed the suspicion.

It was too much of a coincidence—so much so that it almost felt deliberate.

Furthermore, he had seen the basket on Zhu Wu's back last night. It had been full, but none of the herbs Zhu Wu had planted here were inside. Besides, although there were not many herbs planted here, they were not small. Even if someone pulled them out, it would be difficult to take them all away without leaving some trace.

"Yet there are no signs of human activity here at all. It is truly baffling." After carefully inspecting the surroundings, even Tang San found it unbelievable.

The herbs around him seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He did not believe Zhu Wu, a child, possessed such an ability. Even he himself, a disciple of the Tang Sect, did not think he could accomplish it.

"No matter what, Zhu Wu remains a suspect. I'll investigate him tonight."

With that thought, he took a deep breath, jumped onto a huge rock, sat down, and began cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes.

That night, at Zhu Wu's home in North Village—

"Could it really not have been Zhu Wu?" After conducting a thorough investigation, Tang San found no evidence at all.

Furthermore, Zhu Wu had remained home the entire day and had not gone out. That also ruled out the possibility that Zhu Wu had hidden the herbs first and planned to move them later.

"No matter what, someone stole from me, and this cannot be let go. I need to observe more carefully over the next few days, especially the villagers who leave the village. Whoever stole my herbs did so for nothing more than money." Thinking so, he glanced at the Bamboo House and turned to leave.

Several days later, atop the mountain west of the village—

"There are no traces in the surrounding forests, and none of the villagers who went out were found carrying my herbs. Zhu Wu can be cleared of suspicion. He has not left home these past few days. Such a clever method of theft is not something a child could possibly accomplish."

"Could some passing soul master have taken them?" Thinking of the omnipotent soul masters Old Jack often spoke of, Tang San could not help wondering.

He frowned, jumped down from the huge rock, and ran straight down the mountain.

As he neared his home, he happened to see Old Jack leading Zhu Wu toward his house in the distance, each carrying a bundle.

"Are they leaving today?"

With a sigh, he hurried into the house.

He entered the kitchen, added firewood to the stove, served himself a bowl of porridge, and drank it. Then he picked up a piece of charcoal from the ground and wrote several lines beside it. Afterward, he went into the bedroom, picked up his bundle, and walked outside. The moment he stepped out, he saw Old Jack approaching with someone and raised his hand in greeting.

"Little San, let's go. Your lazy father won't be getting up." Old Jack glanced into the house and shook his head.

"Grandpa, keep your voice down. Dad does not like being disturbed while he is sleeping in the morning." Tang San raised a hand in a gesture for silence.

What a filial son! Then why not teach your dad the Tang Sect's ultimate arts? Zhu Wu thought to himself as he stood behind Old Jack.

Then Tang San approached with his bundle on his back. He glanced at Zhu Wu, his expression cold, but said nothing.

Zhu Wu offered a polite smile.

"Let's go." Old Jack turned his head and spoke softly before taking a step forward.

Zhu Wu quickly followed.

The three of them walked out of the village together.