Chapter 3: Preparations Before School
When Lin Yang returned home, he happened to run into Grandma Su Xi coming out of her room.
Seeing the scar on Lin Yang's face had disappeared, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Xiao Yang, your face..."
Lin Yang touched his own cheek and smiled.
"Grandma, I don't know why, but the mark on my face disappeared. It might be related to my Martial Soul awakening."
Su Xi had no Soul Power and knew very little about Soul Masters, so she believed her grandson's explanation without question.
"Oh my, now that the scar is gone, my grandson is even more handsome," Su Xi said, stroking Lin Yang's cheek with a smile on her face.
"When the time comes, bring back a beautiful granddaughter-in-law for Grandma."
Lin Yang felt embarrassed; it truly lived up to its reputation as the "love continent," the Douluo Continent.
He was only six years old, yet Grandma was already starting to think about a granddaughter-in-law. Was there really a need to be in such a hurry?
Lin Yang didn't engage with the topic, instead quietly shifting Grandma Su Xi's attention elsewhere.
After the grandmother and grandson finished a simple dinner, Lin Yang rolled up his sleeves, washed and put away the dishes, said goodbye to his grandmother, and returned to his room.
Summoning "Scarlet Edge," Lin Yang lightly caressed the blade, and that familiar feeling welled up within him.
He then placed Scarlet Edge across his lap, closed his eyes, settled his mind, and began to meditate.
Meditation was an essential daily practice for him after practicing swordsmanship in the Demon Slayer World.
Although it didn't significantly increase his strength, over time, it allowed him to enter a state of absolute tranquility during meditation.
In this state, his perception would be magnified and his mind emptied; whether resting or thinking, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort.
A large part of the credit for him being the first among the many Hashira to comprehend the Transparent World went to meditation.
Although he hadn't meditated for six years, Lin Yang only needed a brief moment of re-familiarization to easily enter a level of deep meditation.
During the meditation process, Lin Yang "noticed" dense clusters of light spots surrounding him, flickering intermittently.
This should be the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi drifting between heaven and earth.
Normal Soul Masters could guide this Heaven and Earth Origin Qi through a meditation method, which, after being refined by their own Martial Soul, became so-called Soul Power.
Lin Yang tried to actively attract the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi and then refine it.
It took about twenty-odd wisps of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi to refine a single wisp of Soul Power.
He didn't know if this efficiency was considered high or low.
Of course, to increase cultivation speed, besides the core indicator of innate spirit power, the meditation method was also crucial.
The meditation methods circulating on the Douluo Continent were all the most common and basic ones.
The major Sects, through hundreds or even thousands of years of accumulation, had long since researched special meditation methods with higher efficiency, which were naturally stronger than the common goods.
Not to mention various self-created Martial Soul Abilities, Soul Ring techniques, and so on.
This was the foundation accumulated by a major Sect over centuries.
Ordinary Soul Masters didn't have such good conditions; even to learn these common meditation methods, they had to go to academies to study.
Lin Yang naturally didn't know any meditation methods, but having lived three lives and accumulated experience across them, his mental force was naturally much stronger than that of an average person.
Even without knowing a meditation method, he could rely on instinct to walk the correct path... From the second day after awakening his Martial Soul, Lin Yang began his daily cultivation.
Running, lifting stones, swinging his blade... although the methods were simple, the effects were extremely effective.
Especially for his current weakling physique, as long as he persisted, every day was a transformative rebirth.
And each time, Lin Yang wouldn't stop until he was covered in bruises and exhaustion.
Even so, he had to persevere with meditation cultivation every night without interruption.
Fortunately, with the Demon Blood Martial Soul, he only needed to switch it for a moment, and his bodily damage would be restored to its original state.
Grandma Su Xi saw all of this, and her heart ached; she repeatedly urged Lin Yang not to push himself so hard.
Lin Yang used all his persuasive skills and repeatedly guaranteed he wouldn't harm his body, which finally made Grandma Su Xi turn a blind eye.
Under this day-after-day training, Lin Yang's physique grew stronger at a visible rate.
