As a transmigrator who had read the original story, Yu Tianheng could be said to have been born with knowledge of what was to come. He had a clear idea of how the future would unfold.
But he was still young and weak, and his words carried little weight. Unable to make any major changes to the current situation, he could only lay his plans with great care.
But no matter what, his own strength always came first.
In the years that followed, Yu Tianheng remained with his clan and cultivated diligently.
A year later, Yu Tianheng took another step forward on the path of Martial Dao, entering its third stage, the Sinew Refining Realm.
The path of Martial Dao had nine realms in total: the Skin Refining Realm, Flesh Refining Realm, Sinew Refining Realm, Bone Refining Realm, Organ Refining Realm, Marrow Cleansing Realm, Heavenly Human Realm, Martial Saint Realm, and Human Immortal Realm.
Each realm was divided into nine levels.
They corresponded to Soul Master levels 11 through 99.
Martial Dao was different from a Soul Master's cultivation of a Martial Soul, which depended on various external aids, such as Soul Rings and Soul Bones, and required certain conditions, such as the level of one's awakened Martial Soul and whether one possessed innate Soul Power. Those who failed to meet the standards could not become Soul Masters and would spend their lives accomplishing nothing.
Martial Dao practitioners paid no heed to such things. Anyone, even a fool or a cripple, could achieve something as long as they cultivated Martial Dao diligently.
Of course, they also needed a suitable cultivation method. Otherwise, practicing blindly and at random would do little good.
Once a martial artist obtained a cultivation method, they could begin cultivating. The first realm was the Skin Refining Realm, in which martial artists used their cultivation method to draw upon the primordial Qi of heaven and earth and temper their skin.
A Skin Refining Realm martial artist's skin and flesh became much tougher. Ordinary punches and kicks felt no more than mosquito bites, leaving faint marks that vanished in an instant. They could even face sharp blades barehanded: a blade drawn across their skin would leave only a white mark and could hardly cause any real damage, as though their skin had become a layer of natural armor.
At major mastery, their skin became firm and lustrous, like a piece of ancient jade polished with great care, its subtle sheen hinting at its toughness.
For those with weak constitutions, a formerly pale or sallow complexion would gradually fade upon reaching major mastery in this realm, replaced by a healthy flush like the warm light of the rising sun. It was an outward sign of abundant Qi and blood.
A martial artist in this realm could easily beat four or five ordinary people into the ground. Even a one-ring Soul Master would suffer the same fate against a Skin Refining Realm martial artist, as long as the Soul Master did not use their First Soul Skill.
The second realm of Martial Dao was the Flesh Refining Realm. Building upon the Skin Refining Realm, practitioners used the primordial Qi of heaven and earth to temper their flesh and blood, further strengthening both their defense and attack.
Their endurance far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even after a long-distance run, they would be only slightly out of breath. Their bodies gradually adapted to intensive tempering, like a rough piece of uncut jade beginning to reveal its potential to be carved.
A Flesh Refining Realm martial artist's muscles were incomparably hard all over, and sharp blades could leave only shallow white marks when they struck. Their presence was powerful and imposing, and they could easily crush a block of wood.
Even barehanded, they could easily deal with more than ten elite soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire, and could blast apart most Soul Masters' First Soul Skills with a single punch.
The third realm of Martial Dao, the Sinew Refining Realm, tempered the great sinews of the human body. The sinews throughout the body contracted and extended with great force, granting fierce explosive power and an agile body as swift as a galloping horse. Practitioners could run hundreds of miles without reddening or losing their breath, and shatter a tree with one punch.
They could easily deal with dozens of the empire's elite soldiers.
Once they got close, even a three-ring Soul Master would suffer grievous injuries. Combined with various Martial Skills, they could overwhelm an ordinary three-ring Soul Master.
Yu Tianheng was now in this realm.
Even without using his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, he could now fight a three-ring Soul Master on the strength of his Martial Dao cultivation.
Unfortunately, he had yet to learn any relevant Martial Skills and could not fight very effectively, relying only on simple punches and kicks.
For that reason, cultivating Martial Skills was essential.
Martial Skills were skills that only martial artists could cultivate and use. Through the Heavenly Mandate System's explanation, Yu Tianheng learned that, like cultivation methods, Martial Skills were divided into grades: low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade.
Although Martial Skills were similar to Soul Skills in that both were combat skills, they were fundamentally very different.
Soul Skills were bestowed by Soul Rings and generally did not require a Soul Master to cultivate them. All one had to do was hunt a Soul Beast and absorb its Soul Ring to learn the skill immediately.
Martial Skills were different. They were somewhat like Soul Masters' Self-Created Soul Skills, requiring cultivators to study and research them continuously over many years.
For example, the Tang Sect Secret Arts that Tang San brought with him when he transmigrated, such as the Purple Demon Eye and Mysterious Jade Hand,
were Martial Skills.
Cultivating Martial Skills took time.
Seen in that light, Soul Skills had the edge.
But Soul Skills had a fatal drawback: their number. Even if a Soul Master cultivated to the Titled Douluo realm, most could use only nine Soul Skills. Martial Skills were different. As long as one had talent and perseverance, one could learn as many as one wanted; even cultivating hundreds of Martial Skills was not impossible.
Moreover, as long as one's cultivation was high enough, even a low-grade Martial Skill could rival a Soul Master's sixth or seventh Soul Skill in power.
At that thought, Yu Tianheng immediately opened the Heavenly Mandate System's shop to choose a suitable Martial Skill.
In the end, Yu Tianheng chose a middle-grade Martial Skill, the Dragon Claw Hand.
He spent 200 Heavenly Mandate Points on it outright.
Although Yu Tianheng primarily cultivated Martial Dao, that did not mean he would not use his Martial Soul when fighting others.
He chose the Dragon Claw Hand mainly to use it in conjunction with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul's First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, and the Dragon Transformation skill. That way, its power would be doubled.
He had exchanged his points for the Martial Skill, but he still had to cultivate it himself.
To that end, Yu Tianheng secluded himself on the mountain behind his clan's estate and began practicing the Dragon Claw Hand assiduously.
Of course, he did not neglect the cultivation of his Martial Soul, either.
After all, it determined whether his position in the clan would remain secure. If someone surpassed him, his position as the clan's heir might be in jeopardy.
A year later, Yu Tianheng cultivated the Dragon Claw Hand to perfect mastery.
Yu Tianheng circulated his true Qi and unleashed the middle-grade Martial Skill Dragon Claw Hand with a thunderous shout. Astral Qi condensed around his five fingers, while a faint layer of golden Qi flared around him, vaguely outlining the shadow of a colossal dragon.
He swung his claw, instantly tearing through the surrounding air with a piercing shriek. The wind from his claw sliced through space like a sharp blade.
Wherever its force reached, hard rock was sliced open as easily as tofu, leaving deep gouges. Sturdy trees were severed just as easily, as though they were made of paper.
One could imagine that if it struck a human body, the opponent's muscles would be torn apart in an instant, and their bones shattered outright by the tremendous tearing force. The residual force would sear the wound, reducing even the blood to nothingness. Its power was terrifying.
In sheer power, the Dragon Claw Hand was no weaker than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul's First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, yet it consumed far less, allowing him to use it dozens or even hundreds of times with ease.
If the two were combined, their power could even rival the Soul Skill of a Three-Ring Soul Master in the Power Attack System.