Furthermore, through training, he restored Sun Breathing to the "Total Concentration: Constant State," while also reactivating the Transparent World and the Demon Slayer Mark.
In contrast, the Nichirin Blade had yet to be activated because he was too young and his grip strength was insufficient.
However, for Lin Yang at present, self-preservation was already sufficient.
During this period, Lin Yang had the whimsical idea to combine the Breathing Technique and the meditation method to create a Meditation Breathing Technique.
But unfortunately, the two were essentially different.
meditation methods mainly relied on the mind and the Martial Soul to guide Heaven and Earth Origin Qi to be refined into Soul Power.
Breathing Techniques, on the other hand, used a special breathing rhythm to maximize oxygen intake, stimulating muscles and bones to tap into physical potential and raise the upper limit of basic physical fitness.
Yet, because of this, Lin Yang accidentally discovered the possibility of merging the Breathing Technique and the Soul Power system... In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
Three months was neither long nor short, but it was enough to completely change a person's appearance.
The childishness that originally remained on Lin Yang's face had completely vanished under constant self-discipline, replaced only by a calmness and steadiness like a pool of lake water.
He was like a sharp, restrained precious blade, waiting for the day to shock the world.
His hair, which was now long enough to reach his shoulders, was tied into a wolf tail, looking clean and concise, with an added touch of unrestrained freedom.
Within these three months, Lin Yang's Soul Power level had also progressed, reaching level seven from the initial level five.
It wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow either.
This was also because he spent most of his time exercising his body; otherwise, his Soul Power level might have been even higher.
Through exploring himself, he discovered another use for the Transparent World: it could not only hide his presence but also hide his Soul Power.
Even if a crystal ball for measuring Soul Power was used, he was confident he could display whatever level of Soul Power he wanted.
This was an excellent ability for concealing himself.
Of course, having come to the Douluo Continent, how could he not go and observe the future "God-King Tang."
He was much like the description in the original text: thin in body and short in stature.
But his demeanor and actions were like those of a little adult, and his relationship with the other children in the village was also extremely distant.
Lin Yang didn't rashly contact Tang San; he only took a glance from a distance, and after confirming the other party was a year younger than himself, he left without looking back.
Although Tang San possessed a collection of ultimate skills, Lin Yang was only interested in the Mysterious Heaven Skill and knowledge related to Immortal Herbs; he didn't have much interest in the rest.
Even for the Mysterious Heaven Skill, his interest was limited. Perhaps the Breathing Techniques couldn't compare now, but they might not be inferior in the future.
As for other things like Hidden Weapons and poisons, his Sword Forms might not be any less effective.
Finally, the day for school arrived.
Under Grandma Su Xi's reluctant gaze, Lin Yang and Village Chief Tai Lon boarded a donkey cart heading for Nuoding City.
Even if it was just a donkey cart, it was a precious asset in Red Maple Village.
On ordinary days, it wasn't to be used lightly except for helping the village transport various vegetables and fruits to Nuoding City.
But today, the Village Chief had exceptionally brought the donkey cart out for the purpose of personally sending Lin Yang to school.
Riding this donkey cart couldn't be called comfortable; it jolted terribly, but it was still better than walking on two legs.
With the Village Chief driving the donkey cart in front, Lin Yang sat in the cart bed behind, with various daily necessities he would need placed beside him.
Along the way, Lin Yang and the Village Chief chatted idly, so it wasn't exactly boring.
After traveling for a full two hours, Lin Yang noticed a city in the distance.
Although it wasn't a large city, the city walls were quite thick; from a distance, it looked like a giant beast crouching on the ground.
The Village Chief saw the look in Lin Yang's eyes and thought he was dazed, then said proudly,
"Nuoding City is the largest city for a hundred miles around, dozens of times larger than our Red Maple Village."
"But I've heard those Royal Cities are a hundred times larger than Nuoding City. Not only are they big, they're also beautiful..."
Accompanied by the Village Chief's rambling, the two drove the donkey cart into Nuoding City.